The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1824-09-14 00:00:00

LUCKY .4ND UNLUCKY DAYS.

Superstitions are as old as the world, and it is very pro-
batik that they will end only with it. Atnengst those that
are to be traced to immemorial times, we must rank the
' opinions formed by nations respecting lucky and unlucky
11 days. The third day of the week pas eonsidertd fatal by
the King of Egypt: they never transacted any business on
that day, abstained from eating until biAlit, for fear, no
doubt, of an indigestion. Thursday was in disrepute
amongst the Athenians. All public meetings that fell upon
that day, were carefully postponed. Hesiod, and after him
Virgil, distinguished the fifth day of the Month as unfa-
vourable to all enterprises • hut at the same time, the Greek
poet places the seventh, eighth, ninth. eleientli, and twelfth
amongst the number of lucky days. The Boman calendars
marked with Hack or white, the favourable or fatal days.
Augustus would not have undertaken any thibg on the day
of the Nunes.
It must, however, be acknowkdgtd, that chance has
often contributed to encourage such superstitions. The
temple of Solomon, which was burnt on the Rth Sept., by
the Babylonians, was a second time consumed on the same!
day, and in the same month, by Titus. Timolion gained
many battles nit the day of his birth. Charles V. was in-
cessantly loaded with Fortune's laYours on the day of St.
Mathias. Henry 111. on the day of Prutecon ; Sixtus V.
on Wednesdays: Louis X 111. ell Fridays: and Henry VII.
King of Engjand. ou S aturdays. It is well known that
the lid' of May was the day always fatal in the life of
Henri IV.

__..... _
'tut these dif!•rcnt r•xarnplcs prove of theamelves, Hurt
the influence c.t days contribute nothing to good or bcd
fortune, since they use lucky to some, EA the reverse to

It would, moreover, be easy to show, that the same day
may bring very difYerent events. Pompey was assassinated
in Egypt, on the same day that ha had tiinnerly triumphed
over the pirates and Mithridates ; and Leo X. was cense•
crated with great pomp, on the my in which he had been
meek a prisoner the yt sr before. Alexander the Great was
far from partaking of the superstitious notions of some of
his captains. N:ver, raid they, did the kin ;s of Macedon
°pets a campaign in the month of June. The y were right,
replied Alexander; therefore I command, that the mouth
of June be called the second mouth of May.
In this age, the 13th of the month, and the Friday of
every week, arc sti:l regarded as days of bad omen. And
this pri possession, contrary to good sense and rt awn, is not
confined to the !ewer east; of peop!e. alone. More than one
man of rank yields to its influence ; and ',know even some
men of intellect who believe in ;mod and bad days. All
this proves, that trrors only change their names in being
perpatuated.—News if Literature and Pashiatt.

A straw-hat manufactory, under the lumpier, of the
lion. D. G. liallyhurton, of l'itcur, Scotland, has been
tstahlisbed on his estate. The superintendent is a well
qualified Italian.—Fdiishargli Paper.
The Sturipurt Adrertiscr says, " A Company, to be
called ' the Birmingham and Liverpool Rail-road Corn-
pauy.t has been formed, promising to become of the first
importance to the great manufacturing districts through
which it is intended to pass. Among other advantages,
they volitive to cony, y heavy goods at the rate of eight
mil:, an hour, and fur less than half the prevent cost of
canal carriage."

It is a:tie...that an Irish Mining Company will, within a
few days, be put in possession of a large mineral district in
the South of Ireland, and that they trill commence opera-
tions with as little delay get possible.—Wafet fitrd Mirror.
Some interest was excited in Ipswich on Wednesday last
at the election of officers for the borough. The present
senior Bailiff' admitted that his own election was illegal,
and that being the case any one now elected would be
brought before the Court of King's Bench by ipso warrant,'
awl mandamus. At length a Mr. Set katop was elected.
the burgrises agreeing t indemnify him if proceeded
against.
Two Russian Rabbis, named Goldbarg and Samson,
have jtist abjured at Berlin, and embraced the Protestant
faith. The King of Prussia was the eponster.
We copy the following from the Balls .I,,arna! :--" We
have been informed. upon indisputable authority,that
there now lives In Wiltshire a gentleman of large anded
property, and an M.P. to wit, who will not permit a mar-
ried peasant to remain on his domains: and almuld a pea-
sant dart to await} ahem feelinga which nature has on-
tailsiaasikasaaokamllia4P/0114 anal eseter into the holy mate
of matrimony, he is regularly limited off his lauds. 'this
tyrant, this barbarian, will even go tonnd tu nu tenuru
and forbid than, upon pain of being ejected from their
farina, employing the offending peasant ; so that, dame'
sheer persecution, he is driven to seek some more hoe-
' phable asylum."
No fewer, we believe, than three thousand Irish reapers
have sailed ;luring the last week from this po..t, on their
return to their native land. It is expected that an equal
number will take their departure the ensuing we, k.—
Liverpool Advertiser.
In a severe stortn of thunder and lightning, at Barton,
on the afternoon of Friday lag, two horses awl a pig, the
property of a man named Robinson, were destroyed by de
electric fluid. A third horse, which was in the saute'
stable, was also much injured.—lfoll Adecrliser.
At the bottom of a wood belonging to Mr. Teuton, of
Knowlton, in Flintshire, is a rill of water, which empties
itself into the river Dee ; which rill, when a person strider
across it, he is, at one and the same instant, in the King-
dom of England, the Principality of Wales, and the pro-1
vines of Canterbury and York ; in the dioceses of Chester,
Lichfield, and Coventry ; in the counties of Flint and Sa-
lop; in two townships ; and in the grounds of Mr. Turton
and his tecigbbour.—.wane Advertiser.
Ou iteetteselay week, a singular accident occurred on
the Gairlot hill, Peebles-al ire. Two horses and a anule
which had been in a grass park on the farm of Mitieeon.
got out, and immediately, guided be the scent, took the
road homeward by a direct line. 'Wry had, in conse-
quence, top ars down the steep side of the Gairlot Hill,
upon which they came with great speed; ro much so that
they were unable to return when they found they could
not keep their feet, but slotted or rebounded to the bottom
of the hill, which is of great height, and were clashed to
pieces. The mule saved itself in a singular and ridicu-
lous manner—namely, by sittingou its haunches, and slid-
ing in this posture to the bottoin.—Edicebeetgh Paper.
Wm. Telfair, a person who is understood for some
years 'mat to have supplied Scotland with forged motes,
has been seated with another noteal dealer, glary Ann
Quin, and about SSC) forged notes on different Hanka taken
with them. The notes are on the fludderafiehl, Royal,
Leith Commercial Bank of Scotland, Sir W. Forbes and
Co.', Banks.
E.'FICT Or Oxvorx ON CLOW-wanes.--It is an in-
teresting experiment (says Mr. Parkes) to place a glow-
worm within a jar of oxygen gas in a dark mom. The
insect will shine with mach greater brilliancy than it does
-in atmospheric air. As the luminous appearance depends
on the will of the animal, this exreriment probably afterds
an instance of the stimulus which this gas gives to the sed-
um! system.
CULOVItZD.FLANIIS.—AiId a little boraoic acid to a
spoonful of alcohol, and stir them together, in a saucer or
cup, then set them on fire, and the flame will be of a beau-
tiful green colour. If struntites in powder be reeleleal to
alcohol, it burns with a carmine Hamm; if barytes be
added, the flame is ye ; if the alcohol contain touriate
o. magnesia, it burns with a reddish-yellow flame.
Tracss.—ln the Edinburgh Police Court, on Tuesday,
a fellow was seemed of practising an old stale trick at the
cep enee of a young girl in Arthur-street, of which trick
he had been previously convicted. lie hail introduced him-
self to the girl as a dealer in jewellery ; but finding that
she would not bile, ha represented himself' as agent for a
great lottery office in London, and produced a bag contain-
ing blanks and prizas, the latter of an incredible amount.
The bait was irresistible, the girl thrice staked seven
upon a chance, and thrice she threw a blank. She
was inconsolable for the loss of her money, which, in truth,
she had borrowed; and the fellow, to facilitate his escape,
prominal to reimburse her. Afterwards, happening to meet
hint in the street, she laid hold of him, when he premised
to remote her what she had lost, and proposed that she
herself should banish him beyond the bounds of police for
the sake of public justice, as such a sentence coming from
her mouth would be more gracious titan if uttered by a
heartless Magistrate, and equaPy binding upon his con-
science. But she had been taught by severe experience to
distrust his prof( miens ; and, accordingly, she delivered
him over to the peculiar arm • and he was :11. Vo' 1101:0:CLII to
eft days centinetrent in Bridewell.

IVORTHRRIV CIRCUIT.

LANCASTER SUMMER ASSIZES, SATUDIAT,SZPT.

T ICI PRITIS.

taoll Mr. BARON lIIILLOCIF. itifi s COMMON Jary.l
MOLT v. /MITI' 1/141:1111.
. .

Hf. C • . —opened the pleadings,"
111 r. SCaRLETT stated the nature of the assaifft. The plaintiff.
he said, resided at a place called Ridley litook, near Bury, in thug
county. The poor amain was fitly ynara of age, and had re-
ceived such a blow from the defendant's wife (and they too were
" twain"), as she won'd in all probability carry the intake of to
her grave. The defendant bad put on the record that she was first
assaulted, to which the plaintiff had rejoined by a new assignment,
and thereby denied the tact. Hy hoped, for the honour of Isar.cas-
ter, that woman to woman wouill never conic in contact with each
other again ; for " when Greek turns fireek, theu conies the tug
of war." The Learned Gentleman then adverted to the facts at
detailed in the evidence, and (411,4
Thomas le.rd, rx.alliaell by Mr er;I'ItTNEI-.He kcnws the
plaintiff, Ilatinali 11,11, ray well. and Alice tinthh. the defend-
ant ; he raw them both on the 23.1 of I teciniber last in the street ;
he heard Mrs. Holt say to Mrs. Sinith--" Ira% you asking me
some questions last Saturday when I met you 1." on which witness
observed Mrs. Smith take up some brick hats and throw them at
the plaints4f, and at the same time nbuscd her very much ; she
struck her with paving stones—Mere the witness pulled mat of lel/
pocket a huge stone, tersely as large as a totrkem lapistune, which
occasioned a loud laugh); the defendant threw it at her, and hit
the plaisttiffon the knee ; she took up another and threw it at her,
which missed the plaintiff; defendant went away, Lut afterwards
returned with a bowl pot in her hand la kind of a burin) a sugar
one, and taking It in both her hands. she struck the plaintiff on .ne
head a tremendous blow; a pleee fell on her right arm and cut it ;
the blood flowed ; witness said she had brosiOt herself under the
lash of the law, and that she had used the plaintiff very bad ; de-
fendant said " she would as soon kill her as a toad dog ;" the
plaintiff went away and the defendant followed her, and continued
to use abusive language. Mrs. llok never struck her, nor attempted
it. Ile wins present (rout the beginning to the anti ; he was quite
near them.

Crow-examined by Mr. 020170111 AX.--Slue newer used any sort
of Indecent bustusge to the defendant; Osintlfl spoke to
Smith is a frirodly way t she said, " How do you do, Mrs. amid.,
and how does your family do?" and'asked her that words she bad
said or. the Saturday WO on which she tbttk ur some paving
stores.

0;1 u m.....
ri linnnnAll'hat we pare the streets with, without •
‘Vitneal--Ves, she a iel ; they were loose; he was sore the plain-
& gave her not any sort of ;Juke wimisotherer. He asked her
what she had done that for ? It happened lour their factory. Mrs.
Smith tens walking towards her ogai Itott.e, of course. Ile can't
say how fir the fictury is 011'. It happened r.ct far from Mrs.
Smith's house. Mrs. Holt was compelled to fiollow her; she was
going for water. Mrs. Smith went !rat, end Mrs. llolt followed
her; don't know why she did. Mew. Huh had 3lrs. Smith before
the Magistrate. !!guess was there at ate examination. Can't
say hos., long they were. She was bound to appear at the Sessions.
Mrs. link Ohl, however, nothing at the Semitone. lle can't say If
Mrs. Smith did attend with her Attorney. The plaintiff never •id
she had received no damage from the defendant. She took up the
stones with her right hand, and afkrwards :Tidied the sugar-bawl.
Ito her head, which was presently shattered. The stones were taken
up first.
BROVOIIA T._ And you hare lain under tha law, too,
Tommy, at ?—Aye.
He-examinttl by Mr. SCAULETT —She tnok the basen up dill
both ber hands and applied the aulistwore to her head, and idler-
wards tnuk up the Stones; she was going for wxtts, and the plat:aid'
woe obliged to follow her.
Elizabeth Bentley examined by Mr. scastl.STT —She Imowsthe
parties ; she iv:to-mhos the time; she was standing at her oat.
nom; she beard 3lrs. 11ob tuck her who: she had said cot tlte tater-
day, when Mrs. Smith called her a ~Mrs. kink &aid.
•6 you elm% pone ine one. though, can you ?" when Mut. Smith
took up a stone; it was a paring one; site threw it at her and hit
lire on the knee; it made the place black ; she then took up another
stone but cannot say if that hit her; she ir:uke the bowl put abttut
her lu•d she did • with both her hands; Mrs. Smith going
first; she none vp to her face; the blow was enough to knock her
brains out ; brute the pot to piecm; the defendant said she would
as Mere kill her ass mad dog, and think it Do sin neitlitz. Mrs. 'hilt
never touched her. Thomas told her that she had brought herself
woke the lash of law ; he took the out of her hand ; atm
went home afterwards. Had witness been her she would have
thrown the pitcher at her head _(A loud laugh.)--Tas, that she
would.

The JVIIGE —That is only aritiee.—( A laugh.)
She told Mrs. Holt to do so; she said, '• tio„ I shall wan; the
pitcher another day." (Repeated laughter.) She taw her en tins
day after ; she saw her often; she Fib unwell after) abe has bvea
unwell ever since; very poorly 1u the head.
Cross-examined by 31r. Iltocurtim—She lives it the neigh.
beurbeod of them Mob, twenty or thirty yards of. She never braced
up to her. (A laugh.) She was likay to follow her. when she
went before! (Renewed laughter.) 31ra. Smith called her •
w—e; she said it could not be proved; she Dever said
lick her well; d—n her do! (Laughter.) Wimess--;No; but 1
would have licked her ! (shouts of Lughter.l Are, said the wit.
Less, and thea had taken the law tou! (Loud and ointinued
laughter.) Yes, that she sould, had it been her. Ilienvwed
laughter.) She did not say 11—n her; she did *ay throe the pitcher
h 4, bat not that she would maul her althougU she *mule' have
atone so. (llontinued.litighter.) Mrs. :Smith had a cap on. and s
bit Ma handkerchief round lei. neck. )lad she h.:recalled a Moss
a w sho wnome.—
Ali said 31r. Isuottutt.em. that yew would, date say—haes
torn her eye, out.—(A roar at laughter.)
Mes. link never said that she soul d get Mrs. &nigh to strike
her, and then take the law of her. She was before the Maximum..
Margaret Perry examined by Mr. COIIIIT was Pee.
sent no the llmi..Ler she saw her throw i..g a brick-bat ; she
she did nut hear what had passed betwixt them ; she threw it at
Mrs. Rah sho saw her th:ow another and it hither; she saw
her break the bowl shout her had; she struck her upon the head
with both hands.

tYass-exaniined by Mr. BCOVGI:An—There were other petsomi
present. bite stood eme by. She did not hear a word imuke, but
they were sulking very loud. They
_were both alik. for that. She
Itat, seen Mr. liolt's attorney, and Mr. l'olkatoue told her what she
nail to say.
Dr. Greersaid. examined by sir. COVITNEY.—He is a pby.
aidan, and resides at Bury, lie was called in to see the plaintiff
on the Md of December lost. She complained of a pain in her
head ; it was swollen ; it was attensled with great pain, it pttaluer..l
a head-ache. lie ordered cold lotions and leeches to de nape of
the neck. There wee an effusion of Mood; the abstraciii;s: of th•
skin waa black between the pericranium and she brain. It cr health
gradually slitubk
,; be could attribute it to no other cause titan
trout the blow. It was a severe contusion. lie had attended her
conjointly with others, and lately exclusively. lie himself has Ett
doubt that her illness was occasioned by the filows she had received.
Cross-examined by Mr. linovonasa--Sbc was aia Piclorig
habit of body ?—Yes.

,
Mr. Han te Go a xi —isn't that ha there sitting, in black ?—(Wil.
nest, turning round)—Ves.
Mr. BILOUUIt•DS--%Vell, I thought as Unlel! You hart done
her some good ?
Witness—Hut 1 was not paid the fees. Physicians do:.'t get
them so regularly in the country as they do in I.oadon, nor so teheu
as 31r. Itrougham.
Mr. llaocuttam—Now, don't put yourself in a passion, or in-
flammatory syuiptonis may arise, and then you will want lecelto g
yourself on the tenitle. (lome, iter.) keep yew tamper, or tho
ansseqmerccs may be. youn eEsculaplus„ sot:Tilting like poor Mts.
Holt. (Lard laughter.) tie had seen her seven months before.
SCAIILETT—This is our case, my Lord.
Mr. BROVUSIAII addressed the Juty on the pan of the defeed.
ants, and said that ho i.iaritlled much that this was his Lean:. I
Friend's ease. The witness(' had told a tough story indeed ;
and as to the Itoctor's phlegrnotous parenchymatous symptoms,
they meant nothing at all. Perhaps there was a black rnailutut
the Recount of the cffusion of blood was mere moonshine. What
had this sun of .I.:sculapius done ? he hal Wed and ;dimmed
the poor old woman, that she wouii never forget it so long ss she
should live. It was said that she had been dangerously dl, but Was
fast recovering, and not now plithisical,/kc. winch he was very glad
to htva ; and at the (tent lemen of the Jury maid judge from appear..
once% this half.killed plaiting' now in Court, wax wildly and as
ruddy as .1 swimmer morning. The Doctor said she hal been of
a plethoric habit, and what a happiness it was now to-see her im-
proving stare. It WAS plain what die Magistrates thought of the
case, by not taking cup.taince of the assault. Ile should now pr.
teed to call a mincers, who would tell

_
" unrarni■hrd Isle,"

and Nadia case in a F.oyer light. The Learned Gentleu=n that
called

!Vary Holder—She krnws the plaintiff and the defenilara ; !re
hers utar Mr. Smith'. factory; she 'tent out of her house t!:.:
nowniog the assault happentd ; she beard them have won't I .
groper; they were standing. still; Mrs. Holt /slink, Mn. Sant..
what she %anted ? Mrs. S b went towards home, and Mrs. 8010
folloaed her. f•i!te said, " Why dust thou follow nic ? I have hal
ih emnigh of thee before." Mn,. Koh said, " I thought au wanted r.::
about your Isaac" (meaning Mrs. South's hint:and. Mre. Sthi:',
went forward to ho butt and she folfewnl her. F t again su;ii,
'• Why 410311 thou f, !low me ?" She said," Ilecause I like thee as
much as thou efts: my, and so dint thy Isaac." She got up to het.
the wa behind; Airs. 11tht said. " Your Isaar likes me bone
than thee." Mrs. 'loft damned her, and said she would 'leveller
pot out of the house, at.l herself put in her stead. Me( Mrs. int )
called Mrs. Sni:th a skinning (skinny) b—h !—(A loud laugh.)
Mr. St. AU I. C T T—Sperl out, woman. thy words are prcyirmt.

The vr- itners cocain- lied—Sib; said Mrs.' Smith stunk so ert.:',
that her Isaac coukl not lie with hit (laughter.) Airs. Smith KC...
nothhig a".•r this She saw Mrs. Gently there. Mr Holt aid
she had dune the thing she wanted. She said she w 0....! prorvk •
her that she might strike her. and then she would take the Isis
her afterwards. t,lte asked ti Mrs. Smith had hart hcr, and the
I ." No."
Cross-examined hr Mr. S4:antr.r-rt —Mrs. !full said that st s
did not innell sweet—tA loud laugh). She stunk so much th :t
hit loam could not lie with her—lltepeated Inaglita). She litga:l
no more t she did not tell the story yesterday ; she is a hmant tat'
Mrs. Smith's; her sun attends the strain ergioe in the factory;
she never limnl foul winds from Mrs. Smith; she never followed
her at all; the pitcher was under her arm; she clapped the
down ; Mrs. Holt did vat strike her, nur did issillareaten her ;
has told the whole truth.
Mr. 114ot:unix said, this is our ease.
Mr. Sc replied, and said it was any thing but a Jerome,
and that the witness had perjured herself.
T!a Lamed Junat ..:h.:.rsrd the Jury, sad said,