The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-02-07 00:00:00

VISCOUNT NEWCOMEN.

The late Viscount Newcomen, whose death, and the fail-
ure of whose bank, one of the oldest in Dublin, were no-
ticed in our Paper of last Sunday, (lying without male
issue, the title has become extinct.
He was the first and last Peer of his family. His
mother, Charlotte Viscountess Newcomen, on whose death,
in 1817, he succeeded to the title, was raised to the Peerage
in 1800. The life of that amiable Lady was made un-
happy by a circumstance growing out of a barbarous prac-
tice of the times, of which, we regret to say, much still
remains. Her family, long settled in the county of Long-
ford, was one of the most ancient, honourable, and respect-
able in Ireland. The hospitality and goodness of her im-
mediate ancestors were appealed to as a proud example of
what a kind and beneficent landlord ought to be. By the
death of her father, Charles, of whom she was the only
child, the estate, which was a large one, became vested in
her. There was an old Baronetage in the family, but it
was extinct before her time. Her father died when Miss
Newcomen was quite a girl, leaving Mr. Webster, an old
gentleman, an inbabitant of the town of Longford, her
guardian, within three n ilea of which, one of her family
seats, Carrickglass, is situate. It happened that there was
an humble rustic party, principally of her own tenantry,
which Miss Newcomer( condescended to grace, and a dance
being the principal amusement of the night, she deigned
to partake of it, and had For her partner a Mr. Johnstone,
a go.id-looking young man, the son of an opulent farmer.
In some short time after this event, in the open day, Mr.
Johnstone presented himself on horseback, with a pillion
behind him, in the public street, on market-day, when
filled with people, and as Miss Newcomen was cross-
ing the street from the house of her guardian, a friend
of Johnstone, then stationed near hint, seized her round
the waist, and attempted to place her on the pillion be-
hind him. The young lady screamed and fainted away;
the horse was a spirited one, and became restless, which
assisted her against the lawless effort. Mr. Webster,
the guardian, who was an eye-witness of the scene,
ran out to rescue her, and as lie approached, Mr. John-
stone's friend, who was armed with a sword, made a
thrust at him, and the old gentleman fell to the ground.
Mr. Webster, jun. the son, was also on the spot; he (seized
a blunderbuss, and conceiving that his father was killed,
lodged the contents in the body of Mr. Johnstone 's friend,
who expired on the spot. The old man, however, escaped
unhurt. Fortunately, he had a coat studded with concave
brass buttons, the fashion of the day, each as large as a
crown-piece, and full as strong, one of which received in
its centre the otherwise fatal thrust of the unfortunate
friend of Mr. Johnstone. Of the fate of the principal,
Mr. Johnstone, the writer of this article cannot speak with
certainty ; he believes he suffered death for the offence.
The detestable crime of abduction, unfortunately still pre-
valent in Ireland, was at that time so common as to be
considered a venial offence by the lower orders. From the
rape of the Sahines down to the present day, it has existed
in sonic degree, but a crime more revolting to human
nature we do not think ever disgraced the most barbarous
age of any country. Considering the frequency of the
offence, it is not surprising if the fate of this audacious and
aspiring young man should have excited much sympathy
at the time. His friends have attempted to say Miss New-
comen betrayed a partiality, but that is not sustained by
a single fact. Ile was the victim of his own vanity and
presumption, On the lady herself it had an injurious
effect; she never recovered, the shock. The melancholy
catastrophe permanently depressed her spirits. In some
time after she married Sir W. Gleedowe, then a banker in
Dublin, who, with her estates, assumed her name of New-
comen, since ennobled ; but which title and estates, by the
late disastrous events, the death of her only son, and the
failure of his bank, are now no more in the family.—
Weekly. Paper.

PUBLIC MARRIAGE AND DISTURBANCE IN
ST. ANDREW'S CHURCH, PLYMOUTH.

On Tuesday lost was married, at St. Andrew's church,
Major IV. II.)1loway, of the Royal Engineers, son of
Major-General Sir Charles Holloway, of Stoke Cottage, to
Amelia, youngest daughter of the late Captain Elphinstone,
of B 't he friends of the parties assembled at Bellair
and Stoke, and after breakfast the procession, of fourteen
catriages, united at Devonport. An elegant chariot and
four, containing the bride and two of her bridemaids, took
the lead, followed by Sir Charles Holloway's coach and
four, in which was the bridegroom. The footmen, post-
boys, and horses, were decorated with white favours ; fine
carpeting was spread from the carriage steps to the com-
munion table, over which the party walked. The bride
was richly attired in a full dress of white satin and plumes.
After the ceremony the processioa again drove off through
Stoneltouse and bevenport, and the happy pair followed
in their chariot and four. In the evening, after dinner,
they set off for Exeter.
The interest excited on this occasion was of the most ex-
traordinary description. As early as eight o'clock in the
morning the church was occupied by a multitude, of which
a great part was composed of females ; but we have to re-
gret that the sacrednetz of the place was little regarded.
At ten, lying the hour of divine service, which is pert*, rmed
in this church twice every day in the week throughout the
year, the same was rendered impracticable by the turbu-
fence of the populace. Cries of " Murder ! order ! help !
help !" whistling, and even swearing ! were heard in a
house devoted to the worship of God, and the unruly mob
was not restrained by any respect for the minister, or for
the holy word, which was attempted to be read. Indeed,
it was a scene of the most harrowing nature to those who
reverence the sanctuaries of our religion. There could not
be less than three thousand persons present: the pulpit,
reading-desk, and even the edges of the pannels of the
seats, were tenanted; persons were actually mounted on
each other's shoulders, and the streets and houses outside
were crowded with the multitude of spectators. At half-
past eleven the procession reached the church. The tu-
mult was now increased, the press for a view was intense,
and the crowd, notwithstanding the greatest exertions to
prevent it, took forcible possession of the inner rails of the
communion table, which are much injured, and rudely
violated, with their clamour and contention, that most sa-
cred portion of the church. In the midst of all this tu-
mult, the marriage ceremony was performed, and the mul-
titude shortly after disperser!.—Sherburne Journal.

A gentleman connected with a very respectable silk house
has taken a commodious warehouse m Bohan, and intends
in a short time to commence the silk-manufactory there on
an extensive scale.—Stockport Advertiser.
Mr. Harvey, gamekeeper to Lord Grenville, at Drop-
more, last week, on Woburn Common, killed a snipe that
that was completely black.
So NOT. N C Y.-00 IVetlnesday night last, a young man
named Arbour, who resides in a court, at the end of Ray's-
lane, in Cambridge, between twelve and one o'clock, quit-
ted the peaceful side of his wife, and springing from bed,
darted through the sash of thechamber window, which he
shivered to atoms, and was precipitated to the ground flag-
ged with bricks, a fall of about eight feet, and notwith-
standing he was dreadfully cut and not slightly bruised,
vet lie was not aroused from his oblivious sleep, but rising
up he proceeded to his father's residence, a distance of
387 yards, at the door of which he knocked violently until
admitted by his terrified mother, whose feelings cannot be
described at beholding, by the light of the moon, her son,
naked and bloody, standing before her. She led him to a
chair by the expiring embers of the fire, but in vain she
addressed him, so profound was his sleep that he heard her
not, and it was not until a good deal of violence bad been
resorted to, that he was aroused to a sense of consciousness.
It is unnecessary to add, that the poor fellow was much agi-
tated, but he could recollect nothing, except having been
under the influence of a dreadful dream. He is now con-
fined to his bed with the hurts he sustained, but it is hoped
he will do well. He has frequently been known to walk in
his sleep.
GA ii.r o.—When Galileo was summoned before the In-
quisition, for asserting that the earth moved round the sun,
and not the sun round the earth, the priests appointed to
examine him quoted the Bible, to prove that the theory ha
supported was heretical, and particularly rested upon the
passage where Joshua is stated to have made the sun stand
still. "0 ! (says Galileo) that ought to convince you of
the truth of my doctrine, for since Me days of Joshua the
sun has never moved round the earth !"