The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-08-23 00:00:00

LORD COCHR.4SE'S S I'EAM-PESSE LS.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE BRITISH PRESS.
Si a,—l observed a paragragli in your paper of Yesterday
headed " Lord Cochrane's Steam-vessels," describing
these vessels to he admirably constructed for the warfare in
which they are intended to be employed; but 1 have also
seen that the machinery has been found defective. Can
von inform me if there be any foundation in fact for the
report that the engineer employed to construct the machi-
nery for these vessels has for a long time past had a son in
the employ of the Pasha of Egypt ? Surely no friend of
the Greeks would have confided to an engineer so situated
the preparation of the machinery necessary for the vessels
ryfirred to. Far be it from me to insinuate that a respect-
able tradesman could not serve two employers with equal
fidelity (though the Scriptures inculcate the contrary doc-
trine) ; but still it is desirable to avoid all ground for sus-
picion. A. G.

In reply to the question of our Correspor.dent we can
sate, that a son of the engineer in qui anion has been re-
siding at Alexandria for some time. The machinery of
the vessels has been found extremely defective, and loud
complaints have been made at the extraordinary delay that
Las occurred in the c3n+truction of it. We understand
that the engineer contracted to have the vessels finished by
December lase—Eu. BR• PR.

LIFE AND CHARACTER.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE BRITISH PRESS.

TIIE OLD GENERAL.

Sts—l am one of those old-fashioned creatures, who al- I
wars admire the comfortable neatness, rational frugality,
and wholesome fare of plain English living, among persons
of twiddling fortune; and really, 1 am led to remark, in 1
it visits through life, that tremendous expenses ore in-
carrel by many persons among us, of narrowed incomes,
sometimes in that which is called " genteel economy," and
oftener in the disgusting and unnecessary profusion of our
tables. My friends whom I have visited, unconscious of
the personwho pests these remarks, may take a frugal lesson
from the true pictures I delineate; and if even they could
tend me out, I am sure they would recollect I never acted
the sycophant, or feigned the friend when no friendship
fur diem was near my heart.
An English gentleman of moderate income, or a respect-
able tradesman in comfortable circumstances, was in
olden dons" conscious of no deficiency in setting down a
few friends to a neat table, with a couple of fowls or ducks,
a plain joint, and a tart or two, followed by a good bottle
of old port, with some sherry for the ladies ; or a tankard
of good " home-brewed," giving relish to the cheese of his
older friend*. _ _

our modern notions of genteel economy and hospitality
are formed on a very different scale; and may he divided,
stir generally, into a fantastical display of meagre style,
or a gigane.l and wasteful profusion, each of which falls
far short of accomplishing its object, namely, the disinge-
nuous entertainment of the guest.
My old friend General Culverin, who is a martinet of
the old school, as well in domestic economy as in the field,
while he keeps up his dry-drums and levees, and gives en-
tertainments in all the style of old-fashioned externality,
carries the system of thrift, in the midst of show, to an ex-
tent sometimes dangerous to the health of his guests. His
small side-board is bedizened with old plate. The ancient
table-linen is worn almost to a perfect transparency; and
though its torn (bogs look like point-lace, it vies .for its
whiteema with the driver. mow. fhe silver-handled knives
sre so worn by continual friction on a knife-hoard, that
there is no distinguishing back from edge. By-the-by, that
is a salutary antidote to prevent vulgarians (should they be
invited " promiscuously to the General's table) from cut-
ting open a cheek in feeding themselvea with a knife!
Biggory, the butler, forms the whole retinue of the Gene-
ral. He is lark as a greyhound, spruce as Corporal Trim,
acts by the roll—of his master's eye, and displays the
adroitness of his office with all the etiquette of a Major-
limio to the " great" Duke of Marlborough, or Prince
Eugene. The table is covered succettively with three
stated and successive number of dishes, which remind you
of the Ist, 241, and 3d Veteran Battalions. The soup
seems so perfectly unconscious of meat—the fish has been
so long from home---the fowls so old and lean—the
butcher's meat such carrion—the hashes, ragouts, frican-
dNs and fricasees have so often mounted guard ant " done
duty" on the same table in such a vatiety of shapes, forms,
2'14 temperatures, hot and cold, that one is reminded of a
first line used by Ovid in the 11/etamorphoses:
" In nova fen animus mutates dicere formal
"Mom" &c.
Then the sauces are so meagre and tasteless, the pastry
so untli,iiiiguishable in texture and flavour from those
" plaster of l'aris" substitutes which now serve to eke
out the show of a fashionable ball supper, that you might
a- well take a bite out of a Staffordshire baking-dish as
attempt to eat them. Their contents, too, if fruit, are so
exquisitely sour, that the guests who venture to eat them
for complaisance sake, sit screwing up their faces at each
other, with the team in their eyes, while the gallant General
Politely presses them to take " halter's int" with him,
which he calls " fine old port," or perhaps claret of the
same vintage, sophisticated by some of those ingenious
wine-brewers, who every day work the miracle of Cana,
in Galilee, and sell at " 30s. per dozen," to the infinite
advantage of doctors, apothecarits, and undertakers. But
though the General has either lost the use of his own
palate, or has so habituated himself to this poison that he
tan swallow it with impunity, it is not so with his guests,
who often suffer from his hospitalities in a cholera morbus,
a ramp in the stomach, or RD inflammation in the bowels.
A gentleman some days since. at one of the General's
meagre banquets, being assisted to part of an acidulated
eie, ventured to call on Di,,eoey for some magnesia.
,Niiory stared. The General asked what his guest wished
? fhe gentleman replied, " Only a little magnesia,
General, to neutralize the acid of this pie, and prevent a
fit of the cholic !"

Notwithstanding all this, the General is a worthy, ho-
nourable, and well-meaning man. He makes a point of
*grating his income to his expenditure, and he pays every
debt he contracts within a year.
I shall, in my next, give your readers a contrast.
Yours ever.

PETER PEEP.

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Tut Aamv Hate- PA Ir.—The days of payment for the
rernsinder of the Quarter to Half-pay Officers will be
il"da", Tuesday, and Wednesday only, in each week.