The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1822-07-05 00:00:00

PRICE OF STOCKS TERTERDAY.

Bank Stuck ..Rat... ihdui Beads.. 42 45 pr.
3 per Cent. Red.... so I Es. Balk 2 • ...i.0004.
79i 80 I I pr. par. 2 pr.
34 per Ceat•••• 901 f)i Data Small .... 2 6 pr.
4 per Crut5....... will I Lottery Tirketo,2 IL IS..
New 4 Iraq Cent+. 081 I Cone. for Arc. ..81i 81
.Batik L. 'Ant..ifif 7- ti 8)1

APINSIEIt"? ALEXANDRE.

EXTEACT PROM A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH imP
THIS CELEBRATFD DRAMATIC VENTRILOQUI,T,
JUST PUBLISHED.

Nicholas Marie Alexandre less born •in -Paris,
in the year 1797. Hit father was an advocate of
considerable practice at the Correctional Tribu-
nal, and was much distinguished M his day fur
his zeal and eloquence in his profeloarni. lie
was devoted to the principles of legitimate go-
veriarneivt : this political devotion raised against
him snit only the persecution of th admirers
of liberty and equality, but also that of the
creatures of Boimparte's government at a more
subrtquent period. Wristled at last by the an-
noyences of the several revolutionary fictions,
which ut that time rapidly succeeded each other.
he retired with his sou, the subject of this little
memoir, to a small estate he possessed at Lisieux.
in Nottnandy. It was here that tile strange pecu-
liarities of young Alexandre's voice were first dm.
covered by himself, he being then between seven
and eight years of age. This discovery occurred in
the following way :—lle was one day playing at the
school-boy game of Bide and Seek, with a boy of
the saute age, belutigirig to a neighbouring family,
and, wishing to elude his companion's search, called
him, as children are wont to do, iii a feigned tune
of voice. as if he were in a certain cellar, near the
place where they were playing; the child, com-
pletely deceived by the sound, instantly hastened
thither, where he experienced no small disappoint-
ment in not finding the object of his search.
Young Alexandre now perceiving, fur the first
time, his powers of vocal illusion, coutitused, as was
natural, to amuse himself with the deception. His
companion, still culled to by a voice with which he
was totally unacquainted, tan to complain to his
father of the person that thus played tricks upon Mar.
His father, after much importunity, accompanied the
child to the cellar they supposed concealed the un-
known, and carefully searched every corner fur the
intruder, whose voice continued to be heard in diffe-
rent part., and were greatly surprised that they could
not discover the hiding place of the mocker. The
perplexity of the father, and the terror of his boy,
were much increased by young Alexandre then
causing the voice to proceed as from under some
stairs, near which they were shouting. Elated at
the perfect success of his previous atiessipt, the arch
boy now made the voice appear to be that of an
Mil woman grasping abed and soliciting help ; they
immediately hastened to see and relieve her, and
retired much chagrined, on finding their kind in-
tentions useless—young Alextuidres deception re-
maining completely undiscovered.
After this convincing proof of his powers of oral
deception, oar juvenile hero, in all the wantau-
nces and cunning of boyhood, began to exert him-
self to ascertain how fur he could carry his illusions
into practices It may not be teresting to record
some of there early efforts of his. A dyer, who at
that time lived at Lisieux, and was one of his father's
neighbours, was in the habit of hanging up his
clothes, &c. to dry in the ruins of an old castle in
the town. Young Alexandre hid himself one day
in a corner of these ruins ; and, while the dyer was
occupied in hanging tip his thin 4 caused his voice
to set in such a GOIIIIIMIT lir to make the slyer believe
there was some one concealed in the mum of on
ul.per story, immediately above the spot in which
he then was, calling lustily to him to come tip
and open the door, that lie might get out. The
dyer thought it was some persists who hail conceal-
ed himself there with the Intention of robbing, if
not murdering him ; cod. being a bold man,
immediately rushed up stairs, armed. with one
of his own poles, of no common diameter, to try
the force of it on the bones of the hidden thief.—
While she dyer was searching for his victim, young
Alexandre managed to. attract the attentiou of a
fishwoman, who was at that moment passing in the
street below ; he made use of some expression., not
the most pleasing to her delicate ears, and challeng-
ed her to come up the castle stairs, it' she dared.
Such an invitation needed tee repetition to be at•-
mord by a true dame de In hulk. The summoned
heroine instantly rushed up, where meeting the
dyer, and, supposing him to have been the M-
I
lulling challenger, apse wooded him, first in us very
gentle terms ; and. from wordy war, in spite of his
long pole, proceeded, very soon after, to blow..
A third actor in this sceue of mistake mild Mi.
raglan ices now caused, by our hero's frolicsome
powers, to appear; a smith's apprentice passing
down the street, attracted by a voice from the
castle, that called aloud to hint to lend his assist-
ance in opening a door, ran up stairs with great
'rmies., to thew his uodersitmelnig of a luck;
while in 0:e act of ascending, the litherwonent.
knocked down by the dyer in the boat of his
fury, fell against the unotlentling smith, who,
retorting in kind. considerably increased the
affray. The noise occasioned by the contests of
the different parties for victory, who ell got
soundly drubbed, drew half the inhabitants of
Lisieux to the spot, sod afforded young Alexandre
an opportunity or escaping unubeerved. The
parties being separated, and an ingiviry inrti-
toted into the cause of the affray, impenetra-
ble mystery attended each explanation, and the
old castle soon lad the• aepeitation of being the
haunt of evil epirirs, This .adeciattire making
constilesable 'poise, the all yet unnoticed author of
it thought prudent to remain quiet fur a while, and
only go iloutigh such wheats/4d as were Acers•tiry,
to keep his organs in readiness for sudden and sole
occaeleits.

(To be towfinsed.)

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

PORTOVOIIIII. JVLT 3.
Arrived dre Thames, Ltkrn, from ihr I)owru fur Beibral;
and Ikr Akilkirr, Leath, trues Van Ihrseses,r Land.

Rolled the Earria for Yarmouth; EA' splstater. Cbassor, for
Amoterdau.; and Nautilur, W4ller, fur Loudon.

PLYlnsaiT K. AAA' 2,
Arrived the gistera, Bishop, fromDemerara; Mau, SIAM.
torriell, from dirtu; abd the James Duolop, Slet.phturd, fwm
Bar badoes.

osAL. JULY a.
Arrived last nic►t aud sailed for the River t►i. issortisig
tb • tVilliAni Beadle, from fletigal and Madras; mud
ike IYntre. Fhtd, (tune Honduras* fur Hull.
estate down from the- !fiver f6la morulas f and sailed the
Ocean. May, (yr the Swath Seas sad the Brut), t.usrev, fur
St. Julau'e.

STUPENDOUS CP' ERN.

(freattie Fidgeter* Republican of Hoy 14, 181 i

There was discovered shont three weekoeince, on
the north ben! of the Black River, upon: the lend
q_ James Le:Rey, Esti. opposite to the village of
Watertown, aim extraordinary cavern, or grotto, the
mouth of *lnch is about' ten reds from the river,
north of the Falls and of Coweit's blend.
. The great extent of the cavern, and the great
number of spacious rooms, halls, and chambers,
into whirl, it is divided, and the immense quantities
of attentions coiscretious which it contains, and thf.
fervid states of those concretions, from the consist..
epee of lime mortar, to that of the most beautiful
stalactites, as hard as marble, render it difficult, if
not impossible, to describe it, end I skill only at.
trmpt to give a faint description of three or fear
MOM%

Tbe mouth of the cavern is io a small !taloa.
about five feet below the surrounding surface of the
earth—you then descend sixteen and a half feet into
room about sixteen by twenty feet, and eight feet
high, and behold in front of you a large flirt or
table rock, twelve or f,:nrteen feet square, two feet
thick, and elevated about four fret Irma the bottom
of the cavern, the roof over head covered with sts-
!acmes. some of which read; to the table rock.
On your left hand is nu arched way of one hundred
and fifty feet. and oil year right Laid is another
arched way, silt feet broad at the bottom, hid slat
feet higk, which lends into a large 'moo. Passing by
this arch about et) feet, you arrive at another. Which
leads into a hill 10 feet wide sea 100 feet long, from
5 to 8 feet high, supported with pillars and arches,
-and the aides bordered with curtains, plaited in
variegated forms, as white as snow. dear the mid-
dle of this hall is an arched way, through which von
pass into a large room, which, like the hill, is boy-
sieved with curtains, arid hung over with stslactilep;
returning into the hall, you pass throng!' another
arch into a number of rooms on the left baud, cur.
tained, and with stalactites hanging from the root.
You then &wend about ten feet, into a chamber
about twenty feet square and two feet high, cur_
. tinned in like manner, and hung over' with sta-
lactites. In one curlier of this chamber, a small.
mound is former! about twelve fret in diameter,
rising three feet from the floor; the top of 'which is
hollow and full of wirier from the drippisigsof italac-
tites above, some of which reach uesr to the basis.

- -
Deacendicg from this chambeN and peeving
through another arch into r hall, by the side of
which you see another basin of water, mon shout
four iuches from the floor; formed in the same way,
but the shape, size, and thickuesm. of is large tea-
tray, full of the most pure and traosparent water.
The number and spaciousness of she room..
curtained and plaited with large plisits; extend-
ing along the walls frosts too to three feet from
the roof ; of the most perfect whiteness resells-
!sling the most beautiful tapestry, with which the
rooms ■re embroidered ; and the large drops of
'ester. which are constantly suspeuded on the points
of innumerable stalactites, which hang from the
roofs above; and the columns of spar resting on
pedestals, which, in some places, appear to be furin-
ed to support the arches above—she rvflection of
the lights, and the great extent and variety of the
scenery of this amazing cover's, form altogether.
one of the most pleasing and interesting scenes
that was ever beheld by the rye of mortal man.
Its discovery immediately drew to it great Hum.
bets of people from the village and surrounding
country, who were nsakirig great depredation's piisi
it, by breaking offend carrying away whatever they
esteemed most curious, when Samuel C. Kennedy.
E•y. Mr. Le Ray's agent, was applied to, to pre-
, tit further spoliation, who immediately directed
the pamage into the cavern to be enlarged,
stairways made, with a strong dour• placed under a
lock and key, which !us been (Wished, and the door
closed.

The discovery of this grotto. added to the eaten.
sive petrefeetion along the river in this .sientity,
especially on Cowan's blend, of the or,ce inhabi-
tants of the deep, cannot fail to render lVatertowu
(to the curious at lea:4), a lasting place of resort.
It may be proper to mention here that the cavern
has been bot partially explored, and that no one
who been Into it. although some suppose they
hAve tr rrlled more then 100 rods, pretend to hare
found the extent •f it, or to know the number of
rooms, hallo, sad chambers which it contain,. •

A Correspondent who was passing along the
Iliragate, on Tu'sday last, observed two wo-
men and two girls travelling to town. On spc.k-
ing to 'hem he ova informed that icy bud come
from the %Vest flighlands. where they could reside
ors loupe, as they had been tinned out of their ha•
bitalion ; runt thus they were going-to Aberdeen to
procure a pa.sac.:e to Inverness, where they had
some relaihms. One of the women had a burtleii
on her (rack—on being asked if she carried a child
in her plaid. she said it was hergroadowarher ! Struck
with the circumstatice of a grauddiasgliter travel.
ling with her grandmother on her back, he turned
up part of the plaid, and was artouished to beheld
ilia pale eounteuatiee of an old emaciated woman.
aged toe years. who hadbeeu drenched with rain.
(Aberdeen CA►oakle.)

♦ few evenings bark • perms of respretabirly died from
the effects of the following sisgslar fright Ile had twee
sitimironig at ■ friend** house is Sonthamplou.simi I.
Holborn, to avoid the importunities of a sumeribus bush of
creditors, and the mare disagreeable visits iT bailiirr, and I e
thought himself quite secure from their intresioo ; liiit by
sumac carious means or other a Sheriff 's officer, *hi. !nib:
wt it against the fugitive, discovered his retreat, and preparid
pleasures for the caption. Ile repaired to the house at an
uniteasoliable hour •t night, slid cantsnund knocking
until the dour was opened, when he forced 'in mid asked for
He gentleman by name, at the amine lime annuunnind the
object of his visit. The unto. timely genii. was was thep
is bed, but • Fenno went up hi apprize him of the maitre
whes ha beard it his colour left him, his frame became
dreadfully agitated, sad be fainted away. Surgical osiat-
sore was procured instantly, but life was gone. Mr.Stnlu g.
Carrower of Middlesex, held an inquest us the body o• Sitar.
day, when it nppe•risg that •pmtplt xy was the cease of sleuth,
a verdict was returned to that erect.