The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-07-05 00:00:00

THE YELLOW DOMINO.

In the latter part of the reign Of Louis XV, of France,
masquerades were an entertainment in high estimation, and
public ones were often given, at immense cost, on court
days, and such occasions of rejoicing. As persons of all •
ranks might gain admission to these list spectacles, provided
they could afford the purchase of the ticket, very strange
relecontivs frequently took place at them, and ekhibitions al-
most as ttrricum in the way of disguise, or thstitoption of
character. But pet haps the moat whimsitial among the ge-
nuine surprises recorded at any of these spetticlifs, wet
that which occurred in, Paris the 15111 of October, on the;
day when the Dauphin (son of Louis XV.) attains el the
age of one-and-twenty.
At Clis fete, which wits of a peculiarly glittering ehal.
racter—so much to, that the details of it are given at great
length by the historians of the day—the strange demeationr
of a man in a yellow domino, early in the evening, excited,
attention. This mask, who stewed nothing remarkable as
I to figure-4-though tall rather, and of robust proportion--
seemed to be gifted with an uppeitr, hot merely past hu-
man conception, but passing the fancies even of' romance.
• The dragon of old, Who churches ate
(He used to come on It Sundar
Whole congregriOns were to him
But a dish of salmagundi,'—
he was but a nibbler—a mere eltddler—to this stranger of
the yellow domino. He passed from chamber to chamber
—froth table to table of refreslimentis—not tasting, but tie-
vouring—devastating—all before him. At one board, he
despatched a fowl, two-thirds of a ham, and half a dozen
bottles of champagne ; and, the very next moment, he was
found seated in another apartment, performing the same
feat, with a stomach better than at first. This strange
course went on, until the company (who at first had beat
amused by it) became alarmed and tumultuous.
Is it the tame mask—or are there several dressed
alike 1' demanded an officer of guards, as the yellow do-
mino rose from a scat opposite to him, and quitted the
apartment.
' I have seen but one—and, by Heaven, here he is
again !' exclaimed the party to whom the query was ad-
dressed.

The yellow domino spoke not a word, but proceeded
straight to the vacant seat which he had just left, and
&gait% commence. supping, as though he bad fasted for the
half of a campaign.
1 At length the confusion %which this proceeding creates,
becomes universal ; and the cause reaches the car of the
Dauphin.
He is the very deWil, your Highness !' exclaimed an old
!nobleman—(saving your Highness's royal presence)—.' or
wants but a tail, to be so !'
Say, rather, he should be some famished poet, by his
appetite,' keplied the Prince, laughing. But there must
be a. me juggling; he spills all this wine, and hides the
provisions under his robe.'

• Even while they speak, the yellow domino enters the
room in Which they are talking; and, as usual, proceeds to
the table of refreshments.

' See here, my lord !' cried one—' I have seen him do
this thrice !'
' I, twice l'—' I, five times!'—' And I, fifteen.'

This becomes too much. The master of the ceremo-
nies is questioned. He knoWs nothing— and the yellow
domino is interrupted as he is carrying a bumper of claret
to his lips-
' The Prince's desire is, that Monsieur who wears the
yellow domino Should unmask.'—The stranger hesitatt•tl.
The command with which his Highness honours Moli
tieur, is perfectly thsolute.'
Against that which is absolute, there is no contending.
'The yellow man throws off his mask and domino ; and it
is a private trooper of the Irish dragoons!'
' And in the name of gluttony, my good friend (not to
oak how you gained admission), how have vitt contrived,'
said the Prince, ' to sup to-night so many times?'
Sire, I was but beginning to sup—with reveretiZe be'
it said—when your royal message interrupted me.'
B?ginning !' exclaimed the Dauphin in amazement—
`then what is it I have heard and seen? Where are the
herds of oxen that have disappeared, and the hampers of
Burgundy? I insist upon knowing how this is
It is, Sire,' returned the soldier—' may it please your
Grace—that he troop to which I belong is to-day on guard.
We have purchased one ticket among us, at d provided this
yellow domino, which fits Us all. By which means the
whole of the front rank—myself being the last man—have
supped, if the truth must be told, at discretion ; and the
leader of the rear ranksaving your Highness's commands
—is now waiting outside the door, to take his turn.'—
Parthenon.

LONDON MECHANICS' INSTITVTJON.—This admirable
Institution, from which so much national improvement is
likely to spring, will he opened in Southampton-build n;s
on k riday next, the Sth of July, with an appropriate Ad-
dress from the President, Dr. Birkbeek. We understand
that his Royal Highness the Duke of Sussex, the Marquis
of Lansdown' Messrs. Brougham, Hume, Abererbmby,
Denman, and other distinguished characters, have signi-
fied their intentions of being present. It is also stated that
the Lord Mayor, Sheriffs, and many other eminent citi-
zens will grace the meeting. The undertaking is not only
honourable to the nation and its founders, but useful to
mankind, and should meet that support to which its im-
portance entitles it.
ANECDOTE OF CArDINAL YORK AND LORD NELSON.
—When Napoleon Bonaparte entered Rome with his army,
all who were not favourable to the conqueror fled from the
city ; and as nearly all Italy was under his controul, there
was scarcely any resting-place for the fugitives. Cardinal
York, brother to the Chevalier de St. George, commonly
called " the Pretender," was particularly obnoxious to Bo-
naparte, from having reflected severely upon his cruelty, in
a charge he made to his clergy as Bishop of Asia. He re-
moved to Venice, where the French troops followed him,
and he escaped in the disguise of a mendicant friar. He
begged his way to a village near Cape Otranto, where he
lay secreted for several weeks, subsisting on the charity of
the cure of the place. The Agamemnon, 71, was then
cruising near the coast, under the orders of Captain'
Nelson, and he soon learnt the deplorable situation of
the unfortunate Cardinal. Nelson instantly determined
to assist the last of the Stuarts. Ile went himself on
shore, found the Illustrious unfortunate, and invited
him on board his ship. The Cardinal hesitated not to
throw himself on his generosity. Ile was accommodated
with a part of the Captain's cabin, and proper apparel,
suitable to his dignity, was furnished him. Ile remained
on board seven weeks, during which period the ship was
twice engaged in action. The Cardinal walked the deck
with Captain Nelson, perfectly undismayed, amidat a scene
of carnage to which he had hitherto been a total stranger.
As soon as convenient, Captain Nelson landed him in the
Austrian territories, forcing upon him 1001. the defray hisl
expenses to Vienna. The old man shed tears when he left
his benefactor, and was regretted by all on board, no whom :
he was endeared for his mild and, unassuming manners.
Nelson frequently spoke of him with admiration, and said,
" That man's example would almost make me a convert to
the Catholic faith." The Cardinal had a handsome pension
assigned him by theEmperor,and six months after his sirup
to the Agamemnon, he was on board of her agaiii'in the har-
hour of Genoa. Fortune then mile I upon him, and his
delight at seeing his deliverer was incere. in the fal-
ness of his gratitude, be embraced all the officers, and ,
ran about the ship, shaking hands wink the crew. He
repaid the pecuniary obligation to Nelson, and would
have trebled the sum, which Nelson refused. He sent!
onboard fruits, bread, wine, and meat, sufficient to keep
the sailors feasting for several days, and kept open house'
'on shore fur all the officers. When taking final leave,
he presented Nelson with a sword and a cane, which the
Pretender" had used all his life; they were plainly I
mounted in silver, and highly valued by Nelson. It is
difficult to tell which to admire most, the generosity ofi
Nelson, or the gratitude of the Cardinal ; both did honour
to their distinct professions, and this anecdote is equally
creditable to the in-mory of two great men.
We have much pleasure in mentioning, from good au-1
thority, that the parishioners of St. Thomas-in-Vale have
resolved to present the Rev. W. G. Burton, their Rector,
with some public testimony of their approbation—not only
of the performance of his duty generally, but more parti-
cularly of the great attention paid by him to the religious
improvement of their slave population. We are induced
to monition this because it may tend to convince the people
at home that we are anxious to promote the endeavours of
the Established Clergy to improve the morals of our
slaves, aind are disposed to give every eneottrapnient to
prudent and well-directed zeal.—Jamaica taper.