The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1818-08-20 00:00:00

MRS. OPIR'S NEW TALES.

Few writers of the present day hove been more
eminently successful than Mrs. Opir, iii this diffi-
cult species of composition. It may be justly
termed difficult, because it demands greater talents
and higher attainments thin eves. the regular novel,
and its difficulties increase in rroportion as the limits
to which the author confines himself are the more
circumscribed. It requires also that consummate
degree of art, which, tristliog to the concealment
of all art, gives to the most ingenious combinations
an air of perfect simorcii v. It is related of the
Janet Gay. that when he et,,s reproached for degrad-
big his genius to the puerile walks of fables, he
replied, that he know of no department in literature
more arduous; and swift, who almost ridiculed
the remark, was compelled, after two or three at-
tempts, to own that it was strictly just.
The greater number of the tales in this collec-
tion relate to fashionable life, of which, its its va-
rious and changeful aspects they exhibit a spirited
arid faithful picture. They are interspersed with
others of a more romantic character, in which the
truth of delineation is preserved amidst a strong
and s 44444 minors sombre colouring. Thus contrast-
ed, they tend to relieve each other, sold prereist to
the novel-reader a well assorted and piquant repsst.
One of tiie most singular of these tales is that
entitled, 6' The Confessions of as Odd lempered
Man P` the object of whirls is, to represent the
miseries inflicted on ourselves and those around
us, by a selfish and exclusive irkird to our own
feelings. The following extract characterizes the
narrator's conduct to the .unable lady, whore affec-
tione he had sots, and wham rumour had already
pronounced to be assigned to him in marriage :

"This very natural report, after the attentions 1 had paid
her, awakned my jraluusy of indepeudence,and the suspicion
incident to my character.
" 1 fancied the people ofC- believed 1 had advanced
Soo far to retreat ; and also that Caroline'. filends hail
perhaps spr►ad the rein..., in ur,ler to hasten my propos .la.
• A ',serous loan would not have imagined this : lint 1
was not a g. °serums man ; and I not oily thought it, but I
acted urns it, and became suddenly cold in my manner
towsrda the gentle b. ing whose affectiona I believed were
awakened in my favour, merely becanst I could mil bear
any interference with my act 1111 l a, and wit. resolved not In
b. talked or compelled even into marriage with the woman
whom I sd.•rrJ.
" Accuriliegly, at the next hall, Morad of soliciting Ike
band of Cardiac, 1 kept at *distance (ruin her after my
'first aalstatiou, and had resoliit ,to Wllll5llllO the won-
dering het nut reproachful glance of her soft and speaking
eye ; and 1 saw with mean satistacti 111 l how listlessly and
sisly the nasally active and guy C.rohne went down
every donee that evening.
.1 I was as cold mid as diurnal at two succeeding parties,
when a rival, auJ a formidable one WU, Slow entered on the

" It was well known that Caroline hail refused several
off•is ; hut thru they were nut eligilile mies : but the Gen-
tleman who came forward as a pretender to her hand, was
in every respect worthy even of her. I must do him c,
and I hive wondend that she did slut bay. I felt
that slue ought to have lured him ; and that nothing hut a
blind infwiiiittion fur an undeserving olij et—namely,
11111011f—cualil have have led her to reject a being so perfcct.
Indeinl I rallied my self judgment On far, that I thought
it a fawn in Caroline to love me and refuse bum. He was
handsome, berated, highly gifted in point of talents ; and
he vs. good. fine tempered, berievutei:l, avid pious In
ruck he vier her superior—fur he was the younger son of a
nobleman; in Meow, bring a beneficed clergyissais, he was
her 'Yeah yet seal he was rejected, Wenner of was preferred !
Mai is mat passion called love, that thins sets llw judgment
at di Cum.-, and rejects a true to worship a false divinity ?
" I was sot our, however, that my formithble rival 'mild
not succeed; mid I 'organ to relax in My assumed ruldnem
when I saw his marked attentions and their aim; especially
when the • te eye of a shrewd married friend of Caro-
line's, who disliked me and educed him, was fixed ow me
with a look which seemed to say—' You hare lust her sow
for ever'

" I requested Caroline's hand for the two
111 dances at the u. at 13311—.44C was engaged to my rival,
bat she accepted me for the two next ; anal I found a per-
ceptible difference in her exisr.mion when glancing wills me
mid when dancii.g with him. While she was Isis partner
ler rye wand. red almost, or carelessly tinned usi him as he
WI her down the dame. Weigle slw was mine, her consensus
;who were Sited upon she ground, 41111 her clank was fillbll4-41
with a dexter of pleactirable emotion, which her apprehen-
sive and rasher wosistelesl pride made her ashamed to feel.
" Some women would le gve wooled 011 we my gown cold-
ams, and, with wane paupr ely perhaps, amained indiffer-
ence, anises they fell at nut : hut the Iseart of Caroline was
• stranger to disguise.; she was above the common as tifices
of r rex: and Omagh I have gnmetimes, in • splenetic
humoulrg accuse., her sit' being isigessuidis almost to indeli-
cacy, I in•w do her justice, and am convinced that, were all
women like her, the fate of lovers and of husbands would he
much hipper than it a. But Own I must also own that
men must be refined, in order to deserve such women u the
wan"

STATE OF THE HARVEST. .

The harvest commenced in many places at the latter end
of July, since which period the weather has been the most
favunrable possible, and the greater part of the Wheat has
tern Secured in excellent condition. This crop iv spoken of
as being generally good in quality, Noll not deficient in
quantoy, except upon dry, scorching soils, which have, as
might be expected, felt the effects of the long 'might we
have experienced. Of those few instances which hare
reached us of any sales having been effected, the hulk Ma
been loused fully is. equal the imperial of the buyer,
both in %it 'est and dryness. The season has been particu-
larly favourable to those mils, ishith, either by natural or
artificial means, are rich and high in cultivation. On such
loads, in 'twos like those of 1318 and 1817, there would
helm immense both of straw probably, but the crop would
he laid, and cuosequently Inferior in (totally, if out in
quantity. In the present year the dry weather has counter-
acted these effects; and If it has diminish...l the quantity ..f
straw, it has eft us a good sianuliug crop, by which, locally,
we amaus as such straw as can grow without falling. Thus
is the best of all crisps, as boils straw ant cora remain warn_
Jared ; to it is well known that beyond a fellatio pitch, high
msomeng and richness of soil become an tell rather than
hmcfit, to a What Crop at least. Os, all sit h sour, there.
fore, the %%him" (where sum mildewed or otherwise bluebi-
rd; will be found this rear 'Kellen, both in quality end
'flaunty, the raillem is having been checked by the drought.
--We have Pot inneh of thou land in Norfolk. However,
use many of our stronger soak the Wheats are very good.
lye the light, scalding lands, they fa.' off greatly, though
by no memos so much as Harley and other spring crops. It
it 14mtulable to see the effect of the 'bought on thousands
of acres of this description. Even the better sort of light
lands are miserably short its produce, especially of Harley.
fa many wet:lima there carman be aoy thing like half a
crop, and in sunny 111111 e at all. A great deal is Itegiuning to
he cut, asset should the weather prose fine for the next fort-
night, will he secured. The quality will be tl l t 11l but the
colour beautiful; like the Rarleca of 1800, bright and sil-
very. Reins are not mare than, if so much as, half a creep;
but the sample is very fine. So eau ly a Ilvan harvest u, v. r
was known. Many herr been rot and earluti before the Mr-
by' were begun. We air terribly bare of feed (or one cat-
tle, and we are likely to ',main rue fur we shall have neither
Turnips sane Layers against Number year. The Clover soul other small seeds are totally perished by drought, anul the
Tamps, where they du at all,
(*Norwich Paper ) are doing wretchedly.—

1 NQU 1.371.

SUSPICION OF MURDER.

•
04 Tuesday night an Invent waa held at design if the
Black H wee. High sired, Poplin., before Joan WRIGIIT
11NW11.1, E.q Coroner, on the bully of flume Jammu
aged 25, n Lintels sailor, whit it was suspected was thrown
overboard into the River Thames.

It appears rt from She evids nee of John Goorlsere, a light-
erraar. Thomas Harper, Castone•house ofilicer, and Wil.
ham Halite, that on Saturday evening last Gatherer, who
was norloyeet to take a load of sugar to a vessel lying
,or M, ill, Poplar, on going down the River, he
saw a ves-el which hail a foreign mime painted on it,
and not snug -dile to read the name, he rowed the barge
to the isineroina vessel of the tier in whirl, the vessel was
plated; he, thinking this was the vessel that hi. was directed
to, called several times, but r.yeivints„ nn simmer, he mode
his barge fast to the I and went on hard. The ran.
mat he got on deck, the deceased came up in a violent
rage and commenced an attack upon him, and korteked hint
down over the windless of the vessel. Ginedacre then gat
up, and was going to get into his barge, but the deceased
rail over and laid ',Ad of the painter, which fastened the
barge to the vessel, and endeavoured to loosen it; witness
entreated him DO let it remain till he got into his barge. but
lie refused end beat hits away ; here they caught hold of
each other, and had a acid& to see who could get hold of
the painter, and they fell down on the deck, the deceased
kneeling on Gootheere's body; the rope, were Blacked, and
the deceased laid hold of the painter, and so prevented him
from getting into hie barge; he then laid hold of witness, and
used him so shamefully, that a mob of persons collected
together on shore, which was about 30 yards from the yes.
eel, cried " Shame!" and to "throw the blackguard over
board." Esch of them was now kneeling OS the painter,
the deceased endeavouring In loose the painter to start the
barge adrift, and the other to keep it fast. AS length the
ceased got up, and seised Goodacre round the thigh'', and
attempted to throw hint overboard, but Goodacre caught him
with his arms round Isis shoulders, and in swinging road
they both fell overboard (first on the anchor) into the water,
and went under the vessel clasped in earls other's arms, awl
remained under the water for a length of time, whirl, was
ceased by the deceased keeping tight hold of witness !Good-
acre) as tf determined to make him die along with him, hut
when exhausted he let him go, and sank he rise no more.
Goodnere rose twice after this, and as be was sinking a thirst
time he was fortunately got out i •Iro a boat, apprently life-
less, mid conveyed on shore, where by she applicat of
prop r remedies he was soon restored to animation ; the de-
ceased was frond on Nlosidav morning last, and taken ashore.
"'WOODS/ Ha per and William Rain', the other witnesses"
decidedly prove., that no culpability whatever could be at-
tached to Gondaerr, as he behaved with the greatest civility
till he was necessitated to lay hold of the deceased, and thee
he doll nut strike him, but the deceased's conduct was most
blameable; she Captain and mate were on shore, and the
deceased, who was the cookl was left on hoard.

An investigstiun of • similar iisteee W3l entered into at
the Thames Police office. •hieli cleared Goodaere from any
charge elasiever. The inquest sat from eight o'clock till
near one yesterday mnrninc. alien the Jory returned a ver-
dict of—Casually Drummed.

Yesterday an lnqur4 was held at the knot. of Mr. T.
Moore the sign of the Three Ton!, corner of Comm greet,
and Kirby-street, tbdion.rerden; before TURMAS STIR-
LING, E.q. Coroner for Ibe Conniy of Middlesex, on the
batty of Susannah Morgan, who eagle to her death by
hanifing herself

Mr. Henry Wake Arid, Suwon, deposed that about half.
past eight O'clock on Tuesday morning, he was sent for to d
the deceased, whom he found lying dead on her back,
on the front kitchen fluor of the house, Nu. 20, in Cross.
street; she was not quite cold, but there was no apiwaronee
of life, she appeared to have been dead about two hours,
there was nu attempt made to restore nnimannn as there
was no hope of recovery; she had nothing on but her shift
and nighi-eap; there was no ligature about the muck, hut
there was the mark of amid, and he was informed hi) those
present, that she hail hung herself in another SOWN; the
house appeared to him to be nisinhabited as there was MI
furniture in it. He is of opinion she came by her death
from strangulation.
It appeared on the evidence of several other witnesses, I
that the &reword lived shout six weeks in the service of Mr.
Thomas Abbot, a builder, whence she was discharged on
F. iday last, in consequence of suspicion falling on her of I
stealing a 101. and five W. Rank notes, and the sixteenth of d
• lottery ticket, out of Mr. Abbot's bureau, and idiom
her discharge she had come to lodge with Mrs. Edwards, •
woman,' who was Ostrom rare of that house WWntll it was let,
her fears of bring taken up and b ght
to Hallon•gardleto Office, and dreaded lest her friends should I
hear of it. On Monday night she •ppraied low-spirited,
and as if deranged, walking about the room and clapping I
her hands, exclaiming, " My God! what will become of
me !" She took two glasses of gin going to bed, but did
not sleep all night ; gut up six times during the night, to
walk about and look out at the window, and at half-past six
in she mornisig she got up for the last time, sod WSW down
smite in her uadress, and about eight she was found hang-
ing in the hark kitchen. .

here iV; half et A. tine it a state of
dery nue m- eat.

The Lon, CHANCELLOR did not sit in his pri-
vate room, Lincoln's-Inn, yesterday (its he pro-
united), to give judgments.
Twenty-one brace of grouse, or moor gnme,
found in the possession of a carrier, were seised, by
warrant of a Magistrate, on Wednesday morning
last, at Biuncepetti, Durham.

On Wednesday last two Gentlemen, angling no
that beautiful river at Bucket;ham, Norfolk,
belonging to Sir THOMAS BEAUCHAMP PRocrEa.
caught g 101b1. of fish, the greater part of which
were bream, weighing from 2 to 4lbs. each.
There was a very good supply of wheat sit Nor-
wich unit ket toss Saturday, the new samples obtained
shout Is. per entomb more than on the previous Sa-
turday ; new wheats have been delivered to the
millers in this neighbourhood, weighing 18 stone
per womb lieut.—There was a tolerable exhibition
of Scots and Ho•nrbrrda on the Hill, with a lot of
Lincolnshire cows fur the butcher, for which about
410. a head was asked. Two droves of Welsh ponies
sold for four and five guineas each. The sheep
pens were nut well tilled.

REMARK ABLE OCCURRENEE.—NO. 357 is the
°tilt her yet drawn in the ',resent Lottery which
is entitled to any Prise above 300/.; that Ticket it a Prise
of 1,000 Sovereigns, and further entitled to Four Pipes of
Port or Madeira, or Four Hogsheads of Claret ; it was sold
by 111511, mid what is rather remarkable, it has fallen to the
lot of • Gentleman io Hampshire, who, a few Lotteries sitter.
obtainsil a 5•,0001. Prise also of 111511 ; and as the lucky
Adventurer has one undrawn Ticket, he stands a good
chance for One of the Two 30.0001. Prizes, or the 15 other
Capitals now in the Wheel, all of which must he drawn
Num TUESDAY, 25th Ili taut, when the Lottery finishes;
at all events, it is probible 111511 will sell one or both of
them, as be always sells more Capitals than auy other 001ce-
keeper.
A hum4ti skeleton, of almost herculean dimen-
sions. was lately found in a garden belonging to
It. Hattalsou, F.‘al. of Hill House, near Grin-
ford. It is supposed the body has lain there a great
number of Ceara, and bite, in all probability. been
inlet red naked. as no vestige of a coffin, &c. was re-
ill wining. to a legendary tale, Hill House
sea. about a century and a half ago a rendezvous
of the celebrated Sir W. Blows and his followers,
higlimiyinett of that tivae.—(Darliam Advertiser.)

COURT Or R EQUESTS,
GUILDHALL, •lUOVIIT 19.

THE NORWICH UNION.
TAYLOR 17.
The Plaintiff, is widow, residing in Great Jewin-street,
aaningww,l the Defendant, Mr. Thones4 13sten•ilit, she Seery-
tail, of the Norwich Union Insurance Company, for the moon
of 11. ss. which she paid to a Mr. Wainsey, an of the
Company, to effect no insurance of her stuck and goods to
the mould of 500/.

Mrs Taylor stated to she Commissioners, that nn the Mb
May last, %Insley, the agent. who resided in Paul street,
Finsbury-sqnare, called upon her ■nd requested her to
insure her properly in tlw office to which he helonged she
consented to insure to the asnoont 145110/. mid she paid bins
I/. 6s for the policy, which he proinWil to send to her house
in the course of the week. The mosey she paid him i.e en-
tered in a hook, and he left her one of the plates (which she
produced), to affix on the front of her house. Not receiving
the policy at the appointed lime, she applied at the office in
Bridge-street, and was there infarmed by the Clerks dust
Winney had not effected as isssurauce, that he was nut an
■grist 111,61[11 he received h►r Money, hut had been discharged,
and they refused to grant her the policy, or r,ldrn the money
she had paid to %Timmy. She could tint stile further upon
the sulajet t, hut she had two friends in Conti who insured in
the same office, and they could prove that Wintry was in the
yeiviee of the Company whets be received her money to
effect an insurance.

Mr. Cornish, a respectahle inhshitant of St. Ocorte's,
Southwark, stated to the rommisaioness, that he took e
friend with him to the Norwich Union-Office, in Bridge.
street, to inquire into Mrs. Taylor's b.tsinem, at h. r most
argent request ; he asked the clerks when Mane, wits dig.
charged? they refused to give him soy salostactat y *toaster.
One clerk said 16 mouths, and anotlter said he thought ‘1.4,11t
Pit months lie skewed the clerks the plate Wisoney rave
Mrs. Taylor, and salted them when they were ionic* from
the Office to the Agents? One of the clerks said slo.tiet
four mouths az°, and the nth. r said ist Februtity lest.
The clerks informed I • hat Wintery had been stlvertisetl
in the Newspspers,lat no linos r twine our of ti.. Company's
sge,ts; he asked Or hat papery? and oleo's refer, on: to those
in wh-cli the clerks told hon the advertisement WI., rted,
he found it wan nut true, there was notion: of the kind m
either uf the paper.. the v oneostiottett lle pumas...rated with
one of the clerks %Irmo their tie...tiring h.m, a titl IMP Of thesw
ordered him out of the Ohre, suit told thesis they were Mb
itentlemeso, and asked lent mod lois trios I who hired them
to t their.

Mr. Houghton corroborated the shove statement.
Commissioner—" This is a very dishonourable piece of
business; what du yin sat, to it. Mr
A Gentleman who stated that he attended on the part of
the Company, said that Ir. ltigoold was out of town. All
he kurw of the Istisisiess was, that v was discharged
prior to Mrs Taylor paying him Ihr 11 Ss.
Commis v—" How could %Votary obtain the plate*
from the °Mee uhieb have born issued to the .44,111 only
/bur months apt ?"

(;e1.11.-mtri--* They lie home Omni the office, he might
have taken them

Commilui 0000 Ruth ate esplanation does not sntafy
nw, you oaths in inner that W y had be. u
prior to Ow. trancietion."
Sir Cornish—•• I told the rlirks at the ..flee that if th. it
agent had lawn defrassiliiiir h. Wait, it was a ditty the
C prny laved to ilw public to prose, site hint Tile eloits
replied, that the perinws who hail b .en defiauded might
pro cote if thry chose
Comntissiiiiirr—•• I reronnynd Mrs Taylor to to to Mr.
Aldin man Thorp, and "tat. her rotor to the C•onniiiiie of
whirls Ise is Ch.... 5,11.111. Mr 'Lipoid ought to have app. wed
here no person."
Gesitleinaii-i-" It Mr. Ricnoia's atienibmce is iudisp. 11111 S.
ble. hr will 1w here on any day the Cow* may appoint."
The decision win adj4urned to a Aston. slay.