The National Register.
London, England, 1820-12-31 00:00:00

TUB WINTER'S EVENING.

[From " The Njeutur."l
Well! at last winter is come, and (itiank God!) we
have got a good excuse for " cherishing our knees at
the fire." We have lithe more to do with the green
fields and clipped kedges of the country, for they are
all fast asleep, and there is scarcely a bird left to wake
them from their state 01 torpor. OM existence therefore,
will be hencefor%varil confined to iii-tloor amusements;
to blindinsit's-Inilf with the yotiii4 ones, and verse cap-
pirie;, or clot ipit writing with tire elders : for if we go
our, tile aspect of motile stares us nr the face like an
ugly %%Antral), and seems to say " What the deuce do you
want here. kl'e will therefore take the old lady's hint,
and cuulin nu. ',Ave, to the comforts of a lire-side, and
so s iciatrie sn.t l net, e Joie iii a few days, that long
before the y% niter cf, we shall dread rite idea of
partin4 with our lire as we should dread leasing a dear
iriend 0•00 May n )I feollo for years.
hark ! breeLe is rattimg avainst the window-
pams, aild tit.; e:ii.iy east wind sues tut admittance at UM

key-hole. Not at home, my friend, a brisk fire-side is
now the only acquaintance who is henceforth allowed
to share the honours of our intimacy, for there is some-
thing so hottest in his red-glowing coacinnan.like looking
flice with.int the science of Lavater, we can niscover in
his phisioghomy the traces of a sociable disposition.
And ov what is to be done, the lire is already stirred,
the tea poured out, and ourselves prepared for a second
attack ou the meek heaviness of a quarters* loaf. NVe
will turn to a page of Horace, and see what this ancient
modern writer has to say for himself upon the subject.
He advises us to keep our doors well fastened ; (he must
mean with sand-hags placed at the bottom ;) to heap
wood upon the fire, " Cigna super loco large reponens,"
and make the most of our present eojoyments. " Win-
ter," says he" will not last long, but it is as well to make
the most of it while it does last." This is unanswerable
logic, and we immediately close the book with a tran3-
pott of delight at the sound reasoning of the author.
But the clock strikes ten, it must ba supper time surely
—accordingly in comes a biscuit or so, (we are no great
supper eaters,) kept in countenance by a liberal rotun-
dity of bowl, glittering itt anticipated replenishitess.—
The whisky is introduced. which, after a few decent
ceremonies, is christened by tile compound appellation
of whisky-toddy, and exulting in its newly-acquired
name, invites us us partake of the honours of its baptism,
" Thus," as Peter Pinder says,
" Thus have I seen an ass baptized a jack,
Graced by a chimney sweeper on his back,
Fling, snort, and cock his heels with liberality,
In imitation of a hot se oh' qoality."
And now that we have " tasted the creature," as an
Irishman would exclaim, suppose we have a few ghost
stories to while away the evening. Awful annuncias
non ! Even the candles burn blue at the intelligence,
and time fire already smells of sulphur. " But, who
begins?"—" I will if you please. lathe black forest in
Germany, there was once a tradition"—" Is it a long
one, wniipers a drowsy companion ?"—Go on exclaims
the yonneest of the party ; we go on accordingly to the
end of our story, and are roused by the sound of the hall
clock striking ;out the midnight hot • of twelve. " It
never sounded so gloomily before," fainters out an
affrighted auditor, " Anti bless use there is a thief in
the candle, it really looks quite ominous:'—" Hark
do you not hear a noise," whispers another, "No !
it is only the ailing of the north wind."—" Mere is
certainly a sound of footsteps on the stairs," shrieks a
young lady, her glossy hair standing on end, even through
her curl papers. " Who'll run and ste hat it is i
Not i.e—" And Fut sure 1 won't" ejaculates ant:Oleg
" Nor I,' replies a third. The ghost step meantime
approaches—tile pause is certainly awful; all the neigh-
bourhood have long since retired to rest, aud if the sprite
has conic to maul its, Ise may do it without interruption.
All now is dead silehce ; but the distant sound of the
watch dog as it sullenly bays the moon. In the mean-
while the lights to the room are burning dun, and the
extremity is already in darkness. "is tnat a Mall St:tud.
ing in the corner there ;" " No! it is only a great coat,
and a hat placed on the back of a chair."
But hark, the footsteps advance nearer; a dim light
burns through the key-hole, and as the door is gently
lifted on its latch, a tall white figure slowly approaches
towards is—God of heaven it is—it n—the maid ser-
vant who has come to tell that the sheets and beds are
ready for our reception. The charm is accordingly
broken, and luckily just in time to save us from the
I night-mare.
This then is the amusement of our winter evenings,
which, if it does not benefit our fellow-creatures, does
not, at any rate, diminish their stock of happiiiess.—
But while we discuss our own comforts, it is not to
forget the unfortunate for whom we have still a tear and
a - left, for hard indeed must be the feelings of that
person, as he does listlessly by his tire side, can listen
unconcerned to the winter wind that roars arouud the
unsheltered head of the indigent traveller.

Match to do Fifty Miles in Ten Hours.—A gen-
tleman named Smith, an officer in the army. under-
took on Wednesday, for 100 guineas to do the above
great match, which was made on Saturday night,
at a sporting-house in St. James's, to be done within
48 hours. It was considered impossible without
previous training, but it see7us ;the pedestrian is
always in training, or in other words, he is an ab-
stemious man who takes wonderful exercise. The
work was done over a five-miles piece of ground, on

as follows;
Miles. 11rP. Min. Sec.
5 0 40 0
5
5
5
I 5
5
30 30
I 5

the Hounslow enclosures,
Miles. 51iii. Sec.
1
2
3
4
5

5
5 ...
5

-"r-

TEMPERANCE OF BUONAPARTE.
The Emperor was never more than twenty mi-
nutes at table; he ate and drank but very sparingly ;
he had time however, to partake after his soup, of
two or three dishes and some desert. He required
to be served promptly ; for not wishing to lose any
time, and as there was never only one dish at his
table after his soup, he was to be helped very expe.
ditiously to those dishes which he fancied ; otherwise
he took an almond or some other trifling► thing from
off the desert. When he rose from table, every one
present did the same: he then went into the saloon,
where he took a small cup of coffee. It may be well
supposed that every person whom lie invited to
dinner made a good breakfast before they came, or
returned to their own houses to finish their dinner.
Those who took their meals with him for the first
time, and who were not accustomed to his method,

were actually starved; it was impossible for them
to say that they had made a kingly repast, although
his table was well covered; but no circumstance
whatever could induce him to remain at table more
than a quarter of an hour; this used to incommode
Josephine greatly, who was often hungry, and (amid
not find time to satisfy her appetite. At the time
of Prince Eugene's marriage at Munich, which took
place at eight in the evening, all the nobility in the
country were invited. Ihe supper was ordered at
nine o'clock; tables were laid out for 200 persons,
who were all seated in a long gallery, the entrance of
which was wide enough to allow the Imperial ban-
quetting table, composed of the two families, to have
a complete view of the gallery. The Emperor's
table was in the form of a horse-shoe, and was
elevated above the 200 persons. The whole was
magnificent from the splendour of the diamonds and
the lustres. Every person was ordered to seat them-
selves at table during the marriage ceremony. When
it was over the Emperor immediately sat down to
table; in consequence of the broad day light, he
remained (which perhaps had never happened befbre)
a full quarter of an hour with his guests ; he then
went into Josephine's room, and gave orders for
every one to withdraw. This order arrived actually
before the whole of the table was helped; the
napkins were scarcely unfolded. The poor Germans
could not recover from their surprise, they expected
to make a splendid repast, and they were obliged to
go home to their supper.

FROM TUESDAY NIGHT'S GAZETTE.
BANK [LOFTS.
H. Fell, Walbrook, merchant. Solicitors, Messrs. Clarke and
Co. Little St. Thomas Apoetle.
W. H. Harrison. Famagield, Nottinghamshire, victualler.
Sol. Mr. Stevenson, Lincoln's Inn.
B. Offer, Bathwick, Somersetshire. Plasterer. Sol.. Messes.
Nethersole and Ration, Essex Street, Strand.
T. Edwards. Alton, Southampton, ironmonger. Sol. Mr.
Dyne. Lincoln's lan Fields.
W. Kidd. Newcastle upon Tyne, linen drapes. Sols. Messrs.
Bell and Brodrick, Bow Church Yard.
T. Courtney, Oxford Coffee House, Strand, victualler. Sols.
Mews. Denneu and Co. King'. Arms Yard. Coleman Street.
M. Holt, Stoke, Coventry, watchmaker. Sul. Mr. Edmunds,
Lincoln's Inn.
DIVIDENDS.
Jan. e 7, W. Longhurst, Tunbridge, Kent. ironmonger—Q 3.
J. Collyer, Gosport, painter-16, J. Bettye and T. Pilgrim,
Lawrence Pountney Hill, brokers-0, J. Gibson and J. Pcn.
cock, Ball Alley, Lombard Street, merchants-.id, T. Clarke
and C. Gray, Keswick, Cumberland, nurserymen—id. E. Cane,
Battle, Sussex. saddler—ld, .1. and J. Silver, Sire Lane, tner•
chants-4S, W. Blackburn, Blackburn, Lancashire, shopkeeper
S. Authurst. Market Street, Westminster. copper menu.
tileturer...xu, J. Haidwick, ?lilt Street, Lambeth. British iron
foundry-6. C. A. Ansell, Carshaltun, Suney, paper maker...
16, W. Atticek, Berwick upon Tweed, grocer-0, IL Cohens,
Maidstone, seedstitan-0, L. ‘Yilliams. Nicholas Lane, Lorn-
bord Street. merchact..-go, IV. Hancock, Ilury St. Edmunds,
cabinet maker—l I,C ey nolds. N tow ich , woollen draper--'47,W.
Davies, Birmingham, brass timntler.--1/7, I'. Warwick, liitchin,
Herta, draper.
CERTIFICATES to be granted Jan. Id.
11. Lincoln, St. James's Street, IVestioMster, hatter—T.
Sudden. Rochester, grocer—J. Batters, Soutloimptan, grocer--
J. Bird, jam. Kingston upon Hull, cora factor.

Ersomint SPIRIT.—At Newark a party gave um-
brage to the " powers that be," by the means in
which they celebrated the triumph of the Queen,
and throe were committed to prison. On Tuesday
last these men were liberated, and while passing
through the yard were pointed out by the keeper to
several gentlemen, as the Queen's men. One of the
gentlemen, addressing them, said, " Well, my men,
you will be the King's men now, and sing God amore
the King." To this one of them nobly and sensibly
replied---" Sir, if I were confined for 14 years, in-
stead of 14 days, it would nut alter my principles;
and a prison is the wrong place for rofitrm—it makes
good men bad, and bad men worse! " On gaining
the outside of the prison wall, they gave three huz-
sus, and shouted " God save the Queen."

A Marseilles paper, (The Carlucre) announces
that a wealthy Englishman, a Colonel in the 13rtish
army, who resided ut Hieres, has lust his bib in a
most melancholy manner. He was passionately
fond of shooting, and was usually accompunictl by a
faithful gamekeeper, who, in tiring at some game,
missed his mark, and struck his unthrtunate muster,
who had come suddenly from behind a hedge without
being perceived. The Colonel died instantly.