The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1820-12-21 00:00:00

EXIRAORDINA fir SOOT RACE.

CAY9tIUo r, D►c. 7—Yesterday, the snatch between
inmes Boarame mid Blame" to run ten mike, was decided
at Newmarket. The former is the lad who has done so many
wonderful remit I.y the side of the Norwich and Harwich
coaches, while the Miter has proved himself.* first-rate cult-
ure in bis mateh•a with Old Tom and Rainer. Betting
three anil four to oneutt Blouson, whore conditiou was very
had. Bigosore bad gamed sixty yards upon Blouson at She
end of ibe firer mile, mid continued • steady peace. At
the rod of tl-e fifth mile Bitumens was "sic tails Lithium!,
and was taken extremely ill. Be, however, from great

gameness, persevered wail the rtkrhlh nidr, when hi was
unable to stand. He was immediately taken t. a public•
house and put in bed. Althoiegli it rained during Stir whole
time of the race, end the roads llWlrellagiy heavy, the tea
miles we►e completed in one Isour and Ave minutes with
considerable rase. Higinnre sung during a germ pail of his
tu,k. It is scarcely ererkble that • lad of only eight stove
weithl, 10 61/Ch weather, could perform the undertaking, he
having been csrcsiively drunk at twelve o'clock oo the pre•
ceding night.

FESTIVALS AN I) CEREMONIES OF

THE JAPANESt.

(Ccmfinual from a former Paper..)

The 'worth., which every one way have made
according to his limey, are called Siubuokulfma. 'Eke
word 3e,i/too has a double nsraning : it is the name
of the plant which we call sword-A►uxs, awl if the
word be divided. i. will be found to consist of sin.,

signifying to conquer, and boo, to be conipterrd.—
Koalas is the common word for sabre.
The fourth 'festival is called by the Javanese
Sifs-sek, the s .vent Is eve ;; i;; g, or Seisek the evening
of Me stars. This festival is held on the 7th even-
ing of the 7,h month. It was established iu bononr
of two constellations, tamely, Tuna-bolo, Siok-djo,
or thifirne (the spinner, the sempstress, the virgin),
/okai the feeifer of dogs, or Ners.gimis the cow-
herd.' tt is founded on • Chinese fiction, from
whirl, the mellow of the Djoo-tsi-kie has selected
the following ptrtiettlors.
On the east of the milky way, vaned by the
Chlorite Tenga, and by the Japanear Ansis.no-gasots,
or the River of Heaven, lived Sink djo, or Tana-
bum, a lady of exquisite beauty, and the 'laugh-
ter of the Emperor of Heaven. to her solitude
she employed herself it, spinning a fine kind of
cloth, called by the .',;,mess It'nonnino.siukert-
no-koronso, the stuff of vapours or clouds; for she
did not waste, her time in' *ale ninusements,
or in decorating her person. The Emperor,
at length, displeased with her solitary life, mar-
ried lo r to :the genius of the consiellstiou lnkai
or Keirgivo, who lived oa the north of the milky
way. Her new mode of life so pleased her, that
she soon neglected her work. This excocal the
Emperor's anger, tool lie separated her from her
husband ; but, at the some t granted them
permission to meet once a year, namely, oil the 7th
slight of the 7th month. These too constellations
are still supposed to preside over the welfare of the
world, and are brill iii great vetirratiou by the
Chinese rood Japanese, who intake them to obtain
the blessing of Heaven, long life, riches, and ad.
veto:roma in the urts sad sciences. Pre;.7tiaot
wotnen solicit their *MI in childbirth ; young girls
prry that they will assist them in their needle-work
and embroidery • slid boys in their mechanical
labours, studies, Rte. They present to !limn of.
ferings of water, fire, 'itemise, flowers, suki, sweet-
meats. flnts, needles. niarrioge-hymns, sminets,
sod piece.; of ormititesitaf writing, occluding to the
cost of the country.
At the Conn of the. Digit i, on the 7th night of
the month, four tables are laid out in the open air.
l'hey are covered oitli offerings of various kinds ;
together with a vase of pute water, rod nine clew-
&hen with wax tapers, which are burnt all night.
The well-informed pint of the Japanese consoler
flit, Chinese action as lief ogdtory from the respect
due to God; but, in Iv:Herat, they coosider the two
constellations above mentioned as having 'great iis-
fittence over the woltil.
On this festival day it was formerly the custom
at the court of the to write poems consisting
of thirty-one tets, or oblong or equate
pieces of coloured paper, stitch were fastened to
branches of greet) bamboo and the constellatious
received offerings of fire, water, isceuted wax
condi'', sweetmeat's, melons. &e.
The fiTih festival day is the 9111 of the 9th
mouth ; it is called Tokocko-no-sek at, or double
aim. At the court of the Dwri it is customary to
think saki, distilled from she dowers of the mother-
wort, which is supposed' to have the effert of
pro-
longing life. - A
At Nnugasoky is fair is held, railed by the Japa-
nese iflatstmei. Cliihiren superbly dress, d perform
doncesan the principal streets its honour of ().soutm.
soma, the god of the Shims. The priests, fol-
lowed by au i 1111 l lenge crowd, convey the statue of
the deity to a particular quarter of the city, where
a Knead building is erected for its reception.

PRICE OP frocks YESTERDAY.
Book Stock 24111 221 Imp. 3 per Cent. Au.6B
3 per Ct. Rid... 691 I Indio 800th..." 24 pi.
3i per 7111$ I EL Bolls. 42..prn 2 dm.
4 per Cents B7ll I Lottery Tickets 211. 3•.
Ilk. L. Aim... 17 IC,- Iti I Corm for Atre..... 701
l a I, 1 744