The National Register.
London, England, 1811-10-20 00:00:00

MISCELLANIES.

—esem.---•
We are sorry to learn that the Duke of Sussex still continue*
in a very precariens state. His Royal Highness took an airing
in his carriage on Sundey, for the tir t time since his relapse,
and also went to bed on that night for the first time, but was
obliged to get up again, and have: recotene to his arm-chair,:in
which he sits in an almost upright posture, with his head In-
dined' forward, resting on a machine made on purpose to sup•
port him.
The Prince Resent will set out shoed,' on a tour of Military
Inspection thinueh the county of Kent. His Royal Highness
will be arended by a numerous Staff, and Will first review the
-
troops and lines at Chatham; next the garlsou of Canto bury;
and afterwa ds the extensive fortifications at Dover, and the
troons In garrison therein, at which place the several regiments
cottoned on the Kentish Coast will also be assembled and re-
• vi..w ed. His Royal I lighnt ss, on his arrival at the latter places,
it expected to make Lord hillenborough's seat of Walderdate
his head and hospitable quarters.
If is in the contemplation of Government to order a new
-silver coinage of shillings and sixpences, in addition to the Bank
Token. of Is. 6d. and :is. pieces now issuing; in.which case the
old species ,•f coin of that description will be called in, and not
•allowed to he. legal currency.
An instance of desperation not excelled by any on record,
lately occurred on the Continent. Two families, named Jovith,
who had,• for upwards , f 20 years established themselves upon
'the nearly inaccessible mountain of aligral, situated between
Dalmatia and Croatia, from whence they laid all the adjacent
country um!• r contribution, were surrounded in their retreat by
a body of French troops. Despairing of e ffecting their escape,
and learning, in a conference with the French. Officer, that an
ignominious death awaited them, they assemleed their wives
and children in. two buildings, and condemned them to the
flames, with their most valuable effects. • They afterwards
threw themselves from the highest point of the mountain,
but did not meet the death they courted. Nearly 30e souls
perished in the conflagration, and many of the survivors were
dreadfully burnt.
An old woman in the Infirmary at Salisbury, has not slept
since the Cornet first made its appearance ; and t, bat is stilt
more extraordi at y, laudanum has no effect upon her.
The blacks who were taken in the Portuguese slave ship, and
brought to Plymouth, front the coast of Africa, are training for'
hi; Maj sty's Navy—they art sent on shore daily to work in the
I Deck-yard ; and on Sunday they gave a specimen of their mode
of tighten ; two of them having had a dispute, one, a powerfulfe:luw,
fe:luw, caught hold of the other, who was of diminutive sta-
ture, by oee thigh and one arm, and, hurling him over his
' head, threw hint on the ground with all his strength, and theu,"'
proceeded to jump on hint. They were separated by the spec•
tatocs, or he would no doubt have killed him. Many of *these
men ere upwards of six feet high, lan, and well-grown. They
are very much alarmed, and run away at the sight of any image,
or piece of carved work, such as the figured head of a ship, &c.
The striking of a clock likewise terrifies them ; indeed, they
seem to behold every oliect around them with awe.
Ho/lA.—On Tl,uriday week the neighbourhood of the Linen-
't hall, Dublin, was thrown Into confusion by one of those tricks
which latterly have been so prevalent, and which on this occasion
was played off with singular succsss. Cards of invitations to
dinner, to the number of 1.9), were sent out to different Gentle-
men, acquaintances of Messrs. R. of Linen-hall-street, and
amongst the rest tteseven al eublic characters of that city. The
au rhors of the hoax not content with merely inviting these. Ge-
ntlemen, took care that ample provision should be made for their
reception--ebetchers, epooltereis, confectioners, grocers, upe
hotsterers. etid hardwarruen, were centinually arriving during
the forenoon, loaded each with their differ. nt commodities, &c.
obstructieg the regular course of
_business of the linen-hall ; the
confusion and anger of me diseppoleted tradesmen, and the dis-
satisfaction and involuntary smi.e manifested on 'he comae. -
Dances of those invited, contributed in no small degree to the
I amusement of the spectators, whom the novelty of the circum-
I. stance attracted in crowds ; but what tended most of all tl
heighten the scene and render it truly ridiculous, es as the arrival
of the engines belonging to the Royal Exchange Assurance Com-
pany, attended b) several firemen, all dressed in their- new live.
ries, and conducted by that Company's active agent, mourned t,u
his chesnut poney, who hastened to the spot on intima-
tion that a dreadful fi.c had broken out in the premises of the
above Gentlemen ; the confusion at the momept would have
been likely to end in a serious manner, had it not been prevented
by the attendance of the Police, front the Division No. 4, witoss
activity on all occasions deserves public thanks. We beiiqve
that on no other occasion has a more successful hoax been prac-
tised; and though several tradesmen were losers by the transac-
tion, yet the tavern keepers in the neighboulhood had by re
means reason to repent it.

• t"

, , •

r A~
I
t .