The Sun.
London, England, 1852-08-25 00:00:00

" SUCH A GETTING UP STAIRS."

On Monday last, as the band of juvenile teetotallers
were marching out of the town to the inspiring strains of
the Grangemouth flute band, three oxen, which were
being driven to the slaughter-house, took fright at the
demonstration, and ran off at full speed. One of the
three, after threading some of the intricate passages
running west from the Cow Wynd, rushed along
Baxter's Wynd to near the High-street. The fear of
encountering the music seems to have frightened it
from proceeding further in that direction, for at this
point it turned to the right, and took shelter in the house
known as the lodging-place cf Prince Charles Edward.
The first intimation that was received of its presence
was at Mr. John Johnston's door, the farthest up the
stair, where, as may easily be imagined, its appearance
rather astonished the inhabitants. Those in charge of
the cattle having arrived, the difficulty was to get the
brute down the way it had come, the stair being
old-fashioned and narrow, and at one time it appeared
net unlikely that it would have to share the fate of an
adventurous cow which mounted the spiral staircase of
Michael Scott's tower at Alkwood, and be killed on the
spot. By means of ropes attached to the body, how-
ever, and by strenuous pulling at the tail—which seemed
almost in danger of parting with the rump—the animal
was got down two
flights of stairs; but it descended
upon the wooden landing-place with such force, that its
hind legs instantly disappeared, and after the dust had
cleared away, were discovered by the shopkeeper dang-
ling from the ceiling of his back room. Fortunately a
short stout rafter was between the animal's legs, or he
must have descended bodily.mto the shop. There was
considerable difficulty in getting him out of this fix, but
he was at length got safely into the open air, and without
further adventures was driven to his quarters.—Falkirk
Herald.

THE COSI OF' PUBLIC BUILDINGS.
The present National Gallery cost some 90,0001., and
every one exclaims against it, as in every respect un-
worthy. It is a total failure. No such parsimonious
feeling directed the works at Windsor. There a million,
and perhaps more, have been spent, But there is some-
thing for the money. There is a certain air of dignity,
a certain grandeur of intention; in fine, some success.
Who asks the cost? Who, now, that looks at Whitehall
Chapel, or Greenwich Hospital, or Ring's College
Chapel, Cambridge, or anyone of our Gothic cathedrals,
far a moment considers the enormous sums bestowed on
those noble erections? The reason is obvious. Do any-
thing well, and then no One will accuse you of extrava-
gantly laying out your money, whatever the sum. Paris
is a noble city, but millions upon millions have been ex-
pended to render it so. The Madeleine, the Arc de
l'Etoile, the Luxembourg, the Louvre, the Hotel de
Ville, the Paleis du Ministers, Qual d'Orsay, Versailles,
Fontainebleau, have absorbed countless sums. Did past
—does the present generation feel it? H.R.H. Prince
Albert ha.; taught us a great lesson: let us profit by the
wisdom which guided his proceedings in the Great Ex-
hibition of 1851. It was a gigantic and well-digested
Plan: it embraced every contingency: all nations were
t.
to take part: no branch of natural or manufactured pro-
ttions was to be omitted: the vast space of twenty-
acres was to be covered in, and a pile raised to
coat 150 0001,Buil and this for a mere temporary purpose.—

PERILOUS POSITION.
Abouwt 'lel
At am—
doight'ther
east. Th„hip hILWag a perfect gals from the south-
until at length she
" hove-to" under close-reefed
been snugged by little and little
maintopsail.
to stow the flying iih,ght o'clock orders were given
the foremost sail in the ship: two cf the men went out
pitch, he planted his feet 03iouitl, for it was as dark us
yawning
lee footrope, and was
of them was feeling his
way Perform this duty. As one
for a long
altncHt precipitated into the
lite caught
nwrtospveoriyn
lohnigs
struggledifnadlle,eadn,:nlongtoabss.
thirm,lde. of
It
who were watching his writhing form by but to those
the boiling and phosphorescent waves
bebz the light of
the weather bow at the time, and a eath• I was'
onow how his
com-
rades behaved. No - one spokes word, for thats
dimii ish his chances of escape; there might
only .. was no h l
for him if he failed to save himself. The man that e p
—bboorn with him moved neither hand nor foot,
was
on the Jior foot
and uttered not a word. At length he regained his,
Had
footing, and proceeded to his duty. he been a
minute longer eviingiog among the footropes, he would
have been swept off never to have been seen, for the
bowsprit was actually buried in the sea, while the two
men were clinging with clasped arms to the yielding
spar, on the strength of which their lives were hung.
When they came in, having discharged the duty en-
trusted to them, I en,lcavoured to be near the one
down
that
had made such a narrow escape. As he stepped
upon th:‘ deck, he touched me by the merest accident.
A trembling sensation passed through his whole frame,
and a marked inspiratory effort carried gratitude to hea-
ven from his breast. On the very threshold of home,
we might have lost this poor fellow, after the Arctic
winter and the intense frosts after the fatigue of travel-
ling,
and the excruciating thirst, had all failed to break
our numb, . , .—Sutherland's Journal of Captain Penny's
i Voyage to Wellington Channel.

E..l:z,Aul:rittiopu.TH, AuG 24.—Wind N.W.—Arrd. Moselle,
SALE cr RENTERS' SHARES IN COVENT•GARDEN
AND DRURY-LANE TnEATREs.-- Yesterday Mr. Robins, the
auctioneer, put up to auction, at the Auction Mart. three
renters *hares, Two of them were secured upon the Royal
Itzdian Opera, Covent-garden. They originally cost each
5001, aud the owner was entitled to a return of 251. per
I annull'3' I'l'l3 was reduced to 121. 10e., ands now punctually
aid. The holder
mission, while theof the share is also entitled to a free ad-
unexpired termshare is transferable. It was held for an
of duced 215 guineas, years. They severally pro-
lane Theatre. . The other lot was a share in Drury-
It entitles the possessor to an income of ls.
3d. per night, with a free admission. It is also transferable, and the last v
- ear'a izconle Was included. It was knocked down for 46 guineas.
CUSTOMS.—Messrs. W. J. Ready and W. p
Ham-
ton, P
rinc ipal gaugers of Customs, have been appointed to
the office of inspectors " the gagging department.