The Sun.
London, England, 1839-01-08 00:00:00

BOW-STREET.-(THIS DAY.)

John She elan, a plasterer, was brought up by Mr. Inspector
Rawlins of the E division, chargedon suspicion with stealing a
gold watch and a silver watch, value 101., the property of Mr.
William Alexander Gott, of St. Pancras-place, from his
dwelling house.
It appeared from the evidence, that in the month of No-
vember last, the prisoner was employed by the prosecutor to
execute some work in a room where a desk lay containing the
property, but no suspicion was entertained that be bad com-
mitted the robbery until a few days before Christmas, when
it was discovered that the watches bad been taken away.
On the 28th November the prisoner went into the shop of
Mr. Chamberlayne, optician, High•street, St. Giles, re-
questing to have the gold watch case produced, touched with
aquafortis, for the purpose of ascertaining if it was
really gold, as he said he had a wager staked upon
the result. Being questioned how be obtained pos-
session of it, he said he had picked it up in the
streets a few days before. Mr. Chamberlayne told him
that it was evidently the property of some person of conse-
quence, and if he would accompany him to the station-house,
the proper owner would probably be found, to which the pri-
soner agreed ; but on turning round to get his hat the prisoner
darted out of the shop, and was not seen again until yester-
day, when lit was given into custody, after being identified by
a young man named Poison, who happened to be standing in
the shop when he came to have the genuineness of the watch-
case proved.
The prosecutor proved that the case was part of a gold
watch which he bad purchased, together with a silver watch,
in France, both of which were stolen from the room in which
the prisoner had been at work.
The. prisoner stoutly denied any knowledge of the circum-
stance, and he was ordered to be remanded for a week.

stone.

LITERATURE

PETER PILGRIM. 2 Vols.
Bentley, London, 1838.
For these volumes we are indebted to the pen of Dr.
Bird, an American author of much versatility of talent,
whose spirited tale of " Nick of the Woods" was one of
the ablest and most popular that appeared last year. His
present work is a collection of stories and legends, chiefly
trans-atlantic, told for the most part with skid and viva-
city. There is, however. a want of character in them all, which
is to be regretted, for in his former tale, Dr. Bird showed him-
self fully competent to delineate that strange medley of he-
roism and meanness, strength and weakness, prejudice and
enlightenment, which we call human nature. Our author's
first story is by far the best,being a genuine American legend,
rich in description, concise and exciting in incident, and
insinuating—rather than thrusting it officiously under the
reader's nose—a very serviceable moral. This tale is called
" Merry the. Miner," and details the adventures of a lazy,
good natured sort of 'camp—such as in Scotland they call
a " ne'er-do-weel"—who, instead of attending to his house-
hold duties, and birching his young boys when they stand
in need of such wholesome discipline, spends his whole time
in vagabondizing among the American glens and forests, in
the hope of discovering mines of gold, which may make
him a man of consequence in his district. For years toge-
ther, whether the season be hot or cold, wet or dry, Merry
the Miner perseveres in these idle wanderings ; and at
last, to his inexpressible delight and astonishment, he dis-
covers an enormous cavern, wherein are myriads of human
beings, evidently of antidiluvian growth, who are all stif-
fened to stone, and encrusted with the continual crystal
droppings of the cave. From some of these grotesque pe-
trifactions, Merry, made audacious by his intolerable
thirst for gold, chips off with his axe the stony dress that
envelopes them, and finds underneath, as he had antici-
pated, rich necklaces, bracelets, armlets, amulets, &c., all
of pure gold, which are fastened round their necks, arm*
and foreheads. Unluckily, however, the cavern is an or
chanted one, like that into which Aladdin so unwittingly
popped his head, and poor Merry is, in consequence, com-
pelled to pay the penalty of his unhallowed intrusion. With
his new-found treasures in his sack, he is just about to sour
a discreet retreat from the magic cave, when—
A sudden palsy seized upon his body ; there was a nut-ohne"
or stiffness in every joint, and it was if.creasing every moment'
A terrible idea entered his mind—his heart leaped with pertur'
bation—it seemed almost the only muscle capable of motion'
He looked down upon his limbs. They were already thicklf
crusted over with spar, which the humid atmosphere of the
cave was depositing round them with fearful rapidity. He felt
the cold stone stiffening on his fingers, and freezing on hit
cheeks. He also was becoming a petrifaction—a man of
stone, like all around him. His treasures, his darling trea-
sures, attacked by the subtle vapour, had already vanished fro)
his eyes. But what cared Merry for treasure now ? Terror
and anguish seized on his spirit ; he gathered all his energiela,
•to an effort, and struggled furiously to burst his bonds of
As well might the vriUgoat struggle in the embraces
of an anaconda—a fly in the n7shes of a spider I The incrus-
tation crackled round him, and was then firmer than ever. 11,1
could neither move hand nor foot. He was a rock—part any
parcel of • the rock on which he sato. Thus a prisoner,
breathing corpse, Merry gave himself up to despair, and rave
and shrieked, until affrighted at the echo of his own voice'
But shrieks and struggles were alike vain ; and by and bye b°
found himself deprived of the power even of uttering a ell'
The stony concretion was gathering round his throat and ill
and mounting to his lips; where, though his warm breath ha
as yet repelled the insidious vapour, it threatened soon to 04
tack him with suffocation. In a few moments, and what sow
remain of Merry the Miner ? •
Just, however, as lie is on the verge of suffocatio,
Merry is rescued by the sudden interposition of the SO'
ti
of the Care, who, hearing him feebly murmur a pray d;
tells him that this last act of grace has saved him, and bi
him hasten out of the enchanted spot. Of course the Mined,
complies, and never once stops running at his utmost speei„,
till he reaches' his own abode, when, filled with gratittlwr
for his miraculous escape, be becomes a " sadder and Willet
man," and dies at a good old age, in the course of one °
his eccentric mountain and forest wanderings. The fe;
mAinder of the tales in these volumes call for no partial°
notice.

THE ARABIAN NIGHTS' ENTERTAINMENi'S

PARTS I. and IL Smith.
This is a new and beautiful edition of Foster's tratlsl°;
tion of the Arabian Nights' Entertainments, so well latg",
to, and so justly the admiration of every school-boy.
work will he completed in ten monthly parts, embellished Wi,",
twenty-four handsome engravings, from designs by Salir';
The tribute of our admiration is due to Mr. Smith for tbir
cheap and elegant editions of Standard Works recently Puai
lished by him, and we trust that their circulation will e96d.,
his claims to the patronage of the reading public. His e
-
tions of Froissart and Burnett are the hest we have seen
these Standard Works.

SPORTING REVIEW.
The editor of this periodical is Mr. Apperton--4
er4
Nimrod—the most popular writer of his day on all mat test
connected with the sports of the field. The cleverho
articles in the nuMbpr are, cs might be anticipated, ell
own ; and we hope he will long continue to wield his Pe,
with as much skill, as some years since he wielded his Otief
The engravings are three in number; one is a portrait,
the editor ; and another is called the " Student," anti
presents a young collegian with his trencher-cap on at'
head, busy in cleaning his gun, while on the floor are scoj
tied various sporting articles ; and prints of birds, I/
boxers, and horses, line the walls.

THE ARCHITECTURAL MAGAZINE.
Longman and Co. Abe
A well-conducted periodical, especially devoted Or"
progress of a taste for architectural greatness in the eola
t.ion of public edifices in the United Kingdom. f
present number contains an article on the suitableness
monument to the memory of Sir Walter Scott, which
recommend to the notice of the citizens of Edinburgh'

THE LAW MAGAZINE. Richards and
‘l' 01,1
We are never at a loss for equal divisions of 00"
and bad politics in this periodical. After a sbovveropo
abuse of the Radical majority of the House of Com° Oil
we have a dissertation worthy of the pen of a Judge, °Il
" Extinction of Copyholds." The biographical sketeb ite#
Lord Stowell displays in every sentence an intimate
quaintance with his Lordship's character and abilitieo'

THE DUBLIN UNIVERSITY MAGAZ--DO tiff
As usual, this periodical has reached us so late 00
have hardly an instant to glance at its contents. Fr°lo
cursory view which we have been able to take (V
articles of a literary character, we are disposed to prop°
it an excellent Number.

THE CHURCHES OF LONDON.
be'
This is a useful work to the lover of antiquities, bet the
history and description of the ecclesiastical edifices °coot
Metropolis. The Editor is Mr. Godwin, a rising Je
architect, who is assisted in his labours by that most
fatigable honk-maker. Mr. Britton.

ALDINE MAGAZINE. of't
One of the numerous cheap periodicals of the dsPootli
which an idle half hour or so may be passed pleas
enough.

ASTORIA.
Bentley, London, 1839.
A republication of Washin;zton Irving's last ro-,,or-
work, and formitg the second volume of Bentley's St'a"tborl
Library. The book contli n s rt'strikin:! likeness of the au

CHRISTIAN Iih,FORMER.
Sherwood and Cc.
This is an excellent Number. The contents arc A the
ther a more miscellaneous character than usual, aau,der,
is none of the artic'es which will not well repay the re-jkipr,
perusal. The first paper is entitled, " \Yarning to
rica on the Subject of Political Liberty." It is a eats
sermon by the pastor of an American congregatioo, bpi'
sioned by the destruction of Pennsylvania Hall, Oct 001",
mob, but by an assembly of citizens, on the 16th 0' ore,'
1848. Our readers are aware that this atrocity, s°,,
whelmingly disgraceful to a community having farikelf,
tensions to civilization, was committed by the 300;
sylvanians, because they disapproved of the °Oh!:
of the Slavery-Abolition qnestion, the friends °
righteous cause having held their meetings in the bui tej
alluded to. The address of Mr. Furness has been fro-coar,
but not published, in Pennsylvania. Why, let the a,°,..l,lstin(
of American liberty answer. The Editor of the "1-1,.";,-1101/A
Reformer" makes the following remarks on this ifinrdivii
sign of the times, in a country held up as the very Pali.; 011:41
of civil and religious freedom :—" The Abolitioels7bif
ie
be imprudent—their measures may be premature ; f,* cord
matter for inquiry and discussion : but woe to tile d,
of the United States if they give up property, 13"aa' t 1);
liberty to the populace ! The other day at IPL',.3 11/14-
fires blazed against Popery ; on this occasion the Or- tit
raised against Negro emancipation ; the next burilla,slo"
consist of the houses and persons of c
Ameri ans favour i° tha
neutrality, and the observance of the rightsofnatioos
affair of Canada ; and henceforward all sects and,:;
duals in the United States that offend the prejow.,,,c- ot;;'
passion of the masses, may be, according to custa`l,oo:l
prescription, the victims of Lynch-law and mob vific.-Ati°;!
These reflections are just, -and of universal aPP'
The address itself is an eloquent and fearless protestis:el
those lawless and savage proceedings, 9ndapowerfui
in favour of freedom of political opinion.
We have not left ourselves space to do more t
let
tion the titles of some of the other articles. The 0010'
(cresting of these are " Sketches by Dr. B wring►,_°
Mahometan and other Oriental. Religions"—to%stic,"l
tinned, " The Hazlitt Papers," and Eccles': use
Forgeries, No. 1." The Review department is P-1.
, lady full and rich this month.

e
beitio"u‘
Y°llel
t

ly,
e 3

u 0r
;tauhot.
tr