The Sun.
London, England, 1839-11-12 00:00:00

KNIGHT'S PATENT ILLUMINATED
MAPS.

Part VII. of the Scriptural series of these newly
invented Maps, contains Western Asia, including
Asiatic Turkey and Syria—now the great bone
of contention between the Paella of Egypt and his
Royal master. It contains also an ancient map of
the Assyrian and Babylonian kingdoms, with the
Scriptural or classical names of towns, rivers, and
mountains, and occasional references to the books
in which they are described, or alluded to in ancient
authors. The different provinces are illuminated
(somewhat resembling, but inferior in sharpness
and brilliancy, the ancient illuminated MSS.) by
applying surface printing in colours, wherever tl►e
roller-press and the pencil 'had formerly been used
The eye is relieved by the variety of the tints, the
sea being in general blue, the mountains left blank,
and the other parts of the country distinguished not
as in the common coloured maps at the edges or
boundaries, but by marking each province of a par-
ticular colour. The tints, however, ►n the present
number, the only one we have seen, are in general
too strong, particularly the yellow. A little modi-
fication would be a great improvement. It would
hive a more chaste and light appearance to the map,
without at all diminishing the distinctness of the
outlines.

REMARKABLE CYPRESSES.--Perhaps theol. •
cst of which there is any record in the world is the
cypress of Soma or Somma, in Lombardy. This cele-
brated tree, says Loudon, is generally supposed to have
been planted the year of the birth of Jesus Christ,
and on this account is treated with great reverence by
the inhabitants of that part of Lombardy where it
grows ; but the Abbe Berle informs us there is an an-
cient chronicle extant at Milan, which proves that it
was a tree in the time of Julius Cwsar, E.c. 42.

During the week, the London mail packets to
Paris have been obliged to go to Boulogne ; and the
Paris mails, to London by sailing boats from Calais, in
consequence of the French steamers being detained in
our harbour, owing to the prevalence of the strong
easterly gales. The Britannia steamer, Captain S.
Bushell, left our harbour on Wednesday afternoon, when
the sea was running mountains high, with four car-
riages on deck, and crossed the Channel in gallant style
—Dover Chronicle.

TORY GRATITUDE.—We have heard from a
Member of the Common Council, that the Tory inter-
ruption at the Lord Mayor's dinner on Saturday, pro-
ceeded entirely, at least in the quarter where he was,
not from citizens of London, but from strangers.
What a return for the hospitality of the City—to in-
sult the Lord Mayor and Sheriffs by raising a distur-
bance, and heaping abuse on those whom the Civic
authorities had invited as their guests. The Tories at
one time had the .character of being gentlemen and
loyal subjects, but adversity makes sad changes, and
introduces those on whom it falls to strange companions.

BRUSSELS, Nov. B.—A letter from Alort says,
" Our manufacturers are becoming destitute of work-
men as the trees are of leaves. It is only by making
the greatest sacrifices, and by subjecting themselves per-
sonally to the most rigid economy, that some ma-
nufacturers are still able to continue their operations.
The condition of the indigent classes is accordingly
dreadful. Yesterday a discharged workman blew out
his brains.—Emancipator.
THE LATE REV. RICHARD BLACK.—This
aged and respected pastor of the Old Light Secession
Church, Perth, died there on Monday last, in the
86th year of his age. He was for many years col-
league of Dr. Pringle, of the Secession, who also de-
parted this life a few months ago, in his 88th year.
The Presbytery of Aberdeen, at their meeting
on Tuesday, agreed to recommend to all the sessions
within their bounds to observe the second Wednesday
of December as a day of thanksgiving for the late abun-
dant harvest.

SIR WALTER SCOTT.--I never was a physiog-
nomist. Had I been so at this time, the known highly
intellectual character of Sir Walter, contrasted with
the expression of his countenance, would at once have
shaken my faith in the system, if indeed it had not
made me formally renounce it. His face had a remark-
ably dull appearance, something, in fact, which was cal-
culated to make any person who was a stranger to his
intellectual character associate with it the attribute of
stupidity. This I know has repeatedly been done
where persons have met with Sir Walter Scott without
knowing who or what he was. A few minutes' conver-
sation with him, however, was generally found sufficient
to rectify the erroneous impression. He had great
conversational powers. Perhaps, with the exception of
Coleridge, and two or three others, none of his contem-
poraries excelled him in this respect. His matter was
almost invariably racy—his manner pre-eminently
pleasing. On the evening in question we sat for at
least six hours, during which time the conversation
scarcely flagged for a moment. Sir Walter Scott in
this, as in almost every other similar case, had a com-
parative monopoly of the talk. Not, certainly, that
he wished to engross the right of speaking to himself,
but because we were all so fascinated with what fell
ftom his lips as to forget what, at other times some
of us, perhaps, are too apt to remember, namely,
that we have, or imagine we have, " most Sweet
voices of our own."—Walks and Wanderings in 114
World of Literature, by the Author of " Vhe
Metropolis."
THE WEATHER.--We have been once more
visited with one of those tremendous deluges of rain,
from which, this season, we have so often and so severely
suffered. The very heavy gale which, on Thursday,
Friday, and Saturday, blew from east and south-east,
accompanied by showers, was on Sunday attended by a
close thick fall of rain, which prevailed till Tuesday
Since then it has mostly been dry and quiet,
but think, heavy, and louring._Fifeshire Herald,
The effect of the Great Western litioilway 1144
,beady been feltr.xh
i:ire innkeepers on the
I (be *of S4P I,lcgf lags at ik Already shut
tips apf !event fltliftrs an the road are shortly expected
to be dosed. Maidenhead, likewise Hounslow, will ciao
suffer materially.—Bristol Paper.