The Sun.
London, England, 1839-10-17 00:00:00

FIRE AT WINDSOR CASTLE.

WINDSOII, WEDNESDAY, OCT. 16.—Ycsterday even-
ing, shortly after nine o'clock, ecrniderable alarm and
excitement was created throughout the towe, hif the
report that a large portion yf Windsor Castle, ineill'aing
a great part of the corridor (in whleli ate some valuable
paintings). was on fire, end that fears were entertained
that the private Apartments of lar Majesty were in
danger. The town and barrack engines, as well as the
powerful engine belonging. to the C,,stle, were imme-
diately on the spot. The alarm was first given by the
sounding of the bugle of the. Castle-guard, when the
troops turned out to rcnder the necessary assistance.

•
It turned cut that all the alarm was excited 1-y a tire
in the chimncy.of the laundry, which was speedily ex-
tinguished. The " Royal Sweep" was immediately sent
for by the Lord Chamberlain, hut he exculpated him-
self most satisfactorily, and cast the blame on tho.ie
who refused him admission to sweep the chimney
monthly, according to a 6tanding, order from the Chan:,
berlain's office.

EDINBURGH-SHAKSPEARE

CLUB.

Thc first mee:ing for tim winter, of the Shali.spearo
Club of Scotland took p'are on Wednesday uvening
last, in the Cafe Royal, Christopher Torref, Esq., in
the chair, and R. W. Jameson, Esq., officiatiUg as
CroUpier. The members appeared in the costume of
the club, and several distinguished strangers were pre-
sent on the occasion. Tim toasts and scntimen's were
chiefly of a nature connected with the interests of the
drama, and literature generally, being the basis upon
which the Association is founded. After the " Memory
of Shakspeare" was given, introduced by the Chairman
in a speech of great paths, the following ode was read
by the Croupier, having been expressly written for this
meeting, by Robert Giifillan, Poet Laureate to the
Grand Lodge of Scotland

No wreaths we bring—nor boncurs pay
To raise our po,es fame;
We merely lift thd curl, this day,
And whisper Shakspeare's name I

That name e'er nature's farthest bounds
iiath to the winds been given,
The ocean spaks it. and it sounds
Among the stars of heaven.

And mountain streams, and torrents wide,
Dark gushing, deep and strong,
In wint
.ry tzraudeur, 4+;id in pride
Pour forth our poet's song !
son;-hirds of the errth and sky,
That wake the co,r,ing day,
Attune their nutc,.and sing with joy
The wild Shaksrarian lay. •

Or by some wild wood lone and drcar,
Soft moonlight on the land,
Fancy awakes, and 10, you hear,
His sylvan fairy hard.
But chiefly when dark passions rise,
IlevenAe—ternorac—despair—
Or those that speak the dearcr 'tie3
Then Shakspeare ! thou art there
Then art'not dead ! but pasted away
Removed—but art not gone--••
Ththigh ages with their crumbling sway,
Long over thee have fl)wn I

Beside thy .harp, lcud,. trumpet-tuned,
for joy or ace
Thou 'morg seoearns high enthroned,
Dark clouds ncy roll below !

ROBBERY AND INCENDIARISM NEAR YORK.
—Last week we gave the particulars of a fire that oc-
curred at th;:. vicarage house, Acomb, ,near this city.
It was then stated that by what means the fire had
orig'twed had not transpired ; but circumstances of a
suspicious nature shortly afterwards arose, which left
little doubt upon the mind of the Rev. George Anstey
that it had been the work of an incendiary. Upon exa-
mining the servants, their statements were of such a
prevaricating nature, that the Reverend Gentleman 4(as
induced to give the cook, Mary Robinson, into custody
on Monday morning. Some baby, linen had been
missing from the closet where the fire hapFened, and as
the prisoner was with child, and she had sent off some
parcels lately, it was suspected also that she had stolen
the linen. This might account for her committing a
greater crime to prevent the detection of a les3. On
Monday, the prisoner was examined at Yolk Castle,
before Barnard Hague, Esq., and the Rev. L. W.
Hird, and fully committed fur trial on both charges at
the next Yorkshire Assizes.—Yorkshirenzan.

STRAFFORD IN IRELAND.—In the reign of
Charles the First there was in Ireland one province
which had hitherto escaped every attempt at colonisa-
tion, that of Connaught. The Viceroy, Wentworth,
afterwards Earl of Strafford, resolved to dispOssess all
the inhabitants of this vast country,- and confiscate it to
the King, who might afterwards dispose of at his
pleasure. To accomplish this enterprise, he took with
him, judges and soldiers, the first to falsify the law,
the second to violate it.• Both agents admirably an-
swered his expectatioss. The lawyers suddenly dis-
covered that all the grants made by .preceding kings
to the actual proprietors or their ancestors, were nud
and void, and that Connaught had no lawful propristors
but the King. It was not sufficient to discover the de-
fect of titles, it was further necessary that the proprie-
tors should-recognise it, and withdraw ; if they did not go
of their own accord, they should be constrained to aban-
don their estates by force, and this was the business of the
soldiers. Preceded by an imposing army, Strafford
traversed the country, spreading terror everywhere, and
receiving everywhere the most servile submission.
Still, when he reached the county of Galway, Strafford
was stopped in his progress by the resistance of the in-
habitants: in this county, though bent under severe
despotism, there were still certain legal forms inherent
in the government and the manners of the conquerers
A jury was impannelled in Galway to decide between
the crown and the occupants of the land. Strafford
spared no pains to obtain a verdict for the king. Still
the jurors found for the defendants. This fact alone
would be sufficient to prove that there are guarantees
and protection in a jury which will triumph over
the chicanery of fraud and the menaces of force.
When Strafford heard the verdict he flew into a pas-
sion. On his own authority he fined Darcy the sheriff
a thousand pounds for impannelling an improper jury
—he arrested the jurors themselves, and brought them
before the Court of Star-chamber in Dublin, where each
of them was sentenced to pay a fine of 4,0001., and to
acknowledge himself guilty of perjury on his knees. All
had the courage to refuse this humiliating proposition.
Some time after, Strafford wrote to Wandesford, ano-
ther servant of Charles, and Strafford's successor in the
Government of Ireland. " I hope that I shall not be
refused the lifaof Sheriff Darcy ; my arrows are cruel
that wound so mortally, but it is necessary that the
King, should keep his rights." 'Darcy was not executed,
but he died of severe treatment in prison. A new jury was
summoned, which, under the salutary influence of terror,
found that in all time the County of Galway, like the
rest of Connaught, belonged to the Kieg ; and this sen-
tence placed all the proprietors at the mercy cf the King.
The narrative would not be complete unless it was
added, that the Irish proprietors had actually paid one
hundred thousand pounds to the King for the concession
of certain graces, of which the security of property was
one. Charles took theanoney, but by Stafford's advice,
refused to perform the conditions. Trial by jury, though
one of the most vital institutions, does not save a country
from the insolence of despotism, when despotism is es-
tablished ; still a jury defends the citizens better than
any other tribunal. If it yields to corruption, it sur-
prises the people, who believ ed it independent ; if it re-
sists, and fails in its resistance, it does not save those
whom it wished to protect ; but, associated with their
misfortunes, it renders their cause More popular, and
the oppression which weighs upon them more striking.
In either case it sets
.tyranny in bolder relief—M.
dc Bcaumones " Inland."
CO-OPERATION OF .MECIIANICS' INSTITU-
TIONS AND LYcEurits.—Several leading members of
the Lyceums, in this town, being desirous of extending
to them and to similar institutions in the vicinity, some
of the advantages possessed by the Manchester Me-
chanics' Institution, end other institutions of a like su-
perior character, have lately issued circulars to the me-
chanics' and other literary and scientific institutions, in
the neighbouring towns, calling a meeting to be held in
Manchester, to consider the propriety of. forming an
association for mutual aid and co-operation. A meet-
ing was accordingly held on Thursday last, in the
lecture room at the Athenaeum, the use of which was
kindly granted by the Directors for that purpose, when,
besides those who represented the Manchester Ly-
ceums, there were present delegateS from the Rochdale
Literary and Philosophical Society, the Liverpool Lite-
rary and Scientific Institution, the Liverpool Northern
Mechanics' Institution, the North Staffordshire Mu-
seum and Pottery Mechanics' Institution, the Ashton
and Dukinfield, Bury, and Staiybridge Mechanics' In-
stitutions, and the Oldham Lyceum. Mr. Alderman
Cobden, who was called to the chair, briefly introduced
the business. Mr. Coates, the Secretary to the Society
for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, then explained
more more fully the objects of the proposed association, as
stated above ; and said he had lately been visiting the
Mechanics' Institutions in various parts of the kingdcm,
and it must be acknowledged they had not been as suc-
cessful as was expected. He must except, however,
those
iat Manchester and Liverpool, which were admi-
rable nstitetions, but more in the rature of colleges
expressing the desirableness than of institutions for the working classes.--A resolu-
tion,for mutual aid anti co-Operation,,• d Mr E.
of forgoing associations.
, was came- . • _
Herford read a code of rules to be adopted,
into consideration at a general imac:titeieuta.o"'bde' field
and it was resolved that they PhreoP?sel and taken
14th November. The meeting
then eejourned.—Mans
chaster Guardian. on the

ROUGE.—A lady consulted St. Francis, of Sales,
on the lawfulness of using rouge. " Why,” he,
" inrnc pious men object to it ; others see no harm in
it. I wili hold 4 mik.idie cuursc, and uilow you to use iu
on one cheek."