The Sun.
London, England, 1839-07-04 00:00:00

FEMALE POLITICIAN.

It was with 'intense regret that we read the news-
paper account of two, ladies of title charged with hiss-
ing at her Majesty on the race-course of Ascot. It
is true, that their apologists would fain persuade us,
that they were only hissing at Lord Melbourne, and
not at the Queen. Be it so. Let us accept the change
of the object of their serpent-like salutations. But we
do not think that it softens down the offence against
female decorum and propriety of manners in the slightest
degree. When we see Tory Duchesses and ladies of
title hissing on a public race-course, at a political
enemy, just as if they were of the lowest rabble, we
are too strongly reminded of the Paris fish-women, and
of the part which they played in the French Revolution,
to tolerate such a fashion i 0 this country for a single
instant. It is an exotic which, we hope, may never
become naturalized among us. We love the native
plant of English loveliness and modesty combined too
well to wish to see it superseded by this foreign graft.
But the Ascot hissing is not the first or the only
disgraceful exhibition of political violence which has, of
late years, being exhibited by the titled dames of
this country. Everybody knows the story of the
Duchess who, at the time of the Catholic Emaneipation
debates, thus iddressed the wife of a leading statesman,
who was weeping over her Lord's tergiversation on
that subject, " Yes ! you may well cry, If he
were my husband, I would pray to Heaven, that
the ground would open beneath his feet and bide
my shame from me." And, more recently, a
friend of ours, who was in London, at the Marylc-
bone election, when Mr. Ewart was defeated by Lord
Teignmouth, assured us, that he had no ideas of the
violence of a mob until he beheld the doings of the fe-
male aristocratic mob assembled near the booth at the
top of Harley-street, towards the close of the poll. He
had passed by all the other polling-places, where the
plebeians " ruled the roast," and all was comparatively
quiet. There was laughing, joking, shouting,
but the voters on both sides had free access to the
booths, without any obstacle or hindrance being offered
to them. Not so, however, when he approached the
Harley-street booth. It was, he says, the most extra-
ordinary and disgusting scene which he ever beheld.
There was a dense crowd of coronetted carriages jammed
together, from which the howling, hooting, and hissing,
coachmen, footmen, and the ladies within all joining in
the chorus, affording a melancholy proof of the self-
degradation to which party feeling could reduce its
victims, while the carriage mob was well supported by
another made up of well-dressed pedestrians, of both
sexes. Our informant told us of one very curious
performance, by a lady of rank, on this occasion,
the Hon. Mrs. —, the wife of a general officer. It
would appear that she had only just left home, for the
first question which she asked within his bearing was—
" Who is at the head of the poll ?" On being an-
swered " Lord Teignmouth," she straightway dropped
the arm on which she was leaning, waved her hand
above her bonnet, and, shouting " Hurra, hurra!"
absolutely hopped a circle in the open street, to the
great astonishment of the bystanders, who had never
before seen joy express itself in such a grotesque and
curious fashion. " I thought her a pretty and sensible
woman before," concluded the gentleman who beheld
this scene, " but I have considered her to be ugly, hide.
ous, and crazy ever since."—Liverpool Albion.

MAIDSTONE HOPS.—In this neighbourhood
there is a decided increase in the number of fly, and the
three last cold days and nights have considerably checked
the bine in the weak grounds, which in many places are
turning yellow. There is less prospect of a crop since
last week, excepting, perhaps, in the very best grounds.
Tti E CONVICT WILLIS.—The warrant for the
execution of this unfortunate victim to ungovernable passion
arrived on Saturday. He will be executed on Thursday,
the commencement of the business of the session having
been deferred till two o'clock. He still maintains the same
sullen and taciturn demeanor which bad distinguished him
up to the date of our last publication, almost refusing to
hold verbal communication with any one, although he has
written several letters to his friends. It appears from in-
formation which we have obtained from a gentleman of
Sherborne, his native place, who has received an order to
visit him, that he is about 21 years of age; that he at-
tended a Sur.day school for three years up to 1834; that
he then went to reside at Lymington, from which place he
enlisted. He appears to have been in his boyhood of a
moody, sullen, stubborn temper, but not to have been
marked by any particular ferocity or pugnacity of dilposi-
tion.—/Efaidstone Gazette.