The Sun.
London, England, 1825-12-10 00:00:00

ANECDOTES, &c.

•
JACOBIN.—The club of that name in France
originated with about 40 gentlemen and men of Letters, who
had united themselves long before the meeting of the States-
general for the purpose of disseminating political knowledge
amongst the mass of the people. Its popularity having render-
ed it numerous and having obtained possession of the convent
of the Jacobins on the dissolution of the Monastic Orders, the
public were admitted into the galleries, and applauded or cons
demned the speakers as passion or caprice dictated. Its princi-
pal object was to discuss such political questions as seemed
likely to be agitated in the National Assembly. Some of the
most violent members of this Revolutionary club afterwards
became the most servile flatterers of the Emperor Napoleon.
THE ECCENTRIC Mr. 111--, Minister of Jed.
burgh, had a habit of asking •so many questions in a breath,
that he could get a reply to none of them. Once, however, he
had met with a person who was able to accommodate him.
Riding home from a sacrament, by a muirland road; and com-
ing towards a ford, he met a woman who had crossed the river
with a sack of meal upon her back, whom he thuS accosted :
" Wed, Janet, how's a' wi' you ? How far is it to Jeddart ?
How deep is the water? What's the price of your meal ?" To
which she replied, " Vera' weel, I thank you, Sir—twa mile—
middle deep—and it saxpence."
I'ANVOAIIME. The inventors of this extraordi-
nary art were too obscure Romans, named Pylades and Ba-
thyllus, who, we are told by Zozimeus, were rivals in its pro-
fession, in the reign of Agustus Cmsar. Pantomime was the
name given to the performer, not to the piece, and the admira-
tion bestowed on this rank and specie of commedian was, at one
time, carried beyond that given- to any other performer.—
Cassiodorus, indeed, has thus designated them—" Men whose
eloquent hands had a tongue, as it were, on the top of each
finger—men who spite while they were silent, and knew how
to make an entire recital without opening their mouths'—
men, in short, whom Polyhymnia had formed, in order to
show there was no necessity for articulating, its order to con-
vey our thoughtS." There is an abundance of anecdote
handed down by Lucian, and other writers of that age, which
sufficiently proves the high opinion then entertained of them.
Pantomime flourished in Rome for about two centuries, and
finally sunk in the general annihilation 'of the sciences and
literature in that country. In our own country it has arriv-
ed to a great degree. of perfection ; and for the attainment
of excellence in this art, we are indebted to the late Mr.
John Rich, the original patentee and manager of Covent Gar-
den- theatre. In this particular Rich was possessed of the
greatest taste. lie had acquired considerable reputation by his
own performance of the motley hero, under the assumed name
of Lun, junior (being thus designated in the bills of the day,
and in the titles of the pantomitues which he published), and it
is most probable that the great reputation he obtained as Har-
lequin might have arisen, in some measure, from the splendour
with which he produced these pieces, and from his being the
first performer who had rendered the character at all intelligible
in this country. Since the period of Mr. Rich's exhibitions,
pantomime has increased rapidly in popularity; and at Covent
Garden Theatre more especially, has attained its chief emi-
nence. This may be easily accounted for, as it is much easier
to find both, managers to comprehend, and actors to personate
the vagaries of harlequin and Clown, than the sublimities of
Shakspeare and Otway.
AN 02,n S.tir.ort.—There is now living-an old
man, who is a seaman en board one of the passage-boats which
sail from Chatham to Sheerness, who was some years back in
an American vessel which was captured by the Algerines. These
barbarians, as usual, made slaves of all the crew—to use the
old man's tarns, they were all drawn up rank and file in the
market-place of Algiers, and sold like bullocks. It fell to
his lot, with some of his companions, to be, purchased by a
man of wealth, who employed them very frequently in rowing
his pleasure-boat, in which, as is usual with slaves, they were
all securely chained. As they were treated with much'indig-
nity and cruelty, and miserably supplied with food, chiefly of
the vegetable kind, they were, of course, weary of their bond-
age, and had resolved, when a favourable opportunity of-
fered, to deliver themselves from the galling yoke of captivity.
Such an opportunity at length presented itself. When they were
rowing at some distance from the African shone, their swarthy
lord chanced to fall asleep, with his sword by his side ; the
man who sat at the oar nearest to him reached forward, and
being fettered, was barely able to seize the sword, which he
instantly plunged into the bosom of his petty tyrant, who sud-
denly starting up on receiving the wound, and the boat at the
moment making a lurch, he fell overboard, carrying the wea-
pon in his body. The men immediately pulled hard for the
Spanish coast, but were pursued by an Algerine galley of 100
oars, who, it is supposed, observing the direction they were
taking,,and the violence of their rowing, suspected all was not
right. The poor fellows in the boat, weak from the low diet
upon which they had subsisted, and exhausted by fatigue,
found the galley gaining; last upon them, and expected nothing
less than falling into the hands of their enemies, who, as the
veteran narrator expresses himself, would have cut them up
alive, into joints, as a butcher does a carcass ; when, most pro-
videntially, a Spanish frigate, standing out of the mole of Ma-
laga, perceived the chase, and hoisting Turkish colours, de-
ceived the Algerines until they were within range of her guns,
when she captured the galley, and rescued the Christian fugi-
tives from their savage pursuers. The former were almost
dead with flitigue, hunger and apprehension, when they were
taken on board the frigate; hut the Spaniards behaved with
the greatest kindness anti prudence towards them, administer-
ing at first small quantities of light and nourishing food, not
suffering them too- hastily to eat as much as they desired, and
ultimately restored them to strength. Ihe inhabitants of Ma-
laga contributed very liberally, and presented each of the men
with a considerable sum of money.

BARBAIIOUS'AIeRDEIt.-On Monday night, a
young woman, Sally .111`Vicar, who lived somewhere about
Barrowlield-road, was stabbed in the neck in a public com-
pany, and expired in about half an hour afterwards. There
•was a raffle and a dance in a public house in her neighbour-
hood, and she was induced to join the company. On coming
into the room, she was recognized by Chax. Campbell, a cotton-
spinner, to whom she was married, but seldom lived with
him. They both joined in.a dance, but with other partners ;
and in the course of the dance, Campbell patted her on the
cheek in a familiar manner, and without any appearance of
animosity. After the dance had finished, Campbell observ-
ed the deceased sitting on the knee of her partner, for which
he reproved her, and desired her to leave her partner's com-
pany, observing, it would be more becoming if she had
been with himself. This she refused to do, and remarked, he
ought to he with his wife at Johnston—alluding to a connection
he is said to have formed there—whereupon he took up a small
breakfast knife, and attempted to strike her about the face, but
was prevented by the persons present from doing .any injury.
He made a second attempt, however, and succeeded in inflict-
ing a deep wound in her neck. She then ran out of the room,
but fell down, after getting through the kitchen, in an attempt,
it is supposed, to leave the house. She bled profusely, and fif-
teen minutes having elapsed before a surgeon could be got, his
endeavours to save her were unavailing. Campbell, the cul-
prit, was, we hear, clerk or secretary to the Committee of
Cotton Spinners; and, as such, exceedingly active in col-
lecting. materials to furnish correspondence to London upon
the Repeal of the Combination Laws, and discussions arising
out of their repeal. He was much intoxicated when he corn-
mitted the fatal deed. Upon being apprehended he was car-
ried
to the Police-office, in which he soon fell asleep and slept
soundly till morning. Upon awaking, he inquired of the per-
son in attendance what the news of the morning were. He was
answered, very bad. He inquired what—you have killed your-.
wife, was the reply. What, said he, have I killed the only per-
son for whom I have any. regard ? lie was assured the fact
was certain. His sister afterwards visited him, and it was inti—
mated if he would wish to see his mother. He said no, and im-
mediately began to accuse her as being the cause of raising in
his mind that jealou,4Y against his wife which had instigated
hits to commit the fatal deed. He stated that in order to obtain
charges such as would secure a complete separation betwixt
him and the deceased, that his mother • had encouraged a man
named Orr to endeavour to take improper liberties with his
wife. For these reasons he said he never again wished to
see his mother's face. He said life was of no value to him now
that he had destroyed the only person for whom he could have
wished to live. The house in which the murder was committed
is, it is stated, a complete rendezvous for riot and dissipation,
and as the master of it has, we hear, been refused a licence
from the Justices, we are surprised how he comes to be allowed
to continue to sell spirits. It is in such places as these, too
numerous about this city and suburbs, that thousands are led
into a course of dissipation, and multitudes to be initiated into
the path of crime, and which hurries many to untimely graves.
_(Glasgow Courier, Dec. 8.)

111ELANCIIOLY ACCIDENT.--Yesterday morn-
ing, at five o'clock, as the watchman was:going his rounds,
lie discovered the body of an unfortunato. man in the open
sewer between the corner of Manchester-street and George-
street, Portman-square, which is forming for the purpose of
damming up the river stay, and has been long in operation. It
is supposed he fell in the preceding evening, either in a state of
intoxication, or through the narrowness and insufficiency of the
crossing path, which was formed of twis planks only loosAy
laid. ['he unfortunate man was the foreman of a carpenter
near the Horse Bazaar, in King-street, and has left a widow
and large family. Proper care ought to be taken to protect
the public against the possibility of such accidents. An in•
quest was to be held on the body this day.