The Sun.
London, England, 1831-12-24 00:00:00

" Sir Ralph Esher" is the title of Mr. LEIGH
HUNT'S novel now on the eve of appearance. The talc
consists, we understand, of the adventures of a gentleman
of the Court of CHARLES H. A more btilliant assem-
blage of cavaliers and dames never appeared than that
which composed the Court of the merry Monarch, such,
for example, as the Duke of BUCKINGHAM, Miss STEWART,
Miss WARMESTRE, Lady CASTLEDIAIN, NELL GWYN,
DORSET, SEDLEY, WALLER, COWLEY, KILLIGREW, Sir
KENELM DIGBY, Lord ROCHESTER, and other wits and
beaux-esprits, with CHARLES himself at their head ; all
of whom the novelist is said to have laid under contribu-
tion in his riant story.
111 E STYLITE.—About the year 452,
SYMEON, a Syrian, introduced a refinement in mortifica-
tion, by residing successively upon five pillars of six,
twelve, twenty-two, thirty-six, and forty-eight cubits
high; in this wretched state be continued thirty-seven
years, and his sublime piety was, at :his decease, eagerly
emulated by DANIEL, a monk, who resided upon the top
of a pillar, and died in that situation at the advanced age
of SS.
BONAPARTE'S TOMB.—Visitors to BONA-
PARTE'S tomb at St. Helena describe the recent planting
of a set of young willows around it, cuttings from the
parent trees, by the present Governor, as the two or three
old trees are fast going to decay. Longwood is now a
farm-house, and no part but the former billiard-room re-
mains inhabitable, the other apartments being converted
into stables, granaries,• &c. The new Longwood house
(an excellent dwelling) has never been occupied, and ap-
parently is fast falling to decay.
DREADFUL ALTERNATIVE, EITHER TO
BURN OR DROWN.—On Saturday last, as Mr. AnRAM
COOKE, farmer, of Whaplode Drove, was walking in his
home close, he was alarmed by a dreadful shriek of dis-
tress, and on looking round saw some one enveloped in
flames rush from the house of Mr. JOHN PEET, and
plunge into a ditch on the opposite side of the road. Mr.
CoOKE hastened to the spot, where he found a girl about
13, named MARY ANN WILLcox, immersed to the neck in
water, with the greater part of her clothes burnt off. 1t
appeared that else had been taking a put of potatoes from
I the fire, when the flames caught her apron: at first she
tried to smother it out, but being unable to accomplish
this, she ran into the ditch (a distance of 20 yards from
the house) a complete mass of fire. Fortunately the house
door and garden gate were both open, or she must have
perished in the flames; and but for the timely assistance of
Mr. COOKE, she would speedily have met death from the
water, being unable to extricate herself from her situation.
One of her arms was much burnt, but she is now in a
fair way of recovery.—Stamford News.
EXECUTION OF AN INCENDIARY. MAID-
STONE, DEC. 22.—This forenoon the extreme sentence of
the law was carried into effect upon ROBERT DIXON, who
was convicted of arson at the recent Assize for this county,
The execution took place above the turnkey's lodge, in
front of the county gaol, and was witnessed by an immense
congregation of the people, one half of whom were
females.—The unhappy culprit, whose crimes have
brought hint to an ignominious end, was an agricultural
labourer, and resided in the village of Eastry, about
twelve miles from Canterbury. About a week before the
occurrence happened, he and several others struck for an
advance of wages, and a meeting being called, it was de-
bsted whether a fire was not likely to frighten the farmers
into an advance or wages! As no question can exist as
to DIXON'S guilt, in spite of his continued protestations of
innocence, it is but too probable that on the above occa-
sion he volunteered the dreadful office of incendiary.