The Sun.
London, England, 1822-10-08 00:00:00

THE WEATHER.

Extract from a METEOROLOGICAL JOURNAT. for SEPTEM-
BER, 1322, kept at the OBSERVATORY Of the ACADEMY,

Uosronv
" This month has been unexpectedly dry, considering
that three of the last four Oases of the moon happened near
mid-day • a circumstance that generally indicates wet weather;
the rain, however, may have been more frequent and heavy in
a less northerd latitude than this is, where the moon has a
greater influence over the Earth's atmosphere. Nearly three
fourths of this month's rain fell here at and near the time of the
Autumnal equinox, when a depression of one inch of mercury
was observeed in the barometer. The month being. fair for
field labour, and there having been but 3? inches of ram during
the last two months, the level arable lands will therefore be
found in a fit and proper state for early sowing.
" A considerable reduction took place the latter part of the
month in the mean temperature of the air, in consequence of
the rains and cold easterly gales; and there were two or three
slight hoar frosts before sunrise. The average temperature is
-1 deg. lower than-that of September, 1821.
" At the latter end of the month, about 5 or 6 hundred
swallows assembled here, and migrated the same day, making
their stay in this neigbourhood 22 weeks. This may be con-
sidered as an early departure of the swallow tribe; but they
had undoubtedly felt the sudden transition in the constitution
of the atmosphere beyond the artificial heat of that at the earth's
surface. • The falling of the decaying foliage has occurred
sooner than usual, by means of so early a summer as we have
experienced.
During the latter part of the month, the prevailing N.E.
winds caused a very great evaporation—on the day anti night
of Pith, not less than half an inch evaporated by the combined
influence of the sun and a brisk N.E. gale.
" The atmospheric and meteoric plurnomena that have
come within our observation this month, are - three parase-
knit, three solar and three lunar halos, sixteen meteors, light-
ning in the evening of the 14th, and distant thunder in the
afternoon of the 17th ; and nine gales of wind, or days on which
they have prevailed, namely, three from N.E., three from E.,
and three from S. W.
SUMMARY.OF THE WEATHER—A clear sky, three ; fair,
with various modifications of clouds, sixteen ; an overcast sky
without rain, seven ; foggy, three-quarters ; rain, three and a
quarter—total, thirty.
"A SCALE OF THE PREVAILING WINDS—N. two, N.E.
nine, E. five, S.E. two, S. one, S.W. six, W. three, N.W.
two--days thirty."

MARINE CURIOSITY.—A very singular fish is
at this time in pickle on board the Mary Frances, Greenland
ship, now in the 01(1 Dock, of this place. 31r. Wilkinson,
the Captain, says it was caught to the north of Shetland by
some of his men sent out in a boat, who saw it floundering on
the surface of the water, and dragged it on board by one of
its tail fins. Its formation is exceedingly_ clumsy, and its
movements must have been very slow. On a first view of the
head, we fancied we saw a strong resemblance to the large
wrinkled face of a fat old man, and the nonsense about mer-
maids immediately recurred to our recollection. But a whole
view of the animal soon dissipated all our reveries, and left us
only to wonder at the variety of the productions of nature.
Its shape is nearly oval, being from head to tail rather more
than three feet, and in breadth two. The skin is of a deep
gray, and all over as rough as a file moderately worn ; so
rough, that when the sailor laid hold of the tail fin to pull it
out of the water, his hold was as firm as if he had been grasp-
ing a piece of strong sand paper. Captain Wilkinson says,
that when it was first taken its eyes were quite prominent and
exactly resembling human eyes. It is furnished with a pair of
ears, with two small fins beneath them, and two large tail fins,
between Which is a short fleshy tail. We see it described in
yesterday's Advertiser as the Sun Fish of Dr. Shaw, and it
probably is one of that singular species ; but it seems odd, as
Captain Wilkinson assures us is the fact, that, if it be, the
eldest fisherman in Shetland never should have seen any thing
like it before.—(//i;!!,Rockin.ts-hon.j

F 0 N T 111. L L.

GRAND- DISAPPOINTIVIENT:'

The sale of the effects at•Fotitbill;"adverliged
to be -scild by public auction,.' fdr some months,
is, after all, not to take place—the estate hiving
berf•sold. by private contract. an the beauties
of nature, or the treasure of art, which this place
comprehends, it is unnecessary. for us to expatiate.
Set much has been said ott'theSubject, that nom
thing can now be' offered %vhich-will,have the re-
coinmendation' of novelty. ' In. truth, this has
been the Case frain the period at which the'pro-
perty was first offered' for-sale, though somes from
its having-been inaccessible foi. a number of years,
have been anxious to attach as much romantic
interest to its.exhibitions as if it had suddenly
sprung into ' -
But though much has been said on the stibject;
nothing has been stated which the 'Maivifideice
of -the picture would not justify as to Its general
character, however men of taste might differ ou
particular points. The noble style of the man-
sion, and the admirable arrangement of the
grounds, no one has dared to question ; and cer-
tainly we cannot but think that the boldest fancy
could imagine nothing more superb than the scene

here presented.
The interest .which the contemplated sale ex-
cited was great beyond precedent. It was not
merely local, nor was its sphere so circumscribed
as merely to extend to the metropolis of Britain.
The fame of Foothill had passed int 9 other
countries, and the votaries of taste from every
State on the Continent had repaired to Wilt-
shire to offer a tribute of willing homage to this
splendid union of the treasures of iArt with the
beauties of cultivated Nature. •

Ilindon, called a market town; but in size and
respectability not surpassing many obscure vil-
lages in other parts of the country, has lately
been thronged with company of the highest or-
der. It has sometimes been' found impossible to
get•a bed or even a seat in any house in the bo-
rough, and the weary traveller has been com-
pelled to retrace his steps o❑ to the next town to
find a resting place.
O❑ Saturday last, the time during which the
Abbey was to be open to public view expired, the
company at Higdon was less numerous than it had
previously been ; beds at some places might be
obtained as low as five shilling per night; people
wondered how they could be made for the
money, and the times seemed returning when
the traveller might safely calculate on finding
" his warmest welcome at an inn." But it was
anticipated by the proprietors of such places of
entertainment, that the bustle was suspended
but for a moment—that the Monday or Tuesday
would bring back the full flood of visitants, and,
acting on this impression, those who had ob-
tained lodgings at the price which had been
mentioned on the Saturday, were informed on
Sunday 'ila they must turn out on Monday, as
the beds—the whole of them—had been peremp-
torily engaged for the last six weeks ! We shall
not enlarge on the pathetic remonstrances which
these melancholy intimations called forth,nor shall
we dwell on the arguments by which the land-
lords vindicated their disinterestedness in thus
disturbing those who were in possession ; it is
sufficient to say, that there was no remedy for
the unfortunates, and they were obliged to make

way for expected guests; who had long ago con-
tracted for the beds at the rate of half-a-guinea
per night !
Thus matters stood till the evening of Sunday,
when the innkeepers, the letters of lodgings, and
others who have so largely profited by the business
which has been so long in agitation, were sud-
denly awakened from their golden dreams by the
following notice, which was sent down to be
posted through the town of Hindon :
" FONTIMA ABBEY.

" The sale by auction at this place will not take place, as
intended, on the Bth of October, a negociation now being on
foot for the sale of the whole estate by private contract."
We shall not dwell on the sensation created by
this unexpected intelligence. The effect pro-
duced by those who had come to Minion, and
remained at 'Hutton some time, may be easier

conceived than described; the vexation of those
who believed they were yet but at the commence-
ment of the promised harvest, is of course ex-
treme; and those only are consoled who, ad-
miring the Abbey and its treasures connected as
they now are, had, up to the present moment,
lamented over the prospect of their speedy sepa-
ration.
Thus has closed a most extraordinary scene of
bustle. We should be most fervent in our admi-
ration of those who performed so long a pilgrimage
in honour of the fine arts, if the conduct of the par-
ties had not manifested more of caprice than taste,
and more of regard for fashion than love of virtu.
The pomp and precipitation of the Fonthill visitors
made good the satirical remark of the late Lord
ORFORD. " I remember formerly," says lIORACE
WALPOLE in one of his letters, " being often di-
verted with this kind of seers; they come, ask
what such a room is called in which Sir ROBERT
lay, writ it down, admire a lobster or a cabbage
in a market piece, dispute whether the last room
was green or purple, and then hurry to the inn
for fear the fish should be over-dressed."
It is expected that Monday and Tuesday will
be busy days, notwithstanding the sale is off, as
it is supposed the intelligence will not be received
at many places distant from Fonthill in time to
prevent parties setting out for Wiltshire, who
were anxious to witness the auction.—Plorning
Post.)

On Thursday and
.Friday last.ll—.l3RouGl3.tm,
Esq., ALP., visited Mr. OWEN'S intereiting esta-
blishment at Nev` 'Lauark,--Edinburgh Courant.