The Sun.
London, England, 1825-10-03 00:00:00

ANECDOTES, &c.

CARTE, THE lIIiTORIAN.—TIitS tritio'inA histo-
rian was a man of singular character, His, absence of mind
was extraordinary. He paid his addresses to a Miss Dugdale
of Blyth Hall, near Coleshill, and the wedding day was fixed ;
but he actually forgot to go till the day after, when the lady
with-great indignation refused her hand, and the match was
broken off He carried his carelessness in money matters to
such an extent, that when the inhabitants ofStoke brought him
his tithes, which he never asked tbr, it not unfrequently happened,
if he was engaged in his suidies,, that he wotildrequest•vhern to
call again, though at the time he was in necessitous circum-
stances. During the Alice's years in wi.:ch ‘Ticar of
Hinckley, he neglectea to make any demand for, tithes In the
hamlet of Hyde. He was a man of a very upright mind, with
a most temperate, and cheerful disposition. soon after the ac-
cession of Geo. I. walking'in a heavy shower, he was plied
with A coach, your Reverence ?" " No, honest friend,"
answered Carte, " this is not a reign for me to ride in a coach."
LORD MANSFIELD. %%rho% this sagacious
Nobleman was on the eircuit,a woman was indicted for witch-
craft. The inhabitants of the place were exasperated against
her, and, among whet proofs of her being. a witch, they depos-
ed that site had been seen walking in the air with her
feet upwards. His Lord:ship heard the evidence with great pa-
tience and tranquillity, and deeming it not prudent to
irritate the People by scouting • the indictthent in the
terms which it deserved, he thus addressed them Admit-
ting that this woman has walked in the air, as you have said,
with her feet upward.;, she was ban in England as well as
yourselves, she consevently can only be judged by the laws
of the country ; now; know not of any law that forbids
walking in the air with the feet upwards, we all have aright to
do i u with impunity : I see, therefore, no reason for .this pro-
secution, and the poor . woman may return home when she
pleases, tither walking in the air, or on the earth, as she finds

:must convenient."

..tusTlCE.—When the Duke of ORLEANS 21S-
surned the Regency, l.is inflexibility in administering justice
was one of the tno,4 remarkable traits in his character. A
young libertine or good family had committed a most daring
robbery on a stock-broker in Paris, and had attempted to mur-
der hint. He was executed, -notwithstanding the exertions
which were made by his relation's to procure his pardon.—" The
Duke of Orleans (says the Marquis Dangeau) persists in refits-
big to' show any favour to the Count. de Horn. Some persons
of his family, to whom his .Royal Highness could not avoid
speaking, solicited that the Count should be considered a mad-
men, and confined in lea Petites Mai Sons; telling him, at the
same time, that he had a mother and an uncle confined. The
Duke &Orleans replied, that we could not ton soon get rid of
madmen, whose insanity led to such desperate acts ; upon which
the persons who were desirous of serving the Count, represent-
ed to him what a disgrace it would be to an illustrious family,
and one allied to so many sovereigns of. Europe. He answered,
that the disgrace was in the crime, and not in the punishment.
They pressed him still further, saying to him, But, Sire, he
has the honour to be-allied to yourself even !' Well, gentle-
men,' he replied' I will take my share of disgrace with
you.' "—(Examiner.)

DURATION ‘O/7 FINLAISON, Ac-
ttiary of the National Debt Office, says that the duration of
human life has been so much prolonged within the last cen-
tury, that the average now is to the average 100 years ago as
four to three. This applies equally to both sexes. This de-
duction is drawn generally, but the lives upon which it is
founded belong chiefly to the upper classes. Mr. Finlaison
states a curious fact, which is singularly at variance with the
received opinions on the subject :—" At the time (he says) that
King William's Tontine, in 1695, took place, another Tontine
upon a much greater scale commenced in France, the results
of which were deduced by M. de Parcieux;and his •materials
were published: from them I have reconstructed a table upon
ntucn more extensive scale, and I find that the duration of
life at that time, in France, was nearly as good as it is England
now, among the same classes of people, but vastly superior to
what it was in England during the currency of the. French
Tontine! "

ANCIENT CASE:—A Miller had an Ass,
which ran out of his yard to the River side, where he went into
a Fisherman's boat, to drink thereout ; but the boat not being
fastened, floated away with the ASS, so that the Miller lost the
Ass and the Fisherman his Boat. The Miller thereupon con,
plained of the Fisherman for neglecting to fasten his Boat, and
the Fisherman accused the Miller for not keeping his Ass at
home, and demanded satisfaction for the Boat.• The question
to be decided by the Lawyers was—Who was in fault in this
case ?—(Luth. Coll. Mors. p. 496.)
itorAL MonEttATloN.—ln the life of Mrs.
ELIZABETH Thomas, a literary lady, known about a century
ago by the name of Corinna, written by herself,- mention is
Made of a house at Barking, called Barking Hall, which be-
longed to her great-grandfather, Richard Shute, Esq. a Turkey
merchant, and one of the Members for the City. of London.—
, She describes it as situated at the end of a long avenue of elths,
an antique building of a Castellated than. Here she tells us
Mr. Shute made one of the prettiest and most commodious
boAing greens that had been seen ; and that King Charles the
First, who was partial to that amusement, having heard the
fame of his new bowling green, told Mr. Shute when he next
came to court, that he would dine with him the following day
at Barking and try his skill. Mr. Shute made the best prepa-
ration that the shortness of time would allow, and the. King
was so well pleased with his entertainment,- that he would fre-
quently lay aside his state anti resort thither with only two or
'three gentlemen as his .attendants. They generally played
high (says our authoress) and punctually paid the losings ; and
though Mr. Shute often won, yet the King would at one time
set higher than usual, and having lost several games, gave off.
" And if it please your Majesty," said Mr. Shute, " one thou-
sand pounds, sonie rubbers more, perhaps luck may turn."—
" No, Shute," replied the King, laying his hand gently on his
shoulder, •‘ thou hast won the day, and much good may it do
thee ; but I must remember I have wife and children."
TYCHO,BRACHE, the celebrated Danish astro-
nomer, was very credulous with respect to judicial astrology
and presages. If he met an old woman when he went out of
doors, or a hare upon the road on a journey, he used to turn
back immediately, being persuaded it was a bad omen. When
he lived at Uraniabourg, he had at his house a madman, whom
he placed at hiS feet at table, and fed him himself. • As he ima-
gined that every thing spoken by mad persons presaged some-
thing, he carefully observed- all that this man said, and because
it sometimes proved true, he imagined it might always be de-
pended upon.

LIGHT AND SHADE.--REMIMANDT sePrns to
have drawn all his landscapes by twilight, and to -have given
himself no trouble in the selection of subjects. Extensive plains
of barren down, bog, or fallow, intersected by rows of pollard
trees, strait canals, mounds, and ditches, are so melted and
blended together by this light, and Ap animated by the magic of
his pencil, as to exhibit effects the most beautiful; though if
seen or represented in the glare of a mid-day sun, they would
he most disgustingly ugly. It is the influence of the same kind
of light, or of candle-light, which renders gems, brocades, and
tissues, so beautifully mellow, rich, and splendid, in his ind-
tations ; while in those of others, even of the greatest painters,
they are either harsh or insipid, and not unfrequently both.—
Kriight on ?Witco-

CIGAItS.—" I have before roe (says Captain
\Yu rr E, in his Voyage to Cochin China,) one of the cigars used
by the ladies of Manilla. It is of a taper form • its length IN
inches; diameter at the butt, or big end, 21 inches, and at the
smaller end l.f, inch: It is composed. entirely of tobacco, in
parallel, compact layers, and wrapped with the largest leaves
of the same plant • it is ornamented with bands of floss silk, of
.various colours, which cross each other diagonally. The whole
length-of the cigar, and the intersections of the bands, are or-
namented with. spangles ; fire is applied to the smallest end of
this unwieldy mass, and the large end is received by the
mouth. One of these cigars, as may be supposed, will last
you some eight or ten days smoking."
PIA zzA.---We frequently (saysa Correspondent)
find the term Cupola applied to a Dome (and we have even the
sanction of' Dr. Johnson for the Ineprise) whereas it. properly
signifies the Cathedral,, or principal church in a city. In Italy
(from whence we acquired both words) the. latter is generally
crowned with a cupola, which has led to the error—in a similar
manner Piazza is often applied to the range of Porticos sur-
rounding the space to. which they are arranged,• instead of the
space itself enclosed by these porticos; whereas the word
Piuzza,in Italian, signifies a square, or open space (as synony-
mous with the term Place in French)—consequently the Piazza
of Covent Garden is, in reality the Narket-placc,. and not the
surrounding porticos !_(Examiner.)
CO§TER MONGER.— This is a corruption of
costard-Monger ; Ben Jonson uses it. bOth ways, and -it
is noticed of his cosier-monger by 31r. Archdeacon Nares,
that "he cries only pears." That . gentleman rightly
defines a costard-monger, or cosier-monger, to be " a
seller of apples ;" lie adds, •• one generally who kept
a stall." He says of costard, that "as , a species of
apples, it is enumerated with others, hut it Must have been a
very common sort, asst gave a name to the dealers in apples."
In this supposition Mr. Nares is correct; for it was not only
a very common sort, but, perhaps, after the crab, it' was our
oldest sort; there were three kinds of it, white, red, and gray
custard.—(gum's Every Day Rook.)

MERCANTILE SHIPPING.

DEAL, OCT. I.—Wind S.S.W.—The schooner Ann and
Mary, from Ireland to London, with provisions, went on the
Goodwin Sands early this morning, but was got off by the exert
tons of the crew, and proceeded without damage. Passed
through the Brothers, Potts, from the Cape of Good Hope,
sailed the 21st of July ; Royal Charlotte, Ford, from Jarimica,
and a ship from the South Seas, reported to be the Griffin.

OCTOBER 2.—Wind S.—Arrived from the River and re-
main, the Catherine, APlntosh, for India; and Thalia, Cogbian,
for uenos Ayres.
• PORTSMOUTH, OCT. 2—Wind S.—Arrived the Pomona,
Wright, from London; Prince Regent, Jacobs, and Calbden;
Thomas, from Goughall. off the Wight the Globe, John-
son, from Rio Janeiro. Sailed the Henry, Davis' for London.
PLYMOuTII, OCT. I.—Wind S.E.—Arrived the King-
stone, Severs, from Jamaica; Dart, Carson, from Bordeaux.
Off the Port the Raclin!, Adams, from Quebec, parted com-
pany with the Baron of Renfrew, on the, 2d of September, at
the entrance of the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
FALMOUTH, OCT. I.—Wind S.E.—Arrived the Elrick,
—, from London.
LIVERPOOL, OCT. I.—Wind S. E.—Arrived the Comet,
Barnes, from Macaio ; St. Lucia, Affleck, St: Lucia ; Hunter,
—, St. Domingo ; William, Courtney, Bourdeaux. Off the
port the Woodpark, from. Monte Video; Vestal, —,
' and David, Shawe, Campeachy ; •ltegular,' Berbice ;
William, —, St. John's, N.B. ; Diomede, —, Chatie..ton ;
Hershel!, —, Virginia; Oscar,--, Maranham ; Marrnion,
Petrie. Pernambuco ; and the Delaware, Hamilton, from
Virginia.
His Majesty's ship Doris, Sir G. Sinclair,•Bart., sailed from
Pernambuco the 28th August for Bahia, _Rio Janeiro, &c.
The Prince of Brazil packet, from Peru, put into Pernam-
buco leaky, having been on shore on the coast.
The Flying Fish, Johnson, front Newcastle to Lisbon, foun-
dered off the Lizard the 28th ult.; crew saved. •
The Louisa, Carden, from Trinidad to Quebec, is totally lost
on Scutari Island ; crew saved.
The Ceram, Currie, from 'Starigo to Dublin, foundered off
Lambey Island the 22d ult.,; crew saved.
The Fleece, Booth,: from Sunderland to London, struck on
the rocks at ltedcar on Thursday night, and it is feared will not
get off: