The Sun.
London, England, 1841-07-10 00:00:00

MORNING SUN.

SUDDEN DEATH OF MR. W. DAW-
SON, the ECCENTRIC WESLEYAN PREACHER.
There are few persons who concern themselves with
the character and operations of the Wesleyan Metho-
dists, as a numerous body of separatists from the Esta-
blished Church, who have not heard of the fame of
this celebrated and eccentric, but we believe, pious
and truly estimable man. Without the advantages
of even a common education, but. solely by the force
of a vivid imagination, and the energy of a Heaven-
enkindled zeal for the immortal interests of his
fellow-men, pouring itself forth in homely but hear-
tily-expressed phraseology, he succeeded in attract-
ing crowds to the chapels in which he preached,
and excited an interest in, and produced an effect
upon the listening multitude, which the set discourses
of the regular ministers of the body failed to produce.
If " Billy Dawson "—the name by which he was gene-
rally known and often announced—was to be the
preacher, or was to be one of the speakers on a mis-
sionary anniversary, there was no fear of a congrega-
tion. Hence his services were in constant request when
ever there was to be a collection ; and though termed,
in the technical phraseology of the Wesleyans, " a local
preacher," there was no one of the itinerants whose loco-
motive powers were more constantly or more willingly in
exercise.

The professed residence of Mr. Dawson was at Barn-
bow, near Leeds, where he, for upwards of 30 years,
occupied a small farm under Lord Harewood.
Mr. Dawson's mode of entering the pulpit was
clumsy in the extreme ; he literally blundered into it.
His manner in prayer wore the appearance of an irreve-
rence to which his heart was, we feel assured, a stranger.
His addresses to the Deity were colloquial even to vul-
garity, and deserved the condemnation they often re-
ceived from the more judicious of his hearers—nor
would they have been tolerated in any other but in him
who possessed so powerfully the admiration and esteem
of the majority of the societies and congregations. In-
deed, it was utterly in vain for the preachers to endea-
vour to stem the current of their people's feeling in
favour of " Billy Dawson." That minister's piety would
have been questioned, and his own hold upon their
affections loosened, by so dangerous an experiment.
Mr. Dawson was the preacher in whom the poor of the
flock delighted—whom the better-educated esteemed for
his fervour, and consented to forego their own prefer-
ence for the better arranged and more correctly-ex-
pressed sentences of the regular ministers, from a defer-
s ence to the wishes of the multitude.

The following are circumstances which preceded and
attended the death of the subject. of these remarks. Mr.
Dawson arrived at Colne on Saturday last, in order to
preach the anniversary sermon in the Wesleyan chapel
in that place on the following day, according to public an-
nouncement. On Saturday afternoon he was as cheer-
ful and apparently as well as usual, and selected the
hymns. But how little we know of what will be on the
morrow. About three o'clock on Sunday morning, he
alarmed the house where he was sojourning by calling
for assistance, and said he wanted air ; but the sum-
mons had arrived—death had received his commission--
and notwithstanding all the help that could be rendered
he was a corpse before four o'clock. The medical gen-
tleman called in at once pronounced the case hopeless.
The last sermon Mr. Dawson preached was, we believe,
in the St. Alban's Circuit, on Thursday, the Ist instant.
Mr. D. was in his 68th year.

ST. SAVIOUR'S CHURCH.--A report has pre-
vailed for some weeks past in the parish of St. Saviour,
Southwark, that the noble Gothic tower, which contains
a fine-toned peal of twelve bells, the largest, with two
or three exceptions, in England, has exhibited signs of
giving way, and that cracks of an alarming nature had
been discovered in the upper part of the steeple, indi-
cating a settlement. An architect and a builder have
examined this ancient structure, who have given a fa-
vourable opinion as to its stability. It is said that the
removal of the nave, and some part of a buttress or
pillar which helped to support the tower, has weakened
it ; and the vibration caused by the motion of the bells
when ringing (which, however, is not half so great as
the vibration of other steeples in London) has tended to
decrease the safety of the building. It is to be hoped
that prompt and decisive measures will be taken to satisfy
the parish and the public at large respecting the condition
of this interesting building.

MR. JUSTICE BOSANQUET —We regret to
state that Mr. Justice Bosanquet, in consequence of in-
disposition, is unable to go the Home Circuit, which his
Lordship had selected. Mr. Serjeant Taddy has been
appointed to perform the official duties of the Learned
Judge at the ensuing Assizes, which commence on Wed-
nesday next.

DETERMINED SUICIDE OF A FEMALE.-
Thursday morning, between five and six o'clock, an elegantly
dressed female, apparently about 22 years of age, threw her-
self into the river Thames, near Southwark-bridge. A man
named Jones saw the act and tried to save her, but before he
could reach the spot she sank.

NARROW ESCAPE OF THE DOWAGErt
COUNTESS OF SCARBOROUGH.—On Tuesday evening, about
half-past eight o'clock, as the Dowager Countess of Scarborough
was sitting in the back drawing-room of her mansion, No. 14,
Portman-square, she heard a noise resembling the cracking
of glass. Not knowing what had happened, she called up
one of the footmen, who, after a minute search, found a.
small hole, of a circular form, in one of the window-
panes. Nothing more was thought of the occurrence until
yesterday morning, when the housemaid discovered, in an
arm chair in the apartment, a leaden bullet, about the size
of a pea, at the back of the covered curtain. Mr. Pipes,
the butler, immediately repaired to the station-house in
Marylebone-lane, and had an interview with Inspector
Tedman relative to the mysterious affair ; be (the Inspec-
tor) accompanied him to the house, and having learnt
the facts as above stated, a diligent inquiry was instituted
in the neighbourhood, when, after much trouble and per-
severance, it was at length ascertained that a young gentle-
man, named Bennett, residing at No. 51, George-street,
had on the previous evening been amusing himself by
firing from the back of the house at some birds with an air-
pistol, and, from the direction in which he shot at them, there
can be no doulet whatever with regard to the bullet having
been discharged from the pistol in question. The distance
from the spot where the pistol was fired to the Countess's win-
dow is upwards of 70 yards, and the chair in which the ball was
found was placed within a yard and a half of that in which her
Ladyship was seated. The pistol, which was manufactured at
Lausanne, and is of exquisite workmanship, was up to yester-
day afternoon in Inspector Tedman's possession.
AFFLICTING SUICIDE OF A YOUNG FE-
maLE._Tuesday Mr. Wakley, and a very intelligent jury,
sat at the Laurie Arms, Crawford-street, Bryanston-square.
to determine the cause of the death of Sarah Julia Ellis,
aged nineteen. Mr. Richard Keene, surgeon, of 72, Craw-.
ford-street, said deceased was the daughter of a mechanic of
Dartmouth, and lived and cohabited with him. They passed
a portion of Monday happily together, and in the night
walked out together. On their return home he was called
to a labour, which detained him until about two o'clock ou
Tuesday morning. When he came back to his own house,
he found deceased in a state of excitement from liquor. Ha
was angry with her, and reprimanded her. She denied having
drunk anything. They then went upstairs, and in their bed-
room the subject was renewed. He got into bed, and dis-
covering that he had brought up a bottle of infusion of
quassia instead of the water-bottle which stood on the shop
counter, be sent deceased for it. She went down for it in
perfect good temper, for they had made their quarrel up;
however, she was in tears. She returned in six or seven
minutes, and as he was in the act of turning round in bed
towards her, she said, " 1 hope, nay dear, you will be happy in
business ;" and before she had time to say a word more, she fell
on him. A glass she had held in her hand fell from her. He
lasted its contents, and found it was a mixture of prussic and
some other mineral acid. He ran down stairs for some sal vo-
tatile, which he applied to her mouth, face, chest, and back.
She gave three gasps and then died, about half-pastthree o'clock,
he had no doubt from the effects of prussic acid. She was
excessively passionate when under the influence of ardent
spirits. Jane Ellis, aunt to deceased, saw her niece about a
fortnight since, when the appeared perfectly well and happy.
A month previously she said she would destroy herself if Mr.
Keene turned her out of his house. Verdict, " That deceased
killed herself with prussic acid, whilst ber mind was labouring
under the intoxicating effects of some spirituous liquor."
BOROUGH OF MARYLEBONE.—On Thursday
a very numerous meeting of influential electors of the borough of
Marylebone took place in the rooms of the Reform and Registra-
tion Association, to consider what steps should be taken to celebrate
the victory obtained over the Tories by the return of Sir. B. Hall
Bart., and Commodore Sir C. Napier. Mr. Sodden having taken
explained the object of the
the chair, Mr. Allen, the secretary,
marinLyerryiinnstn: To the working
meeting, Mr. Potter eulogised the excellent arrangemdeenbttsowf which
To
had been made at the late election, and showed the gra-
titude which the borough owed to the Reform and Registration
toga due
it had brought into
mental in achiev-
Association for the excellent mach.
operation, astoioono,mapnledtewhaicvhiehtoaedy beenoer
th
fa the very zealous support w
they recorded
for the noble manner in which
.their
and poorer classes of electors
cause, and ahnichelutalheymegeadveof topratihsee
Tory
bounden duty to celebrate the
their
party.—(Hear, bear.) it was
day which had emancipated
Marylebone, and which had
ssffrages in spite of the bribery and intimidation of the
haPPY
it the foul stain of being represented by a Tory.,
ellaesedfromconcluded
by moving that a public dinner be given to celebrate
ie motion. In answer to a question Mr. Allen said the
the late event in the theatre of the Colosseum. Mr. Cooper se-
conded t.l
expense of raising the pit to a level with the stage, and fitting up
the
theatre of the Colosseum in an appropriate manner, would be
1001.
Mr. Gibson suggested that the Princess's Theatre, in Ox_
ford.street would be the better place, inasmuch as the pit was
already covered over for the concerts. Mr. Savage moved an
amendment that the festival should take place at White Conduit
goose,which, having been seconded by Mr. Clarke, was negatived,
111dthe original resolution was ultimately carried unanimously, and
a numerous Committee of gentlemen, and upwards of 200 stewards
were appointed to carry it into effect. The meeting then separated.
THE ITALIAN PEASANTRY.—The temper
of the lower Italians, their customs, and their morality, pre-
sent, even in the same persons, contradictions of the most cu-
rious kind. The impression which the hasty traveller re-
ceives is almost unavoidably unfavourable. In visiting the
northern Lakes, he is surrounded by as mercenary a race as
those who inhabit the other show-countries of Europe. From
Lombardy to Calabria, if he travels with a display of wealth
he is passed from hand to hand through a series of postmasters,
postboys, couriers, innkeepers, shopkeepers, and valets-de.
place, who successively try which can cheat him most-
Inclination or curiosity may unfortunately lead him int.
those scenes of debauchery, which, in Italy arc nowhero
glaring except at Naples ; and if, on his way to the
luxurious city, he happen to be robbed in the Pontine
Marshes, his experience of low life is completed. Ane
yet his harsh opinion of the people would be utterld
unjust. If he were to reside long among them, any
mixed familiarly with the labouring classes, either in country
or in town, allowing their character room to develop itself,
would not be unlikely to commit injustice the opposite way.
That class of men who revenge their nation on foreigners by uni-
versalthough petty spoliation, willnot indeed improve much on
farther acquaintance (although even their cheating is oddly
limited by a few traditional rules ; ) and the general cha-
racter can scarcely be estimated fairly in any districts
which are much frequented by travellers. But the ob-
server will discover hones.ty and purity even in the towns ;
in the country he will have difficulty in detecting anything
else • and every where, when he has contrived to step within
the line of separation, he will be met with a warmth of heart,
an originality and independence of character, a picturesqueness
of ideas, and, in several provinces, a marked fertility of wit,
which will inspire him with true affection for the fallen nation,
and make it no easy task for him to represent their faults
clearly either to himself or others.—Edinburgh Cabinet Li.
brary, No. XXXI. Italy and the Italian Islands,