The Sun.
London, England, 1841-06-01 00:00:00

BENTLEYS MISCELLANY.

"Guy Fawkes" drags " its slow length on,"
with but little to redeem it this month. Catesby
and the rest of the Papist conspirators are repre-
sented wandering up and down the country, for
no earthly purpose, that we can divine, except to fill
up space. The halt, however, of the traitors at
Leamington Priors, with the confusion created in
the farm-yard by theirarrival,is amusingly enough
described. "Hours in Indostan." furnishes us
with some pleasant sketches of social life in India.
Here is an incident worth noticing. Colonel
Macaulay is a gentleman who has been in the
habit of making large sums by safe bAting. One
day he is invited to dine with a friend, named
Cc:Mon, in Calcutta, and while calling on him
the previous morning, observes some handsome
mahogany tables in the dining-room. Conceiv-
ing them to be a fit subject 'for betting on, he
takes their exact measurement—as he imagines,
unperceived by his host--and then adroitly in-
troduces a notice of them after dinner. We
quote the upshot of this affair, which is a clever
illustration of the old proverb, "the tables are
turned :"--

At seven o'clock the dinner was served 7 and a more
excellent one never was given in.CPl.,:utta Abut as every
pleasure must come to an end, so this excellent dinner at
last was finished ; the dessert was served up, and the
hookahs began to emit their guttural notes.
Many were the subject; broached, and got rid of ;
many the boasts which enlivened this fashionable feast.
At length by the most skilful mameuvring, and with
infinite tact, 31aeaulay brought the beauty of the new
tables on the tapir : everyone admired them, and felt
grateful to them for having so lately supported the rich
dinner of their host.
" They are of the finest mahogany I ever saw," said
Major I3aiege,
They aro perfect. I never saw any so well propor-
tioned in my life ; I must have some made like them,"
said a dinner-giving old civilian with half a liver.
" They are rather too high," chimed in Charles
Macaulay, with affected indifference ; " just a leetle too
high—don't you think so, Gordon ?"
" On tho ooutrarv," replied the host ; "if anything,
tensider them a lade too low."
" You aro mistaken, my dear fellow ; I have an excel-
lent eye, and lam sure lam right ; no table should ex-
' ceed two feet six, and these arc at least one inch higher."
" You are in error ; they are not more than two feet
and a half."

" Don't bet, JlllllOB, don't bet, for I am sure of the
thet toli you I cannot be deecived,—my eye is always
ticffevt,"

o Not bet !—if it were not that the tables are my own,
and, consequently, I should bet on a certainty, I'd lay
•ott a lack of rupees they are not more than thirty inches
in height."

" Ohl ! ifyou are willing, I'll make the bet ; but re-
member, gentlemen, I tell you beforehand, I am certain
of the fact ; I stv the\so tables are at least thirty-one
ilmln the ground."
" Dane ; for a lack of rupees !" cried Gord..):s.
" Done !" re-echoed Charley.
Their betting-books were brought out, and the wager
duly registered. A servant was ordered to bring in a
yard measure, when Macaulay turned round with an air
of triumph,—
" Yilki 1114 y ieare yourselves the trouble of measuring—
ha !" and he chuckled with delight. " I warned
you fairly I bet on a certainty, so you can't be oft;
James."

" I stand to my bet," said Gordon.
" Well, then vay me the money. I measured the tables
this tlltll'llin walk) you were shaving, and here is a me-
murandum of their height, thirty-one inches exactly !"
and the Colonel burst into a roaring fit of laughter as he
produced his pocket-book.
" I know you did," said James " I saw you do SO t,
my looking-glass." The Cok.nol started. "So as *soon
as you had gone my, knowing well your inter.',lo„,
had ttn sawed oif every log ;so for onceb my know-
ing ilgend, the tables are turned !"

-Charles Macaulay left Calcutta toxt day 10,000/.
poorer than the day he arrived what is still worse,
the very youngest ensigna gut* him about the story to
this very day •
Inplilsby's legend of the " Old Woman clothed
In Grey," is here brought to a close. The de-
nouement is excellent, but, in the earlier para-
graphs of the present part, there are rather too
many digressiatta, *'he passing hit at the " mi-
ractllutio keys" of St. Peter is full of archness.
tt MerPle England, in the Olden Time," is a de-
liglitfltl oteiange, abounding in curious matters of
antiquarian information, and not devoid of grace-
ful snatches of poetry and criticism. The occa-
sional ballads interspersed throughout this versa-
tile series of artieles, are hit off with much
sprightlitakss. "The Porcelain Bath" is a Chi-
nose story, whose chief detect is, that it is Much
too lung. There are sonic smart hits in it, espe-
cially one at an old physician, who, in " a mo-
ment of infatuation," took a dose of physic pre-
,,cribed by himself. Of course he died! " Ghost
Gossips at Blakesley House" will interest all
who cleti;),,lit-r-and they are a large class of read-
ers-An stories of diablerie. The horrors, how-
ever, .;re of rather too material a character. The
fancy should be left to imagine at least half of
what is thrust under the reader's nose. The "Link-
man" is an amusing sketch of a class Who, like the
Hying dustman, ave fast becoming extinct. Gas
has fur ever put out the torches of the linkboys
at the theatres, just as cheap shoemaking __a p feet humbug—has destroyed the useful
call of the cobbler, the last of whom—ult* Q
manorum—still lingers, solitary aundAt.t;Vsetomntis-olator-,
in Great Ormond-street.
Irish
story,
ein
the Fifteen Acres" is a lively'
can readily believe that there is much truth •We
ru this remark It is very hard to
eceive
Galway man in a bailiff
brutes of that lawless reoion the dumb
an instinctive faculty of reb^
the hated fraternity. :ir e
e ndowed with
i ..ognizing a member of
verSallY allowed remember it was uni-
in the plae was that the most trusty sentinel
gacity as a large Poland gander ; his sa-
il:. the matter truly miraculous; and
wi...entver this gifted bird uttered his unmusical
' scream, all persons concerned took the alarm
forthwith; tbe outer doors were barred, the
window-blinds drawn down, and the master
bolted .off to his sanctuary, like a detected pick-
pocket."

•UNITED SERVICE JOURNAL.
The most entertaining article in the Number
before us, is an account of the " Operations of
Picton's Division in the Campaign of Waterloo,"
which, as the production of an officer who was
himselfactively engaged in that memorable cam-
paign, is, we have every reason to believe, per-
fectly authentic. The author refutes the general
opinion that the Duke of Welling-ton was
prised. on the eve bf the great conflict, obs,:aing
that his G ra 2.e was fully aware of all that was going
on on the part of the enemy, from, elle interesting,
narrative of the " Voyage 4 tLe Adventure and
the Beagle,'' hie qtwitc ;.he 4cOils of the dreadful
earthquake that occasioned such havoc in Attie-
Aca in the ye4c 1834
OA the nuarning of the Altai 20th of February, 18.)5,
ill beautiful weather, with a perfectly serene and cloud-
less sliy,.nmel! surprise was excited by seeing immense
flocks of sea-fowl pass from tho offinti towurat; the
.