The Sun.
London, England, 1824-05-01 00:00:00

POETRY.

'LINES ON MAY DAY.
.
Beautiful and radiant MAY.,
Is not this thy festal dayls ':
not this spring revelry_
lionciur, Queen, of thee
'Tis:a the booths are gsy.
With green-boughs' and quaint display ;
Glasses, where the Maiden's eye
•May her own sweet face espy ;
Ribands'for her braided. hair,
.Beads to grace her bosom fair ;
From yon stand the juggler plays
With--the rustic crowd's AmaV ;
There the morris_dancers stand,
Glad bells ringing on each hand
Here'the'maypole rears its crest,
With the rose and hawthorn drest ;
And l)esitle_ are painted bands
Of strange beasts from other lands.
In the midst, like the young Queen,
Flower-crown'd, of the rural green,
Is a bright-eheek'd gir4 her eye
Blue, like
_April's morning sky,
With a blush, like what the rose
To her moonlight minstrel shows ;
Laughing at her love the while,---• _
. Yet such softness in the smile,
As the sweet coquette would hide
-Woman's love by woman's pride.
Farewell, cities ! who could bear
All their smoke, and all their care,
All their PPIPP, when woo'd away
By the azure hours of May
Give me woodbine-scented bowers,
Blue wreaths of the violet flowers, -
Clear sky, fresh air, sweet birds, and trees,
SightS 'and. sounds, and scenes like these!

The folloiCing PROLOGUE, written by If. BAYVEY, lisq.
was Spoken by Mr. BELLAMY, as Beau Nash, on .the
night of his benefit at the .Bath Theatre.—He was dress-C(1
with the most scrupulous attention to the costume of the pic-
'fifire, so Well known in the Rooms at Bath—in shape, colour,
decorations, &c.
,Can it he true ? -Can Bath soon be•changed ?
Are all the women wild, the men deranged ?
Can folks so scion forget my sovereign sway,
And dare to dance all night, and doze all day ?
Scorning my former:undisputed powers,
MY regulations and my early hours ?
Is Bath gone mad ? A Fancy Ball began
The dancing Mania, stop it now who can.
lifasqued Balls and York club Balls are thought ecstatio,
And fanciful affairs and Balls Dramatic,
And Private Ball.r, and, far more strange than all.
They've what they call a Bread and Butter Ball !
Saint Vitus rules in Bath, and I'm perplext
To amiss what foot-hall they will follow next.
lialielors' Balls are over,—but they say
There was a spinster's hop on Lady-day !
When Bath was rul'd by me, my subjects rose
At half-past seven from their calm repose ;
The lovely forms, in flannel garb equipt,
Dived in the public bath, and smiling dipp'd ;
Fond vows were murmur'd in the tepid stream,
And many a tender passion moved by steam!
This very spot* was then the gay resort,
Here " every inch a king," I held my court ;
My Levees rang with jest and repartee,
And fashion caught her newest grace from me.
Men were then fit to look upon ; a Beau
Was dressed, as
.I am now, from top to toe; .
But modern beaux sport trowsers, doubtless owing
To slender spindle shanks, that won't bear shewing.
At noon we lounged for exercise and air
In Orange Grove, or round and round Queen-square ;
There each pursued his favourite fair to fix
An assignation in the Rooms,---at six ! -
Then minuets were danced,—the graceful bow—
The sink—the glide—the sweep—forgotten now—. '
Early my watch dispersed then; all, for even
.A PrinCeas could not dancerbeyontl'eleven !
At twelve each fiddle slumbered in its case,'
And not a knocker dared disfurb the place :
. But now; if Lady Jane be called at noon '
She cries, " Oh dear! you've wak'd me much too soon, '
" I've such a head-ach ! what a wretch"' look !
" Here, Betty, bring my meMorandniAbookL-
." Let's see—to-day, at balf-paSt
" At Lady Lump's; and then at hitlF:past nine
" I must just shew myself at two dull routs,
" And then look in at Mrs. Gadabout's ;
" If there's a supper at Miss rfdket's
I must contrive to go,there,last of all."„. •
Ye gods ! can Bath endure-this constant fever!—
Per famed hot water is •more hot than't*er !
'J'he very Avon, jealous of the rout,
Swells into floods, as if to drown them out !'•,- • ' '
And e'en my spirit, troubled at the riot, • "
Revisits earth, in hopes to make all quiet. -" -
Where all the houses look like palaces ? •
.But what a change I. find ! 'what s
What gay Assembly Itoormi
streets are these,
are those I view ?
And what a very pretty
,Playhouse too ! -
In my time actors wore tneir gay costumes
Down in a cellar, under the-old Booms t
And what sweet women ! All the public places
•
Are throng'd with graceful-forms and lovely faces !
Al; me! my re-appearance has been rash,
I fear these days eclipse the days of Nash.
Bath has her poet too ! and since my time
Her ecenes have been immortalized in rhyme ;
Not in the doggrel style of common men
But touch'd by matchless AltsTi...es Pow'eful pen.
And now a Bath man ventures to intrude,
And thrusts upon the stage an 'interlude !
Presumes to summon up the Shade of Nash
To speak a Prologue to his jimmy trash
'Well, since I'm here, I'll Condescend to pray
For mercy in the old establish'd
way—
Be in good humour, Boxes, Gallery, Pit,
The Sketch was scribbled for a BENEFIT.
' Nash resided on the site of the present Theatre.
The original Bath Theatre was so situated.

4'.*lVe are indebtd for the foreoin heu to
that respectable Provincial Journal,g The Buryumorous
Gazettffe.sion Mr.
BELLAatY, whose merits are well known as an Actor, was
lately, we believe, the Editor of that Paper.

M. PITT.—At the establishment of Volunteer
Corps, a certain Corporation agreed'to-form a body, on condi-
t iroonp
o sthatal h.
aesy
submittedshou d r not
tof
be or! if d,
11,,0
saidihe heCountry,.iiad The
no ob-
p
jection to the terms, if 'they would permit.him to add except
in case of invasion."—Mr. PITT was reniarkalle for giving
his opinions with great positiveness. At a Cabinet dinner,, he
was once expatiating on the beauties of the Latin language ;
and as an argument in favour of the superiority he affirmed it
had over the English; he said, 'that two negatives made a thing
more positive, than one affirmative could possibly do. "Then,"
said Lord Tuu.n Low, ," Vont. father- and mother must have
been two negatives, to have made such a positive fellow as you."
Mit. CuaaAs.-.--This Gentleman was asked,
one day, what an Irish Gentleman, just arrived in England,
could mean by perpetually putting out his tongue. " I sup-
pose," replied the Wit, " he is trying to catch the English
accent."

SELncN.—When the Learned John Selden
was a member of the Assembly, of Divines at Westminster
who were appointed to new-model religion, he delighted to
puzzle them by curious quibbles. Once they were gravely en-
gaged in determining the exact distance between Jerusalem
and Jericho, and one of them, to prove it could not be great,
observed, " that fish was carried from one place to the other."
On which Selden observed, "Perhaps it was salt fish ;" which
again threw the assembly into doubt.
Yesterday the main rib of iron was placed in
the centre arch of Windsor and Eton-bridge. The two former
ribs made for the purpose having by accident been broken on
their arrival, which materially retarded the finishing of the
bridge. Notwithstanding this accident, it is expected that it
will be complete and thrown open for passengers by the middle
of the present month. _

11Ms lIAT, milliner and dress-maker, of Lud-
gate-Hill, missing at several times some money, suspicion fell
on the boy employed on errands. On being questioned he de-
nied it, and therefore was locked up in a room, till.his mother
was sent for ; but before she arrived he hung himself, and was
with great difficulty restored:
Major BATTIER, of the sth Regiment of Foot,
father of Cornet BATTIER, late of the 10th •
Hus-
sars, was stationed in this garrisou in thnyear
1782, and received the thanks of the Loyal Li-
merick Volunteers for his kind attention to.the
formation of that respectable corps.—(Lirnerick
Chronfele.)

M A Y-D A Y.

We have again to hair the return of the Poet's'
• •
favourite month, genial May, and the fineness of the weather.
is likely in no' slight degree to aid the grotesque revelry with,
which, at,this season of the year, our 'streets from long
established' custom abound. The philanthropist, though pro-
voked to laugh at the ridiculous - finery exhibited by the poor
creatures Whose eccentric antics furnish the most conspicuous
feature of May,day, cannot but feel a higher sentiment than
Mirth on the occasion, when he reflects that the scene before
hint brings a short oblivion of suffering and of sorrow to
hundreds of the most miserable objects in the community.
The liberal hand of charity is not improperly opened on such
occasions to gladden the holiday of the destitute.
The well known frolics of the Chimney-sweepers of the me-
tropolis, to which we have alluded, furnish but a very imper-
fect idea of the " Mayings" which once opened this mirth-in- .
spiring month. Then the Morris Dance and the Hobby Horse
were seen in every street, and the whole of the lower classes
assisted in the celebration. STotvE gives us the following
picture :
" In the month of May, the citizens of London of all estates,
lightly in every parish, or sometimes two or three parishes
joining together, had their several Mayings, and did fetch in
maypoles with divers warlike shewes ; with good archers,
niorice dauncers, and other devices, for pastime, all the day
Ling ; and towards the evening they had stage plays and bone-
fiers in the streets. These great Mayings and Maygames were
made by the Goverhors and :Misters of the Citie, with the
triumphant setting up of the gyat shaft, or principall May-
pole, in Cornehill, before the .parish church ..of St. Andrew,
therefore called St. Andrew Under-Shaft.'!

Among' the pageants exhibited at this festival was one,
STRurT tells us, from the ancient story of Robin Hood. The
Outlaw presided as Lord, and a 'representative of his faithful
mistress was paraded along the streets, and styled Maid Marian,
or The Lady of the May. Robin was followed by Little John
and'the most noted of his fabled adherents in coats of green.
These exhibitions were accompanied .by..speaking and sing-
ing, and though they are -not always connected with the his-
tory of theatricals, it cannot be doubted that these. excited
and sustained a taste for the drama. They preceded the first
regular. performers on. the stage, but. became less- frequent
when- the town grew better acquainted with good acting. As a
matter of course, they were put down while the Puritans pre
veiled; but on the restoration of CHARLES the Second, they
were revived with great spirit. In more modern times, from
being thrown. at so immeasurable a. distance by the perfection
to which - spectacle has been brought in the national Theatres,
they have ceased to be common.
The May-day sports were objected to by. the early reformers,
as opposed to the interests of Religion. In a sermon preached
before King EnwAnD V1.,-Bishop LATIINIER gives a curious
instance of this in the .following words : •
" Coining to a certain town on a holiday to preach, I found
the Church-door fast locked. I taryed there half an hour or
more, and at last the key was found, and one of the parish
comes to .me and sayes—Syr, this is a busy day with us, we
cannot hear you; it is Robin Hoode'.4 day ; the Parish are gone
abroad to gather for Robin Hoode, I pray you let them not. I
thought my rochet would have been regarded, but it would not
serve ; it was faire to give place to Robin Hoode and his men.".
At present those excesses are not common in connection with
the celebrations of May-day, which might formerly demand re-
prehension, and that intolerant spirit which once pursued with
sanctified intolerance the thoughtless votaries of mirth, is hap-
pilp for England and for humanity, no more ; at least in this
country.

MA nQuls WELLtsrAy.—We have learnt from
authority, that it is the Lord Lieutenant's inten-
tion to visit the South of Ireland, during the
summer, if the very weighty matters of State
business will permit him. Ilis Excellency has
not yet determined as to any particular period;
but, should he come to any part of this province,
it is his determination to visit Cork.--(Cork Con-
stitution.) •

• NNPLES, APRIL s.—Continual and excessive
rains, in the course of lust month, have caused a
sinking in of the ground in the district. of Avign-
on°, in the province of Basilicatn, which has
shaken a great part of the hill on. which the town
is built, The terrible phenomenon first.rnanifest-
ed itsetfin .the night of the l7th, by the fall
of a honse close to the barrack of the gentl'arthes.
:This house-,- _which is totally destroyed, carried
with it in its fall the barrack and several adjoin-
ing buildings. In the morning of thex3d a greater
misfortune
.followed ; for a gulf opened near the
inhabited parts, which swallowed. up under some
enormons mollies of earth two mills, of which not a
Vestige remains. The same day all the young girls
ofthe place were nearly the victims. They were go-
ing in'prOCession to the church of St.Mary,about a
mile from the place, to implore the Divine mercy in
this i;oment of calamity, and they had hardly-
passed a -certain spot, when the ground, to the
extent of, .five acres, • sunk in with a tre-
mendous crash, overthroWing all the trees that
covered it, and destroying all traces. of the
road for a quarter of a mile. At the same
time another gulf opened on the north side.
It may be supposed that many buildings in the
town have been damaged by this event. The
Intendant of the province immediately sent an
architect to save•thera from entire destruction.—
Happily no lives Were lost except one gendarme.
On the same night there was a dreadful storm in
the Adriatic.

LORD SELKIRK'S COLONY.—A Member of the
American Congress lately presented a petition
from the inhabitants of Pembina, on the Red River
of Hudson's Bay, praying that measures may be
taken to secure them in the possession of their
property, and extend to them such privileges as
are enjoyed by the Citizens of the United
States. It appears from the memorial,
,that most
of those colonists are natives of. the United
States; that all of them have resided at Pembina
for, the last 'five years ; that they have built
houses, cultivated the soil, erected a Church,
and made other valuable improvemeats. They
were induced to settle at this Pia,:e by, .the
late Lord Selkirk, who purchased a large tract
of country from •the Indians. At the decease of
Lord Selkirk, they were left destitute of those
privileges and immunities which were to have
been granted to them. By the late determina-
tion of the boundary line between the territory
of the United States and Great Britainonade by
the expedition, under the command of Colonel
Long, they find themselves on the territory-
of the United • States, and without any pos-
sibility of acquiring the advantages resulting
from the administration of justice. The memorial
is signed by about forty inhabitants, out of whom
only half a dozen could write their names, which
is a proof that they' have not yet made very great
advances in civilization. From their names they
appear to be of French extraction, probably from
Michlagan.—(Quebec Mercury, March 6.)
We understand -that Mr. EDWARD CROSS, the
Proprietor of the Royal Menagerie, Exeter
'Change, has, in the most liberal manner, given
an invitation to,- the whole of the 'boys (be-
tween 400 and, 400) of the Duke of YORK'S Mi-
litary School,,at Chelsea, to visit his Collection-
of Foreign Animals, which his -Itoyal Highness
the Commander-in-Chief has been most gra7
ciously pleased to acceptras a high treat to the
rising young veterans. Monday next,' at two
o'clock, we hear, is the day appointed.

CO Uka OF K r :lc-PS BENCl(—(Tilis DAT.)

EGERTON V. TOON V.T.,
Mr. GURNEY stated,: that the deferdant,
builder, employed the plaintitrib. carpenter, tout
up the front of a shop, :intended for the use (.1
one skilled in EiculapiaruScienc'e,-bot,
by accident or design, it was coreverted into the
shop of a slaughteiman, and' baptited
Jolly Butchers,:Spafields." -Tlfe-sow agreed for
the work and labour.in this case was 231.'
Several witnesses were called, first to the order
given, together with several conversations
five to the charge, also to the work do'n'e. •
Mr. MA It R.YATT cross-examined the witnesses
to the work being done not for Mr. Tookey brit
for a person named Chip.—The Learned Gen-
tleman, in his address to the Jury; contended
that the work was done • for Chip, who Was
under a contract to the defendant to complete
several premises of Tookev's, and Tookey was
in consequence some hundred pounds in ad-
vance to Chip, whose affairs became involied,
and thus it was the plaintiff had turned round
with this unexpected demand against Tookey.
The fact was other than' proved by Egerton's
witnesses, the agreement not being between
Egerton and Tookey, bitt between Tookey and
Chip. Then the Jolly Butcher, who came'to take
up the good-will of the .Doctor's shop, not being
content to pay 231. for the front in question,
whether in reality the • shop was Worse cal-
culated for the 'killing-than '.the healing ail',
or the former was less profitable thin th.; fatter
trade, but so it was--Chip- was content to take
201. instead of 231. for the fitting up' in questiou,
and which was to be paid, blood for blood, in
meat.

A variety of witnesses were called for the de-
fence, from whose teqiniony it appeared that a
partnership connexion existed between Egerton
and Chip.

The LORD CHM? JUSTICE summed up, and
the Jury found their verdict for the defendant.

ROYAL NAVY, &c.

PORTSMOUTH, A plur, tran.-
mport, Lieut. COLE, agent, arrived from Barbadoes on Wed-
nesday. The Ganges, Superb, Eden, Scout, and llingdovl!
were at that island wn she left, the two former intended to
sail soon after the Vibilia, on a cruise round the island. The
Vibilia touched at St. Vincent's on her way home on the 20th
March.

Three other bomb vessels are said to be fitting out beside
those already commissioned,' (the Terror and Infernal) by which
it may be inferred that more active measures than the present
are contemplated by Ministers, to bring the Algerincs to a sense
of their weakness.

The Sparrowhawk arrived on Wednesday from a cruise i
tie channel. The Marquis, of Huntley, transport, .bour.d :o
Greenock; for troops to. take out to Gibraltar, was obliged to
put into this port, on Tuesday, having sustained severe damages
on her way from the river. The Rattlesnake, 28, is daily ex-
pected from Chatham ; orders have been given to hasten h'er
round, and it is rumoured that she is destined for secret service.
Mr. J. B. P. Hay, of the Queen Charlotte, has been pro-
moted to the rank of Lieutenant.. • • - ,
eßrruolr,,,,arnkd, ,Jasper.—ln
Albion, Royal
ViSc'tq'oiprys, Queen ee'riPiCitaarto—tteT,
George, William and Alary, . Jupiter, Samarang, Medina,
Cyrene, Arrow, Basilisk, and the Viper, Linnet, and Quail,
tenders.,

The following Superannuations, Appointments, and Promo-
tions, have just taken place in the Dock-yards :
Superanntiationg.--,Mr. Jones, Timber-master of Cliatiurn,
and Mr. Mosebery, Timber-master of Portsmouth.
. ,Apliointiaents.—Mr. Dodd, Timber Master, from 1,13‘_
mouth, to be Timber Master at Chatham ; and "Mr. Couch,
from Pembroke, to be Timber Master at Plymouth.
Promotions.-31r. Baynes, Assistant, of PortsmoLuth Dock-
yard, to be Timber Master, vice Moseberry; '3ll Seaton; Master
Shipwright, from Bombay (which situation is dene.awaf with),
to be Assistant, vice II ay nes ; -Mr. Allen Foreman of the
New Work, of Portsmouth
.lock-yard, to be Titnber Master
at Pembroke, vice Couch; Mr. Sturdy to be Foreman of the
New Work, vice Alen ; and Mr. C. Moorman), Student of
Naval Architecture, to be Foreman, of the Boat-house, Ports-
mouth-yard, vice Sturdy. Mr. Aylen ie to act for 31r.'Seaton,
until he has completed the Ships -in • hand in India; and Mr.
Lang, Foreman in Plymouth-yard is to act at Pembroke, for
Mr. Aylen.
The 95th regiment embarked on board the Surrey. transport,
Lieut. Coates, agent„, on Thursday, and that'vessel will sail. as
soon as the weather will permit, direct for Malta.. The Prince
of Orange and Cato transports are intended to .cOnvey'the-71st
•
regiment of foot from Cork to Quebec. -
Thursday was observed here with nil-the liontniis usual on
The celebration of his Majesty's birth-day; the troops composing
the 4arrison, as also the regiment froM GoSport and"the Royal
Marines, fired a flu de :pi on Southsea Comtnon. Diiiners
were given by all the heads of the public departments, an(} most
of the ships In the port were decorated with flagS.