The Sun.
London, England, 1823-12-31 00:00:00

DUTY ON COALS.

Before the meeting dispersed, Mr. Alderman Wool) stated,
that a daught of a petition to be presented to Parliament in the
ensuing Sessions complaining of the high duty on coals, had
been prepared by the inquest of that Ward, and he hoped that
it would be numerously signed by the inhabitants.

DA It TrNG Bum; &R Y.---Yesterday informations
were received at Il atton -garden Police-office of a burglary cam-
' misted the previous night at the house of 3lr. Cross, a watch-
maker, of Charter-house-square. It is presumed that the fel-
lows got in at the rear in Glass-house-yard ; and having to cross
the yard of No. 11, they created so much noise, that Mr. Cross's
watch-dog was alarmed, and barked furiously ; however, the
burglars soon silenced his tattling, b severing the head from
the body of this faithful animal. They then forced off the fastenings of the parlour window, and got from thence to the
shop ; but, fortunately, Mr. Cross having been previously
alarmed by the barking of the dog, listened attentively, and,
though he could not distinctly hear any noise in the house, he
arose, detertnined to snake a search ; and when the robbers
heard a footstep:on the stairs, they instantly decamped, taking
with them only one silver table-spoon, though they had just
come to a place where there was a vast quantity of valuable
property packed up. Mr. Cross alarmed the watchman, but
the fellows were clear off. Edwards, an active officer of Hatton-
garden, has been on the 100k-out, but as yet Ism not been able
to trace any of the party, who are, no doubt, confederated with
a noted gang of robbers that Infest Whitechapel, and dispatch
their emissaries in every quarter of London.

It is a fact not known, perhaps, to the public
geuerally, that any part of the current coin may
be refused, if at alt mutilated. This i now
uniform practice with the Bank of s
Engl the
and,
where the clerks constantly return all coin that
is in the least degree defaced,

FOR THE SUN.

PYTHAGORAS.
MR. Eunon—Much has been said and writ.
ten concerning the doctrine taught by PYTIJA.
*GRAS, yet it has reached us only through the
medium of his disciples, who often disfigured the
tenets of their master. 'What appears certain
is, that this philosoper, was one of the greatest
sages that antiquity has produced.
PYTHAGORAS was born at Samos, about 500
years before the Christian Era. He was the dis
ciple of Pherecides ; and travelled through
Egypt and India, in search of knowledge ; and it
is in those regions that some sopposte hirti to have
acquired the principal points of the -doctrine ha
afterwards professed. His eloquence, as well "S
the sublimity of this doctrine, rendered him
arbitrator and the pacifier of the Grecian Co
lonies in Italy, amongst which he principally r"
sided, whence his school acquired the deltendwi
tion of Italic. Elea was the most usual place
his residence. His doctrine has been .offer
diculed, and he has no doubt been sometime!
calumniated ; yet his belief in the science 01
divination, an opinion very prevalent in his time,
proves him to have been not wholly free fran,
error. It was no doubt his faith in those absurd
notions, that gave rise to the many ridiculous talc'
circulated about him.
ltyh
eprobat:
elementaryl e tiiat
particles trincelae
;ciples of metempsychosis, an ingenious His disciples have transmitted to us his priall
which they have disfigured. It ;5, indeed, high'
form antler'`
which and the different outward
which they appear, when forming the component
parts of different substances. Certain it iselTi7
ever, that he enveloped the sublime "Iprat,l
which he taught, under mysterious forms, "'
imitated the secrecy with which the priests °
Egypt concealed their religious tenets.
tsi t
uo ldy ergo,the cdhatinrigoege.tlL:ieciir.
To accomplish the noble end he had in
he imagined that singular asgociation, which Iwas
produced so many eminent philosophers. A l°lll
webs
the
discip e
probation s required, before• Was;.
initiated in the doctrine of his muster. Yet such
was the celebrity he acquired, that men cheer'
fully abandoned the advantages of fortune, fa'
roily connections, the charms of social inter-
course, to be inlisted among the number of 11;5
followers. Pythagoras, whose favourite moil,'
was, that two friends were only .one mau,
commended only two maxims to his Scholars--
reverence for the gods, and love for men. llence
did they become celebrated for their affection
for one another, which was,. indeed, proverbial ;
Ailst their ever active benevolence secured for
thew) the respect and the affection of. their fellow
men The beauty, as well as the amiableness of the
doctrine taught by their master, accounts satis-
factorily for the enthusiasm which led them to
consider him as little inferior to a divininty.
At this time men were entering into the news
of metaphysical researches; and though possess...
ing but little insight into Natt.ral Philosophy,
they fearlesssly attempted to 'explain the 17::
chanism of the universe!, -. The: system of Pft 1,4
gores is a curious instance of the early eflort6
human genius to solve the problems which n -
ture presented to the inquiring mind.
Acvrding to Pythagoras, the universe is ram
ter animated by an intelligence which is at once
the principle, the mean, and the end of all things.
To this intellgence he gave the name of unity,
whilst he termed duality the matter which Is
subject to continual changes and variations; and
the universe, produced by the union of intellect
and matter, he called trinity. Struck with the'
proportions, &c, that exist in numbers, with which
he was well acquainted, he fancied that he di
cerned them also in the'reiolutions of unto":
and believed them to exist in certain harmonics:
proportions. Proportion and harmony he ra.
considered as every where existing.; time, justice,t„.l
intellect, friendship, &c., were only numerical
proportions. A system so fanciful and pleoll"
presented with all the charms of the most seLW'
tine eloquence, and ut a period when phYslat
principles were uncertain or erroneous, medeit
imaginationappeal to the of mankind, which
now
was scarcely possible to resist. Such were Ai6;,
the abberrations of the human mind, that the
.1 toe
ciples of Pythagoras, plunging still deeper „
bed t"
gloomy recesses -of metaphysics, cep,
most singular and the most extravagant c°fl

tions.
Notwithstanding the celebrity which 1Y1,12;
gores acquired, neither the place, nor tl►e 1041,'''
of his death, are known. The most acc","lt4;7
opinion is that he did at Metapontuin ab'iu` ,os
years before the christian era : and ,s,tich'if the
the veneration in which be was held "10 d
people of Magna Gracia, that he was 11°1'
►pre•
as a deity ; and his house became a sacred 16PP•
It,

.~

RIOT AT DRURY- '..ANE THEATTIU.--""° "9'1::
i.t..)5 cyprians
,were brought up from ..,.. . d for
at7rattcuilgttu,secbawrgheerde twhietyh chraedatti'letre,naca:ll:°fltill‘ellBnrilit
holyfor their
a Tiheryi tehxapsrseasuslettilng :lellti°jeh°el:lt'fil li:(1'
their misconduct, and having eontrivolli tofoie I
range the matter With the female ags.ualtes:r ow
Ziagistrate said he would let them g° lo sin,
present, but, if they were brought thereoo, ,g.,,,i
t"
he should deal with the utmost severity
them. nes Oat
It is really shameful to witness the 5ce,,,600
nightly take place in the Theatres, ill "
of the officers. L rgilce
IVilliam Barris, a servant tonr. ---a`v was
cart in t
bGrio)uglit't ourp,C4cfhilabrlrgiedtgl e WilltlelPtitiril'VilllitilaaCkliel:beigill;
SpHitearac:l:(tail,s
ofi,tivii-lietdiltlont the name and lluniki .---
4aocsc.oaraddiucgotsots,Act of Poiliall'ill"

BOW STREET.—(Turs DAP

e E
arl of LoNsDALE, we are concern
4 ifiCC'
swtahte, met with an accident a few omy- 3 nt,
when hunting with a party of friends at his se te, •
aC t_tosniere itutlandsdire ; his horse threw "r'e.
,n.d broke one a his ribs ; but, by accootg... $
Lair
in town yesterday, his Lordship /4'
air way of doing well.