The Sun.
London, England, 1824-11-17 00:00:00

PALACE OF FALKLAND.

Among the numerous gratifying manifestation'
of a revival of national feeling in Scotland, we are happy to
have it in our power to notice the improvements at present
in progress on the venerable Palace of Falkland, once the
favourite hunting seat of our ancient Scottish Sovereigns.—
We mentioned on a former occasion, that JOHN BIttICS,
Esquire, hail purchased the valuable estate of Falk-
land, and that great alterations had been subsequently
made on the grounds immediately adjacent, and apperurn-
ing to the Royal Palace. In adOition, it is highly g, tai
to have to state, that the Palace itself is undergoing a
complete and thorough repair, the sole expense of which has
hitherto been defrayed by the patriotic proprietor alluded to.—
Those parts which were still covered in, have received a new
roof, and those which have been long unroofed, to the serious in-
jury of the interior, are about to be similarly protected. The new
roofs are to correspond as nearly as possible with those which
have fallen a prey to Time, in order to preserve the venerable
• appearance of the Palace. All the decayed stones through the
whole extent of the building, have been reinosed, and new ones
substituted; while the numerous crevices arising from the
crumbling of the mortar round the external joints have been
filled up with cement of a dark colour, imitative of the hoari-
ness of antiquity. Too much praise cannot b. s rendered to Mr.
Bruce, either in regard to the motives by which he has been ac-
tuated in causing these repairs, or the manner in which they have
hitherto been conducted. We would only recommend that the
court of the Palace, instead of being, as at present, laid out as a
place for rearing that truly national plant, celebrated in " The
Karr. Brose o' Auld Scotland," should be converted into a ver-
dant lawn ; and that the turret upon the north-west corner of the
e intern ruins, should not be degraded into a dove-cot. From
what has already been done, and is at present in progress, un-
d.a. the auspices of the venerable and patriotic heritable keeper
of this interesting ruin, we are confident that it is only uecessary
to point out these incongruities in order to insure their speedy
removal. We would also strongly recommend the propriety of
purchasing the small property situated immediately to the west
of the Palace, of removing the houses at present erected there.
on and including it within the precincts of the palace-gardens.
"'ere this done, the Palace might be properly enclosed.—
We trust it is not foreign to our purpose, while advert.
gof one of the most interesting of our Scottish ruins, to
express our surprise that our illustrious countryman, the
G eat Unknown Author of Waverley, while he has been
reu.lering almost every province of our beloved Scotland
classic ground, should never have thought proper to direct
his attention (and we may add that of the literary and fashion-
able world,) to- this favourite abode of our ancient Sovereigns
pi7:::,rieterisestatiinnotg7nr all
atilotdnrbseel:,lie,rieNcTimsp:teoutlhuiassilil,us
—nay, that " the. Kingdom of Fife" has never as yet
honoured. by being made the scene of any of his inimitable
endtsnolut extensiveteoroo nues
district,. or their adaptation for receiving illustration front his
us
oyhiptottlii
powerful pen and unrivalled genius. There can at least be
no harm in the suggestion ; and should it ever be acted upon,
none of his admirers shall hail with more sincere delight, the
Royal Palace of Falkland, clothed in one of those rich classic
with which he best knows how to invest the children of
his adoption.—(Ediabargh Observer.)

This FOOTE ANn M. TrAywE.—We. copied tt
paragraph yesterday from a Sunday Paper relating to this in.
teresting young Lady, and the substance of which as it regards
her, we have authority to state, is entirely without foundation.
The friends of this young Lady are very desirous that no erro-
neous impressions should be formed to her prejudice, growing
out of the calumny of her opposers; they are entreated to watt
patiently the result of a trial, which will not be delayed beyond
this Term.—( Morning Post. )
Jolty Wmacs was once asked by a Rotnan
Catholic gentleman, in a warm dispute upon relifilon, " Where
was your religion before Luther ?" " Did you wash your
face this morning ?" inquired the facetious Alderman. " I
did, Sir." " Then, pray where was your face before it was
washed ?"
Some weeks ago, an old man died in Paisley,
who had for several years received a small weekly allowance
from the session funds. lie was a man of excellent character,
of regular and orderly habits in all his personal and household
so much so, that his small dwelling excited ad.
anrradtantgioetTntoenesntering it by the attention which seemed evidently
to have been paid to keep
.every thing in its proper place. As
the result of this systematic care, he was able, In testimony of
his gratitude to the session, to leave them forty guineas. Besides
this sum, he had also neatly wrapped up by itself a. sum which
he considered sufficient to defray his funeral expences. Ilia
furniture anti books he also bequeathed to the session—his li-
brary consisted of about one hundred volumes, chiefly of valued
and standard works upon divinity, Ruches the works of lioston,
Erskine, Flavel, &c. &c. lie has left no relations nearer than
cousins, but his funeral was numerously and respectably at.
tended by many who esteemed hint for his piety and worth.
Though he died in the character of a pauper, he deserves
to be esteemed us a benefactor of the poor, having repaid in an
honourable way the assistance long afforded to him during the
infirmities of old age. It would have been cruel to have obliged
such a man to sell his library, even to minister to his necessities,
as it both instructed and cheered him in his declining days, and
perhaps taught him those principles of gratitude which appear.
td in his will.
On Thursday afternoon, two little boys, be-
longing to Calton, went to the Clyde at Peat
Bog, for the purpose of drawing shinties out of
the water. One of them unfortunately over-
reached himself, and suddenly disappeared in the
current. His little companion, who was sitting
on the bank, observing lie did not re-appear,
cried with great simplicity," Jamie, you'll better
come nut, and no hide yoursel' there," but he
never again rose above the water. The boy then
began to weep, and ran home and told the pa-
rents, that " Jamie was biding himself, and
sdproeta,d dreadinghastened to the
voadtta come haute." The distracted father,
whate r learned had
ehadprpeenldlefudl truth from some
persons who had witnessed the accident ; but as
the child never re-appeared after it fell into the
river, no assistance could be rendered. Search
was made for the body, but nothing but the
bonnet has as yet bean found. The child's
mother was on the bank when the search was
making, and was in a very distressed situation.—
(Glasgow Chronicle.)

POETRY.

ODE ON SIR JOHN MOORE.
Not a drum was heard, nor a funeral note,
As his corse to the rampart we hurried ;
Not a soldier discharg'd his farewell shot
O'er the grave where our hero was buried.

We buried him darkly at dead of night,
The sods with our bayonets turning—
By the struggling moon-beam's misty light,
And the lantern dimly burning.

No useless coffin enclos'd his breast,
Nor in sheet nor in shroud we bound him ;
But he ;ay like a warrior taking his rest,
With his martial cloak around him.

Few and short were the prayers we said,
And we spoke not a word of sorrow ;
But we stedfaNtly gazid on the face of the dead,
And we bitterly thought of the morrow.

We thought, as we hollow'd his narrow bed,
And smootli'd down his lonely pillow,
That the foe and the stranger would tread o'er his head,
And we far away on the billow !

Lightly they'll talk of the spirit that's gone,
And o'er his cold ashes upbraid him ;
But nothing he'll reek, if they let him sleep on
In the grave where a Briton has laid him.

But half of our heavy task was done,
When the clock told the hour for retiring;
And we heard by the distant and random gun,
That the foe was suddenly firing.

Slowly and sadly we laid him down,
From the field of his fame fresh and gory;
We carved not a line, we raised not a stone,
But we left him alone with his glory."

••• As there seem to be as many candidates for the honour
of having written the above lines as there were towns that
aspired to the reputation of being the birth-place of IlomEtt,
we deem it proper to insert them, particularly as an amusing
Miscellany, entitled The Gazette of Variety and Litrrary
Humourist, has mentioned the Editor of the Sun as one on
whom suspicion has alighted. The Editor of this Paper has
long known and highly esteemed the family of Sir Joithr
M 0011 E. but he does not pretend to the credit of having paid
this tribute to the memory of the gallant General.