The Sun.
London, England, 1841-11-24 00:00:00

E VENING SUN

THE BO OKBIN DER, and the POET
(From the Manchester Times.)
An old Scotch bookbinder, hearing an author
' spoken of in terms of high commendation, ex-
claimed, " Hoots ! Ony stupid body way write
a book, and ony stupid body may Arent a book.
but it takes a clever fallow indeed to bind,.
book ! " Our townsman, John Dickenson,t I
one of the " clever follows " that can bind a
book; but he has a much higher appreciation
than the old Scotchman had of the powers re-
quired to write a book, for he was one of the
first to discover that John Critchely Prince
was a poet of no mean order, and to his friendly
zeal was owing in no slight degree the publica-
tion of productions so extraordinary, considering
the education and circumstances of the writer.
Burns owed the publication of the Kilmarnock
edition of his poems to the farmers in the neigh-
bourhood, and used to point with pride to the
name of one who had subscribed for twenty co-
pies, the only name hibrber on the list being that
of the Countess of Eghnton, who subscribed for
twenty-one copies. What the " Farmer in Co-
vington Mains" was to Burns, the " Bookbinder
in Angel-court" seems to have been to Prince,
and the Poet has thus gratefully and gracefully
recorded his obligations :

TO MY FRIEND JOHN DICKINSON.
True-hearted Dickinson ! can I forget
Thy warm, impetuous friendship, and how prone
Thou wert to solace me when first we met,
And I was coinless, hopeless, and unknown ?
No ! for the generous feeling thou hast shown
To me, an humble minstrel, in my need,
My harp, with feeble but with faithful tone,
Shall tell thee that I cherish every deed.
Let me bear witness that thou hast, withal,
Though rudely earnest, an inquiring mind,—
Pity for human suffering and thrall,
And love for things exalted and refined.
May Heaven afford thee, to thy latest hour,
The joy of doing good, and neer deny the power !
A handsome and generous tribute was paid to
the genius of Prince on Monday night by Mr.
Vandenhoff, who expressed the delight he had
experienced in perusing the volume which had
accidentally fallen into his hands. While, with
a voice " musical as Apollo's lute," the tragedian
recited one of the finest passages, we observed
John Dickenson drinking in the sounds with un-
disguisable rapture; and the poet, who was pre-
sent, must have felt similar emotions to those
which Burns felt when some fine lyric of his,
married to immortal tune, proceeded, in enchant-
ing strain, from the lips of beauty.

DREADFUL EXPLOSION—FIF-
TEEN LIVES LOST.
INQUEST ON THE BODlES.—Thomas Lee, Esq., Coro-
ner, held an inquest at the Public Office, Barnsley, on
Tuesday afternoon, on the bodies of the following per-
sons, who came to their deaths at the Mount Osborne
Colliery, on Monday, by an explosion of fire-damp, viz.,
James Pease, aged 22, Joseph Mitchell, aged 55, Edward,
13, Christopher, 22, and William Walton, 18, brothers,
William Scholey, 24, Robert Walker, 29, John Ardron,
19, Charles Crow, 16, Charles Thompson, 10, John and
Charles Deakin, 14, father and son, John M'Arthy, 24,
Charles Hinchliff, jun., 14, Benjamin, 11, brothers.
After the Jury had visited the bodies of the unfortu-
nate persons, amongst other, the following evidence was
adduced:—Abram Deakin said, I am son to John Dea-
kin and brother to Charles Deakin. I was hurrying for
my oldest brother ; Charles was hurrying for my father.
My father, my eldest brother, Joseph Mitchell, and my-
self went down the pit at one time, and when we got to
the bottom we went to our hole to work shortly after we
got there. I was near Scholey's hole, when Mitchell, my
father, and myself met, when my father asked Scholey to
lend him his safety lamp, which Scholey did. When my
father had tried our hole he returned the lamp to Scholey,
there being no damp at that spot. Mitchell, who was
bottom steward, had told Scholey not to work in that
hole. I did not work there, bu; had gone with my fa-
ther for a wedge. I had heard Mitchell tell Scholey that
he must not work in that part of the mine, as there was
so much fire in it.

Charles Bennet, a miner, spoke to hearing of tile acci-
dent, and going to examine and assist them, and helping
to find and get the bodies out. He spoke to the excellent
state of the mine, having an excellent ventilation.
In fact, the whole of the evidence went to show that
Scholey had incautiously gone into the place with a light,
although he had been told by the steward not to go
there at all, and had been put to work in another part
of the mine, where he had worked on Saturday, but had
borrowed tools for that day, and left his at the place
where he caused the explosion by fetching them with a
light. Verdict—" That the above-named persons came
to their deaths by an explosion of fire-damp and its con-
sequent follower, choke, or after-damp."

STATISTICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON.—A col
meeting of the Fellows of this Society was held on Mon-
day week at their Rooms, 4, St. Martin's-place, when a
long list of donations which bad been received during
the recess were reported. An abstract of a paper on
the Burman empire was read, by which it appears that
the population of the empire, which was computed by
the old geographers in former years at 30,000,000, was,
in 1826, only 4,230,000.

. ,
On Monday last three hundred and fifty men
and fifty women of the parish of Carrigera, and of the
temperance body, assembled on the lands of Clonagh,
near Newmarket-on-Fergus, and dug out and pitted a
field of potatoes of seven acres, belongin,, to Thomas
O'Donohoe, Esq. Mr. O'Donohoe had three fat sheep
killed and dressed as a repast ter this great body of his
friends.—Limerick Reporter.
A union has taken place between the old and
respectable Banking Establishment of Messrs. Tufnell,
Falkner, and Falkner, of this City, and Stuckey's Sower-
shire Banking Company-.—Bath Herald.
FonGin.ExcaisQuEa Buts.—ln the list
published of the holders of spurious Exchequer bills,
given in our paper yesterday, a trifling inaccuracy should
be noticed. All seems to be right as regards the holders of
the larger amounts to which they apply ; but, among
those to whom the minor 'sums are attached, we find the
name of Solomons, who is described as a broker, for
4,0001. It has been stated to us that no one of the name
known as connected with the Money Market has had
bills of this description in his possession, and there must
be a mistake, therefore, in the description of the party.
Rubini, as we learn from Madrid, has been
elected a member of the Academy of that capital in the
Section of Music, and has had a grand dinner given him
by that body.
DRURY-LANE THEATRE.--Mr. Macready has
added Miss Romer, Miss Horton, and Mrs. Keeley to
his female corps operatique, and we believe that he has
now completed all his engagements for the ensuing sea-
son, which will positively commence on the 27th of next
month.

There is a report current that Mr. Young is
about to revisit the glimpses of the foot-lamps, and to go
through a round of his principal characters. It is said
that the Queen has especially requested Mr. Young to
take his place again upon the boards, that she may have
an opportunity of seeing what good tralgtiihaeeya.sceltiaia.gedroeof
Octo-
ber old school really is.
The conversation-house at Badenveasnodf tthhee.
Grand
gam-
ing-tables were closed on the 31st ull
ant.
s, The number f
rsbterrriann3egel es,
Princes,
amountedliit• hh o
t•tl-iiseii visited
:_
,d
suites,22 oßaden,lB9l4. between:6B3Alinitt itiann Is 8 ,
Duchy of Baden, 5,178 Germans, 9c7n6.hH,u6n3g2arßtaunsssianansd,
81 Danes, 33-
Africans.
7A53i.r. avians, 46 Poles, 262
sl3,ovhedeiensiaanns,d3;sosr6wEegngialnissh:
476 Dutch, 282 Belgians,
Al2mile:oriiircEtaung:tice6sEeWA, 5s i
acGt
irocesue,lßtasli,,,dssB 0
Jr
coLses I'm—These Courts, designed4llfoUri 35 Spaniards,
and Bruce, have in thetThsYheoVritiscesp-CacLheiaNnof
reikgsrabmeen completedi, and rendered fit for ulnae-
c eightellor Vice-Chan-
cellors
bdriui
et ek , opcleauinpaatinodn •
unassuming,
at architectural disphlaey. ixnite,rio of the building is of
dimensions and well calculated`
towithoutafford
thed
every least
facilityattempt
of
f
ingress and egress, and aso tohe secureentrances
go o d internalar e o f amplecon 1 .
munication between the Courts. The interior appears
commodious, light, and convenient, and the simple,
though' neat, unostentatious decorations have a very
pleasing effect. The table; &c., are covered with deep
crimson cloth, the curtains of drab moreen damask ;
though far from guady, the whole presents a g-randap-
pearanee. On Sunday, the Lord Chancellor, the Vice-
Chancellors, and several friends, inspected the building-8,
and were pleased to express their approbation of the ex-
cellence of their ' construction, as well as of the extra-
ordinary expedition with which the builders (Messrs.
Cubitt) had completed them. It is understood that
sittings will take place there for the first time on or
about the 2d of December.
Lord Cochrane, who, previoue to his departure
for China, has been staying a few days with his mother,
the Countess of Dundonakl, has left Paris for Marseilles,
from whence he will sail for Alexandria.
KIETLING.—The Marquis of Bute (who has
arrived at Wallingham, on a visit to the Bishop of Lin-
coln) has given instructions for the commencement of the
almhouses to be erected at Kirtling, at the desire of the
late Marchioness.—Cantbridge Advertiser.
LONDON AND CROYDON RAlLWAY.—Yester-
day morning another portion of the embankment beyond
New-cross fell in from the west side, covering the rails
nearly 30 feet in depth. Several Directors of the Brigh-
ton Company, and Mr. Statham, the engineer, visited
the spot, and about 100 excavators with two engiunteewsdeaehnkids,
jn' so VI
two trains of earth trucks, immediately proceeded to re-
move the stoppage. The down line, it isatsaarisidbt, will be
cleared in a day or two, but the up line will require
more time.
A
Court ats ouNtioiwrlidc,h
last
sttoe l ,hact orpennys:
carrier
postage, which he said took
from
um/. a-year off the van, which would have amounted to
4,000 parcels yearly.
iN;teln the Debtors'
b

JERSEY.—The new Jersey copper coinage was
put into circulation in that island on Saturday last. It
consists of penny and half-penny pieces, and is to the
amount of one thousand pounds. The obverse side of
each bears a beautifully executed likeness of he rAlajesty,
surrounded by the inscription of " Victoria D. G.
tanniar: Regina F. D. 1841." The reverse consists of a
shield bearing three leopards—passant et gardant—
surrounded by the words, "States of Jersey, 1-13 (or
1-26) of a Shilling." The coins are very creditable spe-
cimens of art, and are in that respect much superior to
those of Guernsey.—Hampshire Independent.
KINGSTOWN, Nov. 22.—Arrd. Sarah and Marianne,
Quebec.