The Sun.
London, England, 1840-03-09 00:00:00

HAMLETS.

LORD DURHAM'S COAT.—" We are all born, but
not buried," says the adage ; and those at the top of
the tree cannot tell how soon they may be at the bottom.
Shakspeare could extract " sermons from stones." On
the same principle a threadbare coat or a superannuated
pair of inexpressibles would often furnish matter for a
three-volume romance. When a fashionable West-end
tailor sends home a coat in all the resplendency of su-
perfine Saxony, Genoa velvet, and double-gilt buttons,
to grace the aristocratic person of a Lord or a Duke, it
probably seldom occurs to him that the identical gar-
ment may, at no very distant period, serve to protect the
attenuated frame of a beggar from the chilling wintry
blast. There can be no doubt that when Lard Durham
first cendescended to encase his person in a certain
" long-tailed blue" he little thought that it would ever
become the outward covering of Tobias Grumps, a tra-
velling tinker ; yet such is the fact.

The plaintiff; a Jew dealer in second-hand wearing
apparel, named Moses Solomons, residing in Rag-fir,
summoned the defendant, Toby Grumps, a pug-nosed
tinker, for 55., the balance alleged to be due to him for
a coat he had supplied the latter with. It appeared
that the member of the " peeplish" had some knowledge
of the tinker, and, on the strength of that, consented
to let him have a " slap-up coat' for Sunday wear,
which he was to pay for by instalments of a shilling a
week. The tinker kept to his bargain until the debt
was liquidated within 55., when he refused to pay any
more, in consequence of one of the sleeves of the coat
having parted company with the body. The Israelite,
being determined to "have his bond," summoned him
for the remainder.

" Yer vartships," said the Jew, " dis coat vas von dat
pelonged to my Lord Durham."

CommlssioNEft—Then, how did it get into your
possession ?
Jew—For dis reason vat I shall tell you. My shon,
Shamevill Sholomons, pless de poy, for he's a goot lad
to his old farder, vas oat mit his pag looking for
pargains, Yen de wallet of de Noble Lord shells him
coat vat vas sohnevat de worse for year, and vonted
turning. Yer vartships, de gra id lord's coat vonts turn-
ing shometimes as veil as de poor man's.—( Laughter.)
COMMIS,IONER-1. suppose you clobbered and wire-
brushe•d this el'! coat up, and made it better as new.
Jew—S'help ma cot, yvr vartships, de coat was not
clobbered, nor vire-brushed, but only turned, as Lord
Durham had yarn it threadbare ; beshides it vas out at
elbows.—(Laughter.)
COMMISSIONER—I can't think Lord Durham would
wear his coat so bad as that.

Jew—As cot's ma shudge it vas as bare of nap as dis
vat 1 years. Veil, as I vas shaying, yer vartships, de
coat vas turned and done up mit new buttons, yen it
looked quite shuperb, poshitivek and if his lordship had
ownly sheen it, he would a vonted it back again. De
pody sat yell, and de tails were wary long.
COMMISSIONER—You're making this a very long tale,
pray come to the facts as soon as possible.
Jew—Shartinly, shartinly, yer vartships. I vas a
walking at my own toor on Shunday maurning, yen 1
shoed dis man (the defendant) valk up do " fair" look-
ing apout him. " Vant to puy, young man," I shay to
him ; so yer vartships he valks into my shop, and ye
pargains at vonse. Vell he pays me all but de 55., so
I shummonses him for it.

COM3II3SIONER—What is the reason you refuse to
pay this money, Grumps ?
Grumps—Cos it's more nor its walee. It arn't vurth
more nor half a bull (half-a-crown). Vy, afore I'd had
it on many times, the sleeve come clean out.
COMMISSIONER—He says it was a good coat, acd
belonged to a nobleman.
Grumps—lf any nobleman wore rich a shickery,
seedy consarn as that, ho must be a wery poor un, but
that's only old smouchey's gammon.
Jew—Vat you cull me smouchey for, you black
willin ; ee coat wus ownly too handshome fur yer ugly
pack.
Grumps—Shut up, you old rag mop, %ill yer, it was
a rewular bite, and you knows it ; vy don't yer vt.rk
onestly for a livin, and not live by cheating poor men
COMMISSIONER—How much have you paid for it al-
together ?
Grumps—Seven bobs, yer honours, and a preciou,
Guy I looked in it, so the old 'oman said. It lords'
coats are like that, I'm blowed if I vant any more
on 'em.

The Commissioners were of opinion that the full
value of the coat had been already paid, and therefore
gave a verdict for the defendant.

" Alishter Sholomons" upon hearing this decision,
fired a volley of abuse in Hebrew at every one
present, much to the amusement of the defendant
Toby Grumps, who, as he left the Court, offe►ed to sell
the remains of Lord Dur Lam's coat for a shilling.

WIDOW MURPIIY.—It appears from the fol-
lowing notice in the Dublin Evening Mail that Lord Lorton
has not yet done with the widow. f hus decorously does the
Mail allude to the poor woman, and thus fairly represent the
ease This is the lady (says the Mail's man) whose fanciful
wrongs and whose ideal sufferings have furnished such fruitful
topics of bewailment to agitating demagogues, and supplied the
materials for so many a plaintive Jeremiad in the Radical press.
The simple facts of -the case stand thus :—An ejectment was
brought and the record tried at the Spring Assizes of '39, when
the defendant, Mrs. Murphy, obtained a verdict. This result
was effected by the production of a lease, which afterwards
turned out to have been a forgery. Subsequently the verdict
so obtained, and under such circumstances, was set, aside by (we
believe the unanimous decision ot) the Court of Queen's Bench,
and a new trial directed. upon the present trial, the co nsel
for the defendant refused to produce the lease, and suffer it to
go before the jury for their decision ; but raised a point of law
against the plaintiff, which upon argument proved successful
with Mr. Baron Foster, before whom the case was tried, who
ruled the point in his favour. This decision by no means affects
the merits—leaving these just as they before stood ; and conse-
quently another appeal to the Court of Queen's Bench will be-
come necessary ! ! !"