The Sun.
London, England, 1824-10-28 00:00:00

A TIZE.D..LANE CASE.

The Grand Jury having withdrawn, Thomas Ford, a trans.
lator of boots and shoes in FieWt44ne, was put to the bar,
charged with an assault upon Margaret Merchant, the wife of
his next-door neighbour, who carries on the same business
with himself. That two of a trade should disagree, is proverbial,
but in this instance the disagreement was still more extensive ;
for the two dogs, of which each had one, were continually fight-
ing, and so daring in their animosity, as to carry on hostilites
occasionally, not only in the lane, but over the sacred thresholds
of each other's domicile. On the occasion which gave rise to this
indictment, the engagement was fought in Mrs. Merchant's
shop, who, indignant at the trespass, interfered in the behalf
of her own dog, and kicked Ford's out. Ile ran to the dog's
assistance, and threatened, if Mrs. Merchant repeated her kick-
ing, he would kick her. She kicked the dog notwithstand-
ing, and Ford kicked her in revenge. This, with the omission
of the Field-lane language which was used upon the occasion,
was the case on the part of the prosecution ; to prove which
five witnesses were called, all of whom swore to the kick given
to Mrs. Merchant. Ford was not without his partisans in the
lane, and called three witnesses in his defence, all of whom us
positively swore that Mrs. Merchant never was kicked at all.
The last, and apparently only impartial witness called, was
Hughes' a watchman, whom Marchent, the husband, bad
fetched from his beat to take charge of Ford. By the time
he arrived, the row was pretty well over; and as upon in-
quiry be found nobody was hurt, he refused to take the
charge. " I thought," said he, " please your Lordship, that
as I had seen no breach of the peace I was not justified in
taking the man into custody ; and I told them if they were dis-
satisfied, they might send over to the watch-house for the officer
of the night."
The RECORDER (smiling.)—" You did perfectly right;
you may stand down ; you are a very good lawyer. If you do
not see the peace broken, and no mischief has been done, you
do right not to interfere. It is not for persons in your situation
to lend yourselves to the gratification of the angry passions of
individuals."
Mr. CHARLES Put Lurs (the defendant's Counsel.)—Then
a very pleasant situation we arc all in. As his Lordship says
so, I suppose this is the law, and I am very sorry that it is the
law. A great service watchmen must be to us, if, after we
Lave had our heads broken in an affray, the watchman, on
being called to our assistance, is to tell us he has nothing to do
with the business, as he hail not the pleasure to see the blow
struck. So, I suppose, if u felony was committed, and I main
the watchman, and show him the thief, he is to say, " Oh I I
did not see it done," and leave us to our remedy of' sending to
the watch-house for the Dugberry of the night.
The It se° him a made no reply at the time to these remarks;
but in his summing up to the jury, he took occasion to observe
that the Learned Counsel had expressed himself sorry at what
he had stated to be the law. Such, however, was the law laid
down, as he must well know, by the highest authority. In a
chthec"woeull'asbewwitiaerlryanted in refusing to take
n u
difirent, and no oflicer,
in
taargeaceloetfoily an
of that
sort,a neged
He then took a hasty review of
the contradictory evidence, observing, that whichever side
sraouflttla o
nfd nature,. mhigayl,iis used
dwo al Learnedway sto
Friends, they believed, no great injury would he sustained. In actions
fo?rriedndriug 3eis urcr.
lea
say, ,4 ilemleinen of the Jury,---This is a shilling all the
world over."
The Jury, after a little hesitation, brought in a verdict of
Guilty ; and the Court sentenced him to a fine of Is , and to
to keep the peace for
enter into his own recognizance in 101. * 12
months.

Charles Bramwell, a wine-merchant at Paddington, stood
indicted for assaulting Wm. 'Walker, a gentleman in the em-
ploy of the respectable firm of Severn, King, and Co., and Mary
Ann, his wife. A cross-bill had also been found against Mr.
Walker, for an assault on Mr. Bramwell.
Mr. 'Walker was returning with -his wife and child from a
visit to his brother, when they were met in Tower-street by the
defendant Bramwell, nod a Mr. Shadgate, of the Excise, who
had just left a dinner-party in the neighbourhood ; and the
charge against Mr. Bramwell was, that in passing he put his
hand very indecently upon the person of Mrs. Walker; and
upon her husband's remonstrating with him for so doing, he
struck him a violent blow. With reiqwet to the indecent con-
duct towards the lady, both she and her husband swore posi-
tively. Frons the shape of the proceedings, there being two
indictments, Mr. Branwell was enabled to give his statement
also upon oath; and he positively, swore that he never intended
or did touch the lady at all, and that the first commencement
of the affray was by his receiving a kick from Mr. Walker,
who charged bins at the time with having indecently as.
saulted his wife; that he denied having done so; that Mr.
Walker repeated the charge with insulting language ; and then
—not till then—he did strike bins. Mr. Shadgate corroborated
his friend's statement, declaring that he believed Mr. Bram-
well did not touch the lady at all. If he had, he thought he
must have seen it.
The RECORDER put it to the Jury to say, whether they be-
lieved it might not be a misconception on the part of Mr. and
Mrs. Walker, in which case he would have been the first assail-
ant. It', on the other hand, they thought that Mr. Bramwell
had laid his hand indecently upon the lady, that was such a
provocation as fully justified the husband in the kick ho was
alleged to have given.
The Jury, after some consultation, acquitted Mr. Walker
on the indictment
against him ; and pronounced a verdict of
Guilty on that against Mr. Bramwell, who was immediately
sentenced by the Court to pay a fine 201. to the King.

The Journal de la .4loselle, of the 11th inst.,
contains the following Account of an attempt to assassinate :--
As 3lr. Fitasicts HENNEQUIN was sitting at supper with his
wife and children, a pistol-idiot was fired at him through a
window looking on to the street. The ball struck his jaw-bone,
passedhis cheek, broke several of his teeth, and was
!o
the tendons of the neck. Mr. H. is a rich landed
Proprietor, and very generally loved and esteemed, which in.
volves the diabolical attempt in the greater mystery. The ball
ge cl amongall g
was extracted the fUllowing day : the wound, though a serious
one, it is expected will not prove mortal.
mention,bwrciekriatllgploaucest L
that there had
that the inhabi-
tants, impelled by necessity, bad made use of that which was
stagnant and putrid in the ditches anti morasses,—the ow.
been
finch i aants scarcityfr oai
of waterltaly i n
gerous diseases, which had proved fatal many.
quence of which had been the
To 11AKE TREES BLOSSOM I N WI X TER.--A corre-
spondent of the Chemist gives the following account of the
German method of preparing, in winter, those real flowers
and trees with which they are accustomed to decorate their
rooms, whenever a birth-day or other feast occurs in their
families t___,4 We saw off such a branch of any tree as will
answer our purpose, and then lay it for an hour or two in
a running stream, if we can find one. The object of this
is to get the ice from the bark, and soften the buds. It is
afterwards curried into one of our warm rooms, and fixed
upright in a wooden box or tub containing water. Fresh
burnt lime is then added to the water, and allowed to re-
main in it about twelve hours, when it is removed, and
fresh water added, with which a small tiantity of vitriol
is mixed, to prevent its putrifying. In the course of some
hours the blossoms begin to make their appearance, and after-
wards the leaves. If more lime is added, the process is quick-
ened ; while, if it is not used at all, the process is retained' and
the leaves appear before the blossoms. Thus, we make both
flowers and leaves in the midst of winter, who: is for us a great
gratification, as it is our national taste to adorn our houses with
them as much as possible,'both is winter and summer.

Mr. LAWES—i thank the Court for the hint.
Mr. Justice BATLEY—What you state actually amounts to
that.

Mr. LANES--It does • and because there are two events
which must take place when a man is charged as this plaintiff
was ;--if the law of the land take its regular course, he must
be tried by a Jury of the country, and then he must be either
found guilty or acquitted ; if he be found guilty according to
the strict letter of the law, could such a report as the one at
present complained of be said to be the reason of such a ver-
dict ? if not, wherein would the injury be ? If, on the other
hand, he were acquitted, in point of law how could he have
been injured ? if the publisher in this instance had said the
plaintiff' was brought up to Bow-street Office, charged as he
was, when the following evidence was gone into, and then have
published the whole that had been stated, that Mr. Duncan's
friends, young and old, and all the world might have read, and
been made acquainted with every word of it, would that not
have been much more like an injury than the report which had
been sent forth ? And yet the great, and indeed sole com-
plaint was, that the whole of the evidence had not been pub-
lished. Proceedings by indictment were totally distinct from
proceedings by action ; proceedings by indictment were always
in the hands of public prosecutors, or at least supposed to be
so, and there was no other way of proceeding, in cases of slan-
der, except that and by action. In the latter, malice must be
made out, which it would be quite impossible to snake out on
the present occasion.
Mr. Justice BAY LET-Have you any authority for saying.
in a private action, it' the slander is false, the defendant spoke
it without malice.

Mr. LAW ES believed he had several cases of such a nature,
and which he considered very strong. The next consideration
he would turn his attention to, was not any Nisi Prins deter.
mination, or any Crown prosecution against publications, but
the common and clear policy resulting from publications within
wholesome limits of what passed in public Courts.
LORD CHIEF JUSTICE—That would apply to the proceed-
ings of this Court, which is necessarily an open Court • but not
to examinations or informations before Justices of the Peace,
because ex-hurts.
Mr. Justice BAY unr—Will you, Mr. Lames, be so good as
to define what you mean by public Courta :2 The question is,
whether, by law, this Court ought or ought not to be public?
Mr. LAWES considered every Court in which public business
was disposed of a public Court; Lord Chief Justice Eyre had
not distinctly defined, when speaking upon that subject, what
he held to be a public Court, but he (Mr. L.) would advert to
this point more particularly hereafter. If a reporter, attending
the Old Bailey Sessions (a Court which must be considered as
public as the Court of King's Bench), were to publish to the
world that a true bill had been found against B, he would
ask whether that could be considered a libel ? It would be ha.
possible ; and in comparing the publication of what passed in
Courts of Justice with that which passed in Parliament, though
the one was to be looked at as widely different from the other,
he contended that a public reporter, reporting fairly to a news.
paper what passed under his notice, for the information of the
public, who were deeply interested in the reports and statements
in newspapers, must stand much more venially in the eye of
their Lordships, titan a Member of Parliament publishing his
own speech. The Learned Counsel remembered, when he was
at the bar, that a Bill was introduced into Parliament for the
very purpose of suppressing these publications, but Parliament
would not allow the Bill to pass, and they therefore threw it out.
Mr. Justice BAYLEr —What publications, Mr. 'Lawea ?
Mr. LawEs—Police Reports of what passed before Ma-
gistrates. Mr. Limes perfectly well knew that that was so.
Loan CutEr JUSTICE—Can you mention the date of
that bill ?

Mr. Lawrs—Could not exactly; it was about twenty
years ago.
Mr. Justice BaYLEY—What progress did the Bill make ?
Mr. LAWES-llaving at that time been engaged at his chant.
hers, and not particularly attending to What was passing in
the house, was unable accurately to state, but he knew that
the Bill was prepared, that it was introduced into the house,
and that it was thrown out. It was mentioned in 2d Camp.
bell, The Learned Counsel then cited a great number of
cases, with a view to show that no action for slander could lie
unless malice was proved, and here it never was to be lost sight
of, that throughout it was contended that this supposed libel-
lous matter was published entirely for public news. The duty
of public Reporters was most important, and on various occa-
sions sanctioned by the law and statutes of the land; therefore,
he did not consider himself placing reporters on too high
ground (provided they did not abuse their trust) when he look-
ed upon them as public instructors : the public wore interested
in knowing all that passed in all public places, even in places
of amusement, and if a reporter in writing a critique nn a
play, found it necessary to mention the name of the mana-
ger, or any of the performers of the theatre in a prejudicial
view, respecting the performance of the night, it never could
be contended that he ought to set out the whole of the play, in-
cluding every word that passed. This was a report in sub-
stance of all that had passed at Bow-street, and it was impos-
sible to suppose that a verbatim statement of' what passed could
give the true sense of the thing. If this were to he held ac-
tionable, no police report has ever been published, but parties
might bring actions in consequence of it.
Mr. Justice BAYLEY—BUt there are a good many of the
parties, I should suppose, not now in a condition to sue._
(A laugh.)—Did Mr. Lawes mean to say that every report
most refiecteither on the plaintiff or the defentlant ?
Mr. LAWES did not: but what he was speaking of was ce-
pa)* applications for information, and if Magistrates were to
be bound to keep all their proceedings private, it would be a
strange alteration, and one which would follow the Court's
pronouncing judgment in favour of the present plaintiff, which
he (Mr. L.) could not fbr a moment suppose the Court, as
members of the Legislature, would do. To decide this ease in
favour of Mr. Duncan, would entirely he putting an end to
reporting ; it would destroy, instead of increase, that liberty
and freedom of this country, which has already been sufficiently
limited for the public safety. All gentlemen, who had been re-
porters of the proceedings in this high Court, would be equally
liable to actions, with newspaper reporters, for every report
they may have sent forth, inasmuch as no one of their reports
have been verbatim ; and if that were so, surely the Court would
pause, because who could foresee the extent of the mischief
which might follow such a decision ?
Mr. L. concluded his argument at half-past two, by observ-
ing that the examination taken at the office contained matter
which would have been indecent, offensive, and prejudicial to
the morals of society ; therefore, in point of law, his client
could not have been called upon to publish it.
Mr. PATTEItSON was heard in reply. The defendants had
not given a true report of the plaintiff's examination because
they had omitted the depositions taken before the Magistrate.
—lt was urged by his Learned Friend that those depositions
could not be published, because they contained indecencies.—
In such cases the party ought to abstain front malting any re-
port• whatever. He did not see what benefit the public could
derive from reports of such cases. They could only foster a
vitiated taste for scandal. lie did not deny that reports from
Courts of Justice were useful, but Police reports were not.—
lie did not say that there ought to be an end to reports from
Police offices, but it a person would publish matter before a
Magistrate he must not report that which he could not justify.
—He left the subject to the Court, and concluded by repeat-
ing his former position, namely, that the plea could not be
sustained.'
The Court reserved judgment for a future day
Their Lorships rose at the finish of Mr. Patterson's reply.

The first woman who appeared on an English
stage was a Mrs. COLEIHAN, who represented
Janthe in D'ArgxArr's Siege of Rhodes, in 1650.

lIIS BALL:ID—MINOR TBEATRE.
Eorrott-In common with .your Cerreo
spondent **** (I am cure if he had assumed
11. Br:scttar
iosii proclamationttliy
ilee investigationwo foul
tisd mneo rtitl lvwle h
readbe
iLI il an
has
withexces-
sive
great
lately
atbieliadetn,ia. taste
ittiolaasst hbbeeeesetrilui
at the Surrey Sessions. It is but too true, Sir,
hich it
these Theatres, which is a great national evil,
inNsr yages a
said
doMr.suppress
p n u I:l:otNais)t,e
ifioart
•
Sion of this vitiated taste was all that Govern.
went had in view in preferring the gallows to the
guillotine; and with just indignation did he repel.
the VositiOn of Mr. DATIDGE, that such
dons were not calculated to render obtuse the
feelings of the spectator, but rather to be consi-
dered 'as A BUNEVIT TO PUBLIC MORALS ! I3Rt
fictitious-horrors, nay those of " the ert ford shi re
Tragedy " itself, are incomparable in their atro-
city with a melo-drama now acting, called " Wake..
not the Dead !" or, " The Spectre Bride."
In exposing this dangerous production, must
advert to an article which appeared in your paper
(I believe) of the Oth instant, signed ./EoImANUS
of
TRANTAMESINUS. I would willingly leave that
the horrible.
es ur ep legislatorsd
p r
eb sy.
Author to his own obscurity ; but the full ex-
posure of this Drama requires that I should say
inor
d
f
something about him. Depend upon it, Sir,
techroaefaltatt:ll:a:' hea
tre3
though I say it, who am no great antiquary,,
you have been grossly hoaxed about his ballad.
It is no more an old balled, Sir, than I am a,
boiled turnip. Look, Sir, at " CooeElt and
Biwous." Why, in the name of common sense,
who are they but Sir AsTLLY and Mr. Ilttocms
of the Anatomical Theatre? A pretty joke,
indeed, to make us believe that his is some fine
rare specimen of antiquity, with two names
tacked to it among the best known in the pre.
sent day ! No, Sir. The ballad was, no doubt,
written for the occasion. It is but too true,
Sir, that the circumstance's mentioned by ltitn
!lave taken place in a neighbouring parish.—
Coffins have been torn up; bodies have_been
sawn through ; cut, torn, kicked, beaten, tossed
about have they been. It is but too true•that
the mieerable, dishonoured dust and ashes have
been advertised for. sale by auction. But , why,
Sir, I would ask,. make a half, ludicrous ballad
a la SOUTIILY, on such a melancholy subject ?
It shows a want of feeling which I do not much
envy. However, Sir, his ballad has done more
harm than by its mere publication ; the Manager
of the Cobourg has got hold of it, and from it he
bus composed the Melo-drama to which I wisk
to call your attention.
Now hear, Sir, how this purveyor of horrors
defends his trade:—
" It has ever been the wish of the Management of this
Theatre, in the general character of its pertbrenunces, as well
as of the individual who this night solicits public patronage; to
select such entertainments as should be in strict conformity
with popular taste, and front time to time to grati every in.
flexion of public inclination. The production of the " Van:.
vire " anti its subsequent success, proved, at that time, the
Public taste leaned towards that species of entertainment which
produced the strongest excitement approaching even to honer.
The performance of " Frankenstein' chewed that this Melina.
thin had gained ground, anti that the decidedly terrific was the
style most secure of public approbation ; this
.ha! been further
ictonifttir confirmed by yyitdheenrtleyceportepuos
,ultahruitty
tohte'
‘e‘x"Detit'ErnltZt.uoT and
it
certain hold upon popularity ; with this conviction, the Pro.
prietors have put in preparation a .Piece, winch it is confidently
pronounced in powerfull excitement and strength of horrific
effect, far transcends even its predecessors."
dc
\V ell it may, indeed, transcend its predecessors
in terrific effect, when its subject is considered.
The drama is written by Mr. All-mar ; it very
appropriate name for him this ; but the very
names of the characters point out the transaction
on which the story is founded. There is Wal-
ter, for instance ;—why, he is half wall ; and he
is Baron of Ilelenstein ; now Itela is the old
Teutonic for the grave ; therefore Ilelensteitt
means grave-stone, Not to multiply instances,
which might he easily done, it is obvious that the
whole story relates to the horrible transactions
which .lEuJulANus has thought right to sport
with in his inhuman ballad.

It is to be hoped that the Surrey Magistrates
will not suffer this exhibition to continue.—
lf this is allowed, the public feeling will be-
come hardened, and in thepresent rage for build..
ing half the church-yardsabout London will be ran..
sacked for building materials. If ilandersiningina.
lion might trace" the noble dust of AL .zAntocu to
stopping a hung hole," we may with much greater
probability anticipate our posterity residing in
the dust of their fathers. All the present gene-
ration are interested in preserving their remains
from such profane appropriations, and with all
my detestation of /EGIDIANUS I sincerely coin-
cide in his wish :

" All the good saints promerve us all
From baking in brickfl to Antild a wall
And they who cut lead to cut up the dead,
May they be cut up, in spite of their lead I"
Walworth, Oct. 26, 1821 DETECTOR.

JOHNSON AND MALLET.—When Dr. JOHNSON
first became acquainted with MALLET, they once
wh and spend an hour at Southwark.
fair.et 11
were exhibiting to the gaping crowd, was a large,
toAt laugh
ono of the booths where wild beasts
bear, which the showman assured his audience
had been catchcd in the deserts of Russia. This
bear was surly and ill-tempered to all the com-
pany, but appeared to make a remarkable excep-
tion in favour of Johnson. " How happens PT,
said one of the company, " that this savage animal
is so much attached to Mr. Johnson ?"---" Fion
a very natural cause" replied Mallet; " the beir
is a Russian philosopher,Und he knows that Lin•
mutts would have placed him in the same class
with the English moralist."

LITERARY NOTICE.

THE Avrlc MISCELLANAY.

Upon a moderate computation, we believe that
about four prospectuses of new periodical works
are submitted to the public every week. One
would think, by this, that no trade could possi-
bly be snore flourishing than these literary pro-
prietorships—that in the uniform success of every
new adventure was aloneto'be found the cause
of the daily increasing •speculations in the com-
modity ; and that in spite of such laudable ac-
tivity on the part of the speculators in getting
rich, the-demand still. continued insatiable. All
this, we-say, a careless observer might be disposed
to conclude;- for it would certainly never occur
to him, upon the first blush of the business, that
so much labour and devotion of talent was attri-
Asutable, not to a love of lucre, but to a disinter-
spited zeal for the edification of an ungrateful
public, who obstinately refuse tolisten and to be
-• instructed. No other conclusion can, indeed,
after a patient consideration of the matter, be ar-
rived at. We see Newspapers, Magazines, and
Reviews arise, make a munificent expenditure of
their energies and information, and then, finding
that a British Public is not, as they were led to,
expect, a " reading public," die out of pure mor-
tification at having •so perverse a scholar. No.
titling, in short, is more common than these liter-
ary mortalities, and nothing more common than
the determination with which tine struggle is
maintained ; fo: no sooner are the dead cleared
away, than fresh volunteers are found to step into
their places, which is done with an heroic con-
tempt of the dangerous example before them.
Let it not, therefore, be said that the glory of
martyrdom is-at an end.
Here is a- new Magazine, the Attic Miscellany,
which:we-are almost surprized at ourselves for
noticing, inasmuch as we have not half there-
spect for it which we used to entertain for many
of its predecessors, now no more. It is, indeed,
sadly deficient in several of the most weighty re-
quisites ; there are, for instance, no good ethical
or metaphysical discourses in it; it expounds
none of those doctrinal points in theology, con-
cerning which 'the polemical disputants are to
this day undecided ; it' leaves the transcendental
philosophy altogether untouched.; there are no
disquisitions, in it about mechanics, nor does it
contain one word as to the state of the Markets,
er the fluctuations •in Stocks. It is, to be
sure, very smartly written, and contrives-to be
excessively -entertaining, but this is all ; and we
should not he it the least surprised if, us a kind
of judgment on these seducing qualities, it should
miss the sublime‘doom of it precursors, and, like
the Tailors ,and epeotators of yore, live a sort
of gay, elegant, agreeable, rattliugi (but inglori-
ous) long life.
SHaving gone thus. far, we -will just give the
resider brief account of the principal contents
or this first-number of the _laic. Miscellany ;. for.
though, as we have already hinted, it does not
e-ornmand our grave and respectful homage, well
are half inclined to confess a weakness, and say
than we have been greatly delighted by its wit,
its elegant scholarship, the acnteness of its Belles
I,tittree criticism, and the air of acquaintance
with Society and the world which runs through it.
st very amusing article on modern Greece and
its Poetry, is followed by a-criticism u-lu-mode
on the PARADISE LosT of Al wrost, and on the
Tempest .of SsiticEsretne ; wherein, to the inn.
mortal triumph of the art of reviewing, these
two rather favourite Authors are proved to be
conspicuous asses. The Tory principles of
SILAKUSPLA RN entitle his literary works to the
angry ridicule of, Mr. J creany. This is as it
should be, anti indeed as it would be were the
Authors in question now living, since nothing
raft be more plain than the necessity of inquiring
into a JIM'S political principles before any safe
opinion can be formed as to his literary merits.
The article under the title of the " Barrisn
G ALLER v of BOILEi," is a relishing morsel of ban-
teriug ; and, in the critical way, there are some
papers considerably above par on Lord Gowna's
tr:iuslation of Gocrne, Oil the old French Poet
flu BA ItTA3 (interspersed with two or three really
delicious bits of translation), and on some of the
living English Novelists. We suspect the story
of 4•,‘ Robert and Bertha" to be from the pen of
this Author of 64 Highways and Byways it
would not, however, be the worse for more nar-
rative and less sentiment. The . article ou mo-
dern French. Poetry, :with the translated speci-
melts, appears to us to furnish a ,very comprehen-
sive and sagacious view of the subject, which it
mutt be confessed is a most interesting one. But
what will, perhaps, be the most taking article with
" the general," is that on " Lord Bvisols and
has. Memoirs,'' in which, after a full discussion of
the. question about the burning, we have original
and authentic details as given 4y Lord Blistun
Airway to one of his friends, on his Memoirs, his
separation, his first love, his daughter, his early
Poems, his quarrel with Sown's:7',
atilt Moonr,' the Author of Waverley, Lady
stilipessl tic. c• &,

PUESERVATION OF"GUAIN.—M. le Comte DE-.
GIAN, concluding that an essential condition for
the Feservation of corn in quantities, was to pre-
vent the access of air and moisture, has wade some
experiments with success. 111 1819, he 'con-
st ucted wooden cases lined with lea di and which,
when ffiled with grain, properly dried, were
closed hermetically. At the end of three years,
the cases were opened, and the grain found in the
must perfect state. M. Sainte FALE Bott.rcues,
who directed the experiments,and reported upon
them in 1814, says, that the expellee of a lining of
load, to a case capable of containing about 33,000
wine gallons, would be at most 4,500 francs, and,
one to contain 264,100 wine gallons, about 18,000
francs.' As the grain suffers no loss in the case,
and requires no laborious attentions, the interest
of the capital required would be amply compel.
anted by the advantage acquired. It cannot be
doubted 'that the preservation of grain in such
cases will be more certain than in magazines'
conitracted la the carth.--Olunalo de Chimie
slit. JAM

FOR Trill SUN.

SYNONYMS.
INSURANCE AND ASSURANCE.

One man protects his property by Insurance,
another by Assurance—would not any one sup-
pose that the safeguard of the latter was his im-
pudence ? This is the most familiar sense of the
word Assurance. If you were to advertise an
Office for frith Assurance, would not all the
world imagine that you imported the genuine
waters of the Shannon, and intended to dip your
customers in that salutary stream, to wash away
false modesty ? Yet we have many Offices
established in London which profess to deal in
Assurance. In some, perhaps, it may be real
assurance to pretend to hold out any security by
means of their funds ; but this I am persuaded
is not the general case. Yet there is no doubt
respecting the corresponding verbs. No one
thinks of saying that he means to assure his house,
his goods, or his life; no underwriter assures a
ship. No, they are all regularly insured. Why
then is this unnecessary synonym forced upon us
of Assurance for Insurance Besides the old Sun
Office, which modestly calls itself a Fire Office,
and a few more of that description, I have
courted up three and twenty Offices which un-
dertake to insure property or life at certain pre-
miums, and so much has the new intruder As-
surance prevailed (as assurance generally does)
that it has gained a clear majority, there being
twelve Assurance Offices, and only eleven for
Insurance. The Insurance Offices are these
1. The Albion. 2. The British Commerdal.
3. The Beacon. 4. The Eagle. 5. The Eu-
ropean. 6. The Globe. 7. The Imperial. 8.
The Pelican. 9. The Provident. 10. Thu
Westminster. 11. The West of England.—The
partisans of Assurance are-1. The Amicable.
2. The Atlas. 3. Corporation of London (who
would venture to talk of their Assurance but
themselves ?) 4. The Equitable. 5. The !lope.
6. The Guardian. 7. The London. 8. Thu
Law (here, perhaps, it is not so much mitt-
placed.) 9. Tile Rock. 10. The Sun (Life.)
11. The Union. 12. The United Empire and
Continental.

You see, Sir, how the balance stands ; but I
wish, for the sake of the English language, to
which I am much attached, that the assuring
gentlemen, though they have the majority, would
return into the pale of analogy, and be content
to insure, or ensure, (for they differ only in spell.
ing) the objects they undertake to guarantee,
otherwise their subscribers can never consistently
mention what they have done, but must ray 1
have insured my house, &c. at such an Assurance
Office. They cannot say they have assured it,
for the language rejects the phrase. Thu Pro-
prietors of these Offices may not be impudent fel-
lows—l do not pretend to assure you that they
are—but I must say 1 never read one of their
advertisements without feeling much provoked at
their AVSidialiCe. g.