The Sun.
London, England, 1846-08-25 00:00:00

BAREFACED. SWINDLE.

One of the most complete cases of " doing" a trades-
man we have heard of for some time has been mentioned
to us, in which the acuteness of Mr. Best, grocer, Cum-
berland-street, has decidedly been bettered, notwith-
standing the apparent paradox, in testimony whereof it
may be stated that he has been victimised to the tune of
some 161. It appears that some weeks since a woman,
having the appearance of a servant, called at Mr. Best's
house, and made some inquiries respecting his lodgings,
representing that she was named Sarah Wilkings, and
was the housemaid to Sir Robert Geneves, who, with
" Lady Margaret," was staying at Cocki am's, Exeter,
and desired to reside a short time in this locality. Mrs.
Best told the usual charge for her lodgings, namely five
guineas per week, but an almost insuperable objection
was raised inlimine. The faithful housemaid had been
instructed to hire lodgings at six guineas, and the
worthy Baronet would not be content with any apart-
ments and attendance that cost less. The value re-
ceived seemed actually to be a less consider-
ation with. him than the sum demanded. Oh !
he was so aristocratic, and Lady Margaret " such a
nice person." Mrs. Best and the commissioned servant
were about to part on the same; when the latter sug-
gested that the difficulty might be got over by a short
and easy method, namely, upon the principle of a man
being more satisfied by being " well pleased than well
served ;" couldn't Mrs. Best charge six guineas, and
please all parties? This ought to have been sufficient
to disclose the dishonesty of the woman at once, but it
was not perceived. Mrs. Best demurred to any such
proceeding, but ultimately, the " housemaid" deter-
mined to write off to Sir Robert. In due course she
alleged :she had received an answer, and the lodgings
were to be taken, the servant remaining there " to
prepare the way before him." Presently a letter was
received from Sir Robert by Wilkings, informing her
of his expected arrival on a certain day, and ordering
a splendid dinner to be prepared. This was done in the
best possible style, and by the most skilful "gastronomic
regenerators," as the new fangled phrase now is.
Lo no Sir Robert appeared, and in the misery of
disappointment, Wilkings took the meats that now
"coldly furnished forth the lodger's table," and by
means of a subsequent " letter" managed to explain
the cause of Sir Rt.bert and Lady Margaret having
broken appointment. Meanwhile goods came from
all quarters for Sir Robert Geneves, and were
handed to the custody of the confidential house-
maid—she even went to a respectable person and en-
gaged her daughter as a lady's maid, to wait upon the
very nice Lady Margaret." Other dinners were or-
dered, other disappointments ensued, other cold meats
came to the share of Sarah. At length a letter was
received from Sir Robert, in which he said, " give my
compliments to Mrs. Best," and Mrs. Best, who knew
nothing of the Hon. Baronet, and who believed the Hon.
Baronet knew nothing of her, thought this rather too
strong. Shortly after a letter was dispatched to
Cockram's, and an answer returned to the effect that
no such parties as Sir Robert and Lady Geneves were
known at the New London. The clever Sarah was up
to a thing or two, and either getting scent of this, or
thinking she had gone as far as she could venture with
safety or convenience to herself, walked off as much as
she possibly could of " Sir Robert's articles," fur
nished by parties in Stonehouse and elsewhere, and
quietly set her locomotives to work on Monday last,
since which time she has not been heard of. A war-
rant has been issued for her apprehension.—Devon-
port Paper.

The Devonport Independent gives a long account of an
excursion made by her Majesty to Cotehele House on Fri-
day morning. Her Majesty returned at four o'clock, and
dined on board the 'Victoria and Albert. Prince Albert was
to make an excursion to Dartmore on Saturday, and on Mon-
day (yesterday) the royal party left for the Scilly Islands,
visiting Falmouth and St. Michael's Mount on their way
thither.

PAINTING ON LAVA.—On this subject, respecting
which we offered some remarks in our last number, 111.
Delecluze has stated some particulars to the Journal des
Debats, which we may here recapitulate. The process (he
says) is not new, but was projected twenty years ago, by M.
Mortileque, a manufacturer of vitrifiable colours. Occupied
during much of his life in perfecting the art of enamel
painting, he experimented on various substances with a view
to obviating the injurious effects of the expansion and con-
traction of the metals on which the white enamel for the
reception of painting is ordinarily applied. After many
attempts, M. Morteleque thought of lava—but there
remained to be overcome one objection to paintings
on enamel—a certain vitreous appearance, unsuitable to
the imitation of opaque objects. To the cure of this
evil M. Morteleque now devoted his efforts ; and having
obtained a white enamel capable of being applied on lava, and
whose elements permit the use of colours and their simul-
taneous development, he composed a white, which, mixed
with other colours, gives them a solidity of tone, that brings
enamel painting nearly to the perfection of painting on oils.
and even allows of re- touching to an important extent. His
son-in-law, M. Hachette, followed in the same course; and
amongst those who were struck with the applicability of
this process to the decoration of edifices was M. llittorf, the
architect of Saint Vincent-de-Paul. The material in ques-
tion was brought into use for the inscription of the names of
streets in the capital. M. Abel de Pujol employed it on an
altar of the church of St. Elizabeth; and it was then deter-
mined to make that attempt upon its capacity for historical
compositions on a vast scale, which has resulted in the striking
performance by M. Jollivet.—Artisan.
KNIFE SWALLOWING.—The following singular case
occurred during the present month, in the practice of Mr.
Gill, residing at Pentonville. A child, seven years old,
living in Islington, swallowed, on the evening of the 6th of
penknife, three inches long. The lad, a
August, an open
very sickly one, was subsequently visited by Mr. Gill, who
found the symptoms slight, consisted only of a little fever-
ishness, with occasional pains, and some tenderness over the
lower part of the stomach. lie was kept perfectly quiet,
the stomach fomented, and sedatives, with occasional doses
of castor oil administered. On the morning of the sixth
day, contrary to the opinion of some eminent physicians, to
whom the case was related, the knife was passed from the
body, blade downwards, with perfect impunity to the pa-
tient, who rapidly recovered.
[ADVERTISEMENT.] E DREADNOUGHT HOSPITAL SHIP
AND ST. THOMAS'S HOSPITAL AGAIN OUTDONE IN TILE CURE OF
WOUNDS AND ULCRRS ,111 r OLLOWAT'S OINTMENT AND P
living in Adrian-court, Dover, was a
patient on board the Dreadnought, and again at St. Thomas,
Hos-
pital, for some weeks,s fora very bad ulcerated leg of long standing,
without obtaining the least relief at either of the above Institutions,
but was cured immediately afterwards by Holloway's Pills and
Ointment. The truth of thissit
statement can be attested by Mr. G.
Ashmore, the very
reapert ja Holloway's
chemist, at Dover.—Sold by all
druggists, and at Professor Establishment, 244, Strand,
London.
vEETISEMENT.] 39. Albemarle-street, Piccadilly.
lAD
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Telescopes, Opera Glasses, els
roseopes, &c. Patronised by General
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Price, Lindsay, and Thackf:ay , Major Generals Sir 11. Elphinstone,
Sir John Ross, Sir James iiCockburn, Achinty, P. Filers, D. Maclec 0.
liouverie, Sir J. Macdona , Sir R. Barton, Sir T. Dallas, and Sir
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George Munday, Sir George Martin, Sir James
H.
whitshed,
Sir D.
Gold, Ross, Alexander, Curzons, Tompkinson, Hollis, and Price,
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&e. Messrs. S. and B. Solomons, Opticians, have invented Spec
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Opera Glasses, Microscopes, Invisible and al
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