The Sun.
London, England, 1846-09-09 00:00:00

ANECDOTES OF BARRINGTON, THE •FAMOUS PICK-
POCKET.—At one of the music meetings in St. Mar-
tin's Church, for the benefit of the Leicester Infirmary,
I noticed a tall, handsome than, in a scarlet coat, with a
gold button-hole in a black collar, the fashion of the day,
moving with a gentleman-like air. This person proved
to be the notorious Barrington, the pickpocket. In
going up the middle aisle he was invited into the Mayor's
pew, and sat between Miss St. John and Mr. Ashby, of
Qaeenby, our late Member of Parliament. One of the
plates was held at the door by this lady and gentleman,
and when Mr. Barrington laid his guinea upon the plate
he was kindly thanked by his new acquaintance, and
passed on with a graceful bow. The gentry who held
the plates retired into the vestry to add their contri-
butions, and when Mr. Ashby would have placed his ten
guineas on the plate, to his utter astonishment they had
flown from his pocket. After considerable amazement,
the mystery was explained by one of the company re-
marking that Miss St. John's pocket was turned inside
out, and that the gentleman who sat between them
had helped himself to the subscription he had put on
the plate, and something besides. It is said that Bar-
rington facilitated his operations by instruments which
he had made for thg purpose. I recollect a circumstance
of this kind. He waited on a surgical instrument maker
and ordered a pair of scissors of a curious form; A few
days afterwards he called for them, liked them, and paid
two guineas which the maker charged. After he had
left the shop, the cutler's wife said, "My dear, as the
gentleman seemed so much pleased with the scissors, I
wish we had asked him what use they were for. He
might recommend us. Do run after him." The cutler
scampered out of the shop, and overtaking the gentle-
man, hoped he would excuse him, but would he tell him,
what use he intended to make of the scissors? " Why
my friend," said Barrington, catching him by the button
of his cost, and staring him in the face, " I don't know
whether I can tell you; it's a great secret." " Ob, pray
do, Sir ; it may be something in our way." Upon which
Barrington, pressing hard upon his shoulder, whispered
in his ear, "They are for picking of pockets." In- the
utmost consternation the scissors make'r ran back, and
the moment he got into the shop, "My dear," he cried,
will you believe it, they are for picking of pockets."
" Yes, my dear," cried the wife, " what is the matter
with your clothes?" The cutler looked, and presently
discovered that the scissors had extracted the two
guineas he had just received for them.—Gardiner's Music
and Friends.

THE NATIONAL GALLERY As IT OUGHT TO BE.—
For many years I have been struck with the fine vista
obtained by looking from the rooms of the national col.
lection across the central space, when the Royal Academy
Exhibition has been open ; the effect of the groupes of
persons, the rich colouring of the pictures, as seen
through only four columns, suggested to my mind how
very fine that effect might be made by throwing the
whole of the rooms into one unbroken series. The ad-
vantage of removing the partitions of the small rooms is
away
ye
annual at once seen by a reference to the spot, and if it should
be thought advisable to have some of the rooms larger
loafrgtheer
than any at present (which is a doubtful experiment),
partythat objectwall
s. can
Tbhe be
accommodation
for
ex-
hibition may be thus reckoned:--too picture rooms,
each about 55 feet by 44 feet ; four rooms about 48
feet by 35 feet ; and two rooms 48 feet by 30 feet ;
besides the two small octagonal rooms, and the central hall'
100 feet long and 48 feet wide ; affording a more ample
space than hitherto allotted for the display of the three
sister arts, one of which, architecture, has been always
confined within scanty limits.—The Builder.
Mrs. Romer's new work, entitled "A Pilgrimage
o;vios.odpost
Bvo.,
21s.—
to the Temples and Tombs of Egypt, Nubia, and Pales-
tine, in 1845," in 2 vols. Bvo., bound, with numerous
engravings, price 285., is publishedwitthhis
portraitsday, b
,y price Ir.
Bentley, and may‘now be bad of all booksellers., The
Ellis's New Series of Original Letters, illus:rative of
following new works are also now ready:p—ae-rSsr
by the
,EA,
I.ift2hl isos. hr
too fu history,n,id
D.bound.-3.
.34.
nvTooohl vols. post
wpepoi
els:t,i,sBc2veolvi.
4. Ilethuen's Life in the Wilderness ; or, Wanderings
in South Africa. 1 vol., with illustrations, price 103. 6d.
bound.-5. Dr. Thomson's Philosophy of Magic Prodi-.
gies and Apparent Miracles, 2 vols. Bvo., 285,-6. Ra-
vensnest ; or, The Red Skins. By J. Fenimore Cooper,
Esq. 3 vols.
A marble monument to the memory of Miss Lin-
wood has just been erected in the church of St. Marga-
ret's, At Idekeater.