The Sun.
London, England, 1846-11-11 00:00:00

AMERICAN CHIVALRY.

I am convinced that a lady, no matter what her age
and attractions !might be, could journey through the
whole extent of the union, not only without experiencing
a single annoyance, but aided in every possible way with
unobtrusive civility. Indeed, great numbers of Sophon-
isbas and Almiras do travel about, protected only by the
chivalry of their countrymen and their own undoubted
propriety. To them the best seats, the best of every-
thing, are always allotted, A friend of :mine told me
of a little affair at New York theatre, the other night,
illustrative of my assertion. A stiff-necked English-
man bad engaged a front place, and of course the best
corner : when the curtain rose, he was duly seated,
opera-glas in hand, to enjoy the performance. A lady
and gentleman came into the box shortly afterwards ;
the cavalier in escort, seeing that the place where our
friend sat was the best, called his attention, saying " The
lady, Sir," and motioned that the corner should be va-
cated. The possessor, partly because he disliked the
imperative mood, and partly because it bored him to be
disturbed, i efused. Some words ensued, which attracted
the attention of the sovereign people in the pit, who ma-
gisterially inquired what was the matter? The Ameri-
can came to the front of the box and said, " There is an
Englishman here who will not give up his place to a
lady." Immediately their majesties swarmed up by
dozens over the barriers, seized the offender, very gently
though, and carried him to the entrance ; he kicked,
cursed, and fought all in vain ; he excited neither the
pity nor the anger of his stern executioners ; they placed
him carefully on his feet again at the steps, one man
handing him his hat, another his opera-glass, and a
third the price he had paid for his ticket of admission,
then quietly shut the door upon him, and returned to
their places. The shade of the departed Judge Lynch
must have rejoiced at such an angelic administration of
his law !—England in the New World.

THE PIXIES OF DEVONSHIRE.—The pixies of
Devonshire are very differently described in different
parts of the county. In the North of Devon, and on the
borders of Cornwall, there are thought to be " the an-
cient inhabitants,"—a dwarfish and malicious race,
wearing dresses of dark green, and living within the
green circles commonly called " fairy rings." Like
the rest of the " good people," they are fond of
music ; and the sound of their "harp and pipe and
symphony" is occasionally heard at nightfall. It is said
that a man once passing one of these pixy rings, and
hearing them dancing and singing within it, threw
a large stone into the midst of the circle, when the
music at once ceased, and a dreadful shriek arose.
It is seldom, however, that they become vi
sible. There is a celebrated pixy haunt at
Costellas, in Cornwall ; where they have been sittinir in
a ring, the men smoking after the most approved fashion
of the Dutch Burgmeester, and the women spinning.
perhaps in emulation of the frugal Vrow. On the
northern and western borders of Dartmoor, the Pixies
have a different character. They are sometimes seen
in bands, but more frequently in small numbers—as
two or three together. They delight in tormenting
and leading astray such persons as they find abroad
after nightfall ; and the only remedy in such a case
is to turn some part of your dress,—a spell which at
once dissolves their " glamour.", Like the fairies,
they are charged with stealing, or rather changing,
children in the cradle ; and with carrying off to
the " joyless elfin bower" such persons as, by the
commission of some great crime, have placed themselves
under their influence. A woman is still living at Tot-
ness, who is said to have been thus changed at her
birth; and on the shores of what is called " the lake,"
st Tamerton, are certain soft sandy places into which
whoever chance to step 'is at once carried off by the
Pixies. They are said to have " houses" in the deep
clefts of broken rock which form the Tors of Dartmoor.
On the southern side of Sheepstor is a singular cavern,
formed by large overhanging blocks of granite, called
." The Pixies' House," within which they may be heard
sometimes hammering (for, like the Duergar, they are
great workers in metal), and sometimes busily pounding
their cider. This cave is considered " a critical place for
children ;" and no one visits it without leaving a bunch
of grass, or one or two pins, as a propitiatory offering to
the mysterious beings who inhabit it. The Pixies de-
light in riding the cattle about Sheepstor at night ; and
the horses and bullocks of the neighbouring farmers are
constantly found, in the morning, wearied and covered
with foam. They plait the manes of such horses as they
ride ; and the twisted knots that are afterwards found in
/hem are called " Pixy seats."—Athenceum.
MELANCHOLY SUICIDE OF A LADY AT CLIFTON,—
We regret having to announce the suicide, under me-
lancholy circumstances, of Miss Rebecca Jones, a
-maiden lady, 67 years of age, who resided in the house
formerly occupied by the late Mr. Bickley, at Meridan-
place, Clifton.—Miss Jones had resided with Mr. Bick-
ley, and since his death, which, occurred on the 15th
of October last, she had been in a very excited state.
She would walk hurriedly from room to room, talk in-
coherently, and gave evidence that her mind was in an
unsettled state, her prevailing idea being that she would
brought to poverty. She was last seen alive at
twelve o'clock on Wednesday, when her footman ob-
:served her in her drawing-room, and walking up and
down in an agitated manner. In about half au hour
afterwards he was alarmed by hearing a crash in the
back area, and upon going to ascertain the cause of it,
he was surprised to find two of the large coping stones
of the parapet lying upon the ground. A violent ring-
ing at the door-bell was heard, and on going to answer
it, he was informed that his mistress had thrown herself
-from the house-top into the back area of Mr. Harris's
house next door. She groaned once or twice, and then
expired. An inquest was held on the body the same
afternoon, and a verdict of Temporary Insanity was re-
' turned.—Bristol Mercury.
IMPORTATION OF GUANO,A vessel, just arrived
in the River from Ghent (Belgium), has brought, in ad
dition to 27 tons weight of oak bark, the production of
Belgium, 616 bags of guano. The arrivals of this newly-
discovered description of manure have, we believe, hi
therto been confined to the islands in the Southern and
South Atlantic Ocean, and other places in those distant
regions in which it abounds and has been collected.
FOREIGN CHESTNUTS.—The arrival of chestnuts
from abroad within these few days have been of a very
extensive character, they being very plentiful this sea-
son, not only here but on the Continent.
IMPORTATION OF BONES.—A vessel, arrived from
Algoa Bay, Cape of Good Hope, has brought, besides a
general cargo, comprising every variety of the usual sup-
plies from the quarter under notice, the large quantity
of 89,3901 b. weight of dry bones. The arrival of so
large a quantity of animal bones in one vessel from the
Cape is rather remarkable, for whatever purpose they
are intended, and the importation is not altogether un-
worthy of particular notice.
FIVE PERSONS DROWNED.---VirATERFORD, Nov. 7.
—A boat, containing six persons, the crews of the two
es)e, Is Charlotte and Oulton, while going down the
,;„ er, yesterday, upset, and suddenly immersed the
"."I,se, 'e party ; five out of the number met with a watery
The masters of both vessels (Duck, of the
e, and Robinson, of the Oulton) were two of the
Chariot.
unforttUVO Men'
•