The Sun.
London, England, 1846-04-13 00:00:00

I ORKSHIRE.

THE RIPON HORNBLOWER.—The oldest relict of the
Corporation of the old borough of Ripon, Benjamin
Simmonds, departed this life, aged 82, on Thursday last.
For nearly 30 years he had filled the situation of horn.
blower. The deceased was a well•known character, and
had always many attendants and admirers among the
campa r
o Localcolour
Militiam n
during
it.hge
juvenileit ponVolunteers population.
and the wastheC
the whole time they were in service. In his office con-
nected with the Corporation he always took precedence
in all processions; and on gala days he bore the state
horn, tipped with gold, the emblem of the borough and
city arms. The horn, which he blew each evening at
nine o'clock, at the Mayor's door and the Cross, was not
of such costly material. It is stated deceased excelled
all previous blowers for the length and strength of blast,
and which frequently attracted the notice of strangers.
" But now no more they'll hear his blast,
For Benjamin has blown his last."
The origin of the custom of blowing the horn in Ripon
is described by an early writer as follows:—" It was in-
deed the custom of the vigilarius, or Wakeman, to order
that a horn should be blown every night at nine o'clock;
and if any house or shop was broken open or robbed,
after the blowing of the horn, till the rising of the sun ,
why then, the loss was obliged to be made good to the
suffering inhabitant. For this obligation, or insurance,
every householder used to pay 4d• a year ; but if there
which double
danger might be supposed, then it was to be gd
• The
tax is since discontinued.; but they
still
blow the horn at the said hour ot night, perseverc to
the mayor's door, and thrice at the ina k three times at
et cross.

_Woormictrn,l
Clavel?
aAtn
dPeilrl LP
eltly. , is
Captain
'`°l:l6
convey the
of the
NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.
The Lightning steam- vessel, Master-coal
under orders to leave Woolwich to-morrovr,
ewaipdtoawi 0 ands
of
the familyl i.O ofya
it the
Hospital
Captain
The Dragon steam-frigate was towed down, th t.
o Whitby.
from Blackwall. The Athol troop-ship e river to-d
arrived at 1 aY
yard, Woolwich, to-day from the West Indies, tle dock-
board M ijor Rowland's and Captain Toinkyns,s havingc on
of the Royal Artillery. The Ordnance Corps : •
rzanies
returned unfit for duty assembled _
It tfhe Ordnance Hospital
at one o'clock on Saturday, Afftil_,l
t,
_or the inspection of the
Commissioners of ChelseaHospi al obe pensioned a •
• The men are to b d•
to their various services. . . according
e discharged on
the 14th, and will commence their pensions on the 16th of
the present month.
THE LATE BRIGADIEa-GENERAL
TAYLOR.--Bpiza
dier-General Taylor, C. 8., 29th Regiment, who was killed i;
the late battle on the Sutlej, was grand,so_. .
of the late John
Baker, Esq., of St. Stephen's, near Canterbury, many ear
M.P. for this city, whose eldest daughter married CaYptains
Taylor, killed at the battle of Vi neira, and
who aftewards
was united to Colonel Munro, commandant at Dover, and
now at Dublin.—Kent Herald..
old
AN ORTHODOX DOG.—An Shepherd ill one of
those outlying border parishes where there are sometimes
more quadrupeds than bipeds in
church on a Sabbath-day,
was a regular attender, with hisold dog, at the
parish church,
down to the disruption. But attlha t evenful era he quitted
the Establishment, and joined heFree Church. His dog,
however, no friend to newfangled highflying notions, could
by no means be persuaded to change, but, while his master
trudges every Sunday to hear the minister of his choice, away
he trots doggedly to qus etce_lind Ow preacher he hail been