The Sun.
London, England, 1851-03-20 00:00:00

PRIESTS AT A DEATH-BED.

(From Marryat's "Midshipman Easy.")
" This is stupid work," thought Jack, "I may
have more fun outside :" so Jack put on his cloak,
left the masquerade, and went out in search of ad-
ventures. He walked into the open country about
half-a-mile, until he came unto a splendid house,
standing in a garden of orange trees, which he
determined to reconnoitre. He observed that a
window was open, and lights were in the room; and
he climbed up to the window, and just opened the
white curtain and looked in. On a bed lay mu elderly
person, evidently cl3ing, and by the side of the bed
were three priests, one of whom held the crucifix in
his hand, another the censer, and a third was sitting
at a table with a paper, pen, and ink. As Jack un-
derstood Spanish, he listened, and heard one of the
priests say—
" Your sins have been enormous, my son, and I
cannot give you extreme unction or absolution unless
you make some amends."
" I have," answered the moribund, " left money
for ten thousand masses to be said for my soul."
" Five hundred thousand masses are not sufficient.
How have you gained your enormous wealth—by
usury and robbing the poor ?"
"I have left a thousand dollars to be distributed
among the poor on the day of my funeral."
" One thousand dollars is nothing—you must leave
all your property to holy church."
" And my children ? " replied the dying man
faintly.
" What are your children compared to your salva-
tion ? Reply not ; either consent, or not only do I
refuse yon the consolation of the dying, but I excom-
muicate —."

" Mercy, holy father, mercy !" said the old man in
a dying voice. _ _ _

" There is nu mercy. you are damned for ever
end ever. Amen. Now hear : excommunicabo

" Stop—stop. Have you the paper ready ?"
" 'Tis here—all ready, by wh.ch you revoke all
former wills, and endow the holy church with your
property. We will read it, for God forbid that it
should he avid that the holy church received an in-
voluntary gift."

"I will sign it," replied the dying man; "but my
sight fails me. Be quick—absolve Me." And the
paper was signed with difficulty as the priests sup-
ported the dying man. "And now absolve me."
"I do absolve thee," replied the priest, who then
went through the ceremony.
" Now, this is a confoundedly rascally piece of
business," said Jack to himself, who then dropped
his cloak, jumped up on the window-sill, opened wide
the window curtains with both hands, and uttered a
yelling kind of " Ha! ha! ha! ha !"
The priests turned round, saw the demon, as they
imagined, dropped the paper on the table, and threw
themselves with their faces on the floor.
" Exorciso te," stammered one. " Ha! ha! ha!
ha !" repeated Jack, entering the room, and taking
up the paper, which he burnt by the flame of the
candle. Our hero looked at the old man on the bed;
his jaw had fallen, his eyes were turned; he was
dead. Jack then gave one more "Ha ha I ha!
ha!" to keep the priests in their places, blew out the
candles, made a spring out of the window, caught up
his cloak, and disappeared as fast as his legs could
carry him.

,„
ASYLUM FJE IDIOTS.-1 ne third anniversary
dinner of this benevolent institution took p a 'ace last night,
chiefat
the London Tavern; the Earl Carlisle in the chair. The
Noble Earl, in a very eloquent speech, proposed the
toast of the evening, observing that there were few forms of
human suffering more entitled to generous • p
83 m athy and
active assistance than that they proposed to alleviate. Few
classes were more exposed to the cold neglecttai and the brutal
ridicule of uncultivated minds. Even taking
pillow, how
htohwe best,hara
that family decencies and aff
ections had
their gathered round
them, guided their path and smoothed
was the lot awarded to them in this life
say that their institution already afforded lasseiwetasaneheatpepylBt3o
patients, and there were still 174 applications requiring im.
tmoeedrieactte
aassbiustialdnicneg.
capablelt was theo desire, then, of the managers
m containingake
this
they felt that they could not
anxiously
tysutoin theto start
theiffsorntumwbitehro,
sufficient
They, therefore, looked forward
contributionstil which might be made that
night to promote such a laudable enterprise. The secretary
announced that a sum of 2,5001. had been subscribed during
the t.
charity. evening to promote the objects of the

GlipudEcAnTLl FROM TIGHT LACING.—On Monday Mr.
, coroner of Bristol, held an inquest in that City on
the body of a young woman, aged whose death VAR
caused or at least much accelerated, by the pernicious
practice of tight lacing, in which so many of her sex fool-
ishly indulge. The coroner directed that a very careful post
mortent examination should be made, and the medical testi-
mony clearly showed that the deceased was perfetly free
from disease, and that there was no visable emir (f death
except the compression cf the stomach andr veera from
tight lacing. The jury zeturned as their verdict, hat 'lei:lh
was caused by idiopathic asphyxia, hastened by tight lacing
Loss OF LIFE BY FIRE.—A fire happened on
Tuesday night, at No. 16, Broadway, St. Thomas street,
Southwark, belonging to Mr. W. Archer, a commer, ial
trader. Violent screams proceeding from the kitchen, the
inmates, on running thither,, found Mrs Archer completely
enveloped in flames. I hey were soon extinguished, when it
was found that the unfortunate Woman was so frightfully
burned that it was necessary to remove her to Guy's
Hospital, where she died in the course of a short time, halt.
ing stated previously that the accident was caused by her
clothes catching fire

The' Shipowners' Association of Liverpool are
making efforts to procure the total abolition of fee' on ship•
ping taken by British consuls &brood, sad iastead. to ;fit i
naratethou by fad phis,

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