The Sun.
London, England, 1851-10-27 00:00:00

Hamburgh; Australasian Packet, for the Cape of Good
Hope; Letitia, for Newport; Bosphorus, for Constanti-
nople; Liebe, for Shields; Creole, for Dominica; Lady
Charlotte Guest, for Aicen,ion; North Star, for Ham-
burgh; John Bull and San Francisco, fur Hamburgh;
VuTIIIS, for Cape Palmas; Joshua, fur Port Philip;
Arena, for Jamaica; Julie y Pepati, for Bilboa; Con-
cordia, fur Rotterdam; Triton, for Ostend; Elbe, for
Hamburgh; Dart, for Ostend; Fame, for Calais.
VESSELS SPOKEN WITH.
Westpnint, from Liverpool fur New York, Oct. 18, in let.
49 N., long. 30 W.
Westminster, from Moulmein for Sunderland, July 16,
in let. 6 S., long. 85 E.

A POET'S HOUSE AND CELLAR.
We met lately, among some old tracts and papers,
with what must be considered a literary curiosity—a

copy of the sale catalogue of the effects of Thornion
the poet, disposed of by auction in May, 1749.
Thomson's residence for several years preceding his
death was a snug cottage in what is called liew-thot-
lane, facing the Thames. The situation is one of the

finest in that fine district. The cottage was em•
bowered in trees and shrubbery, and behind it was a
garden in which the lazy good humoured poet took
his ease of an afternoon and muttered his verses

throughout the moonlight nights. His garden-seat
and table are still preserved : but the cottage has
been enlarged into a handsome villa (occupied by the
late Earl of Shaftesbury), and the garden has been
extended and improved so as to become one of the
most exquisite and richly-ornamented in that patrician
neighbourhood. Yet even in Thomson's time the cot-
tage at Kew-foot-lane was a desirable residenct, and the
poet, after weathering many difficulties, had succeeded
in gathering around him at least a moderate share of
the comforts and elegancies of life. If his little Castle
of Indolence could not boast its costly tapestry,
huge covered tables, and couches, " the pride of
Turkey and of Persia land," there was no lack of re-
spectable bachelor accommodation, with an assort-
ment of valuable prints and books, and a cellar that
could have supplied a double or two of jovial banquets
to Quin, Armstrong, Littleton, Mitchell, and those
other select friends whom he delighted to entertain,
and by whom he was so tenderly beloved. But let
ua look at the different items in this sale catalogue.
The first division, marked " No. 1., right band, two
pair of stairs," seems to be the furniture of an infe-
rior bedroom, the whole of which is valued at
4/. 2s. 6d., including what the auctioneer calls " a
piece of ruins in a carved frame." No. H. is a closet
containing feather bed and portmanteaus valued at
17s. No. 111., left hand two pair of stairs, was a
better bedroom, containing a four post bedstead, with
blue harateen furniture, four walnut tree arm chairs
with black leather seats, a chimney glass, and maho-
gany table, &c. The contents of this room are
valued at 81. 7s. No. IV., one pair of stairs, was
evidently the best bedroom. It had a bed
with moreen furniture and other accessories, valued
at 8/. 2s. 6d. ; festoon window curtains, bottle
cistern, walnut dressing table and mirror, four walnut
chairs, steel stove, &c.-the whole being valued at
13/. 12s. 6d. No. V., one pair of stairs, had a Tur•
key carpet valued at 1/. 1 Is. 61.; a chimney glass
with gilt frame, 1/. 11s. 6d.; a mahogany chest of
drawers, 1/. 103. ; a sofa, 2/. 23.; a mahogany writing
table, 1/. 3s. ; four mahogany elbow chairs, yellow
worsted damask seats, 21. 105.; a walnut tree easy
chair, matted seat and back, 12s. ; mahogany pillar
and claw carved needlework fire-screen, with quilted
case, 2/. 23. ; dining table, 125., with sconce for can-
dles ; yellow damask window curtains, &c., the whole
valued at 181. 153. No. VI., back parlour, possessed
a steel stove, two walnut and three smoking chairs,
dumb waiter, book shelves, and a "Scotch carpet"
(which is set down at 10s. Gd.), the whole valued at
Si. 6s. 6d. No. VII., left hand parlour, had its writ-
ing-table, claw-table, window curtains, &c., the whole
3/. I ls. 6d. No. VIII., right hand parlour, was the
principal sitting room. It was also decorated with
a Scotch carpet, 103. 6d.; a dining-table, 1/.
1 lee Gd. ; a sconce, 1/. ss. ; six mahogany
elbow chairs, with green worsted damask seats,
31. 123. ; a backgammon table, complete with
chess .men, 10s. 6d,, and other articles, the whole
valued at 11/. 193. The next classification is "plate,
but here the enumeration is not eaten-
china, Sec.,"
sive, and no prices are affixed. Besides cups, saucers,
plates, and mugs, there are--" Shagreen case with 12
silver-handled knives and forks ; a silver watch with
a cornelian seal, box and case, in one, by Graham ;
one silver-hilted sword; one mourning sword; an
Alicant tea-chest, with silver ornaments." The
kitchen apparatus and furniture are valued at 51. 11s. ;
and the wash-house, garden, and yard articles at 2/.
12s. 6d. The contents of the cellar (to which no
prices are affixed) are set down as follows :-" Thirty
bottles of burgundy ; thirty bottles of red port; four
ditto of old hock ; seven ditto of mountain and Ma-
deira; ten ditto Rhenish; sixty-six ditto Edinburgh
ale; ninety ditto Dunbar ale. There is no ardent
spirits. The library consists of two hundred and
sixty lots-tbe greater part of the books being
foreign and classical. Editions of Dante, Tasso,
and Ariosto are among the number; and the
English works include Milton, Theobald's " Shaks-
peare," Harrington's " Oceans," Raleigh's " History
of the World," Cowley, &c. Pope's works (probably
presents from the author) consist of the edition of
1717, in two vols. ; the prose works, stitched, 1717 ;
the " Dunciad," stitched ; and the " Ethic Epistles,"
in vellum, large paper. The library may be consi-
dered valuable, but it was fully equal to that posses-
sed by Johnson or Goldsmith. Authors resident in
London, with public libraries at command, have little
inducement to accumulate books at home, even if
their circumstances were such as to permit of the ex-
pensive luxury. Thomson, it is well known, had a
taste for the fine arts, and during his tour in Italy
with Mr. Talbot, had collected some drawings and
prints from the old masters. He seems to have had
no less than eighty-three pictures hung up in his dif-
ferent rooms, and " a large portfolio with maps,
prints, and drawings, to be sold together or separate."
The " Antique Drawings" are nine in number, all
stated to be by Castelli. They consist of the Venus
de Medicis, the Fighting and Dying Gladiators,
Perseus and Andromeda, Apollo Antinous, Meleager,
Laocoon, Hercules Faruese, and " A Man and a
Woman." The seventy-four engravings are all from the
old masters, engraved by Frezza, Ciaudie, Stelle, J.
Duchange, Poilly, Hanssart,
Li"i
&c. It is indicative of Thomson's
EF rdenyn,ck, Fi Bandit,ca r
t D,
taste that none of the engravings are from the Dutch
school, but from Raphael, Guido, Corregio, Carlo
Mensal, Poussin, Julio Romano, and other masters of
the poetical and romantic. It appears, then, that the
furniture of Thomson was valued at 66/. 11s., exclu-
sive of his plate, china, wines, books, and pictures,
which formed by far the most valuable portion of his
effects. The sale is stated to be "by order of the
executrix," his sister, Mrs. Craig of Edinburgh, and
it was to take place on Monday, May 15, 1749, and
two following days. The poet's friends who bad been
so sincere and so active in their sympaty on the occa-
sion of his death, would, no doubt, come forward at
the sale to promote its success and to possess them-
selves of some relic of their departed associate, Several
of the books, we know, were purchased by John
Forbes of Culloden, the Lord President's son, and
still remain in the library at Culloden House. 1V ever
had poet more attached friends than Thomson, and all
bad the felicity of arriving at wealth or fame.-Inver-
nes: Courier.

MARKETS.
moderate business passing

s. d s. d.
Do. Meal, perl96lb 15 0 to 16 0
Barley, English, pr
imperial quarter 26 0 —2B 0
Irish, S cotch, and
Manx,per6olb.. 3 8 3 10
Foreign, grinding 3 0 3 6
'ltye, par 601 b .• 3 6 3 9
Beans, English, Pr
imperial quartr 30 0 32 u
Irish and Scotch,
302 G 00 237 00
Dutch per4"b
Peas, English,
Per
imperial 22 6—23 0
Egyptian
imperial quartr 32 0— 34 0
Foreign •• •• 32 0— 33 0
Oats, per 451 b :-
1 English, Scotch,
and Welsh, old 3 5 3 6
Irish, nc^ • 1 cbt
n:Alin& •• •• 2 6i— 2 7
Do., feeding 2 2 2 4
Do., foreign .• 3 0 - 3 2
Oatmeal, English,
$t Scotch,pr24olli 34 0 —25 0
Irish, new •• •• 22 0— 23 0
Do., old • •• 27 0— 27 6