The Sun.
London, England, 1832-04-30 00:00:00

DEATH OF SIR RICHARD BIRNIE.

Sir Richard Birnie, lint. Chief Magistrate of the Me-
tropolitan Police, expired at his official residence in Bow-
street, Covent-garden, yesterday morning-at four o'clock,
after a severe illness of more than six months, arising from
a pulmonary affection. Sir Richard, who had just com-
pleted his 73d year, lived and acted in eventful timL s, and
a slight biographical sketch may n:-t, perhaps, be con-
sidered uninteresting. He was a native of Banff, in Scot-
land. and was born of comparatively humble but respect-
able parents. He was bred to the trade of a saddler, and
after serving his regular apprenticeship, came to London,
and obtained a situation as journeyman at the house of
Macintosh and Co., who were then saddle and harness
makers to the Royal Family, in the Haymarket. He
was clever at his trade, and soon recommended himself
to the favourable notice of his employers by his application
and industry. His subsequent advancement in life may
be attributed, in some degree, to accident. The foreman,
as well as the senior partner in the firm, being absent
from illness at the same time, and a command being re-
ceived from his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales for
some one to attend him to take orders to a considerable ex-
tent on some remarkable occasion, " young Birnie" was
directed to attend his Royal Highness. The orders of the
Prince were executed so completely to his satisfaction,
that he often afterwards, on similar occasions, desired that
the " young Scotchmal" might be sent to him. At that
period Sir Richard was the occupant of a furnished apart-
ment in Whitcomb-street, Haymarket. By the exercise
of the diligence, perseverance, and honesty for which so
many of his countrymen have been rem irkable, he at
length became foreman of the establishment of Messrs.
Macintosh, and eventually a parner in the firm. During
the progress of these events he became acquainted with the
present Lady Birnie, then the daughter of an opulent
baker in ()xendon-street, Haymarket, and married her,
receiving in her right a considerable sum in cash, and a
cottage and some valuable land at Acton, Middlesex. He
then became a housekeeper in St. Martin's parish, and
soon distinguished himself by his activity in parochial af-
fairs. He served successively (as the writer of this notice
has often heard him state with a good deal of exultation)
every parochial office except those of watchman and
beadle. During the troublesome times of the latter part
of the Pitt Administration, he was an Ultra-Royalist, and
gave a proof of his devotion to the " good cause," by en-
rolling himself as a private in the " Royal Westminster
Volunteers," in which corps, however, he soon obtained
the rank of Captain. After serving the offices of Con-
stable, Overseer, Auditor, &c., in the parish, he became,
in the year 1805, Churchwarden, and, in conjunction
with Mr. Elam, a silversmith in the Strand, his co-
Churchwarden, ar.d Dr. Anthony Hamilton, the then
Vicar of St. Martin's parish, founded the establishment,
on a liberal scale, of a number of alms-houses, together
with a chapel, called St. Martin's Chapel, for decayed
parishioners, in Pratt-street, Camden-town, an extensive
burying ground being attached thereto. St. Martin's
parish being governed by a local Act of Parliament, two
resident magistrates are necessary, and Mr. Birnie was (at
the special request of the late Duke of Northumberland)
placed in the Commission of the Peace. From this time,
exercising the tact so characteristic of the natives of his
country, he betook himself to frequent attendances at
Bow-street Office, and the study of the penal statutes and
magisterial practice in general. He was in the habit of
sitting in the absence of Sir Richard Ford, Mr. Graham,
and other stipendiary magistrates of the day, and was con-
sidered (the term is not
_intended in an offensive sense)
"an excellent fag." He was at length appointed Police
Magistrate at Union Hall, and after some few years' service
there, was removed to Bow-street Office, to a seat on th-
bench of which he had long most earnestly aspired. In
Feb. 1820, he headed the party of peace officers and mili-
tary in the apprehension of the celebrated Cato-street gang
of conspirators, consisting of Thistlewood, Brunt, Tidd,
logs, Davidson, and others, and in the affray which took
place on that occasion at the entrance to the hay-loft in
which the offenders met, he received a shot through the
crown of his hat. Sir Nathaniel Conant, the then Chief
Magistrate, died shortly after, and Mr. Birnie was greatly
chagrined at the appointment of Sir Robert Biker, of
Marlborough-street, to the vacant office. The writer of
this notice remembers well his saying to a brother magi-
strate, publicly on the bench, the tears starting from his
eyes, " This is the reward a man gets for risking his life
in the service of his country !" lie soon afterwards, how-
ever, attained, what might be fairly said to be the summit
of his ambition. In August, 1821, at the funeral of
Queen Caroline, Sir Robert Baker offended the " Powers
that were," by pursuing a line of conduct which they
called pusillanimous, but which many designated as highly
honourable both to his heart and head, and be received a
hint that he might retire, which, of comae, he imme-
diately acted upon. Mr.- Birnie, upon this, was appointed
Chief Magistrate, and, as a matter of course, received the
honour of. knighthood. He has left a daughter and two
sans.

Sir STRATFORD CANNING, now engaged on
an especial mission at the Court of Constantinople' to
which he was accompanied by Colonel BARNETT and two
other attachjs, on their arrival had their first introduction
to the GRAND SULTAN at t iv. of his Palaces, at a short
distance from the city. Sir STRATFORD CANNING and
his friends were received by the SULTAN with great kind-
n ss, but very little Sate ceremony. The SULTAN Was
dressed in an olive frock coat, without any other- orna-
ment or decoration, except a brilliant star on his lett
breast. He did not even wear a turban, that ancient ap-
pendage of dress not being now adopted by the highest in
rank in the Turkish Empire. Coffee was served to the
whole patty by the attendants, after the manner of the
English. The SULTAN was extremely free, lively and
communicative in his conversation during the time the
Ambassador and his suite were in the Royal presence.

" OH, THIS LOVE !"--A young nobleman,
on the verge of his majority, and the full possession of his
hereditary honours and political privileges, hastily left his
maternal residence, eastward of Stamford, last Saturday
morning, and was so lung absent as to render it necessary
to despatch messenger, in search of " the Bei tie's arms,"
one of whom traced them to Stamford, and tt ence to the
house of a hospitable Don in the " little royal county,"
where his Lordship bad taken refuge, preferring—indeed,
who would not ?—.the smiles of a tender " lady love,"—a
" first impression," to the dogmas of a crabbtd tutor.—
..Stamford News.

LITERATURE.

THE EDINBURGH RE VIEW, No. CIX.
EDINBURGH, 1832.

The ablest article in the present number is
►►►questionably the one entitled the " History,
Present Wrongs, and Claims of Poland," which
enters minutely into all the details of a prolific,
though melancholy task. The slight historical
sketch at the commencement of the article is ad-
mirably completed ; though necessarily consist-
ing but of few pages, it yet gives a very fair
bird's-eye view of the subject. The following
romantic episode has been well condensed, and
made the most of, from the more copious ac-
counts of Lardner and Fletcher :
" In this spirit, the electors made terms with Louis,
who, fully occupied with the affairs of his own kingdom,
and with the unfurling of his well-known black banner
against the beautiful and unfortunate Joanna of Naples,
afforded the Polish magnates many opportunities for re-
gaining that ascendency which the vigour of Casimir had
shaken ; and after the death of Louis, they still further
strengthened their privileges, during the relaxation conse-
quent to the contested claims to the throne of his two
slaughters. The Poles at length rejected the elder, and
chose the young, the beautiful, and the romantic Hedwig.
Her history is illustrative of the state of Poland ; and as a
saint, as the last Piast, and the wife of the first Jagellon,
it may not be idle to preserve some faint memory of her.
" Young as she was when elected Queen, she had
loved, and been affianced to William Duke of Austria.
His imaee was fixed in her heart. And, when on the
throne of Poland, her first impulse was to share its
honours with him, with whom she had from childhood
shared every thought. Her letters called upon him to
hasten to her court ; and he came, loaded with treasures,
and full of hope. But the nobles of Poland had other
views. They barred his entrance to the palace. They
called in a rival, Jagello the Lithuanian. The rough
heathen, clad in bear-skin, and educated in the wilds of
the forest, was to be preferred by the enamoured Queen of
sixteen, to the handsome, refined, and Christian Duke, to
whom she had pledged her faith and her affections. She
was a prisoner within her palace. It was in vain that,
with the martial manners of the age, she seized a hatchet,
and vowed she would hew down the bars that separated
her from her lover. The nobles of Poland were inflexible.
The Jagellon offered his rich duchy of Lithuania to their
political cupidity, and the conversion of himself, and of
his subjects, to their religious zeal. Of necessity, the ro-
mance of the fair Hedwig yielded to the duller duties of
the queen. She saw and heard the Lithuanian, and gave
a reluctant consent; when the Austrian prince, having
lost one jewel of his heart, rode away in despair, and
scattered in the streets of Cracow, on the very morning
which gave her to the Lithuanian, those other jewels
which he believed would have adorned her for himself.
Dull years rolled away, till William of Austria returned,
and the days passed quicker. But the Lithuanian hus-
band, sensible of his own social defects, listened to an lago,
whose slanderous accusations fortunately were conveyed
to the ears of the magnanimous Hedwig. who, proud of
her virtuous sacrifice, insisted on a public Investigation.
The result was most honourable to her fame ; and, ac-
cording to Dlugoss, the accuser was sentenced publicly to
place himself under a table, in the attitude of a dog, there
to bark three several times, and between each barking to
declare aloud that be had lied like a dog.' A singular
punishment for scandal, which, with many flagrant omis-
sions, continued till within the last century.
" On another occasion, when the King at length re-
stored at her intreaties the estates and cattle of some of
his subjects upon which be bad seized, she said with much
feeling, ' The cattle are restored indeed, but who shall re-
store the tears?'"

The account of the solemn pledges given by
the Emperor Alexander, at the Congress of
Vienna, to respect the nationality of Poland ;
the analysis of the subsequent conduct of that
coxcomb Czar, " the Autocrat of waltzes and of
war," and of the present Nicholas, with regard
to these same pledges, are dwelt on by the au-
thor in a very commendable spirit. But the
whole article is penned in a liberal vein, and is
as praiseworthy for its eloquence as it is for its
feeling. " Life and Writings of Dr. Currie,"
is a copious commendation of a Scoteh gentle-
man, named Currie, who distinguished himself
towards the close of the last century as a phy-
sician and politician. In his last capacity he
published a pamphlet, which he addressed to
Mr. Pitt, under the signature of " Jasper Wil-
son," and which procured him not a little cele
brity. But Dr. Currie is now best known by his
" Life of Burns." This is the fullest, and, we
believe, the most authentic memoir we have of
that great poet ; though in point of style, and
pith, and sagacity of criticism, Lockhart's late
biography beats it clean out of the field. We
find no other fault with the present notice of
Dr. Currie, further than that it is too uniformly
panegyrical. The Doctor, though a liberal and
accomplished gentleman, could scarcely be called
a great man. He does not stand out on the
forehead of the age, as its one, great prodigy,
and yet this eulogium would insinuate something
of the sort. " Jeremie on Colonial Slavery,"
is at the present eventful crisis to all West India
colonists a most interesting article : to us it is
most attractive, for it warmly advocates the libe-
ral side of the question. " Greek Authoresses"
is well written, and has the addition of novelty
to recommend it. " NEN Bulwer's Novels" is
a very sensible, and not over-strained analysis of
the literary character of this intelligent young
writer. We cannot say as much for the " Wa-
verley Novels," which are the production of a
very inferior pen. The remaining articles are of
the usual calibre.

HUNGERFORD MARKET.—The buildings
forming the principal part of the new fish- market, begin
to assume a marked and stately appearance. We hav,
now the form of the plan, consisting of a pier for landing.
a piazza, and archway. The area of Hungerford-marker
is not quite clear, but the houses east and west are nearly
demolished. Part of the west side of Villiers-street wil,
come down, with the whole of the dirty court, which has
kern so long a nuisance. Most of the improvements in
Westminster will be advantageous, with a view to the
health and comfort of the inhabitants—but none more
so than those projected on the Hungerford estate. An the fil
thy alleys leading from the Adelphi to the market will, we
hope, be removed. The dilapidated houses, many of which
are ancient, now present a curious spectacle; deserted, and
in a state of demolition, they form the picture of a town,
destroyed by batteries. Hungerford-market was esta-
blished, we believe, in the reign of CHARLES the Second,
whose bust, supposed to he the best likeness of that Mo
narch, stood not long since in a niche in the north- end of
the old Market-house. The antiquary might find aevera
objects worth observation now standing, but which cannot
stand much longer, on the site of the intended new mat ken.
There is CHARLES the Second's Library, with many speci-
mens of the architecture and the style of building which
distinguished London about the commencement of the six •
teenth century.

Wednesday week the first stone of a suspen-
sion bridge over the Towy, at Llandovery, was laid, in the
prasence of a great number of spectators, by Colonel
GWYNNE.
DREADFUL ATTEMPT AT SELF-DESTRUC
TION.-Saturday morning a respectably dressed man,
about 60 years of age, stepped into a barber's shop -in the
Kinpland-road, and whi'e preparation was making for his
accommodation, took up a raz tr and cut his throat, draw-
ing the razor across in the manner of a saw. The mistress
of the house and a Journeyman, who were in the shop, were
so horror-struck, that they could do no more than cry out.
surgical assistance was immediately procured, and after the
loss of a great quantity of blood, the wound was dressed.
When he was somewhat recovered, he was understood to
say he war a ladies' shoemaker m blington, that some feina'e
"charged him with cruelty, and he would sooner die than
live under the imputation. He was conveyed to St. 13,r-
-tho'ortew's Hospital, with little hopes of recovery.

THEIR MAJESTIES.

(From the Windsor Express of Saturday.)

The KING remains in excellent health, and that of the
QUEEN, with the exception of a slight tendency to cough,
winch is excited by the cold easterly winds which have
lately prevailed, and which prevents her MAJESTY from
t eking as much exercise in the open air as she could wish,
also continues good. We are sorry to say that the young
Princess of SAYE WEIMAR still lies in a hopeless state.
Yesterday the KINc, accompanied by Lord FARN-
BOROUGH (one of the Commissioners of Windsor Castle),
Sir JEFFREY WYATVILLE, Sir Wag. FREMANTLE, and a
large party from the Castle, went to inspect the equestrian
statue at the end of the Long Walk, for the purpose of
examining the base or pedestal on which it stands, an
opinion having been expressed that the proportions were
not quite correct. The pedestal in question, which is
intended to represent a rock, has been erected under the
superintendance of Sir JEFFREY WYATVILLE, from a
design by GEORGE IV., but is not yet in a finished state,
and Sir JEFFREY therefore wished that nothing might be
decided until the whole should be completed.
The Court are expected to go to London on Wednesday
next for the Levee on that day, the Drawing-room on
Thursday, and the two Grand Dinners on Thursday and
Friday, and return on Saturday. It is supposed that this
evening some fresh arrangement will be made with respect
to Friday next, which day has teen named fora Grand
Dinner, and the visits to Greenwich, Woolwich, and
Somerset •house. It is feared that, if even the rime ad.
mitted of all this being compassed, the exertion attendant
thereon would be too great for the KING'S health.

The KING has beers driving out in his pony photon two
or three times to-day, and returned this afternoon to the
Cast', about half-past four. The QUEEN has not been
out for three days past, for the reasons above stated.
In consequence of crowding round the KING at the
opening of Stiines Bridge on Monday, a portion of the
Royal Suite were entirely separated from their MA VITUS,
and some of the Court, we understand, had their pockets
picked.