The Sun.
London, England, 1844-08-01 00:00:00

suNi toViit)/4, _THultshAie iEVEN'INGI9 AITGITST 1:1844.

Heathcote's. He himself thought that the anony-neOtia
letter bore more resemblance to the writing of
Mr. Heathcote than to that of Mr. Gilbert,
but still the resemblance was not sufficient
to induce him to condemn Mr. Heathcote. They were
all aware how uncertain was evidence as to handwriting,
and he would call the attention of the House to a case
which appeared in the " Annual Register" for 1831, in
which a man was indicted before Mr. Justice Alderson
for sending a threatening letter. Evidence was given
as to the handwriting, and as to the fact of the paper on,
on which the threatening letter was written being of a
similar quality to that found in the prisoner's possession.
He was found guilty ; and notwithstanding he protested
his innocence, the Judge, in passing sentence, said that
the evidence was sufficient to satisfy any reasonable man,
and that he would rather trust to such evidence than to
the most solemn declaration even made on the scaffold.
The man was sentenced to transportation for life. The
judge and the jury then retired for a short time, and the
son of the prisoner, 17 years of age, acknowledged that
he had written the letter without the knowledge of his
father ; and being furnished with pen and ink, he wrote
at the table a letter, varying only in a few words from
the letter which was the subject of the indictment ; and
which, whets compared with it, left no doubt on the mind
of any one on the subject ; and all the words which were
mis-spelt in the threatening letter were similarly mis-
spelt in the one written at the table. On the return of
the judge the copy was laid before him. His Lordship
expressed 'his surprise that the facts bad not been
brought forward before. He said it looked like a trick,
but though the application came late, it was ne'ver too late
to do what was right. He was tried upon two other
indictments of a similar nature in both of which be was
acquitted. The son was convicted and sentenced to
seventeen years' transportation, and the father received
the royal pardon. He thought the Government had dis-
missed Mr. Heatheote upon evidence of an unsatisfactory
character, and they were not justified, on such evidence
in convicting Mr. Heathcote of falsehood, and leaving st
stain on his reputation which must be. prejudicial to his
prospects through life. It should be recollected that in
dismissing this gentleman under existing circumstances
they were inflicting a stain upon his reputation, and the
Right Hon. Baronet should be very cautious in exercis-
ing a power which might deprive a man of the means
of earning an honest livelihood.--(Hear, bear.) Mr.
Heathcote was not dismissed because he had discharged
the duties of his office negligently or inefficiently, or
because he was not a useful and diligent officer.—
(Hear, hear.) There had been no complaint of the kind
against him—there was no evidence to show that
he had not discharged his duty with fidelity and assi-
duity. Mr. Horner, the inspector of factories, stated
that if Mr. Heathcote could free himself from this accu-
sation of writing this anonymous letter, he would be
very glad to act with him in a cordial and harmonious
spirit in future. The prevailing opinion in Lancashire
was that he had not been fairly dealt' with. He (Mr.
M. Gibson) had received letters from several gentlemen
of the highest respectability, from mill-owners in Lan-
cashire, some of whom Mr. Heathcote had prosecuted
under the Factory Act, and from extensive mercantile
houses in Manchester, and all these gentlemen stated
their' firm belief that, from the manner in which Mr.
Heathcote had discharged his duty, they could not be-
lieve him to be capable of so gross a falsehood, and en-
treated of the Government to grant a full and fair in-
quiry, and to give Mr.Heathcote an opportunity of being
heard personally in his own vindication. He did not
quarrel with the power which the Government possessed
—it w is, perhape very often useful, us order
to ensure a preper observance of the duties,
of office that so prompt and effective a power should be
in the hands of the Executive; but, at the same time he
though that every opportunity should be afforded to the
individual about to be dealt with, to rebut the charge,
and give every explanation in his power. It should not
be forgotten that a third party had come forward
and avowed the authorship of the letter ; and with
so strong a fact, he though he was fully justified in mov-
ing that the petition of Mr Heathcote be taken into con-
sideration.
Sir J. GRAHAM said he had no reason to complain
of the tone or manner in which the Hon. Member had
brought forward the question. He would assure the
House, that of all official duties, nothing was more pain-
ful than that of dismissal.—(Hear, hear.) Since he had
the honour of holding office under the Crown, this was
only the second case in which he felt obliged to dismiss
an official. The tithe. Gentleman was correct in stating
that his (Sir James Graham's) decision was impar-
tial ; it was so ; he did not know—had never
seen or heard of—Mr. Heathcote until this affair. Many
persons possessing great influence, and to whose opinions
he would be most anxious to defer, had endeavoured to
persuade him to re-consider his decision. and, amongst
others, his Noble Friend the Member for North Lan-
cashire. He had acted with the utmost deliberation. lie
had not come to his decision without weighing all the
facts of the case ; but he felt it his painful duty to state
to the House that nothing which he had heard before or
during that night had shaken his conviction. It should
be remembered that Mr. Heathcote held his situation as
factory sub-inspector under Mr. Horner, and it should
also be recollected that he held that place during plea-
sure. An anonymous letter bad been received by the
Hon. Member for Knareshorough, signed " An Over-
looker." This letter was placed in his hands by Lord
Ashley. It was sent to Mr. Horner, and that gentleman
at once recognised it as the letter of Mr. Heathcote.
In this letter there was the strongest internal evidence
that it was written by an inspector or sub. inspector of
factories. The particular mode in which the books were
kept appeared in this letter; the time-book, which stated
the hour at which the mill started, the time the mill
stopped for meals, and other such particulars.—(Here
the Right Hon. Gentleman took up a copy of the anony-
mous letter)—that letter could be no other than the
production of a person intimately conversant with these
subjects. The moment Mr. Horner received the letter,
he knew it to be Mr. Heathcote's. The other inspector (Mr.
Saunders) also gave it as his opinion that the writing
was that of Mr. Heatheote. The fact of Mr. Heathcote's
communicating with any Member of that House, without
the consent of Iris superior officer, although it must be rather
an original mode of proceeding, would not in his
(Sir James Graham's) opinion have involved any great
degree of culpability. He would not have attached much
importance to that; but the whole substance of the of-
fence was that when Mr. Horner asked Mr. Heathcote if he
had written that letter, he had solemnly denied it; that
was in reality the whole matter. Mr. Horner after this
denial forwarded this anonymous letter, and Mr.
Heathcote's letter of denial, to him (Sir J. Graham), and
thus the whole matter was brought under his considera-
tion. Upon the reception of these documents he di-
rected his Hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State to
write to Mr. Heathcote, asking for explanation, and to
°lee him an opportunity of reconsidering the matter;
he held Mr. Heathcote's answer to that letter in his hand,
in which he stated—" Sir, I have the honour to acknow-
ledge the receipt of your letter of the 19th inst., and I beg
leave to request that you will inform Sir James Graham
that I most positively deny having written the anony-
mous letter addressed to Mr. Ferrand, and signed ' An
Overlooker.' (Signed) " JOHN HEATHCOTE."
By the oddest coincidence possible the paper, ink, and
writing was the very same as that on which the
anonymous letter was written, and this formed the
strongest conviction that both letters were written by
the same hand. This was his (Sir J. Graham's) opinion,
but he did not trust to his own judgment. He put all
the letters into the hands of Mr. Maule, the Solicitor to
the Treasury, who forwarded the two letters signed by
Mr. Heathcote, and the anonymous letter, to the in-
spector at the Post-office, who, after the most minute
inspection and comparison, declared he entertained no
doubt but they were the same handwriting. Now, there
was the opinion of a person conversant with Mr.Heathcote's
handwriting (Mr. Horner) and two witnesses, altogether
impartial, the Inspector of the Post-office and he
(Sir James Graham), and their unanimous opinion
was, that they were in the same handwriting.
Having arrived at this conclusion he considered that it
would be impossible for him to retain Mr. Heathcote in
the public service.—(Hear, hear.) The next step in the
matter was Mr. Gilbert, writing a letter to him stating
that he was the author of the anonymous letter. He
compared Mr. Gilbert's with Mr. Heathcote's letters,
and had no doubt that the handwriting of the anony-
mous letter, and that of Mr. Gilbert were entirely dif-
ferent. He however, took precisely the same steps in
this as in the former instance, and the inspector of the
Post-office was of opinion that they were not written by
the same hand. The case quoted by the Hon. Member
for Manchester, and the decision of Baron Alderson did
not at all support the Hon. Member's case. In that case
the writing of the son was different from the father, and
entirely corresponded with the letter produced in evi-
dence so there was no parity whatever. He thought the
facts of this case were conclusive against Mr. Heathcote.
In conclusion, he must say, that if he was to be respon-
sible for the mode in which he performed the duties of
his office, he ought to be allowed to exercise his own
judgment.
Mr. BROTHERTON defended the character of Mr.
Heathcote, and contended that the Right Hon. Baronet
was labouring under a mistake. The letter in question
was written on the 25th of March, and Mr. Heathcote
had satisfied him that he was from home on that day.
In the next place Mr. Heathcote had solemnly denied
that he had written the letter, and after that Mr. Gil-
bert had acknowledged himself the author of it. He
(Mr. Brotherton) had examined all the documents con-
nected with this case, and his firm conviction was that
Mr. Heathcote did not write the letter. And after all
there was nothing in the letter of any consequence.
There were two sentences as to the necessity of inspec-
tors of factories residing in their districts, and no
doubt this would create a prejudice in the minds of
Messrs. Homer and Saunders. On comparing Mr.
Heathcote's letter with the anonymous one, he (Mr.
Brotherton) perceived a difference in the characteristics.
Further than this, he had that day received a letter from
Mr. Gilbert, which was in the same writing as the
anonymous letter. (The Hon. Gentleman here handed
the letter to several Hon. Members round him, who
compared it with the anonymous one.) Mr. Heathcote
subjectrcluHcabweeoosbetaso .ueuemti
used
neln: od.
letters
mpsne.
unjustly
pdgyßinort
oneoinfßinfgsiuoingetselrflhdsuttta.eGpl
eecymhtaesutohncti
factories
imtacTrnrlouoi
Lancashire,
question
crersaimtstsmehtthiweiajoopainrwdakfnugehs:eogf,
rnainar
thought
politics,catleosnutedtdneotddps.and any
hk ins knowing
stne, believing
hima
ndhadt ob himed
aonr
done
osaplall
havecht
e.
bsitheweoAeasen,
srcsyi
tenuothorntpcaeecoei
trltrmunscs internal
could
leedv containingi
adbseentceheae
phrases
hlnyr
Rightatas
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e.
or yn b
The
dhh yee
toon inounws ertiottihneeglm.
letter of Mr. Homer to Mr. Heathcote was not of a na-
ture to lead Mr. Heathcote to suppose he had committed
any great offence. What motive was there to induce
him to deny it, if he wrote it ? On the other hand, Mr.
Gilbert made a solemn affidavit that he was the author
of the letter. The Right Hon. Baronet pointed to the sig-
nature of the letter—"l am, An Overlooker," and to the
resemblance it bore to the other. Why, he (Mr. Bright)
would not, to use a common, phrase, hang a dog on
such evidence. The letters " k.' and "r " were as diffe-
rent as they could well be, so that the evidence from the

letters was rather favourable to Mr. Heathcote than other
wise. This gentleman had been in London for more than
seven months, endeavouring by every means to get his case
considered by the Home-office, for the sake of having
nis character cleared, if he could not be restored to his
situation. He did not believe that a man would lose so
much time and money, if he did not, possess honest feel-
ings. He understood that Mr Horner would not now
object to act cordially with Mr. Heathcote ; and if the
Right Hon. Baronet could only be induced to regard the
question in a different light, there would be no difficulty
on this point. The person charged solemnly denied hav-
ing written the letter. A second person had avowed
that he was the author of it, and a third party had de-
clared that he induced the second person to write it. He
would ask whether, in any court of justice, ggs weight
of evidence was not enough to bear down the Wortunate
suspicion that had taken possession of the Right Hon.
Baronet's mind ?
Mr. B. ESCOTT said it was a question whether this
was a case that ought to be discussed in the House of
Commons; but when a question of this kind was brought
before them, it being one of great importance to an in-
dividual, they ought, from a sense of justice, to express
their opinion honestly oa the state of the facts. He
must say that there was one deficiency in the statement
of the Right Hon. Baronet. One of the reasons he had
given for dismissing Mr. Heathcote was, because he had
denied having written a letter, which the Right Hon.
Baronet thought he had written. Now had this gentle-
man, or either of the parties, been called before the
authorities of the Home-office in order to defend them-
selves ? He did not think the evidence of similarity of
handwriting was alone sufficient.
Mr. M. SUTTON denied that the similarity of the
writing was alone the ground of the dismissal. There
was also the resemblance of the ink and paper. He
contended that Mr. Heathcote alone had published the
ground of his dismissal to the world.
Mr. HAWES said, the question was who wrote the
anonymous letter, Mr. Heathcote or Mr. Gilbert ? The
evidence against Mr. Heathcote was, that the real letter
agreed with the anonymous one. On the other hand,
Mr. Gi bert says he wrote the anonymous letter. But
then it was said, that Mr.:Gilbert's hand-writing was dissi-
milar to the anonymous letter ; and that Mr. Heathcote's
real letter was similar to the anonymous one. Now, if
they. assumed that Mr. Gilbert disguised his hand-
writing, that would account for one great difficulty in
the case, namely, the dissimilarity in the hand-writing
. between Mr. Gilbert's' real letter and the anonymous
letter. Then, when they considered that Mr. Gilbert
hat access to Mr. Heathcote's office and papers, it
would not be surprising that the anonymous letter should
exhibit a style of hand-writing somewhat similar to Mr.
Heathcote's. They had, on the other hand, the positive
denial of Mr. Heathcote, that he wrote the letter, and
the acknowledgment of Mr. Gilbert that he wrote it.
He did not.think that the internal evidence was of much
value. It principally consisted of a tabular statement,
to which a person only in the official situation of Mr.
Heathcote could have access. But then it was known
that Mr. Gilbert had access to his his office.
Mr. WAKLEY said it was one of the most difficult
things in the world to decide with regard to hand-
writing. He knew of a case in which a most distin-
guished author was provoked with some handwriting
that was -,hown him, and yet it was his own. He hoped
the Right llon. Gentleman would recollect that this was
a factory question, and that he would reconsider his
decision.—(Laughter.) The Right Hon. Gentleman had
asked the Hou,e to reconsider their opinions on a former
occasion, and the House consented. The House now
esked the Right Hon. Gentleman to reconsider his opi-
nion, and he hoped the Right Hon. Gentleman would
consent. He did not think that the Right Hon. Gentle-
man had adopted the best means of coming to a correct
conclusion, that was, by getting both Mr. Heathcote
and Mr. Gilbert to write a copy of the letter. Hite did
that, he was sure everybody would be satisfied with the
decision to which he had come.
Mr.. MILNER GIBSON replied. Re entreated the
Right Hon. Gentleman to consider whether the evidence
of handwriting were sufficient, and, if there were any
doubt, to re-open the case.
Sir JAMES GRAHAM said he only wished to say
that the question whether Mr. Heathcote had been
guilty of falsehood, or not, was a question, not raised
by him, but deliberately raised by Mr. Heathcote
himself.
The House then divided, when there appeared—
For the motion
Against it 23
Majority against the motion.... —7
ART-UNIONS.
On the motion for going into Committee on the Art-
Unions Bill,
Mr. WYSE said the Bill, as it now stood, applied
only to the art-unions of Dublin and Edinburgh. He
proposed so to change the preamble as to make it
applicable to the art-unions of England, and particularly
to that of London.
The Bill then went through Committee, and certain
amendments were agreed to.
The other orders of the day were then disposed of,
and the House adjourned at a Quarter before Twelve,

COURT CIRCULAR.
WINDSOR, WEDNESDAY.—Tho Queen Dowager paid
a visit to the Queen and Prince Albert to-day at the
Castle, from Bushy Park. Her Majesty, accompanied
by his Serene Highness Prince Edward of Saxe Weimar,
and attended by Lady Gore, left her residence, Bushy
House, soon after twelve o'clock, in a carriage and four,
and arrived at the Castle a quarter before twO o'clock.
The Equerries in Waiting, Colonels Buckley and
Bouverie, received the Queen Dowager on alighting
from her carriage. The Countess of Dunmore, the Hon
Misses Paget and Liddell, the Marquis of Ortnonde, and
Mr. H. Ormsby Gore, were also in attendance at the
Queen's entrance.

His Royal Highness Prince Albert received the Queen
Dowager in the hall, and conducted her to the Queen.
Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent arrived
soon afterwards at the Castle, from her residence, Frog-
more Lodge.
A dejeune was served to the Queen and Prince Al-
bert, the Queen Dowager, the Duchess of Kent, and
Prince Edward of Saxe Weimar.
The Duchess of Kent afterwards returned to Frog-
more Lodge.

At half past three o'clock the Queen Dowager left the
Castle, accompanied by Prince Albert, in a pony phae-
ton. Prince Edward of Saxe Weimar, Lady Gore, and
some of the gentlemen of the royal suite, followed in car-
riages. The royal party drove to Froginore Lodge to
visit the Duchess of Kent.
The Queen Dowager remained an hour with the Royal
Duchess, and then took her departure, accompanied by
Prince Edward of Saxe Weimar, and attended by Lady
Gore. Prince Albert returned to the Castle.
The Duke of Wellington walked this morning at an
early hour in the ground adjacent to the Castle. His
Grace afterwards left for town.
The Earl of Jersey and Sir Robert Peel also took their
The ueen by the
departure from the Castle in the forenoon.
Prince ofQ Wales and
Prince Albert,accompanied
, took an airing in a pony carriage this
morning, and visited the Duchess of Kent, at Frogmore
Lodge. In the afternoon, her Majesty and Prince
Albert drove out in an open pony carriage and pair, the
attending on horseback. The Countess of Dunmore,
Lady in Waiting, and the llon. Miss Liddell, Maid of
Honour in Waiting, followed in an open pony carriage
and four. _ and Bouverie,
Equerries in Waiting, Colonels Buckley

--The Royal party returned to the Castle at seven
o'clock. _ __

- ilie Princess Alice was taken an airing this morning.
were taking for a drive in the after-
noon. _.
The Royal family

The royal dinner
.party at the Castle this evening,
included her Ro3 al Highness the Duchess of Kent, Lady
Charlotte Pandas, the Countess Wratislaw, and Sir
George Couper, Bart.
band
ndctehedißoyal
Regiment of Horse Guards
wa
yesterday.
Her Majesty's private band afterwards attended and
performed in the Castle the remainder of the evening.
The
attendance

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Here-
ditary Grand Duke and Duchess of Mecklenburgh
Strelitz, honoured the Duke of Wellington with their
company to dinner yesterday.
Sir Robert Peel returned to town yesterday morning
from Windsor Castle.
A Cabinet Council was held yesterday afternoon at
the Foreign-office, Downing-street, which was attended
by the Lord Chancellor, the Duke of Wellington, Sir
Robert Peel, Sir James Graham, the Chancellor of the
Exchequer, Lord Wharneliffe, Mr. Gladstone, the Duke
of Buceleuch, and Lord Granville Somerset. The
Council broke up about half-past four o'clock.
Mr. Higham, Comptroller of the Office for the Reduc-
tion of the National Debt, had an interview with the
Chancellor of the Exchequer yesterday.
Dispatches were sent off yesterday from the Colonial-
office for the Governor of New South Wales.
A deputation, consisting of Messrs. Joseph Wilson,
E. V. Sidebottom, John Bridges, Robert Saunders,
ißnotebrevriteNwl
‘wCiutlhlocLho,rdanDdaithhoeusßiee v.J
yesterday.T. Baayc the Board
of Trade.ieY, had an
The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council had a
meeting yesterday morning, at the Council-office, at ten
o'clock. The Lords present were Lord Brougham, Dr.
Lushington, Vice-Chancellor Knight Bruce, and Mr.
Pemberton Leigh. The case before their Lordships was
that of Bamone v. the Queen, from the Vice-Admiralty
Court of the Cape of Good Hope, in respect to the ship
Don Pedro. Lord Brougham delivered the judgment of
their Lordships, viz., that the judgment of the Court
below be reversed, with liberty to the parties to insti-
tute fresh proceedings.
A deputation from the Irish Society of London, about
to visit their estates in Londonderry, had an interview
with Lord Eliot on Saturday, upon the subject of the
Lough Foyle fishery aggressions.

WINTER IN ITALY.---We
MRS. ASHTON YATES' "
are requested to state that Mr. Colburn, of Great Marl-
borough-street, has this day published " A Winter in
Italy," by Mrs. Ashton Yates, in 2 vols. small Bvo.,
price 21s. bound, which can now be had of all booksel-
lers. Mr. Colburn has also just published-2. A Second
Edition of " Historic Fancies," by the Hon. George
Sydney Smythe, 1 vol. Bvo., 12s. bound-3. The
Second Volume of Mr. Townsend, s Memoirs of the
House of Commons-4. The Marchioness of London-
derry's Narrative of her Visit to the Courts of Vienna,
Constantinople, Athens, Naples, &c., 1 vol. Bvo., 12s.
bound-5. The Memoirs of the Babylonian Princess,
dedicated, by permission, to her Majesty the Queen
Dowager—and 6. The Seventh Volume of Miss Strick-
land's " Lives of the Queens of England."
COMPETITION !—The Forth and Clyde Canal Com-
pany are now carrying passengers from Glasgow to Edin-
burgh for Is. in the steerage, and Is. 6d. in the cabin. If it
was not for the Canal Company, what would the fares to
Edinburgh by railway be?—Glasgow Saturday Post. ;

MAGAZINE DAY.
BLACK WOOD'S MAGAZINE.
The subject of our disastrous campaigns in
" ..ktfghanistan" is ably treated in the Number before
us, but notwithstanding, the writer's assertion to the
contrary, it is a subject completely exhausted, and on
which the public has long since made up its mind.
As for interest, whatever it might have possessed
when the matter was fresh in popular recollection,
little or none now attaches to it. It has been a nine
days' wonder, and like other themes of moment, has
passed to the tomb of the Capulets, only to be disin-
terred by some future Gibbon or Robertson--if such
should ever again rise among us—when discussing the
politics of the memorable year 1840: Still, despite
this drawback, the article on " Affghanistan" is worth
reading, and, considering the decided politics of
Blackwood, is remarkably moderate in its tone. The
writer avers that it was our fear of Russian intrigue
that originated the humiliating campaigns in ques-
tion, and this opinion is a correct one. So intense
were our apprehensions on this subject, that we sacri
ficed to them a fine army of upwards of ten thousand
men ; and yet, not five years afterwards, the gigantic
and menacing Russian phantom, the bare contempla-
tion of whose manoeuvres on the frontiers of our
:Indian territories had thrown us all into such strong
hysterics, was actually a resident in our metropolis,
walking abroad in our streets, visiting the fair mem;
hers of our aristocracy, without devouring one of
them by way of a lunch, dining at Windsor Castle,
reviewing troops, and flinging about gold snuff-boxes
with as much nonchalance as if they were merely 30
many fourpenny pieees! The whole history of this
short-lived Russophobia of ours, which cost the coun-
try so many thousand lives and such immense sums of
money, will form but an inglorious chapter in the po-
litical annals of the nineteenth century. But na-
tions, like individuals, have their moments of weak-
ness and puerility, and John Bull has always been
remarkable for periodical fits of foolery, during the
prevalence of which he cuts the most extraordinary
capers possible, and makeS himself the laughing-stock
of Europe. " Etched Thoughts by the Etching
Club" is a lively, good-humoured notice of a volume
of poems illustrated with several admirable engravings.
Our readers will no doubt thank us for giving them
the opportunity of admiring some pathetic lines en-
titled " The Veteran's Return :"
" The old yew, deck'd in even's parting beams,
From his red trunk reflects a ruddier ray;
While, flickering through the lengthen'd shadow,
gleams
Of gold athwart the dusky branches play.
The jackdaws, erst so bustling on the tower,
Have ceased their cawing clamour from on high ;
And the brown bat, as nears the twilight hour,
Circles—the lonely tenant of the sky.
" The soldier there, ere pass'd to distant climes,
On Sabbath morn his early mates would meet;
There list the chant of the familiar chimes,
And the fond glance of young affection greet.
There, too, at eve—before the twilight grey
Led the dark hours, when sprites are wont to
walk—
With his sweet Nancy how he joy'd to stray,
And tell his rustic love in homely talk.
" Now, home return'd, far other thoughts he owns,
Though still the same the scene that meets his
view !
The same sun glistens o'er the lichen'd stones—,
Scarce one year more seems to have gnarl'd the
yew.
There, too, the hamlet where his boyhood pass'd
Sends, as of old, its curls of smoke to ken—
So near, his stalwart arm a stone might cast
Among the cots that deck the coppiced glen

" But ere the joys of that domestic glade
Can wipe the tear from off his rugged brow,
A stone beneath the yew-tree's ebon shade
Deep o'er his heart a heavier shade doth throw.
(Oh ! sad, indeed, when thus such tidings come,
That stun, even when by slow degrees they steal,)
That tablet tells how cold within the tomb
Are hands whose fond warm grasp healong'd to
feel."
We have been much pleased with the story of the
" Love Chase," whose incidents, though somewhat
deficient in novelty, are skilfully worked up in an
arch and sprightly style that at once conciliates the
reader. The "Historical Account of the Canal which
anciently connected the Nile and the Red Sea" may
possibly entertain antiquarians and geographers ; but
the details are prolix, and will have little interest for
the public in general. Readers of monthly periodi-
cals care little to be told that " the Nomads or
Hyksos were driven from the throne of Egypt by the
Kings of Thebes," and would much rather hear about
the present intentions of the Egyptian Pacha, as
regards that canal between the Red Sea and the
Mediterranean, which he has so long talked of con-
structing, but which, we fear, is still in wthibus, like
the genius of the author of " Satan." In the review
of Horace Twiss's " Life of Lord Eldon," we are
informed that an old Manx smuggler was so pleased
with his Lordship for pleading in court for certain
rights to which the inhabitants of the Isle of Man
asserted that they were entitled, that, in the warmth
of his admiration, he actually offered the future Chan-
cellor—then but a rising young barrister on circuit—
his favourite daughter, with a portion of one hundred
thousand pounds ! The offer was a tempting one,
but we apprehend it would not exactly have suited
the views of a lawyer to become the son-in-law of
a smuggler, whose wealth had been gained by setting
the laws at defiance. Besides, his Lordship was
already provided with a spouse, and no doubt found
that one wife at a time was quite as much as he could
conveniently manage, and that two would have been
a superfluous luxury. We subjoin a few diverting
anecdotes from the review in question :
" I had a walk in the New Inn Hall garden with Dr.
Johnson, Sir Robert Chambers, and some other gentle-
men, (Chambers
IndiawasH ae
spwjr
uiandscgiapet.a)tl
hoi
sfs
itrh eR periodHo
bael lro,tnawnt
hda
seVgi
pointna ethri
eaorn-f
ipprirrgoocreessensdaoiirialsgo,ftaloanwd. throwing them over the wall into his
neighbour's garden. The doctor attacked him roughly,
and charged his conduct as being unneighbourly. "Sir,"
said Robert, "my neighbour is a Dissenter." " Oh,"
said the doctor, " if so, toss away, toss away as hard as
you can!" This was evidently one of Johnson's odd
freaks, a piece of his growling humour; for though no
man disliked sectarianism more, no man had
a stronger sense of charity to all. His man-
ners now and then exhibited strange absence. Lord
Eldon says that he had seen him standing for a con-
siderable time, with one foot on each side of the kennel
of the High-street of Oxford, gazing at the water. It
was proverbially dangerous to contradict him. Dr.
Mortimer, head of Lincoln College, happened occasion-
ally to interrupt him, by saying, " I deny that," while
Johnson was holding forth. At length he said, " Sir,
sir, you must have forgotten that an author has said,
(he then repeated in Latin), one ass will deny more in
one hour, than a hundred philosophers will prove in a
hundred years."
" During the year 1774 and 1775, John Scott held the
office of a tutor of University college ; but he appears
to have left the duty to Fisher and William Scott,
his brother, those two dividing the emoluments. How-
ever, he was more importantly employed when he gave
lectures on the law as deputy to Sir Robert Chambers,
for which he had 601. a year. His first essay was suffi-
ciently ridiculous. The law professor sent him his first
lecture, which he was to read immediately to the stu-
dents, and which he began without knowing its con-
tents. It happened to be on the statute 4th and sth of
Philip and Mary, on young men running away with
young women. " Fancy me," said his Lordship, " read-
ing, with about 140 boys and young men giggling at the
professor." While Scott was eating his terms at the
Middle Temple, he had some opportunities of seeing
Mr. Sergeant Hill, the great lawyer of his day, emi-
nent for learning, and scarcely less so for eccentricity.
Hill one day stopped Scott in the hall, and said,
" Pray, young gentleman, do you think herbage and
pannage rateable to the poor's-rate ?" Scott replied,
" that he could not presume to give an opinion to so
learned a personage." " Upon my word," said the ser -
geant, " you are a pretty sensible youlig gentleman—l
don't often meet with such. If I had-asked Mr. Bur-
gess, a young leader upon our circuit, the question, he
would have told me that I was an old fool." Hill
began an argument in the King's Bench thus :—" My
Lord Mansfield and judges, I beg your pardon.'
" Why, brother Hill, do you ask our pardon ?" "My
Lords," said he, " I have seventy-eight cases to cite.'
" Seventy-eight cases !" said Lord Mansfield, " you
can never have our pardon if you cite seventy-eight
cases." After the Court had given its decision, which
was against the sergeant's client, Lord Mansfield said,
" Now, brother Hill, that the judgment is given, you
can have no objection, on account of your client, to tell
us your real opinion, and whether you do not think we
are. right ; you know how we all value your opinion and
judgment." Hill wished to be excused ; but as he
always thought it his duty to do what the Court de-
sired, " Upon my word," said he, " I did not think
that there were four men in the world who could have
given such an ill-founded judgment as you four, my
Lords, have pronounced," This style, however, must
have been now and then intolerable."

BENTLEY'S MISCELLANY.
The best scenes in the present chapters of the
" Scattergood Family," are those wherein Mr. Con-
stable's—a rich, purse-proud citizen's--governess, is
introduced, whose daily drudgery and humiliation are
detailed with unaffected feeling. "My Great Uncle"
is a clever tale by Dalton—a fictitious name, we pre-
sume—who has already contributed several enter-
taining papers, both in verse and prose, to the pages
of this Miscellany. In an essay, under the quaint
title of " Used :Down," we find these reflections :
"The present aspect of society is an insipid surface,
from which neither dramatist nor novelist can extract
either plot or character, without violating, in the
grossest manner, the probabilities of civilised life.
Singing is far from the only feat which is accom-
plished by the million. People eat, drink, sleep,
think, talk, move in millions. No one dares to be
himself. From Dan to Beersheba not an original
left." This is certainly not the case, for if society
were so insipid and monotonous, and devoid of ori-
ginality, as the writer of the above passage would
have us believe it is, Dickens would nevor have found
the materials for his Pecksniffs, Montagues, Chuzzle-
wits, Sarah Gamps, &c., which no one who is fami-
liar with them can deny were portraits drawn from

the life, and essentially belonging to the present day.
The fact is, none are so apt to condemn
the insipid sameness of the existing state
of society, as those who are unable adequately
to pourtray its nice peculiarities, which exhibit a thou-
sand different lights and shades, though we will admit
that they are not so broadly marked as in the olden
time. A " Tale of the Wars of Marlborough" is a
passable narrative, from the pen of Mr. Curling. The
" Gaol Chaplain" contains a powerfully-written story,
illustrative of the prodigious folly and atrocity of the
game-laws, one of the few remaining relies of the
barbarous feudal times. Justly remarks the author,
" He must be eagle -eyed, indeed,. who could detect
in these laws a grain of that Christian philosophy
upon which we boast that our institutions are founded."
In the biographical sketch, " Eton Scenes and Eton
men," there are some twaddling personal remi-
niscences of certain individuals, in whom nine-tenths
of the public take not the slightest interest. " Phy-
siology of London Life" puts forth some sensible ob-
servations on the subject of the House of Commons.
The following passage may, perhaps, amuse our
readers, and we subjoin it accordingly :
" Members take up' a thing, as the phrase is, to make
the subject of their researches. One takes up the Irish
Church, and annually knocks a good many thickly-
printed columns of reports out of that ; another has an
annual shot at the estimates ; a third makes a motion
for the repeal of the corn-laws ; and so on. There is a
well-understood division of labour in the House, every
man holding his own sprat, whale, or herring,, as the
case may be, by its own proper tail. The vast numbers
of young men about both Houses of Parliament, but
especially the House of Commons, is another leading
general idea, that necessarily strikes the observant
stranger. There are few noble families in the land of
any territorial distinction, who are not represented in a
twofold manner ; by themselves in the Upper, by their
connexions in the Lower House ; and the very young
Members that crowd the side-galleries, and congregate
in a body below the bar, are generally of noble families.
Yet there are young and youngish men of distinction in
the House who are plebeians ; these are generally of the
class of working Members, who labour at the business of
legislation, whereas the noble, gentle, and very often
sin/pie young gentlemen we have referred to above only
play at law-givers, as they do sometimes at soldiers. An-
other remarkable thing in the House of Commons is,
the want of independent actions on the part of indivi-
dual Members, and their almost military subordination
to their leaders. It is a necessary thing, perhaps, for
practical purposes, that this discipline should be main-
tained, but it is, nevertheless, curious to see how com-
pletely the representative subsides into the partisan.
You would imagine that the House consisted of repre-
sentatives of Lord John Russell and Sir Robert Peel—
of the Ins and Outs, rather than of the country ; nor is
any man in a more hopeless plight than the man who
takes an independent course of action, or refuses to bind
himself to the interests of one side of the House or the
other. He is sneered at and thwarted in every way; called
an impracticable, and left alone in his patriotism and his
glory. This isolation results from the selfishness, the party,
class, and personal interests of the great mass of Mem-
bers ; they will not act, or vote, with men who are not
consistent to a party, as if a party is consistent with
itself ; as if time, and the progress of public opinion, and
the pressure of events, do not necessarily demand changes
in the minds of men, often amounting to the reversal of
their fixed, and as they fondly thought, correct notions
of conduct. A want of large and general sympathy with
the unrepresented, or badly-represented classes, is the
leading defect of the House ; but for this who can say
that the House is to blame ? The electors choose the
House, and if they are selfish, or negligent, or corrupt in
their choice ; if they choose their representatives for
everything, or something, or nothing, except what ought
to be the guiding motive of their choice—as tried inte-
grity, experience, years, common sense, and common
sympathies with mankind—the fault is in them, not in
those they send to the Commons' House of Parliament.
A pleasing trait of the House is, its fairness and genero-
sity towards any speaker who has business to speak, or
who has got anything to say ; the House always listens
to such a one with attention. A new Member, likewise,
is always well received, and his debut marked by consi-
deration for his feelings on first addressing so formidable
an assembly ; the cry of New Member ! New Member !'
Hear ! hear I' gives him confidence, and encourages
him to proceed ; but if, unfortunately, he is tried, and
found wanting, he will not again be heard with any de-
gree of marked attention. The House is highly discri-
minative ingthis respect ; a man of character, weight,
authority, or information upon any particular point, is
heard with general attention ; a Member, on the con-
trary, who talks for talk's sake—and of these there are,
unfortunately, too many, is not listened to, except by the
reporters ; he crieth out in the House, and no man re-
gardeth him. If a phonometer, or instrument for mea-
suring noise, could be invented, you would thereby be
enabled to form a pretty accurate judgment of the re-
spective merits of the several speakers. When Peel or
Russell are up, the noise is at zero; when middling
Members are talking there is a temperate noise ; but
when from the back benches, foolish, loud-talking, igno-
rant, forward young fellows, without information or abi-
lity, except in their own conceit, insist upon jawing, the
noise reaches the boiling-point, and the prater becomes,
certainly not silent, but certainly unheard. You cannot
hear a word he says, but you see his nether jaw vibrat-
ing up and down, like that of a donkey masticating a
tough thistle."

AINSWORTH'S MAGAZINE.
Mr. Leigh Hunt's poetical criticisms, under the
conciliatory title of "A Jar of Honey from Mount
Hybla," are here resumed. The critic, as might be
expected, is lavish in his praises of Fletcher's Faithful
Shepherdess, whose pastoral propriety and simplicity,
however, are sadly marred by the introduction of the
Wanton Shepherdess, whose language, on one oc-
casion, is not only coarse, but grossly ohscene, to a
degree, indeed, that is not surpassed by any dramatist
of that not very refined or scrupulous age. The poem,
too, notwithstanding its numerous descriptive beau-
ties, has much that is stiff, and cold, and artificial in
its tone. In his present chapters of the " Court of
Queen Anne," Mr. Ainsworth gives us a spirited
sketch of the trial of that bigoted quack, Dr. Sacche-
verel, who, for some weeks, threw John Bull into a
perfect state of phrenzy. The "Hum of Men" is a
smart satire on some of the most notorious follies of
the day. In the notice of the " Story of a Feather,"
which, it may be remembered, appeared from time to
time in detached portions in Punch, occur some kindly
and judicious remarks on the general character of
Mr. Jerrold's writings. "The audience at a play of
Mr. Jerrold's," says the Reviewer, "is often worth
watching. As the dialogue flings its shells and
crackers about the house, you detect the guilty crea-
tures of the world of pomps, and vanities, and lusts of
the flesh. The explosion of the sharp, scorching joke,
is heard in loud laughter; but look, and you will see
people wince here and there, uneasiness shadowing
their mirth. While it affects a neighbour, the satire
has a honeyed sweetness for them ; but self-application,
which they cannot suddenly avoid, presently turns
it to wormwood." Mr. Jerrold, as any one
may see, who has ever witnessed the performance of
one of his searching comedies, is no favourite with
the dress-circles, and still less with the private boxes,
wherein people of mark and likelihood are so fond of
ensconcing themselves. The reason is obvious. He
is not sufficiently smooth and conventional enough for
them. He treats their elegant, well-bred, drawing-
room sensibilities too rudely. He is too intolerant of
their hypocritical common-places and aristocratic as-
sumptions. He calls a rogue a rogue, whether he has
graduated at St. James's or St. Giles's, and has not
the slightest respect for even the knightly garter, if it
encircle the leg of a scamp. His productions are excel-
lent illustrations of the old adage that the " naked
truth is exceedingly unlovely ;" and it is as rich a treat
as the eye of a philanthropist could desire, to see how
the polite, fastidious box-circle winces at his stinging
taunts, as with the dazzling rapier of his wit he
pierces through the thick coatings of their vanity.
But though no great favourite among the higher
classes—who must regard him with something of the
same w.ve with which children regard an ogre—Mr.
Jerrold is admired and appreciated by all who have a
genuine heart beating in their bosoms, and who do
not turn from humanity with .contempt because it
may happen to be clothed in rags and call itself a
pauper. The " Prussian Paddy Grenadier," is a tale
whose leading incidents may be found in the " Life
and Times of Frederick the Great." The author
should have acknowledged the source to which he is
indebted. " Cruising for a Cutlet," is a sprightly
essay, from which we quote some amusing hints and
suggestions for the benefit of diners-out.
Suit your conversation to your company. Respect-
ing anecdotes, have a certain number stored up in your
memory, ready to do their duty when called upon ; but.
be particularly careful never to lug in one of them out of
place, but be equally prompt, whenever an opportunity
occurs, to avail yourself of it. Thus, the conversation
nI
turns upon Wellington, you immediately begin—
,
heard a most characteristic anecdote of the great
e great
ho
man
w
lately: Commander Hall of her Majesty's
had done the State some service' in China, was anxious
occasion
o be
eas presentedien i
n which to the
the
e heroDukeof a
w,,enht uenndhr coda
rfidg htthse,
vu 1:.11
cotnoraina
and Albert. The name of the commander was men.
tioned to the Duke, who said lie should be delighted to
be introduced to the gallant officer, The vainqueur des
vainqueurs went through the yacht, and was about to
leave it, when he turned round to the captain, and said,
introduce me to your commander. The ceremony took
place. Happy to know you, Commander Hall. You
are a brave fellow ; fought like a hero in the Nemesis,
in China. Gallant, gallant. God bless you,' holding
out his hand at the same time. The son of Neptune
warmly grasped the veteran warrior's hand, exclaiming,
I would rather have that blessing than that of the
Archbishop of Canterbury, and all the Bishops put to-
gether.'
After telling your story, wait (as the professed actors
do) for the applause, and do not be carried away by it,
or be led to tell another story, until an equally favour-
able opportunity occurs. If the subject turns upon poli-
tics, quote Sheridan and the pure elector of that im-
maculate borough of Stafford. " So, Mr. Sheridan, you
are about to give us reform; that's right, only think, in
some towns there are poor fellows, I hear say, thatsget
nothing at all for their votes; that an't right, and wants
reforming altogether. Talking of reform," you
may
continue, " I must tell you a most extraordinary circum-
stance that occurred during the last reign. Lord --
paid a visit to Bedlam; among the inmates was a poor
woman, who happened to ask his Lordship his name;
Oh,' replied the latter, I'm M. Smith,' giving u tra-

NEW MONTHLY MAGAZINE.
In the continuation of the " Talleyrand Papers"—
in which, by the bye, there appears to he nearly as
much fiction as fact—some curious particulars, if
their authenticity could but be relied on, are given of
the closing days of Mirabeau. The Prince of Bene•
ventum was at that time in the very prime of man-
hood, and was the bosom friend of the great leader of
the Revolution, of whose worth as a man and abilities
as a politician, he is here made to express-hi itself in
terms of the warmest admiration. Dissipated and
unprincipled as he notoriously was, Mirabeau was yet
not without his redeeming qualities. He was frank,
generous, and ardent in his friendship, and we can
easily believe what a powerful spell he must have ex-
erted by his wit, passion, and eloquence, over the
mind of Talleyrand at an age when he must have been
peculiarly susceptible of impressions of admiration.
It was much later in life that this wily statesman
adopted the " nil admirari" system, and we cannot
wonder at his subsequent coldness and scepticism
when we remember the startling vicissitudes he en-
dured at the commencement of his public career, the
extraordinary scenes in which he was a chief actor,
the brilliant adventurers with whom his lot was cast,
and the odious and humiliating form in which human
nature must too often have exhibited itself to him.
In his old age Talleyrand, who never throughout his
protracted life knew what it was to hare one really
conscientious principle, was a confirmed cynic—po-
lished, indeed, and conciliatory in his bearing, but still
a cynic. There was a bitterness in his most smiling
repartees, and his sarcasms stung like scorpions. The
attempt made in these "Papers' to prove that he was
an amiable sentimentalist, is perfectly preposterous.
" Lights and Shades in the Life of a Gentleman on
Half-pay" is one of Mr. Maxwell's dashing stories of
love and adventure. In the ingenious essay on
" People who always Keep their Word," occurs the
following reflection, with whose truth we have been
much struck :—" Education's earliest lessons should
implant in the mind a sense of the sanctity of a pro-
mise. A child should never hear of an oath—that
fatal knowledge kills the innocent security in the
simple word. If there were no necessity, real or sup-
posed, for oaths, there would be no lies. When the
child has learned that the simple word is not enough
for the ends of truth, it has learned the first lesson of
falsehood." "La Maison Maternelle" is a heavy,
prolix article, and the subject is not such as to
warrant the wearisome length at which it is treated.
The " Robeitses on their Travels" is by Mrs. Trol-
lope. It contains some smart, satirical hits, but, on
the whole, is not elevated above the dead flats of
common-place. The " Tower of the Caliph" is a de-
scription of the towering structure erected by the late
Mr. Beckford in the immediate neighbourhood of
Bath. We subjoin Horace Smith's poem on " Camp-
bell's Funeral" in Westminster Abbey :
'Es well to see these accidental Great,
Noble by birth, or Fortutne's favour blind,
Gracing themselves in adding grace and state
To the more noble eminence of mir.d,
And doing homage to a bard,
Whose breast by Nature's gems was stared,
Whose patent by the hand of God himself was sign'd.
While monarchs sleep, forgotten, unrevered,
Time trims the lamp of intellectual fame.
The builders of the pyramids, who rear'd
Mountains of stone, left none to tell their name.
Tho' Homer's tomb was never known,
A mausoleum of his own,
Long as the world endures his greatness shall proclaim.
What lauding sepulchre does Campbell want ?
'Tis his to give, and not derive renown.
What monumental bronze or adamant,
Like his own deathless Lays can hand him down ?
Poets outlast their tombs: the bust
And statue soon revert to dust;
The dust they represent still wears the laurel crown.
The solid abbey walls that seem time-proof,
Form'd to await the final day of doom;
The cluster'd shafts, and arch-supported roof,
That now enshrine and guard our Campbell's tomb,
Become a ruin'd shatter'd fane,
May fall and bury him again,
Yet still the bard shall live, his fame-wreath still shall
bloom.

Methought the monumental effigies
Of elder poets that were group'd around.
Lean'd from their pedestals with eager eyes,
To peer into the excavated ground,
Where lay the gifted, good, and brave,
While earth from Kosciusko's grave,
Fell on his coffin-plate with Freedom-shrieking sound.
And over him the kindred dust was strew'd
Of Poets' Corner. 0 misnomer strange!
The poet's confine is the amplitude
Of the whole earth's illimitable range,
O'er which his spirit wings its flight,
Shedding an intellectual light,
A. sun that never sets, a moon that knows no change.
Around his grave in radiant brotherhood,
As if to form a halo o'er,his head,
Not few of England's master spirits stood,
Bards, artists, sages, reverently led
To wave each separating plea
Of sect, clime, party, and degree,
All honouring him on whom Nature all honours shed.
To me the humblest of the mourning band,
Who knew the bard thro' many a changeful year,
It was a proud sad privilege to stand
Beside his grave and shed a parting tear.
Seven lustres had he been my friend.
Be that my plea when I suspend,
This all-unworthy wreath on such a poet's bier.

TAIT'S MAGAZINE.
In his political article this month Tait, while hitting
equally hard at both Whigs and Tories, takes the
opportunity of introducing the following compli-
mentary allusion to Lord Howick :—" His Lordship
is a man from whom we expect much. He has
talent, courage, moral earnestness, character—all the
well-wearing qualities qt mind and heart on which a
nation may rely. IVith strong hereditary claims to
the leadership of Reformers, he is establishing an
independent title of his own, on the broadest and surest
foundations." This compliment is not undeserved.
Throughout the session, while the Whigs have been
nodding night after night on the Opposition benches,
in a state of sulky inactivity and torpor, and the
Tories have been playingriiscfwtetihiasnilettgh shame
game of ex-
pediency, rescinding to-day the vote of yesterday,
i ward
ozi and
,doc g
Howick
boldness,litical nt hdl themselves inenods
beenmeml vmae
edns
reform;
oh
rimn
sincerity
;g haaiinnnindds
thee
tl
hfeobloquy,b causeym otsit
enlarged, statesmanlike sentiments that have been
enunciated in Parliament since its opening in Fe-
rluary last, are those that have fallen from his lips.
e has gone far beyond the majority of his party
in the manliness and prescient sagacity of his political
utterances ; and, on the important question of the
Irish Church, spoke out in the true spirit of an en-
lightened statesman, who " sees, as from a tower, the
end of all." Alluding to the existing state of par-
ties in the House of Commons, Tait proceeds to
remark that Whigs, as well as Tories, are decidedly
in a " false position." This is perfectly true. Both
appear to be equally the hapless victims of circum•
stances, and fear to express themselves otherwise than
in a timid, hesitating, equivocal manner. The truth
is, the age is rapidly shooting a-head of them ; they
feel this, and know not by what means to retrieve
themselves in popular estimation. While the business
of legislation is conducted in almost every instance on
Whig principles, the Whigs themselves are in the
lowest state of political decrepitude ; and the Tories
are regarded in no better light than as a set of slaves
dragged sulkily and reluctantly at the chariot-wheels
of triumphant opinion. The Earth Stopper'. is a
graphic sporting sketch, apparently from the life, and
is the production of Mr. Mills—the legitimate sue.
cessor of the late Nimrod. The "Rose of Tistelon"
is a notice of a tale translated from the Swedish of
Emilie Carlen, and offends grievously in point of
length. " Bon Gaultier and his Friends" is a series
of lively after-dinner dialogues, written for the most
part with tact and vigour, but recalling too often the
recollection of the inimitable " Noctes" of Black-