The Sun.
London, England, 1850-12-12 00:00:00

MISCELLANEOUS.

The most interesting articles in Ainsworth's ffla.,
gazine are again this month the continuation of
the editor's "Lancashire Witches," artd of E. P.
llowsell's sketches. The controversy between Tait
and Blackwood on the subject of " High Farming"
occupies a prominent place in Tait's Magazine. The
Colonial, among other matters, has articles on sugar
and the sugar colonies. The London Journal ofPa-
tent Inventions has some interesting descriptions of
new inventions for constructing railway carriages and
for producing various manufactures. The Far-
mer's Magazine, the Sportsman, the People's Journal,
the Family Herald, Chambers',, the Church of Eng-
land, Sharpe's, the Belle Assemblie, the Follet, and
the Looker-on, still continue to deserve those com-
mendations for their peculiar excellences which we
have again and again bestowed upon them. Mrs.
Ellis's Morning Call is adorned with very beauti-
ful engravings, and the contributions are of more than
the average excellence. The story by the editress,
" Self-Deception ; or the History of a Human's Heart,"
continues with undiminished interest. The Evange-
lical Magazi,ne is deserving of encouragement
among those to whom it; is addressed, from
the circumstance of its profits being devoted to
the benefit of widows of Evangelical ministers.
The Working Man's Friend continues to furnish
an abundance of useful and interesting matter. In
addition to Knight's most excellent Ralf-hours and
Pictorial half-hours, that enterprising publisher has
this month presented us with the first numbers of two
new peri9dicals, which promise to be both profitable
and interesting to their readers. One is Knight's
Cyclopedia of London, which, when completed,
will enable its subscribers to possess for the
sum of seven shillings the best part of that
elaborate work on " London," in six volumes,
published by Mr. Knight some years back. Simi-
larly valuable, similarly inexpensive, and ex-
cellently well-timed, is Knight's Cyclopedia of the
Industry of IVations. In commemoration of the
great Exhibition, Messrs. Talus have commenced is-
suing in monthly numbers a guide to the metropolis,
entitled Tallis's Illustrated London. It is filled with
most beautiful engravings. Mrs. Loudon's very ex-
cellent edition of Loudon's vey excellent Encyclopoa-
dia of Gardening continues from month to month.
To those who have had an opportunity
of examining its very valuable characteristics,
commendation is quite superfluous. To gardeners
arid amateur gardeners it must be almost indispen-
sable. Of a less elaborate form is the Cottage Gar-
dener's Dictionary, edited by Mr. Johnson, assisted
by many eminent gardeners and horticulturists. The
beautiful serial descriptive of Favourite Song-birds has
reached its seventh number, and is approaching
its completion. The coloured pictures of the robin
and the linnet in the new numbers are excellent.
Lewis Arundel, a favourite story with the readers of
Sharpe's Magazine is, like its predecessor, "Frank
Fairlcgh,"
making its appearance in monthly parts.

RUFF'S GUIDE TO TIIE TURF FOR 1851.
Mr. Ruff' s Guide for 1851 ii.just published, and it
fully maintains the character of
,its predecessors. It
is the great authority on all turf matters, and should
be in the hands of every one who has the least pre-
tensions to the character of a sporting. man.

---
A SMUGGLING AFFRAY.—On the Bth of December
her Majesty's cruiser Harpy, Lieutenant Willcox, R.N.,
cruising in the English Channel near .13,.F11 eur, chased and
captured a smuggling wherry, the ‘l, illiam and Mary, of
Portsmouth, after firing several round shot and making her
destroy the cargo of contraband spirits which she had on
board on chase being given, Lieutenant Willcox then c_dled
for volunteers to man the wherry, removed the smugglers
just captured to the Harpy, and then dispatched the prise,
well armed and equipped, to cruise in mid-channel, to inter-
cept other smugglers. On the following day the prize
descried and chased a French vessel standing for the English
coast, and on coming up to her the officer in charge found
her to be the Petit Jules French cutter, with eight French-
men and three Englishmen on board. They ran alongside
to board in the isnst gallant manner, but although one
Frenchman was shot through the shoulder, they were
repulsed and one of the Harpy's crew thrown overboard.
However, nothing daunted, these four brave fellows picked up
their comrade and again made for the smuggler. One of
the crew, John White, succeeded in getting on board first,
and cut the Frenchman's main halyards, but was immediately
disarmed by the crew of the Petit Jules; the other men,
howsver, succeeded in boarding, rescued White, captured the
vessel, and stood for the English coast, with their wherry in
tow. They had had possession for an hour-and-a-half, and
had nearly reached the English shore, fancying themselves
secure and fortunate in their hardly earned and valuable
prize (she having near 300 tubs on board), when, on a given
signal from the French captain, the smugglers rushed upon
them, and before they had time to cock their pistols they
were tripped up, and, thrown overboard, excepting White.
They took the pump-handles and thrust them again under
water, and cut the painter of the wherry, and the men with
the greatest difficulty reached her, there being a heavy sea
running. White was not thrown overboard, but it is feared
he is seriously, if not mortally wounded, as he made a gal-
lant resistance to the five men who overpowered him. The
Petit Jules then succeeded in making her escape and re-
turned to Barfleur, taking White with her.

THE PILGRIM OF LOVE, FROM MECCA.-0 you
great Fib! Not a "fib" at all in the present instance,
Amanda. Notwithstanding the Pilgrim's proclivity towards
a little excusable romancing, when he is in company with
such a nice girl as you are,—and he only indulges that na-
tural tendency of his for the reason assigned in raffle-paper,
for the disbursing of money by the putter-up and winner,
" to promote conviviality;"—notwithstanding, I say, that
your account of him as a "Fib," may, in general cases, be
correct, this time he is perfectly truth-telling. Honour
bright! luvenit portuni. The Pilgrim ass changed his con-
dition. The soldier of fortune has had his name registered
on Hymen's muster-roll. The roaming paladin has reached
his journey's end; the promised land, the Mecca of --
Matrimony. The rightful heir has come into his estate;
the honourable estate of -- Matrimony. The Pilgrim has
made the lover's leap, the genuine article (all others told of
in romance and fiction are spurious counterfeits, fraudulent
imitations), the leap through the golden beep; the leap into
-- Matrimony. After the mariner of the knight in the
fairy tale. he has carried off the damsel that was not at all
distrest, from a castle (every man's house is one, you know),
that could not fail of being enchanted while she was in it.-
Eliza Cook's Journal.

CHESTER AND HOLYHEAD RAILWAY.—The
rangements between the London and North-Western, Ches-
ter and Holyhead, and Dublin Steam-packet Companies, for
a friendly interchange of traffic, end to which we have on
several occasions alluded, were sanctioned by the Chester
and Holyhead directors yesterday. We believe we are
correct in stating that the Londou and North-Western and
Chester and Holyhead Companies, are on ..the. eve of more
Closely cementing the. arrangements into.. which they have
to recently entered.