The Sun.
London, England, 1821-06-12 00:00:00

THE ARMY

On Friday last, the Huntingdonshire regiment of militia,
under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel 'Vaughan, finished
their twenty-one days training and exercise, as prescribed by
Act of Parliament, upon which occasion they were addreSsed
by the Mayor of Huntingdon, Sir John Arundel, in his own
name and that of the town of Huntingdon, in a speech of thanks
and compliment of their sober, orderly, and soldier-like conduct
in quarters, as well as apparent improvement in the military
discipline, and-appearance of the men.
On Saturday last, the King's Own Stafford Regiment of
Militia, commanded. by the arl of DABT3IOUTir, marched
from their quarters at Stone and Stafford, to Ingestree Park, the
seat of his Excellency Earl TALBOT, who(as Lord Lieutenant
of the County) inspected thezegiment, and expressed his highest
approbation Of their appearance and discipline. Although
above half Elie establishment of the Regiment- consisted of Re-
cruits, their movements, formation of the lines, and firings by
companies, wings,.or of vollies, would have-done credit to Vete-
rans. His Lordship regaled' them with several barrels of ale,
and the Officers; after partaking of as Cold.-eollation, marched
back to their quarters.

ITINERARY FROM TRIPOLI TO TIMBOUCTOO.--=
M.WAL CKENAER is about to publish a Work of great interest.
Appointed by the Academy of Inscriptions at Paris to examine
and prepare for the press an " Itinerary from Tripoli to. Thr,
bouctoo, translated from the Arabic, the learned Geographer
has added to it -dnother• " Itinerary from Tripoli to Timbouc-
too," writtencin .vulgar Arabic, and translated by M. Silvestro
de Sacy. These two Narratives, so important for the Geo-
graphy of the Interior of Africa, will be accompanied by a
Map, and Preceded by, an Essay, in which M. Walekenaer
communicates the previous information which has reached us,
and the result of the expeditions undertaken in this vast coun-
try, where the Niger still hides its mysterious course. In the
Report made to the Academy of Inscriptions, and which 111.
Walckenaer has just published, we perceive that the caravans
set out for Timbouctoo. from every point of the ho.rizon. Those
from Sennaar, Nubia,- and it gyps are calculated to excite the
most lively curiosity, the expeditions from the North, West,
and South-West having perished,-, or at least failed. The Au-
thor, after having detailed all these researches, analyzes the se-
veral narratives, compares and discusses ,the-.idifFerent contra-
dictory notions which have been-published respecting the course
of Rivers, the direction of Mountains, and the-position of the
numerous Nations which people this large iime of Northern
Africa. When we consider the many voluntary and com-
pulsory journies across .the iahara, And the numerous at-
temps made by England to penetrate into the heart of this rich
and fertile Country, we entertain no. doubt of deriving both in-
Istruetion - and •amti.sement- from the well-known. ability. of the
Alkthor of this Work.
... . ,

P O E T R Y.

CARIVI INA WICCAMICA.--(No. XIV.)

THE DREAM OF CALPHURN. lA.
BY C:-- B B •

•
Dark was the night_; with wild tempestuons ioumd -
A rising earthquake rock'd the trembling"ground ;
Rome telt the shoZI, around the 'mitering; tow'r;
Roar'd the loud blast, and beat the driNing shover,
Which rous'd ambition frOm'her broken rest
And chill'd with drmd victorious Cmsar's breast.
Pale from his couch he starts, his eyeballs roll,. -
While terror half unmans his sturdy soul.
No flatt'ring myriads now his worth proclaim,
No more from camp to camp resounds his name;
No more the Sons of Rome milting raise
Triumphant shouts, and swell the songs of praise ;
'Tis silence. all; save when the thunder's sound
Flings to the swelling gale its peal profound.
Alone, amaz'd he stands, and seems to hear
Mysterious voices break upon his ear,
In dread array funereal phantoms glide,
Wing the mid sky, and on the whirlwinds ride ;
While the blue lightning's momentary glare
Plays with faint lustre on his streaming hair.
Say did thy soul, proud hero, in that hour
Scorn the frail" joys of transitory pow'r ?
Did!st thou at length pereeive how weak, how vain
The boasted splendour of thy earthly reign,
Then did thy heart, in that terrific night,
Confess the weakness of thy vaunted might;
And spite of all thy conquests, all thy fame,
Trembled with chilly fear thy mortal frame.
'When to ! with gesture wild, andliggedair,
Sunk her pale cheek, and labourinig bosom bare,
Forth rush'd Calphurnia ! her distilacted eye
Spoke the keen pangs of wilful agony—
O'er her sad face was spread a fev'rih glow,
And ghastly horror sat upon her brow ;
Not with such frantic mien on Morva's shore,
Their gaining bands the Druid sisters bore,
When.fierce they rush'd, amid night's awful gloom,
And scar'd with dismal cries the might of Roine :
" What have I seen," she cried, " before my sight
" What threatening phantoMs in the dead of night.
44 Tremendous rose, and on my throbbing breast
" Terror and dark prophetic fears impressed_ 1
44 When gentle slumber o'er my senses stole,
" And steep4d in soft forgetfulness my soul,
" Methought amid the clouds, with beck'ning hand,
" I saw great 'Pompey.'s bleeding image stand !
" It shriek'd, as slow it vanish'd into air—
" Tyrant I'm revenged—Despair, despair;
" While heav'n and earth in furious tempest join'd,
" New scenes of horror rack'd my tortur'd mind ;
4' Lo ! suddenly I saw thy statue rise
" TOw'ringterrific, of gigantic size,
" Pierc'd with a thousand wounds, its mangled side,
" Forth like a fountain pour'd the crimson tide,
" From every vessel gush'd the vital flood
"And bath'd th' empurpled limbs with streams of blood.
" On the portentous prodigy, amaz'd,
44 With palpitating heart I trembling gaz'd, •
" And view'd with horror, Rome's tumultuous bands
"-Drench in the clotted gore filar eager hands !
" 'Tis past—but still creative Fancy's pow'r
" Paints the dread spectres of the midnight hour ;
" Still the same.fear my soul distracted fills,
" And thro' my frozen heart the dire remembrance thrills.
" And hark—e'en now, shook with convulsive rage,
" All heav'n and earth confirm the sad presage ;
" Embattled squadrons on the clouds advance •
44 Clash the bright shield, and hurlthe meteor lance.
" Now firm in phalanx meet, now slowly pour, •
44 From the rent clouds, thick sleet-of arrowy show'r,
" And at each pause, what deep ton'd thunders roll ?
" What forked lightnings flash from pole to pole ?
"See bursting from their graves the shadows pale ;
The eagle screaming in the tainted gale ?„
" O'er thee the threat'ning birds ill omen'd fly.
" And sound thy fatal doom amid the sky ;'
.44 To thee dim gliding points each fleeting form,
" And bears thy name ill-mutmur'd in the storm:
4‘ Oh ! let this sigh sincere, his tender pray'r
" Touch thy firm mind, and warn thee to beware.
" Let hot thy soul, with conquests too elate
" Still court each danger, and provoke thy fate :
" Low at thy feet, behold, Calphurnia lies ;
" Fear for thy Safety dims my clouded eyes ;
" If vain I plead, if thou.disdain -to hear
" The deep drawn sigh, and mark the trickling tear,
" Thy country's pray'rs shall thy rash steps detain.
" Shall Rome thou fought'st to save, implore in vain ?
44. Rome hans on thee, if thou alas should'st tall,
"Thy wife, thy friends, thy country, perish all !"
f3he teas'de with fear; still heav'd her panting breast,
Her looks the tumult of her soul express d.
Like some firm rock, that, rising from the flood,
Spurns the tempestuous waves, great from}
stood;
With, gen'rous heat his cheeks indignant glow,
And high disdain sits scowling in his brow.
Whilst sparks of rage seem flashing from his eyes,
Prompted by conscious worth he thus replies :
" Shall Caesar fear ? Shall I, whose deathless praise
44 Applauding mem'ry to the skies will raise,
" `1 ho every shape of danger durst defy,
".Shrink from- a vision, from a shadow fly.!
" And shall an empty dreain my mind dismay,
" Whom hostile myriads ne'er appall'd by day !
" Was it for this my ensigns conquest bore •
" From far Pyrene to Britannia's shore ?
" For this have I defy'd each barbarons hdrde,
And stretch'd thro' stubborn Gaul my conq'ring sword;
" And where contending billows cleav'd in vain,
" Brav'd all the horrors of the northern main,
44 Was it for this upon its conscious side,
" When lay strong camp was spread in warlike pride;
" The troubled spirit of the Rubicon
" Saw me advance—then hail'd, and bade me on !
" And shall a woman's dreams, a woman's fears,
" This bosom chill, or draw unmanly tears ?
" When Fate condemns me to the silent tomb,
" No pray'rs, no caution can avert my doom :
" But the great soul, that still for virtue strives,
" E'en after death in endless praise survives—
" Such be my fate !—let Rome exalt my name,
"For ne'er Caesar quit the paths of Fame.
"Still, while 1-live, by no base fears opprest,
" Still shall the love of glory fire my breast ;
" Be mine the threats of fortune to defy,
" To live like C.ESAR, or, like C.tsAn, die !"