The Sun.
London, England, 1844-01-09 00:00:00

A BELGIAN SORCERER.

A Brussels journal of Sunday furnishes us
with the following history of jugglery acting
upon ignorance and superstition. A journey-
man at Uccle, named Hertveld, had the reputa-
tion of being the most redoubtable of sorcerers.
His fame reached the ears of a peasant who had
a daughter about 17 years of age, suffering from
a complaint, which was'in truth no other than
pulmonary phthisis. The father, impelled by his
natural affections, unguided by education, deter-
mined to consult the sorcerer. Hertveld imme-
diately obeyed the summons, and came with
a most awful-looking book, which he opened
with mystic signs, and muttered over- it some
incantations perfectly unintelligible to the
family, and certainly equally so to himself. This
done, he inquired the seat of the disease, and
then commanded the peasant to dig a hole
in the floor of his cottage, which was neither
paved nor floored. A pickaxe was got, and
the hole made. When of a certain depth, Hert-
veldt uttered a piercing cry, stooped down, and
brought from the bottom a pincushion full of
pins, which he himself, unperceived by those
around him, had adroitly thrown into it. Having
hastily counted the pins, he exclaimed to the
father, " Your daughter is saved! There are
only 27 pins, but if there had been one more,she
must have died." He then explained that these
pins belonged to as many witches, who used them.
in torturing the young woman; but for a sum of
money to be divided among them he could in-
duce them to forego their malice. The deluded
father gave him 15f., which he said would do.
The pincushion, with all the pins in it, was then
thrown into the fire by time pretended sorcerer,
who, in order, as he said, to avoid contami-
nation, took it up with a pair of tongs. This
article consumed, the rogue offered to show the
party the Devil himself; assuring them that he
would be perfectly harmless, as he would make
him appear in the shape of a black beetle.
With fear and trembling they consented,
and even gave 10f. more for this sight
of the enemy of mankind. Having pocketed
the money, Hertveld led his dupes into the
stable, and the pickaxe was again set to work.
The hole being formed, by the same sleight-of-
hand he produced a very ordinary small box, in
which, he said, his Satanic Majesty was confined.
This was carried into the cottage, and opened
by Hertveld, with a repetition of all his jug-
glery. The beetle was exhibited to the as-
tonished and terrified eyes of the family, all of
whom devoutly crossed themselves to avert the
evil influence, Their curiosity being satiated,
the box and the Devil were committed to the
flames, as the most appropriate berth, and the
sorcerer took his departure. The poor girl's suf-
ferings continued undiminished, and the poor
deluded people suspected the fraud that had
been imposed upon them. An informa-
tion was laid against Hertveld, and he
and his cabalistic volume were brought be-
fore the magistrate. The book proved to be an
old disfigured- History of Joseph 11., not one
word of which could Hertveld read, for he does
not know one letter in the alphabet. The im-
postor was committed for trial.—Galigktanrs
Messenger.

THE WORLD SOME EIGHTY
YEARS AGO.
A Newcastle Chronicle, dated March 1, 1766,
which has recently fallen into our hands, con-
tains some odds and ends of old-world intelli-
gence that seem worth reprinting :
THE CORN TRADE.—The first paragraph that
catches the eye is the following, under date
" London, February 20 :"—" Twenty thousand
quarters of wheat have, since the first of
this month, been shipped at Yarmouth
for exportation." Then follows the announce-
ment, that on the 18th :the Royal assent was
given to the following, among other Bills:
" An Act to prohibit the exportation of corn.,
grain, malt, neal, flour, bread, biscuit, and starch
for a limited time." "An Act for allowing Ilia
importation of corn and grain, from his Ma-
jesty's colonies in America into this kingdom, for
a limited time, free of duty." "An Act for
allowing the importation of oats and oatmeal into
this kingdom, for a limited time, duty free."
Following, in natural consequence, the Act last
quoted, is this paragraph, dated London, Feb.
25 No less than 60,000 quarters of oats
have been commissioned from Holland, since the
late Act passed, for importing that commodity
duty free."
THE COAL TRADE.—" A Bill for regulating
the statute measure of coals at Newcastle and
Sunderland, and for making twenty chaldrons to
a keel, is preparing to be laid before an august
assembly :"--the "august assembly" being none
other than the old, rotten, boroughmongering
House of Commons, then too sacred a thing to
be even named in print profane.
FOREIGN FREE TRADE.—" HAMBLIRGII, FEB.
11.—It's said that the King of Prussia demands
of this city a total exemption of duties for all
goods that go from hence into his dominions."
MATRIMONIAL..—HOW oddly the following
would read in the columns of our Newcastle
namesake of the present date !—" A lbw days
ago was married, at Ask ham, in Westmoreland,
Mr. Thomas Castlehow of Water-Millock,
Cumberland, to Miss Stelley of Askham ; a
sprightly, genteel. and well-accomplished young
lad,zvith a fortune of 3,0001."
REE TRA DE REJOICINGS IN 1766.—" Extract
of, a Letter from London."—" On Friday, the
affair of the American Stamp Act was reassumed
in a certain great assembly (Parliament), when
a great patriot, by way of recapitulation of the
facts of a former oration, held forth for about an
hour; every whisper was hushed, and every ear
attentive. He was seconded by G. C. who gained
great applause, and by several others who gained
a great majority.
"Several of our principal merchants attended
this meeting, after the breaking up of which,
they ordered the bells in the city to be rung,
and the ships in the river to display their
colours. And it is now concluded that the
great bar to trade is removed or repealed;
sonic say it is to remain as it stands and die ;
others that 'tis suspended for five years.
Be it as it will, 'tis all over ; trade has got
a fine people are full of spirits, and
joy is seen glistening on every countenance.
This has been a busy day, and not less than
10,000 letters will be dispatched of this event to.
night. The great orator is now toasted, The
Patron of Commerce, by way of addition to his
other patriotic titles."
AN EPISCOPAL WIT.—" The Right Rev. the
Bishop of B—, preaeling lately in the city,
observed that the Christian religion was, at this
time, in a condition not much unlike that of its
great Master; for, between superstition on the
one hand, and -enthusiasm on the other, it was
crucified between two thieves."—Verily, the year
of grace, 1844, bears a strong family likeness to
its predecessor !—Dterkain .Chronicle.

LOVE AND SUICIDE.—Some weeks ago a young
woman, called Mary Whiteley, who had lived as housekeeper
with Mr. Hay, surgeon, in Park-square, was missing, and, kora
the circumstance of her clothes being found on a post
near the river side, there could be little doubt that
she had sought a watery grave. Day after day, however,
the river was searched in vain for the body, and hopes
began to be entertained that she was still alive. These
hopes have proved to be groundless. On Wednesday last,
upwards of three weeks from the day when she was missed
her body rose to the surface of the water, and was disco.-
vered floating down the river Aire, betwixt the good-gates and
the dam, at Knostrop. From the investigation which took
place at the inquest, held on the same day, it appeared that an
attachment had subsisted for some time previously between
the unfortunate woman and a fish-dealer called Robert Arm-
strong. The intimacy, however, had been broken off, and
Armstrong was going to be married in a short time to another
woman. The jury gave in their verdict, " Found drowned,
but by what means there was not sufficient evidence to show.
—Leeds Times.
SUDDEN DEATH IN A BALL-ROOM.—A truly awful
instance of the uncertainty of life occurred at Roes, on Wednes-
day se'nnight. A party of friends had met to spend the evening
at the house of Mr. Thomas Edwards, New-street, when one
of the party, Miss Eliza Fisher, who resided within a few miles
of Ross, on standing up to kin a quadrille, became suddenly
in-
disposed, and before medical assistance could be procured, the
vital spark had tied. The deceased was much be'oved and re-
spected by a large circle of acquaintance.—Monmouthshire
Merlin. _ • .

CAPT. WAKEFIELD.—The late Commander Arthur
Wakefield, R. N., whose lamented fate we recorded last week,
was in the 44th year of his age at the time of his death. He
was the third son of Edward Wakefield, Esq., of Burnham,
Essex, the author of the well-known statistical and po itical
account of Ireland. Captain Wakefield entered the navy
at ten years of age, and first sailed in the Nisus frigate, with
Captain Philip Beaver, whose expedition to Bulama, and
other services, are matters of history. Ile was subsequently
present at the taking of Batavia and the Isle of France, and
in the land engagements of Bladensburgh and Washington,
where he served as aide- de. camp to Admiral Sir George
Cockburn. He was afterwards for some time in command
of a brig on the coast of Africa, where he captured several
slave ships after obstinate engagements and boarding from
boats away from his ship. it thrice occurred to him to jump
overboard and save the lives of shipmates at sea. Few officers
were better known or more highly considered in the navy than
the subject cf our remarks. Before his promotion to the rank
of commander lie was much sought after as a lieutenant, and
was seldom at home many days between leaving a ship pain off
and being appointed to another newly put in commission. Ha_
had served in all parts of the world, and left the command of
thethe filouhnatcliaaimioa:tohlusthesttN,aemis-ofrnigseatteti,enslheonit-tliyn
New Zealand Company. His conciliatory manners and moral
ataktlie,
worth had made him respected
it at
will be difficult to find a successor to him post
Nelson, andblsfoereseurvuidceer
adrninistiatien of the
sessed of his energy and ability in the
and beloved by all classes
Company's affairs.—New Zealand Gazette.
Crisfortl, the landlord of the Bull
Ilotel, a man universally respected, committed suicide on
Monday, by drowning, near the King's Mill, Newnham. An
of "Found Drowned."—Cambridge Independent.
inquest was held on the body, when the jury returned a verdict