The Sun.
London, England, 1845-11-24 00:00:00

GRETNA GREEN.—This celebrated scene of clan-

destine marriages, situated in Dumfries-shire, near the mouth
of the river Esk, nine miles north-west from Carlisle, is thus
described by Pennant :.--." At a short distance from the bridge
is the little village of Gretna, the resort of all amorous
couples, whose union the prudence of parents or guardians
prohibits. Here the young pair may be instantly united by
a fisherman, a joiner, or a blacksmith, who marry from two
guineas a job to a dram of whisky. But the price is gener-
ally adjusted by the information of the postilions from Car-
lisle, who are in the pay of one or other of the above worthies ;
but even the drivers, in case of necessity, have been known to
undertake the sacerdotal office. This place is distinguished
from afar by a small plantation of firs, the Cyprian grove of
the place, a sort of landmark for fugitive lovers. As I had a
great desire to see the high priest, by stratagem I succeeded.
He appeared in the form of a fisherman, a stout fellow in a
blue coat, rolling round his solemn chops a quid of tobacco
of no common size. One of our party was supposed to come
to explore the coast ; we questioned him about the price,
which, after eying us attentively, he left to our honour.
The Church of Scotland does what it can to prevent these
clandestine matches, but in vain ; for these infamous
couplers despise the fulmination of the Kirk, and excom-
munication is the only penalty it can inflict." The first
person that twined the bands of Hymen at famed Gretna, is
supposed to have been a man named Scott, who resided at
the Rigg, a few miles from the village, about the year 1750.
He was accounted a shrewd crafty fellow, and little more is
known of him. George Gordon, an old soldier, started up
as his successor, and after him came the noted Joseph Pais
ley, who first obtained the name of the "blacksmith," allu-
sive to Vulcan's employment as the celestial priest of matri-
mony. On more than one occasion he earned the handsome
fee of one hundred guineas. Lord Westmoreland, Lord
Deerhurst, and one or two others, paid fully that sum, and
many of the inferior fees were so large, that the "priest,"
had he been prudent, might have lived merrily and yet died
rich. But he liked his bottle too well for that, and the same
remark applies to his successors. After the decease of old
Joseph Paisley, the field lay more open for competition in the
trade, and at present there are, we believe, two or more rival
practitioners at Gretna. The marriage of Lord Wesmoreland
with the great heiress of Mr. Child, the banker, is remembered
for one circumstance. The fugitive pair being closely pur-
sued, and nearly overtaken when within a few miles of " the
border," the Earl, to gain a start of ten minutes, drew a pis-
tol and shot the leading horse of Mr. Child's carriage. The
eldest daughter of this Gretna wedding, Lady Sophia Pane,
inherited the great fortune of her grandfather, including
Child's bank at Temple-bar, and having married Lord Jer-
sey, became mother of the Lady Adela Ibbetson.—Patrician.
[ADVERTISRMENT.]—ANOTHER WONDER, OR CURB
EXTRAORDINARY BY HOLLOWAY'S PILLS.—Mr. Maguire,
a respectable person residing near Sundays Well, Cork, was
given over in a case of dropsy, and was perfectly cured, when
pronounced to be at the point of death, by these wonderful Pills
Persons, either young or old, who become corpulent, pottle-
bellied, bloated, or dropsical, may not only avoid.'apoplexy and
other dangerous diseases attending thereon, but also regain the
highest state of health, strength, and energy, and their figures
become as tight, as light, and as good as in the days of youth.—
Sold (also Holloway's Ointment) at Professor Holloway's
I,' stabli•hment, 224, Strand, and by all respectable vendors of
medicine throughout the civilised world.
-Eyß.—On Monday last, a family of six or eight
persons had a very narrow escape from death by poison. Mr.
Marshall, of Hoxne, having had some wheat dressed for seed
with arsenic, through mistake about half a coomb of this
'wheat was sent to the millers and ground into Sour, which
was made into bread. On Monday afternoon the family par-
took of the bread, and all retired to bed ; Mrs. Marshall,
after lying some time and unable to go to sleep, got up. The
first person she saw was one of her sons, sound asleep aid
foaming at the mouth. On rousing him he complained of
pain in the body, which was much swelled. The remainder
of the family were all called up, and medical aid procured.
On the surgeon's arrival he administered a powerful emetic,
which had the desired effect of saving their lives. One servant
boy had a relapse on Tuesday; but on Wednesday he
was better, and is now considered out of danger. It is hoped
this circumstance will be a warning to farmers to be cautious
of the wheat thus dressed. Most. probably, had these indi-
viduals continued asleep, in the morning all would have been
past recovery.—Sussex Chronicle.
THE IRON MARKET.—The demand for iron for the
railroads is being sensibly felt in the feverish state 5.f sauce-
pans, which have 'risen to an alarming height within the
up to a shilling without the coupon, that is to say, with no
tlasthe Nfeeww Cli t weeks.as low Ahas rushed
goodasteakettle,ninepence
a monthw h
.i which
ago,was
thefright-
ful,
object for their resemblance to railway lines has made them r
object of competition among vat ions companies.. Pokerst_ wete
dreadfully firm, without the smallest protheaibrili r. oftheirw
lid to it. The buoyancy in gridirons. has been quite
yielding ; and there being noch chance of h
however, of pokers, there was very little stirring; . for irons
were flit, and people seemed afraid of burning their fingers.
A little was done in frying-pans at the beginning of the day,
there was a good deal of activity. lVith theg velxngptiaoyn,
there formerly used to be.—Punch.
but there was no disposition to play for a very great stake,. as