Star.
London, England, 1830-09-16 00:00:00

SCINTILLA.

WOMEN WHEN UNHAPPILY MARRIED.—Medea de-
clares in Euripides, that a woman ill.married L :in =eh a miserable
condition, that it is better for her to die than to continue in it—she can.
aM, like the men, go abroad In quest of necomary consolation :
" If, when
The careful consort rules her household well,
Her husband governs with a gentle sways
And courts her loved embrace—what &surfeit joy,
What inward comforts seise her raptur'd breast
But if, be scornful, slights her converse sweet,
'Ms better for her far to die than live.
Man, when oppress'd with black domestic cares,
Rangy abroad, to seek relief, and meets
The baling comforts of a faithful friend,
Or fellowship of some companion dear;
But helpless, hapless woman, when denied
These tender joys, which from her husband's love
She justly claims, must seek it no where else.•'
Bwripid in Media, v. MI.

THz Ros lc RUSIAN s.—The Nam:Lefty, OT the oponiz of
the lint book written within and without with the key of David, his
pen resembling a wand : a book which h not only an lattogootko to
the mysteries of the Holy Scriptures, and of all Nature, bet oho with
the help of that morning star that was seen in 1572, dhows's*, wind
coming of Jesus Christ, before the last day, in which, balm ilhohoyd
the Pope, who is the man of sin, and Mabomet, his son of
will restore his church, and the principalities of the that theme
may be henceforth but one flock and one shepherd. Published for the
good of the Evangelical militia that bears the Cross, by Simon Studien,
among Scorpions. The Fiat and List Part. Nathaniel and Cleophso
Ina:locums, 1004." Such is the title of a book written by one of
the society of Rosiausians, as given by Frscauw in his History of the
Divines of Wirlosolvoy, published in 1710. Studion's book was never
printed. It was dedicated to Frederick, Duke of Wirtembcrg, and the
crazy author affirmed that that prince would have the honour to crucify
the Last Pope in 1612, and that Jesus Christ would begin his reign of a
in HIM
thousand years in 1620. Unfortunately for poor Studien, the duke died

THE DEVIL IGNORANT or GAELIC.—" Having met,
when in France, with a woman who was said to be possessed with the
devil, and who professed to speak all languages, he( Buchanan) accosted
her in Gaelic. As neither she nor her familiar retumed)uty answer, he
entered a protest that the devil was ignorant of that language.'
Life of Buchanan, p. 5.
CARDS.—Playing cards were first seen in Italy in the
14th century. The Abbe Longuerue states that he saw in his youth,
a pack of cards, such as they were in their origin. They were eeilgghht
inches long, with figures of a pope and emperor. and four
which fought against each other, and which gave rise to our four colours.
Cards were introduced into France in the year 1390, to divert King
Charles VII. who was then in a state of insanity. Arglne, the name of
the Queen of Clubs, is the anagram of regina. This was Maria of
Anjou. Queen of Charles, to whom the painter Oringoneur dedicated
the pack of cards which he subsequent]" introduced for the use of the
court of France. Rachel, the name of the Queen of Diamonds, was
Agnes Sorrel; the Queen of Spades, under the name of Pallas, denoted
the Maid of Orleans. Isabeau of Bemis was represented by the Queen
of Hearts, under the name of the Empress Judith, a very gallant prin-
cess. In David, which is the King of Spades, we recognise Charles
the Seventh, persecuted by his father as David was by Saul, and
forced like him to defend himself against a rebel son. The
four valets, (knaves) Ogler, Lancelot, Lshire, and Hector, are
historical personages: the two first lived in the time of bar..
lemagne ; Hector and Lahire were distinguished Captains undue
Charles VII. The title of valet, formerly varlet, led to the order of
Knighthood. The four valets represented the nobility; all the other
cards were the soldiers, and the colours were the millttsarryy embletns. By
the beam was meant bravery; the spades and diamaods were the arms,
and the clubs the forage. The ace was the symbol of finances, which
are the sinews of war. We know that among the Romans this was the
name of a piece of coin. A fool was the first person in France who made
use of cards. Are those who have imitated him a jot wiser 7—Cards
have given rise to a great number of sayings : we say figuratively, that
a man sees the cards undermost, when we wish to explain that be fore.
sees consequences.—To give a carte blanche to any person, is to lin.
=ehim to act just as he pleases. A general has frequently a aorta
for operations which will cost the lives of thousands; but a
carte blanche is never given to an author who unmasks trice and rails
at folly.
BYRON—SCOTT...-.WORDSWORTII..—.-Lord Byron, who
had always led a manly, rough life, was in the habit of expressing some
indignant impatience at the fastidious complaints and disgusts of oars-
shoal inaccommodations experienced by the few literary Mends who
visited him from Lopatin, and who were in the habit of dally luxurla.
ting themselves at the tables and drawing-rooms of rich Earle
and Duchesses—in the excess of all the ...racial habits of that
corrupt and overgrown capital. Lord Byron 'could sleep, wrapt in his
rough great coat, on the hard boards of a deck, while the wind and
waves were roaring round hint on every side, and could subsist on a
anst and a glees of water. The mighty bard led the life, as he wrote
the strains, of a true poet. It would be difficult to persuade me, that
he who is a coxcomb in his manners and artificial in his habits of
life, could write good poetry. It may be said that (hay was so:
but with him it was (such as it was, and It was a fault) merely upon
the mike : he led an independent life and would never mix with the
silliness of fashion. Sir Walter Scott, the great living genius, is a man
of may, careless manners, and takes life and society as it comes.
Wordsworth is a man of great plainness, and manly disdain of fashion-
able life and those whom the thoughtless multitude, (with all their cla-
mours for equality) consider to be the great, and as such the objects of
envy and extorted respect.--Sir Egerton Brydges.
HustE.—Five days before ho died, David Hume wrote
the following letter to the Countess de Boufiers :—" Edinburgh, 10th
oteditagart, 1770.—Though lam certainly within a few weeks, dear
, and perhaps within a few days of my own death, I could not
forbear being struck with the death of the Prince of Conti,--so great a
loss in every particular. My reflections carried me immediately to your
situation in this melancholy incident. What a difference to you in
your whole plan of life ! Pray write me some particulars, but in such
terms that you need not care, in case of my decease, into whose hands
your letter may fall.—My distemper is a diarrhoss, or disorder in my
bowels, which has been gradually undermining me these two years.
but, within these six months, has been visibly hastening me to my end.
1 see death approach gradually, without anxiety or regret. I salute
you, with great affection and regard, for the last time. D. H."
ECLIPSES.—The eclipses which happened about the time
of the Creation are little more than half way of their ethereal circuit : it
will be 4,000 years before they enter the earth any more. A catalogue
of eclipses was calculated to gratify the curiosity of the French King.
who was anxious to know if a total or annular eclipse would soon hap-
pen, visible at Paris. From this calculation it appeared,.that only one
annular eclipse would occur in the 19th century, and that it would take
place on the 9th of October. 1847. The distance of the centres of the
two luminaries will be only 10 sec. the distance of the south limbs,
1 min. 24 ea. distance of the north limbs, 1 min. 4 sec. helm; ob-
serves, that at the total ecliese of 1580, the darkness at Coimbra was
greater, or at least more staking, than that of night ; and the birds fell
to the earth through terror. At the solar eclipse of 1699, there was
only 1-180th of the sun visible at Oripswald, in Pomerania; and the
obscurity was so great, that the inhabitants could neither see to read nor
write. Two of the planets, and two or three of the fixed stars also mode
their appearance. In 1706, at Paris, the sun was eclipsed nearly eleven
digits; yet, although only one-twelfth of the diameter was visible,
every thing could be distinguished as clearly as in the fullest sunshine.
The sky an azure field display'd—
"rwas aun.light sheathed, and gently charm'd,
Of all its sparkling rays disarm'd,
And as in slumber laid;
Or something night and day between,
Like moonshine--hut the hue was green.
The grand eclipse of the 22d of April, 1715, presented most interest-
ing phenomena; it was observed, and minutely detailed, by Dr. Halley.
His description of it is said to be the best cheat astronomical history al-
fords of this species of phenomenon. During the greatest obscuration,
the planets Jupiter, Mercury, and Venus, and not fewer than twenty of
the fixed stars, were visible; so that the sky appeared as starry as dur-
ing the night of a full moon. An observer at Zurich says, that the
birds went to roost, the bats came out of their holes' an ,
and the fishes
swam about; a sensation of cold was experienced, and the dew tell on
the grass." The next lunar eclipse visible in Britain, will take place
February the 26th, 1831. Digit eclipsed 8 deg. 18 min. the moos will
rise eclipsed. A very small solar eclipse will occur July the 27th.
1832; 12 min. 30 sec. only, of the sun's southern limb will be con-
cealed. A great solar eclipse, visible in England, will take place the
15th of May, 1830, when 11 deg. 10 min. will be covered. Another
considerablreclipse of the sun will occur the 15th of March 1868, when
11 deg. 30 min. will be hidden. A still more remarkable eclipse of the
sun will take place the 19th of August, 1887, when the whole of the
disc will be covered excepting 2 min. A total eclipse without continu-
ance, will occur the 3d of February, 1910. The apparent diameters
will coincide, and for as instant, there will be a total concealment of
the sun's light. This eclipse will be the greatest that will be visible in
England did after the year of our Loan 2,000.
magninisisasozensee

On

BIRTHS.
The 14th inst. in Audley-square, the wife of D. Baillie, Esq. of •
daughter—The 25th of August, in the fifth month of het widowhood,
Elizabeth, relict of the late Charles Julius Berguer. Esq. of a daughter.

The nth hist: at Chipstead. the Hon. J. St. Clair, eldest son of the
Right Hon. Lord Sinclair, and late of the Grenadier• Wards, to Jane,
eldest daughter of A. Little. Raq. of Shabda-park, Surrey.

Lowhotr: Printed and Published by JOHN MATNZ, at the
Orrics. No. 1, Piekett.place, Temple Bar.

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