The Sun.
London, England, 1842-11-11 00:00:00

LITE ATURE.

THE NABOB AT HOME. 3 Vols.
Colburn, London, 1842.
There are one or two stirring incidents in this
tale, and among the most striking, we may men-
tion the shipwreck of the homeward-bound East
Indiaman, Snowdon, which gets among breakers
in the Bay of Bengal, during a thick fog. The
whole of this scene is described with great vigour
and minuteness; indeed so minute is the descrip-
thin, that it seems to be less an effort of fancy,
than a literal transcript from reality. The tale,
on the whole, is clever, and the various pictures
of life in India are touched off with spirit. The
chief personage -is a Scotch Highlander, who,
having made a fortune in the East, returns in
the autumn of life to his native land ; his cha-
racter throughout is drawn with feeling and dis-
crimination.

COMIC ALMANAC FOR 1843.
Tilt and Bogue, London, 1843.
The Comic Almanac makes its appearance—as if
out of a considerate regard to its readers—just at the
fitting season, when the fogs and frosts, and rains of
November announce the immediate advent of winter.
A hearty laugh is now a social luxury infinitely
to be coveted ; even a grin is not to be
despised ; and the volume before us will
supply both these desiderata in abundance. Seat
yourself in fancy beside us, gentle reader, at a bright,
cozy fire-side—let the warm, flowing curtains be
close drawn, and• the lamp newly trimtned—let a
sparkling decanter embellish the table, by way of fron-
tispiece, while an uncorked, well-crusted black bottle
stands, stiff as a sentinel, in the remote distance, un-
derneath the side-board—and thus snugly located,
reader, let us laugh together at the 'droll fancies of
George Cruikshank, as they exhibit themselves in
every page of the present Annual, or rather Perennial.
Pray, observe, in particular, the quizzical illustrations
of the "Cold Water Cure!" Did you ever in all
your life see anything more laughable than the face
and figure of the old fool who is sitting, in the depth
of winter, up to his knees in an ice-pail ? He fancies
himself uncommonly comfortable, but you can
see by the rough goose-skin creeping over his
legs, that he is within an ace of becoming
a petrifaction. Close beside him is a fellow who is
lying in bed with a big lump of ice in his night-cap,
while a German doctor is deluging the sheets with
the contents of two watering-pots, by way
of keeping up a healthy and refreshing mois-
ture in the invalid's system! Next, observe tho
credulous youngster who is stretched, full-length,
with his mouth wide open, right under the
water-butt, because he has been told that cold water
—the colder the better—drawn fresh and frisky
from the butt, is an infallible remedy for
the tooth-ache ! Distrust seems struggling with
faith in his countenance—and well it may, for
we can see by the convulsive movement of his
hands that he has ju.tt got such a twinge as would
set him roaring out like a bull of Bashan, if his
mouth were not full of the cooling element. " Oh,
Law !" is a truly touching illustration. The age has
become moral, virtuous, and peaceable, and the lawyers,
in consequence, are all ruined. The Courts of Queen's
Bench, Common Pleas, and Exchequer are advertised
to be let or sold ; and of the three Chief
Judges, one is selling apples at a fruit-stall, a second
has turned street-sweeper, and is plying disconsolately
at Charing-cross with his broom in his hand, and the
third is hawking pies about Westminster. Such a
set of scamps as they look We wonder how the
police can have left them at large, for not one of the
three but appears fully capable of petty larceny to
say the least of it. " Distraining for Rent" repre-
sents a party of legal functionaries attempting to force
their way into a house, to the infinite disgust and
annoyance of the establishment, who are attacking
them with all sorts of weapons. The cook heads the
charge, armed with a gridiron, which she' has just let
fall on the unprotected sconce of a thick-set sheriff's
officer, while the scullion brings up the rear, flourish-
ing a frying-pan above her head, destined, we fear, ere
long, to floor one or more of the advancing foes. This
plate is in Cruikshank's most grotesque style, but,
indeed, his genius appears to signal advantage
throughout the Comic Almanack, which is this year
better than it has yet been.

POPULAR HISTOR Y OF BRITISH INDIA.
Madden, London, 1842.

Those readers who are desirous of obtainin.,
an insight, however slight, into the history of
our East Indian possessions, will find much to
answer their purpose in this unassuming volume,
which, without going deep into its subject, con-
veys useful information in a very agreeable man-
ner. As a school-book, for which indeed it seems
chiefly intended, we think it very likely to be-
come a lasting favourite; for it skims the surface
of oriental history with great ease and dexterity,
and is penned in a clear, fluent, and concise
style. The only fault we find with it is, that it
gasses too slightly and cursorily over Clive's ex-
ploits in India, which, as they laid the founda-
tion of all our present power in that hemisphere,
should have been dwelt on somewhat more in
detail.

FEROCIOUS STABBING NEAR
ELLESMERE, SHROPSHIRE.
(Abridged from the Shrewsbury News.)
A most barbarous and cowardly assault was per-
petrated in the neighbourhood of Ellesmere on the
evening of -Wednesday last, by which two human
lives were nearly sacrificed, and for which the mis-
creant is now awaiting his trial in our county gaol,
The circumstances as far as we have been able to
ascertain, are as follow :
On the evening in question, the prisoner, whose
name is Edward Williams, and who was a sawyer,
and resided at Penley, near Ellesmere, and a party
of countrymen, among whom were the two sufferers,
Thomas Judson and Thomas Mason (both labouring
men), went to witness the performances of Van
Amburgh, who had pitched his tent in that town.
On their return home a quarrel took place between
the prisoner and Mason, in which the former made
use of violent imprecations, but no blows were struck.
Judson, who was a friend of the prisoner, seeing
him so much excited, endeavoured to persuade
him to go home peaceably, but he turned suddenly
round, and with a clasp knife stabbed his friend in
the lower part of the abdomen in so dreadful a
manner, that the bowels protruded from the wound.
The prisoner, undismayed by his first attack, in-
stantaneously inflicted two other stabs on the breast
of his victim, near the heart, the last of which would
undoubtedly have proved fatal, had not the knife
struck against one of his ribs. The prisoner then
inflicted a wounds about four. inchea long and half an
inch deep, at the back of the neck, and another severe
wound from the crown of the head to the forehead,
where the knife glanced against the bone. The hands
of Judson were also dreadfully lacerated in endea-
vouring to parry the murderous thrusts which were
made at him by the prisoner.
Shortly after Judson had fallen to the ground, the
prisoner started on his way home, and v. as followed
by Thomas Mason, who told him he was no man for
stabbing the wounded man in the cowardly manner
he had done, and for having made use of the knife at
all in a quarrel. The prisoner, without making any
reply, turned round, and stabbed :Mason in the
stomach. ,Mason' the moment he found himself
stabbed, knocked the prisoner into a ditch, but he
' jumped up immediately afterwards, and ran away;
and while doing so was observed to throw something
away. The place was searched, and a knife was found
at a short distance from the spot where Mason was
stabbed. The knife is a clasp one, very sharp, and
the blade was much bent, supposed to be from
striking against the ribs of Judson. The cut in
Mason's thigh has divided the scrotum, and was within
an inch of the femoral artery.

The wounded man, Judson, was conveyed to the
house of Mr. Moseley, surgeon, who considered his
life to be in imminent danger, C. K. Mainwaring, the
nearest Magistrate, attended, and took down the depo-
sitions of the woundedj man.

Williams was captured in Ellesmere the following
morning. He was taken the same day before C. K.
Mainwaring, Esq., and fully committed to take his
trial at our. next Assizes, on two distinct charges of
stabbing with intent to kill and maim. He is a very
powerful fellow, standing upwards of six feet high,
and was taken to gaol on Saturday last.

The hop duty is backed freely at 158,0001. A few
days more and the matter will be at rest for the pre-
sent year.—Kentish Gazette.
The Earl and Countess of Granville have arrived at
Florence, from Germany.
The Lord Mayor's ball at Guildhall on Wednesday
evening last was attended by nearly 2,000 persons.
At ten o'clock dancing commenced to Adams's
fashionable band of 30 performers, which played in
their usual style. of excellence. Several of Adams's
new quadrilles were encored, and the dancing was
kept up with great spirit until an early hour in the
morning.
RAILWAYS.—The number of accidents on the rail-
ways of the United Kingdom, arising from causes
beyond the control 'of, passengers, which occurred
in the year 1841, was 29, by which 24 persons
were killed and 72 injured. The number of
accidents which occurred in the same period to
individuals owing to their own negligence or mis-
conduct, was 36 ; by which 17 persons were killed
and 20 injured. The description given of the seve-
ral cases in this class affords proof of the extraordinary
recklessness of the individuals who have suffered.
" Jumped off after his hat" occurs no less than three
times ; " jumped off," twelve times; " run over,
crossing before a train," occurs six times. There are
al?o several cases of persons killed whilst lying
asleep on the rails, and of others killed or injured by
felling *frOm trucks on which theybeen had riding
without leave.

Promissory notes 99,580 0 0
Unclaimed dividends 1,808 14 0

TUE SUN, LONDON, FRID.A :"Y MORNING, NOVEMBER 11, 1842.

THE BAN K OF MANCHESTER.
A meeting of i ,he Proprietors of the Bank of Man-
chester was held on Monday.
Long before :the hour appointed the large room
was well filled wi th the Shareholders, many of whom
came from r col Isiderable distance to attend the
meeting.
Mr. Smith h. " Read tho,advertisement
andconven-
ingthemeeting,it.
g a iso the 74th clause of the deed
of settlement, em pow( :ring the Directors to call such
CHAIRMAN said the meeting had been called
togethermeting
Thee
to determine .t upon the dissolution of the
Company, provided any one Shareholder, in con-
formity with the clan use just read, thought proper to
move a resolution to that effect. Mr. Smith had pre-
pared a Report of t the present state of the bank,
bringing it down to last Thursday, the Report which
was read at the arm> lel meeting only bringing the
accounts down to th e month of June last.
Mr. Smith then i ..ead the following
REPORT.

The present rieeting of Shareholders has been
convened in conformity with the 74th clause of the
deed of settletnent, and in consequence of the follow-
ing summary of fne condition of the bank on the 30th
June last, which was laid before the Board of Direct•
ors on the 7th ult., and by them submitted to the
annual Genera:i Meeting of Shareholders on the 14th
of the same in( mth.

The Direct )rs have only further to report that the
arrangements then alluded to, for paying off the lia-
bilities of the Eank, have been hitherto carried out
without interim') tion, and they have no reason to doubt
that their views on this head will he fully realised.
They beg to acknowledge the promptitude with which
a large portion of the heaviest Shareholders have an•
ticipated the payment of 21. per share.
The following is a statement of the joint liabilities
of the Company, made up to the 27th ult. :
Notes in circulation.. .£9,680 0 0 £ s. d.
Post bills