Star.
London, England, 1830-07-10 00:00:00

THE ORIGIN Ob' LETTERS.
LW VIISTORICO-PASTORAL IBILLAD.

neaten lest taught letters for acme wretch's aid.
Sense hanialed lover or some captive maid ;
They live, they speak' they breathe wind love inrpirest
Warns !Wm the soul, and faithful to its fires.
The virgin's wish, without her fears, impart.
Excuse the blush, and pour out all the heart ;
Speed the soft intercourse from soul to soul,
And waft a sigh from Indus to this Pole.
Far from ftom his lov'd 31yrtille, Thyrsis mourned his lonely state,
Unceasingly oomplainhirtict ate had decrees Of Fate;
" 0 where is my M gate ? Ales! ales !" he ales,
But echo only mock d bins, and responded to his sighs
" 0 cruel Love, who could with flowers, the stinging adder hide !
0 why affections could yot join, which oceans must divide ?
Sinceithou hash eatied my tears to flow, assuage my content grief,
Since thou alone bath caus'd my woe, 0 give my heart relief ! "
Love heard at lest the Shepherditi plaint, and thus replied the youth:
" Receive, most faithful 'Myrtle, the reward of all your truth.
The gentle God from whom you think yeut farrows all proceed.
Hath heard your pray'r, at last, and cdfives to help you In your need.
An art, to mortals yet unknown, to you f shaft convey,
To soothe the Wen of absence, when your nyelph is far away.
An art it is, which, through all splice, extends the power of speech,
And which all lovers, ages hence, shall bless yeti If you teach."
Thus Cupid spoke, and from his quiver straight an arrow drew ;
Ana (tom nis wing a feather pluck'd, of bright ethereal blue:
A whetstone next he wanted, and a pebble gave its aid ;
So with the altarpeit'd arrow barb, this first of pens he made.
Still. to effect his purpoee, there sate wanting something mote.
And this was soon supplied him front the garment which he wore:
It's fabric was celestial, for 'twas male of 1001V11 air, '
I wish that such were saleable, for British nymphs to wear.
The Shepherd next the Penman's craft was made to understand,
And soon he learnt while *Wins still to write a muting hand ;
But first he took the fragment, torn from ienie's celestial band,
And, kneeling down, he stretched it out quite smooth upon the sand.
He next employed, with Cupid's leave, his never-failing dart,
And with it drew some precious blood front just about his heart;
In this he dips the new-made pen, and then, as lovers do,
He *rote a billet, wondrous soft, and, doubtless, wondrous true.
What in the letteiwtitten was it is in vain to guess,
No doubt it set forth all her charms, and all his min di.tress ;
To fold it like a nue-love-knot the shepherd did not tail,
He rubb'd the honey-bee for was, and ward it with his nail.

The Billet-dour was finlsh'd, but who shall the postman be ?
" Ltt me a kiss for hostage claim," said Love; " and I am he."
She tied the letter round his neck, and through the sky set sail,
And soon he brought an answer back, and thus commened the mail.

Soon lovers all wrote letter% and the little God of Love
Could nut convey them all—and made a courier of the Dove;
Ile taught it through the trackless sky to wing its fearless way,
Without a modern dnger.post to tell it where to stray.
My tale is told, and you must know, if doubting he your whim,
The man who told me heard it from—the uuut who told it him :
The man who told it hint, 'tis said, had pick'd it up at Koine,
And now, for your amusement, dears, I bring the story home.
• This expression is from Pctronius—
" (Equum eat, induere nuptum ventum textilem
Palant .pastere nudam in nebula lines ?"

ANECDOTES OF THE LATE KIIG.

EUI AL PARLIAMENJ.

HOUSE OF liiittO4, Jumr 9.

- - -
Petitions were presented against the punishment of death in eases
of forgery. from St. "area. Newington. and the congregation of
If:lnns-row Chapel. Lambeth. and Gough-street Chapel,-Wilworth ;
!and from James Joyce. against the Galway elective franchise bill.
The Earl of RADNOR rose, upon the second reading of the
Arms (Ireland) bill, and objected to the clause imposing a penalty
upon vessels having arms and gunpowder on board. Tame ass no
exemption in case a vessel was driven on .he Irish coast having
arms and gunpowder on board. He did not like the power which
it gave to excise officers ; but admitted that the bill was an im-
provement upon the former one.
The Duke of WELLINGTON said that the bill in question was
only a continuation of an act passed in 1797.
The Reel of Calechm and the Earl of Eldon said a few words.

_
• Earl (HMV complained of the bill being introduced without
any observation. The bill was of that characta that required no-
tice to be given.
The bill was then read a second time, and ordered to be commit.
ted on Monday.
The Earl of HAR ROWDY presented a petition (tom the free
persons of colour of the island of Antigua, praying for an equality
of rights.
Lord DURHAM complained that a motion which he made re-
specting certain returns applicable to Canada, did not appear on
the journal of the house. The noble lord renewed his motion.

DISTRESS IN IRELAND.
Earl STANHOPE, in presenting a petition ftom the county of
'Kent, complaining of distress, took occasion to allude to the dia.
(tresses of Ireland. In the town of Bandon a soup-shop had opened
in D eember last, which supplied 1.000 persons daily with soup ;
the number increased to 2.000, and those were now almost in a state
of starvation, the funds of the soup-sociery being exhausted. That
counery was likely to suffer all the severity of a famine. The dis-
tress of Ireland was not owing to the high price of provisions, but
from want of employment. Instead of finding out means to employ
the poor in Ireland. they were engaged in a constant and useless in.
quiry respecting East Retford. Had they adopted measures fur re-
claiming the bogs in Ireland, they would have given employment to
the poor, and benetitted the country. It was not his intention to
propose any Committee to Inquire into the state of Ireland. The
noble earl concluded by presenting the petition in question.

The Earl of LIMERICK hoped that the fear of famine, which
'he noble earl had respecting Ireland, would not be realised. lie
denied that the excesses in Limerick arose from distress. The mob
was composed of a parcel of ruffiana. He had great pleasure in
'ening their lordships that, without loor laws. very large contrihu.
Lions had heen collected from the gentry, and other persona of l•i-
-nerick, to relieve the really distressed there. lie admitted that
•here was distress in Ireland that distresa was not owing to the.
want of provisions, but to the want of employment.
After a few words from the Earl-of ELDON,
The .Marquis of LONDONDERRY denied that Ireland gene-
rally was distr.:ALA lie admitted, however, that distress existed in
parts of Iceland. In Donegal and Londonderry the rents were bet.
ter paid than they had been previously. This was a pretty g."l
proof that distress did not exist in those parts of the country with
which he was acquaintA
The Duke of WELLINGTON said that it was not the inter:.
don of hia Mrjesty's Ministers to propose any grant for the relief of
Ireland.

Earl DARNLEY said that any change In the currency in Ireland
would not relieve the distress of that country. The distress had, he
was creditably informed, much diminished. The price of potatoes
had fallen consWerablv.
Earl STANSTANIIOPE replied.
Earl DARNLEY and the Marquis of LONDONDERRY ex;
plained.

• Lord TRYNHA3I amid that the &stress in the county of Kent'
was much greater than could be imagined.
The Rail of LAUDINIt DALE rose to order, and said that the
noble lord wits adverting to the mull of Kent, when the entire of
the discussion was about Ireland.
Lord DVRIIA3I said that the noble earl was perfectly In
order, for the petition related to the distress in the county of
Kent.

Lind TEINHA3I " I Hive orlv to add that there preheated,
any hops to be gathered in Kent." (Laughter.)
Sit A. Grant and other members, from the House of Commons,
brought up the appropriation act ; the rote of credit bill ; the
Exchequer bills' bill: the beer and cyder duties bill; the fisheriet
,acts amendment bid ; and the disembodying (Ireland) militia bill.
The appropriation act was read a first time.
Lord DURHAM moved that the bill be printed. He made this
motion for the purpose of ascertaining the way in which the money
voted by the Commons of England was applied.
The Earl of LAUDERD LE bald that the appropriation bill
never was printed.
The Earl of ELDON never heard of the vppropriation bill being

The motion was negatived without a division.
The other bils brought up from the Ilou•e of Commons were alas
ad a first time.

At the request of the Earl of Lauderdale. the lord Clanctilott
consented to postpone the second reading of the Quarter S,•ssion
(Scotland Bill) until Monday, upon the understanding that it would
take precedence doll other business.
After a discussion between Lord Durham, the Lord Chancellor,
the Duke of Wellington, and the 3larqois of Salisbury it was ar-
ranged that the evidence in the case of the East Retfold D•sfran.
ehistment Bill should be proceeded with at ten o'clock on Monday
next.

Counsel and witnen.. were then culled in en the above bill, and
the house adjourned at the usual hour.