The Sun.
London, England, 1842-05-02 00:00:00

AMERICAN NEWS

NINE DAYS LATER FROM THE
UNITED STATES.

We have received by express New York papers of the
10th of April, being nine days later than those received
by the Columbia. These papers are brought by the In-
dependence packet-ship, Captain Holdridge. The Inde-
pendence sailed on the 10th, and brought nineteen pas-
sengers, thirteen of whom were taken by the Bristol
steamer from Cork when the Independence was off Wa-
terford. Amongst the passengers is Washington Irving,
just appointed American Minister to Madrid.
We learn by a paragraph in one of the papers which
we have received, that Lord Ashburton had arrived at
Washington.

From Texas there is no news of a decided character.
Three or four " sympathising" meetings had been held.
and " strong" resolutions passed in favour of supporting
the Texians. The following paragraphs contain all upon
this subject that we find in the papers that have reached
us :

•(From the New York Herald of the 10th.)
We are happy to announce that the difficulty between the
French Alinister, Hon. M. Saligny, and our Government, has
been amicably and satisfactorily arranged, and that Mons. Sa-
ligny will return to Texas either by the next steam-packet
from New Orleans, or by one of the French vessels of war,
which are expected to visit our coast, for the protection of the
interests of Frenchmen in case of Mexican invasion.

A United States sloop of war has been ordered to Galveston
from Pensacola for the protection of American citizens and pro-
perty in case of Mexican invasion, and will probably be here
in a few days.

News was brought to town a day or two since, that a party
of the French emigrants who have lately settled near Aransas
Bay, have captured a Mexican vessel having 350 muskets on
board, 4,0001b5. of powder, 30 barrels of flour, some sugar and
coffee, and 3,000 dols. in apeeie.
(From the New York Intelligencer.)
Galveston dates have been received at New Orleans to the
28th ultimo. The moat important item of intelligence is a
proclamation of President Houston, declaring all the ports of
Mexico on the Gulf to be in a state of blockade, and forbidding
neutral vessels to trade therewith, after having received notice
of the blockade, under the penalty prescribed by the law of
nations. The decree is to take effect within twenty days as to
any port in the United States north of the Gulf of Mexico, and
in forty-five days as to vessels coming from any port in Europe.
The adviees from Galveston contradict the rumour of a
Mexican invasion, and there seems now little doubt that the
party which attacked Antonia was a mere marauding expedi-
tion. The Texians, however, were still in motion, pushing
their preparations with a view to the invasion of Mexico.
General Somerville was invested with the command of the
main body of the Texian army, and was under marching
orders for some point beyond the Rio Grande. The only
news that had been received from the armed fleet fitted out by
the citizens of Galveston was, that they had not yet found
the enemy, but were determined to continue their search to
Metamoras, if they could not sooner get a fight. It was the
general opinion that Bletamoras would be the first point of
attack.

BUENOS AYRES AND MONTE VIDEO.—We are indebted to
Captain Adams for papers from Buenos Ayres to the sth of
February, and from Monte Video to the 9th. The war be-
tween these two Republics still continued. Their two fleets
had repaired damages and were lying in their respective
ports. On land military operations continued in the province
of Corrientes.

Captain Adams represents the state of the market in both
places for exports, as well as imports, to be very unfavourable,
and that there is little prospect of improvement in them
until the war is ended, which prevents all trade with the
upper provinces.
(Corresponde&sce of the Courier and Enquirer.)
PHILADELPHIA, APRIL 8, 5 P.M.—Beyond the sales of
4,300 dols., Philadelphia City s's 1858 at 96, and 5,000 dole.,
ditto s's 1846 at 95, and 4,000 dols. Cincinnati Bonds 6's
1865 at 56, there was very little done; United States Bank
closed at 2 to 3; North American Bank 155 bid; Pennsyl-
vania 50 bid; Philadelphia 33 bid; Camden and Amboy RR.
70 asked; Wilmington RR. 94 to 10; Girard Bank notes sold
at 59 discount ; United States Bank notes 65 to 70; 6 per Cent.
Treasury Notes to 31/2 per cent. ; exchange on New York
and Uoston Ato per cent. discount.
The Money Market continues somewhat tight, but not so
much so as it was on the close of March or the early part of
the present month. The banks are doicg a little in the way of
discount, and the heavy payments of the month have been
overcome pretty much.
A man by the name of Reiff, residing in Kensington, com-
mitted suicide yesterday, by throwing himself into the river
Delaware.

BALTIMORE, FRIDAY, 9 A. 3t.--There is not a word of news
by the Western papers.
The tariff meeting in this city last evening was a very large
one. The rotunda of the Exchange not being large enough to
hold them, the meeting adjourned to the Exchange-place.
Judge James Harwood presided, and 15 Vice-Presidents as-
sisted. The officers were equally divided between the two
parties. The resolutions adopted will be found in the papers
sent with this.

Andrew Stewart, of Philadelphia, addressed the meeting,
and Judge Wilkins, of Philadelphia, was expected also to
speak, but for some unexplained cau'e, did not. B. H. Richard-
son, one of our Loco Delegates in the Legislature, made a
thorough tariff speech. Altogether the meeting was a decided
demonstration in favour of a tariff, and proved there was little
difference of opinion in this city among men of all parties.
The hull of the steam-boat South Carolina, divested of all
her machiney and her copper sheathing, was sold at public auc-
tion on Wednesday for 300 dollars. Cheap enough, if the pur-
chaser can make any use of her—if not, it is dear enough.
Exchange on New York and Philadelphia, par ; on Boston,
disc. ; Virginia Bank Notes, S disc. ; Railroad orders, 41 to
43 disc.

[From the New York Herald.]
A fair amount of business was transacted at the Stock Ex-
change this morning, and a better feeling was manifested;
nearly every description advanced. New York State bi per
Cents. improved 1 per cent. ; Delaware and Hudson, 1;
Canton and Cu. of Baltimore, ; Mohawk, I ; Harlem,
Bank of Commerce (full), 1 ; Ditto (Script) 1 per cent. ;
Indiana Bonds declined;.
We have it not in our power to notice any improvements in
business generally. The great depression in prices have com-
pelled many manufacturers to stop entirely, and almost all ar-
ticles of import continue selling at a serious loss. The Loan
Bill is strongly opposed by the Loco Foco members of the
Sts.,.ste, and if they succeed in delaying its passage much
longer, the government will not be prepared to meet the trea-
snry notes falling due. These have been in demand for the
payment of duties at Ito l per cent. discount, for amounts of
1,000 dols. and 50 dols., and to 1 per cent. for those of 100
dols. and 50 dols. Money is scarce among the brokers, bat
there is little demand for the merchants. The rate of discount
in the street is from 12 to 15 per cent.
There has been a fair demand for sterling Exchanges, and the
market closed firm at our quotations. On France and other
continental cities the transactions have been limited—so much
so, that it is almost difficult to give quotations.
The business in inland Exchanges throughout the week has
been moderate ; the supply of bills is not large, but sufficient to
inert the demand. There is but little alteration in rates.

We have no foreign demand for specie. Consideriblequan-
tities are drawn from the banks for Philadelph;a, but that makes
no changes here, and every description remains at par.

CARLISLE PETITIONS.—We stated the other week
that a petition was in course of signature in favour of the In-
come-tax ; and we added that the men who were solicitinm
signatures to it stated that it was the petition of G. H. Head,
...sq., of Rickerby House. We have since heard it was got up
at the instigation of Sir James Graham ; and the parade with
which that Right Hon. Baronet introduced it to the House of
Commons on Friday night last, seems to confirm the truth of
the report * * Sir James Graham presented a petition
from Carlisle, "numerously signed by persons whose incomes
were above 1501. a-year each," in favour of the Income-tax.
This announcement was the first that we had heard of the
petition ; nor can we discover any of our fellow citizens who
are better informed upon the subject.— Carlisle Journal.
BRIGHTON ELECTION.—The writ arrived on Satur-
day, and at four o'clock in the afternoon Mr. Cordy the re-
turning officer, proceeded to the Town-hall, and proclaimed,
from the hustings, Thursday next as the day of nomination.
The polling w►ll commence on Friday. Mr. Harford has se-
veral times addressed the electors, giving them a most cheering
desoriptioa of she mans of his emu%

MAGAZINE DAY.

BLACKWOOD'S MAGAZINE.

The absurd mania for old and worthless editions of
old and worthless books, from which even Sir Walter
Scott was not exempt, though he has ridiculed the
fancy in his incomparable character of Jonathan Old-
buck, the Antiquary, is here treated with the
contempt it deserves in an article, under the apt,
comprehensive title of " Things of the Day." Of all
the fools in the world we hardly know of a greater
than a professed Bibliomaniac. A virtuoso of this sort
cares nothing for the intrinsic merit of a work ; it is
enough for him if it be scarce and old. He would
prefer a shabby, mutilated first edition of " Tom
Thumb," or " Jack, the Giant hiller," to the most
perfect modern copy of the finest poet that ever issued
from the press. The very worms that burrow in the
leaves of such an edition are sacred in his eyes ; and
he would deem it an act of special sacrilege to rub off
one atom of the dust and dirt that time has gathered
about it. There is no mistaking a professed Biblo-
maniac. Re is usually a withered, middle-aged gen-
tleman in spectacles, dressed in rusty black or brown,
with a " shocking bad hat," and one of Thorpe's or
Rodd's catalogues sticking out of his coat-pocket. On
fine spring days he may be seen ogling some wretched
old scare-crow of a volume on a book-stall, turning it
now this way, now that ; holding the title-page close
up to his eyes, in order to examine the date ; and in-
dulging in the grin of an ogre when satisfied that it is
a scarce edition. We cordially concur with the
author of " Things of the Day' in his censures on
Bibliomaniacs ; but must protest against his remark
that " Shakspeare's Venus and Adonis is a vile poem,
and ought to be extinguished as a blot on the memory
of the great dramatist.' Has he ever read this poem'?
We doubt it, or he surely could not be insensible to
the many exquisitely melodious and fanciful passages
in which it abounds. The description of the horse—
the distinction between true and false love—the por-
trait of Venus herself—and the details of her grief
after the death of Adonis ;—these are passages that
could not be " extinguished" without great loss to
the admirers of genuine poetry. "Who is the Mur-
derer ?" is a striking narrative of a trial for murder,
which took place at the last York Assizes. The crime
was committed in 1830, but it was not until eleven
years after, that the supposed criminal was put ,on
his trial. He was, and we think justly, acquitted, for
the evidence against him, though plausible, was far
from conclusive. The narrator, who was in Court at
the time, thus describes the prisoner's appearance,
when the skull and bones of the dead man were
brought in for the inspection of the Jury :
" To the eye of a close observer, the prisoner's coun-
tenance now evidenced the miserable and almost over-
powering agitation he was experiencing—and that,
withal, he was nerving himself up, so to speak, to a great
effort. I perceived his breast twice or thrice heave
heavily ; and, though conscious of being watched
closely by those around him, he could not keep his eyes
for more than a moment away from the box, with whose
mysterious contents he was to be so quickly confronted.
At length a dark brown skull, the hinder part appearing
to have been broken off, was lifted out of the box ; the
prisoner's under lip drooped a little, and perceptibly
quivered for a moment or two—and after one or two
glances at the skull, he looked in another direction, his
eyes—if I know anything of human expression—full of
suppressed agony and terror. Yet again—and again—
he glanced at the dumb but fearful witness produced
against him ; and frem a certain tremulous motion of the
ends of his neckerchief, I could perceive that his heart
was beating violently. Still he never moved from the
position which he had occupied since the morning ;
though I learnt from one of the turnkeys who stood near
him in the deck, that at the period I am mentioning, and
also at several other periods of the day, he trembled so
violently, and his knees seemed so near giving way, that
they almost thought he would have fallen."
The fourth part of " Caleb Stukely" displays some
vigorous passages. The sketch of the old Cambridge
money-lender is impressive, and equally good in its
way is Caleb's account of his discovering that his
adored mistress, Emma, was more partial to strong
waters than the strictest propriety would warrant.
The chief fault of this sentimental episode is, that it
is overdone. The lover and his idol are constantly
in a state of hysterical agony, like unlucky sweet-
hearts in a Coburg melodrame. They heave sighs
heavy enough to capsize a schooner. The " Northern
Circuit" is written with force and earnestness by one
who, to all appearance, is a practised scribe. In the
" World of London" occur some judicious remarks on
the subject of acting, and on the injury done to per-,
formers by the preposterous flattery of cliques and
critics. " Sets and cliques," observes the writer, "give
reputation at too cheap a rate,. at a rate far below the
price a man who wishes the sterling article is willing
to pay for it ; in the solitude of his chamber let a man
stud- to estimate himself, not in a circle of applaud-
ing friends ; the greatest minds have ever stood alone,
and kept aloof from tittle-tattle criticism, and the
praises that flow from the lips of gossips." The ob-
servations on " Circassia" are penned in a liberal and
enlightened spirit. The writer does every justice to
the brave and patriotic mountaineers who, with a
numerical, force perfectly contemptible in amount,
have hitherto successfully resisted every Russian
army that has been sent apinst them. They have
even fought battles, and gained them too, where the
odds have been at least fifty to one against them. The
heroic character of the Circassian mountaineers is
not yet appreciated as it ought to be in England.
From an article headed " Theatricals," we quote a
diverting anecdote of Sheridan, and Holland, the
architect of Drury Lane Theatre :
" There is a story extant of Sheridan, the lessee, and
Holland, the architect, much too goad to be omitted.
The latter could by no means prevail upon the former to
settle, that is, in plain English, to pay up his little bill ;
and after hanging about Sherry's house, and hovering
over the theatre day after day, at last caught him one
fine morning attending a rehearsal. As soon as Sheri-
dan saw him, he went up to the architect, exclaiming,
'My dear Holland, how d'ye do ? You are the very
man I wanted to see ; I have a thousand apologies to
make to you, and fully intended to call upon you as soon
as the rehearsal was over.' Holland thanked him, and
entered immediately upon the subject of their accounts,
upon which Sheridan replied, 4My dear Holland they
shall all be settled in the course of the morning ; but do
you know, although for my part I am one of the most
enthusiastic admirers of the beauty of this theatre, which
I think will remain for years a splendid monument of
your taste and genius, yet they tell me that the people
in the one shilling gallery can scarcely hear a word that
the performers utter ?' Mr. Holland expressing his sur-
prise at this remark, Sheridan said, Now, I will go up
into the gallery, and you shall stay on the stage. I will
address you, and you shall ascertain the truth of the ob-
servation yourself.' Sheridan, accordingly mounted up
into the loft,' region allottel to the gods, from whence
he affected, in dumb show, and with much apparent em-
phasis, to address the architect, who stood in amazement
below, repeatedly calling out, Speak louder, I can't
hear I' After some time spent in this manner, Sheridan
descended, asking Holland if he heard him tolerably
well ? the latter declaring that he must confess that he
had not heard a word Mr. Sheridan had uttered; where-
upon the latter exclaimed, Why, Holland, I really know
not how to believe you. Why, I have been bawling till
I thought my lungs would have burst. Surely you have
a cold this morning, that has prevented you from hear-
ing.me. Now, do you ascend the gallery, and speak to
me. With this proposal Holland immediately complied,
and when after considerable fatigue he had reached that
elevated spot, and had walked down to the front seat to
address Sheridan from that tremendous height, he found
no one on the stage! Sheridan had availed himself of the
interval of their separation to leave the theatre, and poor
Mr. Holland, who speedily discovered the hoax, had to
encounter a thousand shifts and stratagems of the ma-
nager, before he could obtain another successful inter-
view."