The Sun.
London, England, 1842-12-24 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 247_ 1842.

CHRISTMAS CAROLS.

Lordinges, Christmas loves good drinking
Wines of Gascoigne, France, Anjou,
English ale that drives out thinking,
Prince of liquors old or new :
In this mansion as they tell us,
Christmas wassail keeps to-day ;
And, az king of all good fellows,
Reigns with uncontrolled sway.
Anglo-Norman Carol, 15th Century.

The custom of singing carols at Christmas time,
which, at the time that the Roman Catholic religion
held sway in this country, prevailed in every county
and hamlet, has since the demolition of the monas-
teries in Henry the Eighth's time, gradually grown
into disuse, till the few relics of the custom which at
present exist, are but as stray waifs or fragments of
an old and obsolete minstrelsy. The voice of chil-
dren which once made musical the air of Christmas,
the sound of lyres, triangles, or horns, which accom-
panied them—the fresh and lively enjoyment which
it drew forth, throwing a glow and hearty pleasantness
over the associations of the time—catch the ear but
seldom now, or awaken it to gratification.
To what a shadow of its former self this custom has
drawn, and how rarely noticed h its old observance,
the following memoranda will show. Elsewhere, than
in these few instances, do we nowhere find mention of
this faded practice.
Mr. Brand, in his popular Antiquities, says, " Lit-
tle boys and girls go about at Newcastle-upon-Tyne,
and other places in the North of England, some few
nights before, and on the night of the eve of Christmas-
day, and on that day itself, knocking at the doors, and
singing their Christmas Carols."
Mr. Ellis, in his edition of Brand, also describing
the manner in which the inhabitants of the North
Riding of Yorkshire celebrate Christmas, says—
" About six o'clock on Christmas-day I was awakened
by a sweet singing under my window. Surprised at
a visit so early and unexpected, I arose, and looking
out of the window, I beheld six young women, and
four young men, welcoming with sweet music the
blessed morn."

If, however, any one has more specially noticed
this solitary example of the " lingerings of the holy-
day customs of former times," which " exercised a
delightful spell over his imagination," it is "Washington
Irving, who has thus given us his impressions of this
remaining accompaniment of that season of festival.
It appears in his "Sketch Book," and the scene of the
narrative is in Yorkshire :

" I had scarcely got into bed," he says, " when a
strain of music seemed to break forth in the air just
below the window. I listened, and found it proceeded
from a band, which I concluded to be the waits from
some neighbouring village. They went round the
house, playing at one of the windows. The sounds,
as receded, became more soft and aerial, and seemed
to accord with quiet and moonlight. I listened and
listened ; they became more and more tender and re-
mote ; and as they gradually died away, my head
sunk upon my pillow, and I fell asleep." And on the
following morning, " while I lay musing on my
pillow, I heard the sound of little feet pattering out-
side the door, and a whispering consultation. Pre-
-3,3,nt1y a choir of small voices chaun:ed forth an old
Christlnas carol, the burden of which was—
' Rejoice, our Saviour he was born,
On Christmas-day in the morning.'"
That they may be also heard sometimes in the me-
tropolis, and in some of the southern, counties we
believe. Many of these performances, however, com-
mence at midnight, when the day is ushered in by
the ringing of the church bells, and the performers
being, in the majority of cases, the church singers.

UNIVERSITY OF LONDON.
The Senate at its sitting on the 21st inst. conferred
the following Degrees :
BACHELOR OF LAWS.

FIRST DIVISION.

Charles James Foster, il.A.—University College.

SECOND DIVISION.
Joseph Houston Browne--Royal Belfast Academical
Institution.
B. L. EXAMINATION FOIL HONOURS.
Charles James Foster, M.A. (University Law Scho-
larship)—University College.
BACHELOR OF MEDICINE.
FIRST DIVISION.
The Names are arranged alphabetically.
Dunn, John Travis—Guy's Hospital.
Ellison, James—St. Bartholomew's Hospital.
Garrod, Alfred Baring—University College.
Hudson, John—Leeds and University Coll.
Inman, Thomas—King's College.
Jenner, William, University College.
Johnson, George, King's College.
Langmore, John Charles—London Hospital.
Letheby, Henry_Aldersgate.
Pennell, John Wilson Croker—Guy's Hospital.
Raper, William Augustus--University College.
Russell, James—Kings College.
Swayne, Joseph Griffiths—Bristol and Guy's Hospital.
Williams, William Henry—University College.
SECOND DIVISION.
Crutch,
John,Geo
Hawden, Arthur—University College.
Randall, John—Aldersgata, and 13
Hall—University
College.
's Hospital.
D
St. artholomew's.
Spackman, Frederic Robert—Mildlesex hospital.
EXAMINATION FOR HONOURS.
The names are arranged in the order of proficiency.
George
—StUI George's .

PHYSIOLOGY AND COMPARATIVE ANATOMY.
Johnson, George (Scholarship and Gold Medal)—
King's College.
Dunn, John Travis (Gold Medal)—Guy's Hospital.
Pennell, John Wilson Croker—Guy's Hospital.
University College.
Williams, William Henry---

SURGERY.

Pennell, John W. C. (Golaeclal)--Guy's Hospital.
Russell, James—King's College.
Swayne, Joseph Griffiths—Guy's Hospital. 5
Dunn, John Travis—Guy's Hospital.
Inman, Thomas—King's College.

MEDICINE.
Garrod, A. B. (Gold Medal)—University College.
Swayne, J. G. (Gold Medal)—Guy's Hospital.
Johnson, George—King's College.
Dunn, John Travis—Guy's Hospital.
Inman Thomas—King's College.
Fennel, John Wilson Croker—Guy's Hospital.

MIDWIFERY. -
Swayne, J. G. (Gold Medal)—Guy's Hospital.
DOCTOR OF MEDICINE.
FIRST DIVISION.
The names are arranged alphabetically.
*Miller, William Allen—King's College.
Paley, William—London Hospital.
tQuain, Richard—University College.
Unwin, David—University College.

SECOND DIVISION.
Purvis, Prior—St. Thomas's Hospital.

EXAMINATION FOR HONOUR&
MEDICINE.

Quain, Richard (Gold Medal)—University College.
* A certificate of Special Proficiency in Medicine was
awarded to Dr. Miller.
t A certificate of Special Proficiency in Medicine, and
a gold medal of the value of 51. for a Commentary on a
a case in Medicine, were awarded to Dr. Quain.

GOOD NEWS for the SWELL MOB.

-TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

Sita,---TAs Chairman of our " Free and Easy," I am
directed to inform you, that our Society have this
evening drank the health of Mr. Rawlinson, the Police
Magistrate of Marylebone, with three times three and
one cheer more, and to state that we are grateful to
him for having released a principal of our body, be-
cause " Lady Malcolm was of advanced age, and the
contents of the bag were found uninjured."
I beg to inform you, we have now determined to
be on the sharp look-out for old ladies with bags, and
we mean to get clear off with them as often as we
can ; but we are fully resolved, that should we not be
sharp enough to do so, " the contents of the bag shall
be found uninjured," as it will then be " all right."
How much more liberal is the conduct of Mr. Raw-
linson than that of a county Magistrate whom I could
name, who, when one of our fraternity was before
him charged with felony, and a material link in the
evidence being
wanted (the party was, from sickness,
unable to appear before him), said to the constable,
‘
the
prisoner to the House of
(‘th reewmitannd witness required), where I will attend and take
the
.evidence." And he did so, at considerable incon-
venience to himself, and committed our respected
brother for trial, and now he has left his native coun-
try for life! Oh, Sir, if he had but been taken be-
fore Mr. Rawlinson, he might now have been joining
in our merry-making. If Mr. R. had said, in the
present case, "As Lady Malcolm is not well enough
to attend before me,
after office hours, I will proceed
to her residence and I remand the prisoner to be
brought before me at such place," who knows but that
very shortly after the next sessions at the Criminal
Court, our swell brother might be proceeding on his
voyage to join our transported pal ? But as it is, we
fully anticipate he will be enabled, by industry, to
continue to dress "in the extreme of fashion." When
Sergeant Williams said our brother was " well known
as being a principal among the swell mob for the last
three years,"
we did not think Mr. Rawlinson would
have let him off so easily, especially when it was
stated that Lady Malcolm was able to travel by the
railway, and also ride in a " Brougham." Major
Malcolm must' think Mr. Rawlinson as easy to get
over as a Chinaman in battle. When our brother
heard Major Malcolm's name, he thoughthefr had
caught a Tartar.—Yours, &c.,
From Head-quarters, Dec.

" I live in Julia's eyes," said an affected dandy in
Colman's hearing. " I don't wonder at it," replied
George, " since I observed she had a sty in them when
I last saw her."
Three men were lately residing at Coate, near De-
vizes, who, amongst them, had been married no less
than eleven times. Devizes Gazette.