The Sun.
London, England, 1829-02-02 00:00:00

FORCE OF IMAGINATION.

Yesterday morning about three o'clock, the in-
habitants of the upper part of West-street, Smith-
field, close to the market, were aroused from their
beds by loud and piteous cries of " murder," and
entreaties for help. Several persons ran into the
street, and some watchmen hastened to the spot,
and it was discovered that the cries proceeded from
some part of the house of a Mr. Miles, who keeps
a wholesale patten warehouse in that street ; but nil
one was to be seen, although the cries were evidently
uttered by some person whose head at least was ou
the outside of the walls. Mr. Miles was also roused,
and immediately conjectured that something strange
had occurred to some of his lodgers, who are per-
sons in the habit of frequenting Smithfield market,
and take up their abode in his house for a night or
two, when business renders a stay in town necessary.
He proceeded up stairs to the second floor, and open-
ing the door of a room in which a respectable
grazier from Barnet had retired to rest in his perfect
senses on the previous evening, he was astonished
to find him absent, and his clothes still remaining
on a chair, and his surprise was increased, when, on
inspecting the room, he perceived a large hole in
the wall, near the ceiling. The cries still continuer],
and Mr. Miles bethought him of a window on the
next story, commanding a view of the roof, and on
going there, and opening it, he saw the grazier,with
nothing on but his shirt, sitting upon the tiles,
throwing his arms about, and moaning, and occa-
sionally bursting out into exclamations of " Mur-
der !—oh, God, help me ! will no one save me from
their clutches 2-oh, help, help! pray help !" Mr.
Miles was dreadfully alarmed; for it might be said
that the life of the grazier depended on a straw—the
least slip must have sent him headlong from the slop-
ing roof to the street, a height of about 36 feet, and
his destruction in that case was certain. Mr. Miles
spoke to him in a mild and kindly tone, and en-
treated him either to remain still until assist-
ance could be brought to him, or to endeavour
to return to the place from which he had made
his way out. At the first sound of Mr.
Miles's voice, the grazier redoubled his cries,
and called out, " Here they are ! 0 save me !"
In a few moments, however, he seemed calmer; and
at length, to the great joy of Mr. Miles, he com-
menced crawling up the tiles, and disappeared
through a hole in the roof. Mr. Miles then returned,
to his eccentric lodger's room, and in a few moments
he crawled in at the hole in the wall before men-
tioned. He was shivering with cold, so m.ach so as
to be hardly able to speak, and he was so disfigured
with dust, whitewash, and some bruises on his-f„,,,,
that his most intimate friend would not have known
him. When he had perfectly recovered his senses,
and had drank some reviving cordial, he accounted
for his extraordinary conduct in this way :—He had
dreamed that he had gone into a house with a wo.
man, was seated before a fire with her, when two zo'`,,„
entered the room. A whispering con
tuok
place between them, and the woman a,a),.
he die-
tinetly overheard that he was to be t
ardered and.
riment he awoke
e
about to be murder-
acorarrs'etyaletdedtofionmi Itiohsepbiteadl.,
atAidtsothpivsm
werful was the itn-
plaster give way, he per-
severed(i)dre,sstilolarit oirliehicsomminnellticheadt hbezatiPn _
against the wall,
e an aperture sufficiently large
g
t otuhnitmi 1
stlinel
fe..rm P lrie then found himself on the
room,
m
and finding the lath and.
situated in a projection of
and he made his way on his hands and
ctheeffihnoguosef,a,
kneeso';i the rafters or joists, until he found his pro-
gress impeded, and then he put his shoulder to the
root and presently made his way through to tb'
situation in which he was found. There wa.% a
dealer in hay and straw sleeping in the room ur,der-
neath, and he was so dreadfully alarmed as to 'oe un-
able to call out, supposing that thieves had, entered
the house. The delusion must have been almost in-
credibly strong, for the grazier could 'nave got out
of the room by the door, which yeas not fastened,
haeq he been at all in the poss',lssion of his senses.
The tiling was covered with a thin coating of ice,
and his escape with life was almost miraculous. The
grazier gave the mo4t minute description of the
dress and conversation of the imaginary conspirators
.
against his lie had a large sum of money in
his trousers' pocket, which he left in the room, aril
it was fortunate for hira that he was in a well-regu
hated house,

LThring the last three weeks there have been
no less than nine Cabinet Councils held at tile Foreigu
Office, and three meetings of the Privy Council.

The method usually adopted by the Premier,
after agreeing on the persons who are to move and second
the Address in both Houses of Parliament, is to send
each individual a few days before the meeting, and Ep girt.
him an outline of the Speech. A fair copy of tiie Speech
is not given to him until the evening before Parliament as-
sembles. By this caution the Premier reserves to himself
the power of changing the phraseology and even, matter of
the Speech, until nearly the• last moxent.

ROYAL INSTITUTION.—Thero was a very
numerous meeting of the Members o.k' the Royal Institution
evening last, when sme beautiful specimens of
metallic chrome, produced I.#y M. Novehi, the ingenious
Italian, were exhibited, and- excited universal admiration.
There were also c 4 ;nspectioo. some Ilindon agricultural
implements,

INSTITUTION---Saturday NV-4S
tha private view o this Exhibitisys, which is this time
&led with modern works of art. On the whole the Gal-
lery makes a very gallant show, and is more than usually
devoid of portraits—a sul.ieet of congratulation to those
who go to :us exhibil:nn to see something more than the
Cces of private individual%