Star.
London, England, 1823-10-17 00:00:00

SONNET.

Then fare thee well, maiden, the vision is past,
Too bright and too beautiful longer to last ;
Go teach some new lover the spell of thine eye,
Then leave him, like me, cruel maiden, to die!
Why didst thou applaud my adventurous strain?
Why soothe me in sorrow, wiry pity in pain?
Ah ! why didst thou add, to bind faster my brow,
The grace of thy mind to the charms of thy brow ?
Thou bast taught me to love and to languish for thee,
An exile from home and from kindred to be ;
Thou bast taught use to weep—there is one lesson yet—
Oh! teach me to hate tlsCe—teturn—and forget!

Forget thee !—O never ! the flame in my heart
Will burn unsulaklued wheresoever thou att :
While memory lives, there's no end to my tears—
No safety in distance—nci solace in years!

CA UTION TO LODGIAG-IJOUSE KEEPERS.

The following daring attempt to procure goods tin-
der false pretences should put housekeepers, and espe-
cially such as let lodgings, upon their guard against
the numerous fraternity of sWindlers now upon the pavj
of the metropolis:
Tuesday afternoon a middle aged man, of dark corn—
pler ion, bushy whiskers, and tolerably decent appear-
ance, called at the house of a respectable widow Lady,
residing in Northumberland-court, in the 'Srrand, asking
to see the lodgings referred to in a bill exhibited in the
window, and stating that he came from Reddish's Hotel,
Jermyn-street, St. James's. The lodgings, after due in-
spection and diligent inquiry, were pronounced suffi-
cient in respectability, dimension, and accommodation,
for the Gentleman at whose request he had sought them,
and whom he represented to be a highly respeetable re-
sident at Reddish's Hotel ; he therefore decided upon

taking them on the terms proposed by the landlady,
wrote the name and address of the lodger expectant,
and was about leaving the house, when, on passing a
door which, half opened, gratified the optical sensation
of our hero with the view of a new and capacious upper
benjanain, he inquired, " Pray, Madam, who occupies
that elegant apartment ?" " Captain It—," was the
reply, and the stranger immediately declared an inti-
macy with the gallant Officer, who, he said, had often
done honour to the sparkling champagne of the hotel
cellars. Eventually the gentleman's gentleman honed
himself out at the door, and the landlady proceeded to
put everything in apple-pie order for the reception of
the embryo inmate of her establishment.
Some time in the course of the evening a latl knocked
at the door, and presenting the compliments of Captain
It. to Mrs. Hex, stated that he was going a short dis-
tance out of town, and as it threatened rain wished the
transmission of his travelling coat by the boy. Mine
hostess, however, being particularly partial to docupren-
tary evidence, requested the lad to bring a written order
for the delivery of the upper-benjamin, as she should
not feel justified in letting it go out of her possession
uithout such security. The lad said he would return
to Peek's Coffeehouse for the required order, and forth-
with disappeared. In a short time he returned with
the authority, and which, on presentation, appeared
ample and sufficient; Mrs. Hex ascended the stairs,
reached the elegant apartment of the Captain, and
was leaving the room with the three taped capot on
her arm, when, casting her rays of vision on the order
for delivery which she held in her hand, she thought the
writing not that of her gallant lodger and yet familiar
to her; sht paused and pondered; the similarity of
the writing in the note and of the address left by the
stranger in the afternoon flashed across her mind ; sus-
spicion of trickery succeeded, and, with a determination
not to be duped, she replaced the coat on the easy chair
of its late occupancy, and returning to the lad at the
door, told him, on reconsideration of all the circurn-
stancei, she should not deliver the Captain's coat to any
person other than himself. What could the boy do but
go? He went; an especial messenger was dispatched
by mine hostess to Peele's, but neither Captain R. nor
the little Mercury were there; the former shortly re-
turned home, and denied sending for the coat, or having
been at Peele's. Inquiry was made at Reddish's Hotel,
but no lodger for our sagacious landlady appeared,
and the Gentleman's gentleman was not to be found.—
We learnt at the respectable Hotel alluded to, that,
within the last fortnight, at least ten or twelve unfortu-
nate dupes of a person of a similar description have ap-
plied there, and, in every instance, except *the present,
bad been eased of either blunt or toffntry.

Ii the course of an Address from Lieutenant BACK,

•
who accompanied Captain FRANKLIN in his perilous
journey to the Polar Seas, at a public dinner given to
him by his fellow.townsmen of Stockport, he took oc-
casion to speak of Captain PARRY, and stated his un-
qualified opinion, that that gallant Officer was safe, and
would eventually accomplish the object of his enter-
prising voyage.
ACCIDENT AT DRURY-LANE THEATRE. Tuesday
night, as the one-shilling gallery was opened, a great
rush being made by those chit were at a little distance
ft om the door, a youth of the name of Jones was pushed
down by the pressure, and those behind stepping upon
him injured him so much as to leave him in a most de—,
plorable condition. The blood gushed out of -his ears,
eyes, and mouth ; he had some of his teeth broken, and
- complained much of his arm, which was thought to be
fractured. He was carried to the nearest hospital.
FRENCH ClARDY.—According to the Clerical Alma-
nack, or DireCto-y, which has just been published in
France, it appears, that in the Budget for the year
1822-23, the sum of 29,520,000 francs was set apart
by the Government for the maintenance of the French
Clergy. In addition to this, the Communes voted
6,407,727, and the General Councils of the Departments
1,162,618 francs, so that the funds appropriated to the
Clergy amount to 37,089,745 francs, about 103,5891.
• sterling. In bequests and legacies to ecclesiastical foun-
dations from the year 1802 to 1823, there is a capital
sum of 13,388,554 francs, of which the greater part
was received between the years 1815 and 1822, the ag-
gregate of the more early years amounting to only the
roam of 2,900,749 francs. In a population of 30,415,191
persons—from which, however, the non-Catholic mem-
bers must be deducted—there are 38,359 Communes,
to which are attached 34,393 Priests or Vicars. The ag-
gregate number of the actual Clergy is 35,676. But, it
is said, the Bishops deem it necessary to augment the
number to 50,943. In the year 1821 the deaths among
the Clergy were 1403, the number admitted the same
year 1522; so that in this way there will be a gradual
increase. The number of pupils, or candidates for Holy
Orders, in the great and little seminaries, and the Theo-
logical Colleges, amounts to 2x),379.—French Paper.
The hest whiskey is now selling in Dublin for 6s. a
gallon. That country, however degreased in poverty, abounds in
'pinta