Star.
London, England, 1825-05-09 00:00:00

THE SOCIAL FIRE.

When beating rains and pinching vrieds,
At night attack the isbouring hinds,
And force them to retire—
flow sweet they pass their time away,
In sober talk or rustic play,
Beside the Social Fire !

There many a plaintive tale is told
Of those who, lingering in the cold,
With cries and groans expire :
The mournful story strikes the ear,
They heave the sigh, they drop the tear,
And bless the Social Fire!
The legendary tale comes nest,
With many an artful phrase perplext,
That well the tongue might tire ;
The windows shake, the shutters crack,
Each thinks the ghost behind his back,
And hitches to the Fire!
To these succeed the jocund sang,
From lungs less musical than strong,
And to mirth aspire ;
The humht: roof returns the sound,
The social can moves briskly round,
And brighter burns the Fire! •
Oh ! grant, kind Heaven, a state like this,
Where simple ignorance is bliss—
'Tis all that I require.
Then, then, to share the joys of life,
I'd seek a kind, indulgent wife,
And bless my Social Fire !

4

LAW REPORT.

COURT OF CHANCERY, MAY 7.
TUE ATTORNEY-GENERAL V. TUE SKINNERS' COMPANY.
Thi case, relative to Toni), idge School, occupied the
Court the whole morning. It was adjourned in order
that the Company might consider whether the decree,
under which the Master acted, should be reheard.
IN TILE MATTER OF SIR GREGORY PAGE TURNER.
Mr. HART applied, on behalf of Mr. Corbett, for his
•Lordship's order to see the lunatic, who is A prisoner
for debt.
The Loon CHANCELLOR replied, that he had no au-
thority tJ give such order, whilst the alleged lunatic had
the power to traverse the inquisition. His Lordship
observed, that the number of lunatic petitions and ap-
plications was very distressing to him.
• COURT OF COMMON PLEAS, MAY 7.
TAFLIN V. ATTY, ESQ.
This was an action of trover, brought against the late
Sheriff of Warwick, to recover from him the value of
some goods which the plaintiff had sold to one Stanton,
but which he had stopped in their way to Stanton's resi-
dence, in Worcestershire, upon having reason to believe
that Stanton was unable to make good his dngagements
for the payment of the same. The goods in question,
had been seized by the Sheriff under an execution issued
against Stanton's property. The cause was tried on
Thursday, at Guildhall, when Mr. Justice PARE directed
a nrnsuit to be entered, because the plaintiff had only
given notice to the defendant's attorney to produce the
warrant under which the execution had been levied, as
he considered, that the n^tice should have been given to
the late UnderSheeff, who was the real officer, and upon
whose act alone the execution had been issued.
Mr. Seijeant VAUGHAN now moved ft,r a rule to
shew cause why the nrnsuit should not be set aside,
and a new trial granted, on the ground that the act of
the Under Sheriff, who was kis agent, must be taken to
be the act of the defendant, his principal. In the course
of moving the rule, Mr.Serjeaat Vaughan was referring
to some fact, which Mr. Justice Park thought he did
but very imperfectly, and recollecting what had oc-
curred the other day, when the pertinacity of the plain-
tiff's Counsel, in adhering to the objections they had
taken after he had overruled them, his Lordship said,
" State all, if you please; don't stultify it again, as you
did at Guildhall; I have not forgot—
Mr. Serjeant VAUGHAN..-A beg pardon, my Lord, but lam not
guilty of attempting to do that.
The Loan CutelJUSTlCZ—After a Learned Judge has ruled a
point, it is not proper (or a Counsel to make observations that he
may afterwards be sorry for.
Mr. Serjeant Vauciusa—l should be very unwilling to say any
thing that might be displeasing to any learned Judge ; but I beg
leave to observe, that I said nothing which I would not now wil-
lingly repeat.
The Loan Cater Jessica—Probably it may proceed from the
rapidity of your utterance, that your words or meaning may have
beta mistaken. I have myself often felt uneasy at your observa-
tions, and they have provoked an unpleasant reply, when I dare
say you intended nothing disagreeable. No doubt other Judges
may have felt the same.
Mr. Serjeaut VAUGHAN—My Lord, you will forgive me, if I
say that we can all feel in turn.
After some little discussion on the point properly
under the consideratirn of the Court, the Chief Justice
sa d that the questi'in was one of sufficient importance
to deserve further arguments than could have been af-
folded to it at .Nisi granted.

It stated in a letter front Turin, dated the 26th
ultimo, that the Kirg Of SARDINIA has at last been
deter mined, by his Cotmcil, to-grant a full and general
amnesty th- political offences of the short-lived re-
volution of 1821.
The earthquake by which the Philippines was visited
in October last, appears to have been ark throughout
the: lAAnd of Luconia for some days previous to the
26th October, on which day a most severe shock was
experi-nced in the town and suburbs of Manilla, which
demolished several of the churches, one of the bridges
.over the river, and many of the private houses. About
font miles above the town, and close to the river, the
earth opened v ith a tremendous explesion, and s!.ortlyl
site, wards shoals of dead fish were seen floating down
dr, river into the sea. All the respectable inhabitants
immediately deserted Manilla, and removed into the
I.lrd:tr. The military barracks having been thrown
down, tents were erected for the soldiers on a plain at
a short d style?, but this encampment was entirely de
strayed by a hurricane, on the Ist of Novemb-r ; the
• roofs were blown off many of the rcma ning House•,
• a.,.1 six •essell in the roads were stranded.
Oa an examination of the ruins after the destructive
ev.-nt of the late fie in Wolverhampton, in one of the
walls which the fire had spared was discovered the
scorched remains of a nest, with a dead sparrow still
in a sitting position upon her eggs, though her legs,
tail, and the hind part of her body, were completely
o'e•tro}ed by the fire.
La t week, as a mats of Polperro was fishing near the
he found a keg of
;w sort of ti hery,
kegs, and cart ied
' --Is he will be

ARTISTS' BENEVOLENT FUND.
-.....-

Saturday last, the Sixteenth Anniversary Meeting of
the Artists Benevolent Fund was held at theFreemasons'
Tavern,thr Right fbnonrable ROBERT Peat.,Nl.P. in•the
chair. The city h having been removed, Mr. Secretary
Peel proposed the health of bi. Majesty. He was sure
the assembly, in receiving the toast with delight, were
not actuated by mere deferent( to custom, bat by the
stronger feeling of gratitude towards the Sovereign, as
the munificent patron and enlightened judge of the Fine
Arts. This his Majesty had proved, not only by having
enrdlled himself as the protector of almost every insti-
tution in Great Britain, having the encouragement of
the arts for its object, but his having commissioned him
(Mr. Peel) to say, that he was pleased to declare him-
self Patron of the Artists' Benevolent Fund, and as a
slight earnest of the love he bore the Arts, and of the
sense he entertained of the aim of the Institution, to pre.
sent it with one hundred guineas.
The toast was rapturously received, and drank with due honours
and real enthusiasm.
The Duke of York and the rest of the Royal Fa-
mily." 64 The Army and Navy," were then drank, and
afterwards the health of Mr. Secretary Peel, who, in
r. turning thanks for the honour done him, remarked,
that he should be an unworthy Minister of George the
Fourth, mere he not anxious to contribute to the ad-
vancement of the Arts. _ _ _

6* The President and Members of the Royal Aca-
demy." The Chairman in giving this toast took occa-
si .n to say that he hoped the time was not far distant
when the splendid display of talent that graced its walls
would appear in a more suitable place of exhibition.—
This was a matter which was near his Majesty's heart,
and he (Mr. Peel) therefore spoke with the more confi•
deuce. " Sir Thomas Lawrence," " The British Insti-
tution.'' Prince Leopold," " Prosperity to the Artists
Benevolent Fund,"" Sir John Swinburne," as The Vice-
President and Committee," were amongst the other
healths drunk. _ _ _

Mr. Bahnanoo then read the Report of the Society, which was
highly satisfactory. Mr. Secretary Peel shortly after retired, and
the Meeting dispersed. .

The elephant presented by the Pacha of Egypt has
arrived at Havre.. It is a female, and of a different
specks from that of our male elephant. Great value is
attached to this circumstance. The African specks
differs in its form and habits ; its ears are larger, and
its tasks glow to a considerable size. Two young lions,
male and female, have also arrived, and two others
are on their way.

EXTRAORDINARY Itoanzay.—Saturday morning, be-
tween three and four o'clock, some thieves entered the
house of Mr. Coxhead, an oil and colourman, in Bridge-
road, Westminster. About that time the family were
alarmed by a loud explosion, which seemed to have
taken place at the bottom part of the house. Mr. Cox-
head went below, and found that his iron chest had,
sbeen removed from its situation; he alarmed the watch-
man, and on entering the cellar where the carboys of
oil, turpentine, pitch, and other combustible materials
are kept, they found the remains of the iron chest,with
the lid completely blown off, and a smaller tin box,
which was usually kept within it, containing between
701. and 801. gone. It was soon ascertained that the
thieves found that they could not force the chest with a
small crow-bar, which they left behind, and they had,
therefore, introduced gunpowder through the key-
hole, and ignited it by means a a phosporus match.
On another examination of the premises, a vast quan-
tity of gunpowder was found that had been placed in
different parts of the cellar, close to the combustible
materials, evidently for the purpose of firing the house.
The thieves appeared to have effected their escape by
the back kitchen window. A short time after the rob-
bery, the constable of the night found the tin box in an
unfrequented place, called Cut-throat-lane, near Lam-
beth Palace. On the paling was drawn the figure of the
crow-bar, with the name of Coxhead written underneath.

The " County Courts Bill," as amended by the Com-
mittee, is now printed ; and, according to its provisions,
instead of raising about twenty-four Barristers to be
local Judges, to carry into effect the purposes of the
Act, they are to be effected by the Commissioners of
the Insolvent Debtors Court, who already go Circuits.
There are, however, to be four Commissioners of the
Insolvent Debtors' Court ; and each Commissioner is
to preside in the County Court, as well as in the Insol-
vent Debtors Court. The Bill then provides that three
other fit and proper persons, of ten years standing at
least at the Bar, shall be appointed to carry into exe-
cution the purposes of this Act. Six of the Commis-
sioners are to go the Circuits, and the Circuits ate to be
held three times a year. The Commissioners of the
County Courts to be empowered to examine "plaintiff
or defendant upon oath " The Act to extend to Wales,
and it is proposed that it should go into operation
September I:—Nothing is said about any increase of
salary to the Commissioners already appointed for the
extra duty, or to those Commissioners to be hereafter
named in the event of the Bill becoming law.
A PRODIGIOUS WHALIL—It appears, by a private
letter from Hull, that a few days 'ago, a large whale
was washed ashore on the Holderness coast, and had
attracted many visitors. It is a male animal of the
nieeroesphalus, or blunt-headed cachalot species, mea-
suring upwards of 62 feet, and was first observed float-
ing dead off the mouth of the Humber. The head is
of the most enormous size. The thickness of the blob-
bey at this part exceeded six inches, but when the
knives of the operators stuck into any of the cavities in
which the spermaceti is contained, the great quantity
of it, in a liquid state, that presented itself, was truly
astonishing. This, in a very short time after exposure
to the air, coagulated, and the thermometer, after
being plunged into it, in a liquid state, being continued
;n it for a short time, rose to 79 degrees. The thermo-
meter exhibiting 56 deg. of FahreWeit, in the external
air, no manifestation of change was exhibited by in-
troducing it into the cavity from which the eye bad been
reeently removed.
The celebrated Gibbon, notwithstanding his shortness
and rotundity was very gallant. One day being
ate-a-ate with Madame deCronzas, Gibbon wished to
seize the favourable moment, and suddenly dropping
'on his knees, he declared his love in the must pas-
sionate terms. Madame de Cronzas replied in a tone
like'y to prevent a repetition ref such a scene. Gash :a
was thunder-struck, but still remained on his knees,
though frequently desired to get up and resume his
seat. " Sir." said Madame de Cionzas, " will you have
the goodness to rise?" " Alas, Madam.!" replied 'he
unh ,ppy lover, "4 I cannot !" His size prevented him
flow rising without assistance; upon ih s Madame de
Cronzas rang the bell, saying to the stream, " lift up
Mr. Gibbon !"

. / . C4lll/15 hock, on hauling up Lis line. he fi
.0111 s Attached tc, it v continuing his new s
I e to k on hoattl upwArdi 'of lofty keg
&Lent to Fo* ey Cu,toin-bt.use, for whtc
i .
i ha ndiemely tcoaded.