Star.
London, England, 1830-05-01 00:00:00

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

Ms Majesty's ship Path.. arrived at Portsmouth, passed Ter-
ceira on the 21st nit. wher the only ves,el crui►ing there was a
brig, apparently Portuguese.
The Black River Packet, from Jamaica, is supposed to be ar-
rived tiff Dover.

Mat, AMC 30—rind W.S.W. 1
Porrstsourn, APRIL 30.—Wind S F.. to N. W.—Arrived his
Majesty's ship Pallas. from Wilgal—sailed 9th January, Madras
16th, Cape 7th March, St. Helena 2.1 d, and Ascension the 28th.—
Sailed his Majesty's steamer Carton, for —.
FALMOUTH. APRIL IL—Arrived the Opossum packet,
from Tampico—sailed 4th :tiara, Vera Cruz 12th, and Havannah
28th. Also, the Sully. front New Yak.
Hasvirms, Aram 30.—Seven ships of war, and two brigs, are
steering for the eastward. supposed to be the Russian squadron.
PLYMOUTH. APRIL 89.—Wind E.—Arrived off the port, the
Hoop, Tvitnis, from Surinam.
Cowes, Arum 30.—Arrived the Tino, Williams, from Cape
Coast Cattle.
. Bauarrtm, APRIL SO.— A rrived the Lavinia, Brook', from the
Mauritius.
Buserot, Aram 30 —Arrived the Maria, Bailey, from Jamaica.
HOLTHIAD, APRIL 29.—Off the port, the Miramichi, Hutchin-
son, front St John's, N. D.
Lresuroot, Aram 29.—Arrived Grotius, Houston, from

CLuns, AWL 2$ and 29.—A gritted the Richard Brown, Dun-
lop, from Grenada, and Mary. Dagnia, from Charleston.

Prince LEOPOLD arrived in town at a late hour on
Thursday night from Dover, where his Royal Highness
landed about two o'clock on Thunstlay afternoon from
Calais, on his return from Paris.

The French Anibassador had a conference yesterday
with the Earl of ABERDEEN, at the Foreign Office.
A deputation from the Van Dieman's Land Couipany
attended yesterday at the Colonial Office.
We beg to call the attention pf our readers to the Al-
dine Edition of the BRITISiII Poays, announced is our columns
of to-day, which we conceive will be a desirable addition to am 11.
termite, as it will place the mat betatiful of British
genius within the reach of every clam of . This Series will
unite the advantages of correctness s( teat shwa of type to
that of cheapness; and as the Bake will wage WWI the Wowdllel
Novels, Lardaa's Cyclopedia, and other weeks of that popsies
else, it must Ind admission into *Tay Mary.

MAY DAY.

J.* the custom on the calenda, or Ow
car.taionly called May-day, for the joveidle
:Et to tin a little after midnight, and w•ilk

to *ow.: neighbouring woods, accompanieddwith
broke down branches from the trei.,.t, and
adorned them with nosegays and crowns of flowmi.When
this was done, they returned with their booty homewards,
about the rising of the sun, and made their doors and
window.; to triumph in the flowery spoil. The after-part
of the day was chiefly spent in dancing round a tall pole,
called a May-pole, which, being placed in a convenient
part of the village, stood there consecrated, as it were, to
the g•oldess of flowers, without tho least violation offered
to it, in the whole circle of the year. And this is not
the custom of the British common people only, but it is
the custom of the generality of other nations ; particularly
of the Italians, where Virgil tells us the youth
of hot!: sexes were ac...n..t..tued to go into the fields on
the calends of May, and bring from thence' the branches
of trees, singing all the way as they caw,. home, and so
Blare them on the doors of ti!ei. houses.
Stow tells us, in his Survey of London",' that in
the ni.mth of May—namely, on May-day in the mo:n •
ing- —every man, except impediment, would walk into tha
sweet ineddows and greed woods, there to rejoice their
Apiritswith the beauty and savour of sweet flowers, and

with the harmony of birds praising Goo in their kite. e."
lie quotes from Hall an account of Henry VIII.
•• riding a Maying," from Greenwich to the high ground
of Shooter's Hill, with Queen Katharine his wife, accom
panied with many lords and 'adj.'s.
He further tells us, " I find also that, in the mouth of
May, the citisons of London (of all estates) lightly, in
every parish, or sometimes two or three parishes joining
together, had their several Mavings,t and did fetch in
..day-poles, with divers warlike shows, with good arcl:era,
morriee-dancers, and other for pastime, all the
day long ; and, towards tho evening, they had sti,s,e-.
plaies, and bonfires in the streets."
And again he says, " In the reign of Ileum the
r the Aldermen Sheriffs of London, being on May-day a'.
the Bishop of Loudon's wood, and having then, n wo•

ahipful dinner for themselves and other cotner.=,
the Monk of Bury, sent them by pursuivant a im, I
commendation of that season, beginning thus :
" !Welty Flora! goddess of fresh flowers,
Which clothed bath the soil is lusty grec..
Made buds to spring with her sweet shower.
By influence of the sun sheetw,
To do pleasance of intent full eltane,
Unto the state which now sit here
Hath Ver sent down her own daught:r dear."
- . . . . - .

Mr. Borlase in his curious account of the nianners of
Cornwall, tells us,—" An ancient custom still retained
by the Cornish is that of decking their doors and porches,
on the first of May, with green sycamore and hawthorn
boughs, and of planting trees, or, rather, stumps of trees,
before their houses : and on May-eve they from towns
make excursions into the country, and, having cut down
a tall elm, brought it into town, fitted a straight and
taper pole to the end of it, and painted the same, erect it
in the most public places, and, on holidays and festivals,
adorn it with flower garlands, or ensigns and streamers."
He adds, " This usage is nothing more than a gratu-
lation of the spring season ; and every house exhibited a
proper signal of its approach, to testify their universal
joy at the revival of vegetation."
The author of the pamphlet intitled " The Way to
Things by Words and to Words by Things," in his
Specimen of an Etymological Vocabulary, considers the
May-pole in a new and curious light. We gather from
him that our ancestors held an anniversary assembly on
May-day : the column of May (whence our May-pole)
was the great standard of justice in the Ey-commons, or
fields of May. Here it was that the people, if they saw
cause, deposed or punished their governors, heir barons,
their kings. The judge's bow or wand (at this time dis-
continued, and only faintly represented by a trifling nose-
gay), and the staff or rod of authority in the civil, and in
the military (for it was the mace of civil power, and the
truncheon of the field-officers). are both derived from
hence. A Mayor, hesays, received his name from this
May, in the sense of lawful power. The crown, a Mark
of dignity and symbol of power, like the mace and
sceptre, was also taken from the May, being represen-
tative f the garland or crown ; when hung on the top
of the Mayorpole was the great signal for convenieg the
people. The arches of it, wh;;I: spring fret the circle,
and meet together at the mound or round 'mil% being
necessarily so formed to sailiend it on ti.c top of the
pole. The word May-pole. he observes, is a pleoninin ;
in French it is called sing), the Mei.
This is, he further adok, one of the most ancient
customs, which, from the ..mote-t agls. Las teen, by re-
petition from year to year, perpct!iated down to cur diva,
not being at this instant wally explo.:cd, especially in
the lower class of life; it v..as considered I.s the
dory day, that divided the confines of winter and suamer,
allusively to which there e a.; i:lstit;:ted a spoithi: aar
between two parties; the one in deft ace ci the n-
tinuance of winter, the other for bringing n the Kin-Lter.
The youth were divided into trecrs. the one in winter
livery, the other in the gay Li:lit cf rpricg. be
mock battle was always ioogl.t bcA tv ,
.11. r quint was
sure to obtain the victory, \vim tt,cy celebrated by
carrying triumphantly green treed**, with May
proclaiming and singing the ::.ong of Joy, of Wt the
I burden was in these, or equivalent terms"—
" We have brought the sann,e, ben:v."

• "The Alayiugs," says Mr. Stuart, are in some mon yet t.pe
up by the milk-maids at London, e0..0 go ..tout 'the • turrets aith
their garland* and music, dancing. Bet this testing is a very an.
perfect shadow of the original sports ; for the 11.iy-ple aft- on up
in the streets with various Inertial shows; morris.datleinF, anoreer.er
devices, with which, and revelling and good cheer. tit day was
parted away. At night they tejoit,t; end lighted up then Ponta's."
+ Mr. Pennant tells us that, or. the Ise of 11ay. tx the High.
lands of Scotland, the herdsmen of every villev hold their Beiteia.
a renal saerhiee. They cot a ocean. treneb in the ent,trof. leaotif
the turf in the middle; on that they wake a fire or %nod, 011
which they dress a large caudle et eggs., butter; estoical, ottli
milk, and bring, besides the ingredients of the eatielt, rirt.tif
of beer and whiskey ; fcr each of the company tt.ast ettsrfltaie
something. The rites begirt with ;filling -so me of the cou.lie
on the ground, by way of libation. On di:. tv. ey one tales
cake of oatmeal, upon which ate waived nine square knot-; eern
dedicated to 10:11C particular being, the supposed 14. server of iota.
flocks and herds, or to some pane:ilas at.imal, the reandonnoyer of
them. Each person then turas his f.:ce the Are, breaks off a Inch,
and, flinging it over his shoulder, his I give to-tisee.—Fre-
serve thou my horses ;.this to thee—preserve thou my sheep ;"
so on. After the.* they use the sauce ern mot y to the rosious
" this I give to thee, 0 fox ! spare than my le ebbs; this to Ace. 0
hooded crow ! this to thee, 0 ragk !" When the conentiny •S
over. tley dine on the eatidk, ard, after the feast is finished, WI at
is WI is bid by two perso:.s, dcpated if" that pawns; bus en r!.e
next Sunday they re-ontemble, and firish the religion of she foar

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NEWOLTE AND I.ZADNNHALL. Mal I.
DI tee' IreasAr-Per stow of Sib,.
Beef, is. 44. to Si. 44. Mateo, as. id. to Ss. IOJ. Veal. 3s. to
4s. id. Pork, is. ed. toes. rd. Lamb. 41 N. to is. 04.
NEW FARRINGDON MARKET, Maw I.
Prices per 1. to tee commoner.
80a5..-Flocat Rositiog, Id. to /id. Vs. Holliog,
Beef
cif cock. Cd Romp of Beef. Td. Row/ Ihsacti.
Beef Stabs. W. Weross dleseusi—Leg.74. sad Nellsehl
74. Soddlo. Id. Loin. Old sad 7d. Neck. Sid. imisilier,44.
Brew. Veaut-Leg. 601. god Id. rilks.l4.sOli $4. lola.
ad. Brooms 74. elsoctider, sp. Poor, dd. so Id. Uri, 14.
sad awl OA

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