Star.
London, England, 1821-11-12 00:00:00

PREACHING AND FIGHTING.

A short time ago an itinerant preacher appeared in
the streets of Whithorn, in Galloway, dressed in a
suit that had once been black, and otherwise habited
in the true style of a peripatetic divine. Among other
appendages, his Reverence was furnished with an an-
cient-looking wig, surmounted by a hat which had
also seen a good deal of service, and which was
speedily placed at his feet, where it stood gaping like
a new-made grave, ready to receive the expected offer-
ings. Thus accoutred, the self-elected, or rather per-
haps the "stickit minister," began to hold forth from
a text of which we know neither the chapter nor the
verse, but which led him to make frequent mention
of the land of Egypt. The audience, upon the whole,
was pretty numerous, and among others the preacher
was attended by an old pensioner, who had served
under Sir Ralph Abercromby. This said pensioner had
long piqued himself upon his knowledge of foreign
parts, and thinking the present a fit opportunity for
raising his character in the eyes of the burghers, he
continued to prick up his ears at every mention of
the word Egypt; and at last, rudely exclaimed,
" Tell me, Sir, the distance between Alexandria
and Grand Cairo, and then I'll tell you whether you
know anything about the matter." The preacher
stared at this strange interruption, but thinking the
man mad, he merely motioned him to be quiet by
the waving of his hand, and calmly resumed the
thread of his discourse. But his tormentor was not
so easily to be put down. The time of drawing the
pension had but newly elapsed, and as his natural con-
fidence had been increased by a supplementary glass,
he quickly returned to the charge, and insisted upon
receiving an answer to his geographical queries.—
Thus assailed, the luckless preacher firstfeeched, then
rebuked, then threatened his persecutor; but finding
all in vain, he quietly laid aside his coat, wig, and
:ravat, and nosing the veteran, and warning him to
stand on his guard, he tipped him a bread-basketer in
the true Mendoza style. The novelty of this proceed-
ing made many of the spectators look very grave, but
others enjoyed the joke highly, and the same persons
who had hung on the hero's kordi as a preacher,
now transferred their admiration from his lips to his
arms, and seemed equally interested in his prowess
as a boxer. The battle was not a long one. The
pseudo-divine seemed perfectly at home in the pugi-
listic art, and the hero who had triumphed on the
plaids of Aboukir, found himself fairly worsted in
the streets of his native burgh. Craving his worship's
pardon, therefore, he retired to refit his damaged
timbers, while the preacher, after a short breathing-
time, resumed a discourse, the conclusion of which
was allowed to be much more eloquent than the com-
mencement. The hat, which was now sent round,
received a plenteous shower of sixpences, shillings,
and coppers and many who entertained strong doubts
as to the preacher's piety, found themselves con-
strained to reward his adroitness and courage.
a

Sunday week, during the high wind, an immense
Lombardy poplar, at the north-west corner of the
Fellows Garden, St. John's College, Cambridge, wWii
blown down. The tree was one of the finest of that
species in the kingdom ; its girth was fifteen feet four
inches, its height very considerable, and it is sup-
posed to be about 200 years old. One of the Fellows
was within two yards of the tree when it began to
give way, but was fortunately out of its reach before
it fell, and the only damage it occasioned was the
demolition of part of the garden wall. A swallow
was found in the hollow of the trunk, in a torpid
state. Same day, the large weeping willow in Archs
deacon STRONG'S plantations, at I'eterhorotigl3, so
many 'years the ornament of the gravel-walk in that
city, was entirely blown to the ground.
On the south wall of Streatham Church is the fol-
lowing singular inscription:—.. Elizabeth, wife of
1
Major-General Hamilton, who was married forty-
seven years, and never did one thing to disoblige her.
, husband! She died 1746."