The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1839-07-19 00:00:00

THE AGES.

(From Blackwood's Magazine.)

A thousand years—a thousand years !
So long a time has worn away,
And o'er the hardening earth appears
Green pasture mix'd with rocks of gray ;
And there huge monsters roll and feed,
Each'frame a mass of sullen life ;
Through slimy wastes and woods of reed
They crawl, and tramp, and blend in strife.
A thousand years—a thousand years !
And o'er the wide and grassy plain,
A human form the prospect cheers,
The new-sprung lord of earth's domain.
Half clad in skins he builds a cell,
Where wife and child create a home ;
He looks to heaven with thoughts that swell,
And owns a might beyond the dome.
A thousand years—a thousand years !
And lo ! a city and a realm :
Its weighty pile a temple rears,
And walls are bright with sword and helm
Each man is lost amid a crowd ;
Each power unknown now bears a name ;
And laws and rites, and songs are loud ;
And myriads hail their monarch's fame.

A thousand years—a thousand years !
And now beside the rolling sea,
Where many a sailor nimbly steers,
The eager tribes are bold and free.
The graceful shrine adorns the hill ;
The square of council' spreads below ;
Their theatres a people fill,
And list to thought's divinest flow.
A thousand years—a thousand years !
We live amid a sterner land,
Where laws ordain'd by ancient seers
Have train'd the spirit of command ;
• Their pride and policy and war,
With haughty fronts are gazing slow,
And bound at their triumphal car,
O'ermaster'd kings to darkness go.
A thousand years—a thousand years !
And chivalry and faith are strong ;
And through devotion's sorrowing tears
Is seen high help for earthly wrong.
Fair gleams the cross with sunny light,
Beneath a dim cathedral arch ;
'Tis raised, the burgher Staff of Right,
And heads the stately feudal march.
A thousand years !—How swift the chain
That drags along our sight to-day !
Before that sound returns again,
The present will have stream'd away,
And all our world of busy strength
Will dwell in calmer halls of time,
And then with joy, will own, at length,
Its course is filed, its end sublime.

CONTEMPORARY PRESS.

LADY FLORA HASTINGS.
(From Me Times.) _ _

We copy the following from the John Bull : we have
reason to believe that the particulars are precisely
true :

" When the Queen heard the opinion of Sir James
Clarke with regard to Lady Flora Hastings, his patient,
her Majesty sent Lady. Portman to consult her Royal
Highness the Duchess of Kent as to the course to be
pursued. The Duchess received .Lady Portman with
all kindness, and expressed her regrets at the unfortu-
nate cause of her visit; but it was not until the third
interview with her Royal Highness that Lady Portman
delivered a message from the Queen, to say that her
Majesty thought it best for Lady Flora's sake, as well
as for the honour of the Court, that Lady Flora should
set the question of Sir James Clarke's opinion at rest,
by calling in and consulting some other medical man
in whom her ladyship had confidence.
" This, we firmly believe, was all that the Queen
said upon the subject, and that the examination in
question took place when its nature had been explained
to her at the desire of the innocent lady heiself, who,
in the anxiety to clear herself completely in the eyes of
the Queen and country, nobly and boldly sacrificed her
personal feelings to the entire justification of her ho-
nour.

" We would stake our existence that, so far from
the Queen having suggested this course, her Majesty,
until she was informed of the result, neither knew that
any examination was to take place, or that such a mode
of proceeding existed.
" We are aware that this is a matter of great deli-
cacy to touch upon, and, certainly, if it had not been
rendered a matter of great indelicacy, we should not
have alluded to it ; but as it has been proved to the
world, that when the calumny against Lady Flora was
disproved the Queen exhibited every mark of kindness
and attention towards her; that in the audience which
the Marchioness,' of Hastings had, her Majesty shed
tears of regret at what had passed ; that her Majesty
visited the sick-bed of the sufferer, and, when Death
had done his work, every possible mark of regard and
esteem was paid to her ladyship's memory, it is too
hard that the Queen should labour under the imputa-
tion of advising or commanding a course to be pur-
sued, the thought of which, as we have already said,
never entered her mind, and of the nature or existence
of which her Majesty had no knowledge whatever."

* It was Lord Hastings, we believe, not Lady Hastings,
to whom the audience was. given.

THE LATE THUNDER STORM.

Last Sunday night, great confusion prevailed in the neigh-
bourhood of Tallow, near Wrestlingworth, in consequence
of flames proceeding from the buildings of the farm in the
occupationiof Mr, King, the lightning, which had prevailed
to a great extent during that evening, having struck the above
premises ; the barns, piggeries, &c. were all consumed, to-
gether with about 200 fowls, and eight store pigs, and a valu-
able hunter, which was in one of the stables, but could not
be got out, although every exertion was made to acomplish
this, but without success. The poor animal was seen at the
time of the stable roof falling in, running into another barn
which was on fire, and when discovered in the ruins one leg
was missing, which was afterwards found in the stable, and
I must have come off at the time of the last struggle in getting
out of the same. We have not yet learned whether the pro-
perty was or was not insured.—.Herts Paper.
PULBOROUGH.—The lightning was awfully grand, and
about 10 o'clock the hail commenced and continued for about
a quarter of an hour. Some of the hail stones measured
seven inches in circumference. Considerable damage was
1 done, particularly to the Rev. J. Austin's hot and green
house, in which about 2,000 panes of glass were broken.—
Sussex Express.
TUNBRIDGE-WELLS.—The storm commenced about half-
past eight o'clock, and continued, with very little intermission,
until between one and two on Monday morning. The hail
more resembled pieces of ice than anything else ; 'some of
them were of an oval shape, and others round. One of the
former that we picked up measured upwards of an inch and
a quarter in length and an inch in diameter. At a quarter
before 12 one of the heaviest claps of thunder probably ever
heard was followed by instantaneous calm, and soon after-
wards the storm gradually died away. We regret to state
that considerable mischief has been done by the hail to the
glass in the hot houses, &c., in this place and neigh-
bourhood. The principal sufferers, so far as we have been
enabled to collect, are as follows :—the Earl of Abergavenny,
Eridge, 1,700 squares ; D. J. Robertson, Esq., Bishop's
Down Grove,l,loo squares ;—Becher, Esq., Mount Ephraim,
about 1,400 squares; Mrs. Sheppard, Manor House, nearly
the same ; Mrs. Tighe, Earl's Court between 300 and 400
squares; Mr. Fennings, a considerable number. Mr. C.
Hollamby, nurseryman, in the Eridge-road, had scarcely a
square of glass left in his green houses and frames. Mr. T.
Cripps, nurseryman, Cumberland-walks, was also a material
sufferer. The Calverley Hotel'lost about 150 squares. In
fact, this list might be swelled to an amazing degree. We
are, however, very happy to state that the anticipations of
more serious mischief have not been realised.—lbid.
ROTHERFIELD.—ANOTHER STORM.Tuesday evening
last this place was visited by one of the most terrific thunder
storms we have experienced for many years. The tempest
began about eight o'clock, and lasted till near midnight ;
during the greater part of which time there was scarcely any
cessation with respect to the lightning, which was occa-
sionally severely vivid, and the thunder rolled in tremendous
but awful peals. The hail was the largest ever seen here,
many of the stones measuring from three to four inches in
circumference. The chief mischief done has been sustained
by our respectable rector, and Henry Hope Johnstone, Esq.,
of Bother House, in whose gardens, we are sorry to learn,
very considerable mischief has been done to the hot houses,
&c. We have not heard of any other serious mischief having
occurred, if we except a sky-light being smashed at the
King's Arms inn, in this town.—lbid.
BILLINGSHURST.—On Sunday night, a very heavy tem-
pest of thunder, lightning, and hail passed over this district.
The lightning was extremely vivid, and presented an almost
continuous blaze of tire. The hailstones were of an unusually
large size ; but no damage has been experienced in this parish
that we have heard of except by Mr. Allman, who has lost 80
panes of glass in his green house. In the neighbourhood,
however, much mischief has been done in this way ; at Stop-
ham,—Bartlett, Esq. had 1,000 panes of green house glass
broken, and at Iford about 40 were destroyed.—lbid
HORSHAM.—The awful storm which visited this town and
neighbourhood, on Sunday evening last, has, we trust, left
an indeliable impression on the minds of all right thinking
individuals. The day had been throughout excessively hot,
and at about five o'clock the thunder was heard faintly rum-
bling in the west ; it approached gradually until seven o'clock,
when it was accompanied by lightning from the western to
the eastern hemisphere ; and was in a short time extended
throughout the heavens, so that they appeared every few
seconds a solid sheet of fire ; the lightening from the south
was extremely beautiful ; the spiral flame shooting in all
directions like a grand display of fireworks. At about half-
past eight, the air was filled for about two or three minutes
with a mighty rushing noise," resembling the rattling of
hundreds of carriages ' • this was immediately followed by a
tremendous shower of hail, being the most severe that has
fallen within the memory of the oldest inhabitant, many of
the hailstones being as large as a small hen's egg, carrying
destruction to property with them. The green houses and
conservatories of the following gentlemen were damaged
Sir C. M. Burrell's, Admiral Whitshed's, Marchioness
Northampton's, G. E. Platt, Esq.'s, about £lOO ; B. Fox,
Esq., Hon. A. Arundel, H. Padwick, Esq., W. Jupp, Esq.,
J. S. Broadwood, Esq., very extensive ; P. Medwin, Esq.,
Mrs. Marriott, and Mrs. Haines, having the whole of their
upper windows' demolished • Mr. Allman, nurseryman, had
800 square feet of glass broken ; and we are sorry to add that
Mrs. Howes, at the King's Head, has sustained a loss ex-
ternally and internally which is estimated at £2O. The
following tradesmen have had their skylights many of which
were very large, left glassless :—Messrs. J. Thorpe, C. Hunt,
J. Browne, I. and J. Stanford, W. and R. Milward, Laker,
Packwood, Lee, and many others, and indeed all houses ex-
posed to the south and south-west have received more or
less injury ; the violence of the storm was not of long dura-
tion, and we are happy to say there has been no personal
injury done, although Mr. Martin, surgeon, of Horsham,
had a very narrow escape ; he was on his return from visiting
a patient, when he was overtaken by the storm, which so
frightened his horse, that himself and servant were obliged
to alight. No other injury was done than the breaking of
the reins. Nothing is now heard but the glaziers tapping at
the broken windows.—lbid.

A society has lately sprung up at Newcastle-upon-Tyne,
the members of which assert that the use of tobacco, whether
taken as snuff or in smoking, is a primary cause of intem-
perance, and they have subscribed to a pledge neither to use
uor to sell the forbidden weed.—Hindpdper.