Star.
London, England, 1821-09-05 00:00:00

AN ITALIAN CONNOISSEUR.

At the period of the French invasion, there stood at
the head of the Gallery and the Arts in Florence
44 Dirretore della Galleries," one whose enthusiastic
love of both still makes the subject of many a plea-
sant anecdote in the Florentine circles—the Cavaliers
Puccini. Of this arduous Director of the Museum
and zealous guardian of the Venus de Medicis, the
Ilespei ian dragon 44 was but a type ;" one object
only had ever divided his passion for the Fine Arts,
and that was his taste for the gastronomic ones.—,
Torn by contending inclinations towards the cabinet
and the kitchen, he is said to have habitually cons
founded the phraseology of both—to have talked of
the Venus as a " cosa do tnangiare," and of " wouton
a la braise," as being of the true French School.—:.
Pointing out the best pictures of the Gallery, one day,
to a Roman Gentleman, in his usual stain of culinary
criticism, he observed of one, 44 Come questo quadra
butiroso!" (How buttery this picture is !)—of ano•
Cher, 44 Come Z. midolloso !" (How full of marrow this
is!) 44 If you say another word," interrupted the
virtuoso, licking his lips, 44 I shall eat them !"—•
" Slate ; sc no, lo manic!"

GEORGE lII.—At the unhappy period of the late
KING'S illness, when every word was weighed, when
every look was scanned, several of the attendants at
Windsor were more than once thrown into astonish,
ment at the remarks of the Illustrious Sufferer. One
afternoon, Colonel G— was desired to play a game
of draughts with the Sovereign, by way of passing
away the time. His MAJESTY, as at other intervals,
uncommonly lucid, kept his adversary's skill on the
watch for an advantageous move. At length the
opportunity arrived, when the Colonel exultingly
said, " Now, Sir, I shall beat you ; for I am going
to make a King." —" Then," said the Monarch, look-
ing significantly, " you cannot make a more unhappy
thing !"—Percy Anecdotes.
ANECDOTE OF LORD DE DUNSTANVILLE.HIS
Lordship, whose wealth and benevolence are ex-
tensively known, was one day walking in the planta.
Lions of evergreen which surround his fine mansion
at Tehidy, in Cornwall, and finding a woman there
gathering sticks, and plucking the withered branches
of the shrubs; he told her she had no business there,
but was committing a trespass, and ordered her to be
gone. The poor woman, like the woman of Sama-
ria, did not know who it was that spoke to her, and
answered very abruptly, " Who's to mind such a
cross old creature as you are; I am sure my Lord
himself would say nothing if he was here, for he is a
oreat friend to the poor." His Lordship turned away,
but sent a servant to inquire who she was? and find-

ing she was a widow with a large family in distress,
he kindly gave her a pension of £lO per annum.

A contract was entered into on Friday last, by the
Guardians of the Poor of Canterbury, to supply the
Workhouse with bread for the ensuing three months,
at 4id. per peck loaf, under the assize price.
liors.—The picking is expected generally to com-
mence this day week. The duty is estimated at from
£190,000 to £195,000.
A Gentleman, who has been travelling through So-
mersetshire and Devonshire, wrote to a friend last week
as follows:—Notwithstanding all the predictions, all
the apprehensions, of the farmers, the wheat harvest
is generally a productive one : it is true there are some
exceptions, but they are only exceptions arising from
exposures to different winds and aspects, and other
unaccountable causes. The greater part of the wheat
appears to be cut, as far as I was enabled to judge
from the neighbourhood of the road. The barley,
which appears to be universally a great crop, is begun
upon about Taunton, and the continuance of the
happy weather will soon terminate the labours of the
agriculturist."
The corn, both cut and standing, must have been
greatly benefited by the sun and wind of the last four
days, and if the weather proves the same through-
out the present week, much wheat will, no doubt,
be carried.
CORN EICHANCF, MARE.R.ATIF, Srrr. s.—The advance in the
price of Flour on Monday induced the millers to increase their
stocks of Wheat, and large 5..1e4 were made, which nearly
cleared the whole of the supply from Essex, Kent, and Suffolk ;
but we had a few fresh arrivals from the latter County, which
met heavy sale at Monday's prices, owing to the appearance of
a favourable change in the weather. The Oat trade was also
dull at Monday's prices. In Barley, Peas, and Brant, there it
1.(1 ah‘l::tioat

THE RUINS OF NESTUNL

AX OXFORD PRIZE PORM--1821.

Mid the deep silence of the pathless wild,
Where kindlier nature once profusely stnird,
The eternal temples stand—untold their age,
Untraced their annals in the historic page,
AN that around them stood now far awal,
Single in ruin, mighty in decay!

Between the mountains and the azure main,
They claim the empire of the lonely plain,
In solemn beauty through the clear blue light
The Doric columns rear their massive height—
Emblems of strength antaned-riet conquering Time
Has mellowed half the sternness of their primes
And bade the lichen and the Moslem
Embrown with darker tints the vivid stone:
Each channerd pillar of the lane appears
Unspoird, yet soften'sl by consuming years,
So calmly awful, so scrawly fair,
The gazer's limit still mutely worships there.
Not always thus—when beam'd beneath the day
No fairer scene than Pcestistn's lovely bay,
'When her light soil bore fruit of every hue,
And twice each year her far-famed roses blew ;
While Bards her blooming bottoms loved to sing,
And Tuscan zephyrs fanned the eternal Spring!
Proud in her port the Tydeus moored their fleets,
And health and commerce filled her peopled streets
While here the rescued mariner adored
The sea's dread sovereign, Posidonia's lord,
With votive tablets decked yon hallowed walls,
Or seed for justice in her ample halls.
There stood on ►igh the white-robed flamen—there
The opening portal poured the choral prayer,
While to the o'er-arching heaven swelled full the sound,
And incense blazed, and myriads knelt around!
'Tis past—the echoes of the plain are mute,
E'en to the herdsman's call and shepherd's flute.
The toil. of Art, the charms of Nature fail,
And Death triumphant rides the tainted gale;
From the lone spot the trembling peasants haste ;
A wild the garden, and the town a waste.
But these are still the same—alike they mock
The invader's menace, and the tempest's shock!
Such, e:e the world had bowed to Cesar's throne,
Ere yet proud Rome's alL4onquering name was known,
They stood ; and fleeting centuries in vain
Have poured their fury o'er the enduring fane.
Such long shall stand, proud relics of a clime
'When man was glorious, and his works sublime ;
While in the progress of their long decay,
Thrones sink to dust, and nations pass away !

The York Theatre closed a short, but a successful
season, on Monday se'nnight, with the Tragedy of
Welk% being under the patronage of Colonel TnAcK-
WELL and the Officers of the 15th (King's) Hussars.
The Presto* CAroxick, of 'Saturday last, contains

adverthements of no less than one hundred and twenty-
nine farms told. all in the County of Lancaster !
Extract of a private letter from West Coast, Deme-
rara, to a Medical Gentleman in the neighbourhood
of Stirling, dated May 14th The Plantain tree,
in this country, is almost the sole supply of food for
the Negroes, and is used instead of bread by the whites
also. A new disease has lately attacked it, principally
in the mouth of the river Essequibo, which has laid
whole fields waste. A disease so alarming of course
has caused a good deal of speculation here, and seve-
ral communications on this subject have appeared
through the medium of the Guiana Chronicle and
Demerara Gazelle. The Agricultural Society of Esse-
quibo have very liberally offered a premium of 100
guineas for the best Essay on the nature and cause
of this disease in the Plantain tree." _

.
Instructions have been given to Collectors of As-
sessed Taxes, that the duties in respect to Husbandry
Horses are to be collected for only one quarter of the
present year ; and after payment of one-fourth part
of the duties assessed, the Commissioners of the Dis-
trict will discharge the remainder of the said duties,
Persons who have compounded for the said duties
are also to be relieved in the same manner for three,
quartets of this year, and being the third year of their
contracts, after payment Of one-fourth part of the
duties; but no part of the five per cent. duty is to be
discharged, which will remain on the charge to be
collected when it becomes due.
The Easton Lodge Estate, Norfolk, the property
of the late WILLIAM FOSTER, Esq. has been pur-
chased by Ttromns TRENCH BERNEY, Esq. of Mor-
Ton Hall, for 50,000 guineas.
On Monday last, a number of persons were assem-
bled at au auction in an upper room of a house at
Launceston, and being busily engaged either in exa-
mining the articles offered for sale, or in attending to
the eloquent effusions of the auctioneer, they were
wholly inattentive to the state of the floor, which,
being unequal to the weight upon it, suddenly gave
way with a tremendous crash, and precipitated the
whole assemblage to the floor beneath. The con-
sternation and outcry may be easily imagined : hap-
pily, however, no very serious injury was sustained.
The company chiefly consisted of females, several of
whom received contusions, and some have been since
confined to their rooms in consequence of the fright
they sustained: The auctioneer, a grave personage,
escaped with the loss of his spectacles.
Lately, at a town in the North of England, a young
Clergyman, who is running the race of preferment,
was appointed to preach ale Assize Sermon. The
Mayor, agreeably to ancient custom, sent the Re-
♦erend youth a polite invitation to dinner; but was
answered by a gruff note condemnatory of the prac-
tice of giving what he called public dinners on a
Sunday. The astonished Alderman handed this un-
expected reproof to one of the Learned Lords present,
who could not refrain from expressing his disappro-
bation at what he called ill-timed impertinence.
The Semaphore signal-house, which was a short
time since erected on the Platform, at Portsmouth,
not being sufficiently elevated to answer the purpose
for which it was intended, a new one has been deter-
mined on, and commenced building, upon the roof
of the old Government store, occupied by the Vic-
tualling Board, at the lower end of the High-street,
adjoining the Platform battery. It is to be 93 feet
above the present building, and in such a command-
ing situation, that communications can be made from
it to the ships at Spithead, and in the Harbour, and
to the Isle of Wight, Portsdown Hill, and the sur-
rounding forts and batteries.