Star.
London, England, 1826-06-07 00:00:00

RECOLLECTIONS OF O'KEEFFE.

FROM THE NEW MONTHLY MAGAZINE.

At Mr. Harris's desire, I composed a grand piece of
action ; the subject the Siege of Troy, which opened at
the giving up the daughters of Chalcas, and ended with
the wooden horse adventure, Troy in flames, the death
of Priam, &c. In this piece also I hid dialogues, a
pleasing slew of Paris's dressing-room, the taking leave
of Hector and his wife, Stc. I also worked up another
dramatic romance—" Valentine and Orson ; ' but on
account of the great expense the theatre must incur
in an attempt to produce them, they were both given
up ; and I set joyfully to work on something more to my
wishes—a three-act opera. I finished. the whole of the
dialogue, and sent it to Mr. Harris before I began upon
the songs. He wrote me word it had got stuff in it, to
write the songs ultimo delay ; and as fast as I wrote
them to send them to Shield, to set to music. I did
so; and when complete, called my opera "The High-
land Reel."
Lewis read the piece, as usual, to the performers, in
the green-room. I kept away, but within hearing of
the laugh. Meeting Mr. Harris on the stage, when the
reading was over, he and I alone, I said, with becominE
diffidence, " I think the reading has gone off tolerably.
" Tolerably ! call you it?" he said ; " I never heard
such intolerable peals of laughter from any performers
at the first reading of a piece in my life." He shook
me by the hand, and we parted in happy spirits. The
opera came out shortly after; and the public were of
the same opinion with the performers as to its comic
merits. It was acted thirty nights the first season. Mr.
Harris gave me for it three hundred and fifty guineas.
Miss Fontenelle did the bold, high-spirited Maggy
well—it was her first appearance on any stage; and
a niece of Mrs. Kennedy's, a Miss Reynolds (her
first appearance also) appeared in the quiet, modest
Jenny. The music was made up of melodies of Allan
Ramsay, Grety, Corti, and Shield. Edwin came out,
with all his whim, in Sbelty the Piper, as did Quick, in
Mac Gilpin; Blanchard did Charley arch and well;
Frank Aikin, in the Laird of Cola, the head of his clan,
was proudly characteristic; and Charles Bannister, in
Serieant Jack, had Handel's grand dumb march to
vociferate.

IMPERIAL BRAZILIAN MINING
ASSOCIATION.
--.0.-

Yesterday a Meeting of the Proprietary of this Com-
pany was held at the London Tavern, Bishopsgate-
street, JOSHUA WALICIUS, Esq. in the Chair.
The CHAIRMAN said that the Meeting was summoned
by a requisition which was signed by ten Shareholders,
calling on the Directors to declare confiscated .500
shares, upon which the caU due on the 2d of February
had not been paid.
The CHAIRMAN read several extracts from letters,
which stated that their Secretary, after much trouble,
concluded for the purchase of that rich and valuable
Gongoska Mine, which was considered to possess the
finest ore in the world, and that, having obtained the
legal right, he also possessed the recognition of that
right by the Imperial Government ; and that on the
23d of January last he took possession of the mines,
with all the solemnity which the importance of the ac-
quisition demanded, and the legality required; and he
hoped that in September returns would be made from
it. The correspondence further stated that the Secre•
tory bad gone to the Company's estate, Antonio Penaro,
upon which was a most valuable mine—equally valu-
able, if not more, than that at Gongoska ; and that he
had nearly completed all the arrangements for the work-
ing of those mines ; that the friendliest disposition was
manifested on the part of the Government and the Local
Authorities, to assist the operations of the Company in
every way possible calculated to promote its interests;
so that tradespeople of every description had come to
reside io the vicinity of the mines, and that all necessary
implements for mining had been made from the timber
of their estate ; and concluded with the strongest as-
surances from the Secretary. of the success winch was
likely to attend the operations of the Company.
The CHAIRMAN then said he should now proceed to
the busniess for which the Meeting had been convened,
and he was happy to inform them; that out of the 400
shares upon a Lich the deposits had not been paid, only
401 remained in arrears; it now remained with the Meet-
ing to do that which they were of opinion the circum-
stances of the case required. He concluded by saying
be should be happy to hear any proposition which any
Gentleman thought proper to make.
Mr. Wituctit then said, as he was one of those who
bad signed the requisition, he begged to observe, ►hat
hr did so from an equitable principle; that as the con-
cern had every prospect of turning out a lucrative one,
it would not be just that those shareholders who had
not paid their calls should have an equal benefit with
those alio had. He then moved a Resolution to the
effect that if the shares, those on which the call was due
on the 2tl of Febi nary last, was not paid on or before
the SC.; day of June instant, the Directors should de-
clare them confiscated.

After some desultory observations made by Mr. Denman and
others, as to the propriety of declaring confiscated the shares of the
dcfaukers, the Resolution passed, substituting the word forfeiture
for confiscation ; after which the Meeting broke up.

Two letters hive been received and published
se-
cently,fmm the adverse regions of East and West—from
the Bishops of CALCUTTA and JAMAICA; both graufy-
ing to the friends of humanity and religion, for they
give a favourable account of the progress of Christianity
and the attainment of useful knowledge, among the
inhabitants of the countries from whence they come.
CUItIoUS LAU/ voQuE.—My father would occasionally
make me his cornfiar.ioo in his walks, when not too
much occupied by his profession. The day before the
commencement of the Westminster plays, he took me
to Prince's-court, to see Wilkes. My father and he coo-
versed for a short time apart, on business; and then, as
I afterwards learnt, concerning me and my education.
This led to a curious equivoque; for Wilkes turning
suddenly towards me, said, in his usual urbane manner,
" Well, my boy, how far have you got r I, whose
mind was wholly occupied by our late removal from
Salisbury-square, replied, " As far as the Adelphi, Sir."
—" Upon my word," rejoined Wilkes, "your son, key-
Bolds, is very fur ward for his age." " Forward, indeed !"
cried niy lather, smiling ; "why Fred. you young rogue,
you know nothing of Terence?" " Don't I," replied I,
rather snappishly, .1 shy you, yourself, siw me with
him this very day ; and I heard him tell you that your
upper story was lit a very bad c ndition.". " Ho, ho!"
said my lather, laughing heartily, " I understand ti.e
matter now ; he means Terence, the foreman to the three
Adams, who built the Adefp,ii 1.--Reynoldes memoirs

DISTURBANCE AT ALEPPO.

ALEPPO, MA MAR= 11.

Serious troubles have broken out in this city ; it even
seems that the Europeans are in danger. On the Ist of
this month, their monks, missionaries of the Holy Land,
came within half a musket shot of the city ; they were
insulted by a troop of Scheriffs, who were passing near
the spot, and who, from abuse, proceeded to blows. One
of the Fathers was wounded by a stone thrown at his
head, and they would have certainly been stoned to
death had not a happy chance brought Mr. Wiet, first
Dragoman of the Consulate of France, to the spot. On
the following day, several Franks were insulted.
On the 22d, M. Franc, a young Frenchman, clerk in
the French house of Michael Blanchard and Co. ran
the greatest dangers. He was going to the counting.
house; passing before the Convent of the Capuchins, he
was rudely pushed by a Scheriff. M. Franc, who has
but lately arrived, and is of a warm temper, sprite to
him in French, but in a very elevated tone of voice.
The Scheriff attempted to seize a knife from a butcher's
stall, but being hindered by the proprietor, he took a
stick, and rushed upon the Frenchman to strike him,
when the latter drew a knife from his pocket. At this
sight the Scheriff dropped the stick, and began to cry
out. " Mussulman, help me against the infidel, wh,) is
going to kill me." All the Scheriffs in the bazaar has-
tened to the spot, with a fanatic sheik at their head, and
seized M. Franc. On all sides, as if by enchantment,
the populace rose, uttering ferocious cries ; the shops
were shut, and the general cry throughout the city was,
" A Frank has killed a Mussulman, an Emir." In short,
a most dreadful tumult took place. M. Franc, whom
they were hurrying away, being opposite the house of
the Consul, struggled, and succeeded in escaping for a
moment, in order to take refuge there; but it was seven
o'clock in the morning, the gate was not yet open, and
the Janissaries were not there. He then ran into the
open door of a Jew merchant, an Austrian, but the
populace followed, and seized him again. While strug-
gling, one of the Scheriffs rubbed the skin off his hand,l
which was 'violently pressed against the wall, and cried
that M. Franc had wounded him with a knife. Happily
at this moment the life of the latter, which was at the
mercy of a furious mob, was spared. They conducted
M. Franc to the Mekheme, surrounded by above 4000
persons, who demanded his head.
M. iriet being fortunately informed, succeeded in
penetrating through the crowd, and entered the Mek-
heme, hearing all round him the most horrible vocifera-
dons and maledictions. He fouud the Cadi and his
assessors confounded and struck with terror. This Ma-
gistrate, ill-disposed towards the Franks, though M.
Wiet, shoring the arm of the Scheriff, who said he was
wounded with a knife, demonstrated clearly that the
scratch could not have been caused by a sharp instru-
ment, sent a menacing !lam to the Mutselim, to be ad-
dressed immediately to the Pacha, whose decision was
to be waited for, and the report ran among the people
that only the order of the Vizir was waited for to hang
the infidel who bad wounded an Emir. M. Wiet then
had a very happy thought.
While the 11am was being forwarded, he ran on foot,
preceded by some Janissaries, to the palace of the Pacha,
where he anived at the same time as the Mutselim.
After he had explained the affair, the Pacha declared
aloud that it was for the Consul to punish his country-
man if he was guilty ; and to prevent any excess on the
part of the populace, the Pacha sent his officer with M.
-Wiet, to convey M. Franc to the consulate.

. .
In this manner a tumult was appeased, which, if the
Pacha had shewn the least hesitation, might have cost
the lives of all the Europeans. .

STATE 07 TRAM—There has been considerable bu-
siness done in cotton wool during the last few days (not
reported), and prices look up.—Glasgow Press.
In the Insolvent Debtors' Court yesterday, whilst
Robert Tubb, a respectable looking man, was awaiting
the preliminaries for his discharge, he suddenly fell from
his seat, and on being raised, was found to have lost
the use of his right side. He was conveyed to his own
residence instead of being remanded to prison.
SINGULAR OUTRAGE.— Monday se'nnight, J. Durtnall
was fined and severely reprimanded by J. FINNIS, Esq.
the Mayor of Dover, for having, in the heat of passion,
arising from a trifling dispute, assaulted his wife vio-
lently, by holding a dog by the hind legs, and beating
her %kb it till the dog's brains were knocked out.
Marnomsra.—The number of Methodists in the
United States, in 1825, was 341,144 ; in 1808, the num-
ber was 144,590.

SUGAR TRAnz.Companies are forming to purchase
up the lands in Florida capable of producing the sugar
cane. From Louisiana and the Floridas we may cal-
culate upon such supplies of sugar as will one day meet
the consumption of the country.--American Paper.
CHINRst SCROOLL—The private schools, called Hers-
kwan, are attended chiefly by pour children : the Seen-
sang, or master, expresses his duties by the phrase
Keaou-kwan, "teaching a school." Boys pay entrance-
money at their first iptroduction to a schoolmaster; it
is called Che-e, and vari-s in amount according to the
circumstances of the boy's friends, from 200 cash to 1
dollar. The master makes no demand, though he ex-
pects something. The scholars likewise pay a small
sum on two hOlidays in the year; one on the sth, the
other on the Bth moon ; this they call Tsee-e. Ou those
days the boys do not attend school ; and there is a
vacation of a month or six weeks at the new year.
There are charity schools, called E-heo, not establish.
ed by the supreme Government, but opened by local
officers, for grown students. There are no public
schools, nor private charity schools for indigent chil-
dren. There are night schools (Yay-heo) in large towns,
for those persons who are obliged to labour during the
day. Chinese children generally enter the school for
one year ; not for a quat ter or a month. The Tartars
reckon monthly. If a boy enters for a year, be must
pay the whole, whether he attends or not. The sum
varies from two to six dollars ; three dollars are con-
sidered an average school fee for a year.
PILGRIMS AND THIS PEAS.—And here I .sNould not
omit (as it is connected with his EDr. Walcoes] poetry)
a visit to my grandmother Polwhele during her last ill-
ness, which had more of social pleasantry than of medi-
cal gravity. On the verge of 85, and reduced very
low from weakne,s, she retained her natural cheerful.
ness and good humour. About a week before her
death, whilst Walcot sat by her bed-side, 68All is well,"
jai i she, " but for th:- crumbs under me; they are so
hard; boil them, and it would do," said she smiling.—.
" Come, I'll tell you a story." She then told the story
o! " The Pilgrim and the Peas." Walcot seized th,
idea, and we all know with what felicity be afterwards
turned it to his poetical advantage.—Polahele's Tradi-j
um and lereaillections.