Star.
London, England, 1827-09-29 00:00:00

MICHAELMAS DA V.

This festival was first observed in the year 48'?. hi
'lonnur of Michael, the reputed. guardian of the Church,
under the title Of " Saint Michael and all the Angels."
r the Churches-dedicated to him are usually to be found
elevated spots, in allusion to this S riot having been
he highest of the•beavenly host; in confirmati•rn of
.which ate those in Normandy, and Saint Michael's
Mount, Cornwall. It is one of the regular days for the
payment of quarterly rents,. and on which formerly
landlords used to er.terrain their tenants with geese,
which were esteemed about this time to be in the highest
perfection, and at present most families have a goose
cooked on Michaelmas Day. It was also the custom
for tenants on. this occasion to present their landlords
with a goose.
In " The World," No. X. it is stated thar Queen Eli-
zabeth was at dinner on a goo e when she heard of the
arrival of the Armada, and had, in consequence of its
defeat, a goose on every Michaelmas Day afterwards
during her reign. It is a popular saying, !hat "if you
eat goose on Michaelmas Day, you will never weal
money all the year round."
From an old record it appears that, in 1470. John de
la Hay took of Barnaby Lord of Lefties, in the county
of Hereford, one parcel of the land of th .t demesne,
[,rendering twentypence a year, and oat goose fit for the
Lord's dinner, on the feat of saint Michael the Arch-.
' angel, with suit of Court and other services. By this,
and "Gascoigne's Flowers," beie-e, printed in 1575, and
the Armada being defeated in 1588, it is clear that the
custom of eating geese on Michaelmas Day rriginated
previous to the reign of Eltzabeth. On this day, in the
IWestern Isles of Scotland, the different families bake a
cake, which is called " Saint Michael's Bannock ;" and
formerly in Ireland, eeerffantily that could afford it
killed a sheep on this occasion, and it was ordained by
law that a ;Affirm of it should be given to the poor.
Mayors, Sheriffs, and other officers of the principal
towns and cities ate chosen about this time. Ruined,'
the Mayor and Sheriff's of London went, in great aquaa
tic state, attended by the respective Comoabies, to
Palace Yard, to be sworn in at the Court of Exchequer&
I At Kidderminster, on this day, a Bailin' is eleZ.ed, and
the inhabitants assemble in the streets and pelt e.ch
'other with cabbage stalks (or an hour, called " Liwless
hour:" this done, the Bailiff elect and Cutpnsatinn, in
'robes, preceded by music, visit the old and nevi
attended, by the mob, and the mean time the mote re-
Ispectable families fling apples at the procession. A
writer in the " Gentleman s Magazine" for 1790, vol.
lx. part 2, page 119, states, in this frolic more than 40
' pots of apples have been expended at one house.
There were many ether province' customs, now be&
come obsolete, at this season; and Michaelmas day,
ilike other quarterly rent-deys, is now become import.
!ant merely as regards landlord and tenant, to whom
it is, too frequently, a day replete with dot" fear, and
disappointment.

EDINBURGH, Seer. 26.

ECONOMICAL REFOEM-THE CUSTOMS.

Mnisters are adopting vigorous measures to redeem
she promise given at the close of last Session, that every
possible reduction should be made in the public expen-
diture. During last week instructions have come front
London to the Local Board of Customs at Edinburgh,
to carry these into elect at the tenth of O.tober next, so
far as regards their department. Thechanges are of much
importance, and will ultimately product a considerable
'saving. It should be mentioned, however, thvt the re.
commendations of the Commissioners have not been it
dead letter since their Report was tendered, in the sum-
mer of 1825. In the interval wh'eh has since elapsed,
one Solicitor has been knocked off the list, one Ex-
aminer, oneJerquer ; the office of Registlr of Shipping
was abolished more than a year ago, and that of Su-
pervisor of Receiver-General Accounts, a few weeks
since. At present it is understood that the office of
Inspector-General of Imports and Exports, with the
three clerkships attached to it, will be suppressed.
One of the Surveyors General has already teen put on
the retired list, and the other' will either follow or be re-
moved to London, where the duties of the suppressed
officers are in future to be done. The office of Examiner
of Incidents is to be incorporated with 'hat of Comptrol-
ler• General. At the ports, also, great chi' ges are to be
made. Dunbar and Prestonpans, with their dependant
creeks, are to be united with the Port cf Leith ; Roth-
say, and, we believe, Port Glasgow, with Greenock:
and various other consolidations are to take place.—

About twelve persons, we hear will be discharged
at Leith. and about one hundred at the other ports.
They will be put on retired allowances for the present, but
will be recalled to active service as vacancies suited to
them occur in the establishment. The Board of Eicise
are expecting immediate instructions to carry into effect
the changes proposed by the Commission in their e,set.
blishmeur, which are also very extensive.—Scotsman.
DISTRESAING Amine:sr.—We are sorry to have to
record a most distressing accident which happened on
Tuesday evening about seven o'clock, near Libberton
Dams. Dr. Barker of York Place, accompanied by
Mr. W. M. Bissettt, solicitor, and Messrs. James Daw-
son and W. Scoon, of Port flopetoun, were return-
ing to Edinburgh in a double seated gig, and when
coming down the brae at Libber ton Dams, a woman,
who, it is supposed, on heating the sound of the gig,
had endeavoured to make fur the footpath, ran right
in front of it, and was knocked down by the horse
before Mr. asveson, who was driving, could pull it
up. The instant he perceived the woman, Mr. D. sud-
denly pulled up, in the hope of saving her, when the
horse kicked out, and set off at a gallop, and in a few
'seconds the gig was overturned, and the whole four
Gentlemen thrown out upon the road. Dr. Barker was
the greatest sufferer by this accident, having one of his
'legs so ahatsered that amputation became necessary next
morning. Mr. Dawson and Mr. Scoon were both se-
verely cut and bruised about the head. Mr. Bissett,
more fortunate than his companions, escaped with some
slight bruises; best the poor WOMIII who was the inner
cent cause of the accident had both her legs broken,
and was brought in that state to the Royal Infirmary.

Yesterday morning, as Mr. Andrew Harding, of
Tosses-hill, was passing along Thames-street, near
Dowgate Wharf, he was hustled by a party of fellows
dressed as costermongers, and robbed of his pocket-
book, containing Bank-notes to the amount of 3201.
. Friday se'nnigkt, about one o'clock, the house of
Mrs. Ric!lards, at Rosehill. Caversham, Oxfordshire,
was basken open, and several articles of plate, and oilier
silver and plated articles, were stolen. Two beautiful
lrind v4uable dogs kept on the premises were plowed
Iby theiuffians.