Star.
London, England, 1829-01-08 00:00:00

CHESTER ANTIQUITIES.

A few days.ago the workmen, in excavating ,a deep
seer under the road leading to the intended new bridge,
amongst other curiosities, bound a Roman stylus of
ivory, in an excellent style of preservation, about four
inches in Jetigth, and about the thickness of a goose
quill. We are told by historians that the ancients had
what they called cereta lobelia. or waxen table's, which'
were made of thin leaves of lead, brass, or ivory, coveted
with a thin coat cf wax; and upon these they wrote
with a stylus, which WAS made of different materials, as
iron, brasi, gold, silver, or ivory. One end of it was
pointed, in order to write with; the other flat, fir the
purpose of effacing what was wrong. by srhoothing or
closing the wax. Horace, in alluding to this prat ice,
says—

Sipe' stylune vertu, items qua digna legl shit,
Seripturus.
.Oft turn your style when you intend to write
Things worthy to be read.
We have seen another stylus, which was found about
Potty years ago is Mattin's Ash, in this city. That was
made of brass, with an ornamental head, and is now
the possession of Mr. John Lowe, goldsmith. Near the'
snot where the above ivory stylus was found (that is in
Nun's-garden, near the Castle), the men discovered also
a piece if red Roman pi tteryebeing tl:e half of a female
f,ce, mi st beautifully delineated in relief ; also, a small
silver coin of &teems, on the obverse of which is a
head, in fine relief. cf &vertu ; inscription, " &feint
Pius Aug."—on the reverse, a female kitting, with as
olive branch in her right hand; on the I.lt a trident,
similar to Britannia; inscription, •• Restitutor Orbis."
The•whole o f this little coin ate in a fine state of pre •
bet Winn. history informs us that the Emperor.Severna
assumed the purple, in Britain,about the year 194, and
that he died at York on the 4th February, A.D. 221, at
an advanced age. He was noted for the prodigious wall
which he cawed to be built, from the east coast, near
Tinmouth, to the Solway firth, a; Boulness, on the west
coast. This stupendous wall was of solid stone, twelve
feet high and eight feet thick, strengthened with many
• towers, ca.tle,, and stations, at convenie::t distances,
and act: nipanird with a ditch and military way, and
tan Dearly parallel to that of Adrian, at the distance of
a few paces further to the north. Of this wall (vestiges
of Which are still visible in several place) ore of the
old Welsh bards sang—.
" Gorug &items, swath cain,
l'n thaws dens ynys &ydain. •
Ring swain gythrawl,gwawl vain."

In 1820 a Select Committee of the House of Com-
mons was appointed to collect evidence on the subject
of Mendicity. From this Report it appears that the
beggars in London amounted to at least 15,000, who
did not get leis on an average than from five &billings.
to eight shillings a day. Some of them were known to
make eighteen shillings or twenty shillings a day; and
it was ascertained that a blind man and a dog got thirty
thillirias clai'y. Though living in the most wretched
apartments, many of them spend at least fifty shillings
a "'epic f-r their bu ►rd. S:ime of the more prudent save
coitiiderahle .ums of money; and a negio is knoun to
have 'r• turned to the West Indies with a fortune of
1.5001; which hr had made by begging in London.
'lly the reduction in the Militia, Mr. CLARKE, dun.
major of the East Devon, last %seek received notice of
bialbsehar,,e. He• entered the Regiment at its first
Ilse, when only sew n years of age, as a drum-boy; and
bafbeen in it sixty.nine years and seventy days, firty-
six years of which he held the situation from which he
is now dismissed. This veteran servant of his biamery
most t e new nearly T 7 years of age.—krefer AiJrcd.
We uncle-stand that Ltd FRANCP? L. Cowan, hi*
Excellency's Secretary. will still continue to discharge,
under the next Chief Governor, those high functions
which he has diva:aged so much to the satisfaction of
his Excellency and the public. and withal, so unosten-
tatiously. A later has been written to Lord FKANcis,
by the Duke of Wattaworota, tiTie.ting him to can-
tit,ue to fulfil the duties in which he is at present en.
gagrJ, aid signifying, we understand, that at is not the
intention of his .Iflajesty's Government, by the change
Which has taken glace in the person of the Chief Go.
vernor, that there should be any change in the prin-
ciples on which the Irish Government is administered.
We have reasio to know that upon the preceding state.
ment the public may moat implicitly rely.—Dvidix
Alereantire Advertiser.

A few days since, as an iron founder. residing not
far from Moulsham, was riding steadily at anchor in a
cerziyort at that place. into which he had often pot
to mid tooter, a travelling Irishman made his vs.
pearance. and accosting the company, offered ‘4 seven
real India silk handkerchiefs" for sale, for which be
asked only three pounds twelve shillings. The max of
lion turned over the machinery of his brain, and alter
casing, as he thought, the model of a good joke, agreed.
to give that sum. The bargain was made, and tucking
the handkerchiefs into his pocket, be proceeded home
to fetch the money. In a short time he returned
with, not three sovereigns—nn, nor three Bank notes—
but what he considered a good check for the Disbarred
—three pounds of iron, which he deposited, with 12s.
OD the table. Bat was not to be nor in this ways so
coolly pocketing the 12s. he inquired what be would
give him for the iron. Being, probably, a better judge
of this than of silk handkerchiefs, he gave him 2s. 6d.
—making 14s. 6 "By cried Pat. its hall
profit now—and here are seven more of the same sort
you shall have for 10s." The founder was now fully
aerssibie of the value of his joke; and. unable to stand
the ire of the company's squibs, or perhaps feeling suf.
_Weal ballast aboard, be quickly cut his cable, and pot
out to se; with his cargo of nil, iron, and silk handker.
thtifs.—Essez Herald.