Star.
London, England, 1826-03-06 00:00:00

THE BIRDS OF PASSAGE.

PROM THR 14111 MONTHLY MAGAZINE.

Birds, joyous Birds of the wandering wing!
Whence is it ye come with the Sowers of spring ?
" We come from the shores of the green old Nile,
From the land where the roses of Sharon smile,
From the palms that wave through the Indian sky.
From the myrrh trees of glowing Araby.
id We have swept o'er cities in song renown'd—
Silent they lie with the deserts round!
We have cross'd proud'rivers, whose tide bath wird
All dark with the warrior-blood of old ;
And each worn wing hath regain'd its home,
Under Peasant's roof tree, or Monarch's dome."
And what have ye found in the Monarch's dome, .
Since last ye travers'd the blue sea's foam ?
—We have found a change, we have found a pall,
And a gloom o'ershadowing the banquet's hail,
And a mark on the Boor, as of life.dslaps
—Nought looks thesame, save the nest we built!"
Oh! joyous Birds, it bath still been so!
Through the balls of King. doth the tempest go!
But the huts of the hamlet lie still and deep,
And the hills o'er their qeiet a vigil keep.
Say, what have ye found in the Peasants cot,
Since last ye parted from that sweet spot ?
" A change we have found there, and many a change?
Fates and footsteps and all-things strange!
Goose are the heads of the silvery hair,
And the young that were have a brow of care,
And the place is hush'd, where the children play'd—
Nought looks tbe same—save the nest we made!"
Sad is your tale of the beautiful earth,
Birds that o'ersweep it in power and mirth !
Yet, through the wastes of the trackless air,
Fe have a Guide, and shall we despair?
Ye over desert and deep have pass'd—
So shall we reach our bright home at last!

CURIOUS INVESTIGATION.

F. H.

Saturday an investigation took place at the King's
Bench prison, before the Marshal, upon the previous
complaint of one of the rulers, Mr. Brown, a subaltern
in the army, against Lieutenant Dalbell, of the 4th
Light Dragoons. The following information was sworn
to by the former Gentleman against the defendant, who
was apprehended by Clarke, one of the *Officers of the
Union-hall establishment, in the course of the morning :
John Brown, of No. 2, Lambeth-road, deposed, that
on Monday night, between the hours of nine and ten
o'clock at night, John Dalbell, Lieutenant of the 4th
Light Dragoons, residing at No. 7, Queen-square, fol-
lowed the deponent in the street towards his,deponent's,
lodgings, threatening, with a large stick, to strike
' and was prevented from carrying his threat
'into esitution only by the interference of several
persons who happened to be passing by at the mo-
ment; and the deponent further saith, that the said
John Dalbell, has since made frequent attempts to
enter the deponent's residence at night for the purpose of
doing him some injury; and that from the malicious,
disposition manifested by the said J. Dalbell, and the
J.: Dalbell,

threats used by him, the deponent is in fear of his life,
or of se; ions bodily harm." It appeared that the above
complaint arose in consequence of an anonymous letter
having been transmitted to thedefendant's wife, couched
in langoage representing that her husband was a com--
p'ete Don Giovanni, ani that no girl residing in the
neighbourhood could escape from the snares laid by
him upon her virtue. Upon the receipt of this very
unpleasipg communication, Mrs. Dalbell, as might be
expected (particularly as she had been recently mar-
tied), got into a violent rage with her spouse, and exhi-
bited to him in "black and white" the charge or
insinuation of his infidelity. Mr. Dalbell, upon perusing
the letter, assured his wife that there was not the
slightest truth in it, adding, that it was written for the
sole purpose of exciting discord between them. This
esplancion quieted his wife's apprehensions, and he
subsequently ascertained that Mr. Brown was the author
of the epistle. Immediately on the discovery he pro-
ceeded to the complainant's residence, with whom he
had been on intimate terms, and having 'shewn the
letter, vowed vengeauce against the author of it. Mr.
J3rown, it appears, contradicted the insinuation cast
upon him of Ms having any knowledge of such letter,
when the defendant, -without further ceremony, bran-
dished a stick over his head, and had it not been for
the hasty retreat of the party, he would in all probabi-
lity have had a severe cudgelling. The defendant had
subsequently threatened Mr. Brown, who was under
the necessity of making application to the Marshal for
hi; protection.
' Upon Mr. Brown being sworn to the information,
the defendant requested to know of what religious
persuasion be war. The defendant replied that he
Wes a member of the Church' of England, and that it
was at the solicitation and advice of a mutual friend,
Colonel Tullet (who was present), that he proceeded in
this business, as that gentleman had informed him of
the impetuous and violent temper of the defendant.
Mr. Brown assured the Marshal that he was not the
author of the production attributed to him by the
defendant, while, on the other hand, the Lieutenant
expressed his conviction that he was the pet son, and
nobody else. Atter: a scene of recriminatton between
the contending pude., on the subject of the offensive
letter, the Marshal at length decided the contest by
CS ling upon the dere:Want to give bail.
After the decision the defendant requested that he might be
allowed to prefer a charge against the contplainant, which was, that
that Gentkinan tad broken his rules, and was seen on Westinin-
4in-bridge a few days ago.
The complainant declared upon his honour that there was no
foundation tor such a charge. Since his arrest he had never been
out of the limits of the Bench.
Lieutenant can bring forward evidence to prove the
charge that I have alleged.
The Marshal, however, observed, that he would for the present
postpone the charge, bat on Monday would investigate fully into it.

LiYERPOOL. THURSDAY r...vamtno.--The intelligence
that the Bank of England had, at the request of Govern-
ment, consented to advance the sum of 3,000,0001. on
the security of goods, was received here last night, and
seemed to give very general satisfaction to the com-
mercial clas,es. To-day a decided improvement was
vi ihle on 'Change, and a better feeling generally pre-
vai ed among mercantile men.
The Bourle of Berlin is petitioning, or about to pe-
tition, the Government for assistance, the commercial
shock there having, apparently, been felt in the very
same manner as here.

General Lord COMNIRMIIRI, G.C.8., was sworn in
a Member of the Supreme Council at Bengal, and assumed the
Command in Chief of the Indian Army, an the 12th of October,
What, the celebrated author of Frei:chats, is ar-
rirred Paris. ID Owe* or fmr days he will set out for London,
to which Mr. C. Yeasts, the manage' of Comet-garden, has in.
'Aid him, to spew his opera of Eurpartele.
DALICACY AND DIGNITY.' I hope to GOD 110b011y
Akers me," said a poor reduced Irish gentlewoman,who was
obliged to cry, " buy my fresh eggs; for a liva ood.--New
*MN, Megmbre.