Star.
London, England, 1828-04-09 00:00:00

POETRY,

Tense rns sm. MONTHLY lifilioA7.lll.
THE TRYSTING PLACE.
We met not in the sylvan scene
Where lovers wish to meet,
Where skies are bright, and Woods are green,
And opening blossoms sweet ;
BO in the city's busy din,
Where Nlammon holds his reign,
Sweet intercourse-we sought to win
Mid traffic, toil, and gain.
Above us was a murky sky,
'Around, a crowded space,
Yet dear, my love, to thee and Meg
Was this—our Trysting l'lace!
We dwelt not on the linnet's note,
Or skylark's warbling lay;
Weheard not murmuring zephyr's float
Upon the dewy spray;
But sounds of discord met our ear,
The taunt but ill represt,
The misers cold and cautious sneer,
The spendthrift's reckless jest ;
Yet while we heard each other's tone,
And view'd each other's face,
We seem'd sequenced and alone,
In this—our Trysting Place.
•
They err who say Love only dwells
'Mid sunshine, light, and Sowers;
Alike to him are gloomy cells, •
Or gay and smiling bowers ;
Love wastes not on insensate things
His sweet and magic art,
No outward shrine arrests his wings,
His home is in the heart
And, dearest, hearts like thine and mine
With rapture must retrace,
How often Love has deigned to shine
On this—our Trysting Place. M. A.
- -

RUSSIA.
LIBERTY OF THE PRESS.

The following are a few of the many facts that might
be adduced in confirmation of the jealousy, the illibe-
rality, and the cowardly pusillanimity of this Govern-
ment. An Editor of one of the newspapers having
heard that I had brought a volume of my travels in
Palestine to present to the Emperor, urged me, as a
matter of favour and interest, to permit him to copy
front it a description of the city of Jerusalem. Aher
Ire bad retained the volume some time for this purpose,
tioquired the reason why the extract had not appeared;
on Which he said, " Ah 1 Monsieur, malheureusement
ii est defendu." On asking for a further explanation,
lieiniormtti me that the Censor of his, paper had posi
heel* refused to admit it, because it might be consi.
clued as connected with the English Bible Society at
Petersbiirgh! Yet there was not a syllable relative to
that subject, it being merely a description of the'Holy
Cite. From not meeting in any of the newspapers with
accounts of times or breaches of the peace in this large
'metropolis, or, in truth, any part of the Russian domi-
slims', a stranger Might be apt to ,conclude that she
Iseople were *highly distinguished for good order, mo-
faiiiy; andtranquillity. The fact, hostever, is, that the
iitiiinst solicitude is esercised to keep all-such inform.
liiiiilront the public; for although a 'murder should
.hive been •Cohintieted, attended with circumstances of
-the 'Mat . atrocious nature, a profound silence is ob.
served, •and every one kept in'total ignorance of it, as
far .as the journals are concerned.
•On Oneoceasion, a Person happened to lose hiriatch
in the street, when it having been found by another,
the circumstance was' adverted to in a newspaper,
-merely as arra:tide of iritelligenee; but, incredible as
:it ivray seem, the police pounced upon 'the 'poor
Editor, for presuming to make such an insertion, and
-he was -actually fired one thousand rubles! It is
one grand object of this despotic. Government to keep
the public in the dark, as well as to facts and occur-
rences, as to the state of patical affairs in general. As.
a proof, too, of this 'most contemptible and ridiculous
pusillanimity on the part of the Government, tl:e
following'anecdote, it it can be credited, is sufficient:
—An Italian, who k:eps a •small priut shop in
the Nev.ky Prospect, in o: der to attract ittreation, stuck
up several prints at the window. • • Orte-of • theSt bap•
petted to be a Russi.rn General in ill his military trap-
pings, and the second was an English Bull Dog. Betila
were fastened with pins, so tbartbey Might be replaced
by others with more facility. It so happened that the
Mas:iff happened to beiu the upper and the Waif
iceo
in the lower pane of glass, and :hit' tbe former, by Wane
accident, having given way, carried' the 'latter withlt
by which, of .course, the Geueral wir laid flat by the
animal, and in that state they lay for some time.. This
circumstance got to tlie cant of the Police, whose high
indignation it ad not fail to excite, it being considered
au tinpardooabk insult. They entered the shop, re.
• int nitrated 'With the Italian, accusing him of placing
an English Bull bog upon a Russian General, to shoe,
he was in the act of worrying him: and, ?tier WrifY•
ing the poor fells w, tlueatened tobriog:bitoi to consign;
punikhment! A steam boat 9 ~ 4Sish.;:.a rei of Pleasure
• i
hornStOCklialin, madea trip to 41),b0t am which they
were induced to eitend their excursion CO St. Peters.

----.._ _
brag's. Accordingly, they cast anchor at ,Cronstadt,
*here baggage and eves y thing on •board being ex-
&Wiled by the proper officer, they Here all.wed to
proceed. On arriving at the 'try found a
complete embargo laid on their luggage; not being
allowed to usa their wearing apparel, on which ttificial
seals aiere put, and the passepgers .prohibited horn
sleeping on I-lete they were detained,,nr)t
three, bet sis weeks, and obliged to go thrbugh the'
farce, of *Jewish% their names, _ and intention to
awn. • l_hrickirs other acts, on the . part of the Polio.
smigbi be pointed ceS, equally . absurd and ludicions,
Ti.e adage "Fes est sib hoste dotere," is one iliaimught
Sinher to be chesished by a Government that has really
hint' the welfare of its suLjects. National, 4ikei
. individual vanity, blinds us to tailings and tfeenesitsi,
from whom, therefore,.are we, it may be deMdtidea,7
SO likely to hear fraths-7.,bitter and unpalatable indeed,:
yet not tl:e less salutary—as fromihose whose partiality
has a contrary bias? 'if .nations were as wise,its anfor
innately they at, not;they would rather seek to profit'
by the opinions of their neighbours, instead of deenskie
thesselves models of perfection. As to the.poliey
a Government whichis so sensitively alive to the !anti
expression of public opinion, that it endeavours by'
every warts to suppress it, little indeed can be said in
its faircur ; for it not oply indicates a perfect conscious-
ness of its weakness, apd its errors, but the very Means,,
adapted to prevent key innotrition must ultimately lead
to it in its most dreadful fnim—that of popular cies-
lt is to the obstinacy and jealousy of
ltosaisliChuich that we are indebted for theitelormatitef

To attempt to repress °pieties, is to attcsiipt to do th*
which no human power can possibly effect. AY. iit
the most despotic Gore' meats, tine fiovetrigo is
the 13,41,t abject slave of opinion aad prejuvice• Tbit'
jiriad •Sigaive himself. who can order the head of
Vizier to be cut off with as bole orrersiony is he gaff
*ice an ofple, dates not emit going is state to iio
wasvevitty fridAy. Old 11‘,1,46 fur his oei.
4114 tho old wattle* alssi raiAle;al Coastaa6
thispie istak ettidly.oo ; end bit &Warm HigisnOsi
jt i*lltles's -treatedy ewate, oilk,llo,iithui for dre4ll4,
14100. irste ii,vtt Shit vo it.*l4 Kit or
tecticii.— /00.4 044.sti•tgt *mist.
M. • - "J`••e•
P

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