Star.
London, England, 1827-01-12 00:00:00

THE DUKE OF SUSSEX'S LIBRARY.

It is generally known that the Duke of Sussex pos.
seises, at Kensington Palace, the most extensi►e and
valuable itbrat y owned by au individual, illustrative of
and connected with Holy Writ. These stores ate in
some degree about tote made more 6enerally known,
by a work, the first volume of which as in a very for-
ward state—namely, " A Catalogue of the singularly
rate and valuable Collection of MSS. and Books con
tained in the Library of the Duke of Sussex, at Ken-
sington Palace." The catalogue is a classed one, and
to each book is attached its peculiar history, elucidated
by" bioAraphical sketches of the authors, editors, &c. en•
gaged its the publication. It is prepared by Mr. Petti-
grew, she Duke of Sussex's Librarian.
There are various ettar•atrings atid fac-similes of the
MSS. and wctnks noticed, executed by Cruikshank and
others. The first part of the first volume is devoted to
the description of the Theological MSS. of which there
are nearly 300, and chiefly of the twelfth, thirteenth,
tout teenth, and fifteenth centuries, though someof them
are as early as the tenth. These manuscripts are in va-
rious languages—Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Fr enchittalian,
Spanish, German, Dutch, English, Irish, Atabic, Per-
sian, Armenian, Pali, Singhalese, and Burman.—The
Hebrew MSS. art forty-four in number, and some of
them ate of eiceeding value. The Pentateuchs on Afri-
can and Basil skins are, from the description, on which
the utmost reliance may be placed, decidedly the finest
in the county. One of them measures 144 feet in
lengthd sventy-th fee inches in bt eadth,consists of seventy..
nine skins, and is arranged in two hundred and sixty-
three columns, each of which bas forty two lines. The
History of the Hebrew MSS. is a curious narrative re-
specting the Hebiew MSS. of the Bible, of the manner
directed to be written, and of the rules laid down by
the Jews with resrect to their manuscripts, by which
the integrity of the text may be preserved. The cha-
racter of the Hebrew MSS. is arranged under the diesi-
sions of Spanish, Italian, and German; the former of
which is designated as the most beandfuL
In the collection, these are two complete Hebrew
MSS. of the Bible, one of the 13. h, the other of the 15th
century, the latter with illuminations. There ate also
three Pentateuchsr various Commentaries and Rabbini.
cal aai Cabalistic works. There is a Pentateuch of the
13th century in Hebrew aad Chaldee, accompanied by
illuminations of an exceedingly curious Flambe, and of
which fine 14c-similes (by 6. Cruikshank) are given.—
All the terms peculiar to MSS. are also detailed and ex-
plained. As a specimen of Cabalistic controversy, the
following is given. as a literal translation of the begin.
ning of the first part of Genesis, which commences with
the word Bereshith, the first letter of which is Beth,
and which, in a numerical sense, corresponds to
the number 21

" AU the letters, being twenty-two in number, rose and presented
themselves in the presence of the Holy Geo (blessed be He!),
' each Odom soliciting that the law might bogie with their letter.
They were all refused bet the Beth, which was chosen to show
that the Loam had created two werldr-this World and * future
state ' • that the wicked shall not ' I have prospered in this bond,
whathase I to fear T but shall select that there is another world,
when he must account for his conduct ; as( the righteous shall nee
say, the good I have done in this weld I have lost,' but shall
trusbthat there is a second world, where be will receive his reward."
The titles of the diakrent works noticed. are piloted in the original
language ; and translations of them, and of the commencing or CM.
Chiding passages, by which either the nature of the Ml. or its scribe,
may be ascertained, we subjuitioL

The Vauxhall scenes in the new Pantenxime at Co-
vent Garden, rival in effect the original ones. Wixom( sod Mies
&nem s fetes on the tight-rope, deservedly merit the spoken
which they receive. The fire works, and the beautiful ascent of the
balloon, puts us so much in mind of our summer favourite place of
resort, t►at we are inclined to fancy ourselves in the fairy seene--
enough cannot be said for The Managers, of the successful efforts
they have made to gratify the Public with so much amusing novelty
with which the new Pantomime abounds.

The Ossian, HaNbeasou, of North Shields, took are
on Monday, and the' after part of the vessel was much barer.
About three o'clock, P.M. on the 25th ult. a smart
shock of an earthquhe seas felt at Crawford Lead-hills and Craw-
ford-Jahn. The atmosphere at the time was buy. The shock
lasted only a few seconds, and resembled the being of artillery, or
dragging of heavy waggons along a street.—dhosei Thom
A few nights since some thieves stripped tie gutters,
Ike. of premises in Union-place, Bethnal•gteeu, of a larg
quantity of lead, and carried off the sashes of the par
lour windows. Robberies of this description have beer.,
lately fcarried to a gr:evous extent in that neighbour h 030.1