Star.
London, England, 1818-03-20 00:00:00

MAUNDAY-THURSDAY.

Test eriay i eing what is generally called Maunday-
Thursday, was observed with the usual ceremony of
distributing the Royal Bounty. The custom. is known
to have been est tblished in this country by Edw. 111.
in the year 1363, when that haughty King actually
washed the feet of the poor people who were re-
lieved, in imitation of the humility of our Samna ;
and it is on record, that Cardinal Wotarr afterwards
performed the same ceremony in the city of York.
This observance is still kept up in Portugal and other
Catholic countries. The name of MounoGy-Thursday
is derived from the hand-baskets, which were called
(from the Saxon) 'Mounds, in which the different Chris-

tian potentates distributed provisions to the poor. The
number of persons relieved corresponds with the age
of the Monarch, and were therefore 80 of each sex:—
The distribution, as usual, took place at Whitehall
Chapel ; but on account of an extra staircase being
built from the anti-chapel to the Royal closet, for the
Duchess of YORK, a temporary erection was made on
the outside in Privy-gardens, where accommodation
was provided for 80 men and 80 women, and about
50 spectators, when two cods, two salmons, 18 red
herrings, 18 pickled herrings, with four loaves, were
given to each person in a wooden bowl. After the
hsh and bread had been distributed, three pounds and
a half of beef and one loaf were given to each per-
son. The Rev. Dr. PAGE, the Sub-Almoner (the
Archbishop of Yonc is the Almoner), and Mir.
HANBY, the Lord High Almoner's secretary, attended
to inspect the distribution; and after all the poor per-
sons had received their provisions, the Sub-Almoner
proposed the health of the King, which was drank in
ale, in wooden cups.
In the afternoon, the ceremonies and ad iitional
Royal bounties were resumed in the Chapel. The
Gentlemen of the Chapel Royal attended to perform
the service.

Soon after three o'clock the ceremonies commenced
by a procession entering the chapel, of eight yeomen
of the guard, and a yeoman usher, one of the yeo-
men carrying on his head a large gold dish, in which
were 160 red kid bags, which ought to have con-
tained 20s. in gold, but had a 11. note each, and also
white kid bags, tied to the others with white leather
strings, abopt two feet long, in which were Id. Rd.
3d. and 4d. in silver, amounting to 6s. Bd. being as -
many pence as the Kixo is years old : the dish, con-
taining these numerous bags was placed on a table,
which was covered with a white cloth, in front of the
altar. The remainder of the procession consisted of
the Rev. MP. HoLmv.s, the Sub-Dean of the Chapel

Royal ; the Rev. Dr. PAGE, the Sub-Almoner ; Mr.
HANSY, the Lord High Almoner's Secretary ; Mr.
JONES, the Groom of the Almonry. Two boys and
two girls were selected from St. M4rgaret's National
School, for their good behaviour, by the Sub-Al-
moner, and with the Gentlemen were decorated with
cambric-muslin scarfs and sashes, carrying bouquets
of flowers, and preceded by a Gentleman Verger of

the Chapel Royal.
After the first lesson, these Gentlemen, who formed
the procession, ascended into the gallery, and distri-
buted to the 80 men, shoes and stockings. After
which, the Gentlemen of the Choir sung an appro-
priate piece.
After this, cloth for a coat, and linen for a shirt,
were distributed in a similar manner. An appro-
priate piece was again sung.
The red bass, containing the 1/. notes and the
small silver coinage, were distributed in a similar
manner. The ceremony of distribution to the women
was precisely similar.
The anthem—" Who is this that cometh from
Edom?" was then sung, and an appropriate thanks-
giving and prayer were then read. The Kings
health was afterwards drank in claret, out 6f wooden

lcups, by the Gentlemen who performed the service
and composed the procession.

On the arrival of Lord and Lady LUCY CLIVE, at
Powis Castle, an ox was roasted alive in the market-
place of Ludlow, which, with seven hundred loaves
of bread, and the same number of gallons of ale, was
distributed to the populace.

The cottage, which the Princess ELIZAPYH has
just disposed of, is not strictly in W indsor Park,
though the boundaries of the latter might once have
extended to the spot on which this little residence
stands. About eight years since
,it was purchased by
'a respectable grocer in Windsor, as a sort of country-
house. It was then of very humble appearance; a
mere village house of small and low r.ints, without
any pretensions to the elegance or pleasantness of a
fashionable cottage. The little land attached to it
was a meadow for a cow. Fortunately for the owner,
the Princess took it of him at a long lease, under a
rent of a hundred pounds a-year. She soon obtained
more land, threw down hedges, planted a belt, and
formed clumps and shrubberies. The room on the
garden side she enlarged. and formed a rustic ar-
cade before both fronts. In short, she remedied
every thing, except the smallness and lowness of
the rooms. But her Royal Highness had been ac-
customed to apartments of a very small space. Her
cottage at Old Windsor had been a real Cottage. A
person at the window of the parlour stood almost as
high as the ceiling. In the best bed-room, the bed-
posts touched the roof.
Wednesday night the 1-•surrectionmen were parti-
cularly active in the parish of thrist Church, Surrey.
The bodies of three grov:a persons and a child were
torn from their graves in the burial ground of that
parish.
Taxes.—The manner in which Taxes are imposed
by an African Prince, is somewhat singular :—The
King of CONGO walks out on a day when there is a
high wind—he then puts his bialnet over one ear only,
and when it is blown off, he imposes a tax on those
;objects who live in the quarter from which the
v. ind blew.
SMITHFIELD MARKET, ILARCII
To sink the ofiA—per stone of bibs.

Reef ........Ss Md to 4s 811 I Veal 6s Od to 7s od
Mutton Md to 6s td Pork
ItaNts 5:10-4'alvt. I:o—Sheep and lambs 7,olo—Pigs ttoo

DAY AND STRAW PER LOAD.

Hay—
Clovrr

£4 to 5 5. I Straw £1 anis to £2 10
sto 6 10. Rowen Os cos to 0 Os

A Freemasons' Hall is about to he erected in Dub-
lin, by subscription, to which his Grace the Duke of
Lai xsTER, the Grand Master Of Irel.tod. has put
down his name for .5501. and several of the other
Lodges for 104),/, •