The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-08-15 00:00:00

A SKETCH OF WARLIKE EVENTS.

But there are stillstirring, striking, unaccustomed
scenes limned in the Parisian Sketch-book. Paris has
been declared in a state of siege by the military autocrat,
into whose hands the salvation of the capital and the
country from utter anarchy has been given. The scenes
of marching men and torrents of bayonets coming down
the broad boulevards, and sentinels at street corners, and
patrols, and military manoeuvres, and galloping dragoons,
and of drums beaten from daybreak until late into the
night, are nothing new to Paris ; such scenes have been
traced upon its Sketch-book again and again, for the last
four disastrous months. But Paris has gone further now.
See ! in these sketches it represents one vast vista of the
boulevards where whole regiments are bivouacing : the
horses of the cavalry are stabled upon straw along the
pavements, or around the triumphal arches ; arms are
piled together at street corners : some sleep upon the
straw, while others watch as if in battle array. The shops
are still shut, although pale faces look from the windows ;
and the grateful inhabitants shower blessings upon those
who have saved the terrified people. from the horrors of
the Red Republic, the pillage, and the guillotine ; and
ladies bring out food and wine from the houses ; and none
think that they can find words enough to express their
gratitude, and praise the heroism of their defenders.
Alas ! those who fought in that evil desperate cause
showed equal heroism, equal courage, still more reckless
rage ! What a strange scene it is, this scene sketched in
the streets ! The closing scene of a battle-field of un-
exampled courage amidst a peaceful population—the sol-
dier and the tenderly nurtured lady placed side by side
amidst the wounded and the weary ! the mourning of the
bereaved family upon the same spot with the first emotion
of victory ! Since the agitated and disturbed, city of
Paris has existed, it has witnessed many wild and strange
scenes in its bloody and tormented history, but none per-
haps so glaring in their strange contrasts as these which
have been last painted in its Sketch-book.

APOLOGY FOR SMITH O'BRIEN.—The courage of Mr.
Smith O'Brien in slinking, under the fire of the police
at Boulagh-eommon, among the cabbages in Widow
Cormack's garden, may be questioned, but it is to be
remembered that the hero, if he crept out of the way of
the bullets, betrayed no fear of the slugs.—Punch.
STATISTICS OF MARRIAGE.—In the year 1845, of
143,743 marriages, 129,515 were performed according to
the rites of the established church, and 14,228 not accord-
ing to those rites. Of the latter number there were 9,997
marriages in registered places of worship, 3.977 in super-
intendent registrars' offices, 180 marriages of Jews, and
74 of Quakers. In the first year of the reports of the
Registrar-General (1838) the number of marriages cele-
brated otherwise than at church was only 4,280 ; in the
fifth year (1841) it was 8,125 ; in the ninth year (1845) it
had increased to 14,228. Women, as is known, marry
earlier than men : 6,287 men and 19,376 women, married
in 1845, were under 21 years of age. A greater number
of widowers marry again than of widows. Of the persons
married in 1845, 18,176 (or 12 64 per cent.) were widowers,
and 12,369 (or 8.69 per cent.) were widows. A large
proportion of the persons married sign with their marks,
notwithstanding the great increase of education. In 1845
there were 47,665 (or 33.2 per cent.) and 71,229 women
(or 49.6 per cent.) who signed with their marks.