The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1833-12-27 00:00:00

THE ROYAL SPORTSMAN.

The long stay of his Royal Highness the Duke of Sussex at
Renton, the seat of the Earl of Lichfield, has been a matter of
some mirth among sportsmen. The duke's fowlingpieces web()
ready loaded for him, and he was placed at the corner of the
cover, where the Pheasants were flushed before him like pigeons
from a trap, as fast as he could fire. The country-people will,
have it, that some were pulled down by a string fastened to
their legs. The compliments paid to the royal sportsman on
each shot were something like those paid to old -Sheridan,, in
Norfolk, by an Irish servant belonging to , who attended
him on his shooting excursion, and which old Sherry retold
with glee.
Shot the first, (the birds all getting away.)—Fore God, your
honor, did you see one little gintleman drop his leg as he went
off: he'll never stand on his tin toes again !
Shot the second, (ditto, ditto.)—By the powers, there they
go! But dient your honor hear the shots settle among them
like pave against a winder? They'll pray to never see your
honor again on this side of the country!
Shot the third, (birds all off agaiu.)—Blood .attd ouns, but
they've caught it ! (After watching them an hile,)—There's
three wounded, ony how, for they could hut just get over onder
hedge ! They'll get no sleep this blessed night !
Shot the fourth, (a pheasant gets away.)—Well, I never saw
a poor gintlemau taken to like him ! He'll remember yotir
honor many a day to come! That spalpeen shall carry away
more shot than would set up an ironmonger at Ballvshantion t
Shot the fifth, is snipe gets off.)—"Crake !" in-deed ! You
may take your long bill in against this world! wake to-
morrow morning with a lumbago in your soft head!
Poor Sheridan could stand it no longer, but gave his country-
man a handsome fee for his ingenuity, and proceeded on his
beat alone.

LITLRATURE.

Grant Thorburn, Seedsman of NetriXork, Philosopher, Patriot,
Nailmaker, Moralist, 4-c,.4.e. ef.c.-1111ft sER : LONDON.

Our friend Fraser has not sent us a copy of the genuine and
original Laurie Todd, which is an offence which we shall take
some time to consider bow it can be severely enough punished,
as an example-to all careless booksellers, but we have got a
copy of Laurie the real nevertheless, and a most amusing piece
of twaddle it is..

Thorburn says that he never showed his manuscript to any
one. He is a sort of honest man in his way, and we are in-
clined to believe him ; but it is singular enough that the three
or four introductory chapters, in which Grant tells us he was a
nail-maker, then a member of the corresponding society, then
a transport, next a precentor in a smail kirk, then a nail-
maker once more, then an ironmonger selling sham locks, and
last of all a seedsman and a gentleman—why every word of
this is taken almost literally from Galt's own Laurie Todd. But
we have not room to be critical at present, and therefore give
a few snatches anent Tons Paine, and the aforesaid Grant
Thorburn.-
" When I look back I remember some ludicrous and curious
scenes, in V. hiell 1 have been part actor. I have come in con-
tact with several of the men whose names have bore a conspi-
cuous pall in the history of the last forty years, such as Thomas
Paine, General 'Moreau; &c. When Thomas Paine escaped
from the dungeon of the Committee of Safety, men whom the
writings of Paine, and such as Paine, had turned into monsters,
he put up at the City Hotel in this town. One morning about
nine o'clock, a person came into my store, and stated that he
was standing on the steps in front. As I lived next street, and
being anxious to see him, I, with two gentlemen who happened
to be in the store at the time, went round to have a look at
him; but before we got there he stepped in. While I stood
considering how to get a sight of him, 1 observed Samuel Lou-
don, the printer, enter the hotel. As I knew Samuel and he
were copatriots through the whole of the revolution, I presumed
he, was going to see his old friend. I proposed to my com-
panions to go in ; and. as I was acquainted with Mr. Loudon,
we would thus get introduced. 'I hey declined going. As I
went alone, I asked the Waiter—
" I r. Paine at home?'
" 5 Yes.'
' In his own room ?'
yes:
" Alone"
" Cin I see him?'
" Follow me.'

" He ushered me into a spacious room, where the table was
set for breakfast--,a gentleman at the table writing, another
reading the paper. At the further • end of the room, a long,
lank, coarse-looking figure stood with his back to the fire.
From the resemblance to portraits I had seen in his Rights of
Afan,l knew it was Paine. While I followed the waiter, pre-
Pane- was alone, I was preparing an exordium to in-
troddcd niyielf to a plain republican alone; but when I thus
found ro'vseli Comptiny with the great author of Common
Sense,'''tor a moment I was at a stand. Says I ' Gentlemen.
is Mr, Paine in this room?' He stepped towards me and
answered, 'My name is Paine.' I held out my hand, and
while '1 held his, says I, Mr. Paine, and you, gentlemen, will
please excuse my abrupt entry ; I came out of mere curiosity to
see the man whose writings have made so ranch noise in the
world.' Paine answered, lam very glad your curiosity is so
easily satisfied.' Says I, ' Good morning, gentlemen,' walked
out, and shut the door behind me. I heara them all burst out

_ .
into a loud laugh. - Thinks I, they may laugh that win; I have
Seen Paine, and, all thitigs considered, have made a good re-.
treat. The gentlemen called the waiter, and inquired who that
was. It is Thornhurn, the seedsman.' • They reported the
matter at the coffee-house, and among their acquaintances.
As the story travelled, it was told with all manner of additions.
Qne was, that 1 told Paine he was a rascal; had it not been
fir his books,- I would never have left my -native country, &c.
&c. In short, there was nothing heard- for many days but
Thorburn's visit to Mr. Paine.

" At that time I was clerk, or psalm-singer, in the Scotch
Presbyterian Church, in Cedar-street, of which the famous Dr.
John al. Mason was minister. The church-session caught the
alarm ; an extra meeting was called. To be sure, I was not
noticed to attend; perhaps they were afraid of contamination
from one who had shook hands with Mr. Paine. Be that as it
may, I was suspended from office for some months.
" A few years after this, when Paine had fallen into disre-
pute, and his company shunned by the more respectable of his
friends, on account of his unpopular writings and hard drinking,
he boarded in the house of one William Carver, a blacksmith
and horse-doctor. This Carver and I had wrought journey-
work together in the same shop ten years before that period; so,
haying free access to the house, I frequently called to converse
with Mr. Paine, One evening he related the following anec-
dote:--He said it was in the reign of Robespierre, when every
republican the monster could get in his power was cut down by
the axe of the guillotine, Paine was in the dungeon, and his
name on the.list, with twenty more, ordered for execution next
morning. It was customary for the clerk of the tribunal to go
through the cells at night, and put a cross with chalk on the
back of the door of such as were to be guillotined in the morn-
ing. When the executioner came with his guard round, where-
ever they found a chalk, the victim was brought firth. 'l'here
was a long passage in the cellar, or dungeon, of this bastile,-
having a row.of cells each side eoutainiug the prisoners. The
passage was secured at each end, but the doors of the cells were.
chiellyleft open, and sometimes the prisoners stepped into one
anothet's room to converse. Paine had gone into the next cell,
and left his door open, back to the wall; thus having the inside
out. Just then came the chalkers, and, probably being drunk,
crossed the inside of Paine's door. Next morning when the
guard came with an order to bring out twenty, and finding only
nineteen chalks, (Paine being in bed and his door shut,) they
took a prisoner from the further end of the passage, and thus
made up the number. So Mr. Paine escaped ; and, before the
mistake was discovered, (about forty-eight hours after,) a
stronger party than Spirie's cut off his head, and about thirty
of his associates; and so Paine was set at liberty. But, being
afraid to trust his head any longer among these good-democrats,
for whom he had written so much, he made the best of his way
for this country. -
" I asked him what he thought of his almost miraculous es-
cape. He said, "I'lle,fr'ates had ordained he was not to die at
that time.' Says I, Mr. Paine, I will tell you exactly what I
think: you know you have written and spoke much against
what we call the religion of the Bible; you have highly extolled
the perfectibility of human reason, when left to its own guid-
ance, unshackled by priestcraft and superstition; the God in
whom you live, move, and hatie your being, has spared your .
life that you might give to the world a living comment on your
own doctrines. You now show to the World what human na-
ture is when left to itself, to wander in its own counsels; here
yea sit in an obscure,. uncomfortable dwelling, poWdered with
snuff, and stupified with brandy; you, who was once the com-
panion of Washington, Jay, and Hamilton, are now deserted
by every good man; and even respectable deists cross the
streets to avoid you.' He said, He cared not a straw for the
opinions of the world.' So we parted. In short, he was the
most disgusting human being you could meet in the street.
Through the effect of intemperance, his countenance was
bloated beyond description; he looked as if God had stamped
his face with the mark of Cain. A few of his disciples, who
stuck to him, through good and through bad report, to hide him
from the gaze of men, had him conveyed to Greenwich, where
they .supplieOim with brandy till he died.
" One evening, shortly after he gave me the history of his
escape from the guillotine, I found himin company with a num-
ber of his disciples, as usual, abusing the Bible for being the
cause of every thing that is bad in the world. As soon as I got
an opportunity to edge in a word,.says I, 'Mr. Paine, you have
been in Ireland, and other Roulet; Catholic countries, where
the common people are not allowed to read the Bible; you-
hatiej.keen in Scotland, where every man, woman, and child,
has the Bible in .their hands; now, if the Bible were so bad a
hook, they who use it most would be the worst people. In
Scotland, the. peasantry are intelligent, comfortable, sober, and
industrious • in Ireland, they are ignorant, drunken, and live
but little better than the brutes. In New Yolk, the watch-
house, britlewell, alms-house, penitentiary, and states-prison, is
filled with Irish; but you wont find a Scotchman in these
places.' This being an historical fact which he could not de-
ny, and the clock having just struck ten, lie took a candle from
the table and walked up stairs, leaving his friends and myself to
draw our own conclusions."