The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-02-06 00:00:00

aniu.ated torte, " how is it that the Prince has been in-
formed .of our project only in part ? He must have em-
p!oyed some one to penetrate into her Majesty's secrets."
Skilful as was the Coadjutor, and ready as he was at
all times in reply, this suddenly-put question appeared to
embarrass him not a little. He hesitated. De Croissi, who
at once saw the advantage he had obtained, was tempted
to gain his point by a single blow.
aflame," said he, with firmness ; " come what
will—whatever he my lot—l will yet give your Majesty
a proof of my zeal and devotion. M. le Coadjutor. avows
himsel that he has been for some time acquainted with
the whole truth, and I must now let your Majesty know
from whom he obtains all the secret projects of the court,
abortive. Will
thus enabling him either to r -veil them or to render them
your Majesty be pleased to recollect
what I was about to say at the moment NI. le Coadjutor
entered the oratory. Oh ! madame, you have warmed a
serpent at your noble heart, and that maiden in whom
you have placed so much confidence"—
Anne of Austria cast a wrathful look upon Elizabeth,
who trembled with fear.

" Speak, sir, speak out; explain yourself," said she,
scarcely able to restrain her rising passion.
" Well, Madame, do you not recollect who it was that
placed .1111 e. de Montglat near your Majesty ?"
" Certainly, it was the Duchess de Chev reuse ; what
then ?"

" Madame and Mlle. de Chevreuse," continued Croissi,
pointing ironically to Paul de Gondi, " are, as is well
knowu to all Paris, the dearest friends of Mons. le Co-
adjutor, and as Madame de Chevreuse is the protectress
of lllle. de Montglat"— _ _

He stopped. The Regent stamped her foot with rage.
" Speak out, sir—explain—l command you."
Well, madame, I have no hesitation in declaricg to
your Majesty, that Mlle. de Montglat has betrayed to
the Duchess de Chevreuse all your Majesty's secrets
that she could contrive to obtain possession of, while
Madame de Chevreuse, on her part, details them to M. le
Coadjutor. A conversation which I accidentally heard
between the Countess de Montglat and the Duchess left
me no doubt on the subject, and it is the knowledge of
this mystery that has given me so much authority over
Mlle. de Montglat ; and which I fully hoped would have
served us in the matter that we had in hand —this enter-
prise of Mons. D'Hocquincourt. Your Majesty can now
account for the far-sightedness of Mons. le Coadjutor."
The Regent grew livid with rage.
(To be continued.)

HINTS FOR HUNDREDS.—No. I.
(For the Liverpool Standard.)

" Esti auton kinaito ? " —DsmosnizNas.

"ANY THING NEW?"
(Concluded from our last.)

But in the resolution I had formed, of secluding my-
self in the country, and avoiding the news-craving mon-
gers, I could not altogether escape from my enemy. For
we bad the annoyance brought to our fire-side, and our
domestic and social enjoyments were not permitted to be
exempt from the tax that was to be imposed upon them,
and which served to warn us that there can be no happi.
ness here without some alloy, no sweets without some
bitter ingredients mingled in our cup of joy. For the first
salutation at the breakfast table, no rnattet how addressed,
or how irrelevant was the reply, was sure to enunciated by
my brother, after the following manner—" You have been
long in dressing, Charles," says his spouse; " tea or cof.
fee, dear ?" " Anything new, love, this morning ?" to
which sensible enquiry no answer is given, but in the
shape of a cup of coffee. " Ham, or tongue? Charley,"
I would then ask. " How are you, Torn ? what have you

new ?" to which I replied with slices of tongue and

dreading to ask him. any more questions, and then we
waited in silence, until he ch.,se to broach some subject,
and chatted gaily and pleasantly, as though we had never
heard the annoying enquiry. New eggs I never eurst
name. But then we had the same ordeal to go through
at dinner, after dinner, on awakening from his nap ; at
tea, and on all occasions, when any thing at any of these
meals were profferred to him, the answer was invariably
prefaced by the enquiry from you, if you had any thing, if
there was any thing—new. Yet let it be remarked that
this is not a characteristic of my brother, only, for I have
remarked is as existing in all the men of his acquaintance,
and oft have I blushed, and felt indignant and ashamed,
when, in his drawing-room, I have noticed a male visitor
taking his seat at the side of a lady, (and if a young lady
and a stranger, then has my sympathy been more strongly
excited)--and the first remark that such visitor has made,
has been. " Well, Miss Emma, what have you new, this
evening?" to which the lady could not know how to reply,
but, only by her blushes, which strongly indicated how
she estimated an enquiry, which she could not but regard
as most rude and offensive. But I have also seen this in-
quiry answered by a smile, and a direction of the eyes to
the ample foldings of a new rich satin dress ; and then, all
parties seemed mutually to understand each other; and
" Oh, yes, I see, you've got a new dress—beautiful, I ad-
mire it much," &c., was the reply. But then this must
have been addressed to, and answered by, one familiar to
such enquiries, and would be lightly regarded ; and had
and intolerable as this " ruling passion" is, when exhi-
bited in the streets, among men, and " where merchants
most do congrezate," I contend it is intolerable, offen-
sive, and insulting, when introduced into the drawing
room, and made in the presence of, and addressed to,
ladies.

Dr. Johnson used to say that none but a fool or an
idiot would tell you, if you had the means of judging
yourself, that the day was " hot" or " cold," the weather
" fine" or otherwise ; and that this stupid mode of salu-
tation, was only applicable to, or could with propriety be
used by, the colliers, or miners, who were immured under
ground six days of the week, and on the seventh, only,
j could have access to the open air, and witness the light
1 and feel the genial warmth of the sun. What would have
been the sage's feelings, had he visited Liverpool, at the
present day—l trow it would not have been long ere some
1 one would have felt the weight of his sturdy arm, and
thus found any appropriate answer to their enquiry for
" something new."
In a small watering-place in the North-Riding of York-
shire, where I remember accompanying my father many
years ago, the usual salutation was, " Any thing fresh,
this morning ?" and the answer generally given, as the
case might be, was, " No, sir; the cables have not yet
got in ; " or, " Yes, sir ; the cobles have just got in, and
there's plenty offresh cod, haddocks, and ling, some fine
lobsters, and some nice fresh crabs." Now, as we had
visited this place for the only purposes of obtaining fresh
sea-breezes and eating fresh fish, the question was a sen-
sible one, and the answer appropriate, rational, and to
the point.
I must not omit to name one little event, which did
occur during my visit to Liverpool, and which gave me
the most heartfelt pleasure, and on which I gloated with
savage joy, and which served me often in good need as a
never-failing answer to satisfy my brother's inquiry for
" something new." It was this. Having made an even-
ing call on a neighbour, we were ushered into his dining-
room, and there found the old gentleman snugly cushioned
in his leather chair, his lady at the table, with her daugh-
ter, profitably, I dare say, employed, as all ladies deem
themselves to be, when piles of worsted of various colours
are heaped around them. After making our respects to
the ladies, my brother turned to the old gentleman, and,
as usual, accosted him with, " Well, sir, what have you
got new to-day ? " " Oh, nothing—l think." " La!
papa, bow can you say so? You've got some new wine,
to-day." " Yes, Charlotte dear," replied mamma, " you
are right. We have got some new—quite new wine, sir ;"
and, turning to me, " Do you like new wine, sir? New
wine, now, to you, will be quite a treat; you'll get no
new wine in India, you know; you can't. Ring the bell,
Charlotte." The bell was rung. " John, bring in a
bottle of the new wine; you shall have some of our new
wine." I replied, " New wine does not agree with me.
lam an invalid, you know, my dear madam. lam much
obliged to you, but—my brother wilt do justice to your
kindness, as he is always inquiring for, and is very fond
of. " something new." "ishe ? Then, here it is. No
excuse; sit down ; help yourself; don't spare it ; we 've
plenty more in the cellar; I shall be offended if you do."
Oh! the look that was then given me by my poor bro-
ther, who is fastidious to a fault about his wines I How
I did enjoy his misery I He had got at last something
" new' —" quite new"; and, in spi_e of his assertion
that one glass was quite sufficient, I whispered to the
lady, and assured her that he was only saying so from
politeness, and from a desire to spare her " new" wine.
At this she arose, and, with redoubled energy, pressed,
filled and filled, again and again, his glass. I assured her
we had no engagement, and that we had come with the
intention of spending the evening with them ; and that,
in order to allow ray brother to enjoy what I knew he
relished so much, if she would permit me I would take a
glass of brandy, with some of their nice cold water, and
thus my brother nerd not hurry himself on my account.
" Excellent, captain! how kind and considerate of you!
friendly, very friendly ; yes, indeed it is. Charlotte, the
best old brandy, dear. There, now, don't hurry." No,
indeed I did not. I had got him on the hook, the tenter-
hooks, at last; and never was a poor devil of a fish so
played with before. Oh ! how he did storm and sputter
and swear, when he got out of the house at last, and
vowed he would never forgive or forget the trick I had
played upon him*; and I took care he did not forget it,
for whenever he afterwards was wont to ask if I had
" any thing new," I invariably replied that I had not,
but Charlotte had ; and this was quite sufficient to bring
him to a rational mode of converse.
Now this characteristic, this trait, this ruling passion
of your townsmen, which I have thus endeavoured to il-
lustrate, will, I humbly opine, as I said before, serve as
the key to unlock the mystery which for some time ren-
dered it so difficult for me and others to account for the
want of uniformity, the studied irregularity, in the style
and the materials of the " better " houses in your town.
For who, of those who are thus so incessantly hunting
after, and so cravingly desiring for, " something new,"
would be satisfied to have his house to be exactly like that
of his neighbours? No ; in that there would be nothing
"new." Is his neighbour's house of stone, then " Mine
must be of brick. I'll have something new.' Is his
cemented and painted white, " I'll have mine painted
yellow." " Who would buy that piece of ground? It
has been ' to be let' to my knowledge for this last twelee
months. I'll have a piece fifteen or twenty yards further
along—a new piece of ground." Then the architect is
urged for a design " something new"; the founder for a
new pattern for the iron railing ; the painter for new imi-
tations of oak, mahogany, or ash : and, as each is paid
for his fancy designs, they make it their business to fur-
nish what is required at the pecuniary expense of their
employers, though at the expense of the professional cre-
dit, taste, and skill of the employed.
Do you, Mr. Editor, think this an exaggerated descrip-
tion of an everyday occurrence—the result merely of a