The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-03-14 00:00:00

THE SONG OF DEBORAH AND BARAK.—This is One pet
the noblest effusions of ancient poetry, and of poetry set
to music—sung as well as recited. The willing help ell
the people is an homage rendered to those who did offer
themselves—for we find an exception made against certain
of the tribes. I cannot imagine anything higher than trio I,
state and sublimity wherewith this Ode of celebration is 0
ushered in, and the effect of God's presence, or at least'
the manifestation of his forthputtings and his power,. is
depicted. The song begins with a reference to God's ta-
terposal in former times. There is a difference of opinion
whether the reference is two-fold, embracing both God's
appearance for his people when they first entered the Holy
Land, and the descent on Sinai— or whether there be a •
reference to the latter only, for which sonic countenance
is derived from Deut. xxxiii. 2, which is most intelligible
on the supposition that the approach o'.. the Divine glory
to Sinai was from the east. However this might be set-
tled there is soon a transition downward to more recent
times—to the days of Shamgar, who effected a like deli-
verance to that which called forth this song of celebration
—when the Philistines overran the land arid forced Abe
people into skulking-places. The inhabitants after -this
had to retire from the unwalled and unfortified villages
till the days of our illustrious prophetess—so beautitet.Uy
designated as a mother in Israel, and which is still telt
and applied as the most characteristic description which ;
can be given of a venerable matron full of faith and good
works, and a signal blessing, by the influence of her ex. I
ample, to the country or neighbourhood where she lives. ,'
The ode proceeds in the highest of all poetical strains to ii
its conclusion. The stars in their courses fighting against 1
Sisera is a truly sublime conception. Meroz was probably
some town which refuses its quota of auxiliaries. -Nor !
can we imagine anything more picturesque, more Ossiinic,
than the representation of the ladies looking out for the 1!
return of their lord—while the blessing given upon iaez I'
indicates a Divine command, or at least a strong sad .
urgent sense of patriotism in her mind—else it were the
revolting barbarity of an Amazonian. Both the criteltx
and licentiousness of the age break forth in this effusion. i
!,
It were strange now for women of rank to describe, as is ;
here done, the spoils of the war ; but, making allowances !",
for all that appertaineth either to the country, or to the I
period in the history of the world, this must be confessed
to be one of the most elevated and beast-stirring poesia
that has come down to us from ancient times.—Dr. Ctrl-
.1
mere' Daily Scripture Readings. 1
AN AMERICAN SPORTSMAN.—Dr. Isaac Hamberl' in, n
worthy man and old citizen of this county, came to his
death, a few days since in a most shocking manner. Oise
day last week, Hamberlin, with two ocher gentlenien,
. ~

led Satartia for a bear hunt, and proceeded to
_Lake

George, where it forms a junction with the Sunflower
river. A short time after they had landed from the boat.
the dogs entered the cane and immediately struck a trail,
and Dr. Hamberlin followed them but a short distance,
when he came up with them and a very large bear in the
thick cane. Dr. Hamberlin fired at him, the ball entering
his head at the upper part of his nose, without doing
much injury other than to infuriate him, and he turned
and made at Dr. Hamberlin. The doctor endeavoured
to get out of the animal's way, but the cane being very
thick he could run but slowly, and had run but a short
distance when the bear overtook him, seized him by the
thigh, jerked him to the ground, and completely stripped
Dr. Hamberlin's leg of flesh and muscles. By this time
the dogs again seized the bear and got him off. Dr.
Hamberlin then attempted to rise but could not, being so.
badly torn. He then got out his hunting knife, the bear
left the dogs, and attacked Dr. Hamberlin the, sea:tad
time, and tore him very much. This ;line Dr. Hamberlin
succeeded in cutting one or two gashes in the throat of the'
bear, but not deep enough to do him any material injury.
The dogs again diverted the attention of the bear from I
his victim, and he left Dr. Hamberlin and engaged with
the dogs ; but in a few minutes the bear came at him a j
third time, when Dr. Hamberlin made a stroke at him,
but the bear seized the knife by the blade, wrenched it from j
Dr. Hamberlin, and threw it some distance from him, 1
and seizing Dr. Hamberlin's arm mashed it into a jelly.
By this time the cries of Dr. Hamberlin brought one of
his companions •to the rescue, and he, seeing the awful
situation of his friend, fired, and struck tie bear in the
neck, which caused the beast to leave his victim and take
to flight ; but another of the company corning up it an
opposite direction encountered the bear and shot it. Dr.
Hamberlin had his wounds tied up and was then carried
to the boat, to be taken immediately to Satartia, but he
expressed his unwillingness to return without having his -
formidable antagonist with him. His desire was gratified
and he and the bear were taken to Satartia, where en.inent
medical aid was brought to his assistance, but he died on •
the fourth day, after suffering during the time the moat
excruciating pain. The bear was very large, though poor;
weighing 3401 b. with his entrails out.—Yazoo WAig,
21st of January.

INSTINCT IN ANIMALS.—At the meeting of the Lite-
rary Society last week, Dr. Warwick, who was intro-
duced by a member, narrated some curious facts with re-
spect to animals. When he resided at Dunham, the seat
of the Earl of Stamford and Warrington, he was walking
one evening in the park, and carne to a pond where tieh,
intended for the table, were temporarily kept.. He took
particular notice of a fine pike of aboutsix pounds weight,
which, when it observed him, darted hastily away. In so
doing, it struck. its head against a tenter-hook in a poet
(of which there were several in the pond, placed to ava-
vent poaching), and, as it afterwards appeared, fractured
its skull. and turned the optic nerve on one side. The
agony evinced by the animal was most horrible. It rushed
to the bottom, and, boring its head into the mud, whirled
itself round with such velocity that it was almost lost U.)
the sight for a short interval. It then plunged about the
pond, and at length threw itself completely out of the
water on to the bank. He (the Doctor) went and exa-
mined it, and found that a very small portion of the brain
was protruding from the fracture in the skulL He care-
fully replaced this, and, with a small silver tooth-pick.
raised the indented portion of the skull. The fish re-
mained still for a short time, and he then put it again
into the pond. It appeared at first a good deal relieved._
but in a few minutes it again darted and plunged about
until it threw itself out of the water a second time. Ase-
cond time Dr. Warwick did what he could to relieve it.,
and again put it into the water. It continued for seve-
ral times to throw itself out of the pond, and with the as-
sistance of the keeper the Dr. at length made a kind or
pillow for the fish, which was then left in the pond to. its
fate. Upon making his appearance at the pond on the'
following morning, the pike came towards him to the edge
of the water, and actually laid its head uponhis foot. The.
Dr. thought this most extraordinary, but he examined
the fish's skull, and found it going on all right. He then
walked backwards and forwards along the edge of the pond
for some time, and the fish continued to swim up and,
down, turning whenever he turned : but being blind On
the wounded side of its skull. it always appeared agitated
when it had that side towards the bank, as it could not,
then see its benefactor. On the next day he took some
young friends to see the fish, which came to him as usual;
and at length he actually taught the pike to come to him
at his whistle and feed out of his hands. With other per-
sons it continued as shy as fish usually are. He (Dr.
Warwick) thought this a most remarkable instance of
gratitude in a fish for a benefit received, and, as it always
came at his whistle, it proved also what he had previously,
with other naturalists, disbelieved, that fishes are sensible
to sound.

• BABYHOOD AND CHILDHOOD.—The nursery is a won-
derful world, and all that therein is ; but Baby is the
greatest wonder of all. That little separate thing in the
world,7-uncommunicating with others, unremembered by
itself,—that mysterious state of being before the deluge
of memory sets in, lying there, like a hermit in its cell. as
if gathering strength in passive contemplation for the
world's encounter. Who says that a baby does not think
or feel ? Have they never seen that strange smile break-
ing

through clouds of infant flesh," and then passing
away, as if it caught for a moment the harmonies of
heaven? Or have they never heard that stranger sigh—
the first spontaneous language of one who is " born to
sorrow," as if it heard from afar the growing jar of this
earth,—incognisant, to our apprehension, as it lies pas-
sively there, either of this world or that, yet stamped by
that very smile and sigh, as the being who stands myste-
riously between both ? But the noise and uproar have
been too much! The round lustrous eyes are wide open,
which, like the eyes of the Divine Child in the Sistine
Madonna, seem to look at nothing, in gazing beyond all
things ; and baby is seated on nurse's knee. There it
sits, the little stranger, who dwelleth so calmly amongst
us, without speech or movement, though brothers and
sisters are screaming and running around it, looking so
serenely, content, as if he knew how little either could
weigh in the balance with its own deep repose. There is
no model like a lovely babyfor true queenly dignity,the
wide open gaze, the hands' slow movement, the proud
drawing up- if the usual etiquette be transgressed,—re-
minding us of the, beautiful ►iues in, the Lyra Innoeen-
iium

" Why so stately, maiden fair, •
Rising in thy nurse's arms,
With that condescending air,
Gathering up thy queenly charms ?
the round, portly form, moving slowly to and fro, im-
bedded in lawn and fine linen. And then, when a few
months older, the truly royal impatience of opposition, the
autocratic air with which the spoon and rattle are dashed
down, the haughty stare if some monitory voice exclaim,
Baby, baby !" and then the celestial smile, as if to for-
give you for having been angry with her. We have
dubbed the baby feminine. Babyhood seems so, with its,
beauty, its softness, its helplessness, and its waywardness,
=ladylike in each of its attributes. But look now at that
little swaggering urchin, with scarcely more than two of
our short years over its head, and it is a boy all over. The
reign of dignity has been succeeded by that of impudence
Noise and movement are now his chief element. Up
. .

the
chair and down again. If you take him up he kicks and
struggles; the more comfortable you try to make him the
less he likes it ; restlessness is his rest. If he is not talk-
ing to. you, he is talking to himself—stamping, hammer-
ing, rattling, clattering ; whatever can make a noise is
plaything to him. Like another Nero, he wishes all the
bells in the house had but one string, that he might ritiq
thPrnaltorstithsw_ • . • •

1.4311 li UIGL Liill, MI.
then, if the truth were known, he dreams of banging
doord Mischief and courage have begun together ;
take a dog by the tail or a bull by the horns ; screams to
be held upon a coach-horse he can't stride, and kicks the
animal to make it go faster; is all ready to fire off a gun,
and roars because you will not let him strukyles away-

from the maid to run after the she?p ; tumbles down, is
picked up with a mouth full of gravel, and a " Never e
peace with you, Master John ;" is held double tight by
the maid all the way home, with an admonitory chuck,
now and then, whiclialmost dislocates his shoulder, but

manages to put ins feet, 1010 too puuates for all that!
Bless the child ! he is all right in his start for life, and
plague and pleasure alike he will give.—Praser's Mao.
THE FISHERS AT THE EAST OP SCOTLAND.—The

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