The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-12-06 00:00:00

A SCENE IN LISBON.

A singular event has occurred here within the last week,
(Nov. 25.) An inhabitant of Morocco, who had been for
some months residing in Lisbon, intent, as it appears,
merely on amusement, got himself involved in an unplea-
sant, though ludicrous affair, with the police authorities,
arising entirely from a laughable mistake. He is a singu-
larly fine-looking man, with a large and portly, but symme-
trical person, muscular shoulders, and an expansive chest,
not ill set off by the tight-fitting gaberdine descending from
neck to heel, and the loosely-tied red sash that envelopes his
haunches. A simple turban completes his attire, of which
the folds of white linen that form its basis contrast most
picturesquely with his clear olive complexion, and with the
dark curls that cluster around a most manly forehead, eyes
of singular lustre, a finely-formed aquiline nose, and all
other features "to match." It was impossible to pass him
by without notice, and he was universally recognized to be
the handsomest man in Lisbon. After the true Oriental
fashion, this singularly favoured Maroquino lived almost
perpetually in the open air, taking up his stand in the fore-
noon in " Oold-street," " Silver-street," Rua Augusta, or
some other leading thoroughfare. At some distance behind
him were usually seen three other men, dressed in the same
style, but less expensively, though all were plain in their
attire. Whether these were followers or companions no one
could tell ; but to those acquainted with Oriental customs
the former was most probable, because they always kept
apart at a respectful distance, eyeing, as if for protection, the
movements of the chief figure in the picture ; and there was an
air of personal dignity about the latter which told his superi-
ority at a glance. It was his wont to spendwhole days thus,
speculating on European customs, character, and manners and
noting down the memorabilia of Lisbon life in the tablets of his
memory. A few days since he was so employed in the Rua da
Prata with his henchmen, as usual, at a distance from his
elbow, when, growing fatigued with standing, and seeing a
fine French-polished rosewood chair standing at the door of an
upholsterer's shop, with an extremely neat and soft-cushioneX
seat, covered with silk damask, hospitably laid out there, as
he thought, to comfort the nether man of any passing pilgrim,
the Moroquino threw himself into it, stretching his legs out
luxuriously, so as to block up the entire doorway, and then
proceeded to scrape the mud off his shoes against the door-
post, by way of showing bow duly he appreciated Lisbon
notions of cleanliness. Of course, had the entrance to the
shop not been as foul as all its fellows, he never could have
mistaken the purpose for which the door-posts of Lisbon are
divorced from scrubbing-brushes. Fired at the indignity,
the shopkeeper rushed upon him, and inflicted upon him
some severe blows with a heavy stick before the stranger
was aware how his innocent act had been misinterpreted.
Presently, however, his Moorish blood rose to boiling heat
at the indignity ; he remembered how Lisbon and all Portugal
had once belonged to his ancestors ; how the palace of the
ancient Moorish kings at Cintra, with its socalcos, its
fountains, and its albarradas, had passed into the pos-
session of the Feringees ; how the castle of his fore-
fathers, on the stupendous Serra, although now a ruin,
is the most extensive and majestic in Europe ; how, even
in present times: the African Algarve bad been wrested
by his countrymen from the sway of the degenerated Portu-
guese, and formed into the Empire of Morocco ; and over-
powered by these complicated feelings, and by the thought
that a "Christian dog' was so far forgetful of all the feelings
of hospitality as to insult him grossly on the threshold of his
house, he raised the ear-piercing Algazarra, the war-shout of
his country, which more than once appalled the soul of Al-
fonzo Henrique himself, and fell on his rude assailant. The
tradesman, however, had the best of it. The cries of the
belaboured Maroquino called several of the neighbours to-
gether, who fortunately interposed in time to save him from
very serious injury, though not from a severe beating.
The Moor was thrown on a sick bed. Here he cal-
led for pen and paper, and addressed a letter to Go-
mez de Castro, the Minister for Foreign Affairs. The
letter reached its destination, but was altogether unin-
intelligible, for the very sufficient reason that it was writ-
ten in Arabic. Several " learnedThebans" were applied to;
but, though the caligraphy was excellent, their answer was
no more satisfactory than Dominie Sampson's " Prodigious 1"
A length a sort of an Orientalist was found, who managed to
blunder through the letter, and discovered in the injured
stranger no less a person than the Prince of Mogadore, bro-
ther of the Emperor of Morocco !
The foreign Minister lost no time in communicating with
him through an interpreter, procuring his testimonials, which
left no doubt of the truth of his statement, and ascertaining
that he had chosen to remain entirely incognito to consult
his own convenience and that of the authorities. The Mi-
nister apologized for the indignities which had been offered
to the prince, took him into his own house, and showed him
every attention.

SCOTCH POOR LAWS.—It appears from a correspondence
between Mr. Wallace and Sir R. Peel, in connexion with the
memorial of the unemployed in Greenock, that the subject
of the Scotch Poor Law has been under the serions considera-
tion of the Government, and that " measures are in progress
for instituting a full and comprehensive inquiry into that sub-
ject, with a view to the amendment of the existing law."
This is so far well, though, if the inquiry is only about to be
ordered, there is no saying when the " amendment " in the
law to which it is expected to lead will be accomplished, so
as to yield its fruits to our starving people. The letter of
Sir R. Peel is altogether a very stave-off to the appeal of our
unfortunate town's-people. The county gentlemen, we hope
feel obliged to him for the hint he has given them, to exercise
private benevolence in meeting the emergency which has
arisen.—Glasgow Chronicle.
RICHARD OASTLER.—At length, as we learn from a late
number of the " Fleet Papers," the late act for the regula-
tion of the Queen's Prison, and the abolition of the prison of
"The Fleet," has been carried into effect with regard to the
person of our esteemed friend Richard Oastler. It appears
that on the 12th of November, in pursuance of a general war-
rant from Lord Denman, Lord Chief Justice, Mr. Oastler
was removed from the Fleet Prison to the Queen's Prison ;
and that he is now located in room No. 2, staircase No. 10.
Mr. Oastler was committed to the _Fleet Prison at the
,suit of Mr. Thornhill, on the 9th of December, 1840 ; so that
le has been incarcerated for more than two years ; and
as his means of payment are no greater now than they were
at that time, it is to be hoped that Mr. Thornhill will soon
be of opinion that he has suffered sufficiently. We observe
that since Mr. Oastler's removal he has addressed his little
" Fleeters" to Sir James Graham, Bart., instead of to Mr.
Thornhill.
on unquestionable authority,
We lay
.before all readersi.
the following appairnoognnaorrsvernra;.--Leone
was
About the month of No-
vember,
1840, a In
lthweere forth wiih
act of adultery with the w the
spot by run-
lony. The black man killed
run-
ning him through the body The maroon authorities
and a co
with the fact, correspondence took
made acquainted .
whose district it
' chief within was com-
place with the native
mitted. It was within a few
miles of Sierra Leone, and
cor
al-
most within the boundary line of the colony. The
to beres_
allowing the offender tried b
pondence terminated in allowi
British subject. In they
the native chief, although be was a
end he was biumedalive, and a great number of maroons went
. .
ht. They actually
from Free Town to witness the horrid sigs
unfortunate
Ways
supplied a tar-barrel to assist in itl Thl
many years in
rifled
an Ebo, a re-captured slave, and bad
the colony, There must be official information of this fear-
ful transaction at the Colonial office, which some member of
the
the House of Commons might, perhaps, 0/4,o„in from
Government.—Anti-slavery Reporter.
MELANCHOLY Loss OF LIFE.—From the very Lea 'Y
rains which "ell on the nights of Tuesday and Wednes9'
last, a great flood was occasioned in the river, over which, _
the towniand of Monree, a plank was thrown, which formed
a footgo for persons crossing the stream. Unfortunately.
no rail was attached to the plank—an oversight not at all
unusual, little regard being paid to such convenience, until
some accident occurs, ,and very frequently not even then.
On Thursday, a young woman had occasion to visit Lur%an,
and being afraid, in consequence of the great svvel.l oW• ke
river, to cross the footway.alone, she solicited the assistance
of the equally unfortunate young man. Poor Donnelly was
engaged at the time in washing his cart, at the edge of the
river, and was easily induced to accede to her wishes, parti-
cularly as she was a stranger, he, fom frequent habit, not
<V being afraid. When they had proceeded a short way, he
"1-% tirdttielir by the hand, she became terrified by the flowing
."1,7--:. • Of& d seized him by the body,fpr Lurther pro-
' ~•:. y------.
(,-...- -- tgurtop•L distressing to relate, bol,b fell into t.tte cu-
s.,,
~/ -: .--Tk9144 kte n more.—Belfast paper.
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