The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1852-08-18
THE wEATHER YESTERDAY.


day as that that an Englishman is said to Sc
lect when he wishes to go through the 5avo-
rite national ceremony OF hanging himself
! By the by that is Islander upon the English
| who are less addicted 10 suicide than any peo-
| ple in Europe certainly far less than their vo.
lathe neighbors. However. the expression is
proverbial. though it may have no foundation
| in fact, any more than other such. Why should
an Engiishman hang himself on a gloomy day
any more than any one else Any more than
We, for example, who are not English, and yet
felt confoundedly disposed to "enlist in the
line" yesterday morning. Why should hare
be madden in March than at any other time
We could never tell, though we have been
| puzzling our brain to discover ever since we
heard the expression "as mad as March
| hare"
| Be all this, however, as il may, If an En-
| glishman does really prefer TO hang himself on
4 rainy day, his taste could not have been more
| fully gratifed than upon yesterday. II was
gloomy enough. 80 put toys of desperation"
| into the head of the most cheerful man that
ever lived, and that we take to have been old
| Sin Christopher Hatton, who when Queen Eli.
zabeth was pning away for Essex, whom she
had first beheaded, and then died because she
could not bring to life again, advised her, by
way of relief 10 her mind, TO take TO dancing
Now, when we consider that the "youDg lady;
! to whom this advice was given was only in the
seventy third year of her age, and that she had
hoo bar "a IL for, Lnr
ing others dance than for dancing herself, we
cannot but admit the wisdom of him who gave
it. We should ourselves have fallen upon old
Sir Christopher's device yesterday, but, alas
though not quite so old as Queen Elizabeth,
our dancing days are just as decidedly over as
hers were. We were, for long time, unwil
ling to admit so melancholy a truth-we
struggled against it, indeed, with all our
sprit-we determined even to make one more
Trial, and we sent formal challenge to our old
friend the Lord Mayor of Fredericksburg, TO
meet us at the Slash Cottage on that 4th of
July 1.-THE most famous since l776,) and there
try conclusions as to our respective speed and
bottom. How he succeeded we never pro-
perly learned, since the only hint we have on
the subject is through his own exaggerated re-
port in the News. But we know this with re-
gard to ourselves. We had hardly cut the first
pigeon wing when we found it was no go with
us, and ever since we have set down in de.
spair. "Olhello's occupations gone.' That
is TO say we, who are not Othello, but whittier
and better man, shall dance no more. That
game, therefore, was blocked, as it ould have
been, doubtless, could we have danced as we'll
as Cerrito, for we had nobody to dance with.
We might have gotten up game of whist
no doubt for there are always plenty to be
found to make up party, but we never could
abide whist, and cannot understand how any
body else can. Besides, we have an awkward
habit OF revoking or making a false lead, or
trumping our partners tricks, which never
fails TO " set the table in a roar" not of nir,h
but OF exultation on the one side, and ndigna
lion on the other. We were on one OCCASION
many years ago, in company where it was
proposed to play game of whist. We
were necessary TO make up the number but
stoutly refused, because an old gentleman of
the party, one of the best men in the world,
but little passionate, was in the habit of
cursing his partner when he did not play to
suit his fancy. We found we were to fall to
his share, aud we felt that it was like leading
lamb to the slaughter. We consented at last
however, but on the express condition that he
was not to exercise his fayorte talent upon us
in the event of our laundering or stumbling by
IL III.
such time we had of it, Never was game
worse played than we played it. But the old
gentleman was true to his word. He did not
swear, he did not even mutter. He contented
himself with rolling up his eyes, grinding his
teeth, stamping with his feet, and touring his
hair out of his head by hands full all which
external manifestations of inward agony we
witnessed with calm unconcern that would
have done no discredt to a stoic At last ",he
long agony was over" as Governeur Morris
said; the game was finished, and our old friend
| took long breath. Said he to us, well, sir,
| suppose at least you have no objection to nv
eating these tongsl' "None in the world sir
replied we, and so the conversation ended.
Chess we should certainly have resor,ed to.
for we have a different opinion of chess from
that which we have of whist. But we like
chess only when We play with person who
cannot beat us rery badly, and there is scarce
ly any person who plays at all that cannot do
that. We had always passionate desire, but
we never had a genius for it. gentleman,
who was reckoned a skilful player, told US
many years ago, that We could never be chess
player. At first we were as much mortified
as Horace Walpole says he was, when old
| oaunderson, the blind mathematician, told his
father ne could never learn mathematics. We
took the hint however, gave it up, and follow.
ing the example of the fox of sour grape no.
toriety, consoled ourselves with the saving
OF Sin Walter Scott, that it required too great
waste of brains to learn TO play chess we'll.
Backgammon we like, but are not sufficient
adopts to take rank in the first class, and unless