The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1856-01-24
LOCAL MATTERS.


weather every seat in the Hall being filled, but Il
did not seem to give such general satisfaction ~
the first. He began by alluding to well known
writer who lived not far distant from this city and
quoted almost verbatim one Of James hackneyed
passages about two horsemen being seen riding at
rapid speed over the high rad to Richmond
Lodge, one of whom clad in big jack boots, seem
ed bold rs well as rapid rider, and well he
might, for he was known through all Norfolk,
one of the best horsemen whether in hunt chase;
for none cheered on the hounds more Justify, fol-
lowed the fox with more zest, than Sir Robert Wal
pole. Arriving at Richmond Lodge, he demanded
an instant interview with the master of the house;
but this was denied on the ground that it was his
custom to take nap after dinner, and woe betide
the one who interrupted it. But Sir Robert heed.
ed this not and thrusting aside the attendants,
walked into the chamber, and he of the jack boots
kneeiing at the bed side, on which lay q dapper
little gentleman, awakened him gently, and said
My Lord, the King, your father is dead" The
sleeper aroused himself and starting up replied,
Tat ish lie" But SIR Robert assured him Of the
fact and from this timc George II reigned over
Great Britain
brief history of his career as a soldier, and his
gallantry at Oudinot, of which he felt sufficiently
proud to adopt the habit of wearing, on all State
occasions, the hat and coat which he wore in this
battle and which, though rude and out of date in
appearance, was always acceptable to his subjects;
for, said Mr. T., bravery never goes out of fash.
ion"-seemed as preface to rapid glance at the
corrupt, icentious and depraved people who fig.
ured at the Court of this Monarch who was equally
as corrupt and depraved any or all of those
by whom he was surrounded. Then followed
review OF all the games and amusements, the cru
elites and executions which disgraced the period;
the veHalty of the clergy; the sad lack of virtue
among the noble and titled ladies' above whom
shone brightly, that paragon of beauty, Mary Bel
lenden. who folded her arms across her breast and
bade the Prince Frederick to stand back and come
no farther on his peril; and who, on another occa
sion, when he counted pile of guineas in his hat
before her had the hardihood to throw them in his
face, and bid him cease his vile importunities.-
Then followed rapid glance At Bath, with Ches
terheld, Fielding, Peterborough, Walpole, Miss
Chudleigh-just runaway from one husband and
looking for another; Lady Mary Watly Montague
at one time gay, beautiful and witty at another, DID,
ugly dirty and snuffy; and above all the renowned
Beau Nash, whose sway was as despotic at their
celebrated watering place as that of any Eastern
King. Contrasting those times. with their vices
and corruption, with the present, he spoke most
loyalty Of his heartfelt respect for her who is the
kind wife, the good mother, the patron of the arts
and the lover of her people, the present Sovereign
OF Great Britain. To those who love the gossiping
scandal of by-gone days when there was so much
material for the qualification of their TASTE this
lecture was rich treat. How our forefathers
lived and spent their time; how they practiced
vices, and thought but little of virtue affords to the
thoughtful reader of the history of this period,
great cause of graduation that we are living in a
better period and that with all its faults, still the
world has grown at least no worse than it was
hundred years ago.
Mr.. Thackeray gave George II. credit for all the
vices possessed by his father, and, save his I'M
daunted pluck, he had no redeeming quality. But
to his wife he ascribed all that virtue that sole
devotion to undeServing wretch could ask
She loved him, and him alone, with an attachment
as undying as it was undeserved; and although she
was devoted to her children, if need be- to please
her George, she would have cut them in pieces to
please him. The only return he gave her was to
obey her dying request never to marry again
AS he turned from her corpse to go and speak
her praises in the ear of his mistress in thenext
room, and to have side of her coffin left loose
that 1t might be taken out and to direct that his
might be left SO, too, in order that after his death
their bones might lie together in one receptacle
His whole character is summed up in these lines in
which may be summoned up the gist of his charac
ter, as given by Mr.. Thackeray:
GEORGE IT.
"In most things did as my father had done:
was false to my wife and hated my son;
My spending small and my avarice much,
ny kingdom was English, my heart was high Dutch
At Dettngens fight was known not to blench-
butchered the Scotch, and bearded the French ;
neither had morals, nor manners. NOR wit;
wasn't miased much when died in fit.
Then set up my statue, and make it complete,
With Pitt on his knees at my dirty old feet.'
His last lecture will take place on Saturday eve
ming, when every one who can do SO should attend
and hear him.
Prof Feltons Lecture-There was but q mode
rate sized audience to hear Prof FELTON, on Tues.
day night; but those present were more than com
pensated for their tramp through the snow and en-
counter with the keen-edged air of of the cold
est nights we have had this winter. The lecturer
began by saying that while he was induced to pay
this city a visit, for the purpose of enjoying the
pleasant society which he expected to meet, he had
also hoped to rid himself for awhile of the Hyper
boran rigor of q Massachusetts, winter by flying
to the milder atmosphere of Virginia. But in this
he was doomed to disappointment, for the storm
and ice and snow had followed him, and he was
tempted to complain, with slight variation, in the
same strain in which Milton makes his Satan speak
of rather different temperature:
''Where e'r 1 turn, is winter
Myself am winter"
With this and some complimentary allusion to
Richmond the birthplace and residence of the
author of the best translation of the greatest epic
poem the world has ever seen; as being surrounded
by scenery which had inspired the finest specimen
of epistolary writing in the English language in
Mr. Websters description of beautiful morning ::
and above all other associations as the place in
which there was now being erected the noblest
monument-the work of native artistic the
most perfect character the world has any record
of, he commenced to speak of Athens and its re-
mains, by calling attention to the maps and pic
lures which hung around the room. The map of
this great city showed the position of all the i'm
portant works of art; and though there did not ex
is either ruins traces of the walls yet enough is
known by record to allow the artist to trace the line
with correctness amounting to certainty.
the account of his travels about Athens to give
variety to that which needed none to enhance its
interest and his accounts of the theatres in which
Eschyus and Euripides had read their great pro-
ductions the prison in which Socrates fell victim
to the folly and fanaticism of his countrymen; the
Acropdis, with its crowning glory of the Parthe
non whose splendid and majestic beauties he could
not sufficiently praise, were all described in the
chaste and fervid language of an accomplished
scholar leaving, as an appropriate peroration the
notice of Mars hill the Auopages and the eloquent
discourse of St Paul On this theme he dwelt
with enthusiastic admiration, enumerating all the
particulars Of the time, the place, the people and
the circumstances, and transatng the address with
more fidelity than it Is rendered in our received
verson--he pointed out its peculiar beauties and
claimed for it the highest rank specimen of ac-
complished oratory.
Christys Ainstreis give their fourth and last
grand entertainment at Metropolitan Hall this
evening when they expect to see present all Low.
ers of fun and admirers Of music, IS well as all
those who have an idle hour to while away In plea
SAINT amusements. We feel assured that II ali our
readers had any idea of the superiority of their
hibitions Metropolitan Hall would scarce begin to
hold the crowd that would gather there tonight
See their bills, procure your tickets and 90 early,
II YOU hope to secure good seats.
The Misses DENIM are rapidly closing their