Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1869-04-28

PREsENTIMENTS What is the subject Of
your next design| asked merry party Of
friends Of Hogarth. "The End OF All Things" I"
was the reply. "In that case, said one jok-
inely, There will be an end OF the artist. -
There will" rejoined Hcgarth, with depth
OF solemui,y that was strange 10 him. lie set
about the plate in hot haste, broke up his
tools when he had flushed it, entitled the
print 'Flnis," and short time after its pub
lcation, lay stretched 10 death.
Poor Weston exclaimed FoOte, as he
stood dejectedly contemplating the potrait Of n
brother actor recently dead, poor Weston
Soon others shall say, poor Footo:: In a
few days be was borne out to his burial.
death would take place. What is the hour
OF the day2' he asked Cavendish on the
morning before his death. Something past
eight" replied the attendant Past eight !"
mused tho little, great lord cardinal. EIGHT
eight Of the clock-uay. it cannot be eight
Of the clock. for by eight of the clock you
shalt lose your master" On the following
morning, while the clock was striking eight.
he died. He was wrong as to the daylight
as 10 the hour.
A French lady OF title had presentiment
that on q given day she should die at twelve
o'clock. Believing it to be q deluslon, her
physicians ordered every clock in the neighbor
hood to be put back by al hour. She was
sinking fast, but lived on until nearly one,
when she was told Of the innocent deception
that had been practised upon her. The doctors
had moderated the power of Imagination.
Cruel" she murmured, thus to lengthen
out the pain Of dying, aud sinking back upon
her pillow, she expired.
Better in arms than upon ones bed, NUT
tered an officer Of the Army OF Italy on being
appointed to lead . forlorn hope. Napoleon
sent for the man aud learned that he believed
he was to die at midnight. The expedition
was postponed for an hour, and another
leader had to be selected for it. The captain
who had the presentiment was seized with an
apoplectic fit while marshalhng his men. and
died on the last stroke OF twelve.
I'VE sometimes feel within ourselves, says
John Hunter, that we shall not live: for the
vital powers become weak, aud the nerves COM
muuiGate the intelligence to the brain. Mozart
had long been in failing health when he received
his order for his last Requiem m" Hogarth
was conscious Of decaying powers when he sat
down to design ''the Eud OF All Things
Both held out till they had finished the work
they had in hand.
A MURpEROUs SEA FLowER.-One Of the
exquisite wonders Of the sea is called the opelet,
and is about as large as the German aster,
looking indeed very much like one. Imagine
o very large double aster, With ever so many
long petals of light green, glossy as satin,
and each one tipped with rose color. These
lovely petals do not lie quietly in their places
like those OF the aster in your garden, but
wave about in the water. How innocent and
lovely the opelet looks on its bed Who would
suspect that it could eat anything gr0sser than
dew or sun light? But those beautiful, way
ing arms as you call them, have another use
besides looking pretty. They have to provide
food for large open mouth, which Is hidden
deep down amongst them-so we'll hidden that
one can scarcely find 1t Well do they per-
form their duty for the instant foolish little
6sh touches one of the rosy tips, he is struck
with poison, as fatal to him as lightning. he
Immediately becomes numb and in q moment
stops struggling, and then the other beautiful
arms wrap themselves around him, and he Is
drawn into the huge, greedy mouth, and is
seen no moro. Then the lovely arms uDclose
and wave again in water. looking as innocent
and harmless as though they had never touch
ed FISH.
THE ST.. LOUIS HAIL SToRM-A colored
peoples funeral procession, which was going
up Pine street, ST. Louis, on Monday. was
sadly disturbed BY the storm. When near the
corner of Seventh street, the hail stones com
meuced to pelt the horses, and. one after
another, the teams ran away, including that
drawing the hearse, which became utterly un-
manageable The driver was thrown of, the
corpse thrown out, and all the mourners carried
far away from the object Of their grief: Some
time alter the storm person who had formed
one OF the party was seen in the neighborhood
where the storm struck the funeral, looking Tor
the eofhn. The funeral, We understood, was
postponed. Another funeral procession shared
the same melancholy fate.
NEW INSTRUMENT OF DEATH. Several cases
have recently occurred at New York and
Brooklyn where windows have been pierced
and persons shot BY bullets without the usual
oise incident to the discharge of a gun or pis-
rL A correspondent OF one of the New YORK
Papers states that these bullets are not shot
om air guns. as has been generally supposed.
ct that there is new kind Of gun now sold
at some what resembles the old cross-gun,
sept that Instead of the arrow or bullet being
opened by the elasticity of bow, it is ia
case accomplished by the equally forcible
k3tlclty 0f IoJ;,