The Sun. — 1837-10-13 (London, England)

TRUE CHARACTER OF THE DOLPHIN.—The dolphin—the theme of poets and painters, great and small —in all ages the subject of many a beautiful fiction and absurd romance, whose graceful curves and sportive bounds have been reported with all the charms of exaggeration, of whose iridescent body the beautiful and varying tints have been described with an abundance of imagination equalled only by the deficiency of truth—has dwindled in the accounts of modern naturalists into a slender fishshaped animal, about nine feet long, with a large head, wide mouth, long snout, of a black colour on the back, and white underneath, voracious in habits, and fierce in disposition. This fish has been represented as fond of the society of man : it certainly is often known to accompany ships on long voyages, sometimes following in her wake, sometimes sporting at her prow, or springing its whole length into the air. Whether this indicates a love of human society at an humble distance, or a hope of nearer acquaintance, similar to that which influences the attentions of the shark, is doubtful. Certain it is, that in a storm it becomes more frolicsome than ever ; and the greater the danger the greater is its exultation. The flesh of the dolphin was formerly esteemed a delicacy ; we read of an English feast consisting of a roasted dolphin with porpoise sallc, ; yet, except about the shoulders, the flesh of the animal is said to be rather tasteless. The young dolphin is reported to be far superior to that of the old.— Donn van's Domestic Economy—Human _Food; Lardner's Cabinet Cyclopedia. The following disgraceful occurrence took place lately at Libourne, in the Gironde. A lady, who had been married four years, was awakened during the night by violent cries of murder from her husband, whom she found in the kitchen, bleeding from several wounds. On inquiry, the servant maid, who had not attempted to escape, declared that her master had not only made criminal overtures to her, but had endeavoured to gratify his passion by force, and that, in this extremity, she had snatched up a knife and used it in her defence. She was conducted to prison, and medical ail called in to her master, who is said to be in an alarming state. The heat has been unusually intense this autumn in the Levant. On the Gtli of September, at Argos, the thermometer stood at 108-deg. in the shade ; and on the Bth of September, at Adrianople, it was at 96 deg. in the shade.  The beautiful City of Newhaven, in Connecticut, seems partly doomed to be destroyed by incendiarism. Not a week passes without five or six large fires, purposely caused, but by whom the inhabitants have as yet been unable to discover. Only one individual has been apprehended, and he is only charged with firing his own house. The regular incendiarism continues to be as bad as ever. This crime, apparently without motive, unless it be revenge against an entire city and university, is without a precedent in the United States. It is clothed in mystery, and excites much wonder.—Letter from America. On Saturday night, while a young villain, named Guy, living at Belleville, and who had on many previous occasions displayed the most brutal disposition, by robbing and beating his mother, was at supper with her, he insisted on her giving him a sum of 50f., which he knew she had locked up in her secretary. She refused, saying that it was all the money his rapacity had left her, and that it was appropriated to pay her rent, which would be called for on the next day. Guy, however, resolved to have it, and got up to force open the secretary. The poor woman attempted to resist him, when the unnatural son took a knife from the table, and stabbed and cut her in I I different places. Her cries called in the neighbours, and Guy was seized and secured. The mother is not yet dead, but no hopes are entertained of her recovery. The father is said to have died mad ; and, for the honour of humanity, it is to be hoped that the son will be proved to be also insane.