The Sun. — 1861-11-11 (London, England)

FOLKESTONE WITS.—AII sorts of curious stories are still told to illustrate the perfect guilelessness and crass ignorance of the ancient Folkestoners. Most of these tales are, of course, mere fictions and pleasant conceits of their enemies. The amusing ballad of the "Folkestone Fiery Serpent" humorously recounts how the sagest municipal functionaries of the place, startled by the unwonted apparition of a fine large peacock—a genus never before seen. within their borders—took counsel together, before sallying forth to encounter it, as to how they could best capture or slay the terrible monster, which could not have struck greater terror into their hearts if it had been " Gorgon, or hydra, or chimera dire."_. _ .  This simple-minded, stay-at home race, were afflic'ed with none of your modern furore for travel. Any adventurous member of their body who had made a pilgrimage of fifteen. miles to Canterbury was ever afterwards looked upon as an oracle of wisdom and knowledge, and in the local vocabulary was dubbed " a foreigner," by reason of his distant peregrinations. The same incurious people are said occasion, when threatened with a visitation of small-pox,. to have spread their fishing-nets over the town to keep out the malady—or at all events enable them to catch eatiachr shoulderse imt , oa vu e and'. . then drown it in the sea. Again, a parochial conclave, after grave debate, once issued a solemn order for having tt oh ea parish ecihteubr cyhp 'i iv' s‘h hi ni tge -i tw3aisaheewd abyls with niden u e,' .an But there is no end of the ridiculous stories which have been circulated at the expense of the Folkestoners—a plain honest people, like most other Kentish men, albeit now over-"bright" in intellect; and it is difficult to conceive why they should have been specially singled out to be the butt of the local satirists. The malignant ingenuity with which they have been assailed may be judged of from the fact that a witling, centuries ago, discovered that the letters of which the word Folkestone is composed will, when transposed, form the anagram of " Kent fools." Years have since then rolled on ; Time—the Avenger—bids fair to turn,, the laugh against the scoffing rivals of the erst-despised township, The vast changes incident to the introduction of railways and steamboats have opened a new era for Folkestone, both in regard to its material prosperity and the awakening of i s dormant intelligence. As if by the mafil cal influence of some po cut talisman the little, miserable,.t a. squalid fishing-village has attained to the digrtLe ai, of thriving, bustling port, with handsome new setrrve hotels, and marine terraces springing up in el:nt.'s of wealth and giving promise of still greater develoopedn from its suband splendour. Folkestone has longneoswe escapes scarcely n serviency to Dover, to whichja it now liragazine. direction, Y villas nominal fealty.—From the St. t BurT.—A coachman , SUICIDE IN A WAITE named young, in of a gentleman in Chester eYfound drowned in the wata r terrace, It is said that hie 1 butt of the stables on Friday . d suicide in consequence of the excitement he w aki comraitte into by the difficulty o Regent's-park, morning. the carriage, ho having ofnifiynding his way about town lately arrived fr( Jra Ilfroicwt. ohimrt hob 0 .