Current:

Northern Star (1837-1852), 13th December 1845, Edition 2 of 4, Page 3, be Tt acEMBBS JB, IJ1845. THE NORTHERN S...

Page 3
Page 3
3 of 8

On this page

  • Departments (4)
    • $toWQ t
    • NOTICE.
    • 2telm&&
    • —¦ ¦ t<.MBI ^^..if»i*.^-?iIVWVtW'W^ , vw^.-T/t^^:-^^^*** ; ^S , ?5f^*.^* ••a'^J '' " ' ~ " """ ~~ " ;.; ;;y:Ci:t i &it&; ;
  • Adverts (1)
  • Text (14)
  • Transcript

    • Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.

      Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.

      Be Tt Acembbs Jb, Ij1845. The Northern S...

      be Tt acEMBBS JB , IJ 1845 . THE NORTHERN STAR **

      $Towq T

      $ toWQ t

      ~ ~~ Beauties Of Byron, ^ Ro, Xliu. "Cbi...

      ~ ~~ BEAUTIES OF BYRON , ^ RO , Xliu . " CBILDX HiBOlD . " rfewntmuaow sxtractsfroiri the fourth Canto ' tlve of Rome : here is a picture of

      THE PANTHEON . .-simp le , erect , severe , austere , sublime—« hrineof ah" saiata and temple of all gods , f rom Jore to Jesus—spared and West hy time , Looking tranquility , while fells or nods Arch emp ire , « " * thin o round thee , and man plods His way through thorns to ashes—glorious dome ! Shalt thou not last ! Time ' s scythe and tyrants' rods cjiiver upon thee—sanctuary and home Ofsr t and piety—Pantheon!—Pride of Home ! ST . FETEi ' s .

      Bat lo the dome—the vast and wonu ' rons dome . Iu which Diana ' s marvel was a cellghrisfs mighty shrine above Ms martyr ' s tomb ! 1 have beheld the Ephesian ' s miraclejt ! columns strew the wilderness and dwell The hyaena and the jackall in their shade ; I have beheld Sophia ' s bright roots sweU Their glittering massi' the sun , and have surveyM jj 5 sanctuary the while the usurping Moslem pray'd - Ba t thou of temples old , or altars new , Standest alone—with nothing like to thee

      THE taticas . Or , turning to the Vatican , go see l & ocoon ' s torture dignifying pain—A father ' s love and mortal ' s agony With an inmortal ' spaiience bending : —Vain The struggle ; rain , against the coiBng strain And gripe , and deepening of the dragon ' s grasp , The old man ' s clinch ; the long envenomed chain Eivets the living links , —the enormous asp " Enforces pang on pang and stifles gaspon gasp . Or view the Lord ofthe unerring bow , The God of life , and poesy , and light—The Sun in human limbs arrayed , and brow All radiant from his triumph in the fight The shaft hath just been shot—the arrow bright With an immortal ' s vengeance ; in bis eye And nostril beavtiful disJain , and might And majesty , flash their full lightnings hy , Developing in that one glance the Deity .

      But in his delicate form—a dream of love , Shaped by some solitary nymph , whose breast Longed for a deathless lover from above , And madden'd in that vision—are ezprest All that ideal beauty ever bless'd The mind with in its most unearthly mood , When each conception was a heavenly guest—A ray of immortality—and stood . Starlike , around until they gather'd to a god ! And if it be Prometheus stole from Heaven The fire which we endure , it was repaid By him to whom the energy was given Which this poetic marble hath array'd With an eternal glory—which , if made By human hands , is not of human thought ; And Time itself hath haUow'd it , nor laid One ringlet in the dust—nor hath it caught A tinge of years , hut breathes the flame with which 'twas wrought .

      THE COLISEUM . I see before me the Gladiator Be : He leans upon his hand—his manly brow Consents to death , but conquers agony , And his droop'd head sinks gradually low—And through his side the last drops , ebbing slow Trent the red gash , Ml heavy , one by one , Like the first of a thunder-shower ; and now The arena swims around him—he is gone , Ire ceased the inhuman shout which hail'd the wretch who won .

      He heard it , hut he heeded not—his eyes Were with his heart , and that was far away . He reck'd not of the life he lost nor prize , Bat where his rude hut by the Danube lay . Tliere were his young barbarians all at play , There was their Dacian mother—he , their sire , Butcher'd to make a Itomaa holiday !—All this rosh'd with his blood . —Shall he expire And unavenged!—Arise ! ye Goths , and glut your ire ! * # # #

      " While stands the Coliseum , Home shall stand ; When falls the Coliseum , Bo m * shall fall ; And when Home & Bs—the World . " Prom our ? Own land Thus spake the pilgrims o'er this mighty wall In Saxon times , which we are wont to call Ar . cient : and these three mortal things are still On their foundations and unalter ed all ; Home and her Ruin past Eedemptioa ' s skill , The World , the same wide den—of thieves , or what ye will . —^— i ¦ ¦¦ ¦ ¦ ——^———¦——¦———————i—¦ f

      Notice.

      NOTICE .

      Ad00317

      roetical Contributions ior our Christmas Izarlasd mustbeattheOificeof this Paper by , or before , December the 15 th .

      2telm&&

      2 telm &&

      The Purgatory Of Suicides. A Prison -Rht...

      THE PURGATORY OF SUICIDES . A Prison -Rhtme jx Tex Books . By Tnoms Cooper , the . Chartist . London : J . How ^ 182 , ¥ leet-street . "" It is now more than three months since we commenced our review of Air . Cooke ' s remarkable poem . If we Lave lingered long on oar way , our readers must impute it to the difficulty we have felt in tearing ourselves from a pleasing theme . Moreover , we desired to make known , as far as consistently we could do , the beauties of Mr . Cooper ' s epic to our readers , that so the many thousands who cannot afford to give seven shillings and sixpence for the poem , might know , at least , something of its scope and merits . Wemusfc , however , add , that we should not have ventured to have extracted so largely from the poem as we have done , had we not had Mr . Cooper ' s permission to do so .

      The " Purgatory of Suicides" has caused an extraordinary sensation . The author was known to belong to the working classes ; and on the title-page of his poem he avowed himself to be a _ "Chartist . " Cariosity was , therefore , naturally excited as to the sort of poem a Chartist shoemaker could write . Moreover , the public pretty generally knew whatkind 6 i Chartist Thomas Cooper , had been . He had been no mealy-mouthed , " moral , " canting adventurer , bat a sterling , straightforward democrat , who had dared to tell the whole truth and suffer for it . He Lad been the oracle and leader of starving but intelligent and resolute multitudes , who , under Ms teaching and guidance , had made famous , as a stronghold of Chartism , one of England ' s most ancient and celebrated town ? .

      The ehivalric character gained Ly ^ TjicsiAS Cooped ia Leicester , was maintained by him on the two occasions , when arraisned as a " criminal" on charges arising out of tluftroubles of 1843 ; particularly on hi ? second trial . At that trial the struggle between himself , single-handed , and the formidable array of * ' legal talent" onposed to him , Listed ten days ; and the name of " Thomas Cooper , the Chartist , " rang Ihreuch the land ; made subject for public wonder by his "insolent daring , " in combatting the craft and tyranny of the legal bloodhounds emp : oyed to hunt him down . . . Mr . Cooper ' s political acts had made him notorious , but his prison acts have already made him famous . Heretofore Ms popularity was confined to a party , but his "Purgatorv of Suicides" has achieved for him popularity with the public , including all casses and parlies . . „ well

      Oar estimate of this poem must be pretty fccowa to the readers of the Star by this time , and It is not necessarv that we should add many words to what wc have , " from time to time , expressed when eivin" extracts from the several " books " or cantos . Whafm addition wc hare to say we shall best express l > v a few words of comment on the very able review o * f the poem which ' appeared in the Jirttamu * , and which was cop ied into this paper of the IJfk of September . The following are the " points ot the Brit . jumia 's review : — We repeat it emphatically that Thomas Cooper is one of those great ports , stamped by nature ' s own hand-not fashioned by schools , not taught by laboarto stnngrhymM together hut pouring forth from the fulness of his own mind and heart a torrent of burning and impetuous eloguonce . * * * The poem is written in the Spraserian stanza . Grander whichin its

      and more nervous than "Childe Harold , " , reflective passages , it somewhat resembles—evidencing much deeper reading much profounder thought , much areaterpower of the forcible and the tcmblem expression , though with less beauty of poetic imagery—wis Prison Ithyme comes nearer than any other poem in our language t * the grand works of Milton . * Our judgment may bs disputed-the world may disregard this mighty and daring effort of an irregular but fcfir genius , though we do not think it will—jet still "Keshan hold to our opinion , that this" Prison Rhyme is the most wonderful efibrt of intellectual power produced within the last century . # * * It is not to be lightly read ; it is not to be placed in young hands . We might even be disposed to wish it had nevar been written . But here it is , full of power , full of eloquence , full of grand detached passages—beyond all question the most singular poem in the English language . * * * * Let us frankly , with all its faults ,

      acknowledge this "PrisonKhyme" to be one of the most wonderful productions of which the world has preserved

      record . W ifh much of the above we heartily concur , as indeed wc concur with much of the entire ' « view ; but . we cannot go with the Britannia ™ exaitiJ ,, Thomas Cooper above all our English poets subsequent to Miwox-even Bvhox ! " " UwnpeiMOM are odious , " and we will not compare the merits oi the Purgatorv of AcfciVeswith those of ChldeSarohl , we shall content onrselves with expressing our ™»» - from the jufement ' of tlie Britannia . But Ieomas Coo ? ek may" be a great poet , and still mtenoi to Binox- ' Let us add , we know what Btrox , as a poet , is , but we know not what Tnosus Coopeb

      The Purgatory Of Suicides. A Prison -Rht...

      ^ yjet . m b « Tn W-hSa ^ S ^ t ^ jeara bnger . tbAnhe didimarrellottsas . are the works he has left xa , he would have exceeded even those wondrons produclibns ; Thomas Cooper ' s first poem ig certainly greatly superior to more than the nrst poetical work of Btrom ; . what his future poems —one , at least , we are sure of—may prove to be , it would be idle now to speculate . But we must hold Otherwise we shall fall into the error of " compare sons" we promised to avoid .

      The poetical merits ofthe Purgatory of Suicides are great , but , in , our humble opinion , not nearly so great as estimated by the Britannia critic . Its faults , we think , are mostly comprised in the objections advanced by the Athananmn and some of those advanced by the Nation—viz ., an excess of "swelling phraseology , "_ and a very cloud of words , which , if they be English , ninety-nine out of every hundred Englishmen willnevertheless be unable to understand ; such as "inchoate , " " esperance , " "frore , " "pulchritude , " "infract , " " yare / ' " aidant , " " pule , " " perdurably , " " obtest , " " bedared , " " preen , " " conglobated , " " opcrose , " "demiurgic , " and many others " too numerous- to mention . " We confess to having had to read more than one stanza twice or thrice over before we could comprehend the

      authors meaning . These , however , are detects which Mr . Cooper may easily avoid in future . The opening or reflective passages in each book are generally the most purely poetical , and generallv , too , the plainest and simplest in their phraseology . Indeed , it is usually where the poem is weakest in poetical merit that the greatest number of outlandish words are found . We could have liked that there had beenmoreof suchpoetry as the apostrophe totherobin , opening the " fourth book . " "We must add that some of the descriptive passages are very fine , ihough , usually , too elaborate . Some of the declamatory stanzas arc also poetically grand ; we must particularly notice the outburst of Cosdobckt , inthe fifth book . The six stanzas commencing : —

      " The spirit of Prometheus itth hut sleep . " are truly magnificent . We think the construction of the poem would have been superior to what it is , had Mr . Cooper brought his characters together without those ghostly cruisings which occupy by far the greatest portion of the poem , fn each book we find the characters therein summoned to a great gathering of all disembodied suicides , to discuss the great question of mankind ' s destiny . In each book we are led to expect that the next will contain the discussion ( "adjourned" at the close of the " first book" ); but we expect only to be disappointed . At length we come to the last book , when instead of a renewal of the . discussion so

      excitingly commenced m the "first book , " we find the " question" has , by some mysterious means , not explained , been already settled , during the time that Hades was being ransacked to get the disputants together . We must confess too thatthe " tenth book " disappointed us . We do not " say that it exhibits a "lameand impotent conclusion , " on the contrary , the conclusion is just what we could desire , but the language of nearly the entire " book" is tame and pointless compared with the preceding portions of the poem . But , with all its defects , the " Purgatory of Suicides" is a great work , reflecting well-earned fame upon its author , and no little honour upon the class from which Mr . Cooper sprung , and the party whose name he boldly avows and wears . The "Purgatory of Suicides , " at least in one respect , commands our unqualified admiration . As a bold and triumphant defence of free thought , and man ' s natural and imprescriptible rights , it is , beyond

      comparison , the best poem in the English language , save and except one or two of Shelley ' s' immortal productions . Of course , disbelief in the time-honoured frauds and impostures , religious , political , and social , which yet vex this earth of ours , is in the present day widely existent ; but those who dare to avow their disbelief are comparatively few . We do not dispute that those who fire from a " masked battery" against the monstrosities of priestly fraud , political privilege , and social wrong , do good service to the cause of human progress ; we will even admit that very often they may effect greater good than if they showed themselves in their true colours , and openly assaulted the systems they abhor and despise . Still we must confess that our sympathies are with the bold and avowed assailants of wrong , and therefore it is that we admire Mr . Cooper ' s poem , independent of its poetical merits . With an unfaltering hand he rends the veil of humbucr , and exhibits the true character of the frauds which have for so

      many ages made fools and slaves of mankind . He proclaims , "trumpet-tongued , " the rights of the human race , and points out the only sure means by which those rights may be won and established—the enlightenment ofthe minds of the hitherto darkened and deluded masses . With all the poet ' s detestation of priestly fraud , with , all his hatred of kingly and class tyranny , we heartily sympathise ; for us , as well as for himself , he speaks what wc cannot expresi for ourselves , and from our heart's core we thank and honour the poet who has proved himself , in the words of great Thomas Paixe , "Bold enough to he honest , and honest enough to be bold . "

      We had prepared a summary of the opinions of such of our contemporaries as have reviewed this poem , with some comments of our own thereon ; but the many demands upon our space compel us to exclude it . We conclude this notice with the finishing stanzas of the poem . As already described in previous extracts , the denizens of Hades are met to celebrate the triumph of brotherhood , freedom , and happiness ; the following " chaunt" concludes the poem : — "All hail the glorious power of G entleness , Of Pity and . Mercy , Goodness , Love , and Truth ! Knowledge all hail , and Reason fetterless , — Philanthropy , that yearned with god-like ruth

      O ' er suffering—Patriotism , whose eloquent mouth , Bold heart , and sinewed hand dissolved the thrall Of Tyrants!—Genius , Song , and Wisdom sooth , All hail!—Great sources of old Evil ' s fall—Men , spirits , hymn your power , in jocund festival ! "Earth ' s children raise their universal song Of love and joy : mountain , and strand , and sea Are vocal with your praise ! Spirits prolong The ilrain through endless life they anthem ye- — Their endless after life of jubilee : And hymning ye our essences enhance Still more the measure of their ecstasy , — Assured more deeply of their heritance , The more their joyous thought hath joyous utterance !

      " Spirits , still more rejoice ! for pain and woe Are gone , and universal life doth bloom "With joy !"— The dream o ' erwrought me to a throe Of bliss , —and I awoke to find my home A dungeon , —thence to ponder when would come The day that Goodness shall the earth renew And Truth ' s young light disperse old Error ' s gloom , When Love shall Hate , and Sleekness Pride subdue ,-And when the Many cease their slavery to the Few !

      Wise Saws And Modern Instances. By Thoma...

      WISE SAWS AND MODERN INSTANCES . By Thomas Coopeu , the Chartist . London : J . How , 20 » , Piccadilly . These are a series of homely tales told in homely language ; but , though plain in outward garb , they enshrine ^ precious gems of wit and wisdom , philanthropy , and pathos . The scene of most of the stories is laid in " Old Lincolnshire , " the remainder , chiefly in Leicestershire . " Nearl y all the characters sketched are real , —some of them in their very names ; and the few adventures allotted to them are devoid of romance and intricacy , because they seldom exceed fact . " The moral of each tale has generally a political signification , directed against some giant wrong , or popular error , and the work may be regarded as another and valuable contribution , by Mr . Coopeu , to the cause of mental freedom , A political right , and social justice . The work is dedicated'to

      DOCGLAS JECSOLD . My fr iend , heart-homage , in this simple strain I yield thee for thy toU to aid the Eight ! So long hath genius , with a guilty slight , Passed by the thousands who life ' s load sustain Ox scorn and indigence , —to court the vain And foppbh crowd , —or laud , in phrases dight With fulsome flattery , some pampered wight "Who counts himself for polished porcelain , — The poor for vulgar clay ! A nobler path , — Disdaining hireling censure , hireling praise , — Thou , for thyself hast chosen . Still , in faith

      Tiiat thy true toil shall hasten the boon days Of brotherhood renewed , brother , toil on!—All upright hearts give thee blythe benison ! The opening tale is entitled " Kucky Sarson , the Barber ; or , the Disciple of Equality ; " and illustrates the difference between talkingabout equality , and actinHntliespiritthereof . "Tim Swallow Whistle tho taflor Of IIorncastle , who , being suspected of sedition , falls into poverty and trouble , but ultimately rights himself , and sees his enemy fall , illustrates the Lidgittthe

      adage , " Everydog has his day . " " Davy , Carrier" is the story of a man who brouuht his nmepence to nought , by being in too great ^ aJnirry to Hie rich . " The Fisherman and the Fiddler ' is HheGrM story of two originals locating at lorksey . The fisherman is always getting intoi some scrape throu g h not minding the " wise saw " of the blind fiudler "Don't sav sS till you are sure . " Moreover , the fiddledhas one * favourite string he plays upon to JL tune of "Se the land equally " . which he had 1 SrSfroma wondrous wise ^ bsgodmothers j r * i ^ < rim used to argue tnai uou

      „ , Almighty gave the word to everybody and that ^ he rich had stolen the poor ' s share oi the k , ^ the Beggared Gentleman" is ably w » tten ; the untortunate man ' s address to his " Crooked Stick is very Sthetic . " The History of Cockle Tom , " showing the nurture of a young English sailor , . is a capita « torv - we are inclined to think the best in the work , it will be read with delight , especially by the young . " The Last Days of an Old Sailor" would be a pleasing tale but for its painful finish ; the more painful because the author assures us that the hero ot his story is no imaginary character , but a man who lived and died in the town of Gainsborough , as described in this story—another victim of that infernal system which the wretched inmates of poorhouscs have to submit to . " The JMiaister of Mercy " is ft pen and

      Wise Saws And Modern Instances. By Thoma...

      ink-portrait RojjBBT Hall , showing him engaged in the benevolent work of . providing for the poor and unfortunate of Leicester ; In the course of his " philanthroDic labours he encounters tf friend ; who is ah unbeliever in religion ,, but endowed with a'large portion of the . " milkof human kindness . " He contributes largely to a relief fund , which the " Minister of Mercy" is collecting , indeed the sum he ' eontr ibutes is much larger than any sum the Minister can obtain from any ofthe religious and wealthy manufacturers . In the course of a conversation between the sceptic and the Minister , on the hardness of heart towards the

      poor shown by the wealthy , the sceptic remarks , that "if callousness to the sufferings of their workmen continues to increase among the manufacturers , as rapidly as it has increased for the last tea years , Christianity will be openly scoffed at by the poor of the next generation , in the very streets where we are now walking . " This conversation the author supposes to have taken place twenty-eight vears ago . The next story , — "Merrie England—No More ! " exhibits the prediction of the sceptic realised . Asa specimen of Mr . GooPEn ' s-prose writings , and for the stern truths contained therein , we give the whole of this tale : —

      mekub bscland" —no moke ! On an April morning in forty-two—scarcely four years bygone , —a group of five or six destitute-looking men were standing on a well-known space in Leicester , where the frustrum ot a Roman mile-stone ( surmounted , in true Gothic style , with a fantastic cross ) was preserved within an iron palisade , and where the long narrow avenue of Barkby-lane , enters the wide trading street called Belgravegate . The paleness and dejection of the men's faces , ' as well as the ragged condition of their clothing , would have told how fearfully they were struggling with poverty and want , if their words had not been overheard . "Never mind the lad , John , " said the tallest and somewhat the hardest-featured man of the party ; "he can't be worse off than he would have been at home , let him be where he will . What ' s the use of grieving about him ? He was tired of pining at home , no doubt , and has gone to try if he can't mend his luck . You'll hear of him again , soon , from some quarter or other . "

      "But I can't satisfy myself about him , in that way , George , " replied the man to whom this rough exhortation was addressed ; " if the foolish lad be drawn into company that tempts him to steal , I may have to hear him sentenced to transportation , and that would be no joke , George . " '' I see nothing so very serious , even in that , " observed another of the group ; " I would as lief be transported tomorrow as stay here to starre , as I've done for the last six months . " " It would seem serious to me , though , " rejoined John , " to see my own child transported . " " Why , John , to men that scorn to steal , in spite of starvation , " resumed George , "it ' s painful to see any child , or man either , transported : but where ' s the real disgrace of it ! The man that pronounces the sentence is , in nine cases out of ten , a bigger villain than him that ' s called' the criminal . ' Disgrace is only a name—a mere name , you know , John . "

      "I ' m aware there ' s a good deal o' truth in that , " replied John ; " the names of things would be altered a good deal , if the world was set right : but , as wrong as things are now , yet I hope my lad will never steal , and have to be sentenced to transportation . I ' ve often had to hear him cry for bread , since he was born , and had none to give him ; but I would sooner see him perish with hunger than live to hear him transported , for I think it would break my heart;—and God Almighty forbid I ever should have to hear it !" " Goddle Mitey , " said George , pronouncing thesyllablcs in a mocking manner , and setting up a bitter laugh , which was joined by every member of the group , except the mournful man who bad just spoken ; " who told thee there was one ? Thy grandmother and the parsons ? Don't talk such nonsense any more , John ! it ' s time we all gave-it over : they ' ve managed to grind men to the dust with their priestcraft , and we shall never be righted till we throw it off !"

      " ~ So , no , " chimed in another , immediately ; " they may cant and prate about it : but , if their God existed , he would never permit us to suffer as we do !" " Well , I ' m come seriously to the same conclusion , " said one who had not spoken before , and was the palest and thinnest of the group : " I think all their talk about a Providence that disposes the lot of men differently here , for His Own great mysterious purposes , ' as they phrase it , is mere mysterious humbug , to keep us quiet . "What purpose could a being have , who , they say , is as infinitely good as he is infinitely powerful , in placing me where I must undergo insult and starvation , while He places that man , —the oppressor and grinder , who is riding past now , in his gig , —in plenty and abundance I "

      "Right , Benjamin , "said George ; "they can'tgetquit of their difficulty , quibble as they may : If they bedaub us with such nicknames as'Atheistical Socialists , ' we can defy thereto make the riddle plainer by their own Jonathan Edwards , that they say good Robert Hall read over thirteen times , and pronounced' irrefragable , '" "Just so , " resumed Benjamin , " whether man be called a ' Creature of Circumstance , ' or a ' Creature of Necessity , ' it amounts to the same thing . And , then , none of the Arminian sects can make out a case : they only prove the same thing as the Calvinist and the Socialist , when their blundering argument is sifted to the bottom . "

      " So that , if there be a Providence , " continued George , "it has appointed , or permitted—which they like , for it comes to the same , —that old — should fling the three dosen hose in your face last November , and that you should be out of work , and pine ever since ; it appointed that I should get a few potatoes or a herring , by begging , or go without food altogether , some days since Christmas ; and that each of us here , though we are willing to work , should have to starve ; while it appointed thatthe mayor should live in a fine house , and swell his riches , by charging whole frame-rents , month after month , totecores of poor starving stockingers that had from him but half week's work . " " And , with all their talk about piety , " rejoined Benjamin , " 1 think there is no piety at all in believing in the existence of such a Providence : and since , it pppears , it can't be proved that Providence is of any ether character , if there be One at all , I think it less impious to believe in None . "

      John stood by whi ' etliis conversation was going- on ; but he heard little of it , —for his heart was too heavy with concern for his child , —and , in a little time , he took his way , silently and slowly , towards other groups of unemployed and equally destitute men , who were standing on the wider space of ground , at the junction of several streets , —a locality known by the name of " the Coal-hill , " and " the Ilaymarket , " from the nature of the merchandise sold there , at different periods , inthe open air . " Have you found tho lad y » t ? " said one of John ' s acquaintances , when he reached the outermost group . "No , William , " replied the downcast father ; " and I begin to have some very troublesome fears about hitn , I'll assure you . " "But why should you , John V expostulated the other ; " he's only gone to try if he can't mend himself— Look you , John ' , " he said , pointing excitedly at what lie suddenly saw ; "there he goes , with the recruiting Serjeant !"

      The father ran towards the soldier and Ins child ; and every group on the Coal-hill was speedily in motion when they saw and heard the father endeavouring to drag oft the lad from the soldier , who seized the arm of his prize , and endeavoured to detain him . An increasing crowd soon hemmed in the party , —a great tumult arose , —and three policemen were speedily on the spot .

      "Stick To Your Resolution, My Boy!" Crie...

      "Stick to your resolution , my boy ! " cried the soldier , grasping the lad ' s arm with all his might ; " you'll never want bread nor clothes in the army . " "But he'll be a sold slave , and . must be shot f . t , like a dog ! " cried the father , striving to rescue his child , —a pale , tall stripling , who seemed to be but sixteen or seventeen years of age . " Man-butcher!—Blood-hound ! " shouted several voices in the crowd : whereat the policemen raised their staves , and called aloud to the crowd to "stand bat *!" "I demand , in the Queen's name , that you make this fellow loose his hold of my recruit ! " said the soldier , in a loud , angry tone , to the policemen ; two of whom seemed to he about obeying him , when , a dark , stern . browed man among the crowd , of much more strong and sinewy appearance th : m the majority of , the working multitude who composed it stepped forward , and snid , —

      " Let any policeman touch him that dare ! If they do they shall repentit ! There ' s no law to prevent a father from taking hold of his own child ' s arm to hinder him from playing the fool !" The men in blue slunk back at these words ; and the soldier himself seemed intimidated at perceiving the father ' s cause taken up by an individual of such detctmination , " Tom . " said the determined man to the lad , * ' have you taken the soldier ' s money V "Not yet , " answered the lad , after a few moments ' hesitation .

      " Then he shall have my life before he has tlice ? " said the father , whose heart leaped at the answer , and infused so much strength into his arm , that with another pull he brought off his lad , entirely , from the soldier ' s hold . The crowd now burst into a shout of triumph : and when the soldier would have followed , to recapture his victim , the stem-browed man confronted him with a look of silent defiance ; and the red-coat , after uttering a volley of oaths , walked off amidst the derision ofthe multitude . "Don't you think you were a fool , Tom , to be jusgled with that cut-throat ? " said the stern-browed man to the lad , while the crowd gathered around him and his father . " I wasn't so soon juggled , " replied the Jad ; " he ' s been at me this three mouths ; but 1 never yielded till this morning , wheal felt almost pined to death , . midlife made me have some breakfast with him , —but he'll not get hold of me again !"

      " That ' s right , my lad ! " said one of the crowd ; " the bloody rascals have not had two Leicester recruits these two years ; and I hope they'll never hr . ve another . " " No , no , our eyes are getting opened , " said another working-man ; "they may be able to kill us off by starvation , at home ; but I hope young and old will have too much sense , in future , to , , Yive or sell their bodies to he shot at , for tyrants . " " "Ay , ay , we should soor , sct tne lordlings fast , if all working-men refused to ? ofor S ( , i 0 ier ? j » said another . " So we should , Smit ' ,, ,. said a sedate . iooking elderly jnan ; » that ' s more ser iSiDie than taUdng of fighting when

      "Stick To Your Resolution, My Boy!" Crie...

      we ' ve no Wrapbw ^ use em . " , , _ . .,. . j ^ " ^ ' . we * allwait ^ long ^^ for the ^ Charier ! If wewait till wegotit by . leaving ' em no soldiers to keep us down aaid a young , bbld-lo ' oking man , with a fiery look ; for they'll always find plenty of Johnny Raws ready to list in the fanning districts . " V " „ J 8 l , a 11 wait a lon & While still if wo try to get it by fighting , under our present " circumstances , " answered the elderly man , in a firm tone : " that could only make things worse , as all such fool ' s tricks have ended , before . " ' "You ' re right , Randal , you ' re right ! " cried several voices in the crowd ; and the advocate of the bugbear " physical force" aaid not another word on the subject . "No , no , lads ! " continued the "moral force" man , "let us go on , telling ' em our minds , without whispering , —and let us throw off their cursed priestcraft , —and the system will come to an end , —and beforelong . But fight , ing tricks will be sure to fail ; because they ' re the strong , est , —and they know it . "

      les , it must end , —and very soon , " observed another working man ; " the shopkeepers won ' t be long before they join us ; for they begin to squeak , most woefully . " "The shopkeepers , lad !" said the dark-looking man , who had confron ted the soldier ; " never let us look for their help : there is not a spark of independence in any Of em : they have had it in their power , by thdr votes , to have ended misrule , before now , if they hud had the will . "Poor devils ! they ' re nil fast at their bankers ' , and dare no more vote against their tyrants than they dare attempt to fl y , " said another . "Thereis no dependence on aiiy of the middle class , " said the dark-lookin g man , they i ' are as bad as the aristocrats . You see this last winter has passed over , entirely , without any subscription for the poor , again , —as severs a winter as it has been . " Ay , and work scarcer and scarcer every dny , " said another . "" .

      _ They say there are eight hundred out o ' work now , in Leicester , " said the elderly , sedate man , who had spoken before ; " and I heard a manufacturer say there would be twice as many before the . summer went over : but he added , that the people deserved to be pinched , since they would not join the Corn Law Repealers . " A burst of indignation , and some curses and imprecations , followed . " Boss " he go to chapel ! " asked one . "Yes ; and he ' s a member of the Charles-street meeting . " said the elderly man . " There ' s your religion , again !"— " There's your saintship !"— "There ' s your Christianity !"— "There ' s their Providence and their Goddle Mitey !"—were the varied indignant exclamations among tho starved crowd , as soon as the answer was heard . : •• '

      " I should think they invented tho Bastile Mill , while they were at chapel ! " said one . " Is it smashed again 1 " asked another . " No , but it soon will be , " answered the man who confronted the soldier . These , and similar observations , were uttered . aloud , in the open street , at broad day , by hundreds of starved , oppressed , audinsultcd framework-knitters , who thus gave vent to their dewair . Such conversation were customary sounds in John ' s ears , and , having recovered his son , he took him by the arm , after this brief delay , and , walking slowly back towards the Roman milestone , the two bent their steps down the narrow street called Barkby-lane .

      After threading an alley , they reached a small wretchedly furnished habitation ; and the lad burst into tears , as his mother sprung from her laborious employ at the wash-tub , and threw her arms round his neck , and kissed him . Two Or thl'se neighbours came in , iu another minute , and congratulating the father and mother , on their having found their son , a conversation followed on the hatefulness of becoming " a paid cut-throat for tyrants , " the . substance of which would have been as unploasing to'j the powers that be" as the conversation in the street , had they heard the two . The entry , int i the squalid-looking house , of another neighbour , pule and dejected beyond description , gave a new turn to the homely discourse . " Your son has come back , I see , John , " said the newcomer , in a very faint voice : " I wish my husband would come home . " " Thy husband , Mary ! " said John ; " why , where's he gone ? Bless me , woman , how how ill you look!—What ' s the matter !"

      The woman's infant had begun to cry while she spoke ; and she had bared her breast , aud given it to the child : but ^ -Nature was exhausted ! there was no milk ;—and , while the infant struggled and screamed , the woman fainted . She recovered , under the kindly and sympathetic attention of the neighbours ; and the scanty resources of the group were laid under contribution tor restoring some degree of strength , by means of food , to the woman and her child . One furnished a cup of milk , another a few spoonfuls of oatmeal , another brought a little bread ; and when the child was quitted , and the motherwas able , she

      commenced her sad narrative . She had not , she said , tested food of any kind for a day and two nights : she had pawned or sold every article of clotlnnff , except what she had on , and she was without a bonnet entirely : nor had her husband any other clothes than the rags in which he had gone out , two hours before , with the intent to try the relieving officer , once more , for a loaf , or a triflt of money : to complete their misery , they owed six weeks ' rent for tha room in which lay the bag of shavings that formed their bed ; and , if they could not pay tho next week ' s vent , they must turn out into the street , or go into the Bastile .

      Her recital was scarcely concluded , when the sorrowful husband returned . He had been driven away by the relieving officer , and threatened with the gaol , if he came again , ' unless it was to bring his wife and child with him to enter the Union Bastile . '—and the man sat down , and wept . And then the children of misery mingled their consolations—if reflections drawn from despair could be so called—and endeavoured to fortify the heart of the yielding man , by reminding him that they would not have to starve long , for life , with all its miseries , would soon be over . " I wonder why it ever begun ! " exclaimed tho man who had been y ielding to tears , but now suddenly burst out into bitter language : " I think it ' s a pity but that God had found something better to do than to make such poor miserable wretches as we are !" " Lord ! what queer thoughts thou hast Jim ! " said the woman who had previously fainted , and she burst into a half-convulsive laugh .

      " Indeed , it ' s altogether a mystery to me , " said the man who had so recently found his son ; " we seem to be born for nothing but trouble . And then the queerest tiling is that we are to go to hell , at last , if we don ' t do every thing exactly square . My poor father always taught me to reverence religion ; and I don ' t like to say anything against it , but I'm hard put to it , at times , Jim , I'll assure ye . It sounds strange , that we are to be burnt for ever , after pining and starving here ; foi how can a man keep his temper , and be thankful , as they say wo ought to be , when he would work and can't get it , and , while he starves , sees oppressors ride in their gigs , and build their great warehouses V

      "It ' s mere humbug , John , to keep us down : that's what it is ! " said Jim : " one of these piety-mongers left us a tract last week ; and what should it contain hut that old Inle of Bishop Burnett , about the widow that some-, body who peeped through tho ehinks of the windowshutters saw kneeling by a table with a crust of bread before her , and Crying out in rapture , 'All this and Christ ! ' I'll tell thee what , John , if old Burnet had been brought down from his gold and fat living , and had tried it himself , I could better have believed him . It ' s a tale told like many others to make fools and slaves of us ; that ' s what I think . " Ay , and I told the long-faced fellow so that fetched the tract . Ho looked very sourly at me , and said the poor did not use to trouble themselves about politics in his father ' s time , and everybody was more comfortable then than they are now . ' The more fools Were they , ' said I ; ' If the poor had begun to tWnk of their rights sooinr , instead of listening to religious cant , we should not have been so badly off now : ' aud away he went , and never said another word .

      " Bull don't like to give way to bad thoughts about religion , after all , Jim , " said John ; "it's very mysterious —the present state of things : but we may find it all explained iu the next life . " " Prythee , John , " exclaimed the other , interrupting him , impatiently , ' don't talkso weakly . That's the wny they all wriip it up ; arid if a guess in the dark and a ' maybe' will do for an argument , why any thing will do . Until somebody can prove to me that there is another life after this , I shall think it my duty to think about this only . Now just look at this , John ! If there be another life after this , why the present is worth nothing : every moment here ought to be spent in caring for eternity ; and every man who really believes in such a life would not care how be passed this , so that lie could but he making a preparation for the next : is n't that true , John V " To be sure it is , Jim ; and what o' that V

      " Why , then , tell mo which of ' em believes in such a life . Do you see any of the canting tribe less eager than Othel'i to get better houses , finer chairs -and tables , larger shops , and more trade ? Is old Sour-Godliness in the north , there , more easily brought to give up a penny in the dozen to save a starving stockingcr than the grinders that don't profess religion ? I tell thee , John , it's . all fudge : they don't believe it themselves , or else they would imitate Christ before they tell us to be like him !" Reader ! the conversation shall not be prolongnd , lest the object of this sketch should be mistaken . These conversations are real : they are no coinages . Go to . Leicester , or any other of tne suffering towns of depressed manufacture , where men compete with each other in machinery till human hands are of little use , and rival each other in wicked zenl to reduce man to the merest minimum of

      of subsistence . If the missionary people—and this is not said with a view to question the true greatness and utility of their offoris—if they would be consistent , let them send their heralds into tho manufacturing districts , and first conver ; the " infidels" there , ere they send their expensive messengers to India . But let it be understood that the heralds must be furnished with brains , as well as tongues ; for whoever enters Leicester , or any other of the populous starving hives of England , must expect to find-the deepest subjects of theology , and government , and political economy , taken up with a subtlety that would often puzzle a graduate of Oxford or Cambridge . Whoever supposes the starving " manufacturing masses " know no more , and can use no better language , than i the peasantry in the agricultural counties , will'find j h mself cgregiously mistaken . 'Tis ten to one but he will learn more of a profound subject in one hour ' s con-

      "Stick To Your Resolution, My Boy!" Crie...

      versation of starving stockingers than lie would 'do'inten lectures o £ a university . professor . Lot the missionary people try these quarters , - then ; but 1 st their heralds "know their business ^ . ere they go , or they will make as slow progress as EgedeTand the Moravians among & ie Greenlanders . One hiWroay ) be given . L <; t them begin with the manufacturer * £ in ' d , if they succeed in making real converts to Christianity in that quarter , their success will be tolerably certain among the working-men , and tolerably easy in its achievement . There is no " tale" to finish about John or his lad , or Jem and his wife . They went on ' starving , —begging , — receiving threats of imprisonment ,- | -tried the "Bastile " for a few weeks , —came out and had . a little work , — Starved again ; and they are still going the same miserable round , like thousands in " merrie England . " What are yeur thoughts reader ?

      Ay ! ' Whatareyourthoughts . reader ? " Thoughts crowd upon us that we have no room in these columns to give expression to . We , too , have heard such conversations as the above , many a time . Mr . Cooper has neither coloured nor added to the sentiments , which any man with his ears open may hear expressed by the tongues of thousands in the manufacturing districts . Painful as are Mr . Coor > : n ' s descriptions ofthe misery , of the working people , ' the truth of which ; descriptions we can vouch for , his " * Merrie England '—No More ! " affords at least one cheering picture , —theuisenthralmentof themind 3 0 f the oppressed classesfrom that mental slavery which priests have imposed upon the millions . The working classes are fast discovering that it is the strong who rule the world , and they see , that if they would be the rulers , they must become the strong , and depend upon themselves only for that justice which no other power , natural or supernatural , will give to or gain for them . Mental darkness is dissipating ; political and social wrong will

      We do not like the second volume so well as the first . We must , however , accord our praise to the "London Venture" and "Si <; ns of the Times . " We have not space to dwell on the merits of these . The two concluding stories , or fragments , were intended , it appears , to form parts of a novel , in some degree autobiographical , the completion of which the author lias relinquished . There are several other tales in the two volumes , besides those above named ; we have merely singled out those with which weliave been best p leased . These volumes have our hearty commendation . Though of a different and inferior order of cosiposition to the " Purgatory of Suicides , " they cannot fail to greatly increase Mr . Cooper ' s popularity .

      George Cruiksiiank's.; Table-B0okdkcembe...

      GEORGE CRUIKSIIANK'S . ; TABLE-B 0 OKDkcembeu . London : Punch Office , 92 , Fleet-Street , The subject of the principal illustrations this month is "The Railroad Dragon . " A "terrible creature in every sense of the word—a frightful creature , an encounter with which would be a new edition of a monster meeting—a dragon more terrible than the dragon of Wantley , more fierce than the dragon of St . George ; ay , litrcer than any of his Christmas brethren , the tribe of 'snap-dragonsthis monster , hatched in Caoel-court , ' as they hatch

      chickens in Egypt , by artificial means ; in' hne , the dragon of the panic has gone triumphantly forthabroad himself , when installed in the homes of everybody else—staring with his evil eye , promising schemes out of all countenance , and blowing , by his pestiferous breath , the new lines of projectors into anything but pleasant places . " Thus , saith the clever writer of the accompanying article ( Mr . Axous . B . Reach ) , and truly the illustration amply justifies this alarming description . This "Dragon" must be seen to be comprehended , bnt once seen his portrait will not soon be forgotten . How terrilvo i » the " Dragon ' s" announcement for his unfortunate

      victims : — " I come to dine , I come to sup—I ccnic , I come , to eat you up . " And this , too , at Christmas time ! Well may there be a Panic ! " Steam has done it all , " says the writer in the " Table . Book , "— " may do us all . The Panic is the executioner which hangs us * on our own lines ; ' which overthrows the pillars of their fame—the columns of their advertisements—and which , although it may come with a knock , may not leave us worth a rap . P > e warned , then , of the Panic Monster . Distrust the screeching music of its steam-whistle , which may suddenly change its tune from the merry ditty of ' gold in both pockets , ' to the doleful dirge of " That ' s the way tho money goes . '" The next article , " Railway Deposits , " introduces us to a parody on tho " Beggar ' s Petition , "

      " Pity the sorrows of a poor old Stag !" " A Legend of the Rhine" is brought to a happy conclusion ; it is the best quiz on literature of the " romantic school" we have ever read . "My Opinions on Umbrellas , " "Hints for a Domestic Police , " "The Pessimist , " and "Autograph Hunters , " are all good . " Jollipump on Happiness " makes one happy to read it . ^ " The Stage iS'egro " is another of the editor ' s capital sketches oi stage characters . Altogether , this number of the " Table-Book" is more than ordinarily excellent , and we part from it with regret . This number closes the volume , and concludes the "Table-Book ; " but Mr . G . CnuiKSiiASK announces that , on the 1 st of January next , lie will commence a new work , to be called , " Our Own Times . " We trust that the " inimitable George ' s" new venture will " command success , " for sure we are that it will well " deserve it . "

      ¦ %3t We Aro Compelled To Postpone Revie...

      ¦ % 3 T We aro compelled to postpone reviews of " Jcrrohl ' s Magazine , " the " Connoisseur , " and gome other publications till next week .

      New Works.—Mr. Dickens's Christmas Book,...

      New Works . —Mr . Dickens ' s Christmas Book , " The Cricket on the Hearth , " will , wc hear , be ready on the 20 th inst . About the same time Mr . Cooper ' s " Christmas Rhyme , " " The Baron s Yule least , " will also be ready : report speaks highly of the merits of this new production of the Chartist poet ' s pen . Messrs . Brawji ; ri- and Evans announce a re-issue of " Boz ' s" celebrated story , " Oliver TwisC ; " it will be published in monthly parts , uniform with "Pickwick , " " Nicholas Nkkkby , " & c , commencing on the 1 st of January . We hear also that Mr . Gilbert A . a'Bkcuett , the talented author of the " Comic Blachtone , " and Editor of " Cruikshank's Table Book , " will begin the new year with a monthly publication of a very superior character . So that , cheerily the old year will go out , and cheerily the new one will conic in .

      Mklancuoly Case Of Suicide.—On 1 Uesday ...

      Mklancuoly Case of Suicide . —On 1 uesday afternoon Mr . Wakley , M . P ., held an inquest in the House of Correction , Coldbath-iicids , Clerkenwell , on J R , aged nineteen , tho son of repcctable parents , and a baker , who had been committed for fourteen days , for having left his work without due notice , and who committed suicide . John Sims , a warden of the prison , stated that deceased was received on last Saturday evening , about half-past seven . He appeared weak , and was unable to walk . Shortly afterwards he became so ill , that Doctors Wakefield and Smales were sent for ; who , having ascertained that he had taken prussic acid , applied the stomach-pump and other remedies without avail , as ho expired at nine o ' clock the same night . S .

      Latham , the warden who searched deceased on his admission , said thathe stood up five minutes while he searched him , and that ho handed him sonic coppftrs from his pockets , in one of which he found a phial which had been emptied , arid which was labelled " Essential Oil of Almonds , " which , together with his almost insensible appearance , aroused a suspicion that he had poisoned himself . He was instantly removed to a bed , where he lay speechless andinsensible . The two house physicians were in immediate attendance . He died at nine o ' clock . W . Mitchell , gaoler of Marylcbone police court , deposed that last Saturday deceased surrendered himself in consequence of a warrant that was against him for having" loft his master ' s employment without notice .

      Mr . linwlinson , the magistrate , did all in his power to induce his master to accept an apology from deceased , but he could not . Mr . llawiinsnn was , therefore , compelled to send deceased to prison for fourteen days . He could not have obtained the poison while he was in the station-house , as no one was allowed to approach him there , except the officers . None but felons or persons charged with capital offences were searched in the station-house . Deceased was very melancholy while there , li—M— , a prisoner committed for the same offence with deceased , said that he was in the same cell with deceased in the station-house . He then complained of having been severely dealt with for so trifling an oft ' ence , and said that he was about beinff married ,

      but that his sentence would do away with his marriage . Mr . Richard Browne , baker , Chappie-street , Newroad , said that the deceased had been in his employ about ten days , and left it the second week without notice . . He summoned him for so doing , aivJashe did not appear he took out a warant against him . By the Coroner : Deceased had twelve shillings a week wages , with board and lodging . 7 tfc cosimenced serving bread at eight o ' clock a . m .. each day , which occupied him until twelve o'clock , two o ' ekek , and sometimes until night , in consequence oi his loitering away his time . At four o ' clock he had to prepare the spongs . After which ho wis at liberty until eleven o ' clock , when he resumed 'work , and was at it all night . Witdcss , when he first commenced

      business purchased a large quantity of " essential oil of almonds , " and the" essence , of lemon , " which he never used , but which he kept safe under lock and key with his currants and other fruits . Mr . Whitby * surgeon , 5 S , Uoper Ehuvy-stveet , Pimlico , deposed that deceased about ten day ' s ago purchased two drachms of the . " essential oil of almonds" for the purpose of hi ? , business , as he told him . He , knew deceased , well , and cautioned him about the dangerous properties of the pnissic acid , which he commonly soUl to bakers , confectioners , and pastrycooks . Th ' j jury returned a verdict of '' Temporary insanity , '' accompanied by the expression of a strong hope tb at magistrates would be warned by the decease ' s melancholy fate , and order all persons in custo ay to be searched previous to their incarceration .

      —¦ ¦ T&Lt;.Mbi ^^..If»I*.^-?Iivwvtw'w^ , Vw^.-T/T^^:-^^^*** ; ^S , ?5f^*.^* ••A'^J '' " ' ~ " """ ~~ " ;.; ;;Y:Ci:T I &It&; ;

      —¦ ¦ t < . MBI ^^ .. if » i * . ^ - ? iIVWVtW'W ^ , vw ^ .-T / t ^^ :- ^^^*** ^ S ? 5 f ^* . ^* a' ^ J '' " ' ~ " "" " ~~ " ; . ; ;; y : Ci : t i & it &; ;

      .Cardinal.—The Highest Roman Catholicidi...

      . Cardinal . —The highest Roman Catholicidicnity next to the Pope . The word is derived from cdv ' do , a hinge , because tho Cardinals will turn either ,. way , and open the door for anything . When tke : < Pope makes a Cardinal , he gives him a red-hat ; and it is supposed that Cardinal Wolsey patronised the Old Mother Red Cap , at Camden Town , when ho and Henry . 'the'Eighth went out on some of their royalering expeditions to Highgate . —Punch . Father Luke and the Rint . — " Women of Ireland ; " says he ; " women descended from those thre e hundthred . virgins whom the bloody Saxon Groinwel * slew at Wexford : women who inhabit a land whose

      vallies arc the greenest , whose rivers arc the clearest , whose mountains aro the highest in the world . What eac / ifices are you prepared to make to that bleeding , that beautiful counthree ? Tho wicked Saxon -has blighted the potatoe-crop , and rejoices in the prospect of the national famine . The agonies of our children feast his heart with hellish joy : do they awaken no sympathies in , yours ? Are you not prepared to do everything to rescue your starving countrymen ? Our Sublime Liberator permits it : enjoins it . * That Great Philanthropist cannot subscribe himself , for he is poor—but he calls upon you , his children , to mako every sacrifice . Father of our connthry , shall not your daughthers obey you ?" . —Ibid . ¦¦¦ . ¦ ..

      Peel ' s Games . —We understand that the Premier is shortly about to publish a new edition of Hoyle , embracing all the new games and tricks which , by a skilful knowledge of how to play his cards , Sir Robert Peel has become master . He " intends devoting an entire chapter to chuffling , which is an art of itself , and one which tho Premier has carried to the utmost perfection . Tliere will be a few pages devoted to hints on cutting , with remarks on the proper time to cut , and a few general observations on the

      treatment of the pack , so as to make a good hand of it . Tricks will occupy a very large space in the Premier ' s work ; but the games will be the chief feature . Cribbagc , as played at the expense of the Whigs , will be elaborately explained ; and a chapter on revokes will explain how it is that tliere is nothing irrevocable in the games of the Premier , 'ihe work will bo emblazoned with a splendid portrait of Sir Robert I ' eel as the Knave of Spades , in which character he appeared the other day . at the commencement of tho works on the Trent Valley Railway . —Ibid .

      Iviso " Jeames . "—We learn from Palermo that the King of the two Sicilies had a tremendous " struggle of politeness" with the Emperor of Russia , to yield " the place of honour" in the Royal carriage . At length , " tho contest ended by the King taking the footman ' s place behind the vehicle . " There have been kings who could not be better placed . —Fundi . Too Much op a Good Tiiixo . —Parliament is to meet early in January . It had better be prorogued till the Christmas pantomines are over . —Punch , A "Pat" Proposal . —A Glasgow merchant , an Irishman , was lately accosted in his counting-house by a countryman , who needed charity . Money having been given to him , he said , " You haven't got such a thing as a pair of ould britches , have you ? " " No my man , " said the merchant , "I don ' t keep my wardrobe in my counting-house . " " Where do you live V * rejoined Pat , " and I'll call in the morning for the ould pair you ' ve got on !"

      ' *" tIeepino the Word op Promise to toe Ear . — An elderly Portuguese lady , having pledged herself to mako -a pilgrimage to a distant shrine , barefoot , her friends persuaded her that the fatigue would prove fatal . She persisted , however , in going to tho shrine and in going barefoot ; but she went in a sedan chair .

      A BECEirT FOB A WIFE . " As much of heauty as preserves all ' cction — As much of cheerfulness as spurns drjecticn—Of modest difiulenue , as claims protection ; A docile mind , subservient to correction , Yet stored with sense , with reason , and reflection :, And every passion held in due subjection ; Just faults enough to Keep her from perfection : Find this , my frivud , and then , make your selection . " A Classic . —The other day a student from the country , who had joined the Glasgow College , was about to leave by one of the trains from that city , and as he walked up and down the station , dressed out in his toga , he perceived the door of a tirst-class carriage open , and he thought'ho would seat himself tliere . One of the railway guards happening to pass ; asked him to what class he belonged ( meaning whether the first , second , or third , ) when he in all simplicity ropliod , " I belang to the Mauthemautics . "

      ADVICE GRATIS . AN ECLOGUE . ( ITrom i ' tiiich . ) Paddy : What ' s to bo done at all , Misther Commissiollel' ? . -, Here ' s a lot of praytees wouldn't plnze the pigs sir , Em-lies and lumpers , cups and common tatters , Crone to the divil . Commissioner .- Dig up jour tubers , store them in a dry place , Plenty of straw pat underneath each layer , Grind them to pu ' -p , or , if you like it better , Toast on a griddle .

      Paddy : Murnther alive , but where ' s the straw to > Come from ? Mill for to grind , or griddle for to toast 'em ? Divil the place I ' ve got to keep myself dry , Much less my praties . Dr . Buekland : Ignorant Jpeasant , don't mind Kane or Playfair—Starch is only gluten , therefore innutritions ; Steam your potatoes , and you'll find the fungus ' Equal to mushrooms . Mr . TiUey : Chloride of lime is bettor , if you ' ve got it-Twopence a pound is all that it will cost you . One pound of chloride , properly employed , saves Two of potatoes .

      All together : But whate ' er you do , Pat , keep ycur * mind quite easy . Science is at work examining the fungus ; Though , ior the present , we confess that wc know Nothing about , it , [ Kxeunl Commissioners , Buekland , and Tilley-Paddy , with his hands in his pockets , locks afu them bewildered . A Gentle Hist . —A spruce young b ? au , gallanting his intended , a few evenings since , was conversing upon the late turn-out , when he remarked , that "he wished he was able to maintain aii the factory girls in Lowell one six months . He would do it to prevent their returning to the mills . " His fair one , who had till now been a silent listener to his patriotic discourse , replied , with a sigh , " Ah , 1 wish you was able to maintain one of them . " —Loiudl Bulletin .

      Railway Appoistmksts . —In the prospectus of every Railway , an announcement is always made of the Engineer , Solicitor , Banker , and Surveyor , who is appointed to the Line ; but not a word is ever said ofthe appointment of a Surgeon . From the latterbeing always excluded , one would imagine there was nothing on a Railway for a Surgeon to do . —Punch . Paopr . it Spirit . —It is said the Pilule Li ghts in Trafalgar Square have been tried several times , but that they cannot be made to burn . The reason of this obstinacy is that they will not lend themselves to illuminate a place which , they maintain , the less that is seen of it the better . —Ibid . One axd the Same Thing . —According to rumour , Fleet Prison is to be a Railway Terminus . We are sure there was no necessity to liave removed , a brick of the old place for that purpose . —Ibid .

      THE O'CONNELL STATUE Punch oilers the following as an inscription for the proposed statue of O'Connoll i—

      TO ONE Whose virtues cannot be told ; Yv'ho has had a hand for all that ever came to it , and % pocliot always open at the call of his frieiuls ; ¦ \ Vho has sympathised with the bejrjfar : Who has never known on any one occasion to forget himself ; Wiio has in the heat of passion , abused men of all parties , lint on calmer reflection , made the " ( OJisndo / t & iiOiirable . " by repudiating all ; Who has shown his love and regard for the English monarchy by trying to relieve it of part of its work ; Who has declared his attachment to the throne , and proved it , by his endeavours to erect ; i throne for himself ; Who lives "in '" the hearts ofthe Irish people , and " out ot" their pockets . TO HIM Who is indeed an Emancipator and a Liberator , making

      at all times " uncommonly ' free , in a word , TO DANIEL O'COXNELL , Who has identified the interests of his countrymen with his own , by endeavouring to make his own whatever belongs to them . Having lived by the contributions of Others , he generously contributed THE BRASS of which this statue is constructed . Domestic Vbumis . —Why is an extravagant housekeeper like a caterpillar ? Because she makes tho butter-fly .

      Juvesiltj Grammf . r . —A little girl having disobeved her mamma , was termed a nice article . ' Ko , please mamma , replied live little girl , " if you look into the grammar you will perceived that 1 am not an article , out a noun ol the feminine gender . Biuc t ( is saw ) . —A complicated account of a simple transaction , which enables Counsel to mvstify hinw sell and everybody else about an ordinarv matter . Drawing abriet is the art of covering as much paper as possible with the smallest quantity of materia ] . Bwxs , PAr-Ai .. —Are letters issued by the Pope , ami are probably called Bulls in England on account oi their being very great mistakes in this country , where they are treatol with the utmost contempt by all classes . Some think that a Bull derives its naraa ; trom its being an attempt to bully the community

  • Citation
    • Northern Star (1837-1852), Dec. 13, 1845, page 3, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns2_13121845/page/3/