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April 18, 1846. THE NORTHERN STAR. . 3 ^
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Lord Dudlet Stuart.—We learn that " The Friends of Poland" have determined to give an en-
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. RAILWAY ACCIDENT.
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Matrimonial Facts and Figures.—In the ye...
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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.
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April 18, 1846. The Northern Star. . 3 ^
April 18 , 1846 . THE NORTHERN STAR . . 3
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PabtHtt «« i « -ia »^ TK ^ of onr quarterly Pineal e master _ spirits of tienofthe worla ofwme ro wiang g ^ been de . poetry , living or ^? hnman progress . On a former voted to the cause o readeis SOTae interesting paroccasion we gave i Qennan p 0 et Ferdinand ficolars ^ fSsWimens «* & P ^ 5 oa ? tnr « FniEUon *™ - , jjjnatc onr readers acquainted SffwTrSoThers of the . eontinentol sons of ^ on th e present occasion we intend to look nearer home , and devote a few paragraphs to the writings of
WILLIAM THOM , IHE POST OF ESVEBEBT . * Portions of William Thoms story have already appeared in this journal , and our readers may remember that some eighteen months ago , on the occasion of the "Burns'Festival" we " spoke out" on behalf of the poet in no stinted terms . We bad not then seen his works , and only knew him . from the detached passages of his history which had appeared in the Westminster Review , and notices in some of the public journals . "We have now before us the second edition of his "Rhymes and Recollections" from which we purpose selecting a few extracts . Wjiiuii Thoji appropriately takes for bis motto the
couDlet" An' syne whan nichts grew cauld an'lamj , Ae while he sicht—ae while he sang . " According to his own account , he is a native of Aberdeen , the son of a widow , and , when a child , was run over by an aristocrat ' s carriage , which mostseriously injuring one of his feet made him a cripple for life . Asa compensation for this misfortune , the " nobleman" nenerottsh gave the mother ten shillings / At ten Tears of age he was placed in a weaving factory in Aberdeen , where he served an apprenticeship of which time he entered
four Tears , at the end of another great weaving establishment , owned by the firm of " Gordon , Barron , and Co .. where lie continued seventeen years . During his apprenticeship he picked up a little reading and writing . Afterwards he set ab 3 ut studying Latin , but was { defeated through want of time , having to support his mother . Subsequently he made a considerable progress in music , and became a proficient on the German flute , which acquirement he found the worth of in the hour of his utmost need .
The poet gives a harrowing description of the abominations of the factory system as it existed in the time of bis youth in the " moral North . " Between three and four hundred male and female workers Were promiscuously distributed over the works , and as a natural consequence , the distinctive character of all sunk away— " man became less manly , woman nnlovelv and rude . " The prostitution of too many of the female workers , and the degradation of too many of the male sex , resulted from this Tioe-and-miseryengendering system . Bat all were not eviL many were proof against these withering influences , and the " spirit of song" sayed many from the "deep damnation" of moral degradation added to physical misery . "We beg our readers to turn to the poefs book / and read from page 7 to 16 all that the poet has so beautifully written on these subjects , which we regret we cannot quote in full . We most , however , make room for the following ;—
"The Wizard of Waverley had roused the world to wonders , and we wondered too . Byron was flinging around ths terrible and the beautiful of a distracted greatness . Moore was doing all he could for love-sick boys and girls , —yet they had never enough ! Hearer and dearer to hearts like ours was the Ettrick Shepherd , then in his full tide of song and story ; bnt nearer and dearer still than he , or any living songster—to us dearer was onr ill-fated fellow-craftsman TaunahiU , who had jost then taten himself from a neglecting world , while yet ( that world waxed mellow in his lay— 'Poor Weaver Chiell" What we owe to thee ! ' Your 'Braes
o'Balquidder , ' and "Ton Burnside , ' and 'Gloomy Winter , * and the 'MimsteelV waning ditty , " and the noble * Gleneiffer . ' Oh ! how they did ring above the rattling of a hundred shuttles ! Letme again proclaim the debt we owe these sang spirits , as they walked in melody from loom to loom , ministering to the low-hearted ; and when the breast was filled with everything but hope and happiness , and aU bnt seared . let only break forth the healthy and vigorous chorus—' a man's a man for a * that , ' the fagged weaver brightens up . HU very shuttle skytes boldly along , and clatters through in faithful time to the tnne of his merrier shopmates . "
The Poet beautifully adds . " These songs were to us instead of sermons . * * * Church bells rang not for us . Poets were indeed our Priests . But for those , the last relic of our moral existence would have surely passed away . " Here is an amusing description of the poet ' s hopes and fears on the occasion of the appearance of the first of his published productions , which had been sent to the Aberdeen Journal : — One special crony , and only oae , was in confidence , and no mean sharer was he in the unutterably carious
feeling that sets in on the first throes of authorship . Early on themorning of the publication the anxious pair stood watchfully in a court that led to the printing-office . The Confidant was in that moderately troublesome state known as fidgets , with now and then a qualm , inasmuch as having talked away two days work , there was not withal to settle up matters in his boarding-house that night . The-Principal , altheugh in the very same plight , felt not the very same way . His pain— -for pain it wasbad no connection with aught on earth , save and except the printing office on which be gazed . Bid bis verses exist in print ?
Woes on me ! Why don't they buy a paper ? Man -after man , lad and elderly woman , passed each other with Journal at nose , heedless of all beside . " Ask that man for a peep . " " Have not I besought it of twenty S " " Then let us try that chappie coming up . " This was meant for a sulky little fellow who refused fiat to open his paper . Patience could do no more ; it ¦ btciei away , quite ; good manners and honesty followed . We were left to ourselves . The obstinate journal twarer was borne into a . house entry ; we shut the door ; and while he kicked and roared , we groped for the Poor Han ' s ( query Poet's ) Corner in the Journal , and were blest—the song was there !
The spring of 1837 found the poet a resident of the -village of Newtyle , between Dundee and Cupar-Angus . Owing principally to the failure of certain great conuueraaTestablisnTnenta in America , in one -week upwards of six thousand looms were silenced in the county of Forfar only . Amongst the two hundred inhabitants of Newtyle who were reduced to a state of starvation was onr poet . Being one of the class of unfortunates , "burdened" with a numerous family , he had been supplied with one web weekly , which brought him in five shillings with which to subsist ( including rent ) six persons ; here is a discription of a morning ' s misery : —
Imagine a cold spring forenoon . It is eleven o ' clock , but our dwelling shows none of the signs of that time of day . The four children are still asleep . There is a bed ¦ cover hung before the window , to keep all within as much like night as possible ; and the mother sits beside the beds of her children , to lull them back to sleep , whenever any shows an inclination to awake . For this there is a -cause , for our weekly five shillings had not come as expected , and the only food in the house consisted of oatmeal saved from the supper of last might Onr fuel is
also exhausted . Jfy wife and I were conversing in sunken whispers about making an attempt to cook thehandfull of meal , when the younger child awoke beyond its mother ' s power to hush it again to sleep , and then fell a wimpering , and finally broke out in a steady scream which of course rendered it impossible longer to keep the rest in a state of unconsciousness . Face after face sprung up , each with one consent exclaiming , " Omither , wither , gii me a piece - '" How wear a wobd is bobbow , to AF ? LT 30 _ TBE VESUSOS OT XI SELF ASJ > WISE , DtiaiSQ THE SEMAISDEZ OF THAT SXEASX FOBESOOH I "
Instead of mending , things grew worse , and "exchanging at a pawnbroker ' s in Dundee a last and most valued relic of better days for ten shillings , " he expended the most of this sura in the purchase of little articles of merchandise , and giving the key of bis habitation to the landlord , he with his wife and children left Xewtyle , wanderers and outcasts . On the third night" Jean was sorely exhausted , bearing an infant constantly at her breast , and often carrying the youngest boy also , who had fairly broken down in the course of the day . " In this plight poor Thom made application for shelter at a way-side farmhouse , but unfortunately the worthy farmer , who had the character of being a humane man , was from home , and the housekeeper having admitted several poor people , would admit no more . Prayers and entreaties were in rain , the answer was " No , so , no : "—
I returned to my family . They had crept closer together , and , except the mother , were fast asleep . " 0 Willie , Willie , what keepit ye ? " inquired that trembling woman ; "I'm donbtfu'o'Jeanie , " she added ; "isna she weasome like * Let's in frae the cauld . " " We ' re nae way to gang , lass , " said I , " whate ' er come V us . Ton folk winna hae us . " Few more words passed . I drew her mantle over the wet and chilled sleepers , and sat down beside them . My bead throbbed with pain , and for a time became the tenement of thoughts I would not now reveal . They partook less of sorrow than of indignation ; and it seemed
to me that this same world was a thing very ranch to be hated - , and on the whole , the sooner that one like me couM get out of it the better for its sake and my own . I felt myself , as it were , shut out from mankind—enclosed—prisoned in misery—no outlook—none ! My miserable wife and little ones , who alone cared for mewhat would I not have done for their sakes at that hour ? Here let me speak out—and be heard , too , while I tell it —that the world does not at all times know how unsafely it sits whin despair has loosed honour ' s last bold upon the heart—when transcendant wretchedness lays weeping reason in the dust—when every unsympathising oulooktr is deemed an enemy—who then can limit tie
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consequences For my own part , I confess that , ever since that dreadful night , I can never bear of any extraordinary criminal , without the wish to pierce through the mere judicial view of his career , under which , I am persuaded , there would often be found to exist an unseen impulse—a chain with one end fixed in nature ' s holiest ground , that drew him on to his destiny . The gloaming light was scarcely sufficient to allow me to write a little note , which I carried to a stately man sion hard by . It was to entreat what we had been denied at B . This application was also fruitless . The servant had been ordered to take in no such notes , andhe could not break through the rule . On rejoining my little group my heart lightened at the sight of a setting-man , who at that moment came near , and who ,
observing our wretchedness , could not pass without endeavouring to succour us . The kind words of this worthy peasant sunk deep into our hearts . I do not know his name ; but never can 1 forget him . Assisted by him , we arrived , about eleven o'clock , at the farmbouse of John Cooper , Westtowu of Kinnaird , where we were immediately admitted . The accommodation , we were told , was poor—but what an alternative from the storm-beaten way side . The servants werenot in bed ; and we were permitted a short time to warm ourselves at the bothy fire . During this interval the infant seemed to revive ; it fastened heartily to the breast and soon fell asleep . We were next led to an out-house . A man stood by with a lantern , while with straw and blankets we made a pretty fair bed . In less than half an hour the whole slept sweetlIn their dark and almost roofless dormitory .
y I think it might have been between three and four o ' clock when Jean waked me ! 0 that scream!—I think I can hear it now . The other children , startled from sleep , joined , in frightful wail over their dead sister . Our poor Jeaniejhad , unobserved by as , sank during the night under the effects of the exposure of the preceding evening , faUowing as that did a long eourse of hardship , too great to be borne by a young frame . Such a visitation could only be well borne by one hardened to misery and wearied of existence . I sat awhile and looked on them : comfort I had none to give—none to take . I spake not—what could be said' —words ? O . no ! The worst is over when words can serve as . And yet it is not just when the wound is given that pain is felt , How comes it , I wonder , that minor evils will affect even to agony , while paramount sorrow overdees itself , and stands in stultified
calmness ! Strange to say , on first becoming aware of the bereavement of that terrible night , I eat for some minutes gazing upwards at the fluttering and v . heeling movements of a party of swallows , our fellow-lodgers , who had been disturbed by onr unearthly out . cry . After a while I proceeded to awaken the peeple of the bouse , who entered at once into onr feelings , and did everything which Christian kindness could dictate as proper to be done on the melancholy occasion . A numerous and respectable party of neighbours assembled that day to assist at the funeral . In an obscure corner of Kinnaird churchyard lies our favourite little Jeauie .
Early the next day the wanderers resumed their heartless pilgrimage , "not knowing where that night their couch might be , or where to-morrow their grave . " They met with considerable sympathy from people of their own class , and truly the poet says" But for the poor , thepoorer . wouldperish . " At length they found themselves at Methren , in Perthshire , with five pence half-penny , their sum total of cash in hand . The humblest lodging could not be bad under sixpence , and now , despite of all qualms , he was driven to bis last resource—bis Ante . Taking bis harmonious companion , and accompanied by poor Jeax , he started on his desperate enterprise , stimulating himself with the recollection that Homer had sung his epics for a morsel of bread , and that Goldshiih bad piped his way over half the
continent;" Musing over these and many other considerations , we found ourselves in a beautiful green lane , fairly out ofthe town , and opposite a genteel-looking bouse , at the windows of which sat several well-dressed people . I think that it might be our bewildered and hesitating movements that attracted their notice—perhaps not favourably . * A quarter of an hour longer , ' said I , ' and it will be darker ; let ns walk out a hit . The sun had been down a good while , and the gloaming was lovely . In spite of everything I felt a momentary reprieve . / dipped my dry flute in a littli burn , and began to play . It rung sweetly amongst the trees . I moved on and on , still playing and still fating the town . Th » 'Flowers of the Forest * brought me befere the house lately mentioned . Jty music raised one window after another , and in less than ten minutai put me in possession of three shillings and nine-pence of good British money . I sent the mother home with this treasure , and directed her to send our eldest girl to me . It was by this time nearly dark .
Everybody says , ' jThings just need a beginning , ' I made a beginning , and a very good one too . I had a fair tntn for strathspeys , and there appeared to be a fair run upon them . By this time I was nearly in the middle of the town . When I finally made my bow and retired to my lodgings , it was with four shillings and some pence in addition to what was sent before . My little girl got a beautiful shawl , and several articles of wearing apparel . Shall I not bless the good folk of Methven ! Let me ever chance to meet a Methven weaver in distress , and I will share my last bannock with him . These men—for I know ; them as they know me , by instinct—these men not only helped me themselves , but testified their gratitude to every one that did so . There was enough to enouragt further perseverance ; but I felt , after all , that I had begun too late in life ever to acquire that ' ease and grace' indispensable to him who would successfully ' carry the gaberluniie on . ' I must forego it , at least in a downright street capacity . " We here give the poet ' s
lines—TO MY FLUTE . It ' s nae to harp , to lyre , nor lute , Iettlenow to sing ; To thee alane , my lo ' esome flute , This bamely strain I bring ! Oh ! let us flee on memory's wing , O ' er twice ten winters' flee , An'try ance mair that ae sweet spring , Whilkyonng love breathed in thee . Companion o * my happy then , Wi * smilin' friens around ; In ilka bnt , in ilka ben , A couthie welcome found—Ere yet thy master proved the wound That ne ' er gaed scaithlessby ; That gi ' es to flutes their safteit sound . To hearts their saddest sigh .
Since then , my bairns hae danced to thee , To thee my Jean has sung ; And monie a nicht , wi' guiltless glee , Onr hearty hallan rung . But noo , ur * hardships worn and itung , 111 roam the world about ; For her and for onr friendless young , Come forth , my faithful flute ! Your artless notes may win the ear That wadna hear me speak ; And for your sake that pity spare , My full heart couldna seek . And when the winter ' s cranreuch bleak
Drives houseless bodies in We'll ablins get the ingle-cheek , A'for your lichtsome din . In January , 1840 , William Thom removed his family from Aberdeen to Inverury , and here was struck with the heaviest of all his heavy calamities : — Nine months after our settlement here , she died—Jean —the mother of my family—partner of my wanderingsthe unmurmuring ( barer in all my difficulties , left asleft us , too , just as the last cold cloud was passing , ere the outbreak of a brighter day . That cloud passed , but the warmth that followed lost half its value to me , she being no partaker therein .
The poet has recorded his sorrows at this trying time in the following natural sweet and simple lines , which most touch the hearts of all who read them : —
DBEAMING 3 OF THE BEREAVED . The morning breaks bonnie o'er mountain an' stream , An'troubles the hallowed breath o' my dream 1 Thegowd light of morning is aweetto the e ' e , Bnt ghost-gathering midnight , thoa'rt dearer to me . The dull common world then sinks from my sight , An' fairer creations arise to the night ; Whan drowsy oppressionhas sleep-sealed my e ' e , Then bright are the visions awaken'd to me I Oh ! come , spirit mother , discourse of tfaehoun , My jeuug bosom beat all its beating to yours . When heart-woven wishes in soft counsel fell , On ears—how unheedfulprov'd sorrow might tell ! That deathless affection—nae trial could break , When a' else forsook me ye wouldna forsake , Then come , oh ! my mother , come often to me , An' soon an'for ever I'll come unto thee !
An' thou shrouded loveliness ! soul-winning Jean , How cold was thy band on my bosom yestreen ! 'Twas kind—for the lowe that your e ' e kindled there , Will burn aye , an' burn , f 11 that breast beat nae mair . Our bairnies sleep round me , ob ! bless ye their sleep , Yonr ain dark-e'ed Willie will wauken an' weep ; But blytfae in his weepin' he'll tell me how you , His heaten-htmed mammie , was " dautiu' his brow . " Tho' dark be our dwallin '— our happin' tho' bars , An' night closes round ns in cauldness an' eare ; Affection will warm us—an' bright are the beams That halo our hame in yonr dear land of dreams . Then weel may 1 welcome the night ' s deathy reign , Wi' souls of the dearest I mingle me then . The gowd light of morning is lightlesss to me , But , ob , for the night wi * its ghost revelrie !
In January 1841 , being without employment at the weaving , he composed several small poems , to wile away the tedious hours . One of these , entitled " The Blind Boy ' s franits , Ko . 1 " , he sent to the / loerdeen Herald , and three weeks after it appeared anonymously in that paper , introduced by a notice of sympathy from the editor . This poem was immediately copied into most of the Scottish journals . Poor Thoh ' s fortunes were once more desperate , and having no heart to betake himself again to the *• Gaberlutizie , " Le had decided to immediately quit Inverury and take shelter in the House of Refuge , Aberdeen . The family ' s wearables were packed , they were looking on their last meal in silent despair , when , unexpected , unhoped for , the hand of benevolence was stretched forth to their aid . Amongst other papers the Aberdeen Journal had copied from the Herald the " blind Boy ' s Pranks , " and in that journal the poem was noticed by Mr .
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Gordon , of Knockespoch , ; who immediately expressed his admiration in the shape of a five-pound note , which he transmitted to the poet through the editor of that Journal . In the following April , the " season" for "customary weaving , having set in , William Thom was about to resume his labours at the loom , lrhen a second communication from his friend , Mr . Gordoi , induced him to alter his arrangements . Early in May he came to London and remained under the roof of Mr . and Mrs . Gordon four months . Here be saw all the " lions" of the great metropolis , and was himself "the observed of all observers . " A few words will suffice to tell his subsequent career , but we will first turn to his poems .
"The Blind Soy ' s Pranks" referred to above is » beautiful poem , too lengthy ^ however , for extract and we will not do the poet the injustice of quoting only aportion of it . " Autumn Winds" ia a sweet piece . We select the following piece because based on the " romance of reality" : —
OH MART ! WHEN YOU THINK OF ME . [ For a period of seventeen years , I was employed in a great weaving factory in Aberdeen . It contained upwards of three hundred looms , worked by as many male and female weavers . * Twas a sad place , indeed , and many a curiosity sort of man and woman entered that blue gate . Amongst the rest , that little , sly fellow Cupid would steal past " Willio , the porter , " ( who never dreamt of such a being )—steal In amongst us and make a very harvest of it . Upon the remembrance of one of his rather graver doings , the song of " Mary" is composed . One of our sbopmates , a virtuous young woman ,
fairly , though unconsciously , carried away the whole bulk anff value of a poor weaver's heart . He became restless and miserable , bnt never could muster spirit to speak hi * flame . " Se never told his love "—yes , he told it to me . At his request , I told it to Mary , and she laughed . Five weeks passed away , and I saw him to the churchyard . For many days ere he died , Mary watched , by . his bedside , a sorrowful woman , indeed . Never did widow ' s tears fall more burnlngly . It is twenty yean since then . She is now a wife and a mother ; but the remembrance of that , their last meeting , still haunts her sensitive nature , as if she had done a deed of blood . ]
Oh Mary ! when you think of me , Let pity hae its share , love ; Tho' others mock my misery . Do you in mercy spare , love . My heart , ob Mary ! own'd but thee , And sought for thine so ferrently ; The saddest tear e ' er wet my e ' e , Ye ken wha brocht it there , lore . Ob , loeknawi' that witching look , That wiled my peace awa' , love ! An * dinna let me hear you sigh . It teats my heart in two , love ! Resume the frown ye wont to wear , Nor shed the unavailing tear , The hour of doom is drawing near , An' welcome be its ca' love !
How could ye hide a thought sae kind . Beneath sae cauld a brow , lore ? The broken heart it winna bind Wi' gowden bandage now , love . No , Mary ! mark yon reckless shower ! It hung aloof in scorching hour , An helps nae now the feckless flower That ' sinks beneath its flow , love . " They speak o' wyles in woman s smiles , " is a charming piece , so is " One of the Heart ' s Struggles , " and likewise , " Ye dinna ken yon bower" but we must
forbear to quote . Some most affecting lines on a child ofseren years found sleeping by the side of its dead mother , who had perished of want in a wretched hovel in Overgate , Dundee , are given at pp . 110 , 113 . These lines we are compelled to pass over , because ' wo ' cannot find room for both them and the excellent letter ( addressed to one of the Scottish Journals ) accompanying them ; perhaps we may quote them on another occasion . The lament of a rejected lover for " The Lass of Kintore , " is a fine strain , as witness the burden : —
But the lass o' Kintore , oh ! the lass o' Kintere ! Ba warned awa' frae the lass o' Kintore ; There ' s a love-luring look that I ne'er kent afore , Steal ' s cannily home to the heart at Kintore . The lines to his beloved son " Willie , " when the latter was in the Aberdeen Infirmary , are affectingly beautiful , so are those oa " The Mtherless Bairn , " " Whisper low" is a charming piece . " Knoeketpock ' s Lady" is a piece that will take its place permanently amongst the > ballad poetry of Scotland , it is too long for quotation , and indeed it would not be just to the author to extract all his best productions . There is one piece , however , wo must not omit , never did the eloquence of the heart find expression in language more beautiful than the following , —the prose and poetry rivalling each other : —
XXTBICI FROM A LETIEtt TO jr . BOBEKTSOX , ISO ,. London , June 1813 . Instantly on receipt of youra , expressing a wish to see some of my pieces , I made search and recovered copies of a few which had been printed by friends for private circulation . Enclosed is one piece written about two years ago , my wife lately before having died in childbed . At the time of-her decease , although our dwelling was at Inverury , my place of employment was in a village , nine miles distant , whence I came once a fortnight , to enjoy the ineffable couthinesa that swims around ' ano ' s own fireside , ' and is nowhere else to be found . For many months , in that we knew comfort and happinessour daughter Betsey , about ten years of age , was in country service , two boys , younger still , kept at home
with their mother . The last Sabbath we ever met , Jean spoke calmly and ^ earnestly , of matters connected with our little home and family , bade me remain a day or two with them , as she felt a forebiding that the approaching event would be too much for . her enfeebled constitution . It was so . She died two days thereafter . On returning from the kirk-yard , I shut up our desolate dwelling , and never more owned it as a home . We were but as strangers in the village , so the elder boy , and I put over 'hat night in a common tramp house . A neighbour un . dertook to keep the other little fellow , but he somehow slipped away unobserved , and was found fast asleep at the door of our tcnanttess house . Next morning , having secured a boarding-house for him ( the youngest ) , I took the road to resume labour at the usual place—poor , soft-hearted Willie by my side—a trifle of sad thinking within , and the doure mists of Benachie before me . We
travelled off our road some miles to the glen , where Betsey was " herdin ' . " Poor Bet knew nothing of what had happened at Inverury . Her mother had visited her three weeks before—had promised to return with some wearables , for winter was setting in fast and bitterly . The day and very hour we approached her bleak residence , that was their trysted time . She saw us as we stood on the knowe hesitating—tan towards us— " Oh ! to / later is ' . my mother tfoois nae shehere > Speak father . ' speak Willie . '" Poetry , indeed ! Poetry , I fear , has little to do with moments like these . Oh , no . when the bewildering gush has passed away , and a kind of grey light has settled oh the ruin , ene may number the drop / as they fall , but the cisterns of sorrow echo not when fullhence my idealized address to Willie was written long after the event that gave it existence . With fevUngs mors tranquil , and condition every way better , it camo thus : —
The ae dark spot in this loveless wor-ld , That spot maun ever be , Willie , Whaur she sat an' dauted your bonnie brown hair , An'lithelylooket to me , Willie ; An' oh ! my heart owned a' the power Of your mither ' s gifted e ' e , Willie . There ' s now nae blink at our slackened hearth , Nor kindred breathing there , Willie , But cauld and still our hame of death , Wi' its darkness evermair , Willie ; For she whs lived in our love , is cauld , An'her gravs the stranger ' s lair , Willie .
The sleepless nicht , the dowie dawn , A' stormy though it be , Willie , Ye'U buckle ye in your weet wee plaid , An' wander awa * wi" me , Willie ; Tour lanesome sister little k « ns Sic tidings we hae to gle , Willie . The promised day , the trysted hour , She'll strain her watchfti' e'e , Wiilie , Seeking that mither ' s look of love , She never again maun see , Wiilie ; Kiss ye the tear frae her whitening cheek , An' speak awhile for me , Willie .
Look kindly , kindly when ye meet , But speak nae of the dead , Willie ; An ' when your heart would gar you greet , Aye turn awa your head , Willie ; That waesome look ye look to me Would gar her young heart bleed , Willie . Whane ' er she names a mither ' s name , An' sairly presseth thee , Willie , Oh ! tell her of a happy hame Far , far o ' er earth an' sea , Willie ; An' ane that waits to welcome them , Her harmless bairns , an' me , Willie . 2 &~ [ We are compelled to postpone the conclusion of this article till our next . We make this " break " very reluctantly , but press of matter leaves us no alternative . ]
* Jfltyoiesaiu* Recollections Ofa Handlo...
* Jfltyoiesaiu * Recollections ofa Handloom Weater , by ^ ttui s Tuom , of Inverury . Second edition , with ad . dition s . London : Smith . Elder and Co ., 65 , Ckmihill ,
Lord Dudlet Stuart.—We Learn That " The Friends Of Poland" Have Determined To Give An En-
Lord Dudlet Stuart . —We learn that " The Friends of Poland" have determined to give an en-
Tertainraent To Lord Dudley Stuart , As ...
tertainraent to Lord Dudley Stuart , as a mark ot their appreciation of his lordship ' s unremitting Zealand advocacy of the rights of that dismembered nation , and that tho banquet is tg take place thc second or third week in the ensuing month , at Willis ' s Rooms , St . James ' . Viscount Morpeth , M . P ., has consented to preside . —Daily paper . Sarah of Marlborough . —The duchess survived her illustrious husband not less than twenty-two
years , dying at the age of ei g hty-four , 174-1 . The love she had for thc duke may in no small degree be imag ined from the following anecdote : though in her sixty-second year she still possessed some attractions insomuch that she was sought in marriage by the Duke of Somerset . Her answer is highly ! characteristic , and highly to be admired : — ' * Marriage is very unsuited at my age ; bnt , were I only thirty , I would not permit even the emperor of the world to succeed in that heart which has been all my life devoted to John , Duke of Marlborough ., " ,
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The Connoisseur -April. London: E Macken...
THE CONNOISSEUR -April . London : E Mackenzie , 111 , Fleet-street . We must congratulate the conductors of this periodical on . the success of their venture : in saying ! lZ £° - J hing the P « Wisher ' s accounts the number printed , and the number sold , weassunie the successful progress of the Connoisseur on the ground that we observe it for sale in a greater number ot shop windows than formerly , and , what is still better , we have lately observed , about the time of
pumicauon , not a tew persons apparently hurrying homewards with their purchased copies of the newly published number . This success is well deserved , there is an independence of tone , and exhibition of critical talent , on the part of the conductors of the Connoisseur , truly refreshing when contrasted with the anythingarianisms of other publications . This effort to establish a talented and independent journal of the fine arts must have been attended with considerable sacrifice to the projectors ; we are glad that at length there is a prospect of their exertions being crowned
with success . ? i V * i *! ia , l 0 Pwa House" is , as IIouneTooke said of the London Coffee House , and English law , open toevery Englishman-w / io can pay . The payments bemgsoniethin g above the democratic standard weare not in the habit of frequenting thc " House , " and therefore we are not competent to express an opmwn on the first and fourth articles in this number . We can only say that the writers give reasons "forthe faith that is in them , " which to us appear to be unanswerable . At any rate , the articles are interesting both to the privileged and tho
unprivileged , the frequenters and the non-frequenters of the Italian Opera House .. Amongst numerous readable articles there is one " On the Ventilation of Public Buildings" well worthy of serious attention . The dramatic notices of the last month ' s novelties are lengthier than usual , and very entertaining . This number contains an original ballad , by S . L . Oxlky , and is embellished with a portrait of Rembrandt , from a painting by himself , drawn on stone by H . C . MAoumn . REMBRAyni has the face of a Gipsy Apollo—perhaps Bacchus would be nearer the mark . He looks the very incarnation of iovality and good nature .
. Railway Accident.
. RAILWAY ACCIDENT .
Frightfm, Accident Ox The Eastern Coumie...
Frightfm , Accident ox the Eastern Coumies ' Railway . —An accident occurred on this line , between Edmonton and Ponder ' s-end , to a special train that left London for Chesterford on Tuesday at half-past one p . m . The speed of the train was forty-three miles an hour , as the secretary and the superintendant of the locomotive department were on one of the engines noting it by their watches at the period of the accident . It appears that the directors , in order to meet the convenience of the subscribers to the Newmarket Craven Meeting and the public , determined to run a special train from Slioreditch on Sunday afternoon , at half-past one o ' clock , to Chesterford . undertaking te do the distance direct to
Newmarket within four hours . For this occasion more than usual pains were adopted in selecting firstrate engines , carriages , drivers , guards , & c , with a view of avoiding the least mishap , and to show the Newmarket gentlemen " what could be done on the Eastern Counties Railway . " At the appointed time oh Sunday the train started , conveying Lord and Lady Chesterfield , Lord E . Russell , and the elite of the sporting world , amounting to near 100 . In advance , drawing the train , were two of the finest engines that the company possess , built by Stothart , Slaughter , and Co ., both of the same construction , with the exception of the foremost one having inside cylinders , and the second an outside one . The train was rather heavy . Next to the tender of the second engine were five horse boxes , three second class , and
two trucks at the rear . The officials being anxious to promote the best arrangement and promptitude in the passage of the train , proceeded with it—the locomotive superintendant , Mr . Scott , being on the first engine ; Mr . Roney , the secretary , on the second ; and Mr . Waddington , the deputy-chairman of the company , in a first-class carriage , accompanied by some of the directors of the company . It stopped at Lea-bridge station to take up passengers , up to which period everything worked favourably , with prospects of a pleasant and quick trip . It appears here Mr . Roney joined Mr . Scott on the foremost engine , and in a few seconds the train resumed its iourney . The special express speed must , it seems , at this juncture have been got up , and by the time the' train had passed Edmonton station , it was
travelling at the rate of forty-three miles an hour . This speed was satisfactorily ascertained by Mr . Roney and Mr . Scott comparing their watches and timing the four half mile posts just prior to the accident . These gentlemen , we arc informed , had scarcely noted the time , however , before they were considerably alarmed by a peculiar dragging movement on the engine they were on , and on looking towards the train they saw sufficient to convince them that an accident had occurred . The train was then midway between Edmonton and Pondcr ' s-end station , about nine and a half miles from the metropolis . The second engine they saw had left the rails , and was tearing up the road fearfully , dragging with it the train ; and almost instantaneously the steam of both engines was shut off . For the moment nothing
short of the second engine dragging the tram into a large ditch of water was expected . Such was the momentum , however , of the foremost one , that it still held the metal , and , remarkable as it may appear , dragged on the second one , and eventually forced it on to the rails , uninjured , the fire-men and stokers retaining their position . The fate of the carriage portion of the train , however , was far more unfortunate , and the preservation of the passengers can be scarcely conceived . As before stated , it followed the course of the second engine on the permanent way for about twenty-five yards , when the coupling which held it snapped asunder , and , as the engine retook the rails , tho train shot down the embankment into a ditch filled with water . The crash of the carriages was truly terrific , and the alarming
excitement that ensued amongst the passengers was of the most painful character . To use an expression of one of the officials , never was such a wreck of % train witnessed . The foremost part of the train , comprising the horse-boxes , was partly buried in thc ditch , and almost crushed to pieces by the weight of the carriages pitching upon them . The next carriage—a second class one , containing a number of porters , who were being conveyed down to assist at the Chesterfield-station during the races—was thrown on its side . Such was the concussion , that every portion of it , except the side uppermost and the flooring , was knocked away , and yet , incredible as it may appear , not a soul inside was hurt . The second guard , named George Gordon , was on the roof of the carriageand how he essaped destruction is
sur-, prising , as the next carriage , a first class one , mounted the roof . He was found amongst the fragments bleeding from tho head , and at first it was thought he was mortally injured . We are happy to state , however , that he was so recovered as to come up to town yesterday afternoon . The remaining carriages were more or less damaged , and the chic ! guard , it appears , was saved by being hoisted on to the wires of the electric teiegrapb , and tilted over into the ditch , luckily escaping with a ducking . It is needless to observe , that the first object of the officials travelling with thc train was to release the passengers , who , with the exception of the fright they had sustained , were uninjured . Conveyances
were procured as soon as possible from iiiUmonton , and they were taken on to Ponder ' s-end and Waltham , when another special train was provided for them , which was more fortunate in reaching Chesterford , though some hours after the passengers had bargained for . Tho statement which has appeared in some of the rooming papers , that a groom who had charge of one of the horses in the horse-boxes had been killed , is , we are authorised to state , without foundation . On the fragments of the boxes being inspected , two horses were found dead , and another so seriously injured that in the course of an hour or so afterwards , an end was put to its existence . The loss to the company will amount to between £ 3 , 000 and £ 4 , 000 ,
Victoria Park.—On Monday, This Locality ...
Victoria Park . —On Monday , this locality was thronged all day with -visitors , to see the progress ol works to which the eastern inhabitants of the metropolis have , until lately , been strangers . On Good Friday the number of visitors was estimated at about 25 , 000 , which was on Monday considerably exceeded . Great activity is shown in the progress of the plantations , upwards of 20 , 000 trees and shrubs being now in the ground , and the leading roads and footpaths being completed . A handsome lodge , in the Elizabethan style of architecture , for the residence of Mr . Curtis , the forrester , has been completed at the entrance frem Bishop Bonner ' s Fields , which is across an adjacent iron bridee of very light and elegant
construction ; and the whole of thc pales and railings arc up , the park being now thoroughly enclosed . A plot has been staked out near this entrance , of about tour acres in extent , on which to form a piece of ornamental water . Thc regulations of St . Jamcs ' s-park with regard to thc admission of visitors are observed as tar as possible , thc park-keepers having orders to exc ude all disorderly and drunken persons , itinerant vendors , and docs N otwithstanding thc number congregated the last few days , and the very promiscuous nature of thc assemblage , the utmost order has been preserved by an efficient staff of park-keepers under tho direction of Mr . Mobbs , the chief gate-keeper , and very trifling injury or damage was done . The plan of a scientific arboretum is being adhered to in the
p lantations . Railway PnoriTS . —Some of the holders in the Trent Valley Railway , have pocketed £ 28 , 000 by thc sale of that line to thc London and Birmingham , upon an outlay of £ 2 , 500 only . As a company they have spent les ' s than half a quarter of a million , and they have effected a sale of upwards of a million and a quarter 1
Enteral Foittllwntt*
enteral foittllwntt *
Matrimonial Facts And Figures.—In The Ye...
Matrimonial Facts and Figures . —In the year 1842 the number of marriages registered in England and Wales was 118 , 825—110 , 017 according to the rites ofthe Established Church , and 8 , 778 otherwise . 5 , 387 of the bridegrooms , and 16 , 003 of thc brides were under age ; 15 , 019 of the bridegrooms were widowers , and 10 , 087 of tho brides were widows ; and 38 , 031 of * the bridegrooms , and 50 , 965 of the brides ( or nearly one-half of the total number ) were unable to write their names . The effect of " bad times " on the number of marriages is strikingly apparent in ia ™ ! . er of tlie R egistrar-Gencrai ' s report . In 1 ™ ™ i e numoer of marriages was 123 , 166 ; in 1840 122 , 66 » ; m 1841 , 122 , 496 ; and in 1842 118 , 825 . oihks
iJ ? * Vf , A ^ . —An action was lately brought by an old lady against a dealer in curiosities , fur cheating her in the matter of antiques . Her taste was not limited to the oddities ofthe present day , and in the dealer she found a person perfectly inclined to gratify her with wonders . He had sold her a model ofthe Alexandrian library , a specimen ofthe original type invented by Memnon the Egyptian , and a manuscript of tho first play acted by Thespis . These had not exhausted the stock of the dealer ; he possessed the skin of a giraffe killed in the Roman amphitheatre , the head of King Arthur ' s spear , and the breech of the first cannon fired at the siege of Constantinople . The jury , however , thought that the virtuoso having ordered these curiosities , ought to pay for them , and brought in a verdict for the dealer . The Great Do . —What will the Lords Do ? The Nation . —Punch .
Irish Distress . —Indian SunscmrnoNs . — £ 3 , 000 has been lodged in the Bank oi Ireland to the credit ot the Mansion-house Famine Committee , by the benevolent inhabitants of Calcutta : more may be expected . Donros in the "Holt Cm-. "— Rome is at present the scene of a strange rumour . As very influential persons have a great interest in concealing the ailair , it will be difficult to discover the truth . It appears that on the re-opening of tho Argentina Theatre , there was found , in one ofthe roost remote boxes of the last class , the corpse of a young lady in a domino , already in a state of putrefaction , and bearing marks of several poniard stabs . She must have been assassinated during the last carnival , since which period the theatre has been closed .
Destruction ofanAnciknt Tree . —The beautiful tree in Belraashanner , Forfar , so well known by the name of the Belmashanner Thorn , which has stood for five centuries , and which the earls of Strathmore retained when the property was sold , was levelled to the ground in the late severe gale . Seamen in the Port of Londox . —So active is the demand for seamen , both in the mercantile marine and the navy , that on Friday thc whole number ol inmates at the Destitute Sailors' Asylum , was ten , whilst on no previous night of the week did they average more than six , the majority of whom were invalids or completely destitute . The Last op the Old Shops . —The old fishmonger s shop on the north side of the Strand , adjoining Temple-bar , which retained the ancient penthouse , and reminded one of the time before plate- » lass was when pains-iaking shopkeepers cried aloud to passersby , " What d ' ye lack ? " has been taken down to give room for a modem erection .
The Vicar and the Pokt . —It appears from thc Bristol Journal that some six years ago a monument to ChattertoH was erected in Redclitfe churchyard , Bristol . The Rev . Martin Whish was , it seems , desirous that the stone should bear certain lines of tlio best morality " which the vicar ' s scrap-book could furnish . " Time , however , rolled on , when a little while since , the Rev . Martin Whish , after six years toleration ofthe monument to the " marvellous boy , " the poet suicide , the overwrought lunatic , bethought himself that the monument was a wrong , an eyesore to a Christian place ( if sepulture , and had it removed . This bigotry towards the illustrious dead is worthy the spirit that Bristol exercised toward the living . The city helped to starve the genius ; and now comes the vicar , in the year of light and liberality 1846 , to wreak his sacerdotal spite ( and there is no mischief like it ) on the memory of tho truly great and truly unfortunate .
The Puns . —The following sentiment was latel y offered at the agricultural festival in Worcester , Massachusetts : —Successioallpens—Whilst we boast oi our pig pen , our sheep j ) en , and our cow pen , let us not forgot the }) en of thc scholar . It shall never be said that our cattle are better bred than our children . Moub Gloiiy . —Another horse of Abd-el-Kader has bven shot this week . One would fancy that the principal object of the expedition into Algiers was to supply France with cats-meat . Extraordinary Excavation in the City . —In the course of a few days an excavation , ordered by the commissioners of sewers at Guildhall , will be completed in the city , that was commenced about four months ago , and which extends from Whitefriars-dock
to Fleet-street , opposite Craven-court . The whole length was tunnelled under the houses , which was an operation of considerable difficulty , and it was expected that thc whole would not have been executed without some serious accident , but fortunately none lias occurred . The sewer is constructed at a depth of about twenty-three feet from the surface , During the excavation the workmen discovered a vault , which was found to be about eighty feet long , reaching almost from Fleet-street to the Thames , nine feet wide and seven feet deep ; it was built of the most durable material and the pavement of it was formed of Roman bricks of a beautiful red colour . On Tuesday last two human skulls , with the thigh bones and part of a human chest , were discovered .
Parisian Follt . —The fortifications of Pans are entirely finished . They have cost more than £ 5 , 000 , 000 sterling . Printers' LmttARY . —The proprietors of the Manchester Guardian newspaper , some time ago established on their premises , and have in regular use , a well-selected library , for the compositors , pressmen , clerks , apprentices , and other persons employed in their offices . Swarms of Locusts in Algeria . —The Ackbar states , — "For the last few days immense swarms of young locusts cover the manoeuvring ground , they occupy a line ol * more than 100 metres in lengthfrom the scene ofthe late tournament to the road leading to Koula . The ground they leave behind them as
they advance is completely bare , the red soil appearing . They advance in a regular body , and when they have eaten up the grass it is feared they will make an attack upon the gardens . As Orthodox Doc—An old shepherd in one of those outlying border parishes where there are sometimes more quadrupeds than bipeds in church en a Sabbath-day , was a regular attender , with his old dog , at the ' parish church , down to the disruption . But at that eventful era he quitted the Establish * ment and joined the Free Church . His dog , however , no friend to newfangled highflying notions , could by no means be persuaded to change , but , while his master trudges every Sunday to hear the minister of his , choice , away he trots doggedly to the place and the preacher he has been accustomed to . — Border Watch .
The Gambling Case at Canterburt . —The three persons charged with robbing Joseph Hogg of JE 45 , after having won a large sum of money of him at cards , were tried last week at the Quarter Sessions , and acquitted . The Wisciioomb Case . —It is stated that the board of guardians of the Winchcomb Union have called upon the poor-law commissioners to cause an irunied . ate official inquiry to be made into all the circumstances connected with the case of alleged death from want ofthe necessaries of life . Sun-Marine Shocks —Thc following account is given by Capt . Botte , comma * ler of the Louise , arrived recently at Bordeaux . —"' On the 8 th March , the wind being south south-east , weather hazy , a fresh breezo and a calm sea , we felt a sudden shock which caused the vessel to shake considerably , and
then subsided . The shock lasted about three seconds , and was accompanied by a noise which resembled distant thunder . My first impression was that we had passed over some substance floating between two streams ; but not finding anything to confirm my fears , and finding no water in the pumps I endeavoured to ascertain the cause of the shock , when a second , of lesser power than the first , caused me to attribute it to some sub-marine explosion . Between i he two shocks the vessel had gone about nine miles . " Forest of Dean Bark Sale . —Fall in Prices . — At the annual sale of bark , held at the Speech-house , in the Forest of Dean , on Tuesday , about 940 tons were offered ; and it is a singular fact , that not a single lot was sold . The buyers offered frem £ 4 to £ 4 5 s . per ton , hut the officer conducting the sale bought tho whole in at £ 410 s ., which averages about 15 s . below last year ' s prices .
Lon & evitt . —There is at present residing in this city a female , a native ofthe Forest of Dean , whose maiden name was Mary George , but whose present name is Morgan , 97 years of age , in the full possession of all her faculties , and with nearly the whole of her teeth quite perfect . A fortnight since she , in pursuance of her calling—attending fairs—walked fourteen miles in the morning , attended to her business throughout the day , and next morning walked back again to this city . Her nimble walk outshines many of our damsels . Her mother was up wards of a century old when she died .
A Soldier ' s Doo . —Serjeant 0 Neil , of tho 3 d Light Dragoons , writing home to his friends from Ferozepore on the 8 th of January , communicates the fall of his brother in the battle of Moodkcc , and adds , "he had a little dog that was with him through the whole charge ; and his comrades in C troop came the next day and asked me not to remove it from the troop , and they would respect it in remembrance of him , which 1 , of course , acceded to , and it accompanied them every foot during ithe next two days ' fighting , and is again safe witli them . " The Militia . —A circular from the War-office intimates that the militia regiments will most probably be embodied in the course of the following sprine , for the month's training , and possibly afterwards for permanent service . — Globe . London Cabs . — Tliero arc nearly 3000 licensed cabs in London .
Matrimonial Facts And Figures.—In The Ye...
The Gloiib Sold . —Very rece , nt'y > the Globe newspaper was publicly sold by Mr . G . eorge Robins , if wa mistake not , for £ 19 , 000 . Excise Duties . —The taxes levi ed on articles of consumption produced within this kingdom . Tha word is derived from exido , to cut out , and means that a good slice is taken out of everything a fleeted by tha excise duties . They commenced in the reicn of Charles the First by a tax on beer , and Oliver Cromwell being a brewer , was no doubt excited to rebellion by this attack on his double X . If he had been a milkman , and there had been a duty on . chalk , he would probably have been equally refractor > v—Politic cal Dictionary .
Peace with America . —A meeting was held at thff Athenteum , Exeter , on Wednesday night , in order to adopt a friendly address to our transatlantic brethren , deprecating the apprehended war . Mr . J . Dymond . was called to the chair , and the meeting was addressed by the Rev . J . Bristowe , the Rev . F . Bishop , and Messrs . Davy , Wilkinson , Fox , and Hoi well . The resolutions were passed unanimously . Dreadful Accident . —On Tuesday morning 3 poor man , in the employ of Messrs . Meeson , tho extensive lime-burners at Grays , Essex , met with an accident of an appalling nature while engaged
attending a thrashing machine at Stifford . The unfortunate man alighted from the horse to adjust one of the traces , when his clothes became entangled in the machinery , and his limbs were dreadfully mutilated : both legs were crushed , and his arms broken ; one eye was destroyed , and every part of the body more or less seriously injured . But in the midst of all this torture , which lasted throughout the day , he remained perfectly sensible until tho evening , when death at length terminated his sufferings . He has left a widow and six children to > lament their loss ; and the poor woman , it appears
is now near her confinement . Large Pig . —Mr . Alex . Mscfadzcan , contractor , Prestwick Toll , killed a pig on Fridav , 6 months old , weighing 12 tron stones and 201 bs ., or 21 stones 41 b « , Enulish . Tawkll ' s Confession . —At thc meeting of magistrates at Aylesbury , on Thursday , alter the countybusiness had been disposed of , the consideration ot * the court was directed to the confession of John Tawell , when after a lengthy discussion it was resolved by a majority of three , that Mr . Cox , the chaplain , be requested to lay the document on the table . Various Shocks op Earthquake have been felt in different parts of Styria . Their direc tion was south towards north-east . The barometer marked 2 GJ , and the thermometer about 60 Reaumur .
Five Hundred Distress Warrants to recover poor rates have been issued during the past week in the parish of St . Clement Danes . Public Baths . —Measures are now in active progress for the erection of two out of the four public baths contemplated in Birmingham . Singular Death of a Watchman at Ikonoate-Wharf . —On Tuesday morning James Rus-cll , ni"hfc watchman at thc Irongate-Wharf , m-ar the Tower , was found suffocated between two bales of flax , under very singular circumstance . The deceased , who was about 50 years of age is supposed to have fallen aileep during the night on the flax , which is piled up against the wall , and must have fallen head downwards in an opening between two of the bales , and in attempting to extricate himself was suffocated . His face and neck were much discoloured and swollen , and he had evidently sti-usglcd vinlentlv .
Suicide of a Soldier . —On Saturday an inquest was held before J . llinde , Esq ., at the Artillery Barracks , Brompton , on the bndv of Ja-ncs Grant , private belonging to the 2 nd Riiie Bri . ade , stationed at the Invalid Barracks , St . Mury ' a , Gillingham . The deceased had been absent on si ' ck furlough , and not returning at the expiration of his term , ft was imagincd lie had deserted . Oir Good Friday , Patrick Connor , ofthe 40 th Regiment , was sent to get a can from one of the spare arch-way rooms in the barracks , on opening the door of which he found the deceased there with his throat cut , and a razor lving by his side . Verdict , " Temporary Insanity . " The deceased was about 35 years of age , and had been 17 years in the service . Fatal Accident at Stepnet Fair . —About half past four on Tuesday , a young lad , whose name did not transpire , whilst passing by a swing in Stepney
tair , near the Prince ot Wales ; Coffee-house , was struck by the shaft with such violence , that thefroatal bone was completely broken in . He was instantly conveyed to the London Hospital , but without the slightest hopes of recovery . The Late Thomas Hood . —A meeting of the committee for managing the Hood Fund was held oa Thursday last at the residence of Mr . David Salomons , the Treasurer , for the purpose of auditing the accounts . 10002 . has been invested on behalf of the family in the public funds , and a further sum of 200 ? . will be similarly invested in the course of a fewweeks . It is proposed to place a small monument over the remains of the late Mr . Hood , in lvensal * green Cemetry , for which a sum not exceeding 50 f . will be raised . The members of the committee subscribed ten guineas towards the sum required , which will no doubt be very soon completed by the many friends and admirers of the deceased poet .
Ihe Battle op Cullodbn . —Thursday last was the centenary anniversary of the " . memorable battle of Culloden , which gave the final deathblow to the hopes ofthe exiled house of Stuart . Fire . —On the 10 th inst , the warehouse occupied by-Messrs . Jackson and Co ., in Auburn-street , Manchester , was destroyed by fire . The damage is estimated at £ 6 , 000 . The Port of Preston . —The Gazette of Friday contains ^ notice , appointing the port of Preston , in Lancashire , to be a port for the importation of tobacco . Sneezing Mal-Apropos . —The following laughable incident is related in a New York paper : —In the new melo-drama , recently got up at thc Chatham Theatre , a famous robber ' s taken and beheaded , and his head
is exhibited to the audience by being placed on a table in thc centre of the si age . To accomplish this to thelife , the robber ' s body is fixed to the table , and his neck is fitted to a hole in the centre of the leaf , se that to the audience it looks precisely as though the man's head had been cut off , and stood up in a pool of its own blood upon the table . On the fifth nighfc of the exhibition , a wag got into the third tier of the stage boxes , and b some unexplained manoeuvre , managed to blew a lot of Scotch snuff over the stage just at the time the head was placed on the table . As soon ns the snuff had begun to settle down , the head commenced sneering to the no small amusement of the audience , * and as the sneezing could not be stopped , the curtain fell amidst roars of laughter and confusion .
Attempt to Iull . —Manuel Sainz dela Maza , a bar-keeper at the Brilliant Coffee-house , on the corner : of Marais and Customhouse streets , was arrested on Tuesday afternoon , for having stabbed with a knife one Edward Ennis , with an attempt to kill him . This affray occurred in the coffee-house above named on the evening of the 4 th inst . The man was so badly cut that his blood was traced the next morning from the house to Canal-street , across which he has been taken to the Charity Hospital , and where he has been eversince , in a critical state , but now out of danger . —N . 0 . Delta .
Murder . —We regret to learn that a murder was committed in the neighbourhood of Dukedom , Weekly , county Tennessee , on Monday last . An affray took place between Dr . Wilson and a man named Roberts , in which Roberts was stabbed with a dirk and killed instantly . Wilson did not attempt to escape ; but was under guard awaiting the action of an examiningg court . —Louisville Jowmd . ExTltMHtoiNAKY LosuEViTv —Tin : liiclimond Compiler mentions thc death in Ciimhrtlanil ci-unt } ( Vn ) of Syfax Brown , aged one hundred uml fiftcm ye .-rs four months and five days , lie was for many yea is the slave and personal servant of John Randolph ,
Esq ., ofMattoax , father of the late John Randolph of Ronoake . The Temperance Movement in Birmingham . —On Monday night the annual tea-party ofthe friends of the Temperance cause in this town , was held at the Town-hall ; about 3 , 000 persons were prcs nt , and in the course of the evening the meeting was addressed by Jos . Sturge , Esq ., tho chairman , by Messrs . Cadbury , Melson , the Uev . C . II . Roe , and Dr . Smith . Incendiarism . — Vt the Gloucester Azmes on Saturday , James Ware , aged sixty-eight , was sentenced to be transported for life , for feloniously setting lire to a dwelling-house on the 23 rd of February last , in the parish of Temple , Bristol .
News fob newly-married Couples . —There is an endowment at Westminster , founded in 1781 , by the will of Edward Dickenson , Esq ., who left £ 5 , 000 stock , the interest of which to be divided on the first month after Easter day , between three new married couples from the parish of St . Margaret ' s or St . John's the Evangelist , atWestminster , and of Acton . The distribution takes place with the approbation of the Bishop of London , and petitions are taken into consideration by the trustees on the Wednesdav in Easter week , when they decide on the nine couples to receive the bount y , which consists of £ 15 each . The Dike of Wellington has been entertaining a numerous circle at Stratkficldsaye during the holidays .
The Grand Polish Ball . —Tho annual grand fancy and full dress ball , for the benefit of the Polish refugees in this country , is to take place on the 5 th of June , at the usual locale , Willis's Rooms . We understand that some of our highest noblesse have consented to exercise their patronage and influence in behalf of those political exiles . "Reuf . cca" in Essex . —At a meeting of several ofthe inhabitants of Brentwood and Shenficld , held at the White Hart , on Saturdav , in reference to tho contemplated removal ofthe Shenficld toll-gate , Col . Gooch in tlio chair , it was resolved , that in the opinion of tlio meeting such removal will bo illegal ; and if earned idto effect , payment of the toll shall and will be resisted . Romamce op Reality . —Mr . S . R . Brooking , of
St . John ' s Wood , having died of injuries received oy a fall from his horse , his wife was hiconsolabfr sisted on sleeping in tho same bed her husband , and in the morning kiasitk . onsoiui
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), April 18, 1846, page 3, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns2_18041846/page/3/
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