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April 18, 1846. THE NORTHERN STAR. 3
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Ut tftast uf. tbt prts
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Part H-• * i- fc.ji.rnie tiie second par...
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Lord Dudle y Stuart.—We learn that " Tho Friends of Poland" have determined to give an en-
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tertainment to Lord Dudley Stuart , as a...
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_ «emeto&
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THE CONNOISSEUR-April. London: E. Macken...
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.. RAILWAY ACCIDENT.
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Frightful AccmEST ok tuk Eastern Countie...
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Victoria Park.—On Monday, this locality ...
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(General faittttiwmt
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Matrimonial Facts and Fioukbb.—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
Ut Tftast Uf. Tbt Prts
Ut _tftast uf . tbt prts
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Part _H-• * i- fc . ji . rnie tiie second part of each _ItisourintenUon todeyoW _^ fe _^ exaralna of our quarterly-poetical i master-spirits of _tienofthewortaof _Mine one _« _^ ji __^ poetry , living ° _**™? _™ _w progress . On a former voted to the _au « of M _*^ _^ interesting par . occasion we _^ _je w _g _^^ poet Ystxaeusa _ticubrs _^^^ _ecimens of his poetry ; on future 1 : eieiJO « a _»» , to make our _jgjyjgpj acquainted _** _™ SK * s oYothers of the continental sons of «? on the present occasion we intend to look nearer _fome and devote a few paragraphs to the writings of
-WILLIAM TUOM , THE POET OF IXVEECRY . * Portions of William Thcm ' s story have already appeared in this journal , and our readers may remember that some eighteen months ago , on the occasion ofthe " Burns'Festival" we spoke out" on behalf of tbe poet in no stinted terras _^ We had not then seen his works , and only knew him from the detached passages of his history which had appeared in the Westminster Revicu ; and notices in some of the public jonrnals . "We have now before us the second edition of his " . Rnjmjes and Recollections" from which we purpose selecting a few extracts . AYilliim Thom appropriately takes for his motto the
counlet" An' _cyne 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 ofa widow , and , when a child , was run over by an aristocrat ' s carriage , which most seriously injuring one of his feet made him a cripplo for life . Asa compensation for this misfortune , the " nobleman" generoetsl y gave the mother ten shillings ! At ten years of age lie wa 3 placed in a weaving factory in iberdeen , where he served an apprenticeship of
four years , at the end of which time he entered another great weaving establishment , owned by the firm of ' Gordon , Barnm , and Co ., " where he continued seventeen years . During his apprenticeship he picked up a little reading and writing . Afterwards he set ab-rat 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 iu tbe hour of his utmost need .
The poet gives a harrowing description of the abominations ofthe factory system aa it existed in the time of his 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 unlovely and rude . " The prostitution of too many of the female workers , and the degradation of too many ofthe male sex , resulted from this vioe-and-miseryengendering system . But all were not evil , many were proof against these withering influences , and the " sp irit of song" saved many from the "deep damnation" of moral degradation added to physical misery . We beg onr readers to turn to the poet ' s book , and read from page 7 to IC all tbat the poet has so beautifully written on these subjects , whieh we regret we cannot quote in full . Wemust , however , make room fur the following : —
" The _Wizard of Waveiley had roused the world to wonders , and we wondered too . Byron was flinging around ths terrible and the beautiful of a distracted greatness . Moore waa < _loln » all he could for love-sick boys and girls , —yet they had never enough ! Nearer and dearer to hearts like ours was the Ettrick Shepherd _, then in his full tide of song and story ; but nearer and dearer still than he , or any living songster—to ns dearer was our ill-fated fellow-craftsman Tannahill , who had just then taken himself from a neglecting world , While yer . ( that world waxed mellow in his lay— 'Poor "B eaver Chiel !* ' What we owe to thee ! ' Your ' Braes
_o'Balquidder , ' and 'Yon Burnside , ' and Gloemj Winter , ' and the ' MinistrelV wailing ditty , ' and the noble *• GlenehTer . ' Oh ! how tbey did ring above the rattling ofa hundred shuttles ! Let me again proclaim the debt we owe these sang spirits , as they walked in melody from _lsc-m to loom , ministering to the low-hearted ; aad when the breast was filled with everything bnt hope and happiness , and all but seared , let only break forth the healthy and vigorous chorus—' a man ' s a man for » ' that , ' the fagged weaver brightens np . HU very shuttle styles boldly along-, and clatters through in faithful time to the tune of his merrier shop-nates . "
The Poet beautifully adds , " These songs were to u ? instead of sermons . * * » Church tells 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 tbe poet ' s hopes and fears on tbe occasion ofthe appearance ofthe first of bis published productions , which bad been sent to tbe Aberdeen Journal : — One _special crony , and only ome , -was in confidence , and no mean sharer was he in the unutterably curious
feeling that sets in on the first throes of authorship . Early on the morning ofthe publication the anxious pair stood watchfully in a court that led to the printing-office . Toe Confidant was in that moderately troublesome state knot ™ as _ddgets , 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 , althsugh in the very same plight , felt not ihe very same way . His pain—for pain it washad no connection with aught on earth , save and except tbe _printing office on which he gazed . Did b ; 3 verses exist in print ?
Woes on me ! Why don ' t they buy a paper ? Man after man , lad and elderly woman , passed each othei with Journal at nose , heedless of all beside . " Ask thatmanfor a peep . " " Have not I besought it of twenty V " Then let ns try that chappie coming np . " This was meant for a sulky little fellow who refused fiat to open his paper . Patience could do no more * it bided away , quite ; good manners and honesty followed . We wore left to ourselves . The obstinate journal bearer was borne into a house entry ; we shut the door ; and while he kicked and roared , we groped for the Poor Man's , ( query Poet's ) Corner in the Journal , and were blest—tbe song was there !
The spring of 1837 found the poet a resident of tbe Tillage of . Newtyle , between Dundee and Cupar-Angus . Owing principally to the failure of certain great commerriad _' establishments 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 ta a state of starvation waa onr poet . Being one of tbe class of unfortunates , "burdened" with a numerous family , he bad been supplied with one web weekly , which brought bim in five shillings with which to subsist ( including rent ) six persons ; here is a _description ofa morning ' s misery : —
Imagine a cold spring forenoon . It is eleven o ' _clocki bet our dwelling shows none of the signs of tbat time of day . The four children are still asleep . There is a bed cover hung before the window , to keep all within as much Kka 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 ia a cause , for our weekl y five sin-lings had not come as expactel , and the only food in the house consisted of oatmeal saved from the supper of last might . Our fuel is also exhausted . M y wife and I were conversing in sunken whispers about making anattempt to cook thehandfull of meal , when the younger child awoke beyond its in liber ' s power to hush it again to sleep , and then fell a wimpering , and Anally 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 sprang up , each with one consent exclaiming , " O milher , mither , gw -me a piece ! " How weak a wobd is _soaaow , to A ?? LT TO THE _MBtlSOS Ot XISELT ADD WIFE , _BCB 1 SQ
THE _BEMATKDEK OF TBAT _SkESST TOBESOOS J " Instead of mending , thing 3 grew worse , and " exchanging at a pawnbroker ' s in Dundee a last and most valued relic of better days for ten shillings / be expended the most of this sum 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 Newtyle , wanderers and outcast ? . 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 tbe day . " In this plight poor Thou made application for shelter at a way-side farmhouse _, but unfortunately the worthy farmer , who had tbe 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 Tain , tbe answer was " So , no , no
;"—I returned to my family . They had crept closer together , and , except tiie mother , were fast asleep . " 0 Willie , Willie , what keepit ye J" inquired that trembling woman ; " I ' m doubtf u' o' . Teanie , " she added ; " isna she weasome like f Let's in frae the cauld . " " We ' ve nae way to gang , lass , " said I , " whate ' er come ' us . Yon folk winna hae us . " Yew more words passed . I drew her mantle over the wet and chilled _sleepsrs , and sat down beside them . My Lead throbbed with pain , and for a time became tintenement 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 much to be hated ; and on the whole , the sooner that one like me couW get out of it the better for its sake and my own . _IfeUmvstlf , 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 1 tell it —that the world does not at all times know how unsafely it sits win n despair has loosed honour ' s last hold upon tlie heart—when transcendant wretchedness lays weeping reason in the dust—when every unsympathising _onlook-r is deemed an enemy—who then can limit tie * _fffljnneaond / _iVcolfcctwns of a _Handloom Weaver , by _"Wiiuaji Thom , of _Inverury . Second edition , with additions . London : Smith , Elder and Co ., 6-5 , Cornhii ! ,
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consequences t For my own part , I confess that , ever since that dreadful night , I can never hear 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 _sic-n 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 , andhc could not break through the rule . On rejoining my little group my heart li ghtened at the sight of a inning-man , who at that moment came near , and who , observing onr 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 ; hut never can I forget him . Assisted by him , we arrived , about eleven o ' clock , at the farmhouse 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 were not in bed ; and we were permitted a short rime 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 apretty fair bed . In leas than half an hour the whole slept sweetly in their dork and almost roofless dormitory . I think it might have been between three and four o ' clock when Jean waked me ! 0 tbat scream!—I think I can hear it now . The other children , startled from sleep , joined , in frightful wail over their dead sister . Our poor Jeanie " had . unobserved by us , sunk during the night
under the effects of the exposure of tlie preceding evening , following as that did a long course 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 ! 0 , no ! The worst is over when wor < is can serve us . And yet it is not just when the wonnd is given that pain is felt How comes it , I wonder , that minor evils will affect even to agony , while paramount sorrow overdoes itself , and stands in stultified calmness ! Strange to say , on first becoming aware of tbe bereavement of that terrible night , 1 sat for some minutes gazing upwards at the flutttring and wheeling movements of a party of swallows , our fellow-lodger ? , who had been disturbed by onr _vraeartMj out . cry .
After a while 1 proceeded to awaken tbe people of the house , who entered at once into our 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 Jeanie . Early tbe next day the wanderers resumed their heartless pilgrimage , " not knowing where tbat 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 , the poorer would perish . " 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 had under sixpence , and now , despite of all qualms , he was driven to his last resource—his flute . Taking his harmonious companion , and accompanied by poor Jbas , he started on his desperate * enterprise , stimulating himself with the recollection that lloMKR had sung his epics for a morsel of bread , and that Goldsmith had piped his way over half the continent ;—"Musing orer these and many other considerations , we found ourselves in a beautiful green lane , fairly out ofthe town , and opposite a genteel-looking house , 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 us walk out a bit . The sun had been down a good while , and the gloaming was lovely . Iu spite of everything I felt a momentary reprieve . I dipped my dryfiule in a little burn , and began to play . It rang sweetly amongst the trees . I moved on and on , still playing and still facing the town . Tht ' Flowers of tbe Forest' brought me befere the house lately mentioned . My music raised one windjw after another , and in less than ten minuUt put me in possession of three shillings and nine-pence of good British money . I sent the mother home trith this treasure , and directed her to send our eldest girl to me . It was by this time nearly dark . Everybody says , "finings just need a beginning , ' X made a beginning , and a very good one too . I had a fair tutn for _strathfpeyg , and there appeared to be a fair run
npon them . By this time I was nearly in the middle ol 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 _llethven weaver in distress , and I will share my last bannock with him . These men—for I know them as they kuonrme , by instinct—these men not only helped me themselves , but testified their gratitude to every one that did so . There was enough to enourag ; 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 _gaberiunrie on . ' I must forego it , at least in a downright street capacity . "
"We here give the poet ' s
lines—TO MT FLUTE . It ' s nae to harp , to lyre , nor lute , Iettlenow to sing ; To thee alane , my lo ' esome flute , This hamely 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 , Whilkyounglove breathed in thee . Companion o' my happy then , Wi * smilin'friens around ; In ilka but , in ilka ben , A couthie welcome found—Ere yet thy master proved the wound Thatne ' ergaed scaitblessby ; That gi ' es to nuus 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 , Our hearty hallan rung . But noo , ur' hardships worn and stung , 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 tbe ingle-cheek , A' for your lichtsome din .
In January , ISi Q , William Thom removed his family from Aberdeen to Inverury , and here was struck with the heaviest of all his heavy calamities : — Nine montbsafter our settlement here , she died—Jean —the mother of my family—partner of my wanderingsthe unmurmuring sharer in all my difficulties , laft usleft us , too , _iust as the lait cold eloud was passing , ere the outbreak of a brighter day . Tbat cloud passed , but tbe 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 must touch tbe hearts of aU who read thein : —
DKEAMINGS OF THE BEREAVED . The morning breaks bonnie o ' er mountain an' stream , An' troubles the hallowed breath o' my dream ! The gowd light of morning is sweet to the e * o , ~ But ghost-gathering midnight , _thou ' rt dearer to me , The dull common world then sinks from my sight , An' fairer creations arise to the night ; When drowsy _oppressionhas sleep-sealed my e ' e , Then bright are the visions _airaktn'd to me ! Oh ! come , spirit mother , discourse of thehourf _. My young 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 , Ttien come , oh ! my mother , come often to me , An'soonan'ibr ever I'll coma unto thee !
An'thou shrouded loveliness ! soul-winning Jean , How cold was thy hand on my bosom yestreen ! Twas kind—for the lowe that your e ' e kindled there , Will burn aye , an' burn , t'U tbat breast beat nae mair . Our bairnles sleep round me , oh ! bless ye their sleep , Your ain dark-e ' ed Willie will waaken an' weep ; But Wythe in his _wetpin * he'll tell _Hifihow you . His heaven-hatted mammi # , was" dautin * Ms brow . " Tho' dark be our dwallin _'—our happin * tho' baro , An' night closes round ns in cauldness an' eare ; Affection will warm ua—an * bright are the beams That halo our hame in your dear land of dreams . Then weal may I welcome the uight ' s deatby reign , Wi' souls of the dearest I mingle me then , The gowd light of morning is lightlesss to me , Bat , oh , for the night wi' its ghost revelrie !
In January 1341 , being without employment at the weaving , he composed several small poems , to wile awav the tedious hours . One of these , entitled " The Blind Boy ' s iVanifcs , No . 1 " , he sent to the Aberdeen 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 Thom ' s fortunes were once more desperate , and having no heart to betake himself again to the " Gabeiiunzie _, " he had decided to immediately quit Inverury and take shelter in the Ilouse of Refuge , Aberdeen , The family ' s wearables were packed , they were looking on their last meal in silent despair , when , unexpected , unhoped l ' or the hand of benevolence was _stitched forth , to their aid . Amongst other papers the Aberdeen Journal had copied from tbe Herald the "Blind Boy ' s Pranks , " and in that journal the poem waa 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 tbe 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 , when a second communication from his friend , Mr . Gobdo » , induced him to alter bis arrangements . Early in May he came to London and remained under the roof of Mr . and Mrs . Gordon four months . Here he saw all the " lions" of thc great metropolis , and was himself "the observed of all observers . " A few words will Buffice to tell his subsequent career but we will first turn to his poems .
"The Blind Boy ' 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 H 7 n « Y' is a sweet piece . We select tho following piece because based on the " romance of reality" : —
OH MARTS WHEN YOU THINK OF ME . [ For a period of seventeen years , I was employed in a great weaving factory in Aberdeen , ft 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 . _Amougst tbe rest , that little , _uly fellow Cupid would steal past " Willie , 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 shopmates , a virtuous young woman ,
fairly , though unconsciously , carried away the whole bulk aud ' value of a poor weaver ' s heart . He becamo restless and miserable , but never could muster spirit to speak hia flame . " He 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 bnrningly . It is twenty years since the * . 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 . }
On 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 , oh Mary ! own'd but thee , And sought for thine so ferrently ; The saddtst tear e'er wet my e'e , Ye ken wha brocbt it there , love . Oh , loeknawi ' that witching look , That wiled my peace awa ' , love ! An' dinna let me hear you sigh . It tears my heart iu two , love ! "Resume the _frewn ye wont to wear , Nor shed tbe unavailing tear , The hour of dorm is drawing near , An' welcome be its ca' love !
Hon- could ye hide a thought sue kind _. Beneath sae cauld a brow , love ! The broken heart it winna bind Wi' gonden bandage now , love . No , Mary ! mark yon reckless shower ! It hung aloof in scorching hour , An' helps nae now the feckless flower That . _siuks beneath its flow , love . " They speak o' wyles in woman ' s smiles , " is a charming piece , so is " One ofthe Heart ' s Struggles , " and likewise , " Ye dinna ken yon bower" but we must
forbear to quote . Some most affecting lines on a child of seven years found sleeping by tbe side of its dead mother , who had perished of want in a wretched hovel in Overgate , Dundee , are given at pp . 110 , 113 . The 3 e lines wo are compelled to pass over , because ' we ( 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 Btrain , as witness the burden : —
But the lass o' Kintore , oh ! the lass o * Kintore ! Be 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 tbe Aberdeen Infirmary , are affectingly beautiful , so are those on " The Milherlett Bairn . " " Whisper low" is a charming piece . "Knockespock ' s Lady" is a piece that will take its place _permanently amongst the ballad poetry ol 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 , we must not omit , never did the eloquence of the heart find expression in language more beautiful than tho foilowing , —the prose and poetry mailing each other : —
ZXTSACT 5 S 0 M A 1 ETTEB TO 3 . _XOBZBTSOX , ESQ . London , June 1 S 13 . Instantly on receipt of yours , expressing a wish to see « ome of my pieces , I made search and recovered copies of » few which had been printed by friends for private circulation . Enclosed is one piece written abont 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 , whenco I came once a fortnight , to enjoy ihe meffable couthiness that swims around ' ane ' 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 wc 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 . Wo were but as strangers in the village , so the elder boy , and I put over -hat night in 8 common tramp house . A neighbour undertook to keep the other little fellow , but hetomehow slipped away unobserved , and was found fast asleep at the door of our _tenantless house . Next morning , having secured a boarding-house for him { tlie 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 , whero 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 getting in fast and bitterly . The day and very hour we approached her bleak residence , that was their trysted time . She saw us as we stsodontheknowe hesitating—van towards us— " Ok ! _tehaur it ' tny mother ! foo it nae shelters > Speakfather ! tpeak _lYiUie ! " 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 , one may number the dropr 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 fesliugs more tranquil , and conditiou every way better , it cam * : thus : —
The ae dark spot in this loveless _woi-ld , That spot maun ever be , Willie , Whaur she sat an' dauted your bonnie brown hair , An' lithely looket 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 everraair , Willie ; Por she wba lived in our love , is cauld , An'her grave the stranger ' s lair , Willie .
The sleepless nicht , the dowie dawn , A * stormy though it be , Willie , Ye'U buckle ye in your wcet wee plaid , An * wander awa * wi' me , Willie ; Tour lanesome sister little _kuns Sic tidings we hae to gie , Willie . The promised day , the trysted hour , She'll strain her watchfu' e ' e , Willie , Seeking that mither ' s look of love , She never again maun see , Willie ; 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 tome Would gar her young heart bleed , Willie , Whaue ' er she nameB a mither ' s name , An sairly presseth thee , Willie , Oh I 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 . 53- [ We are compelled to postpone tlie conclusion of this article till our next . Wc raakothis " break " very reluctantly , but presB of matter leaves us no alternative . ]
Lord Dudle Y Stuart.—We Learn That " Tho Friends Of Poland" Have Determined To Give An En-
Lord Dudle y Stuart . —We learn that " Tho Friends of Poland" have determined to give an en-
Tertainment To Lord Dudley Stuart , As A...
tertainment 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 tlie banquet is tg take p lace the second or third week in the ensuing month , at Willis ' s Rooms , St . James ' . Viscount Alerpeth , M . F ., has consented to preside . —Daily paver . Saiuh of Mari . boroi ; oii . —The duchess survived her illustrious husband not less than twenty-two
ycais , dying at the age of eighty-four , 174-1 . Tbe love she had for the duke may in no small degree be imagined from tlie following anecdote : though in her sixty-second year she still possessed some attractions iusomuch that she was _sought in marriage by the Uukc of Somerset . Her auswer is highly ) characteristic , and highly to he admired : — " Marriage is very unsuited at my age ; bnt , were 1 only thirty , I would not permit even thc emperor of thc world to succeed in that heart which has been all my life devotod to John , _DuJ-eof Marlborough , -
_ «Emeto&
__ _« emeto _&
The Connoisseur-April. London: E. Macken...
THE CONNOISSEUR-April . London : E . Mackenzie , 111 , Fleet-street . . * ,. Inust congratulate the conductors of this periodical _onjthe success of their venture : in sayine thjs we know nothing ofthe publisher ' s accounts the number printed , and the number sold , we assume tne 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 _bett' ? r we have lately observed , about thc time of publication , not a few persons apparently hurryin "
Homewards with their purchased copies ef the newly published number . This success is well deserved , there is an independence of tone , and exhibition of critical talont , on the part of the conductors of the Connoisseur , truly refreshing when contrasted with tlie _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 thabatlength there is a prospect of their exertions being crowned with success .
A * il Ita , ian 0 Pera House" is , as IIorsk Tooke said ot the London Coffee House , and English law , open to every Englishman—who can _yav . The payments being something above the democratic standard we ™ ln _^ e habit of frequenting tho " Ilouse , " and therefore we are not competent to express an opinion on the first and fourth articles in this _num-Ifr * ' _* _iTV an onIy say that the writers give reasons tor the faith that is in them , " which to us appear to be unanswerable . At any rate , the articles- are interesting both to the . privileged and Hie
unprivileged , the frequenters and the non-frequenters of the Italian Opera House .. Amongst numerous readable articles there is one "On tho Ventilation of Public Buildings" well worthy of serious attention , Tho dramatic notices of tlie last month ' s novelties aro lengthier than usual , and very entertaining . This number contains an original ballad , by S . L . Oxlkt , and is embellished with a portrait of _REMnnAsn-r , from a painting b y himself , drawn on stone b y II . C . Maouiiib . _REMURANni has thc face of a Gipsy Apollo—perhaps Bacchus would be nearer tlie mark . He looks the very incarnation of jovality and goodnature .
.. Railway Accident.
. . RAILWAY ACCIDENT .
Frightful Accmest Ok Tuk Eastern Countie...
Frightful AccmEST ok _tuk Eastern Counties ' Railwat . —An accident occurred on this lino , 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 thc 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 tho public , determined to run a special train from Shoroditch on Sundav 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 firstratc engines , carriages , drivers , guards , & c , with a view of avoiding the least mishap , and to show the Newmarket gentlemen " what could be done on thc Eastern Counties Railway . " At tlie appointed timeon 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 , wore 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 au 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 ; aud Mr . _Waddingtnn , the deputy-chairman ol the company , in a first-class carriage , _accompanied by some of the directors of the company . It stopped at Lea-bridce station to take up _passengers , up to whieh period everything worked favourably , with prospects of a pleasant and quick trip . It appears here Mr . Roney joined Mr . Scott on the foremost engine , aud in a few seconds thc train resumed its
lourney . The special express speed must , it seems , at this juncture havo been got up , nnd 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 are 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 tho train they saw sufficient to convince them that an accident had occurred . The train was then midway between Edmonton and Ponder ' s-end station , about nine and a half miles from the _metropolis
The second engine thoy saw had leti the rails , and was tearing up the road fearfully , dragging with it thc train , * and almost instantaneously tlie steam of both engines was shut off . For the moment nothing abort of the second engine dragging the train into a large ditch of water w _» 3 expected . Such was the momentum , however , of the foremost one , that it still held the metal , and , remarkable as it may an . pear , _dragged on the second one , and eventually forced it on to the rails , uninjured , the fire-men and stokers ret aining 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 ofa train witnessed . The foremost part of the train , comprising the horse-boxes , was partly buried in iho ditch , and almost crushed to pieces by the weig ht 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 , thut 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 carriage , and how he escaped destruction is surprising , as the next carriage , a first _cIiisb 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 . Thc remaining carriages were more or less damaged , and the chiel guard , it appears , was saved by being hoisted on to the wires of the electric teiegraph , 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 the train wns to release the passengers , who , with the exception of the fright they had / ustained , were uninjured . Conveyances were procured as soou as possible from Edmonton , 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 . The statement which has appeared in some of the morning papors , 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 waa put to its existence . The loss to the company will amount to between £ ' d , _00 _i ) 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 of 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 wason 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 forresler , has been completed at the entrance from Bishop Bonner ' s Fields , which is across an adjacent iron bridge of very iight and elegant
construction ; ami the whole ofthe pales and railings are up , the park being now thoroughly enclosed . A plot , has been staked oiit near this entrance , of about lour acres in extent , on which to form apiece ot ornamental water . The regulations of St . J nmes « -paric with regard to the admi ssion of visitors are observed ns tar as possible , the park-keepers having orders to exclude all disorderiv and drunken persons , itinerant vendors and do » s Notwithstanding the number congregated thc last few days , and the very promiscuous nature of the assemblage , thc utmost order has been preserved bv un efficient staff of park-keepers under thc direction of Mr . Mobb 3 , the chief gate-keeper , and very tvittins injvnv or damage was thme . TUo p . an of a scientific arboretum is being adhered to in thc
plantations . 11 . iii . way Profits . —Sonic of the holders in the Trent Vallev Raihvav , have pocketed £ 28 , 000 by the sale of that line to " the London nnd Birmingham , upon an ontlav of £ 2 , 500 only . As a company tliey have spent less than half a quarter of a million , and they have effected a sale of upwards of a million and a quarter !
(General Faittttiwmt
( General _faittttiwmt
Matrimonial Facts And Fioukbb.—In The Ye...
Matrimonial Facts and _Fioukbb . —In the year 1812 tho number of marriages _registered in England and Walts was 11 S _. S 25—110 , 017 according to the rites of the Established Church , and 3 , 778 otherwise . 5 , 387 of the bridegrooms , ami 16 , 003 of tlie brides were under age ; 15 , 019 of the bridegrooms were widowers , and 10 , 687 of thc brides were widows ; and 38 , 031 of the bridegrooms , and 50 , 905 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 this number of the Registrar-General's report . In _ISTpS •? umber of marriages was 123 , 16 ( 5 ; in 1 S 40 122 06 . D ; in 1841 , 122 , 490 ; and in 1842 118 , 825 . i .. ; _^ lfi _tyvwrm . —An action was lately biought by an old lady against a dealer in curiosities , tor cheating her in tho matter of » _Blioues . Her taste us not limited to tlie oddities ofthe present day , and m tue dealer she found a nerson _neriVMlv ir . nlm <> d to
_gratify her with wonders . He had sold her a model ot tlie Alexandrian library , a specimen ofthe _original type invented by Mcmnon the Egyptian , and a manuscript of tho first play acted by Thcspis . These had not exhausted the stock of the dealer ; he possessed tie skin of agiraffe killed iu the Roman amphitheatre , the head ot King Arthur ' s spear , and the breech of the first cannon fired at thc siege of Constantinople . Ihe jury , however , thought that the virtuoso having ordered these curiosities , ought to pay for them , ami brought in a verdict for the dealer . The Great Do . —What will the Lords Do ? Tho Nation . —Punch .
_Iiiisii Distress —Indian Subscriptions . — £ 3 , 000 "as been lodged in the Bank of Ireland to the credit pt the Mansion-house Famine Committee , by tho benevolent inhabitants of Calcutta : more may be expected . Doijrm in the _•* _MojA- Cm-. " -Romo is at present the scene of a strange rumour . Ai verv influential persons have a great interest in concealing the affair , it will be difficult to discover the truth . It appears that on the re-opening of the Argentina Theatre there was found , in one of the most remote boxes of the last class , tho corpse of a young _ladv in a domino , already in a state of putrefaction , and bearing marks ot several poniard stabs . She must have been assassinated during the last carnival , since which period the theatre has been closed .
Destruction of an A . nciknt 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 Pom or London . —So active is the demand for seamen , both in the meicantile marine and tho navy , that on Friday the whole mini ber ot inmates at the Destitute Sailors' Asylum , was ten , whilst on no previous night of thc week did they average move than six , the majority of whom were iuv . ilids or completely destitute .
Tire Last of the Old Shops —The old fishmen-<; er s shop on the north side of the Strand , adjoining lemplc-bar _, wliich retained the ancient penthouse , and reminded one of the time before plate-glass wa " when pains-taking shopkeepers cried aloud to passersby , " What d ' ye lack ? " has been taken down to give room for a modern erection . _( The Vicar and tiik Poet . —It appears from the Bristol Journal that sonic six years _ngo a monument to Chattel-ton was erected in Re . lcliile _oliurchv-ml . Bristol . The _itev . Martin WJiish was , it seems , desirous that the stone should bear certain lines of the best morality " which tlie vicar ' s _scraw-book eould
furnish . Time , however , rolled on , when a litilv while since , the Rev . Martin Whish , after six year * toleration of the monument to thu ¦¦ marvellous boy , " the poet suicide , the overwrought lunatic , _bethoug'it himself that tho monument was a wrong , an evesoiv to a Christian place id" sepulture , and had it removed . This bigotry towards the illustrious _ilcad is worthv the spirit that Bristol exercised toward the living . The city helped to starve the genius ; and now cornea the vicar , in the year of light and liberality 1840 , to wreak his sacerdotal spite ( and there is no mischief like it . ) on the memory of the truly great and truly unfortunate .
The Pens . —Tim following sentiment was lately offered at the agricultural " festival in Worcester , Massachusetts : —Success _toullpens—Whilst we boast of our pig pen , our sheep pen , and our cow pen , let us not _forg' _-t tho pen of the scholar . It shall never be said that uurcutifc are better bred than our children , Morb Glory . —Another horse of _Abd-el-Kadei has btfen shot this week . One would fancy that the principal _oljectof tho expedition into Algiers was to supply France with cats-meat . ExriuoRDi . vAin * Excavation is the City . —In fhe course of a few days au excavation , ordered by the commissioners of sewers at Guildhall , will be completed in the city , that was commenced about four months age , and which _extt-mlsfrom Whitefriars-dock
to _l'leet-street , opposite Craven-court . The whole length was tunnelled under thc houses , which was an operation of considerable _ilifticulty , and it was expected that thc whole would not have been executed without some serious accident , but fortunately none has occurred . The sewer isconstructedat a depth of about twenty-three feet from the surface . During the excavation the workmen discovered a vault , whicli was lonnd to be about eighty feet long , reaching almost from Fleet-strcet to theThames , nine feet wide and seven feet deep ; itwas built of the moat durable material and the pavement of it was formed of Roman bricks ofa beautiful red colour . On Tuosday last two human skulls , with the thigh bones and part ofa human _cln-st . were discovered .
Parisian Foi . lv . —The fortifications of Paris are entirely finished . They have cost more than £ 5 , 000 , 000 sterling . Printers' Luskary . —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 op Locusts in Algeria . —The Ackbar states , — " For the hist few days immense swarms of young locusts cover the manoeuvring ground , they occupy a line of more than 100 metres in length from the scene ofthe lata tournament to the road leading to Koula . The ground they leave behind them as tiiey advance is completely bare , thc 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 .
A . _v Orthodox Dog . —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 . Uut at that eventful era he quitted the Establishment and joined the Free Church . His dog , however , no friend to newfangled highflying notions , could b y 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 lie bas been accustomed to . — Border Watch . The Gamduno Case at _Cahterbukt . —The three persons charged with robbing Joseph Hogg of £ 45 , after having won a large sum of money of him at cards , were tried last week at the Quarter Sessions , and acquitted .
Tue WixchcombCase . —It is stated that thc board of guardians of tlie Winchcomb Union havo called upon the poor-law commissioners to cause an jmmed ate official inquiry to be _im-. u ' c into all the circumstances connected with the case of alleged death from want of tho necessaries of life . Soii-Makisk Shocks—The following account is given by Capt . Botte , couunaK ! ur of the Louise , arrived recently at Bordeaux . — * 'On the Sth March , the wind being south south-east , weather hazy , a fresh b .-eize and a calm sea , wo felt a sudden shock which caused the vessel to shake considerably , and then subsided . Thc shuck lasted about three seconds , and was accompanied by a noise wliich 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 , _aiid 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 mc to attribute it to some sub-marine explosion . Between ihe two shocks the vessel had gone about nine miles . " Forest op Dean Bark Salb . —Fall in _Prices . — At the annual sale of bark , held at the Speech-house , iu the Forest of Dean , on Tuesday , about 940 tons wero offered ; and it is a singular fact , that not a single lot was sold . The buyers offered from £ i to £ \ bs . per ton , but the officer conducting the sale
bought tho whole in at £ 4 103 ., which averages about 15 s . below last year ' s prices . Longevity . —There is at present residing in this city a female , a native ofthe Forest of Dean , whose maiden name was Mary Georgo , 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 . Hernimble walk outshines many of our damsels . * Her mother was upwards of a century old when she died .
A Soldier ' s Doq . —Serjeant O'Neil , of the 3 d Light Dragoons , writing home to his friends from Ferozepore on tho Sth of January , communicates the fall of his brother in the battle of Moodkee , 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 tho troop , and they would respect it in remembrance of him , which 1 , of coime , acceded to , awl it _accoin . pauied tliem every foot during > the next , two days ' lighting , ami is again safe with them . " The Militia . —A circular from the _War-ofliee intimates that tho militia regiments will most probably bo embodied in the course of the following spring , for thc month ' s training , and possibly afterwards for permanent service—Globe . London Gabs . —There are nearly 3000 licensed cabs in London .
Matrimonial Facts And Fioukbb.—In The Ye...
I Tiik Gloiib Sold . —Very recently , the Globe new 3 _« paper was publicly sold by Mr . George Robins , if wa mistake hot , for £ 111 , 000 . Excise Duties . —The taxes levied on articles of consumption produced within this kingdom . Tha word is derived from ekido , io cut out , and means that ! a good slice is taken out of everything affected b y tha excise duties . They commenced in the reign 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 ha would probably have been equall y refractory . —Politi * cal Dictionary .
! Peace with America . —A meeting was held at the _Atheiiosum , Exeter , on Wednesday ni ght , in order toadopt a friendly address to our transatlantic brethren deprecating the apprehended war . Mr . J . Dymomf was called to the chair , and the meeting was addressed by the Rev . J . _Bristowe , the llev . F . Bishop , and Messrs . Davy , Wilkinson , Fox , and llolwell . The resolutions were passed unanimously . Dreadful Accid / . st . —On Tuesday morning a poor man , in the employ of Messrs . Meeson , _tku extensive lime-burners at Grays , Essex , met with an accident of an appalling nature while engaged
attending a thrashing machine at Stiflbrd . 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 liis 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 ( lay , he remained perfectly sensible until the evening , when death at length terminated liis sufferings _, lie has lett a widow and six children tolament their loss ; and the poor womnn , it appears , is now ' near her confinement .
Lakob Pig . —Mr . Alex . Macfadzean . contractor , Prestwick Toll , killed a pig on Friday , ( J months old , weighing 12 tron stones and 20 , 'bs ., or 21 stones 41 b- * . English . Tawell ' s _Coxi'Bssiox . t—At tho meeting ofma « istraics at Aylesbury , on Thuvaday , afier tho county business had been disposed of , tlie consideration ot " the couvt was directed to tho confession of John Tawell , when after a length y discussion it waa resolved by a majority of three , that Mr . GVx , the chaplain , be requested to lay the document 011 the table . > Various Shocks of Earthquake have been felt in different parts of Styria . Their direction wns south towards north-east . The barometer marked 20 . } , and the thermometer about 00 Reaumur .
Five Hundred Distress _Warrants to recover poor rates haw been issued during the past week in the pari .-h of St . Clement Danes , Public Baths . —Measures are now in activeprftgreAS for the erection of two out ofthe four public baths contemplated in _Birmingham . Singular Death or a Watchman at Ino . vc . _iTEWiiai' _*? . —On Tuesday morning James itus-ell , night watchman at the 'Irongntc-Wharf , near the Tower , was found suffocated between two bales nf flax , under very singular circumstance . The decrased , who was abbut 50 years of as ; e , is supposed to have fallen asleep during the night on the Hax . whicli is piled up against the wall , and must have fallen head downwards in an opening between two of thc bales , and in aitemptingto extrieate himself was suffocated . Uis face and neck wero much _dUeohnired and swollen , and he had evidently _stnii-gl ed vinlentlv
. Suicide of a Soldier . —On S-tu . dav an inquest was held before J . iiinde , Esq ., at the Artillery i ) arracks , lirompton , on the body of . Tiroes Grant , private belonging to the 2 nd Rifle Briade , stationed at thc Invalid B- < rracks , St . MaryV , Gillingbam . The deceased had been absent on sick . '' ¦• rlnng _li , _,-ii . d not _letiiriiiiigiittlieexpirationofhistei-in , it was imagined he had deserted . On Good Fridav , Patrick Connor , ofthe 40 th Regiment , wa" _-ent to get a can from one of ' . he spare arch-way rooms in tho barracks , on opening the door of which he found the
deceased there with his throat cut , and a razor Wing by his side . Verdict , " Temporary Insanity . " ' The deceased was about 35 years of age , and had been 17 - . 'ears in the service . _Iatal Accident at Stepnet Fair . —About half past four on Tuesday , a young fad , whose name o'hi not transpire , whilst passing by a swing in Stepney Fair , near the Prince of 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 .
TnE Late Thomas Hood . —A meeting of the committee for managing the Hood Fund was held on Thursday last at the residence of Mr . David Salomons , the Treasurer , for the purpose of auditing the accounts . 1000 / . 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 few weeks . It is proposed to place a small monument over the remains of the late Mr . Hood , in Kensalgrcen Cemetry , for which a sum not exceeding 501 , 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 . Tub _Battltj 01 ? Cullodbs . —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 .
Finn . —On the 10 th inst , the warehouse occupied by Messrs . Jackson and Co . _JnAuburn-street , Manchester , was destroyed by fire . The damage is estimated at £ 0 , 000 . The Port of Pbestox . —The Gazette of Friday contains a notice , appointing thc port of Preston , ia Lancashire , to be a port for the importation of to * bacco . Sneezing _Mal-Apropos . —The following laughable incident is related in a New York paper : —In the new melo-drama , recently got up at the 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 siage . To accomplish this to the lifo , the robber ' s body is fixed to the table , and his neck is fitted to a hole in the centre of the leaf , so that to the audience it looks precisely as though the man ' s head had been cut oft " , and stood up in a pool of its own blood upon the table . On the fifth ni ght of the exhibition , a wag got into the third tier of the stage boxes , and by some unexplained manoeuvre , managed to blew a lot of Scotch snuff over thc stage just at the time the head was placed on tho table . As soon as the snuff had begun to settle down , the bead commenced sneezing to the no small amusement of the audience , * and as the sneezing could not be stopped , the curtain fell amidst roars of laughter and
contusion . Attempt to Kill . —Manuel Sainz dela Maza _, a bar-keeper at the Brilliant Coffee-house , on thecorncr of Marais and Customhouse streets , was arrested on Tuesday afternoon , for having stabbed with , 1 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 s » badly cut that his blood was traced the next morning from tho house to Canal-street , across which he has been taken to the Charity Hospital , and where he has been ever since , in a critical state , but now oufc 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 . Aa 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 wns under guard awnitim : the * action of an exaniinmgg court . _—Loaisvv'y Journal . Extkaokdixakv _LosoEvivv—Tiie Richmond Compiler mentions the death in _Cunilii-ihmil < _-mm : i { V _.-i ) of Sy fax Brown , aged one _huntked u > " _- ! fiftem yi-rs four months and five days . Ho was for many yea is the slave and personal servant of John k .-iud ' _xlph , Esq ., _ol'Mattoax , father of the late J * uhu Randolph of Konoake .
The _Tkmi'krance Movemksi e * 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 _pns nt , atidiu the course of the evening the meeting was addressed by Jos . Sturge , Esq ., the chairman , by Messrs . Cadbury , Melson , the Itev . C . 11 ! . Uoe , and Dr . Smith . IxcRsniARisM . —At the Gloucester _Azmeson Satur- - day , James Ware , aged sixty-eight , was sentenced to > be transported for life , for feloniously setting fire to ? a dwelling-house on the 23 rd of February last , in the j parish of Temple , Bristol .
News von _newlv-maiuued Coupiks . —There is au _i endowment at Westminster , founded in ItSl , by the e will of Edward Dickenson , Esq ., who left £ * 5 , 0 ( ' 0 I ) stock , thc interest of which to be divided on thc first t month after Easter day , between three new married d couples from the pasish of St . Margaret ' s or St . t . John ' s the Evaugclisfe ,. atWestminster , and of Acton . 1 . The distribution takes place with the approbation of ) f the Bishop of London , and petitions are taken into : o consideration by the trustees on thc Wednesday ia ia Easter week , when they decide on the nine couples as to receive tho bounty , which consists of . € 15 eneh . Tiik Duke of Wellington has been entertainingig a numerous cirele at Strathiielilsaye during the lib holidays .
t JiiK Grand Polish Ball . —Tho annual grandndl fancy and full dress ball , for the benefit of the Polish sh : refugees in this country , is to tnko place on the atJi ' tlu of June , at the usual locale , Willis ' s llooms . W 0 V 0 ) _understand that some of our highest noblesse _Imvevei consented to exercise their patronage and intluencciccs in behalf ol those political exiles . " _Ri-ireccA" ix Essex —At a meeting of _s-cvcralrall ofthe inhabitants of Brentwood an . l Shenfiehl , helifchU at the White Hart , on Saturdav , in reference to _tliethea contemplated removal ofthe Slientield toll-gate , CoL ' ol .. Gooch in thc chair , it was resolved , _tlfnt in thcthee opinion ofthe meeting such removal will be illegal ; _svl * , ; and if carried idto effect , payment of the toll _shalhalll and will be resisted .
Romamce oi ? Reality . —Mr . S . R . Crooking , of , off St . John ' s Wood , having died of injuries received by byy a fall from his horse , his wife was i iiconsolabh _' _, — in _* -in- _* Bitted on sleeping in the same bed with the corpse oboH her husband , and in the morning was found dead bj bjj his side .
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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/ns3_18041846/page/3/
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