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Leader (1850-1860), 20th November 1858, Edition 2 of 2, Page 23, iSiuroLiTAN Institutions. —-Writing of t...

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      Singular Tastes And Antipathies ^ Skvkra...

      on that day also be took King : Francis prisoner , not £ r » i *^^^^^ Kte Si . ia , and that , on In . 24 th of February , ^ llffsris lost Ins ' father , that he became kong , on which his daughter was married , and that on which Charles V . " skSS V ^ on ^ dnesday O 3 th of December , 152 1 ) male his profession as a Franciscan friar on a

      ± z . _ - " , ' m ; , » j n P . aTfiinnlshin on a Wednes-^ dnesdav ' , was promised a Cardinalship on a Wednesday , was elected Pope on a Wednesday , and exalted to the dignitv the following Wednesday . Louis XIII ., some hours before his death ( Thursday , 14 th of May , 1643 ) , called his physicians and asked them if thev thought he could live until the next day , saying that ' Friday had always been to him a fortunate day , that he had on that day engaged in enterprises which were uniformly successful , that he had ever gained Jbattles on that day , that having always considered it his happiest day , he wished he might die on it .

      One of the Spanish kings could not endure any one In his presence who bad taken tobacco . He had , besides , the mania of feeling incensed at any man ' s demanding the age of a woman , unless he had intentions of marriage . _ Louis XIV . detested les chapeauK gris , almost as much as he did the Jansenists . Nothing could exceed the timidity , or , we might xather say , the poltroonery , of the celebrated moralist

      Kicole ; he dreaded travelling , excursions on the water , and to the end of his life he never went into the streets ¦ without trembling , in incessant fear lest a tile should fall on his head . He dwelt for a long time in the Faubourg ^ Saint- Marcel , " because , " as lie said , " the enemies who threatened Paris would enter by the Porte Saint-Martin , and would be obliged , consequently , to traverse the whole city before they could arrive at his house . " In a word , he could say , as the actor who

      • fcungled Racine , " Je crains tout , cber Abner , et n ' ai pas d ' autre crainte . " Henry III ., who had so decided a passion for little ¦ dogs , could not remain in the" same room with a cat . The Duke d'Epernon fainted at the sight of a leveret . Marshal de BreW ( who died in 1650 ) swooned at the sight of a rabbit , as related by Tallemant , Marshal d'Albret got ill at a repast where either a sucking pig or a wild boar was served . Erasmus could

      aiot even smell fish without getting feverish . Scaliger trembled all over at seeing water-cresses . Tycho-Brahe felt his limbs failing when he encountered a hare or a fox . Bacon fell into a fainting fit during an eclipse of tho moon . Baylc got convulsions when he heard the sound of water issuing from a spout . Lamothe le Vayer could not endure the sound of any instrument . Favoriti , an Italian poet , who died in 1682 , could not l > ear the odour of the rose . —Irish Quarterly lieviezo .

      Nd For His Hos « " Tt ——» I*.1 The X-Ead...

      TT ——» " i «* . 1 THE x-EADER . 1263

      Flesh Mortified On Fish Urc>N A Friday I...

      FLESH MORTIFIED ON FISH Urc > N a Friday if you eat Bacon , you ' re but a mortal sinner , For the worst bacon still is moat ; But have what fish you like for dinner . A mutton chop you must not touch , On penalty of condemnation ; Of salmon you may eat as much As will suffice your inclination . Of steak a mouthful is enough To subject you to grief unending ; But sole ait yvatin you may stuff Your stomachs with without offending . Fried solo your soul will injuro not , But if you do but taste fried , liver , In Tarturus will be your lot ,

      As euro ns Styx is a true rivor . Then if the narrow path you'd walk , Tho way of a celestial priaonmn , On lobster fritters , at Dund < UU , And scolloped oysters , fast with Wiseman . —Pun oh

      Isiurolitan Institutions. —-Writing Of T...

      iSiuroLiTAN Institutions . — -Writing of tho prison of Santa Marift Apparonto , tho correspondent of a daily journal says : — " Amongst tho many imprisoned thoro 18 one who has been there for two-and-twonty months his crime unknown . lie has never been examined , or tried , or condemnod . lie ia one of the canaglin , suspected by tho police , and therefore put out of tho way . lid is not ajono , though , for two others ftjro locked up together with him at night . One of thorn has boon thero seven years ; ho was confined in the dungeons , commonly called the « segroto , ' of tlio prison for a long time , but has of lute boon brought up to tho opon air . This man has nearly lost his slglit . Seven years in prison without trial , nml that In n country which boasts tho possession of tho ? Code Nupolrfon . ' An active man

      will endure with impatience the confinement of a day . It is a hard thing to be cut off from intercourse with one ' s kind , and to be denied * he blessing of the light and warmth of the sun , even for a few hours . It is enough to drive him to desperation , if by such confinement important designs are checked , or if he is pre vented from visiting a sick or a dying friend . Add the last drop to this cup of bitterness , and let the prisoner writhe under a sense of the illegality and injusciteof his imprisonment , and then extend it from hours to days , and from days to vears , and you have a picture of the cases of many who are now confined in Santa Maria Apparenteand other places in the Two Sicilies . "

      , A Screw Loose Somewhere . —The following communication has been addressed to the editor of the Daily News : —" Colonial Office , 16 th Nov ., 1 € 58 . Sir , — I am directed to inform you that the recent publication of two despatches from the Lord High Commissioner of the Ionian Islands took place without the knowledge or sanction direct or indirect , of her Majesty ' s Government ; and that from the time of their appearance strict inquiry has been in progress into the manner in which they became public—I remain , Sir , vour obedient servant , H . DuuMBroND Wolff . " In allusion to the above the Daily News says : —" The

      documents referred to were sent to us under cover of an official envelope , with a request for their publication , by a person communicating his name and address . On inquiry it was ascertained that the name and address were genuine , and the person communicating them again placed them unconditionally at our disposal . The despatches of Sir John Young were accompanied by other papers , to which an equal importance is attached by the Colonial Office . On being made aware that the despatches had been published without the sanction of the Government , we withheld the remaining documents from publication , and have since handed them over to the Colonial Office . "

      Admiral Berkeley on the Navt . —At a public dinner at Bristol , on Saturday , Admiral Sir M . F . Berkelej' , K . C . B ., late seniornaval Lord of the Admiralty , addressed himself to the observations made by Lord Hardwicke relative to the condition of the navy . Lord Hardwicke had said that the British navy was in a worse condition than it had been in _ former days , and that , though this was to be regretted , it arose not from any neglect on the part of the Government , but in the improvement dailv making in science and art . He would point to Birmingham , Sheffield , and other manufacturing towns , and ask whether science and art had placed other countries on a better footing than it had England ? Be admitted that it was not pleasant to pay for science and

      charitable institutions , and for his " generous hospitality . " Mr- Parker , late under-sheriff , in th ( exuberance of his gratitude , declared that " n < Lord Mayor bad ever given such splendid entertainments . " This created some confusion , which was increased by Mr . Anderton wishing to know where Deputy Kebble was , that gentleman being the deputy from Alderman Garden ' s ward , and therefore the proper person to move a vote of thanks . The answer was that he was out of town , but in the course of the angry discussion which

      ensued it was stated that Mr . Kebble had resigned his deputyship from feelings of " disgust" at the conduct of his alderman . Deputy Lott sought to propitiate the court by Calling to their remembrance , as " fathers of families , " the beautiful Christmas juvenile party which , the late Lord Mayor got up after his accession to office . After some further discussion , the motiomvas agreed to ; and Sir R . W . Carden , when he contemplates his vote of thanks emblazoned on vellum , will have the gratification of associating it with a discussion which unequivocally revealed the emptiness of the compliment .

      The Great Belx of Westbonstek . —The great bell of the clock of the new palace at Westminster has , at length , been finally hung in its appointed position in the clock-tower , and was on Thursday rung for the first time in its new position . The first strokes seemed to create an immense sensation in the streets below , and upturned faces , dotted all over Palace-yard , with a good sprinkling of loungers who came out from . Westminsterhall , at once showed the interest that -was taken in the great bell ' s maiden speech . After the first attempt by Mr . Denison the bell was struck slower but with greater force by two or three workmen , and this elicited the whole of his tremendous tones to the greatest extent ,

      till the sound was something almost awful , floating about the tower and slowly dying away like the aote of a soft trumpet , till it sank to a deep rich hum that hung about the bell long after the stroke had ceased . From the experiment made the necessity for increased supports to the standards was at once apparent . We believe that these strengthenings will consist of wroughtiron brackets passing from the collar down the main standards , which , while allowing enough , play for the whole mechanism , will check the jerk of the collar on the standards , and stop a vibration which would otherwise be dangerous to the cast iron . When this has been done the clock will be hoisted to its place , and the bells at last left to their long duties .

      Crystal Palace . —The prize show of canaries and other birds is to open on Monday , in the tropical der partment of the palace . The great basin in this part o £ the palace is also at present in great beauty , tenanted not only by strange forms of nymphceae , loti , and other water plants , but also by myriads of gold fish , tortoises , and other creatures of the water , among which is the remarkable mud-fish , from the African rivers- Mr . Kidd , the well-known writer on song-birds , will give some lectures explanatory of the birds during the continuance of the show .

      art , but if the country wished to maintain its maritime supremacy it must build a new navy if foreign nations did so . Lord Hardwicke said , that the navy was " absolutely weaker than that of some great Powers near us ;" but he could give a positive contradiction to Lord Hardwicke ' s statement . He thought it unwise to publish the figures , but they were at the noble lord ' s service . He could prove that Great Britain was superior to every other country in materiel , ships , officers , and . men . Lord Hardwicke also said that the British navy had done little or nothing to bring the Russian war to a conclusion . He maintained that historians would have to record that

      The Leviathan . —The prospectus of the " Great Ship Company ( Limited )"—the buyer of the Great Eastern steamship—is at length definitively issued . The Eastern Steam Navigation Company , after expending 040 , 000 / . upon the great ship , and incurring a debt of about 90 , 0007 ., finds itself unable to complete and equip her for sea . Many of the present shareholders are willing to subscribe further funds , with a view to realise their great object , but , in order to avoid legal difficulties , it lias . been determined to form a new company . The capital is fixed at 330 , 000 / ., which is estimated to be ample to completo the vessel , to fit her for sea , and to provide working capital . Very largo estimates of profit are put forward , especial stress being reasonably laid upon the low cost of the Great Eastern , as sho now lies , to the now company . Tho shares nre 1 / . each , and it ia estimated that

      thu Russian war proved more than anything else the great maritime power of England . It must be recollected that foreign era . were supplied with the greater part of their means of transport by the mercantile marine of this country , and it was idle to say that our ships were inefficiently manned . He could , however , understand a Cabinet Minister saying these things , because he wished the country to grant largor supplies for tho maintenance of tho navy , lie agreed with the noble earl that tho navy must be increased ; he was not satisfied that it was large enough $ but what they had would defy competition with any other navy .

      Fusion ov Law and Equity . —Sir Richard Bethel ! , as president of tho Juridical Society , hus inaugurated tho fourth session by an address upon tho fusion of law and equity . Ho prefaced his remarks by alluding to tho inapproprintoncss of tho expression embodying tho subjqct ho was cnlled upon to discuss , ns conveying no definito idea to those unconnected with tho legal profession , and who could not possibly understand that those two portions of jurisprudence were not only diatinct but antagonistic . Tho present double system was chargeable

      about 100 , 000 will bo available for distribution amongst tho general public , after making allowance for the amount already allocated , including that apportioned to the holders of shares in tho Eastern Ste ^ m Company . A Cool Escape . —j 9 uch a wild boast is not a thing to fly from on tho wings of fear . If one did avoid it , when encountered in tho open air , it would rather be ofter the fashion of a late earl , of whom I once heard tho following story : —He was a largo man , who , in speaking , wabbled liko a turkey-cock , and thus ho related hit adventures : " What do you think ? " he said , entering tho library of Duffloton House one day , about forty years ago— " what do you think ? As I was walking along tho Strand this morning , not far from Exotei 'Change , I met a tlgor ! " " A tigor ! God bless mo . ! What on earth did you do ? " "Do ? ^ I called a haoknoy-coaeh ! " —Dtokena'a Household Worth

      not only with injustice in tho shapo of cxnonso and delay to tho litigunts , but also with proving injurious to the development of tho philosophical study of jurisprudence and ought to bo at onoo ami for over donp away with . From a total and immediate reform ho expected not only a great public good , but an addition to thu dignity of our courts of common law , a groat advancement of juridical science , and tho elevation of the mind and tho enlightenment of tho intellect ol" tho members of tho English bar .

      Cauiii' of Common Council . —At a Court hold on Thursday , Mr . Koarns moved tha adoption of a vote of thanks to tho Into Lord Mayor of a similar nature to that which -was passod by tho Court of Aldormon ; Chut Is to say , ho wns thanked for the dignity uuu impartiality -with which ho had discharged his nmgistorial dutioa , for his punctuality and courtesy , for tho support ho had given to oducutioiml ami

      LONUON A 2 il > MlDDUCSKX A « OH . KOI , OOIOAL CLIJH . — On Monday tho London and Mid < IU'S 0 x Club had a dinner at Toole's Hotel , Mr , Deputy lott , F . S . A ., in tho chair , whon a report was made on the ancient building at Stapnoy-graoii , called Kliiff John ' s Pulaco , now in rapid process of demolition . Sik Akkxanukk Cockj . uhn . —Wo regrot to state that tho Lord Chief Justluo of tho Common lUoas Is again so seriously iudl ^ oaed n » to to unable to attend court .

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), Nov. 20, 1858, page 23, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_20111858/page/23/