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Northern Star (1837-1852), 14th December 1850, Edition 2 of 3, Page 3, tSoetvv

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      December 14, 1850. The Northern ^Ta N

      December 14 , 1850 . THE NORTHERN ^ Ta n

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      Love Her Still. Lore Her Still! She Hath...

      LOVE HER STILL . Lore her still ! She hath fallen very low—Thou who knew ' st her long ago , Little , little canst thou see Of her girlhood ' s purity ; Bat , though sin hath left its trace On her once sweet happy face , And that innocent maiden brow Droopeth in dart shadow now—Though life ' s glory all hath fled . And life ' s shame in tier ' s instead . Love her still !

      Lotc her ! let no harsh cold word , Man , from lips of thine he heard ; "Woman , with no lifted eye Mock thon her deep agony ; "Weep ye , —tears , give tears alone To oar world-forsaken one—Love her still ! Love her—let her feel your love ; Summer showers that fall above Fainting blossoms , leave with them Freshened leaf and strai ghtened stem ; Sunshine oft doth give again Bloom the hitter storm hath ta ' en :

      And this human love of ours , To the world ' s poor faded flowers , May he found as dear a boon As God ' s blessed rain and sun To restore their native hue , And their native fragrance too ;—Love her still 5 Gather round her , weep and pray—Clasp her , lead her from tbe way She doth journey—tenderly From the wrong and misery , . To the better paths , where peace

      waiteth her , with sweet release From life ' t heart-ache ;—so , once more In her breast the hope of yore 3 iay be lit , that holy hope , That with earthly loss doth cope , Earthly sin and earthly shame , Till all earth is but a name , And the rescued soul is given , With its treasure , unto heaven ! Oh , bethink ye of the bliss That will fill your hearts for this , Lovit'g friends , what time ye see Shadow after shadow flee

      From her pale sad ' face;—what time , Soaring in a thought sublime , Ye shall hiow , the while ye pray , To Ids anaels God doth tail . " Love her still * !" T . " Westwooii

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      The Girlhood Of Shaispeare's Heroines. T...

      The Girlhood of Shaispeare ' s Heroines . Tale 1 . Portia , the Heiress of Belmont . B y Maky Co * W 3 > en Clarke . Norello , Deanstreet , Soho . "Who that knows anything of Shakspeare does not know that there is in him a rich mine of intellectual wealth—but half worked ont and promising inexhaustible mental riches to those -who explore it . Minute as he

      sometimes is , when it suits his purposes , unweariedly as he piles trait npon trait to complete a character , yet he is so rich in the materials of thought , as well as in thought itself , that his slightest hints may often well serve for the basis of a new creation . The gems of mind are so plentiful with him that he throws them about with a wild , reckless profusion , and once dropped , others came so readily to Ms hand that he can afford to let the rich

      droppings remain untouched for those who choose to stoop to pick them up . Like a spendthrift , but a spendthrift with an inexhaustible treasure at his disposal , he is careless and wanton in his prodigality . Sometimes , too he seems as though he indulged in whims and fancies as quaint and curious as the conceits of his own " Midsummer Wight ' s Dream ; " for , while occasionally he is

      like the lapidary , who thinks only the magniacient stones worthy of his trouble , and throws aside the tiny brilliants , to be cut and polished hy humbler hands , at other times ho disregards the magnates of the mines , and bestows all his cares npon some poor chrystal , till , by the glow and fashion he imparts to it , and the quaint richness of its setting , it becomes more attractive and valual It than the

      richest and most gigantic jewel . It must , to some extent , be a characteristic of all dramatists , but , more especially , of one of snch overflowing power UI fertility as Shakespeare—that they must ! es ? 3 behind them much of unfinished material . They are necessaril y limited , by the reqiiMnents of itage-action , to a few incidents and a comparatively short space of time . If they wish y ears to elapse between the commencement and the completion of a plot , they must suffer a longinterregnum to take place , the results of which are indicated rather than detailed

      in a few TPords of dialogue . They are compelled to leave much to the imagination of the spectators . The privileges which the novelist ortheromancist has , of carefully elaborating a story , they are debarred from—they are compelled to pile incident upon incident , effect upon effect , and to keep np a continuous chain of action . Developed thought , shown forth in all the stages of its developement , is a- machinery they are unable to use ; they must often he fragmentary , and now and then obscure , for want of opportunity for clearness and precision . The lowest attention to draelbow

      matic nnities leaves but scant mental room for the free display of power . Hints upon which chapters mig ht be written , suggestions shadowing forth -whole romances , inuendoes containing the rudiments of a series of stratagems , are used , thrown down , and left behind almost before we have time to ascertain their latent value . The story must go on . Years have to be condensed into two short hours of mimic reality , and there is no time for moralising on speculation . Indeed moralisin g and speculation would too often npon the stage he sadly out of p lace . The desire of the spectator for effect , action , excitement , is irrepressible , and passages which we should bend over with delight in the closet -would

      fall comparatively dull and prosy in the theatre . Hence it is that the most beautifully develop ed and thoughtful dramas are too often—too generally indeed—unfit for acting . A real stirring drama often calls up to our mind a crowded picture gallery , through which we are hurried with just time to note the character of each varying face , and to receive an impression , but without time for analvs's , or comprehension m detail . Here we stand before a stern warrior , whose strong lines speak of courage and firmness , and whose reddening scars tell of many a " ° ^ f " field . " How did that man live ? How did he die ? What breeding did he have ? w hat enemies did he overthrow ? "What friends

      did he support ? Tbe questions rise , but pa ss away unanswered , for the Cicerone bids us to pass on . Here again is another face with ^ a history worth perusing . High thought sits upon the brow , deep benevolence beams from the eves calm meditation hovers on the halfopened lips . Surely that was a philosopher and a philanthropist , as good an he was wise , hut we know him letter . But " more onward" resounds again , and we press forward .

      Once more another figure arrests us . What a tale of war it speaks-what misery peers from under its cavernous hrows-what deep hollows suffering has dug in the wasted cheeks and thin temples-like p its where happiness lies huried-what rig id despair *•«»» those closelv compressed hps-what foregone historv belongs to that p icture of pain < \ \ e have but time to ask before we are again pushed forward , and so on to the end of the chapter . Old Time moves fast enoug h with all of us , bringing a termination to our moi .. al tales , hut with the dramatist he Uies . ^ it is for the novelist alone to work out the details oi i ; f «__ to show event hanging upon event , till

      the ereat chain of life is complete . We can almost imagine that some such Uionehts as these occurred to Mrs . Clarke before she resolved to g ive to the -world the girlhood of Shakespeare ' s heroines . Who that

      The Girlhood Of Shaispeare's Heroines. T...

      loves Shakespeare , and hangs deli ghted over his splendid creations , does not wiah to know more of them , to understand wh y they are what they are , how they became so , and to understand the phases through which they passed ; the course of life in which they were trained before they shone out upon the pages of these gorgeous dramas ; to know what manner of children they were , who afterwards grew up into such entrancing maturity .

      The dramatist could not tell us this , he had no arena in which to do it : hut it befits one who knows his spirit well , and , above all , who loves him , to depict that which , perforce , was left untouched ; and who , in Shakespeare ' s case , so fitted for the task as Mrs . Clarke , whose intellect and devotion are so well proved by these Shakesperian works , which will carry down her name to posterity , linked with that of the greatest of the poet teachers of humanity ?

      So we have here , iu a modest unpretending little pamphlet , the first of the series of Shakespeare ' s heroines in their girlhood in Portia , the heiress of Belmont . We all know the Merchant of Venice , and it needs not here to tell of that Portia , who , when her lover's friend was in danger of a cruel death , seems to set aside the shrinking delicacy of the woman ' s character , by assuming the character and the dress of an advocate , but who , in that trial scene , makes her woman ' s nature radiant as an angel ' s , by mingling into one Justice , with its stern behests ; Mercy , with

      its tender gentleness , and Charity with its loving forbearance . How was that woman trained ? "What were the circumstances which made her what she was ? These are the questions which Mrs . Clarke has set herself to answer , and well is the reply given , and in a truly Shakesperian spirit . The obvious requisites for drawing the youthful character of Portia , for bringing forth what is a new and a beautiful creation , are that each event of her foregone life , each link in the chain of her destiny , should be accessory to the known developement , should bend

      towards the formation of the character revealed by the great dramatist , and strictly is this essential complied with . The mother of Portia is pictured as the sister of the learned advocate Bellario , then a poor student , cheering him on his studies , and making his poor home beautiful by her sympathy , her devotion , and her wisdom . Her father , the Count Guido , becomes enraptured with the beauty of body and mind of the poor student ' s sister , and disregarding the conventional attributes of rank , makes her his wife . The birth of the younger Portia is the death throe of her mother ; so life

      and death walk haud-in-hand amid the mysterious decrees of fate . The Count Guido , in the madness of despair , leaves his home and daughter to become a pilgrim in strange lands ; and Bellario , now a doctor of eminence , becomes her guardian . Dame Ursula , the strict old duenna , as rigid in her freezing propriety as a marble statue , has her share in moulding the character of the youthful Portia ; but the dame ' s asperity is tamed down by the love of the old bachelor uncle , who finds his youth renewed by the feelings which warm his heart to the tiny image of his dead sister . It is beautiful to read how he lures the

      child on to love him—how he watches every budding of her infant mind—how he delights in every developement of the immature beauty of her form—how he tempts , not drives , her on to love learning—and thus fits her to become , as Mrs . Clarke says , "the fairest lawyer on record . " And then there comes the natural thoughtful fear of the good Bellario , that the young Portia may grow too dull and serious iu such company as his ; and io still this apprehension there comes Nerissa , the

      future pert but affectionate maid , an orphan niece of Dame Ursula ' s , whose ready merry laughter dispels all thoughts of gravity too prefund and melancholy too deep , in the young heiress . In good times , when Portia ha * grown to be woman , her truant father , too , comes back , and finds in the recovered daughter a solace for the lost wife ; and lovers appear on the stage , and among them , but apparently , as yet , undistinguished , tbe youthful BasEanio—the scholar and true gentleman—her future husband . And then the

      Count , prompted by a fanny that chance combined with judgment are the true rulers of life , caused to be made the three caskets of gold , silver , and lead with their mystic inscriptions , and to connect with them Portia's future fate . Shortly after this , death seizes the Count , and Portia is again left ; to the guardianship of her uncle ; aud when the time of mourning expires is again surrounded by suitors ; and on a certain day there came to Belmont , attracted by the beautiful and rich heiress , " a Neapolitan Prince , a County Palatine , a French Lord , an English Baron , a Scotch Earl , and a German Duke ' s nephew ; " and Portia , sitting in her fovourite room , says poutingl y to jtferissa , " By my troth , Jferissa , my little body is a weary of this great world . "

      What . tferissa answered , we all know —or ought to know—her words are to to be found in the second scene of a certain play ; where ' my master desires to speak with you . ' We hope we have said sufficient to indicate our high appreciation of the beauty of Mrs . Clarke ' s idea , as well of the truthfulness of its execution , and to tempt our readers to make themselves as well acquainted with the girlhood of Shakespeare ' s heroines as we trust they are with the heroines themselves . We have but little space left for extract , but we take the following as a bait , that the mothers of England may learn from Mrs . Clarke how much higher is the education of

      love than that of fear . One morning , after breakfast , there happened to he fewer law papers than usual to examine , and Bellario told his little Portia that if she would be quiet for an hour , he would thon be ready to take her out for a long , long ride ; and he asked Madame Ursula to be so good as to let them have a little basket with something nice to eat while they were out , in case they were away some hours . The dame made a curtsey of acquiescence ; then turning to the child , she added : — "Now , Contessina , come with me . " The little girl arose , and followed her half way towards the door , then stopped .

      Madame Ursula looked back , and seeing the fixed attitude in which the child stood , in the middle of the room , frowned heavily , saying : —" Did you hear me ? Come !" Bellario quietly watched this scene though his head was bent over his papers ; and he observed an obstinate inflexibility take possession of the httlo nrl ' s face and figure , as she replied : — " Not unless you promise that I shall come back in time for tho irtlfa " " I « hall promise nothing . Come this instant !" gaid Madame Ursula ; then glancing at Bellario , and seeinf , as she thought , that he was absorbed in his occupation , she added , in a stern low tone : — « "Remember '" , ,,. . , „ , Portia ' s face flashed scarlet , and she moved for-» 3 rd < 5 a sten or two ; but presently she stopped

      a » ain . and said :- " No , if you beat me , I don t care . I won ' t co till you promise . S ' arfo was just going to exclaim :- «< Beat ! hut he checked himself , resolved to satisfy himself fcrttS . ^ Kifli *** th 0 U S themselvCS U " ' SC Promise a chit like you indeed ! A fine pass things have come to , truly ! " ^™*™ Z ™ Ursula . « I jvsist upon your coming to jour tasks , W B S ° n " ucLit-rm heiress of Bclmont-Lisettatold me so ; and she said I needn t le .. rn my letters if I didn't like-and I don t JiKe . Resides , I want to ride with cugino mm ; and 1 won t say my letters till you promise I shall have done in tin c to come back for my ride . Nasty letters . i hate them . " And the child uttered the last words with flashing and an insolent lip

      eyes , . ... . Madame Ursula stalked back , and seized the little rebel whom her own injudicious unrelenting hud creatid . As she clutched Portia ' s wrist , tho child uttered a piercing scream ; but the next instant shr seemed to remember her promise not to disturb Bellario , for she looked towards him hastily , and then , checking herself , writhed and struggled mutely in the housekeeper ' s grasp . ° Bellario now thought it time to interfere . " Madame Ursula , " said he , " why do you wish the Con-

      The Girlhood Of Shaispeare's Heroines. T...

      tesstna Portia to go with you ? May she not stay here , as usual ? " ' ^ , "J need xiardly tell il Signer Dottorc , " replied the dame , " that it would be disgraceful for a young lady of the Contessina ' s distinguished station to be brought up in ignorance . I have therefore thought it my duty to teach her letters , that she may one day know how to read . I presume so illustrious and learned a gentleman as yourself knows the importance of early tuition ?" " But did I not hear something about 'beating , ' Madame ? Surely that is not part of your system ?" said Bellario . ... " Oh , a birch-rod , merely hungup in mv room by way of a threat , signer . We all know that a threat is sometimes as effectual as a punishment , " replied she ; " and the Contessina ' s pride makes her dread the shame of a whipping , as much as the rod itself . "

      "Do you know , Jam not a great advocate for either shame , or the rod , Madame , in teaching . " Bellario saw the scarlet mount to the child ' s brow again , at the mention of the birch-rod ; but he saw also a look of triumph , as if she understood that Madame was being rebuked instead of herself . He was vexed at being thus compelled to discuss the matter in her presence at all , but as it was hardly to be avoided after what had passed , he added : — " If you please , we will , for the present , allow this little lady to go on ia her ignorance . She will one day find what a pleasure it is to read , and will wish to learn , and be grateful to those who will take the trouble to teach her . Allow me to thank you for that which you have already taken , Madame Ursula ; although I request you will indulge me by letting the lessons cease , until Portia is wise enough to wish for them herself . "

      Aitcient Egypt Under The Pharaohs. By Jo...

      Aitcient Egypt under the Pharaohs . By John Kenrick , M . A . Two Vols . London : Fellowes , Ludgate-hill . It is a peculiarity of the Egyptian and Tuscan people , that while we know little of their public history , we know a great deal of their private life , and of their manners and customs both private and public . It is questionable , indeed , whether a fuller idea has been gained of the habits of the Greeks and Romans , with all the

      literary pictures and works of art they have left us , than has been obtained by a half century ' s examination of the paintings and tombs of the E gyptians . It ie , therefore , with judgment that Mr . Kenrick devotes the earlier and larger portion of his work to a general description of the arts , manners , and amusements of Egypt under the Pharaohs—in short , of all those things which go to make up the life and business of a people .

      _ He opens his hook with a description of the river and valley of the Nile , and of its monuments ; inferring from the remains and the nature of the case , that civilisation ascended from Lower Egypt , and did not descend from Ethiopia . He next considers the characteristics and language of the people ; and describes the two great wonders of the world , the Pyramids and Thebes . Having finished the natural features of the country , its existing remains , and the ethnography of the people , Mr . Kenrick proceeds to what maybe termed in a large sense the social condition of the ancient Egyptians . The amount of the population , its

      industrial arts in agriculture , horticulture , hunting , fishing , navigation , commerce , and mechanical trades , are investigated , as well as the military equipments and modes of warfare , domestic life and manners , dress and amusements . Fine arts , letters , and practical science , ( for Mr . Kenrick denies the Egyptian science in the proper sense of the term ) , are next considered under the heads of architecture , sculpture , painting , music , the various modes of writing , with geometry , astronomy , astrology , arithmetic , medicine , and mechanics . The religion of the Egyptians is then elaborately examined ; and the surrey closes with an account of their constitution and laws .

      The whole of these topics are , to a great extent , independent of each other , and form , in fact , a series of essays or papers , in which the author brings together tbe pith of extensive reading and inquiry , classical and modern . As furnishing a complete coup d'ozil of the subject of ancient Egypt and its people , the work supplies a want ; and , combining critical acumen with historical elevation , it supplies it well . At the same time , it involves more of compilation from well-known , and in some sense almost popular books , than of the original research among volumes rarely referred to , which historians are usually called upon to make .

      The history proper of Egypt—the chronology of kings and an account of their public acts—is prefaced by a review of the ancient classical authorities , both Greek and Egyptian ; in which the author gives a critical estimate of their value , and compares them with the results of the information furnished b y the monuments ; Mr . Kenrick assigning a high place to the fragments of Manetho , even as they have come to us , at second or third hand . He then proceeds to use the whole of these authorities , in conjunction with the results of modern interpretation , to present a consecutive view of Egyptian history , from its doubtlul

      and uncertain glimmerings under the first dynasty , till the Persian invasion by Cambyses during the twenty ^ sixth , and then , with fuller lights , till the final conquest of Egypt by Alexander , after the Persian had a second time been victorious , over the thirtieth and last dynasty . In this , as in the former part of his work , the author displays a wide and sound acquaintance with his subject , a critical judgment , and the power of exciting interest by vivifying the past in general description . The reader , however , who looks to have a distinct idea of the great masses of Egyptian history presented to him , will probably be disappointed .

      The first thing in Egyptian story is the evidence on which the monumental inscriptions rest . This , as is well known , originated in the discovery , by a French engineer in Buonaparte's expedition , of a tablet with an inscription in three different characters . One of these being Greek , it was soon asceriained that the purpose of its erection was to acknowledge , on the part of tho high priests , prophets , and other sacred functionaries assembled at Memphis , in the year 196 B . C ., at the coronation of Ptolemy Ep iphanes , the services rendered to the sacerdotal order and to Egvpt jrcnerally by the young king , and to

      decree him certain honours . The Greek contains a command that the decree should be inscribed " in the sacred letters , and letters of the country , and Greek letters ; " and it was obvious from the inspection of the characters that tho first are what wc Ci . ll hieroglyphic , and the second what Herodotus and Diodorus call demotic or demodic , and Clemens epistolographic . It was natural to conclude that each of the inscriptions was substantially the same ; and as the numerals for first , second , and third were found in the same relative position at the end of the hieroglyp hic and demotic as the corresponding words in the Greek , it became probable that there was even a literal agreement .

      The antiquity , the magnitude , and till w ithio these few years tho mysterious purr ose of the Pyramids , render them an object of unceasing interest , when the writer is atall equal to his theme . In the present case , . thoy will furnish more conveniently than anything else an example of Mr Kenrick ' s power of dealing with the loftier topics that are continually turning up in treating of ancient Egypt . The Pyramids of Gizeh are about five miles distant from the bank of the Nile , As the traveller approaches them first across the plain and then the sandy valley to which the inundation does not extend , he is usually disappointed by their appearance , which falls short of the conception which their

      lame had raised . Their height and breadth arc lessened by the hills of sand and heaps of rubbish which have accumulated around them . The simplicity and geometrical regularity of their outline is unfavourable to their apparent magnitude ; there is nothinjr near them by which they can be measured ; and it is not till , standing at their base , he looks up to their summit , and compares their propmtions with his own or those of the human figures around them , that this first error of his judgment is corrected . And when ho begins to inquire into their history , and finds that 2 , 300 years ago their first describe ! ' was even more ignorant than ourselves of the time and purpose of their erection , he feels how remote must be their origin , which even then was an insoluble problem . * *

      , . No reasonable doubt can any longer exist respecting the de'tination . of these groups of pyramids . Not oulv is it evident that they lave been places or interuicnt the only rational purpose that was ever

      Aitcient Egypt Under The Pharaohs. By Jo...

      assigned to therm , but where any inscriptions have been round , they concur with tradition in showing J " ? . ™ Ba ? e been the sepulchres of kings . Fur-JSST'J w m 3 ? Ptions belong to the earliest dynas-VSrJmL n . gy - ' - the kinS" whotn Manetho places 2 „ . Nvaiion of the Shepherds , and of whom , «~ i n J ders of Memphis , five dynasties are expressly called Memphite . Around the larger structures which received the bodies of the kings are grouped smaller pyramids , in which queens were deposited j and the chief officers of state and religion were buried in excavations , near the remains of their masters . The animals whom the Jj-gyptians most reverenced had also a place assigned them near the highest personages of the land as we find that at the Labyrinth the bodies of the Kings and the sacred crocodiles rested together m the subterraneous chambers .

      The Sphinx " restored , " as an architect would say , will give an idea of the author ' s descriptive power in matters of art . The Sphinx is , next to the Pyramids , the most remarkable object which the hill of Gizeh exhibits . It is near the eastern edge of the platform on which they stand , and its head is turned towards tho river . It is nearly in a line with the southern side of the second pyramid , hut on somewhat lower ground , and has been excavat ed out of one of the faces of the Libyan chain . Its elevation of forty feet above the present level ofthe soil serves as a measure of the extent of rock which has been cut away to build tho pyramids . Neither Herodotus , nor Diodorus , nor any ancient author before the Roman age , mentions it ; and as it is now known from its

      inscription to be at least as old as the reign of Thothmes IV ., we learn the hazard of relying on negative arguments merely in proof ofthe non-existence of monuments of antiquity . In its present state , with only the head and shoulders visible above the sand , which is accumulated hy the western winds in the hollow space around it , the original form and dimensions of the Sphinx cannot be recognised . But a , few years ago , by the exertions of Caviglia , the sand was celared away , and some important discoveries made . Approaching from the Nile when all was uncovered , a sloping descent cut in the rock for 135 feet ended in a flight of thirteen stops and a level platform , from which another flight of thirty steps

      descended to the space betwixt tho Sphinx ' s feet . This gradual approach , during which the figure of the Sphinx was kept constantly in the spectator's view , rising above him as he descended , was well adapted to heighten the impression made by its colossal size , its posture of repose , and calm majestic expression of countenance . The height from the platform between the protruded paws and the top of the heail is sixty-two feet ; the paws extend fifty feet , and the body is 140 feet long , being excavated from the rock , excepting a portion of the back and the fore-paws , which have been cased with hewn stone . The countenance is now so much mutilated that the outline of the features can with difficulty be

      traced ; but there is no reason to believe that they exhibited more ofthe Negro conformation than belongs to the Egyptian physiognomy generally . The head has been covered with a cap , the lower part of which remains ; and which probably terminated when entire in an erect uraeus , such as is seen in the figure of the Sphinx on the tablet which represents the offerings of Thothmes and Rameses . It had originally a beard , fragments of which were found below . Tho space between the protruded paws appears to have served as a temple , in which , at least in later times , sacrifices were performed to the mysterious deity . Immediately under the breast stood a granite tablet , and another of limestone on either side resting against the paws .

      The History Of Winchelsea, One Of The An...

      The History of Winchelsea , one of the Ancient Towns added to the Cinque Ports , By W . D . Cooper , F . S . A . London : Smith . Among the most interesting of our ancient towns , whether their mercantile or their political importance be considered , are the Cinque Ports . Although not originally one of the " Cinque Ports" —for the five maritime towns on which Edward the Confessorconfirredthose especial privileges were , Sandwich , Dover , Hytbe , llomney , and Hastings—Winchelsea at as early a period was distinguished as a seaport ; and about the middle of the following century , that , together with Rye , was admitted to the same high station , and dignified with the same title : —the Cinque Ports , from thenceforth being actually seven .

      Although not mentioned in the Saxon Chronicle , nor by name in Doomsday , "Winchelsea was certainly a town in Saxon times ; King Edgar having had a mint there , and it having been granted by the Confessor , together with the adjacent town of Rye , to the abbot and monks of Feschamp . In Doomsday , this town is mentioned as " a new burgh , " having sixtyfour burgesses . Extensive salt-works are also specified , and " a wood , yielding pannage for two hogs . " This must have been a very small portion of forest ; but the entry is curious , as

      supplying proof of one having existed in those parts , and extended even to the brink of tbe sea . This is supposed to have been the ferest called Dymsdale , which extended beyond Hastings ; and " near Pett , at low water , during spring tides , the remains of a wood may be seen embedded in the sand , consisting of oak , beech , and fir , the former sound and nearly black ; and on the whole line of this coast , wherever ditches and d ykes have been cut in the marshes , the roots and limbs of forest trees have been met with in vast numbers . " The town of Winchelsea at tho time

      of the Conquest , and for centuries after , was a most convenient port for communication with France . The first Plantagenct , on Stephen ' s death , landed here ; and his sons always bestowed on it their especial favour . Probabl y it was from this circumstance of Plantagenet landing there when he came , not to contest , but to assume the crown , that Winchelsea was indebted for her admission among the Cinque Ports , and consequent participation in their rights and privileges . In the reign of John , old Winchelsea was in the height of its prosperity . An old writer , Norden , states that it

      then contained seven hundred householdersa rather large number in those early days , when none save those compelled by trade resided in towns , and when households were far larger than now . During the wars of John with his barons , the Cinque Ports sided with the king . In the struggle under Simon de Montfort , the Cinque Ports , however , took part with the barons in the cause of freedom . Meanwhile , a succession of storms , attended by heavy tides , did much injury to the old town ! and even as early as 123 G , we find that the sea was encroaching on the adjacent marshes . In October , 1250 ,

      however—The moon being in prime , the sea passed her accustomed boundaries , flowing twice without ebb , and made eo horrible a noise that it was heard a great way within land , not without the astonishment of the oldest man who heard it . Besides this , at dark at night the sea seemed to be a li ght-fire , and to burn , inasmuch that it was past the mariner ' s skill to save the ships ; and to omit others , at a p lace called lluckeburn ( probably East or Hitlieriiourne ) , three noble and famous ships were swallowed up by the violent rising of the waves aud were drowned ; and at Winchelsea a certain haven , eastward , besides cottages for salt , fishermen ' s huts ,

      •• ridges , and mills , above 300 houses , by the violent rising of the waves , were drowned . It is probable that at this inundation Lromhill church was lost . Matthew Paris tells us , that on the octave of the Epiphany also , in the year 1252 , during the day and night a terrible south-west wind prevailed , that it drove the ships from their anchorage , raised the roofs of houses , many of which were thrown down , uprooted completely the largest trees , deprived churches ot their spires , made the lead to move , and did other great damage by land , and especially

      at the port of Winchelsea , '' which is of such use to England , and above all , to the inhabitants of London , " the waves of the sea broke its banks , swelling the neighbouring rivers , knocked down the mills and the houses ,, and carried away a number of drowned men . And at the close of the following ye : ir the sea again broke its bounds , and left so much salt upon the land , that in the autumn ot 1254 the wheat and other crops could not be gathered as usual ; and even tho forest trees and hedges could not put out their full foliage .

      It does not seem , however , that the inhabitants suffered so greatly as mig ht have been supposed . They sent forth their vessels during the subsequent year , and swept " tho narrow seas , " to the sore dismay both oi' countrymen and foreigners , to whom the very name of " mariner of the Cinque Ports" was " a word of fear . " They wore , indeed , ferocious pirates ; and subsequently to the battle of Evesham , Prince Edward attacked Winchelsea , and put the chief inhabitants to the sword . This , perhaps , added to the still encroaching inundations , completed the ruin of tho old town . Soon after Edward ' s accession , measures

      The History Of Winchelsea, One Of The An...

      were taken for the transfer of the town to . a more favourable site ; nor were they premature , for , in 1287 , the sea rose so high that the greater part of Winchelsea was submerged . The site chosen for the new town was " a hill at a place in the adjoining parish of Icklesham , then called Ham . It was principally an uneven sandstone rock , fit onl y for , and used as , a rabbit-warren . " It is now , however , table-land , " and seems tohavebeenmadelevel by using the surface stone for the buildings required in the new town . The whole land ultimately assigned was 150 acres . " The

      description of this new town is very interesting . It was surrounded by a stone wall on all sides except that which commanded the sea ; and along this side an earthen rampart was carried , with spaces between , apd which doubtless were intended for tho cross-bowmen in case of invasion . A castle guarded the northwest corner . There were within the walls two " greens "—one of twelve acres , called "the King's green , " and another called " Cook's Green . " Water was supplied from six open wells—to ono of which , St . Leonard ' s Well , was appended the popular belief , which yet

      remains , that whoever drinks its waters , never leaves the town , or eke , leaving , ever longs to come back . There wore two markets , several windmills , and a goodly number of churches and convents . The ground on which new Winchelsea was built was divided into thirty-nine parts ; and the exact sites of the streets and places , together with the names of the first owners , are fully set out in a return made in the 20 th Edward I . ( 1292 ) . Mr . Cooper has given large extracts from this important roll , and the complete list of names of

      the first householders iu the " new , " but . now ancient town . These last are curious to tho inquirers into "the history of surnames . ' ' The English names are mostl y derived from places or from trades . Nicknames , so common at the period , are not to be found in this roll—except in one instance , where two persons , probably mother and son , bear the name "Piggestayle . " One lady of the name of Lucy , is specified as being also called " Douce Martin "—perhaps from her kind disposition . It is a curious feature in this roll , that in a list of above seven hundred householders

      between fifty and sixty should be women . If they were all in independent circumstances , the general prosperity of that period must have been far greater than that of modern times ; but if , as seems more likely , some must have been engaged in trade , it would be a not uninteresting task to attempt to ascertain what trades they followed . That they were women of good character is evident from their being allowed to keep house loitldn tho city ; and as they appear to have been very equally distributed throughout the various quarters , it seems to us to prove that in those early days the widows or daughters of tradesmen , where there were no sons , carried on

      the business of the husband or father . In the ancient rules of some ofthe London companies , there are very admirable provisions to this effect , which prove that the chivalrous feeling—we speak of it in its higher manifestation—pervaded all society , and that women were not shut up in the convent , as their only asylum , as has generally been supposed . The names of these female burgesses afford strong proof that Winchelsea was at this period inhabited by a foreign as well as a native population . " The new town soon realised the hopes of its founders , " —and new Winchelsea , even as the old , retained its superiority among the Cinque Ports : —

      When Edmund , the king s brother , was about to sail for Gascony , the king , on the 3 rd of September , 1294 , directed the ships ofthe five ports to attend him . A general writ was directed to the warden of the Cinque Poits : and there was a separate writ to the barons and bailiffs ofthe two most important ofthe ports , Winchelsea and Sandwich , An account of the Cinque Ports' ships furnished for this expedition is preserved among the MSS . in Carlton

      House Ride , in a petition for payment of the wages to the seamen for going and returning , between the 7 th of March and the 3 rd of May , viz ., sixpence a day for each master , sixpence for each constable , and threepence for every seaman . No less than fifty ships were furnished ; of which Winchelsea supplied thirteen , Sandwich twelve , Dover seven , Rye seven , Itomney five , Hythe three , and Hastings t ' iree .

      1 he names of these Winchelsea vessels , with those of their masters and constables , are given , —as also some others . In most cases the names of saints appear to have been assigned to vessels , —probably by way of placing them under their especial protection ; when this is not the case , such names as the Falcon , La Blithe , and La Lightfote were given . Winchelsea during the reign of Edward the Third stood prominent in naval conflicts , both with the French and with Spanish fleets . It was off Winchelsea that the celebrated engagement with the Spaniards in August , 1350—when Edward , assisted by the Black Prince , gained so complete a victory—took plftCCi Unwe ^

      Winchelsea subsequently suffered severely from the attacks of the French , —and towards the close of this century its importance seems to have declined . It now became a favourite port for pilgrims bound to the shrine of St . James of Compostella . The numbers that went may be imagined from the single entry of a licence in 1456 to Simon Farncombe to carry fourscore pilgrims to St . James's , in the good ship La Helene , of Winchelsea . In the same year ships bound to the same destination went also from Portsmouth , Weymouth , Plymouth , and Bristol . The day of new Winchelsea ' s prosperity was , however ,

      now rapidly passing away , — . even as that of the old ; but , singularly enough , from a directly opposite cause . The ancient town was submerged ; but from the new town the sea graduall y receded , until at length it was left " high and dry , "—the sand in time becoming marsh land , until in 1575 Lambard declared that "there were not above sixty households standing , and these for tho most part poorly peopled , all which happened by reason of the sea having forsaken the town . " Since this time the sea has receded nearl y another mile , and it is now a mile and a quarter from Winchelsea . —At the last census the number of

      inhabitants was 687 , with only 127 inhabited houses . There is something melancholy in this story of an ancient and important town sinking twice into ruin in the midst of the growing prosperity of the country to which it belongs .

      Zenobia ; Or The] Full Of Palmyra. Parlo...

      Zenobia ; or the ] Full of Palmyra . Parlour Library . London : Simms and M'Intyre . This is a standard and highly-esteemed work . It brings vividly before the reader a by-gone stage of civilisation . Prio , the imagined author of tho letters , is described as a noble Roman who visited Palmyra at tho close of the third century—to have become acquainted with Tonobia and her court when at the height of her magnificence and power—to have seen the city in all its glory—and lastly , to have witnessed its destruction by Aurelian in the year 273 . The work is agreeabl y written , and shows an intimate knowledge of classic history , as well as great powers of description ; and we recommend it as a capital fireside book for the winter evenings .

      An Appeal To (He Members Of The Stofasky...

      An Appeal to ( he Members of the Stofasky Mechanic Institute , by their late Secretary , and now expelled Member , George Twedell . Richardson , Middlesboro . Ix appears that Mr . Twedell was too blunt in his speech for the delicate respectability of the Committee of the . Stokosley Institute , and was therefore expelled . He appeals against this decision in a very vigorous manner ; and it appears to us , that the Institute will lose more by the transaction than Mr , Twedell ,

      If A Man Could Have Half His Wishes He W...

      If a man could have half his wishes he would double his troubles .

      Vavmm

      vavmm

      Cow Ajate?M' Kwo, ~Sittids Upon A Rock S...

      coW AJate ? m ' KWo , ~ SittiDS upon a rock s 5 ppins rtl ' wi ^ n * had been *> ut t 0 the rack ' " thetorse said after standing all night at an empty Why is a dentist likely to be a melancholy man ? —Because he always looks down in the mouth . Bkandit is well named . Brandy drinkers ever show red eyes , it should be written brand-eye A tradesman in Bedford , having bought a large quantity of foreign lard , has discovered that it is extensively adulterated with rice . Destiny . — The scapegoat which wo make responsible for all our crimes and follies ; a necessity which we set down for invincible , when we h ave no wish to strive against ; it .

      A Hit . — "You have stolen my soul , divine one !" exclaimed Mr . Sickly to Miss Sensible . "Pardon mo " responded the lady , " I am not in the habit of picking up little things . In London there are 3 , 000 omnibuses , eacli running a distance of sixty miles , and carrying 300 passengers per day , or altogether 300 . 000 , 000 in the

      year . Hatiibr too Habd . —The editor of a down-east paper , a bachelor , says , "the reason why the women do not cut themselves in two by light lacing is , because they lace around the heart , and that is so hard they cannot affect it . " Never trim tbe hair from the ear of your horse . It is placed there by nature to protect the orifice and drum of the ears from insects , dirt , and sudden change of weather . Good fuom Evil . —An artilleryman was obliged to undergo amputation . Seeing the attendants carrying off his leg , ho called out —• " I say , comrade , give me back my shoe : 1 had only on ? pair—thatwill now make me two . "

      A Man in Michigan , not long since , committed suicide by drowning . As the body could not be found , the coroner held an inquest on his hat and jacket , found on the bank of tho lake . Verdict"Pound empty . " California . —An Irishman writing from California , says : — " It ' s an illegant counthvy . The bed bugs are as big as dinner pots , while the fleas are used for crossing creeks with—one hop , an * they are over with two on their backs . '' More Zeal without Discretion . —Wehave latelyheard of a Protestant with rather more sincerity than judgment , who has just discharged an old and faithful servant because the poor fellow happens to have a Roman nose !—Punch

      A Roland fob . an Oliver . — " When sre you going to commence the pork business ? " asked a person of another , who had a sty in the eye . — "Explain , " said the afflicted one . — "Why , I see you have your sty ready . "— " True , " was the reply , '' I have got a hog in my eye now . " Useful Recipes . —A foreign paper gives the following as aorereign remedies for afflicting diseases ; — "For the gout , toast and water ; hooping cough , ipecacuanha ; bile , exercise ; corns , easy shoes ; blue devils , employment ; rheumatism , patience and new flannel ; toothache , pluck it out ; debt , retrenchment ; love , matrimony . Porpoise Leather and Oil : — The leather

      tanned from the skin of the white porpoise , specimens of which were exhibited at the Quebec mechanical fair , attracted general attention . The strength and the beautiful fini .-h of the leather were much admired ; it is equal in the latter respect to the finest calf-skin , and in the former quality is much superior , —Quebec Gazette , Religious Warmth . —An advertisement in the Times announces a plan for heating churches by means of hot water . We wonder if the patentee has any testimonial to show from Mr . Bennett , or or any other of the Puseyite priests who have introduced into the Church more hot water thon has been known there for the last hundred years . — Punch .

      Get Knowledge . — ' In one of my visits , very early in life , to that venerable master , Dr . Pepusch , " says Dr . Burney , "he gave me a short lesson , that made go deep an impression that I long endeavoured to practice it . ' When I was a young man , ' said he , ' I determined never to go to bed at night till I knew something that I did not know in the morning . '" Dividing the Spoils . —The following , though old , will be interesting to those who are fond of sausages : —A lady having purchased some sausages of a couple of boys , overheard them talking about the money . — " Give me half of it , " says one . "I won ' t , " said the other . — "Now that ain ' t fair , you know 'taint , Jo . for half the pup was mine . "

      Lord Braox . —One morning a party came into the public rooms , at Buxton , somewhat later thaa usual , and requested some tongue . They wore told that Lord Byron had eaten it all . "I am very angry with his lordship , " said a lady , loud enough for him to hear Hie obspvvation . " I am sorry for it madam , " retorted Lord Byron ; "but before I ate the tongue I was assured you did not want it . " Curious Ordeal in India—There is a curious ordeal in India , which shows the action of fear upon tho salivary glands . If a wrong is committed , the suspected persons are got together , and each is required to keep a quantity of rice in his mouth for a certain time , and then put it out nrain ; and with tho greatest certainty , the man who has done the deed puts it out almost dry , in consequence of the fear of his mind keeping back the saliva .

      Dumestick Reseat . —Ta Cure Tongues . —Tack yer tongue , if it be a longan , an keep it nicely within yer teeth for two full calender munths . After that tack it to where theaze a tea drinking , an , if yo find , when yo want ta uze it , at its not shorter with pickle , go home direcktly , and tack it between yer teeth , ( nah mind , this iz varry important)—that bein done , let sumady fetch yo a good saand rap ovver ' t top at head we a rowlin pin an if ' t tongue end bleeds , or flies off , its a sign its cured . —Pogmoor Olmcnach . Bookbindikg . —Messrs . Leighton and Son , Shoo

      Lane , London , have invented a waterproof cloth , for covering books , that is not affected by damp or wet , and from which even spots of ink may be wiped off . It is not so liable to fade as ordinary cloth , but preserves its freshness and beauty for a much longer period . Mr . Starr , of the American Bible Society , New York , has invented two machines , one for backing books , and the other for finishing them . Both machines perform well , and execute good work ; they will be exhibited at the World's Pair , ne ^ tyear , in London .

      A Wise Choicr . —A lady wrote to her son recently , requesting him to look out for a young lady , respectably connected , possessed of various elegant accomplishments and acquirements , skilled in the languages , a proficient in music , and above all of an unexceptionable moral character ; and to make her an offer of £ 20 a year for her services as governess . The son wrote in reply as follows : — "My dear Mother , —I have long been looking out for such a person as you describe : and when I have had the good fortune to meet with her , I propose to make an offer , cot of £ 20 a year , but of my hand , and to ask her to become , not your governess , hut my wife . "

      Hb that does good to another man , docs good also to himself ; not only in tho consequence , but even in the vfry act of doing it ; for the conscience of welldoing is an ample reward . —Seneca . A Miserable old l . idy , during the war , kept an inn , One day a famished soldier called on her for something to ' eat . Some bones , that had been pretty well picked , were placed before him . After finishing his dinner , a little son of the landlady , noticing that the soldier found it very difficult to make out much of a dinner , put some money m his band as he stepped out of the door . When his mother came in , he asked her how much it was worth to pick those old bones . "A shilling , my dear , " said the old lady , expecting to receive the money . "I thought so , " replied the boy . " and I gave the old soldier a shilling for doing so . "

      The New Englander gives a rhapsody proceeding from a western editor , on the birth of his first Child : — " I am this day multiplied hy two—I am a duplicate—lam numberoneof an indefinite series , and there is my continuation ! And , you observe , it is not a block , nor a block-head , nor a painting , nor a bust , nor a fragment of anything , however beautiful , but a combination of the arfs and sciences in onepainting , sculpture , music ( hear him cry !) , mineralogy , chemistry , mechanics ( see him kick' ) , geography and the use of the globes ( gee him nurse !) , And withal , he is a perpetual motion—a timepiece that will never run down ! And who wound him up ?" ecclesiastical Statistics . In England there is , in connexion with the Establishment , one clergyman for every 333 adherents , at an income of £ 431 each , on an average , or £ 1 , 200 , 000 per mih ' on adherents .

      In IreIiand , the Church of England has a clergyman for every 235 adherents , maintained at an average income of £ 850 , or at the rate of £ 3 , 250 , 000 for every million of her adherents . The CrtuRCff of England maintains one prelate for every 23 , 000 of its adherents ; and in Ireland there is a prelate fnr every 28 , 000 adherents . In Catholic France there is one clergyman for everv 1500 of the population ; there salary from the Stato being from £ 14 per annum for the lowest Cures , to £ f ) 00 each for the highest class of Bishops , the average yielding cC 56 15 S . each . In Italy , there is one clergyman for every IT . 0 ot thepopulaiion , and there average income , mciuding that of the dignitaries , being £ 55 each , or £ 40 , 000 million of adherents .

      per . According to a general estimate given by the Popular Encyclopaedia , there are , in the entire Christian world . 124 , 072 , 000 of Catholics , whose clergy receive £ 0 , 100 , 000 per annumn ; a 4 000 , 000 ot Protestants , whose clerical revenues are £ 11 , 000 , 000 ; and 41 500 , 000 members ofthe Greek Church .. \ vho > e priests receive £ 76 . 000 . Of the allowance to tho Protestant clergy , the Church of En ^ hnd pays £ *] 500 , 000 , bmig more by a million thin tl e Tope and all the priests under him derive , r . i . d ivarly two-thirds of the entire sum paid by all the ViolestanU '' rid besidesi

  • Citation
    • Northern Star (1837-1852), Dec. 14, 1850, page 3, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns2_14121850/page/3/