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Northern Star (1837-1852), 13th December 1845, Edition 3 of 4, Page 3, * » . n NOTICE. Poetical Contributions f...

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      Racemmjb 13, 1845. The Northern Istar. »...

      _racEMMJB 13 , 1845 . THE NORTHERN iSTAR _. _» .- — _.- ; _,

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      ""^ ^ Beadties Op Byron. Ko. Xxiu. *'Chi...

      _""^ _^ BEADTIES OP BYRON . KO . XXIU . *' CHILDE BASOLS . " _ffe continue our extracts from the fourth Canto descrip lire of Rome : here is a picture of THE _JASTHEOS , Simple , erect , severe , austere , sublime—Sh _rineofaU saints and temple of all gods , _jrom Jove to Jesus—spared and blest by time , _Looking _tranquility , while falls ornods Arcli empire , each thing round thee , and man plods _jis _wav through thorns to ashes—glorious dome ! Shalt thou not lastl Time ' s scythe and tyrants' rod 9 _ShvKT upon thee—sanctuary and home nfftrt aud piety—Pantheon 1—Pride of Rome !

      ST . TZTESt ' B . Hat lo the dome—the vast and wond _' rous dome . To which Diana ' - , marvel was a cell Christ ' s m ' _shly shrine abov » his martyr ' s tomb I 1 have beheld the Ephesian ' s miracle-Its columns strew the wilderness and dwell The hysena and the jackal ! in tlieir shade 3 Ihave beheld Sophia ' s bright roofs swell Their glittering massi' the sun , and have _surrey'd Its sanctuary the while the usurping Moslem pray * d But thou of temples old , or altars new , Staudest alone—with nothing like to thee— . # # * _ . - - « - ¦

      _ _,. THE VATICAN . Or , turning to the Vatican , go see Laoeoon ' s torture dignifying pain—A father ' s love and mortal ' s agony _AYith aninmortal ' spatience bending : —Tain The Struggle ; vain , against the coiling strain And gripe , and deepening ofthe dragon ' s grasp , The old man ' s clinch ; the long envenomed chain llivets the living links , —the enormous asp Enforces pang on pang and stifles gasp on gasp . Or view the Lord ofthe unerring bow _. The God of life , and poesy , and _lixht—The Sun in human liinbi arrayed , and brow All radiant from his triumph in the fight The shaft hath jnst bean shot—the arrow bright "With an immortal ' s vengeance ; in his eye And nostril _beaitiful dislain . and might And majesty , flash their fuU lightnings by , Developing in that one glance the Deity .

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

      THE COLISEUM . I see before me the Gladiator lie : He leans upon his hand—his manly brow Consents to death , hut conquers agony , And his droop'd head sinks gradually low—And through his side the last drops , ebbing slow From the red gasb , fall heavy , ene by one , Like the first of a thunder-shower ; and now The araia swims around liim—he is gone , Ere ceased the inhuman shout which hail'd the wretch who iron .

      He heard it , hut he heeded not—his eyes Were with his heart , and that was far away . He _Teck'd not of the life he lost nor prize , Bnt where his ruie hut hy theDanube lay . There were his young barbarians all at play , There was their Dacian mother—he , their sire , Eulclier'd to mate a Homam holiday!—AU this rnsh'd with liis blood . —Shall lie expire And unavenged f—Arise I ye Goths , and glut your ire . ' # * # * " While stands the Coliseum , Rome shall stand ; "When falls the Coliseum , Roma shall fall ; And when Rome falls—the " World . " From our own land Thus spake the pilgrims o'er this mighty waU In Saxon times , which we are wont to caU Anciesi : and these three mortal things are still On their foundations and unalter'd aU ; Rome and her Ruin past Redemption's skiU , The World , the same wide deu—of thieves , or what ye will .

      * » . N Notice. Poetical Contributions F...

      * _» . n NOTICE . Poetical Contributions for our " CnniSTMAS _Gaela _^!)" must be at the OlHceof this Paper by , or before , _ December the 15 th .

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      The Purgatory Of Suicides. A Fnisos - Rn...

      THE PURGATORY OF SUICIDES . A _Fnisos - _RnrME ix Tux Books . By Thomas Coopeh _, Vie _Chartht . London : J . How , 132 , Fleet-street . ** It is now more than three months since we commenced our review of Air . Cooper ' s remarkable poem . If we have lingered long on onr way , our readersmustimpuU . it to the difficulty we have felt in tearing ourselves from a pleasing theme . Moreover , we desired to make known , as far as consistently we couH do , the beauties of Air . Cooper s epic io our readers , that so the many thousands who cannot afford to give seven shillings and sixpence for the poem , might know , at least , something of its scope and merits . Wemust , however , add , that we should not have ventured to have extracted so largely from the poem as we have done , had we not had All * . _Cooi-ek ' s permission to do so . " The "Puisatorv of Suicides" lias caused an extraordinary sensation . The author was known to belomr to the working classes ; and on tne title-page

      of his poem he avowed himself to be a * onanist . Curiosity was , therefore , naturally excited as to the ¦ sort of poem a Chartist shoemaker could write . Moreover , tbe public pretty generally knew whatkmu ef Chartist Thomas _CoorEi _* . had been . He had been no mealy-mouthed , " moral , " canting adventurer , but a _stcrliinr , straightforward democrat , who had dared to tell the whole truth and suffer ior it . ne had been thc oracle and leader of starving but intelligent and resolute multitudes , who , tinder hid teaching aud guidance , had made famous , as a stronghold of "Chartism , one of England ' s most ancient and celebrated town ? . „ , .. __ , n The _cbiv-uric _clmrnefcr sained hy _^ aasiAS COOPER in Leicester , was maintained by him on the two occasions , when _arrainned asa " criminal" on charges arising out of tluftroubles of IS _£ _*; parheu arly on Lis second trial . At that trial the struggle between _Mmsrif . _single-handed _, and the formidable array o

      "ie"al talent" opposed to him , lasted ten days ; anu the name of " Thomas _Coornn _, the Chartist , rang through the land ; made subject lor public wonder bvhis " insolent daring , " m combatting _«***« _aidtvrroinvof the legal bloodhounds enipo } cd to

      _^ CoorSpoliti but his prison acts have already made him famous Heretofore his popularity was confined t _, a paitj Lathis _"Pur-Kitory of Suicides' has acme * , ed toi him popularity with the public , including _«« classes and panics . , , ,. „ . ii Onr estimate of this noem must be pretty wei known to the readers of the Star by this tune , ana it is not necessary that we should add many words to -what we have , from timeto time , expressed when _dvins extracts fiom the several " books . ' or cantos . What in addition wehave to say we shah nest express bv a few words of comment on the very * 'b _* e _» evi _•« oi _' the poem which appeared iu _^ * 6 nto _™« . and which was copied into this paper o the Lrffe ot _September . Tlic following are tae points ot ine

      Britannia s review : — _Tverei-eatit emp hatically tliat Thomas Cooper is one of those great poets , stamped by _nature ' s own fan *™* f _^ monedbySchoolS , nottaugh tbylabOurtoStnnSil . 2 n _« s _to-ether but _pouring forth from the fulness of Ins own _rafnd and heart a torrent of burning and _unpetoou . The _™»™ is written In the Spenserian _atan-za . Grander and more nervous than "Childe Harold , ' which in it * reflective passages , it somewhat resembles-evidencm much deeper reading , much _profounder _tuoft , _^' _Sre- _^ rpower of the iWWe - » J die t _ui-ribla in ¦ sprcs _sioa , though _vrifli l _^ beaut ? oi 0 !; tic ima = iT tU Prison Rhvme comes nearer than any other poem in oui

      _lanraase t _« the grand works of Milton . * * * Our judgment may bs disputed- the world _maydisregard tliis mighty and Sarins effort of an irregular hut h > frv genius , _though we do not think It win—yet "sit we * sl __ dl hold to our opinirm , that this » rnson Kbynv , is the most wonderful effort of intellectual power produced within the last century . * * . * fe not to be _ligbtly read ; it is not to le placed « young hands . "We might even be _disposed to wish it iad ne * . or teen written . But here it is , full of power -fall ot _doqueacc , fall of grand detached _passages—beyond all _question tlie most singular poem in the Eng lish language . 4 * * * _LetusfraisWy _. withallitsiaults , acknowledge this " IWson Rhyme" to be oae of tbe most _wonderful productions of which the world has preserveu

      record . "With much of the above we heartily concur , as in ; deed we concur with much of the entire * re _% ie , \' but , we cannot go with the Britannia m exa « _w „ Thomas _Cooi'eb above all our English poets suoscqnent to _AIiltox—even Err . ox '" " _Comparisons are odious , " and we will not compare the merits ot the Purgatory of _Sufritft'swith those of Childe Harold ; we shall content ourselves with _expressing our dissen _^ from the _judgment of the Britannia . But _abc-mas Ce 6 ?_ EE mav be a areat poet , and stiil interior to Etlox . Let us add , wc know what IjTROS _. poet , h , hist we know not what Thomas Cooxek

      The Purgatory Of Suicides. A Fnisos - Rn...

      may yet be . We believe that had _Btron lived only ten yews longer than he did , marvellous as are the works he has left us , he would have exceeded even those wondrous productions . Thomas Cooper ' s first poem is certainly greatly superior to more than the nrst poetical work of _Bxito . f ; what his future poems —one , at least , we are sure of—mav prove to be , it would be idle now to speculate . But we must hold , otherwise we shall fall into the error of " comparisons" we promised to avoid . The poetical merits of the Purgatory of Suicides are great , but , in our humble opinion , not nearly so great as estimated bythe Britannia critic . Its faults , we think , are mostly comprised in the

      objections advanced by the Atkenceum , and some of those advanced by the Nation—vk , an excess of " swellin _g phraseology , " and a very cloud of words , which , if tbey he English ; ninety-nine out of every hundred Englishmen willneverthelcss be unable to understand ; such as "inchoate , " " esperance , " "frore , " " pulchritude , " " infract , " " yare , " " aidant , " " pule , " " perdurably , " " obtest , " " bedazed , " " preen , " " conglobated , " " operose , " "demiurgic , " and many others "too numerous to mention . " We confess to having . had to read more than one stanza twice or thrice over before we could comprehend the author ' s meaning . These , however , are delects which Mr . Cooper may easily avoid in future .

      The opening or reflective passages in each book are generally the most purely poetical , and generally , too , the plainest and simplest in their phraseology . Indeed , it is usually where the poem is weakest in poetical merit that the greatest number of outlandish wordsare found . Wecould have liked that there had been more of such poetry as the apostrophe to the robin , opening the " _t ' ourth book . " We must add tbat some of the descriptive passages are very fine , though , usually , too elaborate . Some of the declamatory stanzas are also poetically grand ; we must particularly notice the outburst of Coxdorczt , in the fifth book . The six stanzas commencing

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

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

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

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

      We had prepared a summary of the opinions of such of our contemporaries as have reviewed this poem , with some commems of our own thereon ; but the many demands upon-our space compel us to exclude it . * We conclude this notice with the finishing stanzas of the poem . As already described in previous extracts , the denizens of Hades are met to celebrate the triumph of brotherhood , freedom , and happiness ; the following " chauut" concludes the poem : — "All hail the glorious power of Gentleness , * Of Pity and Mercy , Goodness , Love , and Truth !• Knowledge aU hail , and Eeason fetterless , — Philanthropy , that yearned with god-like ruth O ' er suffering—Patriotism , whose eloquent mouth , Bold heart , and sinewed hand dissolved the thrall Of Tyrants!—Genius , Song , and Wisdom sooth , AU hail!—Great sources of old EvU ' s fall—Men , spirits , hymn your power , in jocund festival !

      "Earth ' s children raise their universal song Of love and joy : mountain , and strand , and sea Are vocal witli your praise ! Spirits prolong The strain : through endles 3 life they anthem ye—Their endless after life of jubilee : And hymning ye our essences enhance Still more tlie measure of their ecstasy , — Assured more deeply of their heritance , The more their joyous thought hath joyous utterance ! " Spirits , still more rejoice . ' for pain and woe Are gone , and universal life doth bloom With joy

      !"—The dream _o'erwroujht me to a throe Of bliss , —and I awoke to Hud my home A dungeon , —thence to ponder when would come The day that Goodness shall the earth renew And Truth ' s young light disperse old Error ' s gloom , When Love shall Hate , and Meekness Pride subdue , — And when the Many cease their slavery to the Few !

      Wise Saws And Modern Instances. By Thoma...

      WISE SAWS AND MODERN INSTANCES . By Thomas Cooper , the Chartist . London : J . How , 209 , Piccadilly . These are a series of homely tales told in homely language ; but , though p lain in outward garb , they enshrine . precious gems of wit and wisdom , _philanthropy-, and pathos . The scene of most of the stories is laid in " Old Lincolnshire , " the remainder , chiefly in Leicestershire . '' Nearly all the characters sketched are ¦ real , —some of them in their very names ; and the few adventures allotted to them are devoid of romance and intricacy , because they seldom exceed fact . " The moral of * each tale has generally a political signification , directed against some giant wrong , or popular error , and the work may be regarded as another and valuable contribution , by Mr . Cooper , to the cause of mental freedom , _^ political right , and social justice . The work is dedicatedto

      _3 > orG _ - ___ S J ___ lBO _ -X > . My friend , _heart-hoinasc , in this simple strain _* I yield thee for thy toil to aid the Right ! So long hath genius , with a guilty slight , Kissed by the thousands who life ' s load _sustain Of scorn ' and indigence , —to court the vain And foppish crowd , —or laud , in phrases dight With fulsome flattery , some pampered wight Who counts himself for polished porcelain , — The poor for vulgar clay ! A nobler path , — Disdaining hireling censure , hireling praise , — Thou , for thvself hast chosen . Still , in faith

      That thy true toil shall hasten the boon days Of brotherhood renewed , brother , toil on!—AH upright hearts give thee blythe _benison ! The opening tale is entitled " Kucky Sarson , the Barber ; or , the Disciple of Equality ; " ana illustrates the difference between talking about equality , and _actin" in the soirit thereof . "Tim Swallow Whistle , the tailor of _Ilorncastle , who , being suspected ot sedition , falls into povertv and trouble , but ultimately rights himself , and sees his enemy fall , illustrates- the adage , " Every dog has his day . " " Davy Lidgitt , the Carrier , " is the story of a man who brought his nineDence to nought , by being in too great a hurry to become rich . " The Fisherman anil the tiddler is i cheerful storv of two originals locating at lorksey .

      The fisherman is always getting into some scrape through not minding the « ' wise saw "o f the blind fiddle ? , " Don't say so till you arc sure . Moreover , the fiddler has one favourite _stnns : he plays upon to the tune of "Divide the land equally . " , which he had learned from a wondrous wise man , _hisgodmothers rrandfather , who used to argue that God Almightvgave the world to everybod _y and thatthe rich had _' stolen the poor ' s share of the land . ane Beggared Gentleman" is ably written ; the untoitunate man ' s address to his " Crooked Stick _lsvery pathetic . " The _Hjstory of Cockle Tom , " showing the nurture of a _youns English sailor , is a capital storv ; we are inclined " to think the best in the work ; it will be read with delight , especially by tne young . "The Last Davs ' of an Old Sailor" would be a

      pleasing tale but for its painful finish ; the more painful because ths author assures us that the hero of his storv is no imaginary character , but a man who lived . - . nd _' died in thc town of Gainsborough , as described in this story—another victim of that infernal system which the wretched inmates of _poorhotiscs have to submit to . "The Minister cf Mere ? " is a pen »»«

      Wise Saws And Modern Instances. By Thoma...

      ink portrait of the celebrated dissenting minister , Robert Eall , showing him engaged in the benevolent work of providing for the poor and unfortunate of Leicester . In the course of his philanthropic labours he encounters a friend , who is an unbeliever in religion , but endowed with a large portion of tlie " milk of human kindness . " He contributes largely to a relief fund , which the " M inister of Mercy" is collecting , indeed the sum he contributes is much larger than any sum the Minister can obtain from any of the religious and wealthy manufacturers . In the course ofa conversation between the sceptic and the Minister , on the hardness of heart towards the

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

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

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

      " I ' m aware there ' s a good deal o truth in that , " replied John ; " the names of things would be altered a good deal , if the world was set right : but , as wrong as things are now , yet I hope my lad will never steal , and have to be sentenced to transportation . I ' ve often had to hear him cry for bread , since he was born , and had none to give him ; but I would sooner see him perish with hunger than Hve to hear him transported , for I think it would break my heart;—and God Almighty forbid I ever should have to hear it !" " Goddle Mitey , " said George , pronouncing the syllables in a mocking manner , and setting up a bitter laugh , which was joined by every member of the group , except the mournful man who had just spoken ; " who told thee there was one 5 Thy grandmother and the parsons ? Don't talk such nonsense any more , John . ' it's time we all gave it over : they ' ve managed to grind men to the dust with their priestcraft , and we shall never be righted till we throw it off !"

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

      " Right , Benjamin , said George ; "they can ' t get quit of their difficulty , qnibblc as they may : if they bednub us with such nicknames as' Atheistical Socialists , ' we can defy them to make the riddle plainer by their own Jonathan Edwards , that they say good Robert Hall read over thirteen times , and pronouueed ' irrefragable . '" "Just so , " resumed Benjamin , "whether man be called a ' Creature of Circumstance , ' or a ' Creature of Necessity , ' it amounts to the same thing . And , then , none of the Arminian sects can make out a ca = e : they only prove thc same thing as the Calniiist and the Socialist , when their blundering argument is sifted to the bottom . "

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

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

      The father ran towards the soldier and his child ; and everv group on the Coal-hill was speedily iu motion when they saw and heard the father endeavouring to drag off the lad from tlie soldier , who seized the arm of his prize , and endeavoured to detain him . An increasing crowd soon hemmed in the party , —a great tumult arose , —and three policemen were speedily on the spot . " Stick to your resolution , my boy ! " cried the soldier , grasping the lad's arm with all his might ; " you'll never want bread nor clothes in the army . " "But he'll be a sold slave , and must he shot at , like a dog ! " cried the father , striving to rescue his child , —a pale , tall stripling , who seemed to be but sixteen or seventeen years of age .

      "Man-butcher!—Blood . hounn ! ' shouted several voices in the crowd : whereat the policemen raised their staves , and called aloud to the crowd to "stand back !" " I demand , in the ( Jucen ' s name , that you make this fellow loose his hold of my recruit ! " said the soldier , in a loud , angry tone , to the policemen ; two of whom seemed to be about obeying him , when , a dark , stem _, browed man among the crowd , of mueh more strong and sinewy appearance than the majority of the working multitude who composed it stepped forward , and said , — " Let any policeman touch him that dare ! If they do they shall repentit ! There ' s no law to prevent a father from taking hold ofhis own child ' s arm to hinder him from playing the fool !" The men in blue slunk back at these words ; and the soldier himself seemed intimidated at perceiving thi . father ' s cause taken up by an individual of such detetmination . " Tom . " said the determined man to the lad , " have you taken the soldier ' s money t " "Not yet , " answered the lad , after a few moments ' hesitation .

      " Then ho shall have my life before he has tlioo V said the father , whose heart leaped at tho answer , and infused so mueh strength into his arm , that with another pull be brought oft' his lad , entirely , from tho soldier ' s hold . The crowd now burst into a shout of triumph ; and when the soldier would have followed , to recapture his victim , the stern-browed man confronted him with a look of silent defiance ; and the _red-coat , after uttering a volley of oaths , walked off amidst the derision ofthe multitude . "Don't you think you were a fool , Tom , to be juggled with that cut-throat '( " said the stern-browed man to the lad , while the crowd gathered aromid him and his _fatht-r . " I wasn't so soon juggkd , "replied the lad ; "he ' s been at me this three months ; but 1 never yielded till this morning , whenl felt almost pined to death , and lie made me have some breakfast with him , —but he'll not get hold of mc again !" " That ' s right , my lad ! " said one of the crowd ; " the bloody rascals have not had two Leicester recruits these two years ; and I hope they'll never have another . " " No , no , our eyes are getting opened , " said another working-man ; " they may be able to kill us oil' by starvation , at home ; but I _hopn young and old will have too much sense , in future , to g ive or sell their bodies tc be shot at , for tyrants . " " Ay , ay , wc should soon set tha _loruiings fast , if all working-men refused to go for soldiers , " said another . " So we should , Smith |» sa a sedate-looking _elderlj man ; " that ' s more sen / Me _a , an talking of fighting _whei

      Wc Re No Weapons, Nor Money To Buy 'Em, ...

      wc re no weapons , nor money to buy ' em , nor strength to use ' em . " " Then we shall wait a long while for the Charter , if we wait , till we get it by leaving ' em no soldiers to keep _UB dOlVn , " said a young , bold-looking man , with a fiery look ; "for they'll always find plenty of Johnny Raws ready to list in the farming districts . " "And we shall wait a long " while still if we try to get it by lighting , under OUI- present circumstances , " answered the elderly man , in a firm tone ; " that could only make things worse , as all such fool ' s tricks have ended , before . " "You ' re right , Randal , you ' re right ! " cried several voices in the crowd ; and tlie advocate of the bugbear " physical force" said not another word on the subject _.

      "No , no , lads ! " continued the " moral force" man , "let us go on , telling ' em our miuds , without whispering , —and let us throw off their cursed priestcraft , —and the system will come to an end , —and belore long . But fighting tricks will he sure to fail ; because they ' re the strongest , —and they know it . " "Yes , it must end , —and very soon , " observed another working man ; " the shopkeepers won ' t be long before they join us ; for they begin to squeak , most woefully . " 'Tlie Sh _& pl _. _ecpers , lad !" said thc dark-looking man , who had confronted the soldier ; " never let us look for their help : there is not a spark of independence in any of 'em : they have had it in their power , by their votes , to have ended misrule , before now , if they had had the will . " "Poor devils ! they ' re all fast at their bankers ' , and dare no more vote against their tyrants than they dare attempt to fly , " said another .

      There is no dependence on any of the middle class , " said the dark-looking man , ' they S ' are as bad as the aristocrats . You see this last winter has passed over , entirely , without any subscription for the poor , again , —as severe a winter . as it has been . " " Ay , and work scarcer and scarcer every day , " ssid another . " Tlie ) 's _* iy tliere arc eight hundred out o _' lvork now , in Leicester , " said the elderly , sedate man , who had spoken before , " and I heard a manufacturer say there would be twice as many before the summer went over : but he added , that the people deserved to be pinched , since they would not join the Corn Law Repealers , " A burst of indignation , and some curses and imprecations , followed . " Dots he go to chapel ? " asked one . . "Yes ; and he ' s a member of the Charles-street meeting , " said the elderlv man .

      " 1 here ' s your religion , again !"— " There ' s yonr saintship !"—• 'There ' s your Christianity !"— "There ' s tlieir Providence and their Goddle Mitey !"—wero the varied indignant exclamations among the starved crowd , as soon as the answer was heard . " I should think they invented tho Bastile Mill , while they were at chapel ! " said one . " Is it smashed again V asked another . " No , but it soon will be , " answered the man who confronted the soldier . These , and similar observations , were uttered aloud , in the open Street , at broad day , by hundreds of starved , oppressed , andinsulted framework-knitters , who thus gave vent to their despair . Such conversation were customary soundsin John ' s cars , and , having recovered his son , he took him by the arm , after this brief delay , and , walking slowly back towards the Roman mile-stone , the two bent tlieir steps down the narrow street called _llarkby-lane .

      After threading an alley , they reached a small wretchedly furnished habitation ; nnd tho lad burst into tears , as his mother sprung from her laborious employ at the wash-tub , aud threw her arms round his neck , and kissed him . Two or three neighbours came in , in another minute , and congratulating the father and mother , on their having found their son , a conversation followed on the hatefulness of becoming " a paid cut-throat for tyrants , " the substance of which would have been as unpleasing to "the powers that be" as the conversation in the street , had they heard the two . The entry , hit > the squalid-looking house , of another neighbour , pale and dejected beyond description , gave a new turn to the homely discourse . " Your son has come back , I see , John , " said the newcomer , in a very faint voice : " I wish my husband would come home , " "Thy husband , Mary ! " said John ; " why , where ' s he gone 1 Bless me , woman , how how ill you look!—What ' s the matter ?"

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

      commenced her sad narrative . She had not , she said , tasted food of any kind for a day and two nights : she had pawned or sold every article of clothing , except what she had on , and she wa 3 without a bonnet entirely : nor had her husband any other clothes than the rags in which he had gone out , two hours before , wi : h the intent to try the relieving officer , once more , for a loaf , or a trifle of money : to complete their misery , they owed six weeks ' rent for the room in which lay the bag of shavings that formed their bed ; and , if they could not pay the next week ' s rent , they must turn out into the street , or go into the Bastile .

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

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

      " It's mere humbug , John , to keep us down : that ' s what it is ! " said Jitn : " one of theso piety-mongers left us a tract last week ; and what should it contain hut that old tale of Bishop _Bunu-tt , ahout tho widow that somebody who peeped through the chinks of the _windowshuttvi'S saw kneeling by a table with a crust of broad before her , and crying out in rapture , ' AU this and Christ ! ' I'll tell thee what , John , if old Burnet had been brought down from his gold and fat living , and had tried it himself , I could better have believed him . It ' s a tale told like many others to make fools and slaves of us ; that ' s what I think . Ay , and I told the loiig-1 ' _aced fellow so that fetched the tract . He looked very sourly at me and said the poor did not use to trouble themselves about politics in his father ' s time , and everybody was more comfortable then than they are now . ' The more fools were they , ' said I : ' if the poor had begun to think of their rights sooner , instead of listening to religious cant , we sliould not have been so badly off now ; ' and away he went , and never said another word .

      " But I don't like to give way to bad thoughts about _religion , after all , Jim , " said John ; "it ' s very jnystevlous —the present state of things : but we may find it all explained in the next life . " " 1 _' rytheo , John , " exclaimed the other , interrupting him , impatiently , " don ' t talk so weakly , That ' s the way they all wrap itup ; and if a guess in the dark and a ' maybe ' will do for an argument , why any thing will do . Uutil somebody can prove to nie that there is another life after this , I shall think it my duty to think about this only . Non-just look at this , John ! If there be another life after this , why the present is worth nothing : every moment here ought to be spent in caring for eternity ; and every man who really believes in such a life would not care how be passed this , so that he could but be making a preparation for the next : is n't that true , John 1 " " To be sine it is , Jim ; and what o' that V

      " Why , then , tell me which of 'em believes in sueh a life . Do you sec any of the canting tribe less eager than _others to get better houses , finer chairs and tables , larger shops , and more trade 1 Is old Sour-Godliness in the north , there , more easily brought to give up a penny in tha dozen to save a starving stoekinger than the grinders that don't profess religion ? I tell thee , John , it ' s all fudge : they don't believe it themselves , or else they would imitate Christ before they tell us to be like him !" Header ! the conversation shall not be prolonged , lest the object of this sketch should he mistaken . These conversations ave real : they are no coinagoj . Co lo Leicester , or any other ofthe suffering towns of depressed manufae . ture , where men compete with each other in machinery till human bauds are of little use , and rival each other in wicked zeal to reduce man to the merest minimum of

      of subsistence . If the missionary people—and this is not said with a view to question the true greatness and utility of their eiVor ; s—if tliey would be consistent , let them scud theii * heralds into the manufacturing districts , and first conver ; thc "infidels" there , ere they send their expensive messengers to India . But let it be understood that the heralds must be furnished with brains , as well as tongues ; for whoever enters Leicester , or any other ol the populous starving hives of England , must expect to find the deepest subjects of theology , and government , and political economy , taken up with a subtlety that would often puzzle a gi _* ndiu . tc of Oxford or Cambridge . Whoever supposes the starving " manufacturing masses " know no more , and can use no _bettsr language , than the . peasantry in the agricultural counties , will find h _' mself egregiously mistaken , 'Tis ten to 011 C but lit will learn more of a profound subject in one hour ' s con-

      Wc Re No Weapons, Nor Money To Buy 'Em, ...

      versation of starving 3 tockingers than he would do in ten lecflircs of a university professor . Lot the missionary people try these quarters , then ; but 1 st their heralds " know their business" ere they go , or they will make as slow progress as Egede nnd tho -Moravians among the Greenlanders . One hint may be given . Let them bc _^ in with the manufacturers ; and , if they succeed in _making real converts to Christianity iu that quarter , their sue cess will be tolerably certain among tho working-mea , and tolerably easy in its achievement . There is no " tale" to finish about John or his lad , or Jem and his wife . They went on starving , —begging , — receiving threats of imprisonment , —tried the "Bastile " for a few weeks , —came out and had a little work , — starved again ; and they are still going the same minerable round , like thousands in " merrie England . " What are your thoughts reader ?

      Ay ! "What are your thoughts , reader ? Thoughts crowd upon us that we have no room in these columns to give expression to . We , too , _Irnre heard such conversations as the above , many a time . Mr . Cooper has neither coloured nor added to the sontinicnts , which any man with his ears open may hear expressed by the tongues of thousands in tlie manufacturing districts . Painful as are Mr . Cooi'ek ' s descriptions of thc misery of the working people , the truth of which descriptions we can vouch for , his " Mcrrie England '—No More ! " affords at least one cheering picture , —the disentbralmcnt of tlie minds of thc oppressed classes from that mental slavery wliich priests have imposed upon tbe millions . The working classes are fast discovering that itis the strong who rule the world , and they see , that if they would be the rulers , they must become the strong , and depend upon themselves only for tbat justice which no other power , natural or supernatural , will give to or gain for them . Menial darkness is dissipating ; political and social wrong will follow .

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

      George Cruiks Hank's Table-Bookdeckmbkr....

      GEORGE CRUIKS HANK'S TABLE-BOOKDeckmbkr . London : Punch Office , 92 , Fleetstreet . The subject of tlie principal illustrations this month is " The Itailroad Dragon . " A "terrible creature in every sense of the word—a frightful creature , an encounter with which would be a new edition of a monster meeting—a dragon more terrible than the dragon of Wantley , more fierce than the dragon of St . George ; ay , fiercer than any of his Christmas brethren , the tribe of 'snap-dragonsthis monster , hatched in Capel-courfc , ' as they hatch chickens in Egypt , by artificial means ; iu fine , "the

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

      " I come to dine , I come to sup—I come , I come , to eat you up . " And this , to . _i , at Christmas time ! Well may there be a Panic ! "Steam has done it aU , " savs the writer inthe " Table-Boole , "— " may do us all . The Panic is the executioner wliich hangs us ' on our own lines ; ' whicli overthrows the pillars of their fame—the columns of their advertisements—and which , although it may come with a knock , may not leave us worth a rap . Be warned , then , of tho Panic Monster . Distrust tho screeching music of its steam-whistle , which may suddenly change its tune from the merry ditty of ' gold in both pockets , ' to the doleful dirge of

      "' That ' s the way tho money goes . '" The next article , " Railway Deposits , " introduces us to a parody on the " Beggar's Petition , "

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

      %G- Wc Are Compelled To Postpone Reviews...

      _% g- Wc are compelled to postpone reviews of " Jcrrold ' s Magazine , " the " Connoisseur , " and some other publications till next week .

      New Works.—Mr. Dickens S Christmas Book,...

      New Works . —Mr . Dickens s Christmas Book , " The Cricket on the Hearth , " will , we hear , be ready on the 20 lh inst . About , the same time Mr . Coor-Eit ' s " Christmas Rhyme , " " The Duron ' s Yule least , " will also bo ready : report speaks highly of the merits of this new production of the Chartist poet's pen . Messrs . _Braduuiiy aud Evans announce a re-issue of " Boz ' s" celebrated story , " Oliver Twist ; " it will bo published in monthly parts , uniform with "Pickwick , " "Nicholas Nickleby , " itc , commencing on the 1 st of January . We hear also that Mr . Gilbert A . a'Beckett , the talented author of the " Comic Blackstone , " and Editor of " _Cntikshank's Table Book , " will begin the new year with a monthly publication of a very superior character . So that , cheerily the old year will go out , and cheerily tlio new one will come in .

      Melancuoia* Case Of Suicide.—On Tuesday ...

      Melancuoia * Case of Suicide . —On Tuesday afternoon Mr . Wakley , ALP ., held an inquest in the House of Correction , _Coidbnth-iields , _Clerkenwell , on J R . . , aged nineteen , the son of repectnble parents , and a baker , who had been commit ted for fourteen days , for having left his work without due notice , and who committed suicide . John Sims , a warden of the prison , stated that deceased was received on last Saturday evening , about half-past seven , lie appeared weak , and was unable to walk . Shortly afterwards he became so ill , that Doctors Wakefield and Smales were sent for ; who , having ascertained that he had taken prussie acid , applied the stomach-pump and other remedies without avail , as he expired at nine o ' clock the same night . _S . Latham , the warden who searched deceased on his

      admission , said that he stood up live minutes while lie searched him , and that he handed him somo coppers from his pockets , in one of wliich ho found a phial which bad been emptied , and which wns labelled " Essential Oil of Almonds , " which , together with his almost insensible appearance , aroused a suspicion that he had poisoned himself . He was instantly removed to a bed , where he lay speechless and insensible . Thc two house physicians were in immediate attendance , lie died at nine o ' clock , W , Mitchell , gaoler of Marylebone police court , deposed that last Saturday deceased surrendered him .-: elf in consequence of a warrant that was against him for having left his master ' s employment without notice . Mr . ll & wTinson , the magistrate , did all in his powei

      to induce his master to accept an apology from deceased , but he could not . Mr . Rawliusmi was , therefore , compelled to send deceased to prison for fourteen days . He could not have obtained the poison while he was in the station-house , as no one was allowed to approach him there , except the officers . _iN _' onc but felons or persons charged with capital offences were searched in the station-house . Deceased was very melancholy while there , li—M— , a prisoner committed for the same offence with deceased , said that he was in the same cell with deceased in thc station-house , lie then complained of having been severely dealt with for so trifling an offence , and said that lie was about being married , but thai his sentence would do awav with _lihs _marriatie .

      Mr . Richard Browne , baker , Ghapplc-street , _jScwroad , said that the deceased had been in his employ about ten days , and left it the second week without notice . lie summoned him for so doing , and as he did not appear he t 9 ok out a -. varant against hiin . By the Coroner * . Deceased had twelve shillings a week wages , with board and lodging , lie commenced serving bread at eight o ' clock a . m each day , ivhieh occupied him until twelve o ' clock , two o ' clock , and sometimes until night , in consequence of his loitering away his time . At four o ' clock he had to prepare the sponge . After which he was at liberty until eleven o ' clock , when ho resumed work , and was at it all night . Witdess , when he first commenced business purchased a large quantitv of " essential

      oil of almonds , " and the " essence of lemon , " which he never used , but which he kept safe under lock and key with liis currants and other fruits . Mr . Whitby ! surgeon , oS , Upper Ebury-streot , Pinilico , deposed that deceased about ten day ' s ago purchased two drachms of the " essential oil of almonds" for thc purpose ofhis business , as he told him . He , knew deceased well , and cautioned him about the * dangerous properties of the prussie acid , whieh he commonly so ] d to bakeis , confectioners , and pastrycooks . Tlie jury returned a verdict of " Temporary insanity , " accompanied by the expression of a ' strong hope that magistrates would be warned by the deceased ' s melancholy fate , and order all persons in custody to be searched previous to their incarceration .

      Melancuoia* Case Of Suicide.—On Tuesday ...

      Cakdisai . —The highest Roman Catholic dignity next to the Pope . The _uord is dwived from cardo , & hinge , because the Cardinals will turn either way , and open the door for auvthing . When the Pope makes a Cardinal , he eives him a red hat ; and it is supposed that Cardinal Wolsev p . _iti-onisgd tho Old Mother Red Cap , at Camden Town , when ho and Henry the Eighth went out on sonic of their roystering expeditions to Hhjhgatc . —Punch . Father Luke asp the Rim . — " Women of Ireland : '' says he ; ' women descended from those thre O hundthred virgins whom tlie bloody Saxon Cromwel * slew at Wexford : women who inhabit , a land whose

      vallies are the greenest , whose rivers are the clearest ; , whose mountains are the highest in the world . What . _sacrifices are you prepared to make to that bleeding , that beautiful counthrce ? Tlic wicked Saxon has blighted the potatoe-crop , and rejoices in thc prospect of the national famine . The agonies of our children feast his heart with hellish joy : do they awaken np sympathies in yours ? _;\ re you not prepared to do everything to rescue your " starving countrymen ? Oui Sublime Liberator permits it : enjoins it . 'lhat Great Philanthropist cannot subscribe himself , for he is poor—but he calls upon you , his children , to mako every sacrifice . _Faihir of our connthry _, shall not join * _daughthers obey vou ?" . —Ibid .

      Peki . s Games . —Wo understand that the Premier is shortly about to publish a new edition of _Ilojle , embracing all the new games and tricks wliich , by a skiit ' iil knowledge ot how ' to play his cards , Sir Robert Peel has become master . Ilo intends devoting ' an entire chapter to _s-hiiffiin _/ r , which is an art of itself , andone which the Premier has carried to tbe utmost perfection . There will be a few pages devoted to hints on cutting , with remarks on the proper time to cut , and a few general observations on tlic

      treatment of the pack , so as to make a good hand ofit . Tricks will occupy a very large space in the Premier ' s work ; but the games will be the chief feature . Cribbage , as played at the expense of the Whigs , will be _I'liiborutoly explained ; and a chaplci 1 on revokes will explain how it is that there is nothing irn . voi .-n-Me in the games of the Premier . The work will be emblazoned with a splendid portrait of Sir Robert Peel as the Knave ol Spades , in wliich character he appeared the other day , at the commencement of the works on the Trent Valley Railway . —Ibid .

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

      liEEnxG the Word of Promise to the Ear . — An elderly Portuguese lady , having pledged herself to make a pilgrimage to a distant shrinu , barefoot _, her friends persuaded her that the fatigue would prove fatal . She persisted , however , in going to the shrine and in going barefoot ; but she went in a sedan chair .

      A EECEIIT FOB A WIFE . " As mueh of beauty as preserves af . ' cct _. on — As much of chi ' _-crfulness as spurns th jecticn—Of modest diffidence , as claims protection ; A docile mind , subservient to correction , Yet stored with sense , with reason , and reflection : And every passion held in due _subjection ; Just fault 3 enough to keep her from perfection : Find this , my friend , and then , make your selection . " A Classic . —The other day a student from the country , who had joined the Glasgow College , was about to leave by one of the trains from that city , anil as he walked up nnd down the station , dressed out in liis toga , he perceived the door oi ' . a first-class carriage open , and he thought he would seat himself there . One of the railway guards happening to pass , ashed him to what class lie belonged ( meaning whether the lirst , second , or third , ) when ho in all simplicity replied , " 1 belong to the Mtut / iemautics . "

      ADVICE GRATIS . AN ECLOGUE . ( From t'unch . ) Baddy : What ' s to be done at all , Misther Commissioner ? Here ' s a lot of praytees wouldn't plasie the pigs sir , _Earlies and lumpers , cups and common tatters , Gone to tlie divil . _Connnisiiowcr . * Pig up your tubers , store tliem in a dry place , Plenty of straw pat underneath each layer , Grind them to pulp , or , if you like it better , Toast on a griddle .

      Baddy : Murdther alive , but where ' s the straw to Come from ? Mill for to griud , or griddle for to toast ' em ? Divil the place I ' ve jfot to keep ' myself dry , Much less my praties . Dr . Buckland : Ignorant _^ peasant , don't mind Kane or riayfair—Starch is onl y gluten , therefore * innutritions ; Steam your _potntocft _, nnrl you'll find tin : fungus Equnl to mushrooms . Mr , T ' dley : Chloride of lime is better , if you ' ve * got it—Twopence a pound is all that it will cost you . One pound of chloride , properly employed , saves Two of potatoes .

      All together : But whatu ' er you do , rat , keep your mind quite easy . Science is at work examining the fungus : ; Though , for tlie present , we confess that wc know Nothing about it . [ 7 v '; _i : ci !) i _ Commissioners , _Auckland , and _Tilley Paddy , with his hands in his pockets , Icoks afU them bewildered , A Gentle IIixt . —A spruce young beau , gallanting his intended , a few evenings since , was conversing upon the late turn-out , when lie remarked , that " he wished ho was able to maintain all the factory girls

      in Lowell one six months . lie would do it to prevent their returning to tho mills . " His fair one , who had till now been a silent listener to his patriotic discourse , replied , with a sigh , " Ah , I wish you was able to maintain ono of them . "—Lowell _Bulletin . Railway Appoixtmests . —In the prospectus of every Railway , an announcement is always mado of the Engineer , Solicitor , Banker , and Surveyor , whois appointed to the Line ; but not a word is ever said of the appointment of a Surgeon . From the latter bein _» always excluded , ono would imagine there was nothing on a Hallway for a Surscon to do . —Punch .

      _^ Pi . _oi'i-r . Spirit . —It is said tha _lliulc Lights in Trafalgar Square have been tried several times , but that they cannot be made to burn . The reason of this obstinacy is that they will not lend themselves to illuminate a place which , they maintain , the less that is seen of it the better . —Ibid , One _axo the Same Thing . —According to rumour , Fleet Prison is to bo a Railway Terminus . We are sure there was no necessity to have removed a brick of the old place for that purpose . —Ibid . THE O'CONNELL STATCE Punch offers thc following as an inscription for thc proposed statue of O'Connell : —

      TV OTf . fi Whose virtues ennnet be told ; Who has had a hand for all that ever came to it , anil a pocket always open at the call of liis friends ; Who has sympathi sed with the beggav : Who has never known on any one occasion to forget himself ; Wdio has in tlic bent of passion , abused men of all parlies , But on calmer reflection , made the " . ( i / iendeiioiioiii _' - able . " hy repudiating all ; Who has shown hi * love aud regard for tlic E nglish monarchy by trying to relieve it of part of its work ; Who has declared his attachment to the throne , and proved it , by his endeavours to erect a throne for himself ; Who lives " in" the hearts ofthe Irish _peojile , and " out ol" their pockets .

      ' 10 1 I 1 AI Who is indeed an Emancipator and a Liberator , making atull times " unooinuionlj" _frwi . in a word , TO DANIEL O'CONNELL , Who has identified the interests of his countrymen with his own , by endeavouring to make his own whatever belongs to them _. Having lived by the contributions of others , he generously contributed THE LIIASS of which this statue is constructed . Domestic Vermis . —Why is an extravagant housekeeper like a caterpillar ? Because she makes the butter-fly .

      Juvenile Gn .. MX [ F . R . —A little girl having disobeyed her mamma , was termed a _nh-c article . "No , please mamma , " replied the little _giil , "if you look into the grammar you will perceived that 1 am not an article , but a noun ofthe feminine gender , _Bnrar ( . in law ) . —A complicated account ofa simple transaction , whieh enables Counsel to mystify hira » self and everybody else about an ordinary matter . Drawing a brief is the art of covering as much paper as possible with thc smallest quantity of material . Bulls , Papal . —Are letters issued by the Pone , and arc probably called Bulls in England on account of tlieir being very great mistakes in this country , whore they are trento 1 with the utmost contempt by all classes . Some think that a Bull _devivcsUs nama " Oiu its being an attempt to bully tke community

      M £8&

      m _£ 8 &

  • Citation
    • Northern Star (1837-1852), Dec. 13, 1845, page 3, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns3_13121845/page/3/