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Northern Star (1837-1852), 18th April 1846, Edition 1 of 3, Page 3, -3ttbfeto&

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    • .RAILWAY ACCIDENT.
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      __ =-— %&E Feast Of Fte Pet& ^ ___ ≪«»% _ .4.^*

      __ =- — % &e feast of fte pet& ^ ___ <«» % _ . 4 . ^*

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      PabiHBh-i ** a- ! s& ^ rafi of our quarterly poetral teas ^ rf Toted . to thc ^ e of ^^ interest ; ngpar . occasion we ea « ro ° the (^ mian poe t Ferdkasd ^ CUla ^^ H S specimens of his poetry ; on future FHffi tX Speto " make our readers acquainted « SS 5-others of the continental sons of £ ? on the present occasionweintendto look pence Se and devote a few paragraphs to the writings of

      WILLIAM TUOM , THE POET OP EJTESBRY . * Portions of Wiluam Thom ' s story have already appeared in tliis journal , and our readers may remember that some eighteen months ago , on the occasion of the "Burns ' Festival , " we "spoke out" on behalf of the poet in no stinted terras . We had not then seen his works , and only knew him from the detached passages of his history which had appeared in the Westminster Bedew , and notices in some of the public journals . We have now before us the second edition of his "Rhymes and Recollections , " from which we purpose selecting a few extracts . William Thou appropriately takes for his motto the

      couplet" An * syne whan nichts grew canld an' long , Ae while he sieht—ae while he sang . " According to his own account , he is a native of Aberdeen , the son of a widow , and , when a child , was run over by an aristocrat ' s carriage , which mostseriously injuring one of his feet made him a cripple for life . As a compensation for this misfortune , the " nobleman" generously gave the mother em shiilings ! At ten years of age he was placed in a weaving factory in Aberdeen , where he Berred an apprenticeship of four years , at the end of which time he entered another great weaving establishment , owned by the firm of "Gordon , Barron , and Co ., " where he continued seventeen years . During his apprenticeship he nicked no a . little reading and writing .

      Afterwards he set about studying Latin , but was 'defeated through want of time , having to support his mother . Subsequently he made a considerable progress in music , and became a proficient on the German flute , which acquirement he found the worth of in the hour of his utmost need . The poet gives a harrowing description of the abominations of the factory system as it existed in the time of his youth in the " moral North . " Between three and four hundred male and female workers were promiscuously distributed over the workB , and as a natural consequence , the distinctive character

      of all sunk away— " man became less manly , woman unlovely and rude . " The prostitution of too many of the female workers , and the degradation of too many of the male sex , resulted from this vice-and-misery engendering system . Bat all were not evil , many were proof against these withering influences , and the " spirit of song" saved many from the " deep damnation" of moral degradation added to physical misery . We beg our readers to turn to the poet ' s book , and read from page 7 to 16 all that the poet has so beautifully written on these subjects , whieh weregretwe cannot quote in fulL Wemust , however , make room for the following : —

      - The Wizard of "Vvaverley had roused the world to wonders , and we wondered too . Byron was flinging sronnd the terrible and the beautiful of a distracted greatness . Moore was doing all he could for lore-sick hoys and girls , —yet they had never enough ! Nearer and dearer to hearts like ours was the Ettrick Shepherd , then in his full tide of song and story ; hat nearer and dearer 6 tUl than he , or any living songster *—to us dearer was our ill-fated fellow-craftsman Taunahill , ' who had just then taken himself from a neglecting world , while yet ; that world waxed mellow in his lay— 'Poor Weaver Chiell '' What we owe to thee ! ' Yonr 'Braes

      o' Balquidder , ' and 'Yon Bnraside , ' and 'Gloomy Winter , ' and the ' MinistrelV wailing ditty , [ and the noble Gleneiffer . ' Oh ! how they did ring above the rattling of a hundred shuttles ! Letme again proclaim the debt we owe these song spirits , as they walked in melody from laom to loom , ministering to the low-hearted ; aad when the breast was filled with everything hut hope and happiness , and all but seared , let only break forth the healthy and vigorous chorus—' a man's a man for » ' that , ' the fagged weaver brightens up . Hit very shuttle skytes boldly along , and clatters through in faithful time to the tune of his merrier shopsaates . " The Poet beautifully adds , "These songs were to us instead of sermons . * * Church bells rang not for ns . Poets were indeed our Priests . But for those , the last relic of our moral existence would have surely passed away . "

      Here is an amusing description of the poet ' s hopes and fears on the occasion of the appearance of the first of his published productions , which had been sent to the Aberdeen Journal : — One special crony , and only oae , was in confidence , and no mean sharer was lie in the unutterably curious feeling that sets iu on the first throes of authorship . Early on the morning of the publication the anxious pair stood watchfully in a court that led to the printing-office . The'Ctoip&ntwu in that moderately troublesome state known as fidgets , with now and then s qualm , inasmuch ss having talked away two days work , there was not withal to settle up matters in his boarding-houss that night . The Principal , althsughin the very same plight , felt not the very same tray . His pain—for pain it washad no connection with aught on earth , save and except the printing office on which he gazed . Sid his verses exist in nriitf ?

      Woes on me ! Why don't they hay a paper ! Han after man , lad and elderly woman , passed each other with Journal at nose , heedless of all beside . " Ask that man for a peep . " " Have not I besought it of twenty V " Then let us try that chappie coming up . " This was meant for a sulky little fellew who refused fiat to open his paper . Patience could do no more ; it feeittiaway , quite ; good manners and honesty followed . We were left to ourselves . The obstinate journal bearer was borne into a house entry ; we shut the door ; and while he kicked and roared , we groped for the Poor Man ' s ( query Poet ' s ) Corner in the Journal , and were blest—the song was there !

      The spring of 1837 found the poet a resident of the village of Newtyle , between Dundee and Cupar-Angua . Owing principally to the failure of certain great commercialjestablishments in America , in one week upwards of six thousand looms were silenced in the county of Forfar only . Amongst the two hundred inhabitants of Newtyle who were reduced to a state of starvation was our poet . Being one of the clas 3 of unfortunates , "burdened" with a numerous family , he had been supplied with one web weekly , which brought him in five shillings with which to subsist ( including rent ) six persons ; here is a discription of a morning ' s misery : —

      Imagine a cold spring forenoon . It is eleven o ' clock , but our dwelling shows none of the signB of that time of day . The four children are still asleep . There is a bed cover hung before the window , to keep all within as much lika night as possible ; and the mother sits beside the beds of her children , to lull them back to sleep , whenever any shows an inclination to awake . For this there is a cause , for « ur weekly fire shillings had not come as expected , and the oul y food in the house consisted of oatmeal saved from the supper of hist might Our fuel is also exhausted . Jl y wife and I were conversing in sunken -whispers about making an attempt to cook the handf till of maal , when the younger child awoke beyond its mother ' s power to hush it again to sleep , and then fell a wimpering , and finally broke ont in a steady scream which of course rendered i t impassible longer to keep the rest in a state of unconsciousness . Face after face sprung up , each with one consent exclaiming , " O author , wither , gie me a piece ! " How wear a wobd is sobsow , to APPLY TO ' . THE fEKIHGS OF KYBELF AND WIFE , BCBIKO THE REHAIHDEtt OF THAT 1 IEUI fOKESOOH ' . "

      Instead of mending , things grew worse , and " exchanging at a pawnbroker ' s in Dundee a last and most valued relic of better days for tenahillingj , " he expended the most of this sum in the purchase of little articles of merchandise , and giving the key of his habitation to the landlord , he with his wife and children left Newtyle , wanderers and outcasts . On the third night" Jeaa was sorely exhausted , bearing an infant constantly at her breast , and often carrying the yonngest boy also , who had fairly broken down in tiie course of the day . " In this plight poor Thom made application for shelter at a way-side farmhouse , but unfortunately the worthy farmer , who had the character of being a humane man , was from home , and the housekeeper having admitted several poor people , would admit no more . Prayers and entreaties were in vain , the answer was " No . no , ii no : —

      I returned to my family . They had crept closer together , and , except the mother , were fast asleep . " 0 Willie , TFillie , what keepit ye ! " inquired that trembling woman ; " I ' m doubtfu' o' Jeanie , " she added ; "isnashe weasomelike ! Let ' s infrae the cauld . " " We ' ve nae way to gang , lass , " said I , " whate ' er come ' us . ¥ onfolkwinnahaeus . " Few more words passed . I drew her mantle over the wet and chilled sleepers , and sat down bedde them . My head throbbed with pain , and for a time became the tenement of thoughts I would not now reveal . They partook less of sorrow than of indignation ; and it seemed

      to me that this same world was a thing very much to be hated ; and on the whole , the sooner that one like me could get out of it the better for its sake and my own . I felt mjself , as it were , shut out from mankind enclosed—prisoned in misery—no outlook— none . ' My miserable wife aud little ones , who alone cared &r mewhat would I not have done for their sakes at that hour ! Here let me speak out—and be heard , too , while I tell it —that the world does not at all times know how unsafely it sits when despair has loosed honour ' s last hold upon the heart—when transcendant wretchedness lays weeping reason in the dust—when every unsjmpathisiBg onlooker is deemed an enemy—icho then can limit tie

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      emstqymcet * For my own part , I confess that , ever since that dreadful night , I can never hear of any extraordinary criminal , without the wish to pierce through the mere judicial tow of his career , under which , I am persuaded , there would often be found to exist an unsetn impulse—a chain whh one end fixed ia nature ' s holiest ground , that drew him on to his destiny . . The gloaming light whs scarcely sufficient to allow me to write a little note , which learned to a stately man gion hard by . It was to entreat what we had been denied at B This application was also fruitless . The servant had been ordered to take in no such notes , andhe could not break through the rule . Ou rejoining my little group my heart H-htened at the sight of a seiving-man , who at that moment came near , and who , A / HMMTifMUVJt 9 T ? nr Tito Atcn nnt * f T *»»» & «« at .. j .

      observing our wretchedness , could not pass without endeavouring to succour us . The kind words of this worthy peatant sunk deep into our hearts . I do not know his name ; but never can I forget him . Assisted by him , we arrived , about eleven o ' clock , at the farmhouse of Johu Cooper , Westtown of Kinnaird , where we were immediately admitted . The accommodation , we were told , was poor—but what an alternative from the storm-beaten way side . The servants were not in bed ; and we were permitted a short time to warm ourselves at the bothy fire . During this interval the infant seemed to revive ; it fastened heartily to the breast and soon fell asleep . We were next led to an out-house . A man stood by with a lantern , while with straw and blankets we miide a pretty fair bed . In less than half an hour the whole slept sweetly in their dork and almost roofless dormitory .

      I think it might have been between three and four o'clock when Jean waked me ! 0 that scream!—I think I can hear it now . The other children , startled from sleep , joined , in frightful wail over their dead Bister . Our poor Jeanis ; had , unobserved by us , sunk during the night under the effects of the exposure of the preceding evening , following as that did a long eouree of hardship , too great to be borne by a young frame . Such agitation could only be well borne by one hardened to misery and wearied of existence . I sat awhile anil looked on them : comfort

      had none to give—nona to take . I spake not—what could be said !—word ' s ? 0 , no . ' The worst is over when words can serve us . And jet it is not just when the wound is given that pain is felt . How comes it , I wonder , that minor evils will affect even to agony , while paramount sorrow overdees itself , and stands in stultified calmness ! Strange to say , on first becoming aware of the bereavement of that terrible night , 1 sat for same minutes gazing upwards at the fluttering and wheeling movements of a party of swallows , our fellow-lodgers , who had been ditturbed by our unearthly out cry .

      After a while I proceeded to awaken the people of the house , who entered at once into our feelings , and did everything -which Christian kindness could dictate a ? proper to be done on the melancholy occasion . A numerous and respectable party of neighbours assembled that day to asBist at the funeral . In an obscure corner of Kiunaird churchyard lies our favourite little Jeanie . Early the next day the wanderers resumed their heartless pilgrimage , " not knowing where that night their couch might be , or whereto-morrow their grave . " They met with eenaiderablesympathy from

      people of their own class , and truly the poet Bays"But for the poor , the poorer . would perish . " At length , they found themselves at Slethren , in Perthshire , with five pence half-penny , their sum total of cash in hand . The humblest lodging could not be bad under sixpence , and now , despite of all Qualms , he was driven to his last resource—his flute . Taking his harmonious companion , and accompanied by poor Jsas , he started on his desperate enterprise , stimulating himself with the recollection that Homer had sung his epics for a moral of bread , and that Goldsmith had piped his way over half the continent

      ;"Jfoiingorer these and many other considerations , we found ourselves in a beautiful green lane , fairly out of the town , and opposite a genteel-looking house , at the windows of which sat several well-dreased people . I think that it might be our bewildered and hesitating movement ! that attracted their notice—perhaps not favourably . 'A quarter of an hour longer , ' said I , ' and it will be darker ; let us walk out a bit . The sun had been down a good while , and the gloaming was lovely . In spite of everything I felt a momentary reprieve . / dipped my dry flute in a little cunt , and legan to play . It rung sweetly amongst the trees . I moved on and on , itill playing and still fating the town . The Flowers of the Forest brought me befere the house lately mentioned . My music raised one window after another , and in less than ten minutoB put me in possession of three shillings and nine-pence of good British money . I sent the mother home with this treasure , and directed her to send our eldest girl to me . It was by this time nearly dark .

      Everybody says , * , Things just need a beginning , I made a begianing , and a very good one too . I had a fair turn for strathspeys , and there appeared to be a fair run upon them . By this time I was nearly in the middle of the town . When I finally made my bow and retired to my lodgings , it waB with four shillings and some pence ia addition to what was sent before . My little girl got a beautiful shawl , and several articles of wearing apparel . Shall I not bless the good folk of lfethven ? Let me ever chance to meet a ITrthven weaver in distress , and I will share zny last bannock with him . These men—for I know ^ them as they know me , by instinct—these men not only helped me themselves , hut testified their gratitude to every one that did so . There was enough to enouragv further perseverance ; but I felt , after all , that I had began too late in life ever to acquire that ' ease and grace' indispensable to him who would successfully ' carry the gaberiunrie on . ' I must forego it , at least in a downright street capacity . "

      We here give the poet ' s lines—TO MT FLUTE . It ' s nae to harp , to lyre , nor lute , Iettlenow to sing ; To thee alane , my lo ' eiome flute . This hamely strain I bring ! Oh ! let us flee on memory ' s wing , O ' er twice ten winters'flee , An' try ance mair that ae sweet spring , Whilk young love breathed in thee . Companion o my happy then , Wi' smilin'friens around ; In ilka but , in ilka ben , A couthie welcome found—Ere yet thy master proved the wound That ne ' er gaed scaithlessby ; That gi ' es to fluUB their saftett sound . To hearts their saddest sigh .

      Since then , my bairns hae danced to tbee , To thee my Jean has sung ; And monie a nicht , wi' guiltless glee , Our hearty hallan rung . But noo , ur * hardships worn and itung , 111 roam the world about ; For her and for our friendlesi young , Come forth , my faithful flute ! Your artless notes may win the ear That wadna hear me speak ; And for your sake that pity spare , My full heart couldna seek . And when the winter ' s cranreuch bleak Drives houseless bodies in We'll ablins get the ingle-cheek , A' for your lichtEome din . In January . 1840 , William Thom removed his family from Aberdeen to Inverury , and here was struck with the heaviest of all his heavy calamities : —

      Sine months after our settlement here , she died—Jean —the mother of my family—partuer of my wanderingsthe unmurmuring sharer in all my difficulties , I « ft usleft us , too , just as the hut cold eloud was passing , ere the outbreak of a brighter day . That cloud passed , but the warmth that followed loBt half its value to me , she being no partaker therein . The poet has recorded his sorrows at this trying time in the following natural sweet and simple lines , which must touch the hearts of all who read them : —

      DREAMNGS OF THE BEREAVED . The morning breaks bonnie o'er mountain an * stream , Au ' troubles the hallowed breath o' my dream ! The gowd light of morning is 8 wee t to the e * e , But ghost-gathering midnight , thou ' rt dearer to me . The dull common world then sinks from my sight , An * fairer creations arise to the night ; When drowsy oppression has sleep-sealed say e ' e , Then bright are the visions awaken'd to me ! Oh ! come , spirit mother , discourse of thehourt , My young bosom beat all Us beating to yours , When heart-woven withes in soft counsel fell , On ears—how unheedfulprov'd sorrow might tell ! That deathless affection—nae trial could break , When a' else forsook me ye wouldna forsake , Then come , oh ! my mother , come often to me , An * soon an'for ever I'll come unto thee !

      An'thou shrouded loveliness ! soul-winning Jean , How cold was thy hand on my bosom yestreen ! 'Tires kind—for the lowe that your e ' e kindled there , Will burn aye , an' burn , t'll that breast beat nae mair . Our bairaies sleep round me oh ! bless je their sleep , Your ain dark-e ' ed Willie will wauken an' weep ; Bnt blythe in his weepin' he'll tell ae how you . His heaven-httned mammie , was" dautin' his brow /' Tho' dark be our dwallin '—our happiu' tho' bare , An' night dales round us in cauldness an' eare ; Affection will warm ui—an' bright are the beams That halo our hame in your dear land of dreams . Then weel may I weleome the night ' s deatby reign , Wi' souls of the dearest I mingle me then , The gowd light of morning is lightlesss to me , But , oh , for the night wi' its ghost revelrie ! In January 1841 , being without employment at the

      weaving , he composed several small poems , to wile away the tedious hours . One of these , entitled " The Blind Boy ' s Pranks , No . I " he sent to the Aberdeen Herald , and three weeks after it appeared anonymously in that paper , introduced by a notice of sympathy from the editor . This poem was immediately copied into most of the Scottish journals . Poor £ hom ' s fortunes were once more desperate , and having no heart to betake himself again to the " Gaberiunrie , " he had decided to immediately quit Inverury and take shelter in the House of Refuge , Aberdeen . The famil y ' s wearables were packed , they were looking on their last meal in silent despair , when , unexpected , unhoped for , the hand of benevolence was stretched forth to their aid . Amongst other papers the Aberdeen Journal had copied from the Herald the " Blind Bon ' s Pranks , " and in that journal the poem was noticed by Mr .

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      Gordon , of Knockespoch , who immediately expressed his admiration in the shape of a five-pound note , which he transmitted to the poet through the editor of that Journal . In the following April , the " season" for " customary weaving , having act in , William Thom was about , to resume his labours at the loom , when a second communication from his friend , Mr . Gordon , induced him to alter his arrangements . Early in May he came to London and remained under the roof of Mr . and Mrs . Gordon four months . Here he saw all the " lions" of the great metropolis , and was himself " the observed of all observers . " A few words will suffice to tell his subsequent career , but we will first turn to his poems . j-4 . nr _ -J . l . »^* - .... *

      " The Blind Boy ' s Pranks" referred to above " is . a beautiful poem , too lengthy , however , for extract and we will not do the poet the injustice of quoting only aportionofit . "Autumn Winds" is a sweet piece . We select the following piece because based on the " tomanee of reality" : — OH MART ! WHEH YOU THINK OF ME . [ For a period of seventeen years , I was employed in a great weaving faetory in Aberdeen . It contained upwards of three hundred looms , worked by as many male and female weavers . 'Twas a sad place , indeed , and many a curiosity sort of man and woman entered that blue gate . Amongst the rest , tliat little , sly fellow Cupid would steal past "Willie , the porter , " ( who never dreamt of such a being)—steal In amongst us and moke

      a very harvest of it . Upon the remembrance of one of his rather graver doings , the song of " Mary" is composed . One cf our shopmates , a virtuous young woman , fairly , though unconsciously , carried away the whole bulk andWalue ^ of a poor weaver ' s heart . He became restless and miserable , but never could muster spirit to speak his flame . " He never told his love "—yes , he told it to me . At his . request , 1 told it to Mary , and she laughed . Five weeks passed away , and I saw him to the churchyard . For man ; days ere he died , Mary watched by bis bedside , a sorrowful woman , indeed . Never did widow ' s tears fall more burningly . It is twenty years since then . She is now a wife and a mother ; but the remembrance of that , tbelr last meeting , still haunts her sensitive nature , as if she had done a d « ed of blood . ]

      On Mary ! when you think of me . Let pity hae its share , love ; Tho' otlKT 6 mock my misery . Do you in mercy spare , love . My heart , oh Mary ! own'd but thee , And sought for thine so ferrently ; The saddest tear e ' er wet my e ' e , Ye ken vsha brocnt it there , love . Oh , loeknawi' that witching look , That wiled my peace awa ' , love ! An dinna let me hear you sigh . It tears my heart in two , love ! Resume the frewn ye wont to wear , Nor shed the unavailing tear , The hour of docm is drawing near , An' welcome be its ca * love !

      How could ye hide a thought sue kind , Beneath sae cauld a brow , love ? The broken heart it winaa bind Wi' gowden bandage now , love . No , Mary ! mark jou recklesB shower ! It hung aloof in scorching hour , An' helps nae now the feckless flower That sinks beneath its flow , love . " They speak o' wyks in woman * smiles , " is a charming piece , so is * ' One of the Heart ' s Struggles , " and likewise , " Ye dinna ken yon bower , " but we must

      forbear to quate . Some most affecting lines on a child of seven years found sleeping by the side of its dead mother , who lut'l perished of want in a wretched hovel in Overgate , Dundee , are given at pp . 110 , 113 . These lines we are compelled to pass over , because we [ cannot find room for both them tnd the excellent letter ( addressed to one of the ScottiBh Journals ) accompanying them ; perhaps we may quote them on another occasion . The lament of a rejected lover for "The Lass of Kintore , " is a fine strain , as witness the burden : ~>

      But the lass o' Kintore , oh 1 the lass o' Kintere ! Be warned awa' frae the lass o' Kintore ; There's a love-luring look that I ae ' er kent afore , Steal ' s cannily home to the heart at Kintore , The lines to his beloved son "Willie , " when the latter was in the Aberdeen Infirmary , are affectingly beautiful , so are those on "The iEtherlest Bairn . " " lWsper low" is & charming p iece . "KnocketpocVs Lady" is a piece that will take its place permanently amongst the ballad poetry of Scotland , it is too long for quotation , and indeed it would not be just to the author to extract all his best productions . There is one piece , however , we must uot omit , never did the eloquence of the heart find expression in language more beautiful than the following , —the pros * and poetry mailing each other : —

      IXTSACT fBOH A IETTEB XO 1 . B 0 BERT 60 H , ESQ . . London , June 1813 . Instantly on receipt of yours , expressing a wish to see some of my pieces , I made search and recovered copies of a few which had been printed by friends for private circulation . Enclosed is one piece written about two years ago , my wife lately before having died in childbed . At the time of her decease , although our dwelling was at Inverury , my place of employment was in a village , nine miles distant , whence I came once a fortnight , to enjoy the ineffable couthiness that swims around ' ane ' s own

      fireside , ' and is nowhere else to be found . For many month * , in that we knew comfort and happinesBour daughter Betsey , about ten years of age , was in country service , two boys , younger still , kept at home with their mother . The last Sabbath we ever met , Jean spoke calmly and earnestly , of matters connected with our little home and family , bade me remain a day or two with them , as she felt a forebiding that the approaching event would be too much for her enfeebled constitution . ItwaBSO . She died two days thereafter . On returning from the kirk-yard , I shut up our desolate dwelling , and never more owned it as a home . We were but as strangers in the village , so the elder boy , and I put over * hat night in a common tramp house . A neighbour undertook to keep the other little fellow , but he tomhw slipped atcay undbiened , and was found fast asleep at the door of our tenantleu house . Next morning , having secured a boarding-house for him ( the youngest ) , I took the road to resume labour at the usual place—poor ,

      soft-hearted Willie by my side—a trifle of sad thinking within , and the doure mists of Benachic before me . We travelled off our road some miles to the glen , where Betsey was " herdin ' . " Poor Bet knew nothing of what had happened ut Inverury . Her motker had visited her three weeks before—had pr omised to return with some wearables , for winter was setting in fast and bitterly . The day and very hour we approached her bleak residence , ( hat was their trysted time . She saw us as we stood on the knorre hesitating—ran towards us— " Oh ! whaur U ' . my mother ffooit nae thehere > Speak fatter ! ipeak WuTie ! " Poetry , indeed ! Poetry , I fear , has little to do with moments like these . Oh , no ! when the bewildering gush has passad away , and a kind of grey light has settled oh the ruin , ane may number the dropr as they fall , but the citterns oftorrovs echo not whefi /««—hence my idealized address to Willie was written long after the event that gave it existence . With feelings mor « tranquil , and conditiou every way better , it came thus : —

      The ae dark spot in this loveless world , That spot maun ever be , Willie , Whaur she sat an' dauted your bonnie brown hair , An ' lithelylookettome , Willie ; An oh ! my heart owned a' the power Of your mither ' g gifted e ' e , Willie . There ' s now nae blink at our slackened hearth , Nor kindred breathing there , Willie , Eut cauld and still our hame of death , Wi' its darkneiB erermair , Willie ; For she wha lived in our love , is cauld , An'her grave the stranger * lair , Willie , The sleepless nicht , the dowie dawn , A' stormy though it be , Willie , Ye'll buckle ye in your weet wee plaid , An' wander awa wi' me , Willie ; Yonr lanesome sister little kans Sic tidings we hae to gie , Willie .

      The promised day , the trysted hour , She'll strain her watchfu' e ' e , Willie , Seeking that mither ' s look of love . She never again maun see , Willie ; Kiss ye the tear frae her whitening cheek , An' speak awhile for me , Willie . Look kindly , kindly when ye meet , But speak nae of the dead , Willie ; An * when your heart would gar you greet , Aye turn awa your head , Willie ; That waesome look ye look to me Would gar her young heart bleed , Willie , Whane ' er she nameB a mither ' s name , An' sairly presseth thee , Willie , Oh ! tell her of a happy hame Far , for o ' er earth an' sea , Willie ; An' ane that waits to welcome them , Her harmless bairnB , an' me , Willie .

      2 g ~ [ We are compelled to postpone the conclusion of this article till our next . We mako this " break " very reluctantly , but press of matter leayea us no alternative . ]

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      Lord Dudley Stuart . —We learn that " Tho Friends of Poland" have determined to give an entertainment to Lord Dudley Stuart , as a mark of their appreciation of his lordship's unremitting zeal and advocacy of the rights of that dismembered nation , and that the banquet is tg take place the second or third week in the ensuing month , at Willis ' s Rooms , St . James ' . Viscount Murpeth , M . P ., has consented to preside . —Daily paper . Sarah op Marlboroboh . —The duchess survived

      her illustrious husband not less than twenty-two years , dying at the age of eighty-four , 17-14 . The love she had for the duke may in no small degree be imagined from the following anecdote : though in her sixty-second year she still possessed some attractions insomuch that she was sought in marriage by the Duke of Somerset . Her answer is highly ! characteristic , and highly to be admired : — " Marriage is very unsuited at my age ; but , were 1 only thirty , I would not permit even the emperor of the world to succeed in that heart which has been all my life devoted to John , Duke of Marlborongh . "

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      THE CONNOISSEUR-Aprn t . London : E . Mackenzie , 111 , Fleet-street . We must congratulate the conductors of this periodical on . the success of their venture : in saying Jf" ^" . nothing of the publisher ' s accounts ! the number printed , and the number sold , we assume the successful progress of the Connoisseur on the ground that we observe it for sale in a greater number ot shop windows than formerly , and , what is still better , we have lately observed , about tho time of publication , not a few persons aDBarenfcJv hnwvtna

      homewards with their purchased copies ef the newlv published number . This success is well deserved , there is an independence of tone , and exhibition of critical talent , on the part of the conductors of the Connoisseur , truly refreshing wheu contrasted with the anythingarianisms of other publications . This effort to establish a talented and independent journal of the fine arts must have been attended with considerable sacrifice to the projectors ; we are glad that at length there is a prospect of their exertions being crowned with success .

      Ihe Italian Opera . House" is , as IIokne Tookb said ot the London Coffee House , and English law open to every Englishraan-Ww can nay . The payments being something above the democratic standard we are not in the habit of frequenting the " House , " and therefore we are not competent to express an opinion on the first and fourth articles in this mim-. < r" ,, r ? n only say that the writers give reasons ' for the faith that is in them , " which to us appear to be unanswerable . At any rate , the articles are interesting both to the privileged and flie unprivileged , the frequenters and the non-irequenters of the Italian Opera House ..

      Amongst numerous readable articles there is one "On the Ventilation of Tublic Buildings" well wbrth y of serious attention . The dramatic notices of the last month ' s novelties are lengthier than usual , and very entertaining . This number contains an original ballad , by S . L . Oxmst , and is embellished with a portrait of Rembrandt , from a painting by himself , drawn on stone by II . C . Maouikb . Rembbasdt has the face of a Gipsy Apollo—perhaps Bacchus would be nearer the mark . He looks the very incarnation of jovality and good nature .

      Untitled Article

      Frightful Accident on the Eastern Counties ' Railway . —An accident occurred on this line , between Edmonton and Ponder ' s-end , to a special train that left London for Chesterford on Tuesday at half-past one p . m . The speed of the train was forty-three miles an hour , as the secretary and the aupcrintendant of the locomotive department were on one of the engines noting it by their watches at the period of the accident . It appears that the directors , in order to meet the convenience of the subscribers to the Newmarket Craven Meeting and the public , determined to run a special train from Shoreditck on Sunday afternoon , at half-past one o ' clock , to

      Chesterford , undertaking to do the distance direct to Newmarket within four hours . For this occasion more than usual pains were adopted in selecting firstrate engines , carriages , drivers , guards , &c , with a view of avoiding the least mishap , and to show the Newmarket gentlemen " what could be done on the Eastern Counties Railway . " At the appointed time on Sunday the train started , conveying Lord and Lady Chesterfield , Lord E . Russell , and the elite of the sporting world , amounting to near 100 . In advance , drawing the train , were two of the finest engines that the company possess , built by Stothart , Slaughter , and Co ., both of the same construction , with the exception of the foremost one having inside cylinders , ana the second an outside one . The train

      was rather heavy . Next to the tender of the second engine were five horse boxes , three second class , and two trucks at the rear . The officials being anxious to promote the best arrangement and promptitude in the passage of the train , proceeded with it—the locomotive superintendant , Mr , Scott , being on the fire < engine ; Mr . Roney , the secretary , on the second ; and Mr . Waddington , the deputy-chairman ol the company , in a first-class carriage , accompanied by some of the directors of the company . It stopped at Lea-bridge station to take up passengers , up to which period everything worked favourably , with prospects of a pleasant and quick trip . It appears here Mr . Roney joined Mr . Scott on the foremost engine , and in a few seconds the train resumed its

      journey . The special express speed must , it seems at this juncture have been got up , and by the time the train had passed Edmonton station , it was travelling at the rate of forty-three miles an hour . This speed was satisfactorily ascertained by Mr . Roney and Mr . Scott comparing their watches and timing the four half mile posts just prior to the accident . These gentlemen , we are informed , had scarcely noted the time , however , before they were considerably alarmed by a peouliar dragging movement on the engine they were on , and on looking towards the train they saw sufficient to convince them that an accident had occurred . The train was then midway between Edmonton and Ponder ' s-end station , about nine and a half miles from the metropolis .

      The second engine they saw had left the rails , and was tearing up the road fearfully , dragging with it the train ; and almost instantaneously the steam of both engines was shut off . For the moment nothing short of the second engine dragging the train into a large ditch of water was expected . Such was the momentum , however , of the foremost one , that it still held the metal , and , remarkable as it may appear , dragged on the second one , and eventual )} - forced it on to the rails , uninjured , the fire-men and stokers retaining their position . The fate of the carriage portion of the train , however , was far more unfortunate , and the preservation of the passengers can be scarcely conceived . As before stated , it followed the course of the second engine on the

      permanent way for about twenty-five yards , when the coupling which held it snapped asunder , and , as the engine retook the rails , the train shot down the embankment into a ditch filled with water . The crash of the carriages was truly terrific , and the alarming excitement that ensued amongst the passengers was of the most painful character . To use an expression of one of the officials , never was such a wreck of a train witnessed . The foremost part of the train , comprising the horse-boxes , was partly buried in the ditch , and almost crushed to pieces by the weight of the carriages pitching upon them . The next carriage—a second class one , containing a number ot porters , who were being conveyed down to assist at the Chesterfield-station during the races—was thrown

      on its side . Such was the concussion , that ercry portion of it , except the side uppermost and the flooring , was knocked away , and yet , incredible as it may appear , not a soul inside was hurt . The second guard ; named George Gordon , was on tjie roof of the carriage , and how lie escaped destruction is surprising , as the next carriage , a first class one , mounted the roof , lie was found amongst the fragments bleeding from the head , and at first it was thought he was mortally injured . We are happy to state , however , that he was so recovered as to come up to town yesterday afternoon . The remaining carriages were more or less damaged , and the chief guard , it appears , was saved by being hoisted on to the wires of the electric telegraph , and tilted over into the ditch , luckily escaping with a ducking . It is needless to observe , that the first object of the

      officials travelling with the train was to release the passengers , who , with the exception of the fright they had ' sustained , were uninjured . Conveyances were procured as soon as possible from Edmonton , and they were taken on to Ponder ' s-end and Waltham , when another special train was provided for them , which was more fortunate in reaching Chesterford , though Eomc hours after the passengers had bargained for . The statement which has appeared in some of the morning papers , that a groom who had charge of one of the horses in the horse-boxes had been killed , is , we are authorised to state , without foundation . On the fragments of the boxes being inspected , two horses were found dead , and another so seriously injured that in the course of an hour or so afterwards , an end was put to its existence . The loss to the company will amount to between £ 3 , 000 and £ 4 , 000 ,

      Untitled Article

      VicioniA Pahk . —On Monday , this locality was thronged all day with visitors , to see the progress of works to which the eastern inhabitants of the metropolis have , until lately , been strangers . On Good Friday the number of visitors was estimated at about 25 , 000 , which was on Monday considerably exceeded . Great activity is shown in the progress of the plantations , upwards of 20 , 000 trees and shrubs being now in the ground , and the leading roads and footpaths being completed . A handsome lodge , in the Elizabethan style of architecture , for the residence of Mr . Curtis , the forrester , has been completed at the entrance frera Bishop Bonner ' s Fields , which is across an adjacent iron bridge of very light and elegant construction : and the whole of the pales and railings are

      up , the park being now thoroughly enclosed . A plot has been staked out near this entrance , of about four acres in extent , on which to form a piece of ornamental water . The regulations of St . James ' s-park with regard to the admission of visitors are observed as far as possible , the park-keepers having orders to exclude all disorderly and druuken persons , itinerant vendors , and dogs . Notwithstanding the number congregated the last few days , and the very promiscuous nature of the assemblage , tho utmost order has been preserved by an efficient staff of park-keepers under tho direction of Mr . Mobbs , the' chief gate-keuper , and very trifling injury or dftinagc was done . Tim plan of a scientific arboretum is being adhered to in tho plantations .

      Railway Profits . —Some of the holders in the Trent Yalley Railway , have pocketed £ 2 S , 000 by the sale of that line to the London and Birmingham , upon an outlay of £ 2 , 500 only . As a company they have spent less than half a quarter of a million , and they have effected a sale of upwards of a million and a quarter !

      Untitled Article

      Matrimonial Facts and Figures . —In the year 1842 the number of marriages registered in England and Wales was 118 , S 2 o—110 , 0 i 7 according to the rites of tlie Established Ctmrch , and 8 , 778 otherwise . 5 , 387 of the bridegrooms , and 10 , 003 of the brides were under age ; lo , 610 of the bridegrooms were widowers , and 10 , 087 of the brides were widows ; and 38 , 031 of tlus bridegrooms , and 56 , 965 of the brides ( or nearl y one-half of the total number ) were unable to write their names . The effect of "bad times " on the number of marriages is strikingly apparent in this number of the Registrar-General's report . In iSrn fche nui"ber of marriages was 123 , 106 ; . in 1840 122 006 ; in 1841 , 123 , 400 ; and in 1842 118 , 825 , : i j—vw ) >» uvi jit ivii < ii , W | WMvi

      Dealers in Antiquities . —An action was lately brought by an old lady against a dealer in curiosities , tor cheating her m the matter of antiques . Her taste was not limited to the oddities of the present day , and in the dealer she tound a person perfect ! v inclined to gratify her with wonders . He had sold her a model of the Alexandrian library , a specimen of the original type invented by Memnon the Egyptian , and a manuscript of tho first play acted by Thespis . These had not exhausted the stock of the dealer ; lie possessed the skin of agiraffe killed in the Roman amphitheatre , the head ot King Arthur ' s spear , and the breech of the first cannon fired at the siege of Constantinople . Ihe jury , however , thought that the virtuoso having ordered these curiosities , ought to pay for them , aud brought in a verdict for the dealer . The Grkat Do . —What will the Lords Do ? The Nation . —Punch .

      Ihish Distkess . —Indian Subscriptions . — £ 3 , 000 has been lodged in the Bank of Ireland to the credit ot the Mansion-house Famine Committee , by the benevolent inhabitants of Calcutta : more may be expected . J Doings in the "Holt City . "—Rome is at present the sceno of a strange rumour . A * very influential persons have a great interest in concealing the affair , it will be difficult to discover the truth . It appears that on the re-opening of the Argentina Theatre , there was found , in one of the most remote boxes of the last class , the corpse of a young lady in a domino , already in a state of putrefaction , and bearing marks of several poniard stabs . She must have been assassinated during the last carnival , since which period the theatre has baen closed .

      Destruction of an Ancient Tree . —The beautiful tree in Belraashanner , Forfar , so well known by the name of the Belmashanner Thorn , which has stood for five centuries , and which the earls of'Stratlimore retained when the property was sold , was levelled to the ground in the late severe gale . Seamen in the Port of London . —So active is the demand for seamen , both in the mercantile marine and the navy , that on Friday the whole number ot inmates at the Destitute Sailors' Asylum , was ten , whilst on no previous night of tho week did they average more than six , the majority of whom were invalids or completely destitute .

      I ' iie Last of the Old Shops The old fishmonger s shop on the north side of the Strand , adjoining lemple-bar , which retained the ancient penthouse and reminded one of the time before plate-glass was when pains-taking shopkeepers cried aloud to passersby , " What d ' ye lack ? " has been taken down to give room for a modern erection . The Vicar and the Poet . —It appears from the Bristol Journal that some six years ago a monument to ChattertoH was erected in Redeliife churchyard , Bristol . The Rev . Martin Whish was , it seems , desirous that the stone should bear certain lines of tho best morality " which the vicar ' s -book could

      scrap furnish . " Time , however , rolled on when a little while sinco , the Rev . Martin Whish , after six years toleration of the monument to the " marvellous boy , " the poet suicide , the overwrought lunatic , bethought himself that tho monument was a wrong , an eyesore to a Christian place of sepulture , and had it removed . This bigotry towards the illustrious dead is worthy the spirit . that Bristol exercised toward the living . The city helped to starve the genius ; and now comes the vicar , in the year of light and liberality 1816 , to wreak Ins sacerdotal spite ( and there is no mischief like it ) on the memory of the truly great and truly unfortunate .

      The Puss . —The following sentiment was lately offered at the agricultural festival in Worcester , Massachusetts : —Success to all pens—Whilst we boast of ompig pen , our sheep pen , and out' cowpen , let us not forgot the pen of the scholar . It shall never be said that owv cuttle arc better bred than our children , More Glory . —Another horse of Abd-el-Kader has bten shot this week . One would fancy that the principal object of the expedition into Algiers was to supply France with cats-meat . Extraordinary Excavation in tub City . —In the course of a few days an excavation , ordered by the commissioners of sewers at Guildhall , will be completed in the city , that was commenced about four months age , and which extends from Whitefriars-dock

      to Fleet-street , opposite Craven-court . The whole length was tunnelled under the houses , which was an operation of considerable difficulty , and it was expected that the whole would not have been executed without some serious accident , but fortunately none has occurred . The sewer is constructed at a depth of about twenty-three feet from the surface . During the _ excavation the workmen discovered a vault , which was found to be about eighty feet long , reaching almost from Fleet-street to the Thames , nine feet wide and seven feut deep ; it was built of the most durable material and the pavement of it was formed of Roman bricks of a beautiful red colour . On Tuesday last two human skulls , with the thigh bones aud part of a human chest , were discovered .

      Parisian Folly . —The fortifications of Paris are entirely finished . They have cost more than £ 5 , 000 , 000 sterling . PniNTERs' Library . —The proprietors of the Manchester Guardian newspaper , some time ago established on their premises , and have in regular use , a well . selected library , for the compositors , pressmen , clerks , apprentices , and other persons employed in their offices . Swarms of Locusts in Algeria . —The AcBar states , — "For the last few days immense swarms of young locusts cover the manoeuvring ground , they occupy a line of more than 100 metres in length from the scene of the late tournament to the road leading to Koula . The ground they leave behind them as they advance is completely bare , the red soil appearing . They advance in a regular body , and when

      they have eaten up the grass it is feared they will make an attack upon the gardens . Ax Orthodox Doc—An old shepherd in one of those outlying border parishes where there are sometimes more quadrupeds than bipeds in church en a Sabbath-day , was a regular attender , with his old dog , at the parish church , down to the disruption . But at that eventful era he quitted the Establishment and joined the Free Church . His dog , however , no friend to newfangled highflying notions , could by no means be persuaded to change , but , while his master trudges every Sunday to hear the minister of his , choice , away he trots doggedly to the place and the preacher he has been accustomed to . — Border Watch .

      The Gambling Case at Canterbury . —The three persons charged with robbing Joseph Hogg of £ 45 , after having won a large sum of money of him at cards , were tried last week at the Quarter Sessions , and acquitted . The WinchcombCase . —It is stated that the board of guardians of the Winchcomb Union have called upon the poor-law commissioners to cause an immediate official inquiry to be made into all the circumstmices connected with the case of alleged death from want of the necessaries of life .

      SuB-MiniNE Shocks . —The following account is given by Capt . Botte , commtmder of the Louise , arrived recently at Bordeaux . — " On the 8 th March , the wind being south south-east , weather hazy , a fresh breeze and a calm sea , we felt a sudden shock which caused the vessel to shake considerably , and then subsided . The shock lasted about three seconds , and was accompanied by a noise which resembled distant thunder . My first impression was that we had passed over some substance floating between two streams ; but not nndinj ; anything to confirm my fears , and finding no water in the pumps I endeavoured to ascertain the cause of the shock , when a second , of lesser power than the first , caused me to attribute it to some sub-marine explosion . Between the two shocks the vessel had gone about nine miles . " Forest of Dean Bark Sale . —Fall in Pricks . — At the annual sale of bark , held at the Speech-house ,

      in the Forest of Dean , on Tuesday , about 940 tons were offered ; and it is a singular fact , that not a single lot was sold . The buyers offered frem £ 1 to £ 1 5 s . , ' per ton , but the officer conducting the sale bought the whole in at £ 410 a ., which averages about los . below last year ' s prices . Lonoevity . —There is at present residing in this city a female , a native of the Forest of Dean , whose maiden name was Mary George , but whose present name is Morgan , 97 years of age , in the full possession of all her faculties , and with nearly the whole of her teeth quite perfect . A fortnight since she , in pursuance of her calling—attending fairs—walked fourteen miles in the morning , attended to her business throughout the day , and next morning walked back again to this city . Her nimble walk outshines many of our damsels . Her mother was up wards of a century old when she died .

      A Soldier ' s Dog . —Serjeant O'Neil , of the 3 d Light Dragoons , writing home to his friends from Ferozepore on the 8 th of January , communicates the fall of his brother iu the battle of Moodkee , and adds , '' he had a little dog that was with him through the whole charge ; and his comrades in C troop came the next day and asked me not to remove it from tho troop , and they would respect it in remembrance of him , which I , of course acceded to , and it accompanied them every loot during . the next two dayB * fighting , and is again safe with them . " The Militia . —A circular from the War-office intimates that the militia regiments will most probabl y be embodied in the course of the following spring , for the month ' s training and possibly afterwards for

      permanent service . —Globe . London Gaus There are nearly 3000 licensed cabs in London .

      Untitled Article

      The Glojie Sold . —Very recently , the Globe news * paper was publicly sold by Mr . George Robins , if we mistake not , for £ 19 , 000 . Excisk Duties . —The taxes levied on articles of consumption produced within this kingdom . The word isderived from exhlo , to cut out , and means that a good slice is taken out of everything affected by the excise duties . They commenced in the reign of . Charles the First by a tax on beer , and Oliver Cromwell being a brewer , was no doubt excited to rebellion by this attack on his double X . If lie had been a milkman , and there had been a duty on chalk , he would probably have been equally refractory . —PolitU cal Dictionary .

      Peace with America . —A meeting wss held at the Athentcum , Exeter , on Wednesday night , in order to adopt a friendly address to our transatlantic brethren , deprecating the apprehended war . Mr . J . Dymond was called to the chair , and the meeting was ad * dressed by the Rev . J . Eristowe , the Rev . F . Bishop , and Messrs . Davy , Wilkinson , Fox , and Holwell . The resolutions were passed unanimously . Dreadful Accident . —On Tuesday morning a poor man , in the employ of Messrs . Meeson , tko extensive lime-burners at Grays , Essex , mot with an accident of an appalling nature while engaged

      attending a thrashing machine at Stifford . The unfortunate man alighted from the horse to adjust one of the traces , when his clothes became entangled in the machinery , and his limbs were dreadfully mutilated : both legs were crushed , and fiis arms broken ; one eye was destroyed , and every part of the body more or less seriously injured . But in the midst of all this torture , which lasted throughout the day , he remained perfectly sensible until the evening , when death at length terminated his sufferings . He has left a widow and six children to lament their loss ; ami the poor woman , it appears , is now ' near her confinement .

      Large Pig . —Mr . Alex . Macfadzean , contractor , Prestwick Toll , killed a pig on Friday , G months old , weighing 12 tron stones and 20 ibs ., or 21 stones libs . English . Tawell ' s Confession . —At the meeting ofmagistrates at Aylesbury , on Thursday , after the countv business bad been disposed of , the consideration of the court waa directed to the confession of John Tawell , when after a lengthy discussion it was resolved by a majority of three , that Mr . Cox , the chaplain , be requested to lay the document on tho table . ' _ Various Shocks of Earthquake have been felt in different parts of Styria . Their direction was south towards north-east . The barometer marked 2 Ci and the thermometer about 00 Reaumur .

      Five Hundred Distress Warrants to recover poor rates have been issued during the past week in the parish of St . Clement Danes . Public Baths . —Measures are now in active progress for the erection of two out of the feur public baths contemplated in Birmingham . Singular Death op a Watchman at Ironoate-Wharf . —On Tuesday morning James Rus 3 ell , night watchman at the Irongate-Wharf , near the Tower , was found snffecated between two bales of flax , under very singular circumstance . The deceased , who was about 50 years of age , is supposed to have fallen , asleep during the night on the flax , which is piled up against the wall , and must have fallen head downwards in an opening between two of the bales , and in attemptingtoextricato himself was suffocated . His face and neck were much discoloured and swollen , and he had evidently struggled violently .

      Suicidb or a Soldier . —On Saturday an inquest was held before J . Hinde , Esq ., at the Artillery Bar . racks , Brompton , on the body of James Grant , privato belonging to the 2 nd Rifle Brij-ade , stationed at the Invalid Bnrracks , St . Mary ' s , Gilliugham . The deceased had been absent on sick furlough , and not returning at the expiration of his term , it was ima . gined he had deserted . On Good Friday , Patrick Connor , of the 40 th Regiment , was sent to get a can from one of the spare arch-way rooms in the barracks , on opening the door of which he found the deceased there with his throat cut , and a razor lying by his side . Verdict , " Temporary Insanity . " The deceased was about 35 years of age , and had been 17 years in the service .

      Fatal Accident at Stepney Faiu . —About half past four on Tuesday , a young fad , whose Hame did not transpire , whilst passing by a swing in Stepney Fair , near the Prince of Wales ^ Coffeehouse , was struck by the shaft with such violence , that the frontal bone was completely broken in . He was instantly conveyed to the London Hospital , but without the slightest hopes of recovery . The Late Thomas Hood . —a meeting of the committee for managing the Hood Fund was held on Thursday last at the residence of Mr . David

      Salomons , the Treasurer , for the purpose of auditing the accounts . 1000 J . has been invested on behalf of the family ih the public funds , and a further sum of 200 J . will be similarly invested in the course of a few weeks . It is proposed to place a small monument over the remains of the late Mr . Hood , in Kensalgreen Cemetry , for which a sum not exceeding 501 . will be raised . The members of the committee subscribed ten guineas towards the sum required , which will no doubt be very soon completed by the many friends and admirers of the deceased poet .

      iiiE Battle ok CuLLODKN . —Thursday last was the centenary anniversary of the [ memorable battle of Culloden . which gave the final deathblow to the hopes of the exiled house of Stuart . Fire . —On the 10 th inst , the warehouse occupied bv Messrs . Jackson and Co ., in Auburn-street , Manchester , was destroyed by fire . The damage is estimated at £ 6 , 000 . The Port of Preston . —The Gazette of Friday contains a notice , appointing the port of Preston , in , Lancashire , to be a port for the importation of tobacco .

      _ Sneezing Mal-Apropos . —The following laughable incident is related in a New York paper : —In the new melo-drama , recently got up at the Chatham Theatre , a famous robber ' s taken and beheaded , and his head is exhibited to the audience by being placed on a table in the centre of the stage . To accomplish this to « ie life , the robber ' s body is fixed to the table and his neck is fitted to a hole in the centre of the leaf , so that to the audience it looks precisely as though the man ' s head had been cut off , and stood up in a pool of its own blood upon the table . On the fifth night of the exhibition , a wag got into the third tier of the stage boxes , and b some unexplained manoeuvre , managed to bl « w a lot of Scotch snuff over the stage just at the time the head was placed on the table . As soon as the snuff had begun to settle down , the bead commenced sneezing to the no small amusement of the audience ; and as the snetzing could not be stopped , the curtain fell amidst roars of laughter and confusion .

      Attempt to Kill . —Manuel Sainz dela Maza , a bar-keeper at the Brilliant Coffee-house , on the corner of Marais and Customhouse streets , was arrested on Tuesday afternoon , for having stabbed with a knife one Edward Ennis , with an attempt to kill him . TI 113 affray occurred in the coffee-house above named on the evening of the 4 th inst . The man was so badly cut that his blood was traced the next morning from the house to Canal-street , across which he has been taken to the Charity Hospital , and where he bus been ever since , in a critical state , but now out of danger . —N . 0 , Delta .

      Muiider . —We regret to learn that a murder was committed in the neighbourhood of Dukedom , Weekly , county Tennessee , on Monday last . An affray took place between Dr . Wilson and a man named Roberts , in which Roberts was stabbed witha dirk and killed instantly . Wilson did not attempt to escape ; but was under guard awaiting the action of an cxaminingg comb , —Louisville Journal , Extraordinary LoNGEViTY . —Tlie Richmond Corn * piler mentions the death in Cumberland county ( Va ) of Syfax Brown , aged one hundred and fifteen years four months and five days . Ho was for many years tho slave and personal servant of John Randol ph , Esq ., ofMattoax , father of tho late John Randolph of Ronoake .

      The Temperance Movement in Birmingham . —On Monday night the annual tea-party of the friends of the Temperance cause in this town , was held at the Town-hall ; about 3 , 000 persons were present , and in the course of the evening the meeting was addressed by Jos . Sturge , Esq ., the chairman , by Messrs . Cadbury , Melson , the Rev . C . H . Roe , and Dr . Smith . Incendiarism . —At the Gloucester Azzizes on Saturday , James Ware , aged sixty-eight , was sentenced to be transported for life , for feloniously setting fire to a dwelling-house on the 23 rd of February last , in the parish of Temple , Bristol .

      News for newly-married Couples . —There is an endowment at Westminster , founded in 1 TS 1 , by the will of Edward Dickenson , Esq ., who left £ 5 , 000 stock , the interest of which to be divided on the first month after Easter day , between three new married couples from the parish of St . Margaret ' s or St . John ' s the Evangelist , at Westminster , and of Acton ! The distribution takes place with the approbation of the Bishop of London , and petitions are taken into consideration by the trustees on the Wednesday in Laster week , when they decide on the nine couples to receive the bounty , which consists of £ 15 each .

      ihe Duke op Wellington has bsen entertaining a numerous circle at Strathfieldsave during the kohdayg , * The Grand Polish EAix .-The annual grand fancy and full dress ball , for the benefit of the Polish retugees m this country , is to take place ou the otli of June , at the usual locale , Willis ' s Rooms . We understand that some of our highest noblesse have consented to exercise their patronage and influence m behalf ot those political exiles . '' Rebecca" in Essex . —At a meeting of several of the inhabitants of Brentwood and Shenficld , held at tlie White Bart , on Saturday , in reference to fclie contemplated removal of the Shenficld toll-gate , Col . uooeh in tho chair , it was resolved , that in the opinion of the meeting such removal will be illegal ; and if carried idto effect , payment of the toil shall ami will buresisted .

      Romamce op Reality . —Mr . S . R . Brooking , of St . John ' s Wood , having died of injimSmceived by a fall from his horse , his wife was inconsolable . -rinsisted on sleeping in tho same bed with the corpserof her husband , and in the morning was found aeaoVJjy his side . : .. ;; fx ¦ ¦' ¦ - ¦ ' : "' vi

      -3ttbfeto&

      -3 ttbfeto&

      .Railway Accident.

      . RAILWAY ACCIDENT .

      General Intelligent

      General intelligent

      Untitled Article

      • Mymcs and Recollections of a Uandloom Weaver , by Wiuujt Thom , of Inverury . Second edition , with additions . London : Smith , Elder and Co ., C 5 , Coruhill ,

      Untitled Article

      A ? ril 18 , lMfl THE NORTHERN STAR . " 3 ^ 1

  • Citation
    • Northern Star (1837-1852), April 18, 1846, page 3, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1363/page/3/