No. X. Price One Penny, And now the time in special is, by privilege, to write and speak what may help to the further discussing of matters in agitation. The Temple of Janus, with his two controvcrsal faces, might now not unsignificantly be set open : and though all the winds of doctrine were let loose to play upon the earth, so Truth be in the field, we do injuriously, by licensing and prohibiting, to misdoubt her strength. Let her and falsehood grapple. Who ever knew Truth put to the worse, in a free and open encounter. Her confuting is the best and surest suppressing.— MILTON'S AREOPAGITICA. ADVERTISEMENTS. S. DUNTON, Tailor and Woollen Draper, begs to inform his Friends and the Public that he has received the present Fashions, with his usual Stock of Winter Goods, consisting of Waterproof Beavers, Tweeds, Pilot Cloths, with every other description of Goods, suitable to the Tailoring and Woollen Drapery businesses S. D. in returning thanks to his Friends for their past favours, earnestly begs a con- tinuance of the same, assuring them nothing shall be want- ing on his part to give satisfaction as tolcheapness, quality of material, and elegance of style. The best London Hats from the most approved makers. 2, Corn Market End, Halifax, E. CRABTREE begs leave to inform the Inhabitants of Halifax and Its Vicinity, that PROSPECTUSES and RECEIPTS for the next d istritmtion of the London Friendly Union, for the encouragement of Trade and Manufactures, may be had of him, every day ( Sundays excepted) between the hours of three and five o'clock in the afternoon, at No. 3 , Ilroad Street, Halifax, until the 13th Dec. 1842. MR. EDWARD SLOANE UNDER THE ALIAS OF ISAAC TOMKINS. Oh, unhid spite 1 Is sportful Edward come ? Shakespeare's Henry VI. The publication, in our eighth number, of the letter signed " Isaac Tomliins," was gall and wormwood to its witless writer. It was what he neither expected nor intended ; and our exposure of his ignorance, as well as his malignity* has stung him to the quick. From the Billingsgate character of his epistle, he was in the full expectation that we should refuse to insert it, and return him the copy, according to his request. Had we done so, he would have seized upon our refusal as a god- send : " Fired that the house reject him, ' sdeath ! I'll print it, And shame the fools ! "* A letter by Isaac Tomkins, rejected by the Editors of the Free Press, would have excited curiosity, and must have commanded some sale, even if it had not, to use his own elegant phraseology," sold like bricks." The " cunning Isaac" might then have pocketed a few shillings by the publication ; but our insertion of the letter disappointed him in that hope of gain ; and ho was made to feel, if not to exclaim, " I do begin to perceive that I am made an ass." f The loss of pecuniary advantage was not the only grievance which befel him ; for he had to wince under the disclosure and publication of his name. This was another blow that he did not expect. Like most other slanderers and vituperators, he desired to do mischief, but had not the courage to face the con- sequences of being recognised as its author. When the manuscript of his letter was sent to the office of our printer, it was necessary that some proof should be given of the identity of its writer with the " Isaac Tomkins " of " Plug Plot " notoriety. This was furnished by the. messenger, who distinctly declared that the letter was sent by Mr. Edward Sloane, the writer of the " History of the Plug Plot." Mr. Sloane thinks proper to deny this, as will be seen hereafter, when we shall say a word or two more on this point. That the disclosure of his real name was a source of uneasiness to him, is abundantly clear, from the following note, which was received at our printer's on Friday, October 21st, a few hours before the publication of the " Free Press;" and which was apparently written in so confused a state of mind, that it was dated for the following day. The note was in the same hand- writing as the original letter,— * Pope. + Shakespeare! Merry Wives of Windsor. not Mr. Sloane's own writing, but that of one of his friends. The rote is as follows :— " Oct. 22nd, 1842. " GENTLEMEN,— A discovery was made by your Editor on Wednesday last, in which my name was called in question, on which I feel myself bound to make a passing remark, as I failed in getting a personal interview with him yesterday, I embrace this medium of informing you, that I did not write or indite a certain document put into his hands on that day, and signed Isaac Tomkins. I think he will see that I could not write the paper.— and will also believe that if I could, I would not have done it. The fact is, my master of words and ceremonies gave me the article to copy, and this is the head and front of my offence. And hoping this will be a sufficient explanation from the weaker and less responsible vessel, I beg to subscribe myself, a well- wisher to you and yours, " DORCAS TOMKINS." " To the proprietors of the Halifax Free Press " What was meant by this note, we were, and are still, quite at loss to discover; for no mention had been made, either by our printer or the messenger, of any such person as " Dorcas Tomkins." The very fact, however, of the note being written and sent, proved that our printer's inquiry had caused some uneasy sensations,— especially as that inquiry for the writer's name was accompanied by a promise to insert the letter. This was the first wince ; and we now come to the second, which is contained in the following letter .-— " ISAAC TOMKINS AND THE FREE PRESS. " To the Editors of the Halifax Free Press. " GENTLEMEN,— I am extremely obliged to you for the insertion of my letter in last week's Free Press. In so doing, you have satisfied me, that your paper is really what it pretends to be, a Free Press. But Gentlemen, I have just reasons to complain of the conduct of your printer, respecting the printing of my letter. It is generally understood by writers, that it is the duty of a printer, to correct any trifling inaccuracy that may have escaped the eye of the writer. Your printer, regardless ofthe general rules connected with his business, availed himself of his position, in order, to make my letter look as ridiculous as possible. Netwithstanding, I complain not of this. I was fully aware, that he in the plenitude of his spleen, and in keeping with his well known narrow- mindedness, would take every undue advantage ;— but that he should alter words by the substitution of one letter for another, argues a degree of mental contraction, and innate shabbiness of soul, that none, but Jonathan's most intimate acquaintances would have given him credit for. I have compared the copy of my letter with that in the Free Press, and every error there, is correct in my copy. Not having time con- veniently to spare, I availed myself of the services of a friend, who took a copy for me, I sent the trans- cribed copy to your publisher and " Editor of the literary department." The reason why I sent the copy and not the original was, that the original was hastily written, and that copied was in a neater, and plainer hand. Now Jonathan was perfectly aware, when he printed the letter, that it was only a copy, and moreover he was perfectly aware by whom it was transcribed. He was likewise aware that, that same person writes very correctly, and is a very un- likely person to make such gross mistakes. The person who made the copy, says it is very probable that it may have contained a few errors, but, that many of the mistakes in the letter, as you have published it, are so notoriously absurd, and palpable, that he is certain he never wrote it so. In order, to show the paltry meanness of the affair, with yaur permission, I would ask Jonathan a few questions. Have you not Jonathan, more than once, asked the very person who copied my letter, to contribute something or other to the Free Press ? Has be not done so ? If he has, has it not always appeared in the Free Press, as correctly as you could print it ? To one, and all of these questions Gentlemen, Jona- than is obliged to answer in the affirmative. How is this Gentlemen ? The whole appears to be a piece of contempible trickery, well worthy the intellectual and moral character of Jonathan ; but very unworthy the proprietors of the Free Press. Yet perhaps upon the who'e, it is as well, that Jonathan did mangle the letter intentionally, as otherwise— as the Free Press is printed in such a blundering style, it would not have been much better, had he taken pains, to do it as well as he could. Every week there are an innu- merable quanty of typographical errors, enough to make any printer blush, provided he had as much blood in his body as would muster up one. For example, in that glorious, always- to- be- remembered, and never- to be- forgotten poem, " Dicky Moon" there is a couplet you make run thus : — " The part o'th'play just where he should have acted the most bar on He was too soft, and that's a crime a woman cannot pardon.'' " What is the meaning of the word " bar " in the first line- If you say that it is a typographical error, then your " literary Editor" becomes a poor fallible mortal like one's- self. And besides, it savours of indecency as it stands. Oh ! fie Jonathan how could you with all your refined taste, and sublimated morality, print such a smutty verse ? You say I have not " the manliness to give the public my real signature." I would ask the august trio " the Monk of Clark Bridge," " the Hermit of Beacon Hill," and the " Knight of Skircoat Moor," how it is they do not favour the public with their real signatures ? You do right gentlemen in adopting assumed names it will save you many a blush. I knew a man once that happened to be moon struck, and imagined him- self a poet, and began and wrote verses. They were in the " little Jack Horner style" and were accounted by bis friends " very good;" more especially the " lines addressed to his mother's tea pot," and the " Elegiac stanza on a white mouse." In an evil hour he heark- ened to the advice of his friends, and published his verses with his name attached thereunto. And what was the consequence ? The world laughed at the still born abortion, and the thing was consigned to its little grave amidst the heartless sneers of public opinion. It was considered a signal of distress put forth by expiring intelligence, else it would hove been kicked out of society with the foot of scorn. rIhe poor fellow then became an eccentrick, cultivated pig headness, and excelled in stupidity ; He snarled, and bit friend and foe out of revenge on society, for the disrespect shewn his poetry. He changed his name from Henry to " Jonathan;" but all would not do. The book was damned by the public and as a matter of course, the author was included in the mental anathema. The " unfortunate" might have passed through life, and the public would have given him credit for a small quantity of brains, had he not pub- lished a lot of words arranged so as to look like poetry, in the false hope, that, the public would consider them as such. Had he possessed less *' manliness " and witheld his name, he would have escaped all this mortification. Gentlemen, you see it is dangerous, to give one's name to the public. " You say the, messenger I sent with my letter " said he knew nothing of its contents but that it was sent by the same person ( namely Isaac Tomkins)— " that is Mr. Edward Sloane"— thus leading your 2 THE HALIFAX FREE PRESS. readers to infer, that the messenger mentioned his name. The fact is, that the person sent did not mention such a name, nor, did he say such an one sent him. So much for the tale Jonathan told you, and so much, for the words he has put into your mouth, in your introduction to my letter. " Should any of your Editors, or, contributors, think Isaac Tomkins worthy further notice, I of course shall reply, should I deem the remarks worthy of notice, — but I will find a medium, through which I can circulate whatever I have to say, wider than the limited circulation of the " Halifax Free Press." " I am, Gentlemen, " Your Obliged Servant,, " ISAAC TOMKINS. " P, S. You are at perfect liberty to mangle this letter in whatever manner will best suit your purpose, and as the lines are rather crookedly written, you should continue to print them crooked likewise. I. T." The above letter is not mis spelt, in the manuscript, as the former was ; and it is evident that the writer has got some one to help him to write more accu- rately,— a thing, which he is himself quite incapable of doing, as we have been assured by several persons who have seen his manuscripts. In point of punctua- tion, however, he manifests the utmost ignorance ; and we have endeavoured to do justice to him, in that respect. In this letter, there is not much that requires more than a passing notice ; and we shall take the points as they arise. As to it being " the duty of the printer " to correct the errors of an author's manuscript, we deny that it is so, unless the printer be paid extra for that ad- ditional trouble ; and even Mr. Sloane, we should think, with all his impudence, could hardly expect that such a favour would be granted lo a letter in which so much abuse was directed against the printer. That the Editors of the Bradford Observer and Leeds limes, ( for which papers Mr. Sloane officiates as Halifax correspondent) take some pains to correct his bad spelling, is probable, because they wish to make the paragraphs he sends at least intelligible to their readers ; but, in proper names, their want of local knowledge disables thein from correcting pro- perly; and therefore Mr. Sloane's blunders come be- fore the public, in their real character, when the names of persons are given. Specimens of this may be seen in both those papers, last week, in their notices of the annual meeting of the Mechanics' Institution. The charge made against our printer, that he altered the spelling of Mr. Sloane's letter, is false. The manuscript was adhered to with more than usual care ; and Mr. Sloane's assertion that the spelling was in- tentionally altsred, is a wilful and deliberate lie. As to the manuscript being only a copy, and not the original,— that does not mend Mr. Sloane's case. He sent it, and therefore adopted it as his own. We have good reason to believe that the grammar and spelling in the original were much worse than in the copy. The statement that She bearer of the letter did no disclose Mr. Sloane's name to our printer, is another wilful and deliberate lie, worthy alike of the writer and his cause. Only one other point seems to require any notice ; and that is, the taunt that the Editors of this periodic cal do not give their real names to the public; and therefore have no right to require Mr. Edward Sloane's. There is a manifest difference between the two cases. When a person writes articles of a literarv character, or discusses general questions, he is under no moral obligation to disclose, his name ; but when what is written has reference either to the conduct or character of individuals, the public,— and particularly the individuals themselves, have a right to demand the name of the writer who has impugned their conduct. The remainder of the letter is too contemptible for any comment. The letter of " A Special," and the " Poetical Epistle from Sidrophel Seestar," shall be given in our next number. To insert them in the present would extend this article to an unreasonable length, and compel us to exclude other articles, of greater importance than any thing relating to Mr. Edward Sloane can possibly be. The total amount of property insured against loss by fire, in England, Scotland, and Ireland, during the year 1841, was £ 735,000,000 of which scarcely more than £ 50,000,000 was in Ireland. £" 30,000,000 of insurance was effected in Yorkshire. The gross » ". « - » of farming stock insured was £ 50,000,000. Oini LETTK SI liO X. THE ALLEGED DECLINE OF SOLID LEARNING. To the Editors of the Free Press. GENTLEMEN,.— It only remains that I should, as I proposed in my last, examine the letter of " A Lover of Knowledge" which appeared in the Free Press of the 1st ult., and this is th. e last time I shall trouble you on this subject, except some part of Mr. M's reply, which will appear thisweek, I suppose, should happen to be the point. The motto to the paper I am about to notice, is a very strange assertion, by Mr. Mack- intosh, viz. " Nations resemble those distant stars in the firmament, which seem brightest on the eve of their extinction." This remark means that nations are at one period in a glorious state of prosperity, and shortly after, in a state of positive annihilation, so far as their power and glory as nations are con- cerned. The remark is too " notoriously false" to need refutation ; the empires of old waned gradually ; they were not suddenly annihilated at a stroke, as any schoolboy who has read ancient history knows. But if the motto itself be absurd, how strikingly so its application 1 If we are on the verge of " extinction," we should surely be shining brightest just now,, instead of presenting a lamentable picture of moral, religious, and physical decline, as some would have us believe 1 As to what Mr. M. means by nations being extin- guished, I cannot tell; consequently I confess myself unable to do that splendid argument the justice it de- serves. The gentleman to whom I am replying, makes one observation, which strikingly disproves every argument that can be advanced in favour of the decline of Solid Learning. He says " it were an easy task to adduce arguments and facts in proof of the position that the character of any age is but the im- press formed by the writers of the preceding age." Here then is my whole position substantiated. The last age of our literary history was confessedly more glorious than any that had preceded it; then it was that we gained our present standing as a literary people; men flourished who wrote on almost ali branches of science and art ; it must by " A Lover of Knowledge" himself be admitted or rather asserted that it was more glorious than the present period, else how could we have declined i We are the first- fruits of those glorious works which blazed throughout the land. We have made mighty strides indeed in know- ledge ; and guided by the Omniscient, we shall make still mightier. In answer to the statement that com- paratively few works of a solid kind are now published, 1 copy the advertisements in Blackwood's Magazine for October. Encyclopaedia of Architecture, Histori- cal,. Theoretical, and Practical. Scripture Herbal. Popular Concliology. A treatise on the Mechanical Brinciples of Engineering. A Dictionary, Geogra- phical, Statistical, and Historical, by Mc'Culloch. A Dictionary, Practical, Theoretical, and Historical, of Commercial Navigation. Notes of a Traveller on the social and political state of France, Prussia, Switzerland, Italy, and other parts of Europe, during the present century— Laing. Treatise on the Culture and Discipline of the Mind, by J. Abercrombie M. D Family essays on the creation, preservation, and government, of the uni/ erse. Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities. Lectures on the Philosophy of the Human Mind. Elements of Chytnical Analysis, inorganic and organic. Animal Chemistry or Organic Chemistry in its applications to physiology and pa- thology, by Professor Liebig. Turner's Elements of Chemistry, seventh edition, Muller's Elements of Physiology. Elements of Obstetric Medicine ; with many otheis to name which would occupy too much space ; some theological, some political. Can any one examine this list without being struck with the diversity and the Solid kind of information which must be contained therein ? Mr. M. gives usa quantity of Scotch towns in which he says " scientific institutions have become extinct." Possibly; a few individuals might have imagined the public in those towns to be more intellectual than they were, but our commercial affairs have been in such a state for the last five years, that the working population of til s country have had quite enough to do to provide for their physical necessities, without subscribing to scientific institutions. When we come to reflect upon the terrible destitution aud misery that have prevailed during that period, it is absolutely surprising that so many good and valuable institutions should yet be in existence. But many, very many new institutions have sprung up in other places, whilst the others have decayed— these, too, Mr. M. should have mentioned. What Mr. M. says of the periodicals of this country, is quite without founda- tion. Blackwood's is just what it was in 1820 ; Tait's is still a magazine filled with solid useful in* formation; the Athenaeum, the Literary Gazette, & c- are what they always were. Neither does the Quarterly Review deserve the exclusive praise he- bestows- upon it. The Edinburgh and Westminster- are equally talented, equally solid, and more so, for neither of them stoops to uphold a rofcen and villainous system of legislation. Because men with minds in advance of their age, projected too rapid schemes of instruction, and were obliged to modify' them, are we to be told solid learning has declined, when such publications were never dreamed of half a century ago, even by the most sanguine ?.. We cannot be continually making rapid and gigantic strides in information. If we could, we should soon have little to learn, so earnest is the human craving after know- ledge. The very existence of such increased facilities for the communication of knowledge, is a proof of the extended information of the people. That people ( that part of it styled " the masses " I mean) is bursting into intelligence, and pitting its leaders ( sprung from its ranks) against those who have en- joyed the advantage, which wealth, birth, and station confer. That class has become mighty from know » ledge, as well as from numbers ; they have wrung from the aristocracy the recognition of the principle of equal, fair, and impartial legislation; and yet, in- this hitherto unparalleled state of things, we are told that information has declined '. The age that passed the Reform Bill declined ! The age that has produced. Carlyle and Shelly declined I We know that know- ledge shall ultimately cover the face of the earth ; we know that society is fast progressing, as a modern French philosopher has pithily said, " Society is at present in a transition state, preparing to acknowledge and act upon the grand principle of right being stronger than might." I think these are something like his words ; I quote from memory. From ouc political position, possessed of the most liberal con- stitution in Europe, masters of the vast tracts of India and Northern America, the originators of the mighty steatn agency, in the application of which we are still unrivalled, with all these proofs of our social and national prosperity being greater than at any other period, we are not terrified by a few useless croakings. Before I conclude, I wish to notice the assertion of Mr. M. that conversation, much like that of gypsies, is at present current in what are called the highest circles. Hear this, O Bulwer I thou who hast turned thy mighty genius to the delineation of the manners of the " chosen of the earth." Hear this, thou graceful Mrs. Gore, who livest and makest thy characters mov- e in a region of wit and refinement. Hear this, all ye who are celebrated for presenting us with faithful representations of London life ! You make the conversation consist of light, witty, semi- philosophical small- talk ; he says it is like that of gypsies. Though ye have witnessed it, and moved amid courtly throngs, how should ye know when compared with him i Silence ye " inexperienced presumers I" I thank you, gentlemen, for your kindness in so often giving my remarks a place in your valuable periodical, and am, Your's respectfully, D. THE QUEEN'S MARIES.— The four juvenile attend- ants of Mary Queen of ScAs, selected by her mother when she was removed, at about four years of age, to Inchmahone, an Island in the Lake of Monteith, were called the Queen's Maries, because they all bore the same name. The) were— Mary Beaton, Mary Seaton, Mary Fleming, and Mary Livingstone ; they are thu alluded to in an old ballad — " Last night the Queen had four Maries, To night she'ii ha'e but three; There was Mary Seaton, and Mary Beaton, And Mary Liringstone, and me." Who me was is not known ; for as the four original Maries, one by one, married and left her service, the Queen replaced them with new ones of the same name, and seems to have pleased herself with the fancy of having four Maries always in attendance upon her,— Memoirs of Celebrated Female Sovereigns. THE WOODEN WALLS OP IRELAND.— At one of those large convivial parties which distinguished the table of Major Hobart, ( afterwards Lord Bucking- hamshire) when be was secretary in Ireland, amongst the usual loyal toasts, " The wooden walls of England" being given, Sir John Hamilton, in his turn, gave " The wooden walls of Ireland !'" This toast being quite new to us all, he was asked for an explanation : upon which, filling a bumper, he gravely stood up, and, bowing to the Marquis of Waterford and several country gentlemen, who commanded regiments, he said, " My lords and gentlemen, I have the pleasure of giving you—' The wooden walls of Ireland— the colonels of militia !' "— Barrington's Sketches. THE HALIFAX FREE PRESS. 3 LOCAL DOCUMENTS. HALIFAX TOWN TRUSTEES. FIRST REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON ARREARS The Committee have devoted considerable attention to the arrears of rates. Shortly after the appointment of the General Com- mittee, they directed schedules of the arrears of rates in the 5 years from 1835 to 1839 inclusive, to be prepared; by which it appeared that the arrears of rates, in the five years, were as under : — In Nov. 1841. Towards which lias been received to June, 1821. £ s. d. £ s. d. 1835 146 11 10 0 9 6 1836 214 18 9 3 12 1837 204 19 4 5 6 7 1838 273 6 11 11 7 1839 285 14 8 30 9 10 1125 12 4 51 16 2 The Committee found that a large number of warrants had been issued against the defaulters, and that many had been outstanding and unexecuted for years;— in some instances more than one against the same individual. They entered upon an examination of each warrant, with a view either to their prompt execution, endeavouring, as much as possible, previously to ascertain the means of payment, and to select the most extreme cases for such decided measures— or for their return— a number having been issued against parties frotn whom little or nothing could be obtained — to whom the service would be almost ruinous, and which would probably only result in a loss of costs to the Trustees. In endeavouring to inforce a more punctual pay- ment of the arrears, a large number have also been summoned by the collectors, to appear before the magistrates, by whom the parties were referred to the Trustees, on their application for indulgence. The Committee accordingly met, and on the 7th Sept. examined into the merits of 7 cases, 9th 34 .. 16th 63 .. 21st 46 .. 23rd 72 .. 30th 36 .. Making, in the whole, 258 cases. In the majority of these, arrangements have been made for the payment of the arrears, by regular monthly instalments. In concluding this Report, the Committee suggest that it is desirable that some arrangement should be mate for the efficient collection of the rates, without devolving upon the Committee the onerous duty of individual investigation— a duty which they never- theless consider highly necessary to be performed by some person in whom the whole responsibility should be vested— and by whotn a report should regularly be presented to each quarterly meeting of the Trustees. Oct. 3rd, 1842. SECOND REPORT, The Report on Arrears, which was laid before the Quarterly Meeting, having been withheld in the pub- lished account of the proceedings of that meeting, and a statement calculated to mislead the Trustees and Ratepayers having been inserted, by which it would appear that the arrears of rates are about .£ 1100 ; whereas that is the amount of arrears to Dec. 1839. only ; the Committee think it due to the Trustees to furnish them with the correct amount of Improve- ment and Water Rates owing to June, 1842, which is as under:— £ s. d. Arrears as previously reported to Dec. 1839-• 1100 O 0 Do. " due on Rates to " 1840-. 606 15 0 Do. due on Do. to *' 1841.. 1242 11 0 Do. " dueon Do. to June, 1842. • 2652 O 0 too, when the want of it is subjecting many to serious inconvenience. Having, as appears by the foregoing statement, money owing on the rates and water rents, far more than sufficient to liquidate the floating debt, and also to place in hand a sum available for general improve- ments ; the Committee, with a view to a result so desirable, have not failed repeatedly to urge the more prompt collection of the outstanding rates. This subject has had the close attention of the Committee for the last two years, during which time their efforts have been directed to bring about a settlement of the warrants and other arrears, to which little attention appeared to have been paid during the last seven or eight years. Delay in collecting not only increases the difficulty, but subjects the Trust to the loss of many rates which, by prompt attention, might have been secured. This, perhaps the most important branch of the public service, the Committee suggest, requires con- tinued attention and probably revision ; and whilst the Committee have been anxious to obtain a more prompt payment of the rates, the Trustees must ad- mit that the times have lately been most unfavourable for effecting it. And they cannot jbut express their belief, that had proper vigilance been exercised in the j'ears 1835 to 1839, much of that which will now be lost might have been recovered. 6601 6 0 The Committee feel further called upon to do this on account of an objection having been urged by a few, to the outlay devoted to the search for an increased supply of water to the Town, in consequence of the amount owing by the Trust being supposed to exceed the limits prescribed by the act— an objection which the Committee are advised does not now apply :— but which, if ever really existing, applied with much greater force when not only considerably more money was owing, but when the funds of the town were being spent with apparently little reference to the public benefit— an objection, reserved to be now ad- vanced against a measure of vital and indispensable necessity to the inhabitants of the town— that of furnishing an increased supply of water— at a time, Read no history:— nothing but biography; for that is life without theory.— D'Israeli the Younger. ANECDOTE OF THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON.— I had the satisfaction of making theacquaintance of several officers who had served with my father's brigade in Spain. I also met with the distinguished officer who was the means of extricating Lord Wellington from an imminent risk at the siege of Burgos. His lord- ship, while coursing, one forenoon, was led by puss along the foot of the glacis. Some shots were fired at him, which he disregarded. He had nearly ad- vanced far enough to be cut off by a sortie, which the enemy was preparing at a postern- gate, when the commander of the Hanoverian outpost in that direc tion, who had been watching the sport, perceived the trap, and advanced with his party to give warning of the danger, and to cover his chief. From being the pursuer, Wellington became the pursued. A squad- ron of French cavalry darted out at the moment after the English general, who galloped off for his camp covered by the Hanoverians. A wooden bridge in- tervened between the town and the English lines. By the time Lord Wellington had reached it, the French were close at the heels of his escort. The latter galloped over, hotly pursued, then reined up sharply on either side of the road, and, as the French came on, received them with back- handed cuts. The effect was overpowering ; each man in that position was equal to ten. The French was so astounded at this unexpected manoeuvre, that they could neithe check their horses on the bridge, nor parry the blows, which, like those of Caesar's soldiers at Pharsalia, were levelled at the faces of the enemy. The narrow pass was covered with their bodies; the remainder retreated, and the Hanoverians gaily trotted on with- out the loss of a man. " That's a real Hussartrick,' said Wellington, as he observed the clever feat of arms done in the twinkling of a sabre.— Siade's Travels. THE INFLUENCE OF WOMEN ON YOUNG MEN.— Talk to women,— talk to women, as uiuchas you can This is the best school. This is the way to gain fluency ; because you need not care what you say and had better not be sensible. They, too, will rally you, on many points; anil, as they are women vou will nut be offended. Nothing is of so much importance, and of so much use, to a young man entering life, as to be well criticised by women, is impossible to get rid of those thousand bad habits which we pick up in boyhood, without this super vision; but never be offended if a womau rally you Encourage her. Otherwise, you will never be free from your awkardness, or any little oddities, and certainly never learn to dress..— D'Israeli the Younger INNOCENT CHEERFULNESS— It may, at first sight, appear difficult to define the limits of innocent cheer fulness, and the overflowings of that bounding glad ness which sometimes passes over our spirits ; but think vve shall seldom err, if we endeavour to keep our mental eye fixed upon a rule which does seem to me one that cannot safely be lost sight of :— nev to suffer our cheerfulness to be other, in matter or manner, than such as will permit us instantly to re turn, in the secret of the soul, to the presence of our Redeemer ; as the playful child leaves the side of its parent, to crop some bright flower by the wayside and returns, with open countenance and confiding step, to the shelter and sweet companionship where it finds the repose of safety and of peace. The cheer, fulness of a pious spirit composes, while it cheers aud seems to tune the soul for praise and adoration — Memoirs of R. Phillips, bij his Daughter. OUR CHATTER BOX. " An Advertiser'' is informed that there is no department of the " Free Press" in which we can introduce paragraphs referring to advertisements, and we do not approve of the system of inserting such paragraphs. Our charges for ad- vertisement's are low, for cash only. The government tax is Is. 6' d. on every advertisement; and our scale for charges is,— For three lines and under 2s., four to six lines— 2s. 6d; seven to nine 3s. and so on. " The Yellow Leaf," by J. H., is placed upon our rejected file. The w riter should know that " death '' will not rhyme with " worth." The lines beginning " Winsome Ellen," by J. C., are not without some merit; but are in too imperfect a state for the public eye. Besides, the « introduction, on two occasions, of " the Hebble beck," is in violation of every thing like good taste. We quote two stanzas from near the conclu- sion. The former of them is almost unexceptionable; but the latter borders on the ridiculous :— Then the vision changed; she wandered Through gloom and forest shade, Where the oak trees, old and hoary, Solemn music made. How again in glorious raiment, Flowing, white, and free from speck, There an angel came and kissed her,—. All beside the Hebble beck. " A Sonnet," by J. is neither metrical nor grammatical, as witness the last two lines :— Scenes of sublimity are these that shows Their Maker and Conductor is the Deity. We have received the following " Local Charades;" and request that the answers may be in verse. This request we shall not think it necessary to repeat, as to future charades ? as our readers will now understand our wishes, in that respect. I. My first is denied to the Quaker so prim, My next is refused by the Jew ; At my whole you may fill up your glass to the brim* As many hard drinkers now do. II. My first may be a whole or part, Just as you may apply it; My second is a work of art> The wealthy occupy it; Each lover of our good old town, And all who would befriend it; No doubt are pieas'd whene'er ' tis known, My whole is well attended. H. N. N. III. In a puncheon of wine you may witness my first; Beware of my next,—' tjs of treason the worst: My whole is a record oflies and abuse, By asses admired,— lor ' twas penn d by a goose! x. The following are answers to the Charade in our seventh number. In the first of them, another charade is proposed. I. My first was up, and made a furious rout, My next its banners brandishing about; Ah, lovely WOMAN ! fickle, and yet true, Why should base man compare my whole to you ? T. C. II. When wo is banish'd from the earth, And man attains his pristine height; Then woman will new hopes give birth, And forms man's purest, best delight. J. D. P. The Answer No 1 to the Charade on Rosemary was itself charade; aud no poetical answer to it has come to hand. The solution is poet aster. The following lines, entitled " An Appeal," have beea forwarded to us :— A christian man of the name of John, Entered a certain house upon, In eighteen hundred and thirty six ; And the lady that owns the house did fix, That she would the town s- rates duly pay, And take from his mind that care away. Three years in the house this man did dwell. For aught I know he prospered well. But alas ! the words of this ludy fair Had vanished like mist in the clear dry air. The rates had been duly delivered they say;. But the lady was never compelled to pay. See now the result of this neglect ! Juhn does like a sensible man object To the summons which he has received to pay. Duly and truiy without delay, The whole of the rates which he there incurred, When to pay them his landlady pledged her word* All ye that are skilled in parish law, From their shelves your ponderous volumes draw, And say if you think it just or right, That John should be made to pay, despite The lady's promise; I humbly pray, That the " Parliament"* men will make her pay. * Back Lane Parliament. CRITO is in error. The letters signed " Coadjutor" are not written by any one who is personally connected with, the " Free Press." Indeed, the name of the author is not known to the Editors. If CRITO objects to the politics of the letters, he may reply; and our columns shall be open to his communications. ANCIENT FABLE RESPECTING THE LION.— The ancients had a strange fable concerning the lion ; and Archbishop Abbot, in his " Brief Description of the World," repeals it, with full belief. Ara- mianus Marcellinus," he says, lt reporteth one thing of Chaldea, wherein the admirable power of God doth appear; tor he writeth. th. it,. in those parts are a hu< re number of lions, which were like enough to devour up boih men and beasts throughout the country j but withall he suttb that, by reason of the store oi water and mud thereof, there do breed yearly an iiinume< able company of gnats, whose property is to fly into the eye of tiie lion, as being a bright and orient thing; where biting and stinging the lion, he. teareth so fiercely with his claws that he putteth ouL his own eyes, aud by that meaus many are drowned: in the rivers." 4 THE HALIFAX FREE PRESS. POETRY ~ oliigiWIL. TO AN AUTUMN CROCUS. I THOMAS CROSSLEY, AUTHOR OF " FLOWERS OF EBOR," & C. Thou purple gem, that spring'st to light When other flowers are gone, Why bloom'st thou thus mid Autumn's blight, Companionless— alone? A gentle, solitary thing, E'en like thy sisters of the Spring? For in my Autumn walk I've met Thy blossom, fresh and fair, Where Nature's flowery stars have set, Whose wrecks alone are here— A lonely star in beauty spread— A living flower amid the dead ! Aye, waning Autumn gives thee birth, Tho'sere leaves strew the plain: Ere Winter quits the joyless earth, Thou start'st to life again :— This faithful star who would not prize— The last to set,— the first to rise ! SELECTED. THE POPPY. BY HORACE SMITH. The man who roams by wild- flowered ditch or hedge. Skirting the mead, Or treads the corn- field path, along its edge, May mark a weed, Whose rugged scarlet gear might Well denote A road- side beggar in a soldier's coat. Hence, terms misplaced, and thoughts disparaging ! O Poppy flower! Thou art the Croesus of the field— its king— A mystic power, With emblems deep, and secret blessings fraught, And potent properties that baffle thought. When thy hues catch, amid the growing corn, The traveller's eye, " Weeds, weeds !'' he cries, and shakes his head in scorn; But when on high The grain uplifts its harvest- bearing crest, The poppy's hidden, and the taunt suppress'd. So when our early state is poor and mean, Our portion small, Our scarlet- blushing moral weeds are seen, And blamed by all; But as we rise in rank, we win repute, Our faults gold- hidden— our accusers mute. Why does the poppy, with its chaliced store Of opiate rare, Flush in the fields, and grace the hovel door. But to declare, That from the city's palaces forlorn Sleep flies, to bless the cottage in the corn. And oh ! how precious is the anodyne Its cells exude, Charming the mind's disquietude malign To peaceful mood, Soothing the body's anguish with its balm, Lulling the restless into slumbers calm! What! though the reckless suicide, oppressed By fell despair, Turns to a poison- cup thy chalice, bless'd With gifts so rare, And basely flying, while the brave remain, Deserts the post God gave hirh to maintain; Such art perverted does but more enhance That higher power, Which, planting by the corn— man's sustenance— The poppy flower, Both in one soil,— one atmosphere their breath,— Rears, side by side, the means of life and death! Who can mark thee, O Poppy ! when the air Fans thy lips bright, Nor move his own in sympathetic prayer. To Him whose might Combined the powers— O thought— bewildering deed! Of death— sleep— health— oblivion— in a weed! OUR SCRAP BOOK. " A thing of Shreds and Patches." THE CARE OF THE POOR.— The care of the poor is a trust; yet it is not a burden, but a privilege annexed to riches. And if every one discharged h share of the trust faithfully, whatever be his share of it, tbe world would be quite another place from what it is. But, that cannot be till covetousness, de bauchery, and vice, are unknown among the rich Then, and not before, will the manners of the poor be in all respects what they ought to be, and the distresses find that full relief which tbev ought to find •— Bishop Butler. STATISTICS OF DISTRESS IN'MANCHESTER — The population of the township of Manchester, by the last census, is 163,667. On an examination, in the sprin of 1840, into the condition of 10,000 families of the working classes, it was found that of English hand- loom. weavers there were 2,821 persons, includin parents and children ; of English employed in various occupations, 22,971 ; of Irish hand- loom weavers4,157 and of Irish engaged in various occupations, 15,642, Of the children employed in this mass of population 629 were labouring in full employ under twelve year of age, and 415 in partial employ under the same age , whilst 15,856 were dependent on their parents or relatives. Children above twelve years of age were in full employ to the number of 3,229, and i/ i partial employ to the amount of 1,526 ; whilst 4,275 abov twelve years of age were dependent on their familie Of heads of families, 1.430 were in full employ, 4,793 only partially, and 2149 wholly without employment Of WIDOWS and infirm persons there were 1,931 widows with 1,567 children under twelve years of age and 1,598 above twelve, forming a total of ,096 ; and ot persons infirm, or past labour, there were 1,063. The resumiof ihese calculations is, that tbe families were 10,132 in number, which contained 16,900 child! en under twelve years of ape, and 9,030 above twelve ; forming together a total of 45,591 individuals. Of these families, 2,040 resided in cellars, literally in cold, damp, cheerless,' inhospitable Cellars, and those families consisted of 3,479 children under twelve, and 1,713 above twelve jea: s of age ; forming, with their parents and relatives together, a population of 9,179 beings residing in cellars. Of tbe 10,000 families whose cases have thus been stated, 2,000 were selected for further examination, to ascer- tain-— 1st, their total incomes; 2d, the number of pawn tickets in their possession ; and 3( 1, the amount of the articles pledged. These 2,000 families consisted of 8,866 individuals, including 3,585 children under twelve years of age, and 1,980 above twelve. ' J he total amount of weekly incomes to support these 8,866 individuals was 528/. 10s. 10} d„ or Is. 2fd per bead per week, or 2d. per diem. The number of pawnbrokers' ticnets in tiie possession of these 2,000 families was 22,417, and the sums lent by them 2.780/. 14s. id. By another return of an examina- tion into the state of 2,000 other families in Manchester the average income per head per week was Is 6id., and the sum raised on pawn tickets 2,835/. 10s. 10( 1 A LIBERAL TAR.— Lord Prudhoe, when a boy of 14 or 15 years of age, and holding the rank of mid- shipman in tbe navy, was on board the late Admiral Cochrane'.? ship on the West India station, when a terr. ific hurricane destroyed nearly all the bouses, plantations, & c, on the island ot St. Kitt's. The more wealthy inhabitants' of the island set on foot a subscription for the relief of their indigent neighbours, and after a considerable sum had been raised, sent the subscription list on board the fleet. Admiral Coch- rane added his name for £ 100 which sum was also subsc. ibed by the admiral ivbo was second in com- mand. The list was then passed to tbe captains of the several ships, who subscribed £ 50 each ; the lieutenants followed with £ 20 each ; and the midship men were then called on for their contributions, some of whom subscribed £ 5, some £ l, and some smaller sums, according to tbe state of their " lockers." When the list was placed in the hands of Lord Prudhoe, then Lord Algernon Percy, bis lordship wrote with a bold hand—" Percy, £ 1000." The list having been returned to tbe Admiral, he was greatly surprised on beholding this entry, and sent for the young lord, of whom he inquired if be bad the means to pay the amount be had placed opposite his name. His answer was that of a genuine warm hearted Brttish tar—" No, Admiral," said he, " I have not, but the old boy at home will pay it." The answer seemed so characteristic, and the action so noble, that Admiral Cochrane determined to communicate tbe facts to his lordship's father, the late Duke of Northumberland, to whom lie immediat ly wrote. When his Grace received the Admiral's letter be burst into tears, and exclaimed inreference to his son, " He is worthy the name of Percy— the money shall be paid," and immediately transmitted to the managers of the Fund for tbe relief of the sufferers, a cheque on his bankers for £ 1000. THE TOBACCO NUISANCE INTHE UNITED STATES.— As Washington may he called the head- quarters of tobacco- tinctured saliva, tbe time is come when I must confess, without any disguise, that the pre- valence of those two odious practices of chewing and expectorating began about this time to be anything but agreeable, and soon became most offensive and sickening. In all tbe public places of America this filthy custom is recognized. In tbe courts of law, the judge has spittoon, the crier his, tbe witness his, and the prisoner his, while'the jurymen and spectators are provided for, as so many men who, in the course of nature, must desire to spit incessantly. In the hospitals the students of medicine are request- ed, by notices upon the wall, to eject their tobacco juice into the boxes provided for that purpose, and not to discolour tbe stairs. In public buildings visitors are implored, through the same agency, to squirt the essence of their quids, or ' plugs,' as I have heard them called by gentlemen learned in this kind of sweetmeat, into tbe national spittoons, and not about the base of the marble columns. But in some parts this custom is inseparably mixed with every meal and morning call, and with all the transactions of social life. The stranger, who follows in the track 1 took myself, will find it in its full. bloom and glory, luxuriant in all its alarming recklessness, at Washington, and let iiira not persuade himself ( as I once did, to my shame), that previous tourists have exaggerated its extent. The thing itself is an ex- aggeration of nastioess, which cannot be outdone.— Dickens's American Notes. ROSSINI.— When Rossini visited this country, I was introduced to him by Spagnoletti. He was a fine, portly, good- looking fellow, a voluptuary that revelled in the delights of the table as much as in the luxury of sweet sounds. He had just composed a dirge on she death of Lord Byron, the score of which he ex- hibited to me, obviously penned with the greatest rapidity. I heard part of it performed, and thought it worthy of that great genius. I am not aware that this work has been printed. He sang the principal airs himself in a graceful manner, and with a rich liquidity of tone ; tbe easy movement of bis voice de- lighted me ; his throat seemed lacquered with Florence oil, so ripe and luscious were the tones he threw out. He was a perfect master of the piano- forte, and the mode of bis touching that instrument was beautifully neat and expressive. Garcialiad brought his daughter, Malibran, then only fourteen, for the Maestro to hear her sing; he accompanied her in a cavatina. When he sat down, he had his walking stick in his hand, for he was a great beau, and he contrived to hold it while he was playing ; but Madame Colbran, his wife, seeing the incumbrance, drew it away. He was the most joyous, good natured, well- fed fellow I ever saw; and I have no doubt, when at Carlton House, he broke through all ceremony, and was as much at ease with His Majesty as represented. In bis operatic pieces, Ins style is as gay as himself; light and cheering, glowing with the brightest colours — a path so flowery that it gives birth to'a new set of feelings in the musical science. Hafing none of the dark shades of Beethoven, we are. lured into the gayest flowers of fancy. His compositions, though highly ornamented, possess a simplicity of thought intelligible to the most untutored ears. His style is full of voluptuous ease, and brings with it a relief from the cares of the world.— Gardiner's Music and Friends. HERODOTUS AND THUCYDIDES.-— Herodotus asked a hearing. It was during the Olympic games, whereto all tribes of Greeks had come. With fascinated ear tbey listened to tbe magic tale— tbe epic prose— the immortalisation of, deeds, in which the elder men amongst them had borne their part,— to History I ' Twere vain to paint the ecstacy of that hour— the ecstacy of a nation led to look at themselves in the glass of gloiy, for the first time,— the ecstacy of him who had spent the prime of bis life in preparation for that hour. There is one little incident of tbe scer. e, however, worth remembering. Oloi us, a citizen of Athens, was among tbe auditory, accompanied by his son, who scarce had numbered fifteen years. Tbe thoughtful and noble hearted boy drank in everv word of the recitation with his whole attention, and when it was ended, burst into tears. Amid the tumult of applause, Herodotus was struck by his emotion, and with prophetic insight, said to his father—" The flame is kindled in the young heart I" The boy's name was Thucydides.. THE DANUBE AND THE IIHINE.— The rapid course of tbe Danube lacks variety, as it is not possible to navigate against the very strong and rapid stream of the river. According to recent statistical returns, 8 000 craft pass down it every year towards tbe Black Sea, always following the same track. How different from the Rhine : where to and fro the most splendid vessels— perfect floating palaces— are ever wending their way ; whilst the Danube is navigated by huge unsightly barks that are broken up and sold at tbe end of their voyage for as much as they cost, although they fetch merely the price of old timber. Fishermen and sportsmen, swimmers and loungers of every degree, are skimming athwart the waters of tbe Rhine, in graceful skiffs that bend beneath the pres- sure of their snowy sails. There is little communica- tion between tbe opposite banks of the Danube ; and if a few wretched boats do succeed, after unheard- of efforts, in approaching you, they merely contain mendicants, bearing the figure of their patron, St. Nicholas, as the Neapolitans their St. Januarius, which tends to render the Danube far less animated than the Rhine, and, moreover, far less hospitable. No DISTINCTIONS IN CHILDHOOD.— Children are naturally inclined to love one another ; in their youth they have no regard for rank or station ; friendship is not with them as with their elders, the result of reason ; children are guided by inclination alone.. A youthful monarch returning from Rheims, where he had been crowned, was received with great pomp and splendour at the palace of a bishop, who was anxious to procure for the young king amusements suited to his age. The bisho), therefore, caused a great number of bares and rabbits to be confined in a cage which was placed under tbe window where the young king was to be seated, in order to have a good view of what passed. A number of children were as- sembled, and, on a given signal, the cage was to be open- ed, tbe hares and rabbits let loose, and tbe children were to run after them : this sport amused the court so much, that no one noticed the disappearance of the young king ; but when it was observed, the greatest anxiety prevailed; be was eagerly sought for, and was found among tbe other children, sharing in their pleasure. He had gone away unperceived by any one, preferring the amusements natural to bis age, to the dignity of royalty ; but the sport would probably not have been so attractive to tbe young king, had not the actors in the scene been of bis own age. NAPLES.— This Naples is the St. Giles's of Europe. I would advise the first pedlar who travels this road, to bring in his pack a goodly assortment, of small - toothed combs ; — not that the natives are civilized enough to need such machinery:— they use more summary measures, and you see them sitting all of a row, before their door-;, with their heads in each others' laps, in turns, and searching for- animated ideas ;•— but for the benefit of the English ladies who may visit Naples. A man impregnates his skin with the effluvia of tobacco and wine, and offers no such tempting pastures to the herds and flocks of his Neapolitan Majesty ; but a delicate English lady, in all her cleanliness and loveliness, swarming, as she must be, whew I Tbe English lady in fact must leave all her delicacy at home, and all her blushes, too, except a small travelling assortment, if she intends to reside among this more than half- naked and all- alive people. Tbe country about Naples may be an earthly paradise ; but it is paradise after the fall, given up to the serpent for an habitation.— Laing's Notes of a Traveller. AN AGREEABLE ANTAGONIST.— We are never so well pleased with an antagonist, as when he makes an objection to which we are provided with a good answer. THE AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES.— Whatever the defects of American universities may be, they dis- seminate no prejudices ; rear no bigots ; dig up the buried ashes of no old superstitions ; never interpose between the people and their improvements; exclude no man because of his religious opinions— above all, in their whole course, of study and instruction, recognize a world, and a broad one too, l ying beyond the college walls!— Dickens's American Notes. HALIFAX -.— Printed and Sold, for the Propretors, at the General Printing Office of H. Martin, Upper George Yard.