TIG HALIFAX FEBRUARY 4, 1843. FREE PRESS. No. XXIII. 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 ontroversal faces, might now not unsignificantly be set open : and though all the winds of doctrine were let loose to play s pon 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 ABEOPAGITIC A. TO OUR READERS. In compliance with the repeated solicitations of many of our readers, we are making arranger ments for the delivery of the " Free Press," every Friday afternoon, at the residences of our subscribers. This new arrangement will commence with our twenty- seventh number, on the third of March ; that number being the first of a new quarter. As the payment of single pennies, at the doors of our subscribers, would often be productive of trouble and inconvenience, it is proposed to extend the delivery to quarterly subscribers only ; and the terms will be 13d. per quarter, if paid in advance; or 15d. on credit. Those who desire to have our weekly sheet delivered at their residences, will oblige us by for- warding their names to our publisher. • Our terms for advertisements will remain as before, for cash ; and a small percentage will be added, where credit is given. Theincreased circulation which the proposed arrangement will bring to our periodical, and the lowness of our charges, combine to render it a very advantageous medium for advertisers. THE BISHOPS IN THE BALANCE. The Established Church is a subject fertile of dis- pute. Between the Churchman and the Dissenter, the question is, whether Religion should be eatablish- edby law, or be left to the affection with which she inspires her votaries. Between the Anglican and the Evangelical, it is whether the Liturgy is to be inter- preted by the Articles, or the Articles by the Liturgy. Between the Moderate and the Non- intrusionist, it is whether State control should be submitted to as an inevitable consequence of State support. All these are interesting questions, and cannot be solved either way without leading to vast and important results. But they engage the attention of a portion of the people comparatively small. The bulk of the nation regard the Established Church as involving chiefly a question of national economy. They care little for distinctions in ecclesiastical polity, and still less for the refined and subtile distinctions of schoolmen and theologians ; but, if you ask them whether certain means are adapted to a certain end, or whether the work done in a given case is equal in special value or in amount to the cost incurred in the performance of it, these are questions which they can understand and appreciate, and in which they will take a deep as well as intelligent interest. What is the value of the Established Church to the country ? Is it equal to the cost to the country ? What good does the Established Church effect for the country ? Is it an adequate compensation for the revenues which she derives from the country These are practical questions: and the people of England are a practical people 5 and therefore such questions, when fairly propounded and freely discussed, will be found to have an interest for the people of England, second to none of the great questions which con- tinually challenge their attention. These questions, moreover, are such as the popular mind can more readily seize and more thoroughly weigh and consider, than difficult and complicated questions of finance or foreign policy. Always excepting the difference be- tween tithes estimated for commutation and tithes rated for. the poor, ecclesiastical finance is as easy as a sum in simple addition ; and the working of the Established Church is exemplified before every mans eyes in his own parish. There is hardly a man who, from facts falling immediately under his own notice, has not formed a clear and decisive judgment of the value and efficiency of the Established Church as a matter of quid pro quo and of practical utility. We should like a string of queries on this subject to be drawn up and circulated by house- row for answer. What is the use of an Archbishop of Can- terbury ? might be the first; or, to cut the matter short, What is the use of the whole Bench of Bishops put together ? And so the inquiry might proceed through all the grades of diocesan, collegiate, and parochial clergy. Ten to one but the members of the cloth would, by ninety- nine men out of every hundred, be returned useful in an inverse ratio to their cost to the country. Having no facilities, how- ever, for instituting so extensive and curious an in- quiry, we must be contented to elicit the opinions of our countrymen by other means, and to form an estimate of the worth of the Established Church as compared with its cost, from more accessible, though somewhat less accurate and determinate, sources. Let us begin with the Bishops. They receive an enormous sum of money; what do they do for it ? They consecrate each other, and they consecrate churches and churchyards; they ordain the clergy, aad confirm children ; finally, they sit in the House of Lords. Of what earthly use, or heavenly either, their lordships' consecration of each other can be, we leave Dr. Hook to show. It is true that, when a See is vacant, the Dean and Chapter seek the Lord," as they profanely phrase it, for his guidance in the choice of a successor; but it is equally true, first, that they dare not do this until they have re- ceived that very scriptural mandate so happily dis- guised under the name of " congS d'ilire," and, se- condly, that when that instrument has reached them, they dare not, even then, " seek the Lord" so as to come to any other conclusion than the foregone one to which the name mentioned in the Royal Bull in- vites their attention. It is true that no man can be a Bishop in the Established Church except he have been consecrated such by others already Bishops of that Church ; but it is equally true, that the whole Bench of Bishops dare not consecrate any man who has not been previously appointed to a see by Royal, or rather by Ministerial, nomination. It is true that, notwithstanding the allurement of twelve thousand a- year, ( an income at the supposition of being " argued" out of which an actual Bishop smiled, the other day,) every candidate for the episcopate is so modest and reluctant as to exclaim, " Nolo episcopari;" { anglice, " I won't be a Bishop ;") but it is equally true, in most cases at least, that it is what he and hig friends have been trying for, a long time before; and, in every case, it is certain that the individual's pre- vious consent has been gained, and that rarely, if ever, with any difficulty. Now. it must be admitted that, when the elevation of a clerk already possessing all the sanctity, personal and official, of a priest, to the episcopal throne, ( a gloss on the passage, " kings and priests unto God,") cannot be accomplished without all these contradictions, to give them no severer epithet; it must be admitted, we say, that an arrange* ment thus begun and continued, requires for its com- pletion all the purifying influences that regular Con- secration can bring to bear upon it. Much doubtful are we, however, whether any thing is accomplished by the deed, to compensate the nation for those argu- ment resisting twelve thousands a- year which the actors receive for dispensing their sacred gifts. As for the consecration of churches, that would seem to he an ingenious device contrivedfor the pur- pose of shutting the mouths of those who are apt to say that Bishops do nothing for their money. It, however, suggests the sufficient reply, that they do nothing without having money for it. Persons, in- deed, thty will consecrate without special payment, but places, never. What benefit results to the public, however, from the consecration of churches, we are unable to discover. It neither warms nor lights them, nor keeps them in repair. If it did supersede Church- rates, it wouldbe capital. In so far as the Bishops are paid for consecrating church- yards, the nation at large pays for the com- forting of the minds of the ignorant and superstitious, who, taught by the Times, and other oracles equally wise or equally crafty, fear lest the resurrection should be limited to those who lie buried in consecrated ground. Herein consists the whole benefit to the public. But not so with regard to the clergy. Fine times are near for them. If any thing like Mr. Mackinnon's Bill should become law, churchyards » to be sure, will soon be at an end ; but glorious substitutes will be forthcoming. Who will say that the Bishops have nothing to do, when they shall be consecrating new cemeteries in every part of the kingdom ? True; but for whose benefit? Shade of Lord King ! couldst thou but re- appear, what a panic would there be among the lawn sleeves ! Alas ! they are secure from such a visitation ! But is there no man to supply thy place ? Is there no Peer with enough of Joseph Humeism in his composition to propose that the Bishops shall immediately go circuits, like tbe Judges, and consecrate the whole kingdom, county by county, and shire by shire ? What a saving it would be, if they could be induced for once to be thus patriotic! And who knows but, since they are induced to enter upon their office against their own inclinations, their reluctance to the consecration of the whole of our already Christian " country, might hot, in like manner, be overcome ! We fear, however, that they would, as usual, attach conditions more beneficial to their class than to the public. They would probably consecrate every rood of ground, provided that " every rood of ground maintained its ( clergy) man." Their holy rood, like Aaron's, would swallow at a gulp every rood in the land. We only fear lest, in making the suggestion, we may have put them up to an achievement which even episcopal cupidity never yet dreamed of. That were needless, indeed, seeing that the Bishop of London has already established the principle of turning every road ( how near to rood 1) into a turnpike trust for the benefit of the clergy. No sooner shall a national Cemetery Bill become law, than this beautiful principle will be fully carried out, and every black coach will have to pay the clerical toll of some twenty shillings as regularly as every yellow one pays the vulgar toll of not so many pence ; under the very sufficient plea, no doubt, that the road to Heaven is kept by the Established Church in free access and perpetual repair. So much for the consecrating powers of the Bishops , and so much for their utility to the nation ! The benefit which the country derives from tbe confirming offices of the Bishops, was, perhaps, sufficiently considered in a former article. Suffice it here to repeat that only one- third of the convicted criminals have had their Lordships' hands laid upon their heads ! Of admission to holy orders, we shall have an opportunity of speaking when we get down among the parochial clergy ; and we shall see whether the nation derives any advantage from the rite, be- yond its admission of a class of gentlemen to fleece them at discretion. Lastly, as spiritual Peers, do the Bishops render the country any assistance, making it worth while to. retain their legislative services at such a monstrous price ? Are they not, rather, the greatest obstacles to every good and useful measure, and the ready promoters, not seldom the artful concocters, of bad and dangerous pnes ? Do they not pay back the 2 THE HALIFAX FREE PRESS. aristocracy who forced them to accept their bishop- rics against their will, by a willing co- operation with them in the robbery and oppression of the people ? Are they not always in their places when the wishes of the people are to be thwarted by the hereditary branch of the Legislature ? And, finally, does their awful presence in the House of Lords answer any better or more useful end than that of veiling over with the outward appearance of sanctity and decorum, a Senate which, composed largely of such materials as the late Marquess of Hertford, and other Mar- quesses or Earls who, still cumbering the ground, shall be nameless, might put an end to itself by the outburst of its own corruptness, but for the presence of such an array of outside purity and official holiness ? With this cursory examination, we remind our countrymen that the Bishops alone cost them some two hundred thousand a- year, leaving them to judge for themselves whether their use is equal to their cost.— Patriot. GERMAN MUSIC. ( Continued from our last number.) PROFESSOR TAYLOR'S THIRD LECTURE. The third lecture of this interesting series was devoted to a consideration of the style and works of John Sebastian Bach. In the period traced in previous lectures, the influence of the German school of music has been confined to its own land ; but now it began to challenge the attention and admiration of distant nations, for he had reached the age of John Sebastian Bach, whose power England had felt, and acknow- ledged his influence, for a long, time indirectly, and had at length accorded him his true rank ; but his compositions were a century old before they were generally known and studied in this country. In Sir John Hawkins's musical history, Bach was scarcely mentioned; and Dr. Burney treated him as a learned and laborious pedant.. Bach was born at Eisnbach, in Saxony, in 1684, eleven months before the birth of Handel, and just at the time that our own Purcell was rising into fame. He visited no other land, spoke no other language, adopted no other style, than his- own; he lived and laboured in and for Germany, and with a sole and single eye to the advancement of his art; and his life was passed in the quiet retirement of a small German town,— precisely the situation for an artist of his temperament. In the examination of his compositions, Mr. Taylor said he would begin with his chorales, the psalm tunes in constant use in the Lutheran church. Short, solemn, and simple, and intended to be sung by all Lutheran congregations, they excluded all attempts at fugual counterpoint, all rapid passages and difficult divisions. On the other hand, we had no longer the massive and unadorned harmonies of the older hymns for the notes of Bach, if. " long drawn out," were full of " linked sweetness ;" yet the flow of melody was so pure, that the true ecclesiastical character was retained. In Bach's chorales, his genius for melody was conspicuously manifest; and, in order that this might appear, the treble part of the first chorale selected should be sung first alone, and then with the other voices. The words were to the same metre as the German psalm, and were part of a paraphrase, by Cowper, of the 60th chapter of Isaiah- Miss Leach then sang the treble part of this chorale, commencing " Hear what God the Lord hath spoken," which of itself was a very . sweet and graceful melody; and the whole, when the other, voices completed its parts, formed a very pure devotional harmony. The number of these compositions by Bach was very large : Mr. Taylor's own collection amounting to nearly 400.) They were all written in four parts, and arranged with, such skill and care, that each single voice had not only to sustain an important part in the harmony, but was in itself a distinct and frequently interesting melody. The next of these compositions given would be a Sanctus in which the harmony of the voices was combined with such con- summate skill as to work out with great expression the general effect. The Sanctus was then sung by the vocal party, accompanied by Mr. Richard Andrews on the seraphine. It commenced sotto voce and gra- dually swelled into a strain of exulting harmony. Mr. Taylor next noticed that peculiar walk of his art which Bach was allowed to have trodden without a rival. To him we owed the school of organ- playin which existed at this day in every country in which the powers and capabilities of that noble instrument were understood and called into action. Before his time, pedals were unknown ; and,, in fact, forty years ago, very few of our organs were furnished with them. In his employment ofpedalsandhis dispersed harmonies, we trace some of the principal featur of his organ- style. Bach's first attempts, says his biographer, were abortive and rude; following the example of those finger composers who relied on their fingers rather than their minds, and depended on manual dexterity rather than invention. But Bach soon perceived that this eternal running over the keys led to nothing; and that a composition, in order to acquire real value, must have marks of design, proportion, order, and connection. He studied diligently the works of the greatest masters of his time; of which Frescobalde was the principal of the Italian, and Pachelbel of the German school: gradually he matured a standard of perfection which he laboured diligently to realize. Melody, as an element of music, was feeble and unproductive; but when Uvo melodies were- united and interwoven, then the power derived from com- bination and association began; they conversed together, like persons of the same rank and character, and equally well informed ; though in some places one melody became more prominent, and the other subordinate. Augment the number of melodies to three or four, and the result would be an exhaustless addition to the riches of musical composition;. and language. This he ( Mr. T.) took to be tile ideal model which Bach proposed to himself, to which it was his constant aim to attain, and which he emi- nently succeeded in exemplifying. He was still the head or chief of that school of which he was the founder. The most perfect display of his powers wi: s to be found in his organ fugues, in which he had worked out his principles, and had erected to him- self a monument of imperishable fame.— Mr. R. Andrews ( with his son Master Andrews, taking the bass part of the instrument) then played on the piano Bach's splendid organ fugue in G minor; which was given with great spirit and effect, and was much applauded. Mr. Taylor next adverted to Bach's more elaborate vocal compositions, which had hitherto obtained very little notice in this country. They consisted of oratorios, cantatas, and motetts. forming a rich and ample collection, of which not a single work had been translated, performed, or published, in England; one reason for which might be found in their intricate character and complicated texture, which necessarily rendered them difficult of execution. Mr. T. said, he could not join in the unqualified approbation which some bestowed on Bach as a vocal writer; and he thought his defects might be attributed to the advanced period of life at which he began to cultivate this branch of his art, and his devotion to the instrumental department of it, which imparted its clothing even to his vocal works. Another cause was Bach's limited knowledge of the vocal school of Italy; then the source of all that was pure, graceful, and melodious in art. His prepossessions were exclusively Ger- man ; his compositions had no affinity to the Italian school, but stood alone, having no counterpart; and most of them were written to German words. The first illustration was a fragment of one of his cantatas — the first movement only. The choir sang this, be- ginning " O God of my salvation!" The text of his celebrated oratorio, " The last hours of the Redeemer," was chiefly derived from St. Matthew's Gospel. He wrote other oratorios on the same subject, as recorded by the other evangelists ; but this, the first, had existed for a century in MS. and was printed only a few years since at Berlin. The gospel narrative was chiefly thrown into recita- tive ; sometimes a dramatic character was attempted to be given to the piece, which, however, was but im- perfectly and awkwardly sustained, although oc- casionally passages of great power burst forth. In various places, many voices and instruments seemed to hold on a separate and independent course, although each, controlled by his powerful hand, fulfilled only its allotted part. Mr. Taylor said he despaired of ever hearing this oratorio performed in England; The various parts, choral as well as principal, were so unusually difficult; yet each required such finish- ed execution, that every attempt of the kind he had yet witnessed had proved a failure. Bach's own choir used to complain of the difficulty of his music ; and the same complaint was made now, and with sufficient reason. Mr. Taylor said he had se- lected and translated some portions of this oratorio, which would serve to give an idea of its structure, which was singular, and liable to objection. The oratorio was a narrative of the last interesting and awful events in the life of the Saviour. To the scripture account various additions were made, chiefly consisting of such expressions as the; disciples might be supposed to have used, assuming the mu- sical form of choruses, chorales, & c. The develope- ment of any series of events must either be descriptive Bach had confounded; in his recitatives two persons- uttered parts of the same sentence ; but the compo- sition, simply regarded as music, was not affected by- it.— The first solo and chorus were supposed to be sung by the disciples after their Lord had been violently removed from them, and in this scene there- were passages of great force and beauty ; and the cantilena was as melodious as expressive. The choir sang this chbrus, beginning " Lord, of thee our light bereaved." Then followed a recitativc by Mr. Walton, " When Pilate saw that he prevailed nothing," to- which succeeded a solo and chorus ( the former given by Mr. Taylor himself),' " Round thy peaceful tomb we stand," in which the words " Cease, ye troubled spirits, cease," were very beautifully expressed. Mr. Taylor read- copious extracts fitom an interest- ing letter from one of the ablest German musical critics now living, to a musical student, who had com- plained that the compositions of Bach seemed a laby- rinth to him which he could not understand.— All the successors of Bach who had real eminence had largely profited by his precepts and practice, and had drawn liberally from the store of musical wealth which he had bequeathed to them. Amongst his own country- men, Hasse, Graun, and Handel ; in Italy, Scarlatti, Porporo, Clarissima, and Stephani ; and in England, Purcell.— It was usual to mention the names of Bac^ and Handel together, as if they were kindred compo- sers as well as contemporaries ; but he hardly knew one point of resemblance to be found between them. Mr. T. then in conclusion sketched a very graphic^ contrast between these two great men, followed by an elegant and striking parallel between Bach and our own Purcell. ( To be Continued.) or dramatic ; for the former, one and personation was out of place, narrator sufficed, These distinctions THE AUTHORITY OF THE CHURCH. To the Editors of the Free Press. GENTLEMEN,— In mj letter of the 8th ult. j which you printed on the 24th, I gave a sketch of the prin- cipal doctrines of the Puseyites, or Tractarians ; and I now take the liberty to send you a specimen of their made of argumentation, in support of these doctrines. It is taken from a Catechism upon the Church Ca - techism, written by the Rev. I. Chanter, and taught in the National School at Ilfracomhe. What Society has Christ appointed to teach his re- ligion .'— The Church. " Go ye and baptize." ( Matt, xxviii. 19.) " The Church thegroundof the truth." ( 1 Tim. iii. 15.) Has Christ appointed any other Society besides his Church ?— None. Why do you call it your Christian name?— Because it was given me when I was made a Christian, or united to Christ. What sacrament was then administered to you ?—- Baptism. What did it admit you into ?— The Church of Christ, ( 1 Cor. xii. 13.) What do you mean by the body of Christ .'— The Church. ( Col. i. 24.) Of what use are godfathers and godmothers ?— 1st. They can always prove that I have been made a mem- ber of Christ's Church. 2ndly. They are at hand to instruct me if my parents die, or are wicked persons. 3rdly. It is safer for my soul that I should have five guardians than two. Prove from Scripture that God's Spirit acts upon you by water in your baptism.— John iii. 5, " Ex- cept a man be born of water and of the Spirit." Give me an emblem from Scripture to prove it.— Gen. i. latter part of second verse. Who put the Articles of the Faith into creeds ?— The Apostles and Bishops of the Church. For what purpose ?— To show, against heretics, what the faith was. How was the true faith known from the false?— That which was old, which was handed down, which each Church held from the time of the Apostles, was true ; that which was new and lately invented, was false. ( Proofs, Gal. i. 8.) Who then can alone tell what is the old faith ?— The Church ! Why could you not collect it for yourself from the Bible ?— The ISible was not given for that purpose. Any other reason ?— Those who try to do so never succeed. They differ, and cannot say what is the faith. Whom has Christ appointed to be your guide in religious matters ?— The Church. ( Matt, xviii. 17.) How does St. Timothy assure us that we shall be right ? What does he call the Church ?— The pillar and ground of the truth. ( 1 Tim. iii. 15.) When were you brought into this state of salva- tion ?— When I was baptized. Show that baptism brings you into a state of salva- tion.—" Baptism now saves us." ( 1 Pet. iii. 21.) Besides, baptism admits you into what society?— That of the Church. And for what purpose are you thus admitted ?— That I may be saved... Prove this.— Acts ii. 47. In what state then are you, if you have been added to the Church lawfully '— A state of salvation. Now that you have been, brought into this state, shall you be for certain saved ?— Not for certain. In order to be certainly saved, what must you do ? — Continue in the same. Same what .'— Same state into which I was brought at baptism. When children are brought by baptism into thee: THE HALIFAX FREE PRESS. 3 ark of God's Church, what is their state .'— One of safety or salvation. So much power and authority are here attributed to " the Church," that the reader is driven to the in- quiry, " what is the Church ?" I will not trouble you with the definition given by the Church of Eng- land, in the 19th Article ; nor will I here discuss the correctness of the positions laid down in the 20th article: but I will transcribe from the Eclectic Review for November last, what I look upon as a most able and satisfactory elucidation of the fallacy involved in these claims for authority to be accorded to " the Church." The passage which I select, occurs in a Review of Dr. Hook's Sermons ; and the whole article will amply repay an attentive perusal:— " There has always been a method of speaking about the CHURCH which not only is capable of mis- construction, but positively tends to it. The whole church is the fellowship of all the faithful through the whole world. A particular church is the mem - bership of particular persons who believe, and are found on some given locality. The greater or the less can be personified. This is rhetorical, and may be convenient. But it is not thereby made a multi- tudinous collective being. It has no personal con- sistence. It is, all this while, only a number of individual men and women. The personification was not the exclusive evil. It soon was deified. It was made a Saviour. It usurped the pl^ ce of Christ. And thus we still hear of the ark of the church, rather than of salvation; of the prophetic office and the priestly keys of the church, rather than of the re- vealing spirit and sacerdotal atonement of the Re- deemer ; of the church as the door, rather than of the Shepherd who is the door of the sheep- fold ; of the house, rather than of Him who is a son over his own house. Reduce this compound, and what is the constituency ? So many sinful, fallible, dying creatures, on any portion of earth, or scattered abroad among its nations. Each unit confesses this. The multiplication of these units creates the church. And thus multiplied, the whole is suddenly made unlike its parts. In its integrity it is holy; separately it is sinful. Collectively it is the instructor; distribu- tively it is in pupillage. In mass it is the judge, in detail it is dependent on adjudication. In concrete it is a mother; in decomposition we recognize only • children. What an enormous fallacy is here 1 And yet this is the word which is supposed to denote a something higher than the church proper,— to indi- cate an existence somewhere independent of the church visible ; what it is none can define, where it is none can declare ; it is true of no numeral, of no analysis of figures, short of the sum ; then only be- ginning, and incapable of continuing, but in the total; that which can be asserted of no atom and no com- bination, at no stage of the experiment, all trans- formed in a sudden and last result. They who can work out the idea must possess arithmetical powers and chymic affinities all their own." With these forcible and just remarks on the fallaci- ous employment of the term " Church," I conclude my letter; and am, Gentlemen, Yonrs, & c. A NONCONFORMIST. Halifax, Jan. 23,1843. THE PENNY POSTAGE.— One gratifying feature is the continued increase of the post- office revenue, in the midst of so many adverse circumstances. Reckon- ing from quarter to quarter, and always taking in a whole year to sink minor discrepancies, its growth has been as follows :— 4 quarters ending 5th January 1842, £ 455,000 Ditto 5th April .. 504,000 Ditto 5th July .. 539,000 Ditto 10th October .. 591,000 Ditto 5th January 1843, 605,000 Sir Robert estimated the post office revenue, for the year ending 5th April next, at £ 500,000. It will ex- ceed this sum by at least one- fourth. INCOME TAX.— The following is the return to the income tax commissioner, by a village surgeon, re- siding in the county of Devon : — I'm sorry to make so sad a confession Of the profits that emanate from my profession; But the fact is, that most of the villages round With surgeons, quack doctors, and druggists abound; So much so that I am unable to clear The sum of a hundred and fifty per year. It would give me much pleasure could I return double,. And save myself all this additional trouble ; But opponents and bad debts beyond all redemption Compel me to fill out this claim of exemption; And what makes the matter so very much worse, I've a wife and three children, and no private purse:- So from these simple facts the collector must see He can gather no tax upon income from me. THE FORCE OF POLITENESS.— The following anecdote is told by M. Casiinir Bonjour, in the course of an essay on politeness :—" The Marchioness de Coislin one day solicited an audience of Fouch^, then minister of police. The audience was granted ; but Fouclnj, who was resolved to refuse whatever the marchioness might ask for, received her standing, with his elbow resting On the chimney- piece, and did not invite her to a seat. ' Citizen minister,' said the marchioness, * I come to ask what crime my sister, Mad. d'Avaray, has committed, that she should be exiled.' ' She is an enemy of the government,' replied Foucht;, ' and has the audacity to set it at defiance.' ' She audacious !' retorted the marchioness, ' she defy the First Consul 1 How little you know her. She is so timid, that she would not even venture to say, '' Citizen minister, have the goodness to hand me a chair."' At these words, Fouche was so disconcerted that he lost all his courage to be hostile. Mad. de Coislin had a chair, and Mad. d'Avaray received per- mission to return to Paris." OUR CHATTER BOX. " Love and Folly, from the French of La Fontaine," shall be inserted. Can ARISTIDES furnish proof of the facts to which he calls our attention ? A BURGESS says he is desirous that we should re- cord the votes of our Borough and Hiding Members, during this session of parliament. Will he engage to furnish the particulars ? EDITORIAL MODESTY.— In a very recent number of a very amiable, modest, and polite,'' family paper," we find the records of four instances of those " family" matters commonly called " births." Upon the prin- ciple, we opine, of " last not least," the lady of the Hon. Arthur Lascelles is thrust to the fag- end of the list; and, probably upon the counter- principle of " first not foremost," the name which bashfully re- veals its charms at the head of the list, is that of the Editor's own " better half!" Answers to the Anagram in our last. I. To answer right, I can't do less Than spell the first, R. A. T. S. T. A. R. s- will form the second : And brave men jolly tars are reckon'd. The third is ARTS; and these are they Which elevate society. The shining fourth is a STAR. Now you perceive what these things are. JOHN WALTON. II. THE BRAVE BRITISH TARS. Tho' Albion's ship is infested by RATS, And steer'd by men more blind than bats, And takes much delight in CHINESE WARS, ' Tis no reflection on brave British TARS, Who have little pretensions to shining parts, Tho' wall accustom'd to manly ARTS ; Stern duty is ever their polar STAR ; They've honour in peace, and glory in war. TIMOTHY TRIANGLE. A CONSERVATIVE GREAT MAN.— A few weeks ago, a dear friend of mine, a barrister and an author, said to me, " I was lately in conversation with Sir E ."—[ That baronet is more eminent for his writings than for his senatorial achievements.] " I observed, ' This is an age without one great man.'— ' By no means,' answered the baronet: ' we have one great man.'—' Who is he'.' I inquired.—' S r James Graham ; he is a great man,' was the answer of my friend. I was amazed; I looked astonished. I said, ' Sir James Graham! He a great man! You are joking, Sir E.'—' No! I am not joking,' in a very serious tone, was the reply.—' Do explain yourself. I cannot imagine that you really believe Sir James Graham to be a great man.' The baronet continued, • I have seen Sir James Graham, in the House of Commons, night after night, rise, surrounded by colleagues whom he has for years denounced in the most abusive language the forms of the house would permit ; I have heard him defend principles and measures which for many years he was accustomed to oppose ; I have listened to him while he denounced every measure which he formerly supported ; I have heard him disprove all that he had formerly ad vocated, and demonstrate every principle as right which be had been accustomed to refute as wrong; in fact, I have heard him unsay every thing which he had previously advanced, and contradict all that he had formerly asserted. ' True enough,' I added; ' but surely you do not therefore think him entitled to the appellation of a great man?'—' Not exactly so,' responded the M. P.; ' hear me out. I have seen and heard all this ; and, in a full house, I have remarked that Sir James Graham was, while thus en- gaged, the only member without a blush, the only man who did not, at the moment, show any con- sciousness of shame ! Hence, I think I am justified in saying, that Sir James Graham can do that which no other man has done or can do— ergo, Sir James Graham is a great man.' "— Oastler's Fleet Papers. MATRIMONIAL STATISTICS.— The following statis- tics of the age of the 121,525 women married in Paris in the course of the last 18 years is given by one of the journals as having been verified by the registrars of the Etat Civil. Between 12 and 15 years old there were 811; at 16 years, 1,920 ; at 17 years, 3,959 ; at 18 years, 5,816 ; at 1.9 vears, 6,957 ; at 20 years, 7,610; at 21 years, 8,047 ; at 22 or 23, between 7,000 and 8,000; at 24 or 25, upwards of 6,000 ; but at 26, 27, and 28, they scarcely exceed 5,000. The decreasing progression goes on, so that up to 31 years there were only 3,651 ; thence to 41, years, 1,798 ; at 42 years, 1,015 ; at 48 years, 586 ; at 56 years, 236,; at 60 years, 126 ; and, during the 18 years there were 578 marriages of women aged 61 years and upwards. Another accountshows, that out of 1,000,000 married in Paris, 521,653, being more than one- half, were married before the commencement of their 26th year. POWERFUL OBSTACLE TO CONVERSION.— There is a story current of an Honourable and Reverend Gentleman, lately a convert to the Catholics, who, with the simplicity and frankness peculiar to his character, called on his Bishop to convert the well- paid Prelate to Popery. The Bishop listened to the arguments of his young friend with the politeness which was due from one gentleman to another, though without wasting his breath in arguing with him ; but, in giving an account of the interview, he added, " i sat smiling to think that he was come to convert me out of twelve thousand a- year." A NEW VARNISH,— At the suggestion of Mr. Thomas Grant, of the Royal Clarence Victualling Yard, a new varnish, manufactured of naplitna, is to be substituted for the paint now applied to the outside of the iron water tanks for her majesty's ships, the cost of which is only one- fourth that of paint. The varnish has been well tested, and proved to be per- fectly efficacious, and is applicable to all sorts of wood and, metal,. POETRY. "^ S^ lectedT" ON SEEING AN ADVERTISEMENT OF THE INTENDED RETIREMENT OF AN EMINENT FIRM. BY MRS. GORE. Retire from business ?— Shut up shop ?— Rundell and Bridge 1— I charge ye, stop !— Think twice ere you determine 1 If you suspend your handiworks, Where shall we find our spoons and forks,— Where diamonds to our ermine ? Reflect on all the happy pairs Your plain gold rings have wrung with cares In matrimonial trammel! Reflect how many a cruel hoax You've played on legacy- hunting folks In black and gold enamel 1 Think with what vile considerations You've influenced the fate of nations, By diamond- snuff- box treason; How you have raised the price, per carat. Of royal phizzes, which men stare at, Or, if the snuff wills, sneeze on ! Admit how many a joyous girl, Bribed by your strings of Orient pearl,— The trappings of a bride,— To glitter like Golconda's queen, Hath to a loathing duchess been Sadly transmogrified! Your racing cups, where jockeys hold Speed neck and neck on prads of gold. In hippodromic glory; Or where, with vast display of muscles, Fierce Dares with Entellus tussles, As sung in classic story! You salvers chased— your huge dpergnes— Your soup- tureens— your vase- like urns,. With tombstone- like inscription— Of " OFFERED TO BLANK BLANK, M. P." Or " The late Bishop of this See, By voluntary subscription!" Your silver trowels, meet to grace The royal hand, induced to trace Some coin- sustain'd foundation Of penitentiary or college For checking sin, promoting knowledge,. Or polishing the nation !— Your Georges with all grace endued,— Your stars of every magnitude, The Guelphic, Bath, or Garter; Those glittering bribes, which peer and prince. Have pocketed unblushing, since The days of Magna Charta 1 " These are your glorious works," oh ! ye Great pair, who indivisibly Inmortalizedin story are .;— Sternhold aud Hopkins—( where's the fun?),-. Are not more singularly one, Or Albert and Victoria 1 Pause, then, ye Ludgate kings, before You close on us the golden door Concentrating your riches I— Without ye, none can bribe or wive,— So, long as London Bridge shall live, Long live our London Bridges 1 HOPE. A SONNET. Hope, sitting at the window of the mind, The past forgot, the present disregards; And with a steadfast eye looks out to find The future, with its treasures and rewards. With much delight she views the distant prize. Which, when obtain'd, increases her desire ; And, gazing onward still for fresh supplies Of coming joy, her happiness entire Is drawn from faith's bright scenes of future bliss. That only is her native element, Where all is stored that human heart can wish. And more than human tongue can represent. Hope anchors where the foot of time ne'er trod, And plants her standar& at the throne of God. JOHN WALTON. The number of vessels which entered the ports of' the United States, in 1841, from foreign parts, was 7,735 American and 4,538 foreign. THE GOOD INTENT OF LONDON; OR, HOW IS THE WIND ?— We have been recently admitted to a private view of a somewhat novel representation. We beheld a stout- built bark, having a crew of jolly- enough- looking fellows on board, and a certain, equally jolly- looking prelate at the helm. Their object is to make a certain part of the coast, Canterbury being visible in the distance. On the deck of the vessel are some sheep. Two rival pilots are tendering their services, one distinguished by a union- jack, the other has a private signal ( No. 90) flying. The crew are evidently perplexed, while the- skipper has before him an improved compass, the North Pole of which is illuminated by an archi- episcopal mitre, instead of the ordinary fleur de lis ; he has also before him in the binnacle a chart of " All England." His eye is fixed on the vane at the mast- head. The following dialogue takes place:— Forecastle- man: " The tide is setting in strong, master, shall I hail a pilot ? Here's Bluff Harry and the new high- pressure chap, with his f reemason signal, the Po| e's eye, and No. 90 up ; which tack shall we go on ?"— Skipper ; " Harry's a good fellow, lie knows his business well, he has stood my friend ever since I first followed the sea; I have a strong desire, however, fas the current is carrying us towards him,) to give the new one a trial. I know I should offend, the owners, and the underwriters would be sure to be at me ; but so as I get in safe, what need I care ? I think, however, I'll go with the tide a little longer keep a good look- out ahead, as well as to the south and eastward, at the same time keep your eye on the- sheep and stand by to tack when I give the word^>- H. ow is the wind,?."— Chronifle,, 4* THE HALIFAX FREE PRESS. OUR SCRAP BOOK. " A thing of Shreds and Patches." The number of prisoners entered in the books of the police office, Leeds, during 1842, was 1,306, or an average of nearly seven prisoners a day. A church clergyman, the Rev. John Burnett, has discovered that Stockport is suffering distress, because it has not been so active as he could wish in church- building. Who made this presumptuous man a judge ? A MEAN MAN.—" You are so mean," said a furious fellow to his opponent, " that your shadow won't follow you." ORNITHOLOGY.— The Chester Courant gives an account of the capture of a badger under the head " rara avis." Kelly, who was afflicted with the gout, being told that the gout insured its possessor a long lease of life, replied, " If it be so, I am sure the lease is held at a rack rent." Dr. Johnson, when in the fullness of years and knowledge, said, " I never take up a newspaper without finding something I should have deemed it a loss not to have seen ; never without deriving from it instruction and amusement." " What so timid," asks that facetious parson, the Rev. Sydney Smith, " as the hare ?" " The Clergy- man in the presence of his Bishop." For more than half a century, the. average number of persons burned for witchcraft in England was three a year. CONTENTMENT.— Climb not too high, lest you fall; nor lie on the ground, lest you be trampled on. Consider yourself as safest when your own legs bear you.— Dr. John Hammond. INTEMPERANCE.— Gluttony is the source of all our infirmities, and the fountain of all our diseases. A » a lamp is choked by a superabundance of oil, a fire extinguished by excess of fuel, so is the natural heat of the body destroyed by intemperate diet.— Burton. Boz AND THE BANKER OF STRATFORD- ON- AVON. — The following anecdote has reached us from a quarter which leaves no doubt of its authenticity :—• Not many days ago, the celebrated " Boz " paid a risit to Stratford- on- Avon, and having letters of introduction to the mayor,, established himself at the head hotel of the place, and sent his letters to that respected individual, who is a banker. His worship's knowledge of literature, or literary men, not being so extensive as would be generally supposed in these en- lightened days, he was quite ignorant of the existence of such a person as " Charles Dickens," and sent for liis cashier, who told him it was " Boz." " And who is ' Boz''" said his worship. " Go and tell liim if he wants to deposit, he can send it by you ; and if he wants to draw, he must come himself." The cashier obeyed his master's bidding, no doubt much to the surprise and amusement of " Boz."— Court Journal.— [ The anecdote thus given by our courtly contemporary is certainly calculated to amuse the admirers of " Boz," and to excite a smile, if not surprise, in the literary circle; for it cannot be denied that it is founded on truth. Mr. Dickens " established himself" on the occasion at the Golden Lion Hotel. But it is due to the worthy mayor to add, not only that ( as a man of business) he evinced his knowledge of hooks by observing that no such name as that of " Boz" appeared in the Bank books, but that he devoted the next day, after the unexpected introduc- tion, to the service of the literary lion, by conducting liim over the town, and showing him all that is so attractive to the traveller in the birthplace of the immortal bard. The assiduous attention of his worship to Mr. Dickens must have been as gratifying to the latter as it was creditable to the genuine good nature o'the chief magistrate.— Warwick Advertiser."] TEA is now a necessary article of subsistence to the English operatives and industrious poor. If it were placed within their reach at a reasonable price, the use of it would often prevent them, when their toil is done, from frequenting the ale- house and the gin palace. It is monstrously unjust that a tax of 200 per cent, should be levied for the revenue from the tea consumed by the poor, and only 40 per cent- of duty for the tea consumed by the rich ;— that, for instance, tea, of which the cost here is Is. per pound, should pay a duty of 2s. Id. per pound ; and that the superior article, the cost of which is 6s., should simply pay the same amount of duty, or 2s. Id. per pound. The addition to the retail price, imposed by the Crown duty, is no inconvenience to the rich man. He cares not for a shilling or two additional in the price. He can afford to pay the difference, and sips it in his splendid breakfast parlour from his china basin, with the same ease and comfort, whether the duty be 40 or 200 per cent. The case is very different with the poor. The duty of 2s. is, to many of them— the female shirt- makers, for instance— the amount of their earnings for a whole week ; and the duty to them is almost tanta- mount to prohibition. We cannot conceive anything more unfair than the present amount of the duty levied on the low- priced teas, and can imagine no good reason against the substitution of a discrimina- ting duty. Tea is always sold in bond, and therefore there could be no difficulty in fixing the ad valorem duty. A sweeping reduction of the impost is imperi- ously called for under the glorious change that has come over the prospects of the country ; and the executive cannot refuse to grant this boon. We care not whether the duty be placed on the ad valorem basis or not: all we contend for is a reduction of the duty presently charged on the low Congous and inferior teas, being the qualities usually consumed by the wo. king classes. If the Government determine to reduce the duty on all kinds of teas, we can have no objection ; for we believe that the effect would be to increase the export of teas so enormously from China, and enlarge their poner cf buying our manu- factures to such an extent, that the revenue would not suffer. But, at all events, if the duty on the in- ferior teas were reduced to Is. per lb., and no change made in the duty now levied on green teas, the revenue would be increased instead of suffering any diminution. Even were the case otherwise ; suppose some sacrifice of duty were made at first, it would be nothing more than the people have a right to demand, in the altered circumstances of the country ; and, seeing the great influx of specie to be received from the Chinese, with the loss of income suffered by the people of England from the Income- tax, we do not expect that the government will attempt to refuse this concession to the working classes, who have conducted themselves with acknowledged prudence and propriety in the midst of the most prolonged and withering distress. Teas, which are selling here at 3s. 6d. per lb. are consumed at Hamburgh for about lid. per lb., and by the people of New York at about Is. 3d. per lb. These facts are worth a cart- load of arguements.— Chronicle. THE PREMIER'S VELVETEENS— The world may laugh at Sir Robert Peel; but, in candour, we must say we think he subjected himself to a painful but necessary sacrifice in returning the embryo cloak and intended waistcoat. That cloak and waistcoat might have decided the fortunes of a ministry and a nation. Imagine the cloak attracting the admiration and envy of the neighbouring " squires' ladies, and, by inducing them to examine its texture, leading to a discovery of the hidden meaning of the web. All Staffordshire would have been in an uproar. The news would have travelled up to London; the Post would have thundered on it; Buckingham would have had another grievance; and Richmond would have thought it high time that the landlords should look to the livery of their man. Imagine Sir Robert himself, proud of the beauty, but unconscious of the politics, of his velveteen, to have appeared, on the first night of the session, swelling in a new waistcoat. Imagine some sharp- sighted county member, charmed by the agri- cultural pattern, peering close into it, and detecting the " small scroll peeping from beneath, bearing the word ' Free.'" Why, it might have produced an amendment to the address, and turned out ministers the first night I The fact is, that Sir Robert Peel cannot be too cautious about these little matters. Where the career of a public man is guided by no broad and permanent principle, and where his great object is so to shape his conduct as to conceal all indi- cations of its future direction, every little incident, is seized with avidity by the public as disclosing his intentions. Sir Robert's velveteen would have been held more significant even than the Duke of Rut- land's, or Mr. Ackland's, or Mr. Miles's revelations. More prudent, however, than they, he explained away his velveteen before any alarming inferences had been drawn from it by the world at large. The'squires hare something to console themselves with for the present, in the return of Mr. Barlow's gift. The " little scroll " with the word " free" is not to be allowed to " peep out" quite yet. Every well- con- stituted mind must sympathise with Lady Peel, who loses the cloak which she admired so much, because, her husband cannot yet afford to throw off his.— Morning Chronicle. TANTALUS NO FABLE.— The unfortunate wight described by ancient poets as standing amid all the luxuries wealth can accumulate, yet unable to grasp any of them, is no mere creature of the imagination ; nor is he one only ; nor is his place in the unsub- stantial region of ghosts. The Tantaluses of this living and breathing world are so numerous that their name may be said to be legion. Lord Huntingtower is a Tantalus. He believed that he had money ; he has had or will have the name of possessing money. The glittering phantasm lies in heaps around him. But if he seek to touch, it eludes his grasp. He gave one friend acceptances for £ 10,000, and received £ 100 or £ 200 for them ; he purchased a dressing- case to pawn, and his friend pockets the money advanced on the pledge ; he takes a picture off a dealer's hands at a nominal value of £ 1,200, which turns out to be worth £ 20. It is not merely the money he fancies he holds that proves unsubstantial ; the luxuries purchased with this shadowy coin turn out to he equally unreal. He lives in a world of appearances which have no reality— of mocking shadows of plea- sures which he cannot taste. And this tantalizing condition will be Lord Huntingtower's through life : a large portion of his nominal debts are declared to be not binding, but enough remain behind to absorb the property he may hereafter become heir to. Col. Copland, too, is a Tantalus. Lord Huntingtower's acceptances enabled him to raise a part of the sura they were ostensibly worth; but it was all needed to meet claims that were falling due. These had accu mulated to such an amount by allowing comparatively small debts to be called larger in order to obtain a prolonged term of payment. A plausible man was the Colonel— inventive in devising ways and means to meet financial difficulties : but in proportion as the sums he raised increased, the claims to be liqui- bated by him increased also. He realised nothing. The money seemed to be there— he evoked its spectre but he could not touch it. Again, the money- lender who obtained a mortgage on Lord Huntingtower's estate mav prove a Tantalus. He borrowed money to lend, upon the credit of, it may be, Spanish Bonds, and received wind- bills in return, as security for the payment of which he obtained a mortgage that may possibly be found invalid. Or if he is more lucky, the money- lenders of other Lord Huntingtowers have experienced this fate. Thus the money- grub, the blase* man of pleasure, the voluptuous boy- lord, are all alike realizations of the mythus of Tantalus. They see, or seem to see, heaps of whatever is most attractive to their several cravings ; they try to clutch them, and find nothing but empty air in their grasp. They live in a world of vain imaginations. Their appetites, their active powers, are wasted upon illusions. And it is not only among the votaries of sensuality, and the misers who prey upon them, that we are to seek the multitudinous and immortal coun- terparts of Tantalus. There is scarcely a man who could not produce examples from his own domestic circle. Banking speculations, bubblecompanies, and agricultural improvements, have reduced as many to, this condition as the gaming- table, or the brothel, or the Stock Exchange. There is much real property in this land of ours, but the imaginary property triples, it in amount. Every hundred pounds is, by dint of credit and bills, forced to do duty for thrice as much ; every thousand pounds has three nominal proprietors. It is not that there is not enough for all, but- meifc have got so accustomed to talk about large sums andi lavish expenditure, that they are ashamed to confess to what they really have and what would really suffice them. We are a nation of braggers, all affecting to be richer, wiser, happier thau we really are— an over- grown kennel of puppies, letting go our respective, bits of meat to snap at their big shadows in the water. — Spectator. THE PRIVILEGES OF POVERTY.— During a fire in. Liverpool, when propertied people were running hither and thither, removing their goods from the neighbourhood of the coflagration, an old woman, stepped calmly from her humble lodging, and, in, a satisfied tone of voice, exclaimed, " Well 1 thenk God, I've nothing to remove 1" The York and London Assurance Office is the thirty- eighth fire- office which has discontinued its business since J825, wlign the rates were generally reduced. The native population of the island of Hong- Kong amounts to 12,361; the remaining 6,000 or 8,000 are from all parts. The American iron trade is increasing rapidly. In ; 1842 it employed 27,000 men, and turnedout 191', 530 tons of pig, and 112,866 of bar. EVIDENCE OF CIVILIZATION.— Nelson is begin* ning to give evidence of the arrival of civilized men on the shores of New Zealand ; for it has now a gaol or lock- up house, backed by the stocks.— Nelson Examiner. He who is true and j- ust to others, is most faithful and friendly to himself.— Barrow. It has never rained, during the memory of man, at Moscow, during the months of December and, January, INTERESTING TO BACHELORS.-— The poor- law com- missioners observe, in their sanitory report, that " marriage improves rather than diminishes the probability of life." POOR PAY.— The hardest day's work ever done for. a shilling, was a private's share in the battle of Waterloo. In a speech at Chester, the Bishop of that dioce % said, there had been more churches built within the. last 40 years in the dioceses of London, Winchester, and Chester, than in all England from the reforma- tion up to the year 1800. AUSTRIA.— It appears, from a recent statistical return, that there are in Austria and its dependencies* including its Italian territory, 25,500,000 Catholics, 3,500,000 members of the United Greek Church, 2,900,000 of the non- United, 1,260,000 Lutherans, 2,240,000 of the Reformed Church, 45,000 Unitarians, and 600,000 Jews. THE LEAST OF TWO EVILS.— Was it not better* that Cromwell should usurp power to protect religious freedom at least, than that the presbyterians should! usurp it to introduce a religious persecution,— ex- tending the notion of spiritual concerns so far as to leave no freedom even to a man's bedchamber ?— Coleridge. AN EXPLANATION.—' Come, my friend, tip us the rhino.' ' What's the rhino ?' ' Why, out with the dust.' ' I don't understand.' ' Why, post the pony.'- ' What do you mean ?' ' Yes, shell out.' ' Really, I am at a loss.' ' Why, fork up." ' Inexplicable.' ' Zounds, man, cash down.' The extraordinary quantity of twelve millions of pounds of salt provisions had been imported into, New South Wales during 1841, at a probable cost to the colony of £ 500,000 ; yet they call it an agricul- tural colony, which, by proper management, ought to export. WHAT IS A HUSBAND r— He is, said a married lady, a snarling, crusty, sullen, testy, froward, cross, gruff, moody, crabbed, snappish, tart, splenetic, surly, brutish, fierce, dry, morose, waspish, currish, boorish, fretful, peevish, huffish, sulky, touchy, fractious, rugged, blustering, captious, ill- natured, rusty, churlish, growling, maundering, uppish, stern, grating, frumpish, humonrsome, envious, dog in a manger, who neither eats himself, nor lets others eat. This lady, there is no denying it, has the organ of lan- guage large. ADVERTISEMENT. HALIFAX MECHANICS' INSTITUTION The Members and Friends of the Institution are respectfully informed that a Lecture on CHRONOLOGY, or the STORY OF TIME, will be de- livered in the Old Assembly Room, on Wednesday Evening, Feb. 8, by Geo. Beaumont, Esq., Honorary Vice- President of the Institution. The Lecture to commence at 8 o'clock. Members admitted on showing their Tickets, and Non- Subscribers on payment of Sixpence. Ladies' Tickets, ad- mitting them to all the Lectures for the year, Four Shillings each. On this occasion, at the request of the Lecturer, Teachers and Managers of Sunday Schools will be admitted gratuitously. HALIFAX -.— Printed and Sold, for the Proprietors, at the General Printing Office of H. Martin, Upper George Yar .