TIE HALIFAX SEPTEMBER 9, 1843. FREE PRESS. No. XLII. 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 con traversal 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. Her confuting is the best and surest suppressing.— MILTON'S AREOPAGITICA. Who ever knew Truth put to the worse, in a free and open encounter. spirit of the journals, THE TISSUE OF FAILURES.— An administration which achieved office hy denouncing the persons of free- traders and the doctrines of free trade ; which found Ireland tranquil; which has brought her into a state more perilous than at any period since the Union ; which found her without an army, and holds her now by sword alone; which denounced the Whigs frr concessions to O'Connell, and now con- cedes to him the prerogatives of courts of justice, and half the jewels which adorn Queen Victoria's throne ; which has not relieved our trade hy sounder laws, or our agriculture by enriching the commercial part of her consumers ; which found Spain stronger than she had been for half a century, with a man of honour and of character in power ; and has so mismanaged its diplomacy, and become so bewildered by the superior intrigue of France, as to forfeit the benefit of this alliance, and to be accessary to Espartero's fall; which has imposed new taxes without improving our finances; and which has just worn out the de- ferred and blasted hopes of a great majority of the people of England, by attempting many things and doing none; by continuing the system ot a sliding- scale amidst the laughter of every intelligent com- munity in Europe ; and now prorogues the imperial parliament, after a session unparalleled for failures, with the realization of one only, but still one great good to the community,— namely, that it has so effectually debilitated its own power, and broken up its parliamentary majority, that we may begin to pre- pare for better measures under the auspices of better men.— Morning Cftroiicle. ESPARTERO AND THE BOURBONS.— The honour- able reception of Espartero in this country has mightily displeased the creatures of the French go- vernment, and is even alleged to have caused the sudden departure of the Prince de Joiuville and the Due d'Aumale, who are said to have been seized with the most dire apprehensions of finding themselves at the same table with that man. Why they came to go so quickly as few know as care, but certainly the reason given for their departure, that it was to pre- pare for the reception of the Queen in France, is a very improbable one, as a letter by the courier or the post would have accomplished the same purpose. We liave before observed that Louis Philippe has, in a way, profited largely by bis acquaintance with many vicissitudes of fortunes. From the period when he was a French master to that when lie became master of the French, he has been hoarding experiences of different lots, by which he has learnt the sensitive and vulnerable placis of each, and how they may be assailed with tne most malignant effect. Reversing the beautiful sentiment of Virgil, that Prince may say that, not unacquainted with misfortune, he has learnt how to wound the unfortunate. He has the advantage which the practised anatomist had in as- sassin ition, of knowing how to aim his weapon at the tenderest and the mortal places. Whenever, from any sordid cause,— and sordid the cause always is,— his ill will has been moved, his rule has been this simple one, to do unto others as he would not, in the same circumstances, have had others do unto him. When newly seated on the throne from which he bad, by his intrigues, helped to cast his kinsman, Louis Philippe had felt the importance of the prompt re- cognition of a neighbouring power, and had made his golden uses of the amicable diplomatic relations es- tablished. When Esnarierowas raised to the regency, remembering these things, the King of the French resolved to do by the Spanish Regent the very oppo- site of all that the English government had done hy himself in a similar critical moment. In a word, reversing therule in which all the duties are contained, he did all that he wou'd not have had done to himself, and that was not done to himself. He insulted Es- partero, and then withdrew his ambassador because the affront was not submitted to ; and, having thus done all he could openly to shake the credit of the new order of things, he proceeded to still greater in- juries by the sap of gold. In all the other branches of the sune intrigue, the rule that we have before noted is observable. He gave the shelter to Christina which be would not allow the Swiss to afford to the young Napoleon ; and from Paris the ex Queen, with all the profligate aids of the French government, directed her schemes of corruption and mischief against the peace of Spain. The machinations of the worthy combined forces having succeeded, and Es- partero having been overthrown and expelled, the tools of the King, who was himself once an exile in England, are directed to show their spleen at the respect anil honours which have greeted nn exile on his arrival on our shores. To how many Bour- bons who have done as much against the liber- ties of their country as Espartero has done for the liberties of his, has the same generous hospitality been afforded, with this difference only, that the respect mingling in it was for fallen greatness solely, and not for the abhorrad cause in which it had fallen. In the probable course of events, the two princes who are said to have departed so suddenly lest they sl( Ou'd happen to meet Espartero, will, at some future day, be again on these shores as their father was before them, and as were his two predecessors on tlie throne ; and hard will be their fate if it be divested of those consolations which their sordid and ungenerous bouse grudges to those who are the the objects of its hate, in the same proportion that they have been the sufferers hy its injuries, both open and covert. These Orleans Bourbons are the proverbial beggars on horseback, and have a pitiless hoof for the un- fortunate that are overthrown in the path of their ambiiion. They are now, too, in the elation of seeming safety in their saddles. All their treacheries have succeeded. To steal a match they have set their neighbour's house on fire, and expelled the faithful steward. At home they have the short- sighted foolish people of the capital fast incarcerated in the huge gaol of their own building. The great differ- ence between Paris before the revolution that first bnrled the Bourbons from the throne, and the re- volution of the three days which deposed frank tyranny and set up craft, with as evil, and a meaner, a falser, a more hypocritical spirit, in its place, is solely this, that in the former period the Bastile was in Paris, whereas now Paris is in the Bastile. If Paris be France, as the French say, then France is now in the prison of its own building. Louis Philippe, with his cannon commanding bis capital from a chain of surrounding fortresses, may thank the genius of mischief for the childish, petulant jealousies of England that have made his people willing tools for their own enthralment. But not- withstanding all that stone and iron can do, and the craft of the falsest of men, and the blindness of the most infatuated of people, England may again see Bourbons seeking her shelter, as Esparti ro their victim does now, hut without Espartero's claims to honour for the cause in which he nobly rose by his own talents and worth, and fell by the treachery and wickedness of others.— Examiner. THE BYGONE SESSION— The speech put into Her Majesty's lips at the close of the session, was one which it must have been exceedingly painful to a Sovereign so sincerely desirous of the welfare of her subjects to pronounce. The Queen, in turn, excites the sympathy of her people. As if it were not enough that there should Ke forced upon her a set of Ministers who do not possess her personal confidence, she is subjected to the additional mortification of being obliged to become ostensibly answerable for their miserable delinquencies. The constitution, it is true, relieves the Queen from responsibility ; but the con- s itution does not render Her Majesty insensible to the wants and sufferings of her people, nor to the important consideration that the securest foundations of thrones are laid in the contentment and prosperity of subjects. Had the forms of the constitution per- mitted our beloved Queen to give expression to her own sentiments, the royal speech would have assumed a very different character. Sir Robert Peel will not he suffered to shelter himself behind the royal person. The constitution has made him responsible, and the country will hold him to that responsibility. Is this, forsooth, the famous Tainworth Doctor, who knew, indeed, how to remedy all the ills of the body politic, but who would not prescribe till he had been reg larly called in ? Well, he was called in, and for two long years the patient has been languishing under his care; and what is the result ? Why, that matters are a great deal worse now than they were at the beginning. By universal consent, the Tamworth Doctor is a mere tamperer. Either he does not understand the nature of those disorders which he undertook so vauntingly to cure, or be has not the courage requisite to apply the necessary searching remedies. The prestige with which he entered office as the man that would " do something;" is entirely destroyed; and he retires to Drayton, we will he bound to say, as little satisfied with himself or with any body else, as the most unhappy man in the three kingdoms. The partizans of the late ministry may well crow over the humbled empiric. It was constantly cast in the teeth of Lord Melbourne, that he remained in office without doing anything. His administration, however, will, with all its faults, constitute a far more brilliant page in English history, than any ministry with which the name of Peel has been con- nected ; and, if it did not accomplish more, it was not for want of will, hut for want of power. We lament to acknowledge, that the want of power which crippled the efforts of the Whig cabinet during the latter years of its existence, was attributable to the imprudence of some of its leading members; but still it is a fact that they were thwarted in several measures of a highly beneficial character, by the party whose leaders succeeded them in office. If, then, towards the close of their official career, the Whigs did nothing, their boasting successors have exposed themselves to the same reproach, without having the same, or any other, excuse for their in- activity. It is with a servile majority at his back, and an opposition ready to lend him its cordial sup- port in any measure for the real benefit of the country, that Sir Robert Peel, the man that was to do so much, the doctor that was to restore the body politic to perfect health, folds his arms, and, when assailed on all sides for his inertness, endeavours to conceal his irresolution by pretending that it is a " part of his system" to let things take their course. We readily allow that there are some respects in which this is the highest discretion. In several matters, such, for example, as commerce and religious instruction, the less of ministerial and legislative interfetence the better. In these depart- ments we have been over- governed ; and onr pleat danger still lies in that direction. But then, what has been ill done must be undone ; and, if our com- merce anil our religious instruction are to be set free, it must be by the legislative repeal of those acts of parliament which now hold them in fetters. The premier, no doubt, differs from us on this subject of leligious freedom; but to commercial freedom he stands pledged by the plainest and clear- est avowals : and yet he carries out his principles with reference only to commodities, in which, as the imposition of a duty was not felt to be a burden, so its removal affords no sensible relief; while be com- pensates the advocates of protection for abandoning their theory, by adhering to its practical application, in the cardinal article of corn, with the utmost tenacity. This shilly- shally policy is as unworthy of a British minister as it is mischievous to the interests of commerce. But, judging from the Royal speech, we might supnose it to be a marvellously wise and successful course ; for there is not a word in that document implying that the trade and commerce of England are not in the most satisfactory and flourish- ing condition. Without other evidence, it would be inferred that landowners, fanners, merchants, manu- facturers, traders of all classes, and labourers of all sorts, are perfectly happy and content; and tlmt from Berwick to Land's- end there is not one whisper of dissatisfaction. In fact, England is not once mentioned in the Speech, and is alluded to only in the paragraph relating to the church endowment bill. The passing of this measure, as trivial in itself, but perhaps not so harmless irr its bearings, as it has been described to be, is the only thing which her Majesty's minister* boast of having done for the chief portion of her dominions. But, though it be all they have done, it is not all they have attempted. The factori s ednca- tion hi I, on which the speech is as silentas the grave, was to have been the great measure of the session. A time when public opinion in every part of the united kingdom was every day becoming more decidedly in favour of perfect religious freedom, wag deemed by the Premier and his colleagues Ihe fittest time for loading conscience with additional fetters. The project was well meant, but not well timed. It came about half a century too late. This vile attempt to restore the days of Charles the First has done Sir Robert Peel more damage than all else he ever did or left undone. As for Sir James Graham, he was beyond the possibility of sustaining further damage. And yet some even of the opponents of the defeated measure cannot refer to it without exculpating its authors. If the measure was blameworthy, how could its authors be innocent ? Did either Sir Robert Peel or Sir James Graham disclaim responsibility J No; but, to be sure, they are such dull, stupid persons that they did not perceive its drift. Do those who say so, believe themselves ? Is it credible that a cabinet, of which the great lay leader of the Puseyites is a member, could be ignorant of the real tendency of the educational clauses ? They not only knew it, but it was designed. Sir James Graham disdains the apology suggested for him in return for his equally insincere compliments. He declared 2 openly that the Bill was one on which ministers hail bestowed the utmost care and pains ; and, moieover, that it was a measure of concession on the part of the heads of the established church towards the Dissenters! The history of the bill is of itself a sufficient refutation of the truckling suggestion, that the Government did not intend it to have that adverse effect upon Non- conformist interests, which, even in its mildest form, it would inevitably have had. Where shall we find a parallel instance of opposition on the one hand, and of pertinacity on the other? In what page of our parliamentary history can we look for another case in which a bill, against which petititions with more than two millii ns of signatures bad been presented, was brought forward iu three several shapes before its authors would yield ? Or, if this is not a sufficient proof that the government not only intended mischief, but were bent upon it, take the undoubted facts, that, in its second shape, the bill was even more insidious than in its tirst; and that, in its third shape, although Sir James Graham had pledged the government to withdraw every clause relating to education, it was found to contain no inconsiderable scattering of those seeds of mischief which had been sown broad cast in the former editions of the bill. We felt that so odious a specimen of devotion to party, at the expense of principle, merited our indignant rebuke ; and, having administered it, we must cow abruptly hand over Sir Robert Peel to the reprobation of our reauers, as a minister who, having stolen into office under pretence of being the only man who could effectually relieve the commercial distresses of the country, has thrown away one of the longest sessions upon record, in desperate, however futile, attempts lo crush Noncon- formity in England, to repress the rising spirit of religious freedom in Scotland, and to rivet the fetters of a double slavery on the wretched millions ot Roman Catholic Ireland.— Wesleyan Chronicle. LAW AND LAW MAKING.— Those of our readers whose fortunate lot it is, either as magistrates, or lawyers, or suitors, to " take in," as the phrase is, the statutes at large, must be fully sensible that talking is not the only occupation pursued at St. Stephen's in the six long months that elapse from February until August. Debates there certainly are, alid plenty of them ; but law making is without a doubt carried on, as the economists say, with no less power of production ; and the only wonder is, how time can possibly be found for so much of both. Day after ( lay, and night after night, all through the session, are taken up with debates, again and again adjourned, and exclusively contined to the discussion of some two or three measures, not always of the first importance, but which involve, or are made to involve, some question of party politics ; and yet, at the close of the year, the country is presented with a thick quarto volume, or sometimes two, of solid legislation,— all of which we must imagine to have bten composed, as certain self- apologetic essayists say of their own productions, " in the intervals of business." To those who have no occasion to open or examine, or who are lucky enough to have no practical experience of the contents of these volumes, we cannot wonder that their rapid multiplications should be somewhat of a mystery. To those who do, however, there is no mystery at all. The vast majority of the acts of parliament forming the book are found on examination to be entitled, " An act lo amend an act made and passed in the" preceding session, " and entitled," & c.; and not a few rejoice in the still more complicated style of " An act to amend an act, & c., entitled An act to amend an act, & c., and so on, ad infinitum. We believe that there is certainly not a law of any importance on the statute book which has not one, and few which have not two, or more, explanatory, or corrective, or qualifying acts of " amendment" following iu their wake. The truth is, that the real business of the country, like all other matters of real business, is far more dry and uninteresting, and, if properly attended to, would take far more trouble than dis- cussioi s and divisions on matters of party politics ; and the consequence is, it goes undone. That legislation which is absolutely essential is usually huddled up into a corner by the more pressing necessity of delivering long speeches to secure the influence of a ministry or to maintain the character of an opposition, or even to satisfy a doubtful con- stituency ; and in the hustle the quality of this necessary law- making usually suffers still more than the quantity.— Times. THE LATE SESSION OF PARLIAMENT.— There were no fewer tin. n from 90 to 100 subjects proposed for the consideration of the honourable house,— some ot them, indeed, of very questionable interest; there were no fewer than 122 sittings between the 2d of February and the 17th of August; and the average duration of these sittings was about eight hours and a half. And yet, notwithstanding the multiplicity of subjects, the attention of members, and the length of the session, what has been done ? Out of the 95 or 96 propositions which came before pa. liament, how many have been carried ? Out of the 986 § hours which have been consumed in debates, how many have been profitably and beneficially spent, how many lost in noisy and unprofitable chatterings ? What has been the proportion of measures carried, to measures rejected ?— of measures rejected, to mea- sures withdrawn after long and tiresome altercations ? — of measures summarily and seasonably abandoned or rejected, to measures which kept the house aud the country in a vicissitude of weariness and anxiety, of nauseous disgust and angry irritation, for days, weeks, or months together » We have said that the aggregate number of questions brought before the house during the last session was between 90 and 100. Of these many were comparatively unimportant and uninteresting. The importance and the interest of others were circumscribed within local limits. A tew onlv were of general application and universal importance ; but we suspect that any person who appealed to the division list for information would Sti! derive from it any very satisfactory hint as to the relative importance of the different questions mooted. On these questions there have been altogether 217 divisions, omitting the repeated divisions on the " adjournment of the house." Of these 217 divisions, 10 wera monopolized by the Chelsea Out Pensioners Bill ;" six by the Dogs Bill; and seven by the Canada Corn Bill ; whilst no less than 51 were d< voted to the Irish Arms Bill.- so that, out of 217 divisions, 74, or more than one- third, were absorbed by one- twenty- fourth of the questions, and one question alone pro- voked nearly one- fourth of all the divisions of the sessiun.— Times. miscellaneous statistics. From the Ninth Report of the Commissioners of National Education in Ireland, for the year 1842, we learn that the nuuibei of national schools in Ireiaud baa increased, since 1841, from 2,337 to 2,721, and the number ot children taught from 281,819 to329,792. There are now in France, says one of the journals, 6,679 advocates or barristers, 3,569 avou& i or attorneys, 10,300 notaries, 8,20b huissiers orsummou- ing officers, End about 20,000 agents ; making a total of 48,754 persons, all living upon law aud justice. COTTON MANUFACTORIES IN MEXICO.— There are in the republic of Mexico 53 cotton manufactories, with ail aggregate of 135.000 spindles. They work up daily, on au average, 48,6221b of cotton, and pro- duce 43,760ib of thread, which, when woven into cloth, & c. is worth 48,037 dallars. These facts we derive from a printed statement by the directors- general of Mexican industry, dated city of Mexico, March 28, 1843. CRIMINAL CONVICTIONS IN GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND, IN THE YEARS 1841 2.— We take the following totals from a iecent parliamentary return : 1841. England and Wales 20,28 0 Scotland 2,688 Ireland .... 9,286 1812. 22,733 3,176 9,874 Total United Kingdom.. 32,254 35,783 This exhibits an increase of convictions for ciiminal offences ill the whole United Kingdom, of 3,529 in last year, as compared with 1841. But the most remarkable fact in connection with these numbers is the relative proportions they bear to the population : — namely, England and Wales, 15,911,646 ; Scotland, 2,620,287 ; and Ireland, 8,175,238. It will be seen that, in Scotland, the mo t educated people, the proportion of convicted criminals to the population is considerably smaller than in the other parts of the United Kingdom. The proportion is the largest in England and Wales; but the calendars in almost every county show that a considerable number of Irish, and very few Scotch, are included iu the con- victions. These returns afford another proof that education is the great preventive of crime. The pensioners now in Greenwich Hospital, who fought with Nelson, amount to 199 ; namely, those who fought in the battle of St. Vincent, 13 ; the Nile, 25 ; Copenhagen, 31 ; Trafalgar, 130. It appears, from the statistical reports issued by the Registrar- General, that about one- fifth of the total mortality of England and VVales is attributable to pulmonary consumption. EXPORT OF COTTON YARN AND GOODS TO BRAZIL.— There is a great falling off in the declared value of our exports of cotton goods to Brazil, in 1842, as compared with the preceding year, or indeed with any of the last ten years, as will be seen by the following table, which we copy from a recent parliamentary return:— Cotton Goods Cotton Yarn. 18J3 £ 1,867,583 ±'!, U73 1834 1.183.584 3,7.< I5 1835 1,500,7 > 8 981 18,8 1,762,789 8) 8 1837 1,014,4.57 48 1838 1.857,702 1,450 1839 1,63-', 680 830 1840 1,524,709 328 1841 1,471,228 1,052 1842 819,5a) This exhibits a falling off in the value of the exports of this one article ( cotton goods) alone, of .£ 651,698 in the last year. The income of the Archbishop of Paris is less than £ 2,000 a year; the other archbishops receive less than £ 1,500 a year ; the bishops about £ 800 a year ; canons, cur4s, and the " inferior clergy," have to b « content with sums varying from £ 20 to £ 200 or £ 300. MECHANICS' INSTITUTIONS.— There are 216 me- chanics' institutions in England, comprising 26,651 members and subscribers, of whom about halt be- long to the class of Workmen. The number of lectures delivered yearly in these institutions, is about 1,198. The three great means of usefulness in mechanics' institutions are— lst, Classes for regnl instruction ; 2d, Lectures ; and 3d, Libraries. The Liverpool Mechanics' Institution cost no less than £ 15,000 ; contains upwards of3,300 members; 850 pupils in three day schools ; 600 pupils in filteen or sixteen evening classes; has 50 teachers regularly employed, whose salaries amount to .£ 5,000 a year ; a library of 7,000 volumes, with 4,300 readers, and a daily distribution of 200 volumes ; and public lec- tures twice a week, attended by audiences varying from 600 to 1,300 — Nonconformist. Between the 21st and 27th of July there entered France fiotn England— at Boulogne, 1,314 travellers and 5 carriages; aud at Calais, 634 travellers, 2 horses and 10 carriages. Official statements of Parisian statistics inform that, in the fiist six months of 1843, there were 106 failures more than in 1842, which is ascribed to the in creasing population and the developement of the Parisian trade ; the former having augmented, during the last ten years, by 160,000 souls, and the number of licensed merchants having risen from 50,000 to upwards of 80,090.. RLCKIPTS OF RELIGIOUS AND BINEVGLENT IN- STITUTIONS FOR THE PAST YEAR.— Aborigines Pro- tection, .£ 259 ; Aged Pilgrims' Friend, £ 1,575 ; Anti- slavery, £>, 593 ; Baptist Missionary .' including Jubilee Fund), £ 51,631 ; Baptist Home Missionary, £ 5,270 ; Baptist Irish, £ 2,314; Baptist Colonial Missionary, £ 238 ; Bible Translation ( Baptist^, £ 3,488 ; British and Foreign Bible, £ 92,476 ; British and Foreign Sailors', £ 2,205 ; British and Foreign School, £ 6,777 ; British and Foreign Temperance, £ 473 ; British Reformation, £ 1,196 ; Christian Knowledge, £ 78,940 ; Christian Instruction, £ 1,152 ; Church Missionary, £ 115,100 ; Church uf Scotland Missionary, £ 6,909 ; Chuich Jewish Mission,£ 4,174; Church Home MiSsii n, £ 3,202 ; Church Colomt. 1, £ 4,268 ; Church Education Schei.. e, £ 4,858 ; Church Pastoral Aid, £ 17,562 ; Colonial Church, £. 3,149 ; Colonial Missionary, £ 2,970 ; District Visiting ( 1841 to 1843), £ 405 ; Foreign Aid, £ 1,735 ; Hibernian, £ 6,212 ; H. jine and Colonial Infant School, £ 2,278 ; Home Missionary, £ 7,788 ; Irish, £ 3,877 ; Irish Evangelical, £ 3,403 ; Jews ( lor Propagation of Christianity among the), £ 25,066 ; Jews Operative Converts Institution, £ 1,037 ; London City Mission, £ 6 741 ; London Missionary, £ 78,450 ; Lord's D y Observance,£ 930; Moravian Missionary, London As- sociation, £ 5,324 ; National School, about £ 12,000 J Naval and Military Bible, £ 3,251; Newfoundland School, £ 3,411 ; Peace, £ 675 ; Prayer Book and Homily,£ 2,590 ; Propagation of the Gospel,£ 71,091 ; Protestant Association, £ 1,528 ; Religious Tract, £ 52,605 ; Sailors' Home, £" 2,255 ; Sunday School Union, £" 10,301 ; Trinitarian Bible, £ 2,337 ; Wcs- leyan Missionary,£ 98,253.— The Christian Spectator. — [ We have omitted fractional parts of a pound ] EXPORTS TO BRAZIL— There is a very large dimi- nution iu the " total declared value uf British aud Irish produce and manufactures, exported from the United Kingdom lo Brazil," in the year 1842, as compared with the preceding years, as will be seen from the following table, which we copy from a recent parliamentary return :— Declared Value. | Declared Value. 1838 £ 2,6l6. BU4 1839 2,8511.713 1840 2,825,853 1541 2,558,554 1842 1,756,81,3 This is mainly attributable to the falling- off in the declared value of the exports of our cotton manu- factures, which alone is £ 651,698 less in 1842 than it was in 1841. The value of the exports of our linen manufactures lo Brazil was also greatly reduced last year; being, in 1841, £ 243,997 ; in 1842, only £ 152,484: a falling- off of a91,513. The value ot' the silk manufactures, too, was reduced from £ 29,21* ill 1841 to £ 21,996 in 1842, and the woollen manu- factures, from £ 329,984 in 1841 to £ 258,308 in 1842. On the other hand there is a slight increase in the declared value of hardwares and cutlery exported, of glass and earthenware, tin, lead, the vegetable oils, tec. ; and the declared value of the coals, cinders, and culm, exported to Brazil, increased from £ 6,134 iu 1841 to £ 17,552 in 1842, and that of inachinerv and millwork from £ 17,698 in 1841 io £ 24,941 in 1842. The parishes in England and Wales are returned 10,698. The churches are considerably more 1833 £ 2.575, b8U 1834 2,480,679 1835 2,630,787 8i> 6 3,030,532 1837 1,824,082 numerous, probably about 12,000 in all.— Church of England Magazine. Mr. Buxton, in his interesting work on the African slave trade, states, from good authority, that there are 150,000 slaves annually conveyed from Africa, of which 56,000 are brought into the single port of Roi do Janeiro. About 90,000, he says, are annually im- ported into Brazil. ANECDOTES. A LIGHT GUINEA.— An Irishman, walking in the streets of Glasgow, found a light guinea, and got eighteeu shillings for it. The next day, he wa » walking, and saw another. " Arrali, my honey I" he exclaimed ; " I'll have nothing to do with you, for I lost three shillings by your brother, yesterday." THE THISTLE.— A few Scotch and English travel- lers sat chatting in the commercial room of an inn ; aud one of the Englishmen decried the thistle,— declaiming against the empty boast of its motto,— " nemo me impune lacessel;" upon which one uf the Scotchmen observed that the thistle was the pride of the Scottish nation, but that it was nothing in the mouth of an ass ! DONALD AND HIS LAIRD.— A Scottish Laird and his man, Donald, were travelling southward ; and at the first English inn they came lo, the room iu which they were to sleep contained a four post bedstead, for the master, and a truckle bed, which drew from be- neath the other, for the man. Such furniture being new to the Highlanders, they mistook the four- posted pavilion for the two beds; and the laird mounted the tester, while the man occupied the comfortable lodging below. Finding himself wretchedly cold in the night, the lairil called to Donald lo know how he was accommodated. " Ne'er sae weel a' my life," quoth the gilly. " Ah ! man," exclaimed Ihe laird ; " if it was na for the honour of the thing, 1 could find in my heart to come down." THE MARCH OFINTELLECT.— Two country carters, passing the entrance to the Arcade, Argyll street, Glasgow, observed painted on the wall, " No dogs to enter here." " No dogs to enter here !" exclaimed ohe of them ; " I'm sure there's nae use for that there." " What way, Jock ?" asked the other. " ' Cause dogs cauiia read signs," said he. " Ha, ha, Jock, ye're maybe wrung. I'se warran ye gentle- folk's dogs ' ill ktn't brawly, tor there's schools, noo, whar they learn the duuib baith to read an' speak." AN APPROPRIATE NAME.— At a party ot ladies, it was mentioned that a Captain Silk bad arrived in the town ; and many of them exclaimed " What a name for a soldier !" " The fittest name in the world," said one of the pmty ; " for tilk never can worsted " 3 THE HALIFAX FREE PRESS. POETRY. ORIGINAL. THE IVY. Thou tender plant, I love to gaze on thee, Where gently thou thy tendrils dost entwine. Oh 1 fair thou art and beauteous to see; ' Midst change, unchung'd; perpetual spring is thine. Thou dost adorn the bower where lovers meet. And gentle forms at eve are often seen ; Where vows are breath'd, in accents soft and sweet, Of love as changeless us thy constant green. But chief'midst scenes of sad and stern decay. Where ruin hath its deadly woik begun. And time his stamp hath set. thou lov'st to stray. To hide the mischief which his hands have done. Emblem of friendship, thou dost cleave and cling. Rearing in loveliness thy slender form ; Firm'midst the tempest's ruthless buffetting; Unmoved alike by sunshine or by storm. Some friend, thou gentle climber, may I find, Like thee to c. ieer me in life's weary way; Whom sorrow, still, and grief shall closer bind; And earth's allurements vainly tempt to stray. Halifax, August 18,1843. J. T r. SELECTED. The following lines, written for a recent celebration In Boston, are irom the pen of M. H. Wetherbee, a hard- work- ' iiiji stone cutters- God's spirit smiles in flow'rs ; And in soft summer show'rs lie sends his love. Each dew- drop speaks His praise { And bubbling fount displays, In all their lucid lays, Light from above I The tiny vines that creep Along the ravines steep Obey his nod; The golden orb of day, And ocean s brilliant spray. To him due homage pay,— Creation's God. Thus Friendship wear3 its bloom, And smiles beyond the tomb, In its own light. Oh ! may that Love be ours, Which gilds life's darkest hours, Cheering, like smiling flow'rs, Hope's deepest night. Cincinnati Gazelle. THE IRISH FARMER'S HARVEST SONG. ( From the Nation.) The autumn breeze on the hill side the yellow corn is heaving; And see far down the fruitful vale like a golden sea ' tis waving. Here stand upon this moss- grown rock ; now look for miles around you: The bounteous earth with plenty smiles, to where the horizon bounds you. Now turn your look: behold that cot,— a bleak and wretched ruin ; And see that ghastly babe whose eyes seem for your pity suing. Gaze on its haggard mother, too ask, while your bosom's glowing,— Shall the people perish in a land with milk and honey flowing i ' Tis a glorious sight for human eyes. Come, take your sickle bright; And let us join jon reaper- band in the laughing harvest fight. See heap on heap earths riches fall;— the field is clearing fast ;— And all her bright and gorgeous plumes are on her bosom cast. Now, rest us from our toil, and list. Of yore, the ox was found To range the heaped thrashing- floor, from iein or curb un- bound. Are we, then, worse than than ass or ox?— Man or the sense- less brute ? We sow,— we reap, but never taste our toil's forbidden fruit. FORGET- ME- NOT : " MYOSOTIS AVENSIS.' FROM THK GERMAN : BY K1TZ- ORKKN HALLKCK. There is a flower, a lovely flower, Tinged deep with faith's unchanging hue; Pure as the ether in its hour Of loveliest and serenest blue, The streamlet's gentle side it seeks, The silent fount, the shady grot; And sweetly to the heart it speaks. Forget- me- not, Forget- me- not I Mild as the azure of thine eyes. Soft as the halo- beam above, In tender wispers still it sighs, Forget me not, my life, my love f There, where thy last steps turn'd away. Wet eyes shall watch the sacred spot. And this sweet flower be heard to say. Forget 1 ah, no! forget- me not I Yet deep its azure leaves within Is seen the blighting hue of care I And what that secret grief hath been, The drooping stem may well declare. The dew- drops on its leaves are tears, That ask, 44 Am I so soon forgot Repeating still, amidst their fears, My life, my love 1 forgtt- ms- not t scraps and pickings. GOOD REASON TO BE ALARMED— There has been a ( leal of speculation about tbe cause of the sudden disappearance of the French princes ; but it is not much to be woudered at, when it is known they were invited to bear the Queen's speecii on the proroga- tion i f parliament.— Punch. EFFECTS OF MONOPOLY.— The Economist, a new free uade paper, after having shown that our exports to the United States were upuvrdg of thlee millions and a half less in 1842 than in 1841, savs,—" It would be well for those ay riculturists who hoisted the banner of monopoly in 1841, to consider what they lost in 1842, from the depressed and ruined condition of their best consumers, arising out of the loss of the above £' i, 500,000 value of their labour. We sincerely believe that tbe agriculture of Great Britain would not have suffered even temporarily to the same extent which it did from this cause and the general bad state of other trades partly arising therefrom, had the whole system of protection been abolished, and tbe corn- laws totally repealed in 1841." I'RINCE ALBERT.— So, Saturday last was the birth- day of his Royal Highness Prince Albert. On that day he was twenty four years of age. A very young man indeed to be already the parent stock of what promises to be at once a numerous and a new royal line; but, young as he is, he has conducted himself ith a propriety and a judgment, in this his adopted country, which has rendered him a universal favourite Every body likes Prince Albert,— graceful, accom- plished, handsome, and kindlv hearted, he won golden opinions from all ranks and classes. The conduct of the Q leen towards him is also such as to conciliate the pood will of all. By prerogative of law her Majestv is his " lord and master," but she ever conducts herself towards him as a dutiful and affectionate wife, setting thereby an example of domestic decorum to the hum!) est of her subjects. They are unquestionably a very happy royal couple, which has ever been too much of a rarity amongst kings, princes, and other " grit folk." Long may their felicity last.— Economist SMALL REMUNERATION.— During the examination of a man who presented himself for the " benefit of the act," at the Court of Bankruptcy, it appeared that, on one occasion, when requiring time to meet an acceptance, he was introduced to a party who, though the insolvent had no acquaintance with him, acce; ted a bill for his accommodation, the sole remuneration for which was a glass of ale and a crust of bread and cheese. He distinctly swore nothing else passed in the shape of acknowledgment for this service.— London paper. [ What would such a bill lie worth in the discount market ? Editors F. P.] ADVERTISEMENT.— A master- workman, who has nlMsteied the duke of Wellington, rough- casted Lord Campbell, pointed Lord Ellenborougn . white- washed the King of Hinover, and slated Friend Bright, is anxious for a few jobs in the same line. Apply, post paid, to H. B., [ louse of Lords— Punch. " One who has whistled at the plough," in a letter in the Morning Chronicle, says—" Unless it be the cottages in Dorsetshire, on and near the family es- tates of the benevolent (!} Lord Ashley, and in some parts of Wiltshire and Somersetshire, I have seen nothing so poor and comfortless as the dwellings of the peasantry of Meath." It is a curious fact that, although wasps abounded last year almost beyond example, there are scarcely anv to be found this year. In some of the steam packets, passengers are now conveved from London to Gravesend and back for one shilling 1 O'CONNELL AND TEETOTALISM.— In his speech at the great Repeal Meeting in Roscommon, the other day, Mr. O'Connell spoke of the temperance move- ment under the leadership of Father Matliew as one of the prognastications of the success of the Repealers. " Every symptom surrounding us," he said,—" every appearance, every reality, announces to us that ihe time f< ir the restoration of the Irish parliament can- not possibly be remote. You have only to look about you,— to consider by- gone facts and present circumstances, to ft el as convinced as I do of the speedy restoration of our parliament. First, there is Father Mathew. I put him first, with the temper- ance movement and the glorious teetotallers, as tbe first sign of its approach. That finest and noblest effulgence of human virtue,— teetotalism,— is one of our greatest means of success ; and I wish to know from you if I have not some teetotallers among you. [ The entire assembly here commenced waving their bats in the air for some minutes, amidst loud rlieers. and cries of " we are all teetotallers."] " Ob I how I thank you," continued Mr. O'Connell, " for being teetotallers. I have made a rule that no man who breaks the temperance pledge shall be allowed to become a Kepealer. Napoleon boasted of his body guard,— of the imperial guard ; but I boast of more than an imperial guard. I boast of a Christian guard.—' Of a guard of Christian teetotallers. Oil I yes. I mock you not. I am not merely speaking of your virtue as teetotallers ; but I adduce it as the great precursor of liberty to Ireland. That mighty moral miracle of five millions of persons pledged to avoid the horrors of the use of intoxicating liquors, was not emitted from the hand of God, for nothing. He made man good, in order to make liiin free; but it is not only in the virtue of teetotalism, but in the safety that it brings with it. that 1 rejoice. How could I venture to bring 500,000 or a million of men together, if I were not backed by the teetotallers, and certain that no riot, no tumult, no violence, could take place where they would assemble? Ave, 1 have s- » en them drink the wells dry, and almost stop the rivers in their course ; but I liave not seen before me one single act of violence by any of my glorious teetotallers. I pronouuee, therefore, that tbe first precursor of freedom, to Ireland is teetotalism ; for 1 believe that Father Mathew was sent by God to hies. Ireland with virtue, iu order that she might then be fit for freedom. But I tell you the Irish people are too great to be slaves any longer. The man who drinks may elevate his courage for a time, and go to tbe battle with a high heart; hut a little time dejects him, and when an effort is to be made, bis courage retires : but if I bad to go to a battle, it is ihe steady teetotallers,— the men who would not spend the fi re of tl> eir strength, or any other fire, in tbe flash of momentary violence ; ihe steady, slow step, and the regular inarch of the teetotallers, with the teetotal bands playing before them, for me. And tbe wives and daughters of the teetotallers, thanking God for their husbands' sobriety, would lie praying for us. Ob ! I tell you what, there is not an army in the world that could fight with my Irish teetotallers. Teetotalism, therefore, is the foundation- stone of the edifie of Irish liliertv, and I call on you all to think of that as you go home. And when you kneel before your Redeemer to night, recollect the blessing that teetntalisru has conferred upon this country, and the assurance that I, who am called a leader of the Irish people, give you, '. bat teetotalism is my first proof of our speedily sweeping away tiie remains of tbe filthy Saxon domination and giving Ireland to the Irish." MODERN SHABBINESS.— On entering the choir, we were much pleased with a large board attached to the altar rails, desiring strangers not to enter with- in the sacred inclosure. " Well, this is quite right," we exclaimed to out of our companions; " This shows a proper and decent teverence lor the chancel ; it is very sad and humiliating, that swell a notice should be required; but anything is better than to permit careless, thoughtless people to go up to the altar, and perhaps sit down upon it to get a better iew of the church : very thoughtful and proper, in- deed." " Don't be too sure of the motive," said one of our party, a cautious and caustic observer. " Pray, sexton, what does that board mean ?" " Why, sir, you see that these steps," pointing to the raised floor of the chancel, " were worn out; we have not money enough to put down stone steps, so we got these ; very neat, an't they ? but they are only deal sanded over to look like stone i ai d if the visitors were to walk up and down, tliey would be scratched to pieces presently ; so we put up tbe board to keep the new steps from being worn out." Nevi r was a pretty theory so remorselessly shattered. And so it has come to this ; that a church which took eight hun- dred years to build up to its present, though impaired, magnificence, is too poor to procure three stone steps for its altar, which a five pound note would buy; tbe nobles who are revelling on the broad lands of which their fathers have robbed God, are too poor ; the town of St. Alban's is too poor; the mayor and corporationare too poor; the archdeacon is too poor ; nay, the banker who grows his cabbages on tbe con- secrated ground is too poor ; protestant England is too poor;— to buy three stone steps ; so St. Alban's Abbey mustbecoutent with " sandeddeal."— Monthly Magazine. The congregational plan of collecting from pew to pew has been introduced into Loudon, where it is egarded as a great novelty, and called the Lancashire system. Twelve persons have held the office of mayor of the city of Washington since tbe year 1802 Of this number five were practical printers. The dearth of apples, pears, and plums, in the neighbourhood of Lancaster, is this year extraordinary. Gooseberries and currants have proved a moderate crop. Potatoes planted below three feet do not vegetatej at one foot they grow thickest ; and at two feet they are retarded two or three months. A fugitive slave undergoing an examination at Northampton, Connecticut, wlieu asked if bis master was a Christian, replied, " No, Sur, he's a member of Congress." An experiment with the electric light, which has been talked of so much as a substitute for gas, was made a few nights ago on the top of a house on the Quay Conti, in Paris. The light was so brilliant, that, at a distance of 200 metres ( af> out 220 imperial yards), it was possible to read print or manuscript. A new repeal cap, of black velvet, lined with green, and modelled from an ancient Irish crown, has been published by a Dublin artist, and is recommended to the repealers for general adoption, instead of the puritanical English felt hat. THE LATE REGENT OF SPAIN — Baldoinera Espar- tero, the son of au humble joiner of the village of Garuntula, in the province of La Mancba, was born in 1793, and is consequently in the prime of life. Being of a delicate constitution, lie was educated for the priesthood ; but, on the invasion of Spain by the French, he, at that time only fifteen years of age. joined the army as a private soldier. He continued in that capacity several years ; after which, he was,, through tbe influence of a relative, placed at a military school, near Cadiz, and in due course re- ceived the commission of ensign, when twenty- three years of age. Soon after tins, lie went to South America, with tbe troops sent thither by Ferdinand VII. to reduce the rebellious colonists. In 1824 he returned from the New World, after having diss tingnished himself there in several engagements, witli /. SO, 000 sterling, t e fruit oi his savings, and the rank ot brigadier- general. Shortly after his return, lie married the daughter of a wealthy merchant of Ligrogiio, named Santa Cruz. When the rovalist war under Carlos broke out at the close of 1833, he at once declared for the queen- regent and her infant daughter, and obtained emploviiient in tbe north of Spain. From that time up to 1836, he continued to rise by successive steps till he was at last appointed commander in chief. In 1839, after the civil war had been brought to a close,, he was created Duke de Victoria ; in the following yenr be assumed the pre- miership, and in 1841 the joiner's son was appointed the regent, of Spain. On the 28th July, 1843, Es- parteru. was obliged to take relume ou board the Mala- bar, an English snip of war, the people of Spain having revolted agaiust him ; aud ou the 19th ut Auburn ti « arrived at Falluuulh. 4 THE HALIFAX FREE PRESS. THE LATE THOMAS CIIOSSLEY. His books were rivers, woods, and skies. The meadow, and the moor. Jibenezer Elliott. " Poetry lives," but poets ( lie. Thomas Crossley, the " Baid of Ovenden," is no more. He was, we believe, about forty years of age ; aud has left, to lament their loss, a widow and five or six young children. He was, perhaps, belter known as a frequent contributor of short pieces to the periodical press, especially the local newspapers, than by any long poem or any particular publication. Most readily would we have devoted considerable space in our present number, to a memoir of bis life, and some notice of poetry, if we had been in pos- session of the necessary materials for such a service ; and we hope to be able, ere long, to do justice to his memory, and also to the merits of his numerous poems, amongst which are many of great sweetness and beauty. His last publication was, we believe, a • volume called " Flowers of Ebor," printed in 1837. He also published a poem entitled " Halifax," and a volume of " Miscellaneous Poems." Some years ago, Ebenezer Elliott, the " Corn- Law Rhymer," addressed to him the following sonnet: — TO THOMAS OROSSLEV. " Poetry." critics say, " is dead or dying." Il life then dead, or can religion die t She whose broad pinions gather strength by flying O'er new- made graves, or manless halls, where sighs The wind of midnight to the clouded skv, And hurrying stars 1 E'en as the skylark flies. Poetry lives, and still will soar, while flows A daughter's tear because her mother dies ; While on a child's grave grass or daisy grows; Or o'er his eoffin'd son a father bows His locks of snow. Yes, Bard of Ovenden; Poetry lives, for, lo I with thee she goes Where leaps the streamlet down the breezy glen; With me, where God bids law- curs d slaves be men I VARIETIES. THB DOG IN THE MANGER.— The King of Hanover has added another obligation to the many which bind tbe public regards to bis name and character. The commissioners of woods and forests have laudably employed themselves in extending the facilities for tbe enjoyment of air and exercise by the inhabitants of the metropolis. Among other improvements for this purpose, their attention was directed to a plan for enlarging the pleasure grounds and arboretum in the royal gardens at Kew, by adding to tlieui a por- tion of land immediately adjacent, leased by the crown many years since, at a trifling rent, to bis R. H. the Duke ( if Cumberland. The commissioners reasonably concluded that, as the public accommoda tion would be great, and the improvements to tbe royal gardens considerable, while the portion of ground which would be required for the purpose was small, and to the royal lessee, now the monarch of a foreign state, almost worthless, tbe formality of an application was unnecessarv. Perhaps they con- sidered that his majesty would deem it an implied imputation on his grateful feelings towards England, should they assume an application necessary for a purpose so trivial, to one so deeply indebted to tbe British public, for whose convenience the bit of land was to be inclosed. Whatever might occasion tbe mistake, the result has shown that the commissioners of woods and forests reckoned without their host. His majesty, it seems, holds to the good old law, that " they should take who have the power, and they should keep who can." With a magnanimity which distinguishes all the acts of this " illustrious by courtesy" personage, and renders him tbe adtnir ed of all beholders, the King of Hanover has inter posed his veto ; and her majesty, and her majesty's subjects, are thus deprived of what would have been a convenience to them, but which could not have been of the slightest value or use to the King of Hanover.— Globe. QUEEN VICTORIA AND THE PRINCE DE JOIN- VILLE— We have heard that the visit of the French princes to Buckingham Palace was shortened con- siderably by the rudeness of tbe Prince de Joinville, who, ou being asked by her Majesty to play a game of cards, was ungallant enough to reply, *' that the only game he played was war." Her Majesty is un derstood to have given him a most cutting retort, and turned her back on him. This vouug gentleman has on several occasions evinced a disposition of anger against the English nation ; it was he who committed the violence otf Vera Cruz, and took a Mexican pilot out of an English packet; and lately, at Rio Janeiro, we hear he behaved most cavalierly towards the British officers. He longs, he says, to have a contest with some British frigate, and that his preference would be to be opposed to & ir Charles Napier.— Hampshire Telegraph SIR CHARLES NAPIER.— The following extract from " Division Orders," by Major general Sir Charles J. Napier, the commander of the British forces in Scinde, dated " Sukkur, 21st November, 1842," evinces an eccentricity of style not without example in men of great military talents :— « ' Gentle- men, as well as beggars, may, if they like, ride to the devil when they get on horseback; but neither gentlemen tior beggars have a right to send other people there, which will be the case if furious riding be allowed in camp or bazaar. The Major- General recalls the attention of all in camp to the order of Lieutenant- Colonel Wallace ( dated the 18th ultimo), and begs to add, that he has placed a detachment of horse at Captain Pope's orders, who will arrest anv offender, arid Captain Pope will inflict such a tine or other punishment as the bazaar regulations permit. This order to be published through the cantonment by beat of drum, for three successive days. Captain Pope is not em powered to let any oneotf punishment ; because, when orders have been repeatedly notobeyed, it is time to enforce them. Without obedience, au irmy becomes a mob, and a cantonment a bear- garden. The enforcement of obedience is like physic— not agreeable, but at times very necessary." The Bom• Times, whence we borrow this morceau, observes, that the passage, that " beggars and gentlemen have a right to ride to the devil," can be. matched by the famous order of the late Sir Lionel Smith, prohibit- ing pariah dogs and galloping cadets from appearing on tbe Poonah parade ground during divine service. — Asiatic Journal. TROOPS IN IRELAND.— A parliamentary return of tbe number of troops quartered ill Ireland during each of the eight years 1833— 40 inclusive, gives the following amounts :— Cavalry. Artillery. Infantry. Total. 1st January, 1833- 2,0( i4 87;! 21,061 23.99K 1834* > 2,339 873 19,823 23.035 1835.- 1,887 876 16,199 18,91) 2 1H36-- 1,845 809 15 252 17- 906 1837-- 1.839 8 9 15.832 18,- ISO 1838-- 1,641 751 15.028 17,420 1839-- 1,443 745 14,076 16,264 1840-• 873 743 13, j40 14,936 One of the Brussels journals states, that the wouien employed in the manufacture of Belgian lace, use cotton instead of thread, by which substitution they can work with more ease, and produce more. Tbe lace, when new, looks like that made of thread ; but, when it is used and washed, the fraud is detected, and thus an important branch of manutacture loses its credit. CIGARS IN BREMEN.— A writer in the New York American slates that one million and a half of cigars are manufactured daily in Bremen, or nearly five hundred millions annually. The population is 50,000, and it is estimated that 30,000 cigars are smoked one day with another, throughout the year !!— to say nothing of the pipes that are in requisition. Upwards of 3,000 persons find constant employment in the cigar manufactories. UNOCCUPIED PROPERTY.— It is estimated that the nuinberof dwellings, mills, and warehouses, atthe pre- sent time unoccupied in tbe parish of Leeds ( which in- cludes the out townships), exceeds 6,000 ! This estimate becomes the more startling when it is con- sidered that these are times of partially improved trade. A petition against duelling was lately forwarded to the legislature from Chichester, tbe petitioners advi- sing that the actual combatants should suffer death ; the seconds, transportation for life ; and that impri- sonment should be adjudged to those who in lesser degrees bad been found to have promoted the honour- ably hostile meeting. Verily a savage petition against a savage practice !— Inquirer. Russia now yields lour times as much gold as all the rest of Europe ; and tbe yearly produce of this metal ( 16,0001b) is sufficient to load from forty to fifty sledges Tbe silver needs for its conveyance a caravan of from 120 to 150 sledges. Tbe platina re- quires but three or four ; and the copper, which is also conveyed chiefly by land, sets in motion 5,000 sledges. By far the greater part of these metals comes to the mint in Petersburg. RUINOUS RESULT OF HIGH DUTIES.— The revenue derived from the consumption of foreign spirits amounted, in 1800, to AT, 382,718, when the rate of duty wi s lis. Id. per imperial gallon. In 1841, with that rate advanced to 22s. lOd. pergallon, the revenue amounted to no more than i. 1,354,079. The sum which it should have yielded, according to tbe in. creased rate and the additional population, is jt' 3,840,279 ; being £ 2,465,767, or 179 per cent beyond the amount really collected.— Porter's Pro- gress of the Nation. MATRIMONIAL ADVERTISEMENT— The following is taken from a country newspaper published within the last fortnight: " Peculiar circumstances must be the excuse for this public notice.— The advertiser, a young lady, in her nineteenth year, who speaks French fluently, and has some knowledge of music, being possessed of a small independence, butdeprived of kindred association, and through the absence of her natural guardians debarred from the opportunity of making acquaintance in society— seeks an alliance with a gentle, nan of suitable age, temper, and means One who is willing to share the cup of joy and sorrow with a partner for life— to exchange sympathies wilh a sympathetic soul, and hallow by a devoted attach- ment tbe sacred affections of home—' sweet home ! for which, alas ! she sighs— is invited to a communi cation. Address, care of the editor of . I'. S. As this is a serious notice, tbe offshoot of a heart long estranged from comfort, blighted by a heavy calainity in tbe death of a dear and early fiiend— it is hoped that no idle or mischievous person will meddle with it."—" Long estranged from comfort," and only in her 19th year ; "' tis pity ; pity ' tis, i/' true." CONFUSION OF TONGUES.— vVe went to Llangefryr Church, though we understood little of what we heard. Oil, what a heavy curse was the confusion ot tongues ! And how grievous are the effects of it! All the birds of the air, all the beasts of the field, understand the language of their own species. Man only is a barbarian to man, unintelligible to his own brethren.— John Wesley. UNIVERSAL. PROTECTION.— Once upon a time— in the senate- house of Gotham— a motion was made, to impose upon everybody a tax, aud put the whole pro- duce of it into everybody's pocket. Hear him ! hear him ! hear him ! was the cry. The motion passed by general acclamation. Quere, of the Gotham senate- house, what was the distance from St. Stephen'* '.— Bcnthamiana. ORIGIN OF THE TERM " REBECCA."— The name, as applied to tbe turnpike- gates' destroyers, origin- ated thus :— In a cottage near Llandisilio, Carmar- thenshire, where the first gate was destroyed, lived a woman whose name was Rebecca ; and, as the leader of the mob was disguised in female attire, some wag said that she was tbe above Rebecca, and others shouted, " Hurrah, Rebecca !" This is the origin of this mysterious word, now of such general appli- cation. The principal streets in Belfast are now paved with square blocks of wood. ORIGIN OF KIRK ENGINES.— The first idea of our present fire engines was given in a curious work called " A treatise named Lucar solace," by Cyprian Lucar, 4to, London, 1590, page 157 ; where may be found an account, with an engraving, of " a squirt which hath been devised to cast much water upon a burning house; wishing alike squirt and plenty of water to be always in a readiness where fire may do harm." BEES SWARMING IN LANCASTER CASTLE — About twelve months ago, a swarm of bees voluntarily took up their residence on the debtors' side of the castle yard, where they are now snugly located ; and, though inmates of a gaol, present a daily example to the most industrious. These little busy creatures are encased by huge walls, 30 feet high, over which they have to mount a hundred times in the course of a day to cull their sweets, vet do they never cease their labours from early dawn till long after the setting of the sun.— J. Hall's Lancaster Castle. A COBBLER—" I wish you wonid pull off tny boots for me," said Martin, dropping into one of the chairs, " I am quite knocked up— dead beat, Mark." " You won't say that to morrow morning, sir," returned Mr. Tapley; " nor even to- night, sir, when you've made a trial of this." With which he produced a very large tumbler, piled up to the brim with little blocks of clear transparent ice, through which one or two thin slices of lemon, and a golden liquid of delicious appearance, appeared Irom the still depths below, to tbe loving eye of tbe spectator. " What do you call this ?" said Mariin. But Mr. Tapley made no answer: merely plunging a reed into the mixture— which caused a pleasant commotion among tbe pieces of ice— and signifying by an expresnive gesture that it was to be pumped up through that agency by the enraptured drinker. Martin took the glass, with an astonished look ; applied his lips to the reed ; and cast up his eyes once in ecstacy. He paused no more until the goblet was drained to the last drop. " There, sir ! " said Mark, taking it from him with a triumphant face; " if ever you should happen to be dead beat again, when I ain't in the way, all you've got to do is to ask the nearest man to go and fetch a cobbler." " To go and fetch a cobbler !" repeated Martin. " This wonderful invention, sir," said Mark, tenderly patting the empty glass, " it is called a cobbler. Sherry cobbler, when you name it long ; cobbler, when you name it short. Now you're equal to having your boots took off, and are, in every particular worth mentioning, another man."— Martin Chuzzlewit. A statesman should be thus repartited:— his will to God— his love to his master— his heart to his country— his secret to his friend— his time to business. QUEEN ELIZABETH'S KINDRED — This queen had numerous maternal relations, and many of them among the interior gentry, particularly iu Norfolk ; arising from her falher having selected for his second consort, a subject of no very elevated extrac- tion ; whilst the blood of the Boleynes was widely diffused by tbe intermarriages of numerous junior branches. There is no doubt, that the queen chose to repress the claims of her kindred; and L'Estrange relates of her, that when one begged of her majesty, and pretended kindred and alliance, the queen replied " Friend, grant it be so, dost think I am bound to keep all my kindred ? Why that's the way to make me a beggar." KKAN AND THE MOUNTAIN DEW.— The manager of a Scotch theatre, at which Kean was playing Macbeth, seeing him greatly exhausted towards the close of the performance, offered him some whiskey in a very small thistle glass, saying, at the same time, by way of encouragement, " Take that, Mr. Kean; take that, sir. It is the real mountain dew ; that will never hurt you, sir I" " No," said Kean, with a significant glai. ce at the homoeopathic dose—" no ; that I'll be sworn it would'nt— if it uas vitriol." OUR CHATTER BOX. The subject mentioned by X. Y. Z. will be very suitable for our columns, if properly handled. Amicus has entirely misunderstood the drift and intention of the remarks lo which his letter relers. We are not able to furnish An Inquirer with any information respecting either the lecturer or the lectures to which he refers ; nor do we know why the " introductory " lecture has been so frequently given to the Halifax audiences. The subject is wholly without our jurisdiction. Our editorial articles have, this week, " gone to pot;" and our readers must " take pot- luck," with- out them. In answer to the question of Another Methodist, we can only say that we have no particulars, except those contained in tbe Halifax Guardian, of the ser- mon preached at Booth Town by the Rev. J. D. Brock- lehurst; and we can, therefore, give uo opinion on the subject of his inquiry. On account of the great length of our extracts from the public journals, we have again found it necessary to postpone the insertion of the concluding portion ot our abstract of the " Ninth Report of the Poor Law Commissioners." HALIFAX:— Printed and Sold, at the General t'riutioc Office of H. Martin, Upper u e o i t e Vurd