is it from such amusements to occupations the most dangerous to society and to themselves!

A publican near High Wycomb, Bucks, who not long since exhibited the sign of the weathercock, took it down, and replaced it by a daub likeness of the late Marquis of Lansdown, whose tenant he then was; but, lest he should lose any of his customers by their missing his former sign, he had painted underneath, "This is the old weathercock," which excited the risibility of the political cognoscenti who beheld it. This sign has lately been taken down.

A variety of valuable antiquities have been discovered in Thessaly. Among them are the busts of Aristotle and Anacreon, a large statue of Ceres, with a coin of Sosimachus, and some remarkable pillars. A Greek MS. containing a commentary of Nicephorus on the ancients, and the ancient Greek church, was discovered at the same time. Another building has been dug out from the lava which buried the city of Pompeii. In it have been found, in good preservation, vases, coins, musical instruments, a beautiful bronze statue, representing Hercules killing the hind on Mount Mænalus, and several paintings in fresco. At the town of Piesole, near Florence, a beautiful amphitheatre has been discovered, and the greatest part of it cleared from the rubbish. It is supposed that it would contain at least 30,000 persons.

The poor Queen of Etruria, persecuted with the odious addresses of Prince Eugene Beauharnois, is in a situation the most melancholy that any queen has found herself in, since the days of queen Penelope. Indeed her situation very much resembles that of this knitting queen of Ithaca; for though she has but one detestable wooer, he is backed by a power which renders him equal to a multitude, whose retainers menace the life, and devour the inheritance of her son. Her husband is still more hopelessly absent than Ulysses, for he is gone to the bourne from which no traveller returns; and her son is in a state of more helpless minority. We are sure this poor lady regrets that the times are no more, when, if all other resources failed, she might have avoided the detested union by taking the veil.

There are now in the county gaol at Chester, three unfortunate debtors, whose united ages are 213 years, and their united debts £.38 3s. Grey hairs and a prison are melancholy associates!

A fellow at Tuxford lately sold his wife in a halter, with a child, to one of his comrades, for 5s. This infamous transfer was made in the public marketplace, and it is to be regretted that nobody present had the courage to take the rope from the wife's neck, and lay it on the husband's back, till he was glad to take her again" for better and for worse."

The journalists from Brighton and Margate are very minute this year. They send пр the number of drops of rain that have fallen, with the dimensions of every breeze,

When Baddeley bequeathed a plum-cake to the actors of Drury-lane theatre, he probably foresaw that the stage would one day or other be occupied by children, who would contend for sweetmeats as others do for salaries.

Government, it is reported, have at length determined to improve the external appearance of the two houses of parliament, and to give to the present

shapeless pile of building a regular appearance. The alterations and improveinents will be upon a very extensive scale, and it will probably be some years before they are completed. It is intended, in the first instance, to take down all the private houses and buildings in Palace-yard, which join Westminster-hall and the Exchequer. The great north front of Westminster-hall is to be restored as nearly as possible to its original state, and the court of Exchequer on the west, and Exchequer offices on the east side of it, will have new gothic fronts. In the interior of Westminster hall, the screen, which now divides the court of chancery and King's Bench from the rest of the hall, is to be removed, and the hall restored to its original dimensions, and new courts are to be constructed in the same manner as the common Pleas. The private houses which adjoin the house of lords in Old Palace yard will immediately be taken down, and the house of lords will be new fronted, to correspond with the rest of the building. When these improvements shall have been completed, it is proposed to pull down all the houses in St. Margaret's-street, so as to throw the abbey completely open, and it is said that the houses which now form the terrace in Palace-yard, and the whole of the south side of Bridge-street will be taken down.

A reconciliation is said to have taken place between Buonaparte and his brother Jerome, on condition that the latter renounces his wife, and serves at sea for a certain number of years, in expiation of his offence.

It was generally reported and credited on the Continent, that on a late occa❤ sion the Austrian minister was grossly insulted by the emperor of the French. In his diplomatic character, some question respecting late proceedings was put by him to the French government. The answer of Buonaparte was in the fol lowing laconic terms:-"Tell your master, the Emperor of Germany, that I desire to have satisfactory explanations from him respecting his connexions and views relating to certain other powers. If I do not receive an explicit answer by the 25th of this month (July), let him look to his dominions."

FIRE AT THE ROYAL CIRCUS.-On Monday morning, the 12th of August, between one and two o'clock, a most alarming fire broke out at the Royal Circus, in St. George's Fields. The flames burnt so furiously, that in twenty minutes from the time they first appeared, the whole of the roof of that extensive pile of building fell in with a dreadful crash. The equestrian coffeehouse, kept by Mr. Johnson, and the Circus coffee-house, adjoining, also fell a prey to the devouring element, as well as the manager's dwelling-house, in the rear of the theatre. The printing-house adjoining was likewise totally destroyed. When the engines arrived, some time elapsed before water could be procured. About three o'clock there was an abundant supply, when the utmost exertions were made by the firemen, assisted by the volunteers and the spectators, to prevent further devastation, it being then impossible to save any part of the property belonging to the theatre. Soon after four o'clock the flames were got under, to the great joy of the neighbouring residents, who all expected their habitations would have fallen a prey to its destructive ravages. The cause of this melancholy accident has not yet been discovered, but it is conjectured to have arisen from some fire works which were used at the rehearsal of a new pantomime, which took place the preceding evening. Mr. Cross, who was in bed and asleep

when the fire broke out, was obliged to escape in his shirt, and so rapid was the progress of the flames, that he had not time to take the Saturday night's receipts of the theatre out of his secretaire, amounting to seventy pounds. Every per former has suffered very materially, for independent of their salaries for the residue of the season, and their benefits, they have lost all their stage property. The proprietors of the theatre have likewise suffered considerably, the premises being only insured for £.6000, not a third of the actual value. The owners of the coffee-houses have lost every thing they possessed, being both uninsured. The upper stories of houses in London, standing on elevated situations, were illuminated in a way awfully grand and terrific. Drury-Lane theatre, in particu→ lar, appeared to be enveloped in flames. The banks of the river, for a consider able distance leading down from the Strand to the Thames, were illuminated as if it had been noon day. The greatest consternation was caused in the neighbourhood of the Circus; in consequence of the rapidity and threatening aspect of the flames. The drums beat to arms, and a great number of volunteers were soon assembled near the spot, who were of the greatest service in keeping the avenues clear of the mob. By the active exertions of the firemen, the neighbour ing houses, which were at first in imminent danger, have been saved. We are happy to hear that no lives were lost.

The taylors have rendered themselves a most formidable body of dramatic critics, by their recent attack upon the farce at the Haymarket. In future, they say, it will not be for the benefit of the children of Thespis to meddle impertinently with their "profession." They are determined to criticise theatrical productions minutely, and to cut up every absurdity. They will allow of no cabbaging from other authors, and will admit only of sheer wit. The crosslegged heroes of the shop-boards, on Thursday, cut the thread of the entertainment provided by the strutters of the dramatic boards. They are henceforth to look as sharp as needles after any offending performer; and if he repeats his provocation, they threaten not to be content with cuffing and collaring him, but to make his quietus with a bare bodkin. They maintain their right of interfering, by a reference to our great dramatic poet, who considered them as persons of such intelligence and information, that he speaks of a smith,

"The while his iron did on his anvil cool,

With open mouth, swallowing a taylor's news."

Even Richard the Third thought a "score or two of taylors" necessary to deck out his person, when he aspired at great things. Besides, the corps of taylors are as essential to the equipment of a company of comedians, as the theatre itself. The players, therefore, must take warning to be more measured in their conduct, and to cut their coat according to their cloth.

General Moreau, with his family, sailed from Cadiz for New York at the commencement of July.

YORK.-Mary Atkinson, wife of James Atkinson, of Bishop Thornton, was indicted at the last assizes, and charged by the Coroner's inquest with the murder of Thomas Atkinson, her son, an infant of two years of age.

Nathan Andrews deposed, that on going up stairs he found Mary Atkinson lying upon the chamber floor bleeding, and that the little boy was laid in the mid

dle of the bed with his throat cut. He also stated that he found a razor on the floor, bloody.

Enoch Cobby stated, that he was a constable, and on the 19th of May he took the prisoner into custody at her own house, where she remained until the 16th of June, when he conveyed her to York Castle: for some time the prisoner did not speak at all, and for two or three days after she began to speak, she appeared quite deranged. The witness added, that though he had used his utmost influence to induce her to make no confession, yet she persisted in her intention of doing so, saying, "that she could not rest till she had unburdened her mind." The unhappy mother then proceeded to say, that before she had executed the dreadful deed upon her child, she had formed the resolution of destroying her other children also; for this purpose she meant to set off for Ripon, and take them with her, and throw them into a pond, and then plunge into it herself; but when she got up to proceed to put this resolution into practice, she found her feet would not support her; her next resolution was to kill her little boy, and afterwards herself: then again she thought she would not kill him, but at last temptation came upon her with a force that was irresistible; she then took her dear child in her arms-kissed-embraced-and destroyed him.-Again she pressed the child to her bosom, and then laid him, mangled as he was, upon the bed; in this state of distraction she proceeded to cut her own throat with the razor which had inflicted the mortal wound upon her infant.

During the whole of this horrid recital the court appeared deeply affected; nor is it possible to depict the anguish which was visible in the countenance of the ill-fated mother.

Her insanity was already proved, and the jury, without retiring from the box, pronounced a verdict of Not Guilty. His lordship enquired whether they acquitted the prisoner on the ground of insanity? to which they replied in the affirmative. The judge thereupon ordered the unfortunate woman to be de tained.

snow.

A shepherd of Mr. Mounsey's, in looking after his sheep upon the summit of the stupendous mountain of Kelvellyn, was alarmed by the barking of a dog; and, upon going to the spot from whence it proceeded, found the arms thighs, and some other bones of a man, robbed of their flesh, and bleached as white as The arm-bones were covered by a pair of tattered black coat sleeves; upon examining further, he found a gold watch and a pocket-book, in which were papers, that led to the discovery of his name, which is Gough. He was a gentleman of fortune, in Manchester; and used, every year, to ramble on these mountains, fishing among the trams. He has never been seen since last April; so that he must have lain at the foot of the precipice, down which he had fallen, since the time. There is no appearance of his little dog having any other subsistence than grass, for it undoubtedly would not feed upon its master; but the flesh has been consumed by maggots. What is extraordinary, the poor little animal had pupped during this time; one pup was dead by its side, the others have probably been carried off by birds of prey.

An unparalleled instance of the power of a horse, when assisted by art, was shewn near Croydon, on Wednesday, July 31st. The Surrey iron railway being completed, and opened for the carriage of goods all the way from Wands

worth to Merstham, a bet was made between two gentlemen, that a common horse could draw thirty-six tons for six miles along the road, and that he should draw this weight from a dead pull, as well as turn it round the occasional windings of the road. Wednesday was fixed on for the trial; and a number of gentlemen assembled near Merstham, to see this extraordinary triumph of art. Twelve waggons loaded with stones, each waggon weighing above three tons, were chained together, and a horse, taken promiscuously from the timber cart of Mr. Harwood, was yoked into the team. He started from near the Fox public house, and drew the immense chain of waggons, with apparent ease, to near the turnpike at Croydon, a distance of six miles, in one hour and forty-one minutes, which is nearly at the rate of four miles an hour. In this period he stopped four times, to shew that it was not by the impetus of the descent, that the power was acquired; and after each stoppage, he drew off the chain of waggons from a dead rest. Having gained his wager, Mr. Bankes, the gentleman who laid the bet, directed four more loaded waggons to be added to the cavalcade, with which the same horse again set off with undiminished power; and still further to shew the effect of the railway in facilitating motion, he directed the attending workmen, to the number of about fifty, to mount on the waggons, and the horse proceeded without the least distress; and in truth, there appeared to be scarcely any limitation to the power of his draught. After the trial the waggons were taken to the weighing machine and it appeared that the whole weight was as follows:

The Lady of G. Windham, Esq. of Cromer-hall, Norfolk, of a son. The Hon. Mrs. Coventry, of Lambeth-road, of a daughter. The Lady of Lord F. G. Osborne, of a daughter.

MARRIED,

Earl Cowper, to the Hon Miss Lambe. Lord Grantham, to Lady Henriet ta Frances Cole. The Duc de Castries, to Miss Coughlan. The Hon. Colonel Acheson, to Miss Sparrow. Henry Sansom, Esq. of Finsbury-square, to Miss Magniac. Richard Addams, Esq. of Doctor's Commons, to the daughter of Nathaniel Bishop, Esq.

DIED,

In Grosvenor-square, Viscountess Sidney. In Stanhope-street, May-fair, the Dowager Marchioness of Stafford. At Kensington Terrace, Dr. J. Snipe At Walmer Castle, Major Sabine, of the First Guards, who shot himself.