Extracts from Public Newspapers. 525

EXTRACTS FROM THE PUBLIC NEWS

PAPERS.

Bees. A gentleman, not long ago, had the curiosity to count the number of bees in a moderately sized hive, when he found that there were twenty-three thousand.-Country Paper.

Caution to Eaters of Fruit.-A woman lately died, who had suffered for thirty years from very severe attacks of pain in the bowels, she would sometimes be free from pain for nearly a month together, and then a violent attack would come on. After her death, the body was opened, and a plum-stone was found in the bowels, which, no doubt, had been there during all this long period; other matter had collected round it, so that the mass had been continually increasing in size.-There is an account likewise of a large lump being found in the body of a man, who had suffered dreadful pain, at times, for many years; this lump had increased till it weighed an ounce and a half. These instances shew the danger of swallowing stones of fruit. Oftentimes they may pass off, and do no harm; but sometimes they remain in the bowels, and other matter collects round them till a very serious obstruction is caused. Even seeds of fruit, or kernels of nuts have sometimes had this effect. All food ought to be well chewed; all lumps swallowed whole are likely to do mischief.

Union-Hall.-Suppression of Peckham Fair.-The scene of riot and debauchery during Peckham fair, which has long been matter of complaint by the respectable inhabitants of the neighbourhood, is now about to be suppressed for ever. The spot of ground which the fair used to be formerly held upon, now forms a branch of the Surry Canal, since which period the booths, stalls, whirligigs, roundabouts, &c. have been placed in the main streets of Peckham, to the great annoyance of the townspeople and the resident gentry. In consequence of the intolerable nuisance complained of, a summons was issued against the lords of the manor of Peckham, by the resident magistrates, calling upon them to show their right or title to hold such fair. A petty sessions assembled for the purpose, and Mr. Dodd, the solicitor of the lords of the manor, attended, and having relinquished the right of holding such fair, the magistrates proceeded and adjudged Peckham fair to be unlawful.

Owing to the above decision, on Saturday Mr. Sergeant Scriven and J. Lett, Esq. magistrates of the county, attended at this office, when the former gentleman having apprised Mr. Hone (the sitting magistrate) of the suppression of the above fair, proceeded to state that the necessary notices were then in the course of publication, and would be forwarded all over the kingdom, and distributed previous to the time at which Peckham fair was formerly held, for the purpose of acquainting the

show-people, as well as the public, that the fair in question would no longer be permitted to be held. Mr. Sergeant Scriven then proceeded to detail the outrages and robberies which were constantly committed during Peckham fair, and the state of agitation and confusion which existed the three days and nights of its celebration. Mr. Hone expressed much pleasure at hearing that a fair calculated to do so much mischief was suppressed.-Times.

The Thames, on the 18th of August, was covered with a film of an oily nature, which proved destructive to the river fish in a great degree. An immense quantity of eels and flounders are brought to Billingsgate alive every morning, and that morning shoals were found floating dead upon the surface of the water, supposed to have been killed by it, or some deleterious drug. The Dutch eels, which are brought alive to the market in vessels, at the bottom of which are holes to admit the water, died immediately on entering that part of the Thames on which the oily fluid appeared. Various are the conjectures as to the cause of it: some persons suppose it to arise from the late fire at Cripplegate, where it is said a great quantity of oil was turned down the common-sewer, which communicates with the Thames; and others, that an inordinate quantity of the refuse of gas had been thrown into the river; but the last and most probable conjecture is, that a vessel freighted with oil had been lost, but nothing transpired to strengthen the supposition. A complaint, we believe, is about being made of the circumstance by the salesmen and fishermen to the Committee of City Lands, under whose control the Billingsgate market is. It is to be regretted that the chymical laboratories and gas works on the banks of the Thames should be allowed to discharge their filth through the sewers into the Thames, to the utter destruction of every description of fish.-London Paper.

A very fine vessel, believed to have been built by the Emperor Tiberius, was sunk in the lake Nemi, five leagues from Rome. This vessel, according to the traditions of the country, contained, besides articles valuable for their extensive worth, several curious antiquities. Two attempts have already been made to raise the vessel from the body of the lake, or at least to get out the articles which it contains. The first attempt was made in the 15th century, by Cardinal Prosper Colonna, and the result was, the getting up of several pieces of lead and bronze, on one of which was the name of Tiberius Cæsar very well engraved. In 1535, the celebrated architect De Marchi made a second attempt, which, without being wholly fruitless, was not more decisive than the preceding. Another trial is now going to be made by M. Aunesio Tusconi, a Roman, who has perfected the machine to work with under the water. This machine has been sent from Rome, and has arrived at Nemi. The experiment will soon commence.- -Those of our Cottage readers who have read our first volume, will remember that Tiberius was

8

Extracts from Public Newspapers.

527

Emperor of Rome at the time when our Saviour was born.London Paper.

An individual who came to Paris as a rich man, and who died last year very poor, left a statement of his losses at play, and declared that persons, whom he named, had employed fraudulent means to play against him, with the certainty of winning. These two persons were put on their trial; and the celebrated M. Comte was summoned as a witness, and gave an explanation of the art, or altered cards, by means of which their frauds had been committed. The Court of Appeal has this day confirmed the sentence, by which they are condemned to 18 months' imprisonment, and a fine.-Paris Paper.

Mansion House.-Gambling tables.-The Lord Mayor, some weeks ago, stated in the Justice room, that he had received a communication with respect to some practices which it was his most anxious desire to check. An affidavit was drawn up by the parties who complained, stating, that a most infamous gambling establishment was carried on at No. 38, Throgmorton street, opposite to Bartholomew lane, in which is one of the entrances to the Stock Exchange. The names of some of the firm were stated in the affidavit, from which it appears, that the establishment is a branch of a notorious house which is carried on in Bury-street on an extensive scale. Information was further given, that the games were played in the city branch on the most desperate and infallible system of fraud; that in fact a fair player stood no chance whatever; that flatcatchers were regularly employed to be on the look-out for customers amongst the young and volatile; and that several dupes had lost large sums of money which they had stolen from their fathers and masters, to try their luck at this horrible den of thieves.

The Lord Mayor, upon finding that his suspicions of the house were well founded (he had for some time marked it), gave directions to Mr. Cope, the marshal, upon the subject, and that officer directed some of those under his superintendence to be in readiness at an appointed time, to attend him, but without stating to them for what purpose. In the list of names of those who were in the habit of playing, were the names of several persons who are well known to the Lord Mayor and Aldermen; and if any or all of those persons (and there are amongst them some respectable men) had been found upon the premises, his Lordship would most undoubtedly have despatched them to Bridewell as rogues and vagabonds. At the hour at which the visit of the officers, however, was paid, the coast was clear. A most active search was made about the building, but in vain. The tables were regularly laid out for gambling. There were several packs of cards, and ten pair of dice, and a lamp was found burning in the large chamber. It is believed that the establishment suspected that the house would be searched, and that they disappeared in a hurry. Officers were stationed about the neighbourhood, but there was no attempt

made in the course of the night to enter the premises. The dice, cards, &c. were brought to the Mansion-house, and the Lord Mayor, soon after he took the chair in the justiceroom, made the following observations: I have ascertained beyond a doubt that there is a most abominable gaming-house in Throgmorton-street, called "The Stock Exchange Shades," where gambling is carried on in the most nefarious manner, and to a great extent. I shall have that house watched night and day, and do all in my power to suppress so dreadful a nuisance. I should not perform my duty as a magistrate, if I did not determine to make examples of those who may be found on the premises under circumstances that may prove their intention to be an unlawful one. I have had an oath taken before me that hazard and other games are played there; and I now give notice that I shall send all persons who may be found in this abominable place to prison as rogues and vagabonds. Every man of them shall be treated as a rogue and vagabond, whatsoever his station in life may be, and I desire that the police shall, at all hours in the day and night, keep watch over the house, and see what is going forward.

The appearance of the den justifies the opinion as to the purposes for which it has been laid out. There are two doors, one of which is of enormous strength; the tables, the cards, and dice, show, beyond all question, that gambling is the trade there.

Restoration from Drowning.-The Rev. R. Maguire having been carried beyond his depth, whilst bathing in the sea, was providentially rescued by the earnest exertions of those who were called to his assistance, especially of a servant named 'Toole, who with difficulty escaped the loss of his own life in his noble exertions to save that of another. When Mr. M. was taken out of the water, he was apparently dead; the proper methods were adopted to restore animation, but it was an hour before there was any appearance of life. An example like this shews the importance of patient perseverance on such occasions, for the continued exertions of Mr. Field, the surgeon, at length succeeded. After an hour's perseverance the pulse began to be perceived, and in another hour the gentleman was able to speak, and we are informed is in a fair way of recovery.

NOTICES TO CORRESPONDENTS.

We have received the communications of G.B.; A well-wisher; A Shropshire Cottager; M.D.; A.Z.; A Clergyman's Address to his Parishioners; C.; A.B.C.; A Constant Reader; and one Anonymous Correspondent.

THE

Cottager's MonthlyVisitor.

DECEMBER, 1827.

SCRIPTURE CHARACTERS.

(No. 12.) Manasseh.

THE history of Manasseh, which is recorded in the twenty-first chapter of the second book of Kings, and in the thirty-third chapter of the second book of Chronicles, is comprised in few verses,-nevertheless it is full of valuable instruction.

Manasseh was, we learn, only twelve years of age when he succeeded his father Hezekiah on the throne of Judah. Trained up by so wise and religious a parent, under the eye of holy prophets and priests, under the shadow of the temple of God, it might have been expected that he would have been an imitator of his father's goodness, a pattern and a blessing to his country. But, alas! we read of him, that "he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, after the abominations of the heathen." In contempt of Hezekiah's memory, he rebuilt the high places which had been piously destroyed, "reared up altars for Baal, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them." And, moreover, in order, as it were, to insult more directly the God of heaven, he built altars to his idols not only in Jerusalem, where the Lord had recorded his name, but NO. 12.-VOL. VII. A a