A COTTAGER'S DAUGHTER MARCHIONESS OF EXE TER. Sarah Hoggins was the second wife of Henry, afterwards Earl and Marquis of Exeter, to whom she was married October 3, 1791; she died January 18, 1797, aged 24 years. The Earl died in 1804. This amiable woman, whose virtues gave a lustre to the title of Countess of Exeter, and who died lamented by all who knew her, has something so uncommonly interesting in the history of her life, that a detailed sketch cannot but be acceptable to every reader of sensibility. When the Earl was a minor, he married a lady from whom he was afterwards divorced. After the separation had taken place, the Earl (his uncle) advised him to retire into the country for some time, and pass as a private gentleman. Mr. Cecil accordingly bent his course into a remote part of Shropshire; and fixing his residence at an inn in a small village, he amused himself there for some months, passing by the name of Jones. He took a dislike to this situation, and sought out a farm-house where he might board and lodge. SHAKSPEARE'S PLAYS.-The earliest quarto editions of the plays of Shakspeare, wherein the titlepages are given exactly as they stand, and in the form in which they are printed in the original edi tions. It has generally been said that there are 20 quarto editions of plays by Shakspeare, printed anterior to the folio of 1623; but the fact is that, exclusive of "The Taming of the Shrew," the titlepage of the quarto edition of which bears date in 1631, there are only seventeen quartos. Steevens, in 1766, to make up the number, added the two parts of "The Troublesome Reign of King John," 1611, which nobody in modern times has imputed to Shakspeare, although "Written by W. Sh." was inserted fraudulently on the title-page by the old printer: he also reprinted among his "" Twenty Quartos" the two parts of the "Contention between the two Houses of Lancaster and York;" but he strangely omitted "Pericles," which had much more than an equal claim to the distinction. The undoubted plays of Shakspeare, which came from the press in quarto before 1623, were the following, and our list is made out according to the dates of publi cation: Romeo and Juliet - 1597 1598 part 1 Dream 1600 | 1600 Merchant of Venice 1600 of 1602 1603 1608 da 1600 Pericles Henry the Fourth, Othello Several families refused to receive him, but at length he found a situation which answered his purpose; and in consideration of his liberal offers, and the knowledge of his possessing money, a farmer fitted him up rooms for his accommodation. Here he continued to reside for about two years; but time hanging heavy on his hands, he purchased some land, on which he built himself a house. The farmer, at whose house Mr. Cecil resided, had a daughter, about 17 years of age, whose rustic beauties threw at an infinite distance all that he had ever beheld in the circle of fashion. Although placed in an humble sphere, Mr. Cecil perceived that her beauty would adorn, and her virtue shed a lustre on the most elevated station. He therefore frankly told the cottagers that he was desirous of marrying their daughter, and the celebration of their nuptials Shakspeare's dramas came from the press, viz., three Thus it will be seen at once how irregularly was accordingly consummated. Shortly afterwards, the news arrived of his uncle's death, when he in 1597, two in 1598, six in 1600, one in 1602, and another in 1603, one in 1608, two in 1609, and one found it necessary to repair to town. Mr. Cecil in 1622. Why six separate productions were crowd(now Earl of Exeter), taking his wife with him, set out on his journey, and called at the seats of several ed into 1600, while in various years none at all apnoblemen, at which places, to the great astonish-peared, is matter of curious and interesting speculament of his wife (now of course a Countess), he tion: five of these six were printed from good mawas welcomed in the most friendly manner. At nuscripts, whether derived from the theatre or from length they arrived at Burghley, where they were surreptitious, and never could have been authorized any other source, while the sixth was indisputably welcomed with acclamations of joy. As soon by anybody.-Mr. Collier, in the Shakspeare Society as he had settled his affairs, the Earl of Exeter returned to Shropshire, discovered his rank to his papers. wife's father and mother, put them into the house he had built there, and settled on them an income of 700%. per annum. He afterwards took the Countess with him to London, introduced her to the fashionable world, where she was respected, admired, and adored, until it pleased the Great Disposer of events to call her spirit to a more lasting region of happi ness. PRIZE ESSAY ON HYDROPHOBIA.-A non-professional gentleman has offered a fifty-pound prize for the best essay on hydrophobia, as it affects the human subject, its causes, pathology, prevention, and treatment. The competition open to all writers. The judges, Professors Christison, Simpson, and Miller, of the Edinburgh University. The essays to be lodged with Mr. Blair Wilson, Secretary to the University of Edinburgh, on or before the 1st of May, 1849. Considering the importance of this subject, and the difficulties attending its study, we suggest that the medical boards of London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Dublin, should jointly contribute 150%. more, making the prize 2007. The subject might then receive the attention which its peculiar and serious nature merits.-People's Journal. HEATHENISH CHRISTIAN NAMES.-It is not a good thing to be Tom'd or Bob'd, Jack'd or Jim'd, Sam'd or Ben'd, Natty'd or Batty'd, Neddy'd or Teddy'd, Will'd or Bill'd, Dick'd or Nick'd, Joe'd or Jerry'd, as you go through the world. And yet it is worse to have a Christian name, that for its oddity shall be in everybody's mouth when you are spoken of, as if it were pinned upon your back, or labelled upon your forehead-Quintin Dick for example, which would have been still more unlucky if Mr. Dick had happened to have a cast in his eye. "The Report on Parochial Registration" contains a singular ex ample of the inconvenience which may arise from giving a child an uncouth Christian name. A gen tleman called Anketil Gray had occasion for a certificate of his baptism: it was known at what church he had been baptized, but on searching the register there, no such name could be found: some mistake was presumed, therefore, not in the entry, but in the recollection of the parties, and many othe registers were examined without success. length the first register was again recurred to, and then, upon a closer investigation, they found him entered as Miss Ann Kettle Gray.-The Doctor. A THE VOCATIVE OF "CAT."-The Archbishop of Dublin, who knows as well as any one how "desipere in loco," teased by some grammarian, challenged his tormentor to decline the commonest noun"cat," for example. The pedant contemptuously proceeded "Nominative-a cat, or the cat. the vocative of cat all through the United Kingdom, "Wrong," interrupted the Archbishop: "puss is and wherever else the Teutonic dialects are spoken." REVIVAL OF THE EARLDOM OF STRAFFORD.-The revival of the Earldom of Strafford, by the elevation of General Lord Strafford to that title, is a revival which takes place for the third time. The first occurred in the reign of Charles II., who restored the title to the son of the great Earl of Strafford, sacrificed by Charles I. to the popular hatred. The second revival of the title was made by Queen Anne, who conferred it on a male relative of the same family; and the third takes place under Queen Victoria, by whom it is now conferred on the brother of the late member for Middlesex, and may, doubtless in some measure, be regarded as a tribute to the memory of that most consistent public man, who, during the course of a life spent in his country's political service, upheld firmly, under good and evil report, those principles of civil and religious liberty of which his family have ever been the staunch and undeviating adherents.--Globe. CAMPBELL'S LIVES OF THE LORD CHANCELLORS. -Lord Campbell has just completed the two concluding volumes of his "Lives of the Lord Chancellors of England,"-containing those of Lords Loughborough, Erskine, and Eldon. The whole of Lord Loughborough's papers and correspondence have been submitted to his lordship by the present Earl of Rosslyn, his representative; the Earl of Auckland has lent a large collection of letters from Lord Loughborough to his father, and the present Viscount Melville a curious collection respecting Catholic Emancipation in 1801. For the life of Lord Erskine, his lordship has obtained "an exquisitely beautiful letter, written by him when he was a boy, at St. Andrew's, about to become a soldier or a sailor," and all the note-books compiled by him when he was a student of law, when he was at the bar, and when he was Chancellor. Nor will the Life of Eldon be found without its attractions-Sir Robert Peel having placed at the discretion of his lordship all the letters which passed between him and Lord Eldon, from the time of Sir Robert's appointment to the office of Secretary of State for the Home Department, in 1822. These letters were either withheld from Mr. Twiss, or, perhaps, never applied for.-Athenæum. CAMELS IN AUSTRALIA.-A correspondent of the (Sydney) Australian Journal recommends strongly the extensive introduction of the camel from India, which, having been successfully imported into the Mauritius, might doubtless be brought safe to Port Essington (or to Swan River), and thence be generally introduced. The best camel (he says) as a beast of burden is that of the Marwarre breed, purchasable in India at 60 to 100 rupees, 6. to 10., and, being a browzing rather than a grazing animal, is easily sustained by leaves or young branches animals. They travel in single file, the nose of one gathered by itself en route, or brought to it by a careful driver, who can easily manage three of these being attached by a rope through the cartilage to the crupper of another, carrying 400lb. it very moderately laden, up to 700lb. or 800lb. upon emergency, and averaging 3 miles an hour. So that, for the purpose of an expedition or a long journey in Australia, a band of six camels would carry 1,600lb. of provision and kit, and 800lb. of water in mussucks or skin bottles. Like the horse, the camel breeds annually, produces one at a birth, and seems just adapted to perform good services in journeying through the most sandy and scrubby wastes of Australia.-South Australian Register. FINANCES OF RUSSIA.-The finances of Russia'are very considerably and rapidly on the increase, and this time certainly above the revenue is at 500,000,000f. The duty on brandy is the chief source; this amounted in 1844 to about 128,000,000 of paper rubles. The revenue of the Customs is the second item, and since 1840 has amounted to above 100,000,000 of paper rubles; the poll tax produces about 80,000,000; the contributions imposed on the cultivation of grain, 30,000,000 to 40,000,000; that imposed upon commerce, 20,000,000 to 25,000,000. The Post Office returns in 1843 were 3,174,963 silver rubles, and the actual revenue may be calculated at about 1,000,000f. The patents yield from 3,000,000 to 4,000,000, and timber the same. The mines belonging to the Crown, and the duties imposed upon the washing of gold in the mines belonging to private persons, give from 15,000,000 to 20,000,000. To these sources of public revenue must be added that of the ground rents, the monopoly of tobacco. and of playing cards, the tax upon salt, upon the Crown manufactures, &c.-Dutch Paper. LAST COMPLIMENT TO JENNY LIND.-Jenny Lind has left us; but ere she had half crossed the Channel, an English mermaid rose ahead of the ship; the paddles were stopped, and the Syren begged of the Swede to accept as a slight memorial, her comb and mirror. Jenny, of course, received the gifts with her usual sweetness. She then begged the Syren to sing a song; but the mermaid, shaking her headall up with mermaids,"—with a bubbling sigh dived as much as to say, "Since you've been heard, it's to the bottom of the deep. A GENOESE RAPHAEL.-The painting by Raphael, AN ANALYSIS OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS FOR THE known by the name of the " Virgin of Loretto," of YEAR 1846.-2 marquesses, 6 earls, 23 viscounts, 32 which there are numerous copies. though the origilords, 34 right honorables, 60 honorables, 60 baro- nal has long been believed to have been lost or denets, 10 knights, 7 lord lieutenants, 109 deputy and stroyed, has been at last found at Genoa, by the vice-lieutenants, 2 lieutenant-generals, 7 major-ge- Marquis de Spinola, Grand Chamberlain, and Prenerals, 26 colonels, 24 lieutenant-colonels, 7 majors, sident of the Albertine Academy. The distinguish5 admirals, 50 captains in army and navy, 12 lieu-ed connoisseur, instead of converting this precious tenants, 7 cornets, 75 barristers and advocates, 4 solicitors, 53 magistrates, 22 bankers, 27 East and West India proprietors, 84 placemen, 101 patrons of Church livings, having 232 livings between them. -People's Almanac. discovery to enrich his own collection, has offered it to the King of Sardinia, who at once decided upon making the acquisition. All the artists of Turin have examined it, and pronounce it to be authentic. |