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REMARKABLE COINCIDENCE.

It has been mentioned that no allusion was made by the Counsel on either side, in Corder's case, to the dream of Maria Martin's mother, importing that her unhappy daughter's corpse would be found buried in Corder's barn, and the motive attributed to the Counsel for their silence was the fear of encouraging "superstitious" feeling in the lower class of the people. This is somewhat absurd. If the Counsel for the prosecution supposed that the statement or proof of such a circumstance as Mrs. Martin's dream would have helped to establish the prisoner's guilt, he neglected his business by failing to adduce it; if, on the other hand, the dream had been such as would have raised for Corder one particle of scepticism, or gleam of compassion, in the minds of those who tried him for his life, the prisoner's Counsel would have been equally culpable to suppress it. They cared little about the superstitions of the people; nor do we imagine that a belief in the preternatural origin of dreams would in this country gain a single convert from the most active use that the most ingenious advocate could have made of the above poor woman's prepossession, when it was so naturally attributable to the course of her waking suspicions.

The statement, however, that such a dream had occurred to the step-mother of Maria Martin, has led to our receiving from a correspondent of unquestionable veracity, another history of a sleeping vision, which we cannot refrain from subjoining. The acting party in this instance (if a dream can be called an action) is now alive-the witnesses to whom he made known the particulars of it at the time are living--the subject matter of the visitation was connected with, or rather it corresponded with, that of a catastrophe at once so memorable and so shocking as still to be imprinted on the mind of every adult in the kingdom; and the dream itself was no less striking for the singular conformity of its details to those of a contemporaneous tragedy which was performed nearly 300 miles from the person of the dreamer, than unaccountable to those who fancy they can theorize upon dreams, by assuming an insight into the ways of Providence, from its want of

every characteristic of a warning, a remedy, or any other visible usefulness, so often alleged in explanation of that faculty.

In the night of the 11th of May, 1812, Mr. Williams, of Scorrier House, near Redruth, in Cornwall, awoke his wife, and, exceedingly agitated, told her that he had dreamt he was in the lobby of the House of Commons, and saw a man shoot, with a pistol, a gentleman who had just entered the lobby, who was said to be the Chancellor; to which Mrs. Williams naturally replied, that it was only a dream, and recommended him to be composed and go to sleep as soon as he could. He did so, but shortly after he again awoke her, and said that he had a second time had the same dream; whereupon she observed, that he had been so much agitated with his former dream, that she supposed it had dwelt on his mind, and begged of him to try to compose himself and go to sleep, which he did. A third time the same vision was repeated; on which, notwithstanding her entreaties that he would lie quiet and endeavour to forget it, he arose, then between one and two o'clock, and dressed himself. At breakfast, the dreams were the sole subject of conversation, and in the forenoon Mr. Williams went to Falmouth, where he related the particulars of them to all of his acquaintance that he met. On the following day Mr. Tucker, of Trematon Castle, accompanied by his wife, a daughter of Mr. Williams, went to Scorrier House, on a visit, and arrived about dusk. Immediately after the first salutations on their entering the parlour, where were Mr., Mrs., and Miss Williams, Mr. Williams began to relate to Mr. Tucker the circumstance of his dreams, and Mrs. W. observed to her daughter, Mrs. T., laughingly, that her father could not even suffer Mr. Tucker to be seated before he told him of his nocturnal visitation; on the statement of which, Mr. Tucker observed, that it would do very well for a dream to have the Chancellor in the lobby of the House of Commons, but that he would not be found there in reality; and Mr. Tucker then asked what sort of a man he appeared to be, when Mr. Williams described him minutely: to which Mr. Tucker replied, Your description is not at all that of

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the Chancellor, but is certainly very exactly that of Mr. Perceval, the Chancellor of the Exchequer; and although he has been to me the greatest enemy I have ever met with through life, for a supposed cause which had no foundation in truth (or words to that effect), I should be exceedingly sorry indeed to hear of his being assassinated, or of any injury of the kind happening to him.' Mr. Tucker then inquired of Mr. Williams if he had ever seen Mr. Perceval, and was told that he had never seen him, nor had ever even written to him, either on public or private business-in short, that he had never had any thing to do with him, nor had he ever been in the lobby of the House of Commons in his life. At this moment, Mr. Williams and Mr. Tucker still standing, they heard a horse gallop to the door of the house, and immediately after Mr. Michael Williams, of Trevince, (son of Mr. Williams, of Scorrier), entered the room, and said that he had galloped out from Truro (from which Scorrier is distant seven miles), having seen a gentleman there, who had come by that evening's mail from town, who said that he was in the lobby of the House of Commons on the evening of the 11th, when a man, called Bellingham, had shot Mr. Perceval; and that as it might occasion some great ministerial changes, and might affect Mr. Tucker's political friends, he had come out as fast as he could to make him acquainted with it, having heard at Truro that he had passed through that place in the afternoon on his way to Scorrier. After the astonishment which this intelligence created had a little subsided, Mr. Williams described most particularly the appearance and dress of the man that he saw, in his dream, fire the pistol, as he had before done of Mr. Perceval. About six weeks after, Mr. Williams having business in town, went, accompanied by a friend, to the House of Commons, where, as has been already observed, he had never before been. Immediately that he came to the steps at the entrance of the lobby, he said, "This place is as distinctly within my recollection, in my dream, as any room in my house," and he made the same observation when he entered the lobby. He then pointed out the exact spot where Bellingham stood when he fired, and which Mr. Perceval had

reached when he was struck by the ball, where, and how he fell. The dress both of Mr. Perceval and Bellingham agreed with the description given by Mr. Williams, even to the most minute particular.-Morning Paper.

SAGACITY OF THE DOG.

THE following well-established fact deserves to have a place among the numerous anecdotes so creditable to the habits and sagacity of the canine race. For the last ten days, a strange dog, of the colley or shepherd species, has been observed wandering about in a field in the neighbourhood of Bannockburn. He is supposed to have strayed from some of the dealers who had been attending last Falkirk tryst. He is extremely timid, and it was remarked that, instead of wandering about in search of food, he never went near a house, although there are many close beside him. Still the circumstance attracted very little notice, till four or five days after his appearance, when a sudden change in the habits of a dog of the same species, belonging to Mr. Jaffray, farmer at Holm, led to a discovery equally interesting and curious. We must suppose that this animal had fallen in with his brother colley, and that having taken pity on his forlorn condition, he had resolved on doing all that a dog could do to relieve his wants. Mr. Jaffray's family were surprised to observe, that their dog, instead of eating up whatever he got in the way of food, carried away the whole, or a portion of it. On this being frequently repeated, their curiosity led them to follow him, to ascertain what he did with it, and they were not more astonished than gratified to find, that he proceeded to the field where his strayed brother lay, and presented to him the fare which he stood so much in need of. He continued to bestow his friendly offices with such regularity that the wanderer was never in want; and it was even remarked, that when his own food happened not to be of a portable nature, he did not hesitate to cater for his friend, and pick up whatever bone or offal he could find, and carry them to him.-Stirling Advertiser.

MR. BEWICK.

THIS celebrated artist died at his house in Gateshead, county of Durham, on Saturday, November the 8th, 1828, after a few days' illness, in the 76th year of his age. For some time previous, his constitution, naturally strong, was visibly breaking up, and though he worked at his profession in his own house till within four or five days of his death, he seldom, during the last twelve months, ventured out to attend his business at Newcastle. He was buried at Ovingham on Thursday, and was attended to the grave by many of his old and valued friends. Thus has a genius passed away from us who has honoured and benefited his country— who revived the long-neglected art of wood-engraving, and upheld it in spite of the defects which are said to have caused its decay, and brought the art again to a state of perfection. But Mr. Bewick's merits have been so long before the public, and have engaged so frequently the pen of the critic, that little can now be said which would be new on the subject. His talents were of the first order, and if originality be the chief attribute of genius, and if the combination of various qualities be the test of excellence, Mr. B. possessed that attribute and those qualities in an eminent degree. He was a naturalist, a draughtsman, and an engraver, and no man, therefore, was better qualified for works on natural history. And although he was generally viewed in the character of an engraver, that was certainly not his chief merit. His design, as being more indicative of original genius, is entitled to our first praise, and would alone render his name immortal. There is so much of simple nature and character in his pieces-so minutely perfect are they in every part; the scenes so familiar, and the incidents so unaffected and true to life, that it is self-evident nature was always his guide. His history figures were chiefly drawn. from the life, and his landscapes (beautiful they are!) for the most part views. It seems to have been a maxim with him never to suffer his imagination to act when nature could furnish the model. And his eye was most faithful; he knew well the just proportions of a figure, and his lines consequently are as true as

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