Australian (Sydney, NSW : 1824 - 1848), Friday 15 August 1828, page 4


SCENES IN REAL LIFE.

GAMBLING.

" ' l tell you,' said the porter, 'Mr C—— don't come here now.' " ' I know, he does,' said a squalid, and ema-ciated being shabby-genteelly dressed.

" ' I say he does not,' said the porter, 'and if you do not go away, I will give you in charge of the watch.' " ' Do, if you dare,' said the unfortunate gentle-man. " ' Oh! you shall soon see that,' said the two porters, at the same time thrusting the ruined man through the passage. "'Now, what is it you want?' said one of the waiters in private clothes, coming from one of the coffee-rooms, upon hearing the scuffle. "'I am Major -----,' said the gentleman, 'and' "'Ah ! ah ! yes, that 'is Major ----- inter-upted the porters. "'Don't, insult- the Major,' said the waiter — 'shut the door and leave him to, me.- Now, Major, tell me what is it you want?' '''I am ruined by play' said the poor Major. ' I lost to Mr C-----'s bank full 500l. I am in great distress. I wrote to Mr. C— to lend me 2l. and I left the letter myself. I stated I should call to-night at ten,o'clock for an answer. I have been here half a dozen times, and l met with no-thing but indignity and insult. I will not put up With it.' "'l will speak to Mr.C— — , to-morrow upon; the subject, he cannot be disturbed now,' said the waiter. ' Go away quietly - that's a good man.' "'I must, and I will have an answer, to-night,' said the Major, 'for I have no bed to go to.' "'Well,' said the waiter, 'if you will go away, and make no noise, I will give you 5s out of my, own pocket.' "'Major's distress was so pressing, that he accepted the money and went away, saying he would call again to-morrow. "'You're, a precious fool,' said one of the por-ters, 'to go or to give money out of your own pocket.' "'Oh ! ' C----- will return it to me,' said the waiter, 'and give me something besides, for get-ting rid of the Major upon suchr easy terms.' "'Wat vas all that noise about?' inquired Mr., C— — (who had been sent for in the midst of it) of the waiter. "'It was Major ------- wanting 2/. which he wrote for yesterday,' replied the waiter. "'Vell, give him a Sovereign when he comes again,' said Mr. C-----; upon which Mr.C. re-turned upstairs. "While the noise continued, all the doors were kept closed to prevent any thing being overheard by the members. As it was, it did not wholly escape notice. "'What did that fellow want?' said the Hon. George Foppery, who arrived just at the moment. "'Oh, it vas only a poor man, Sir replied Mr. C— --,! who vas wery drunk and had lost his way. I have just given the poor fellow a sove-reign to get rid of him.'" Mr. GOURLAAY'S NIGHT THOUGHTS, ?'??' ;TriJ Vlii IIoiisB 'ol* Cbr'acioh, Coldbathfields. IJ ??'Tisi inid'iii^it J :'The clock strikes twelve. -Another year is come, the fifth of my imprison-ment, to justify a lie. - l am sole tenant of these slate-rooms ; have been so for five months ; am days together without : conversation ; wholly with out that of ladies ; and thus my faculties are weak-ened. H';lVi!llii8:lime of peace power finds, no other victim, and only to justify a lie. T-Hefb;arc eight hundred |)nspncirs 111 .(life ndioin1 Ing hoURRii'lmt:, they Uiave. litid ;. 'trifU^nd see an end to punishment. I have neither had trial ; nor fair examination, and to my punishment there is no end. All to justify a lie. - Other men are al-

lowed to plead not guilty. I must acknowledge guilt; ratify a verdict of insanity against myself and that to justify a lie. Few men think me hardly treated, being bailabli -7-;while]most say,. Si-JStplunius lege^attgliai viu ttirS,'' even though they justify, a lie. Well ! what must I do ? Why this -— dream of better, times, fair play, and freedom ; rise early; eat little, drink less, keep up my spirits, and wish all the world a happy new year. -----Who in this world is so secure as I am? Walled in, railed in, locked in, barred in, bolted in, while they who put me in cannot take me out. Here I am safe from fire and arrest, here moth and rust corrupt not- nor do thieves break through to steal. Here I have food and raiment; fire and candle, washing and mending, and hair cutting, postage paid, paper, pens and ink ; the; best of governors, an excellent doctor, a good matron, civil servants, and, thank God, in no need of the Chaplain. Blessed; are ye when men shall revile you and persecute : you; and say ; all mariner of 7ey ils ngainsi you falsely j ; but. none of yc are half so b}essed-in thisway.as I ain-,t therelbre, ; lot vno -.rejoice arid b\i exceedingly glad. ?;? l.tpld the-King that .''^without aitering'a, single; statute,' changing a .single jnstitut.ipn, or rin^erfefing i with property; the Vhole systeni of the Poor La\ys| and Hates may be Hisperistd with in twenty-years; while t he N ational ^ Debt may be paid off within I fifty years, from sales if: Colonial Iands4- alU'byj plans .which! khall poiut oiit , assopn as called on ; by government." r '^ -iTi9- f)ie P^1-^'a^Minister, I offered "a plan by which «--0';,000 persons may, be removed from the United Kindom next spring, and comfortably settled in British America without a farthing's cost to Government, beyond publishing two procla-mations. I offered proof of all this to the people of Wilts and folk of Fife; but the King and the Colonial Minister, the people of Wilts and folk of Fife, were equally regardless. I, however, am not aJ!ec!e 1 by power ?'nor. pride nor prejudice, nor ignorance, nor timidity, nor want of faith ; and now employ the first hour of the new year writ-ing this paper to fly forth on the wings of the morning as an offering to my country and my kind, in sincerity and in truth; declaring my rea-diness to appear, before the first respectable com-pany willing to hear me in public, as to my pro-posals and plans, which shall be made, clear, with-in a couple of hours. THE-iinbmEs One Thursday morning; five' swell reefer/s^mld-' shipmen) )were ? brought from St. James's watch house, in charge of the constable of the night,f6r disturbing the peace of his Majesty's most peaceable subjects. One of the- defendants seemed to!be rather // ard tip, being in.:siqys f. the rest {were yei]y wellripged, arid appeared not to have been )png &'*£&*, ordinary. ? The man stated that while he was conscientiously announcing the hour of the night, and the state of the night, he perceived the five defendants proceeding in the most riotous manner down the King's highway. Each was armed with a cigar, which sent forth clouds of smoke, that made him fear the approach of a land steam-boat; but as they neared him, the fire of their backey looked more like quintuple noses of Bardolph, on Gadshill, or ignis fatuus. He re-cognised their persons as individuals who had for several nights successively disturbed his beat, by at-tempting to kick up a shindy; and as he had re-peatedly remonstrated with them, he considered that it was now high time (particularly as it was near one o'clock) to take them into custody. He forthwith commanded them to surrender in the King's name. About this there was some hesita-tion, and he immediately sprung his rattle. The defendants, however, did not seem inclined to "clap a stopper" on the fun they were paying out, but ' put up their helm,' and got on the other tack, across the way. Charley ' gave chase,', 'and was close abaft them, when he was joined by a few cruisers from other stations; and having brought his lanthom " to bear," he immediately recognised the countenances of his old customers. The reefer, second in command, tried to divert his attention, by observing that his coffee-mill (rattle) was a very good one, but they were not quite ready for breakfast. Another of the party, being more lurkish than the rest, then 'hove-to,' and tried to send Charley down "stern foremost " but it wouldn't do; the lot were towed into St. James's 'watch-house, where they remained in quar antine until next morning, when the magistrate told, them that, under the construction of the Vag rant Act, they had been manifestly disorderly, and as such, came within the operations of the tread mill; but as Ihey had been already confined all night in- a place less comfortable than the ward room1 of -a King's ship, or Ihe cuddy of an India-, man/ their misconduct would be overlooked on the present occasion, but they must not. look out forjetlvrs of. marque or reprisal in future. ,Pre yipus to the discharge of the defendants, .the neces sary fee of a shilling . a-head was payable. On overhauling their lockers, the necessary ' bibwris' were produced, and they all 'cleared out' down the accommodation ladder, chuckling at the luck with which they .had pushed off their boat. ? A DONEGAL FARMER. Dondy O'Donnel was as snug a farmer as any in Donegal, his cattle covered half the hills under Lough Salt, and though he could neither read nor write, he knew how to count his own guineas — and you could scarcely enter under his cabin door from the crowd of sheep, goats, calves, pigs, geese, tur-keys, and cocks, that bleated, moaned, grunted, and cacled around you. One day Dondy's wife fell sick, and was like to die, and Dondy, as he ought to be, was sad and sorry that his old mistress should he in the way of leaving him alone - so Dondy knowing that the Doctor was to pass that road on his way to the sea-shore, watched all; day, and towards evening he spied the physician, and accosting him kindly, requested him to come across to his cabin, and see his wife who was sorely sick. "Well, and Dondy, you are a snug man, and therefore if I go," says the Doctor, "you must pay me?" "Pay you, and now Doctor what would. you be after axing me?" "Why my good man! my time is precious, and it cannot be unfair to ask so warm a farmer as you are, a crown."' "O Doctor, where is your conscience, to ax a poor struggling crathur like me, such a sum? - where on the living earth would the likes of me be after getting it? "Well Dondy, l wont go for less." " O Doctor honey, be asy,on a poor body, and take half a crown and my blessing along with it." "No, no, Dondy', I know you well: so if you don't launch out the crown I must, and will start off about my business." "Well Doctor, a crown's a crown and in the name of the blessed Virgin and all the saints, I will this time chance, old Molly. So Doctor 'tigni', God speed you over the mountains." Thus they parted; and old Molly, 'as if it was God's will, died next night ; and sure enough 'twas she that was laid out as she ought to be, and there was not an O'Donne or a M'Swine in all the country round, that did not come to the wake, and the burying ; and the priest was there, and to be sure it was he that got the plateful of a collection on that occasion; and though not a drop stronger than was tasted at the wake, there were 1580 glasses of real poteen decently drank before the corpse left the house ; and 'Dondy, though he was careful about half-a crown, and why should'nt he? expended 14l. ,15s. on doing the genteel thing at Molly's funeral.