A mATE ten COMPOSERS.—It seems pretty certain that an ream

Opera, composed by an Irish gentleman named Monck Mason, will be performed at the King's Theatre, during the ensuing season. Here is another Dilettante to be added to the swelling list ; and 1, as well zis all Livers of music, and good patriots, must heartily wish him success. It is said that the. English Opera, house will open this year with an opera written by a member of a celebrated dining club, well. known in private society for his admirable comic: 'songs, and set to music by a youne northern dilettante, whose musical talents, particularly for compel t ,u are of the highest Meier, and bid fair to rank him hereafter with the Meyerbeers, the Onslows, and the Mendelssohns of the age.-Diletlantr; in Harmonicon for February. MADAME MALIIIRAN AND HER IIITSRAND.--" We are sorry to state," says the Post of-the 10th, " that there is no prospect of 51adame Malihran's • appearing before a London audience this season. The Itusliiind of this lady made his untoward appearance a few days ago in Paris, from the United Statue, and instantly made a claim on tim managers for a share of the produce of her splendid talents. A fracas of a very delicate description ensued ; and the consequence is, that the Parisians are, for the present, deprived of the pleasure of bearing this celebrated cantatrice. 'rids unexpected circumstance creates no small interest in the Thespian corps." This article alludes to the return of M. Malibran from New York, and his seizure of the property of Mad. Malibran, as well as claiming whatever was due, or to become due, uuitiler her engagements. His treatment of the lady was, it is said, anything but of a pacific nature—such, indeed, as disqualified her from performing, and compelled her in self-defence to determine never to exercise her profession again, while her husband shall retain a power arbitrarily to seize her profits. He will, most likely, be obliged to come into some terms with her, and the public may again profit by her great talents.. When the time of her marriage, and the nature of the circumstances which led to' her making the sacrifice, are considered, her situation, will be universally admitted, is such as ought to excite the sympathy el all who take tiny interest in the fate of youth and inexperience.—iler- monicon.

HABITS OF PARISH PAUPERS AND STATE PAUPERS.—The Bah> INF Reformer states that a petition is in preparation in that neighbours hood, which will be intrusted to the advocacy (f 31r. 'Lune, praying- that the invidious distinctions which at present exist between suaet and parish paupers may be abolished ; and that it may in future be a general rule, that all persons who depend on the public bounty for suf-. sistence shall be distinguished by a peculiar dress ! CHANCERY DECREES AND SEPORTS.—III the year 1829, the total receipts of the Principal Registrar were 5,144/. ; of which 4,861/. wee for his own use, and 1,282/. for the use of each of his clerks. The teed amount received by the four Registrars, for the year 1829-30, seas 20,080/. The sum received by eight clerks in the Office during the same period was 8,8051.; that received by the four Entering Clerks, for the entry of decrees, Sec., amounted to 4,960/. The receipts of the 3Iaster of the Report Office were 4,478/., and his eight clerks 2,1501.; making,. with the Register Office' the sum of 39,97:31. Of this sum, 2,396/. wes paid for the minutes of decrees, and 4,226/. for copies. The largest sum received for a decree was 701., and the smallest 3s.

FIVE HUNDRED A-SIDE.—A fight took place on what is called the

Baltic Walk of Exchange, yesterday, between two dealers in whittle-oil..

'The cause of quarrel was the non-delivery of twenty tuns of oil, by which the buyer, iii consequence of the late rise, would have netted 500/. and. the seller of course lost as much. The parties werii unluckily separated before the match was decided. The seller is deseril• ed as a light weight ; both arerather out of condition. No day has been mentioned for the finish of the affair.

Mr. Paion's INSOLVENCY.—The final examination in this insol- vency took place yesterday. About 4500/. was proved ; it is now sup- posed that the total ;debts will not fall short of 70,0001. After the ex- amination, the insolvent was formally declared an outlaw, by the officer of the Court.

ORDER FOR FIRE-ARMS.—The Birmingham Gazette states, that the number of muskets required by the French Govermnent is only 140,000. The only actual order given is for 20,000. The contractors for the supply are Wheeler and Soil; Wooley, Sergeant, and Fairfax ; Ketland and Co., and Mr. Adams, of Birmingham ; and Brander and Potts a,Barnet and Son, and Lacy and .1Vilton, of London. The period stipulated for the execution of this first contract is limited to the month of January, and is now nearly, if not entirely, fulfilled. The whole of the contract would require to be completed in seven months. The price of each musket is about 28 francs, or about 23s. sterling : during the war the ordinary contract price of the muskets supplied. to the British Government was 36s. The prices now paid by the French are considered liberal. The greatest number of muskets fabricated rn. any one year by the Birmingham manufacturers, was in 1313, when the Board of Ordnance contracted for and received 320,643. In conse- quence of the recent order of the French Government, prices of 'labour have risen very considerably.

SLAVE TRADE.—From the statements of the Captain of the Primrose, which arrived from the Southern coast of Africa last Friday, it would appear that She slave trade is nearly extinct. The King of Loango lately brought down sixty slaves to the shore without being able to find a pur- chaser; they were immediately slaughtered by the royal command, his majesty not having provisions to spare for their keep. The people of Loango are described as the most civilized on the coast : they speak broken English. We have known some people speak whole English who had but small claims to civilization. The Primrose on the 7th Sep- tember, captured the largest slaver hitherto employed that accursed traffic, the Velaz Pasagero, with 555 slaves on board. The slaver did not strike to the Primrose until after a smart action, in which the Spaniards lost 49 men killed and drowned and 20 wounded ; the Prim- rose had 3 men killed and 12 wounded. The mate of the Veloz and twenty-one of her men have been brought home to be tried for piracy. STRENGTH OF THE TWO GREAT PanTizs.—Europe contains about 215,000,000 of inhabitants, spread among 58 states, large and small.

Placing on the one side France and England, and uniting under their banners Belgium, Rhenish Prussia, Sweden, Italy, Greece, and nearly all the German Confederation (excepting Austria and Prussia),—on the other, Austria, Russia, Spain, Portugal and Prussia, with some few states of the German Confederation,—the Progressive party is found to

amount to 98,000,000, and the Retrograde party to 102,000,000; the former with a revenue of 2,700,000,000 francs, the latter only 900,000,000

• francs. The navy of civilization amounts to 1660 ships of war, and that of absolutism to 540.—Le Voleur.

TURNING A PENNY.—Mr. Shillibeer, the lay impropriator of-Wilton, Somerset, is said to have claimed the tithe of the tread-mill in that town. A correspondent suggests that he should take it in kind.

THE NAVY.—It is understood that Ministers have resolved upon an immediate increase of the naval force of the empire, and that five ships a war are to be put into commission.—Morning Herald. [This squa. dron is destined to watch the Anti-Union steam-boat meetings.] GLUT OF FISIL—The quantity of plaice in Billingsgate Market, on Monday, was so great, that fifty fish were offered for a groat, and found no purchasers ! IMPORTANT, IF TnUE !—The three Lords Loftus ['softies ?], sons of the Marquis of Ely, dined with Prince George of Cumberland, in St. James's Palace, on Saturday ; and, in the evening, accompanied his Royal Highness to witness the opera of Cinderella, at Covent Garden Theatre.

TREASURF. Tnove—On Wednesday last week, a gold watch, two gold rings, a pair of gold ear-drops, a silk and a. muslin handkerchief, were found in a hayrick. belonging to Mr. Thyme of the Globe Inn, Bridgewater. They were thrust into the rick about eighteen inches, and a twig of thorn was stuck in the rick at the place.

Nr-w THEORY OF THE RUSSIAN CHOLERA.—A letter from St. Petersburg attempts to show that the disease which is now marching over Europe—(it has reached Poland, and as it is notorious that great excitement of every kind, in what may be called its second stage, is favourable to the spread of contagion, it may possibly travel to Prance, nay, to England)—is neither more nor less than the plague. The Turkish physicians seem to think it identical with the ordinary fever of Bulgaria and Wallachia • which is, we believe, commonly looked on as the plague also, though die boils are not in every case its concomitant.

REFORM IN TILE GALT.ICAN Cuunen.—We noticed last week the reported conversion at Paris of no fewer than four hundred Catholic priests. A letter in an Irish paper states, that there are 2500 priests in the various provinces affiliated with the 400 in the capital. The Na- tional Guard at Nevers have seized the church there, and declared, that in future no Jesuit cure (vicar) shall clitoris they have invited one of the Reformed priests to preside at Nevers. The confession of the new Reformers is --" No Pope, no infallible church, 1:o Latin muss, two sacraments, no celiaoey of priests, no injunction to regular confession, the word of God as the only rule of faith.'

Maxreess Mrses.—From the last packet that arrived, and which brought accounts from the capital to the 5th, and from Vera Cruz to she 11th December, we learn that at length there appears to be some prospect of the mines the only source of us a ' lth in Mexico becoming productive. The Anglo2Mexican Company is represented as being in a flourishing state. The Commissioners have sent bonne by this packet 30,000 dol- lars, and expect to remit by the next at least 25,000 more.

SPORTING Exeneonensene.—One day last week, while a young gen-

tleman was amusing himself with shooting in the neighbourhood of Eichies, he espied a small creature on the top of an apple-tree, which he supposed at first to be a blackbird. He levelled his piece at it, brought it to the ground, and was surprised to find it was a rat.—Elgin Courier.

THE Doseev Aninoen.—Letters from Constantinople mention that a revolution in England was reported there—founded on the terrible affair of the 9th of November last !

BALLAD:I.—Most of tine fine popular ballads have been the offspring of a happy thought, or accidental hit, of men whose fame has perished with them. The authors of many of the old Scotch songs are unknown : . and even of those that are comparatively modern, the history of but a few inns been satisfactorily traced. The Aberdeen Journal of last week Om marks the departure of one of the bards of little note, whose labours have been long admired :—" Died, at Aberdeen, on the 5th instant, Dea- con Alexander Watson, tailor, in the eighty-seventh year of his age. Mr. Watson was possessed of considerable poetic talent, and was well known as the author of that popular national song, The kail Brose of Auld Scotland ; but it is snot, perhaps, so generally known that, besides several pieces of inferior note, he was also the author of that truly original and humorous song called The Wee lViliekie. Indeed, when he beard this song ascribed to such men as Bishop Geddes, the Reverend John Skinner, and others ranking high in literary talent, it seemed to gratify him not a little ; but he would only remark, Monies ane has gotten the wyte o' that bit thing.' On the writer of the present article once asking him how such a ludicrous idea could enter his brain, as the subject of the song in question, he said, If there be any merit in clinking it together, it is mine ; but I have none whatever in framing the story, for it was told me by a loon from the country while working beside me.'" The ,second ballad above mentioned is one of broad humour, but ad- mirably worked up. Can any of our Aberdeen correspondents tell us where to find a genuine copy ? " Ironer° THOMAS ? NAY."—The Mr. Nathaniel Gow, who is an- nounced in our yesterday's paper as dead, was the person far better known as Neil Gow,' whose strathspey, which bears his name, will probably hand it down to posterity as long as any Scotch lassie can shakes foot.' —Correspondent of the Morning Herald. [The Herald's learned corre- spondent is wrong; the person called Neil Gow' died twenty years ago.] Dors 11Ixotene—This excellent young man is not dead, nor is it certain that he has even been sick. The Gazette de France says, the report was spread abroad for stockjobbing purposes, with a view to enhance the value of the new loan.

THE POLISH JEws.—These people are exerting themselves in the most patriotic manner in behalf of their adopted country. They have made large advances in money, and have established a newspaper, with a view to stimulate the exertions of their brethren in the same cause.