... COUNTY MILITIA. — In consequence of his Majesty's Proclamation, contained in last Tuesday's Gazette, for filling up. vacancies in County Militias, his Grace the Duke of Beaufort, as Lord Lieutenant of this County, has appointed a Meeting of Deputy Lieutenancy for that purpose to he held at Usk, on Tues- day next, as will appear by the first advertisement in this page, to which our readers are ...

... Sm,—Please tell we in the Iron-trade how it is that the agri- cultural labourers are so badly ofF now, when the farmers have such high prices for their produce—prices full as high as during the war besides a great many taxes repealed in their favour with clothing and foreign merchandise reduced more than thirty per cent., and rents not higher than formerly, nor tythes 1 We on the hills cannot ...

... SIR, your sarvant; this cums hopin you are we], as it leves me at present, onli i a been kep a wake for six dais and nits wi tha tuth ake, thank god for it; an i will gi you my unble thanx if you ull be so kind as to sai in a cornel of your paper, as how i was toud by our ecksismun that ther was goin to be rare doins shortly in monmuthshire for he sed he met one mister aklan the tother dai, ...

... BANKRUPTS' COURT, BASINGHALL-STREET,-Tuesday the Commission against William Prior attracted a great deal of curiosity. The bankrupt was a partner in the emi- nent brewery of Henry Meux and Co., and disappeared a short time ago, as mentioned in last week's papers. Commissioner-Do you expect Mr. Prior 1 Mr. Smith—No I have not heard that he means to be here. Commissioner—What! Then has he ...

... Friday's Gazette contains his Majesty's commands for issuing Commissions of Oyer and Terminer and Gaol De- livery for the county of Dorset, dated the 21st day of December, to the same purport as those issued for the counties of Hants and Wilts, dated the 27th November last. A supplement to Friday's Gazette contains an Order of the Members of his Majesty's Council for the preparation of a Form ...

... COUNTRY NEWS. PRESTON, THURSDAY, DEC. 23.—Notwithstanding all the bustle and noise that has been made here respecting a scru- tiny of the voters, Mr. Stanley has, at the eleventh hour, declined to enter upon it, and Mr. Hunt will consequently be declared duly elected by the returning officer at the open- ing of the court to-morrow. The scrutiny was first ap- pointed to take place on Monday ...

... A happy new year to all our readers! Health to the I and mirth to the sad More felicity to the rich, and lbore money to the poor Freedom to the slave, and mercy 9 the oppressed Peace to the troubled, and content to the ^■stless! Knowledge to the ignorant, and improvement to .6 wise! May the single possess the object of their affec- _QHs j ancj far, far from the wedded be all corroding cares !d ...

... To the Editor of the Monmouthshire. Merlin. SIR,-The following letter appeared in the Imperial gazine for September, 1822, addressed by a Mr. Thomas to the Editor of that publication and as the writer represents the practice of a tradesman treating his customer with a glass an evil of no small magnitude, perhaps the insertion of it in the Merlin may prove a beneficial hint to some of its ...

... COVENT-GARDEN.-The revels of the season commenced at this theatre, on Monday night, with the usual mystical combina- tion of the sublime and the ridiculous-of the deepest tragedy and the broadest burlesque. After five acts of martyred patience, in the performance of the Grecian Daughter, the true genius of Christmas gambols entered-Sir Pantomime—the cousin german of mince-pies, plum-pudding, ...

... To the Editor of the Monmouthshire Merlin. SIR,- Whilst the greatest part of the kingdom are now labouring under great degrees of excitement, I have to exult in being a resi- dent in the most peaceable part of the king's dominions for altho' the inhabitants are Foresters (a term of terror to some timid per- sons who are not acquainted with their real character), we have not had a single ...

... ORIGIN OF CHRISTMAS BOXES.—On looking into history, we find that this custom derived its existence much about the time that mass was first said by a Catholic priest. Rome, which originally gave birth to superstition, had an incredible number of clergy to support, and among other devices, this was invented as one, and took its name of mass from the Latin word mitto, to send. This Viord mitto ...

... The following plain, sensible, and impressive charge, which want of space obliged us to omit last week, ought to be generally circulated, and it has been, or will be, printed in a separate form for that purpose:— Gentlemen of the grand jury,—We are assembled by virtue of an extraordinary commission, which his Majesty has been ad- vised to issue, for the purpose of exercising the criminal ...