"Died, April 4, at Tottenham, John Ardesoif, Esq.; a young man of large fortune, and in the splendour of his carriages and horses rivalled by few country gentlemen. His table was that of hospitality, where it may be said he sacrificed too much to conviviality. Mr. Ardesoif was fond of cock-fighting, and he had a favourite cock upon which he had won many profitable matches. The last bet he made upon this cock he lost; which so enraged him, that he had the bird tied to a spit, and roasted alive before a large fire. The screams of the miserable animal were so affecting, that some gentlemen who were present attempted to interfere, which so exasperated Mr. Ardesoif, that he seized the poker; and, with the most furious vehemence, declared that he would kill the first man who interfered; but, in the midst of his passionate assertions, he fell down dead upon the spot!" If we be asked whether it be proper to regard _all_ such dispensations as judicial inflictions, we reply in the words of Cowper above: "'Tis not for us, with rash surmise, To point the judgments of the skies, But judgments _plain as this_, That, sent for man's instruction, bring A written label on their wing, 'Tis hard to read amiss." [A contribution full of touching simplicity follows:] THE WORM. Turn, turn, thy hasty foot aside Nor crush that helpless worm; The frame thy wayward looks deride, Required a God to form. The common Lord of all that move, From whom thy being flowed, A portion of his boundless love On that poor worm bestowed. The sun, the moon, the stars, he made To all his creatures free; And spread o'er earth the grassy blade For worms as well as thee. Let them enjoy their little day, Their lowly hiss receive; Oh! do not lightly take away The life thou canst not give. Here we may remark, that much wanton cruelty has been abolished by the extended education of the people. Brutal sports among boys are much less indulged than formerly, and the worrying of domestic animals almost invariably denotes a _bad boy_, in the worst sense of the phrase, likely to make a bad man; "so true to nature is the admirable aphorism of Wordsworth:-- The boy's the father of the man." But we do not so much complain of boyish as of adult cruelties; though, according to the above showing, such atrocities will be less rare in the next than in the present generation. To conclude, we hope that the present notice may awaken the sympathy of the reader towards the laudable objects of the _Society_, under whose guidance the _Voice of Humanity_ is published. It is a difficult matter to point out "the uneducated," and writers of all grades are eternally babbling of our high state of civilization and refinement, yet, we repeat, the necessity of this association is an anomaly which amounts to a national disgrace. * * * * * THE PUBLIC JOURNALS. VISIT TO THE SUMMIT OF MOUNT ETNA.