The Sun. — London, England, 1848-05-02 00:00:00

the Alien Act of 1793, and only differed from it by the emission of certain subsidiary clauses, and yet that on gival Act, which was also only proposed for one year. but which was renewed over and over again, and continued for ':33. years, had been consistently and strenuously opposed throughout that period by every man of note or au. hority in the stste—including Mr. Abe r cromb ie, Mr. Whitbread, Lord Grey, Mr. Burke, Mr. Fox, Sir Rumilly, Sir J. Mackintosh, Lord Fi[zwilham, Lord Ashburton, Lord Melbourne, Lord Brougham, Lord Auckland. Lord Lansdowne, Lord Holland, Lord Dur ham, Lord Denman, Sir J. C. Hobhouse, and Lord .John Russell. He believed that the Noble Lord the Member for the city of London made his maiden speech in that House against the Alien Bill of 1813; and when the last Alien Bill was brought forward that Noble Lord ex pressed a hope that it was the last occasion he should ever again have of addressing the House upon such a subject, convinced as he was that, after the expiration of that Act, they would look back to it as a measure that ought never to have been enacted.—(Hear, hear.) Alas for human foresight! that the very next Bill should be Proposed by t h e N o bl e Lord himself ! He (Sir W. Molesworth) objected to the Bill upon the same g rounds that the Noble Lord objected to former Bi lls—as contrar y to , the practice aed principles of our ances tors, the s p irit of our constitutign, and the tenor of our laws prior to 1791 Lords Manville, Castlereagh, and Sidmouth then contended th a t t h e C rown h a d the power by proclarna• Linn to send an alien out of the country, and that an Allen Act would only have the eff.ct of enforcing an Ilzi-ting power. But surely, in these days, the Queen might rely up on th e a ff ect i on s of her subjects , and trust .5% them to bring foreigners to justice u nder the ex isting laws, if they infringed those laws. Lor d Lans downe of th a t d a y said that the only wise mo de of rie sling with them was to leave them to the administration of the existing laws, and he (Sir Molesworth) cordially concurred in that opinion, snore particularlypassed a Bill for the getter bett as they had just security of the Crown and Government against ? Y . one who sh ou ld com pass or imagine the levying of ar against th e institutions of the country. The state of r , F rance was the nec e ssity alleged for an Alien A c t in p 3 , but no s uc h necess i t y co uld be pleaded now. In 19' but Murders, massacres , an d horrors prevailed in Paris; now that capital was distinguished by order and La_nrquillity, accompanied by a wise determination not to ',, e “! !ere in the internal affairs of other countries. And i i 7 l : ll. tnis measure was directed especially against French (Nu.) It was rumoured abroad that it was di .fo,'_'vu against th e mac hi nat i ons o f a score or two of men b ue took pa r t i n t h e l ate F renc h revo l ut i on , and who had w e la seen i n t h e streets of London. S uc h me n might b d angerous in F rance , where there had been an obsti z ate d 3 nuarc h • • and part d, , a ministry that was corrupt , a p rofli g ate :pitied aristocracy, with an indifference on the the other classes to the institutions of the coun try, But tho se e l ements o f revo lution did not exist in En gland, and he thought it was paying but a p oor coin tni'dinn'olt to the English people, and to the institutions `r which they lived, to say - that danger was to be apprehended from the machinations thatsuch indi v id ua l s. I a 1816, L or d Auckland declared I da! no d anger cou ld b e appre h en d e d from the machi nations of foreigners resident in England. With regard to Irel an d , he thought the measure equally uncalled for and useless, for if they removed from that country every foreigner in it, they would not diminish in the least the deep-rooted conviction of the Irish peop le that England h a d proved herself incompetent to legis late for I reland with success, or their just discontent at the ex istence of a dominant Protestant Church in a Catholic country —an injustice and an evil at which every intelli gent man out of England cried " Shame." T his Bill was, therefore, utterly worthless as regarded Ireland. As fur an expedition from France to Ireland, he looked • Upon it as merely chimerical; for who was to pay the expense- of such a proceeding, if it were thought of? The last reason given for this Bill was that the Govern /Rent would not abuse the powers given under it. That was the old argument used in favour of the Bill of 1793, which was so strongly opposed, although Mr. Pitt was then just es deserving of confidence as any one of her Majesty's present Ministers. Both Mr. Fox and Lord Grey denied - the validity of that argument in 1793, and a fortiori, if they were now in existence they would deny the validity of it in 1848. He (Sir N. Molesworth) considered that every measure should be judged of on its own merits, and those alone ; and he certainly would not consent to invest a Government with powers which he believed every gentleman on that side of the House would refuso to the Right Hon. Baronet the Member for Tamworth, were he now in office and seeking to obtain them.—(Hear.) They were powers which were not needed, and which had not been needed in the most dangerous period of our history, and which, in the words of the late Lord Grey, were exceptional in every point of view. He, therefore, moved that the Bill be read a second time that day six months. Lord D. STUART concurred in the sentiments uttered by the Hon. Baronet, and expressed his surprise that such a Bill could ever have been brought forward by a liberal Government, empowering, as it did, a Secretary of State, without any positive information, and on mere suspicion, to imprison an alien as long as he liked, or to send him out of the country. In that respect the Bill required explanation, as it did not state where he was to be sent, or how long he might be retained in prison. Under no circumstances should such a power to be placed, in the hands of any Govern ment. He was more than all surprised at the absence On the present occasion of the Hon. Baronet the Member for Harwich (Sir J. C. Hobhouse) who eloquently op posed the Alien Bill of ltilei, declared that it ought to resisted by physical force, and after an unsuccessful op• position to it, moved that the title of it should he, " A Bill to Repeal so much of the Great Charter of England as related to the free ingress and residence of foreign merchants in these realms, and to assimilate the Execu tive of this Government to the despotic Governments of the Continent." He (Lord D. Stuart) contended that no tolerable or decent ground had been shown for this Measure, and if persisted in, the Government ought at least to-produce their information, so that the House should not be legislating in the dark. They had not even shown that any foreigners were plotting to over throw this Government. It was true some people saw in every poor man a Chartist, in every Chartist a traitor, and in every foreigner a rebel.—(Hear) He enter tained no such views, and should, therefore, oppose this measure. The ATTOP,NEY- GENERAL said the Noble Lord laid answered himself, by admitting in the close of his aPefch that this Bill had very different objects from that of 1822, and that the circumstances were altogether dif ferent. In 1797 and 1814 foreigners had great difficul ties in obtaining letters of naturalisation; now they no-tight do so with the greatest facility and without ex pense, if they came without any hostile designs against the Government, and with the bond fide intention of r•esiding and carrying on business here. They had only 1 7allow this, t o exem pt th em f rom t h e operat i on o f th e . The charge of cruelty had been brought against `l4llt measure; but it was much l ess so th an t h e former an e ! Acts; for the Secretary of S tate cou ld no t e xpel au alien from t h e country w i thout information in writing ~-‘"tei.ent to warrant his pur su i ng suc h course. Th en it was sa id th e Bill was unjust, and that foreigners might if . 1 4 Prison without trial. This was not so; for prey e i,r t had no hostile designs, I there was nothing to And so t hem obtaining letters of naturalisation, th e Bill, avoiding the operation of the Bill. As to pend e d ,s bei ng impolitic and unconstitutional, that de ti t oo °TI o ffered, y It was said no proof of ~,o n been but it could not be expected that in;k-ichVernment should come down with all the details fore ;natter. If they suspected a conspiracy by Leigners another course was to be pursued ; if none A.sted the Bill would no t operate. T hese were "a° for main grou n d s w hi c h di st i ngu i shed the Bill from the main Acts on this subject. Mr. W. J. FOX said he had been unable to discover tha speech of the Right Hon. Baronet who had moved the second reading of this Bill anything which could prove the necessity of the measure. It was a measnre of timidity and distrust—one that showed a want of con • fidence' in the British people, and a want of confidence In the people of France, who, under the most trying cir cumstances, had done nothing whatever to excite hostile 'feelings on our part.—(Bear, hear.) A different sort of legislation became the Government of such an empire as this. Convulsed as the world now was, there could Dot be a better time in which to show our own reliance on those institutions which had stood the test of so 'many ages, and possessed so eminently the cha racter not only of durability, but also of alas ticitY; 'Which accommodated them to the spirit of the ege,"and enabled them to expand themselves so as to give larger privileges and to comprehend larger numbers, when the changing state of society required it, without any of those commotions or convulsions to which other countries had been exposed.—([fear, hear.) No necessity whatever had been shown for the bestow tirient of powers which, to say the least, were capable of .'ehonious and cruel application, which placed the con venience, the property, and the liberty of individuals at the. mercy of the Ministry for the time being—which exposed a man to that sort of attack against which it Was gO'clifficult- to defend himself—that of anonymous writinq addressed to the Secretary of State. That high functionary seemed thus to be brought into contact with a class of people with whom an Englith Government never need have anything to do; office was to hare a back door for the receipt of lit*ini; and imputation, under the plausible pre tez :of : 'public safety, which might after all be cnrf • the emanation of individual spite, and the desire of gratifying individual vindictiveness. These poems might be used offensively towards man or Woman; for it could not be forgotten that the first per son deported under the law of 1793, from which in a great measure this Bill was taken, was a woman, who Could not seriously threaten the peace of this country— widow—Lady Edward Fitzgerald.—(Hear, hear.) He 'could not agree with the Hon Baronet the Member for Southwark that this was a glaring inconsistency on the Part of ministers. All depended on the point of time with which the comparison was instituted. By going back a few years it might be brought out in very striking .colours; but, looking at the last great measure which had been carried through the House, it must be admitted that this was a very consistent and appropriate supple bent to the " Act for the better security of the Crown and the Government."—(Bear, hear.) The one belonged to the other: they dove-tailed perfectly;— Sure such a pair was never seen So justly formed to meet by nature. They completed the conversion from the policy of the old Whigs of this country to the policy of Pitt, of Sid . month, and of Castlereagh, which, beginning with the first of these measures, might be considered as carried on Some way towards its completion in the second.— (Hear, hear.) The threat which Pitt once used against great opponent, "to uawhig the Government," could not be used by the opponents of the present Govern. meat ; for they had most efficiently unwhigged them- Belies for the rest of their days.—(Bear and laughter.) The only reason giverffor the in* a•ure — by - the Right Ron. Baronet (Sir G. Grey) was, that he was afraid of Mafioaariee. Bat the dander of Irma Republican Missionaries was at this time, purely, at the very lowest point of probability. The power which any Frenchman would possess of exciting an English multitude to violence " by open and advised speaking," was surely in a very limited degree. The ridicule which the lion. Baronet had alluded to was sure to arise; Red this had always been so great that the most aecone• pli s hed French tragedian, Talmo, had never been allowed to act Hamlet ou the English stage, because it was felt certain that that the first sentence he uttered would throw an English audience into a roar of laughter.—(Hear, hear.) We must look in a different direction for the danger, if any, of Republican princi ples, and must direct our legislation rather against the writings of the illustrious dead of our own country, than against living missionaries from foreign lands. The great Republican teachers —if Eng land could be taught Republicanism—would bo found upon the shelves of our libraries—Milton, Sydney, Hampden, Mote, and others of later date; and if they —addressing us in our own native tongue, and giving us that language in all its richness and power, and sur rounded by so many associations which commanded our reverence—almost our idolatry—if they did not mcke us Republicans, where was the genius or skill, the elo quence or persuasiveness, amongst Frenchmen, Germans —er any other people, to seduce the inhabitants of these realms from their allegiance to their Queen ?—(llear, hear.) But it aright be said that it was not merely Republicanism in the common sense of the word, for the free institutions of this country had at least as much affinity with the Republicanism of other countries as with the despotism of other countries- 7 -but the doctrine of socialism and communism which we had to fear. To lull our fears let us take example from the noble-minded man who w a s now at the head of the French people.. Socialism and communism had been the rock-ahead of the Provisional Government and the people of France throughout this trying season ; and though our socialist and communist leaders had been in France during the whole period, fraternising with the leaders of those opinions there, and making themselves conspicuous, had he deported any one of them ?—(dear, hear) Much better were it to imitate this example, especially with the means which we possessed in such abundance for a full sense of our own security. This and the other mea. sure lately passed for the better security of the Crown and Government were as worthless for the real security of the institutions and peace of this realm, as the parch• ment on which they were engrossed would be as a but tress to that venerable abbey in whose shade they were deliberating, which had stood the storms of centuries past, and would abide the storms of centuries yet to come.—(Hear, hear.) It was not in legislation such as this that our safety was to be found ; nor could he agree with the Learned Attorney-General in thinking that if the Bill did no' good, at any rate it could do no harm. Such measures did this harm: they. falsified the character of this country ; they put us in an untrue position as to the public opinion of Europe and the rest of the world ; they declared apprehensions which did not really exist, or for which there were no real grounds ; they imputed feelings of pliability and fickle ness, of proneness to be easily led into violence, which were not the characteristics of the people of this coun try; which never had been, and which never would be. —(Hear, hear.) They put us in this false position, and were likely most injuriously to affect our relations with other countries.—(Hear, hear.) - They might breed mis understandings which wou ld pl enge us into war—that worst of all calamities; they showed suspicion of what was going on in Europe; they showed that we did not rely on the events taking place being so over-ruled as to guide the world onward, and to lead it into a better position. They proclaimed us to be at variance with that movement, to be looking on fearfully, jealously, and suspiciously; they placed us on the wrong side, and put us in alliance with those who endeavoured to uphold a part that could not be retained, and to obstruct a future that must and would realise itself. They made us the enemies of the rising republics and constitutional go vernments, and the friends of the despotisms that were deservedly crumbling into the dust.—(Cheers.) Mr. H. DRUMMOND said the necessity for this measure need not be long sought by persons who were acquainted 'with what was going on in Europe. The Nonle Lord the Member for Slarylebone seemed anxious that London should continue to deserve the poetical description which had been given of it, as a city which " Sucks in the dregs of each corrupted state," —(Laughter.) The Hon. Gentleman then alluded to the events which had preceded the first French revolu tion, and contended that all revolutions had been brought about by propagandism. He expressed his determined detestation of the principles which had been enunciated by lion. Gentlemen opposite, and his conviction that they would end in wholesale slaughter.—(oh, oh.) Mr. URQUHART was anxious for 'some guarantee that the power to be vested by this measure iu the Se cretary of State should not be improperly employed. England had long offered an asylum to the unfortunate of all nations, by making her laws as nearly equal as possible for the alien and the native ; and this measure would virtually pass a censure upon that system of le gislation. Even scriptural authority was in favour of the same law for the alien and the native ; and the principle had been maintained in eastern legis lation till the present time. In England no necessity had ever been discovered for an Alien Bill until the first French revolution, and the circum stances which then rendered it necessary did not now exist. Propagandism was now carried on through the medium of tne press ; conspiracies amongst individuals no longer existed; and against this the Alien Bill would be inoperative. He much demurred to the delegation of any fresh powers to a Secretary of State. In a late case, where an individual's letters had been opened without warrant, the inquiry had been shelved; what security then existed that aliens weuld not be snore unjustly used? He believed this measure would fail of its pur pose; and he feared it would bring us into collision with foreign powers. It might even be used to serve the purpose of another power, as the London police had been in the case of Count Drozki. Should seditious foreigners assemble here in such force as to threaten the peace of the country, surely the Government might act on their own responsibility, and afterwards obtain an indemnity Bill from the House. This would avoid the risk of passing a measure which might never be neces sary. An appeal being given to the Privy Council, in the case of an alien deported, it would appear that there must be judicial ground for such a proceeding; and if so, why should not the matter be brought before the ordi nary tribunals of the country? He had voted for the Crown and Government Security Bill, and had given the Government all the powers necessary, in his opinion, for preserving the tranquillity of the country. He should therefore oppose this measure. The Earl of ARUNDEL and SURREY said that the late events on the continent had shown how a very small number of disaffected individuals might disturb the peace of a country; and there being in England a great number of Germans and Frenchmen who would be glad to see this Government subverted, he should readily support this measure. Mr. HUME denied the possibility of any body, how ever large, of foreigners exciting the people of this country to rebellion. He thought the Noble Lord who had just sat down must have been bitten by the special constable mania.—(Laughter.) He had too much con fidence in the loyalty of the people of this country to fear anything that could be done by the French or Ger mans. No necessity whatever had been shown to exist for this Bill; its only effect would be to create ill-feeling against this country abroad. He deeply regretted such an un-English proceeding; it was nothing but the result of timidity and panic. It would excite the belief abroad that our Government was tottering to its fall; he should, therefore, appose the Bill at every stage. Dr. BOW RING said it had been the boast of Eng land that nothing here was done in secret; that every accused person was confronted with his accusers; but this Bill enabled the Secretary of State, acting even on anonymous information, to banish any foreigner from the country. It had been said they might apply for letters of naturalisation; but this could not be done by persons who came here only for a short period, on either business or pleasure. lie complained that this measure w ou with b e r l e i ke l s pe 3 to e , tt place to the h er the el n es Governmentts o f for eig in a bad n Go v er nme n posi tion t s they G ho e et y n a t ln l i e op m tr e so n ipla complained o o fa f sre pro, re op a in b i le o — ns prevail? He would oppose the measure, because he believed it would lower this country in th e e y es o f foreign apt acionunt HARRIS i es g ( H t a o r u ,h h e t ar.) Captain the Government des erv i ng of great cre di t for bringing forward a measure o f an unpop u l ar nature like 'the present lie saw on a l a t e occasion some foreigners very busy in Trafalg a r- square . Lie ask e d lion. Gentlemen to look at th e Ithi ne, and see what w as h appening there in consequence of the system of propagandism. He believed that all respectable foreigners would' be anxious to see this Bill pass. ha t t h sr. thought d that the best answer to thi s display He yof the i pe(lple of this country o of f t the is last month. andproceededfrn believed that thi s Bi l l of anidle fe a r. I t England, an d , m n eu e reE l O VV was was a A was unnecessary, was one opposed to the co ns ti tut i o n h e be mixed as he thought, highly impolitic. If foreigners themselves up in the affairs of this c ountry, the people themselves would aeon make those foreigners eved repent of their conduct. The House divided, when there appeared— For the second reading Against it 22 Majority ... —ll9 ELECTION RECOGNIZANCES BILL On the motion for considering the Lords' amendments to this Bill, Sir R. INGLIS suid he did not intend to revive any discussion with respect to this Bill in the House, but he begged to call its attention to the fact that in the House of Lords, where no personal interests were con cerned, every lawyer of every party condemned the Bill.--(Hear, hear.) As he knew, however, that it wai not intended by those with whom he usually acted to divide the House upon the present occasion, he should content himself with entering his protest against it. air. S. WORTLEY said the impression of the Noble Lords to %howl the Right Hon. Baronet had alluded had been materially altered by consideration of its provisions during its passage through the House of Lords. Mr. WALPOLE, as the originator of the measures which had. been brought forward upon this subject, wished to repeat his conviction that the course he had pursued was sound in Jaw, sound in justice, and sound in equity. _ The amendments were then agreed to. ELECTIVE FRANCHISE (IRELAND). Sir W. SOMERVILLE then rose to move for leave to bring in a Bill to regulate the elective franchise, and for the registration of Parliamentary electors in Ireland. He commenced by saying that he believed it was unne cessary to dilate on the importance of this question. tor the evils of the existing system had been recognised by all parties for a long time past, though those evils still remained unremoved. The evils he referred to ,were threefold: first, the nature of the franchise itself; TH E SUN, MA Y . 2, t LONDON, r 7,,0r • '!" second, the insufficiency of the constituency ; third, the system of registration. Of the franchise it was only necessary to say that it was ambiguous ; and of all the curses attending a political system he believed the greatest w as ambiguity. As to the Irish franchise, the greatest lawyers of the day were divided in opinion as to its character; revising barristers were rarely agreed as to it; and of course the peasantry under such cit.- curnstances could not be expected to understand it. With regard to the constituency, it was capable of proof that the number of voters throughout Ireland was gradually dwindling away, and that at no distant period, if the Legislature did not interfere, the system of election in Ireland would become a perfect farce. The Bill it was proposed to introduce had for its object, first of all, strictly to define the franchise, and for this purpose he intended to fall back upon the rating under the poor law.—(liear, hear.) All the existing franchises requir ing occupation would be at ono° abolished, and in lieu thereof, a simple rating to the poor, of the net annual ' value of 81. and upwards, would be substituted. He did not propose any change in the franchises which did not require occupation ; but he pro posed that the 8/. franchise should extend in cases of joint occupancy. provided rating of the property when divided proved sufficient to qualify the parties. He also proposed to give the franchise to owners of fees simple of the value of 5/. He believed this alteration would give an immense increase to the constituency of Ireland, though by no means an increase which, looking at the circumstances of the country, could be considered unfair by England. Now as to the registration. He proposed that clerks of poor•law unions should transmit to clerks of the peace annually complete lists of the parties rated within the respectise baronies. The clerk of the peace having added the names of owners, the list, upon publi cation, would be the list of voters. With regard to towns, it was not proposed that any change should take place in the qualification; but great complaints having been made as to the disqualifications arising from non payment of local rates, he proposed to abolish all such qualifications except with respect to non-payment of poor-rates. He should lay the Bill on the table in order that its provisions might be considered, and when he proposed the second reading he should be prepared to go further into the subject, and to justify the Bill, if necessary, in its principle and different details. Mr. FREWEN asked if he understood aright that te nants at will rated at 81. per annum were to have a vote? Sir W. SOMERVILLE replied in the affirmative. Mr. C. E. LAW asked, was an occupier for six months to have a vote, supposing he paid a single rate? A party might have been in another part of the parish for a lone time and not have paid. Would he thereby be disqualified? Sir W. SOMERVILLE said the practice most pro bably would be that all arrears should be carried on. Mr. HUME hoped the non payment of rates would not be mixed up with the question of franchise in any way whatever. There were proper modes of recovering rates without disqualifying the voter. He should be glad to know what was the Right Hon. Baronet's estimate of the increase of the Irish constituency under this Bill. Sir W. SOMERVILLE supposed the number of elec tors would be at least quadrupled. Mr. lIUME (sotto voce)—Oh! that's nothing. Sir I). NORREYS expressed his great satisfaction at the increase, and his conviction that it would be of the greatest benefit to Ireland. He expressed his regret that the Government had left the town franchise in Ire land untouched. Leave was then given to bring in the Bill. POLLING-PLACES (IRELAND). Sir W. SOMZRVILLE then obtained leave to bring in a Bill for the establishment of additional pulling places, for the purpose of Parliamentary elections in Ireland, the object of the Bill being to limit the dura tion of county elections to two days, and to enable the electors in towns to give their votes by wards. LITERATURE. NEW NOVELS. The Rival Beauties. By Miss Pardoe. Rose. Blanche, and Violet. By G. H. Lewes, author of " Ranthorpe." Savtnaroog ; or the Queen of the Jungle. By Captain I?ajter. The Adventures of a Medical Student. Ry H. Douglas. James the Second. '.Edited by W. H. A insworth. There is a " season" for all things, and hence, of course, there is a peculi a r season for fictitious litera ture. The beginning of the year—the Parliamentary season and the fashionable season— is the harvest time for the lovers of light literature, when, they may reap in abundance the fruits of the yearly labours of the novelist and romancist. In this particular year there is, perhaps, less than ordinary occasion f or t h e exerc i se o f the ingenuity, and the captivating powers of the romance writer: Truth we know i s sa id to be stranger than fiction, and if we doubted th e accuracy of the aphorism our! doubts would ju s t now b e speedily dispelled. Our . own columns, and the columns of our co ntemporaries, are daily filled with records of truthful occurrences now transpiring all over the world of far more amazing character, and formed of far more e nthralling, interest, than could be devised by a skilful ingenuity, or pourtrayed by a vivid imagination. Nevertheloss, however superior the present attractions of truth, the writers offiction have been by no mean , idle. As usual! at this period of the year a multitude of three•volumedi romances solicit the favour of the public and claim the consideration of the critic. Of those now before us, for the sake of i ts attract i ve a ppellation and the merits of its authoress, we must in commo n courtes y speak first of th e " Ri va l B eaut i es " o f Miss Pardoe. Miss Pardoe is unquesti ona bl y a b r i ll i ant w riter. The " City of the Sultan ' establish e d h er ce l e brity as a write r, a celebrity which h er a d m i ra bl e vo l u mes on " Louis XIV." tended gr ea tl y t o en h ance . To our thinking , all her minor compositions are somewhat Investedt with the colouring of those two great works. There! is much of the gorgeous and lavish embellishment ofj the East in her descriptive details of European life. For example, in one of the chapters of this novel, there is a picture of the interior of an Italian gaming house, which is like a glimpse of the City of" the; Sultan, and again an English lady's boudoir orna- I mented for a ball seems to resemble a chamber of ai harem, or rather, perhaps, a scene in the" Thousand and, One Nights." These peculiarities are likely to enhance the attractions of a romance, while they diminish its pretensions to actuality. But Miss Pardoe's Eastern predilections are,by no means so conspicuous as is the affinity of her social characters and scenes to the cha racters and scenes of the court of Louis XIV. Society, as depicted in the " Rival Beauties," is all• dazzling and delusive, brilliant without and heartles3 within ; and in pourtraying life of this charactet Miss Pardoe's pen is quite au fait. To this kind of portraiture we decidedly object. In the first place, it is not true, and, in the second, it is not pleasing. The brilliant, hollow-hearted characters that " basked in thej noon-tide ray" of the sunshine of the Grand Monarque are possessed of a certain degree of interest, because, they are historical and, moreover, because, heartless and selfish as they for the most part were, good was mingled with evil, some redeeming traits in the most base claimed for them our interest and perhaps re-1 spect ; even Lauzun, despicable from his brutal treatef went of the devoted Mademoiselle, is in our minds{ ennobled by his chivalrous conduct to the unfortunato Queen of J ames 11., in her hour of danger and tribulae tam. Miss Pardoe's pictures of society are, we: have said, not true. The colouring is brilliant, but the grouping is unnatural. Her fashionable ladiesi and gentlemen are finished with care; all the artifie cial adjuncts of their position are elaborately de e picted, but they have not the expressive and easy bearing of men and women. Sybil, for example, one of the riv a l b eau ti es a this tale, h as , we dare vouch for it, no parallel in real life, and happily so; for were it not for something supine and superficial in her character her counterpart might, one would think, be :nore successfully sought for in a lower region. Sybil bears certainly no resemblance to an actual woman ; she may seem, as perhaps Miss Pardue intended her, for an embodiment of selfish ness, and vanity, and worldly ambition ; but then an embodiment of an abstract idea is not a reality, and it is with realities th it the novel-writer—the novel writer who rightly fulfills his mission—has to do. Therefore, fully appreciating Miss Pardoe's brilliant talents and vivid powers of deecrips tion, we must utter our protest against her portrait of Sybil, and of the state of society of which Sybil is the heroine and type. The other heroine, Gertrude, the "rival beauty," is a very different character. She is of course a contrast to her irredeemably wicked companion. She is the good genius of the tale, and her character is invested with a degree of softness and delicacy which (judging from her other portraits) we should hardly have sup posed Miss Pardue capable of depicting. The hero, the weak and vacillating Mortimer—betrothed to Gertrude, but deserting her, captivated by the superior fascinations of Sybil, married to the latter, and by her influence and conduct corrupted and im poverished, become a ruined and miserable gambler-L -is portrayed with much ability, and, unfortunately, too much truth. The effect of evil influence (tar more powerful than evil advice) upon a well-meaning, but weak and yielding disposition, is without doubt considerable and most unfortunate. The history of Mortimer, as a warning, and the cha racter of Gertrude, as an example, constitute the most beneficial and interesting portion of Miss Pardoe's novel, while the character of Sybil and some of her fashionable companions are, as we have already said, deserving of nothing but .censure. To a less gifted writer we should be more lenient in our criticism, but Miss Pardoe's abilities are well known, and therefore it i s t h at we, who now a d m i re her so much, desire in f u t ure to be enable d to a dmire her more. " Rose, Bl anc h e, and Violet " is a novel of a very different styl e ; i ts chief mer i t li es no t, like Miss Pardoe's, in the b r illi ancy of i ts co l our i n g and the elaboration of its d eta il s, but i n it s v igorous and " truthful delineatio n o f character. Mr. Lewes is undoubtedly a write r o f great power , as was evinced by his former nov e l, "R anthorpe. "Rose, Blanche, and Violet" is dintinguished by the same attractions and the same demerits as were o bservable in " Ran thorpe." Mr. Lewes's characters are natural, but he (occasionally) places them in unnatural positions. l'he main idea of his narrative is truthful, but the details are sometimes incongruous. So it was in " Ranthorpe " and so i t i s i n "hose, Blanche, and Violet." The very name of this latter novel will suggest to the experienced critic one great difficulty and defect in the construction of the plot. Rose, and Blanche, and Violet —three heroines—three centres of attraction—three stories in one narrative—a pro ceeding by which the unity of the work is to a certain extent destroyed, and its interest consequently diminished. the three heroines are three sisters of singularly different characters. Rose is vivacious and spirituelle, Blanche amiable and affectionate, while Violet, though full of feeling, is possessed of a' resolute self-cotnmand. A narrative with three heroines is nocessarily - soinewhat complicated, but with three such heroines it is also necessarily very interest ing. And it is interesting, moreover, from the truthfulness with which many of its characters are pourtrayed, and from the natural, actual air with which some portions of it are invested. Some portions of it, we have said, for all, the narrative* certainly does not merit such commendation. There are characters and scenes which are certainly not natural, such, as of George Maxwell and the portions in consequently, del i e a ey and which he figures; and there are others which are certainly far from pleasing, and which detract con siderably from the merits of the work, such, again, as the interview of the same George Maxwell and Mrs. we have no I n this chapter and in some Np'eyrni Perils , 0 f andon one Night."oespeciallyre other passages, the manner of the author, w hi ch is in very effective exhibits a vigorous,vrant of and, that general very bold and indispensable to . a must consider good novel. refinement which, without teeing hypercritical, we In this and. in many minor particulars , Mr. doubt, that with a little he ca h r a e s alread Lewes will greatly improve. The abilities infTneivtired, lead us something to anticipate from him We have neitherr than he has yet accomplished.details of the space to enter into the story, and if we its ' had we should preferleaving._ theinterest unspoiled by explanation. Blanche is and far most attractive, because, the most natural a full womanly, of the three heroines. Her fortunes are _of interest, and the character of Cecil Chamberlayne, the sharer of those e use of her great so is fortunes, andehe ca _ a 'a i admi- rably depicted, and .conveys warning l e , son. • n the most unhappy Cecil is • a "geniu s' 1 with sense o f the word --s one gifted talents, but without the to exert them, out the energy necessary with a good heart, but no principl e - naturally s The character of Cecil serve its goodnes • is ie tended by the author to exempla * f y the effects fatal of strength of mind and en a deficiency of ergy—a alents, howev defi ciency for which no waver brilliant, cbmpensate, but, on the contrary, become .can In a misfor tune to their possessor. Portraying the inertness and love of reverie wh ich were the cause of all Cecil's miseries and misdeed s, the writ er of his h --is istor truthf u lly remarks — " , Labour i s a sublime necessity • it is beneficence under a rude aspect. But'4 1 h - ' so beneficent to man, it is radically antipatheticat °uh his nature. All men are constrained to to to Poverty or a mbition are the invariabl work. e taskmasters, and it is only by dint of the strong stirriulus of rAI or the stronger dictates of indomitable •1 want, human nature, v agabond as are its tendencies, kill, that made to persevere in the tasks set before it. e, can b e Or wonder, then, if men under all conditions e it. What seize upon every occasion which enable s avidly the moment to escape from the tyranny ofWork .;:n for a wonder if this weak, wayward, susceptible Cecil, necessity, now forgot the sweet delight impulsion of task, and relapsed kito hi s 0 1 4 1 ,„ a of his dail ' l5 of dreaming 1% EST INDIA ISLANDS. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER obtained leave to bring in a Bill to extend to five years the period for the repayment of the hurricane loans to the West India islands. The House adjourned at a Quarter-past Eleven. PARLIAMENTARY DIVISIONS. From the Yotes and Proceedings of the House of Commons.) MONDAY, MAY 1. TOBAGO RELIEF, AND IMMIGRATION INTO BRITISH GUIANA AND TRINIDAD. (IN THE COMMITTEE.) Motion made, and Question proposed, " That the said Commissioners of her Majesty's Treasury be authorised to direct advances to be made, to an amount not exceeding 170,000/. on account, out of the said Consolidated Fund, or by the issue of ExchNuer-bills, under certain regulations and restrictions, and upon due security being given tbr the repayment thereof, in aid of Loans authorised by the Legis latures of British Guiana and Trinidad, for promoting im migration of Free Labourers into those Colonies:" —Amend ment proposed, to leave out from the words "That the" to the end of the Question, in order to add the words " Chair man do report the Resolutions already agreed to by the Com mittee to the House," instead thereof:—Question rut, "That the words proposed to be left out stand part of the Question." The Committee divided ; MAJORITY—AYES, 76. Grey, R. W. Pinney, William Grosvenor, Lord R. Power,iNieholas Muds, Captain Raphael, Alexander Hawes, Benjamin Repton, G. W. J. Abdy, T. N. Acland, Sir T. Armstrong, R. It. Arundel, Earl ca Barkly, Henry Herries, J. C. Rich, Henry Baring, Thomas Ilihiyard, H. C. Richards. Richard Bellew, it. M. Hindley, C. Romilly, John Boyle, Ilohcrt E. Hope, Henry T. Russell, Lord John Busteild, W. Ilorstnan, Edward Seynter, 11. K. Campbell, W. F. Hudson, George Shell, It. Cardwell, Edward Inglis, Sir It. 11. Shelburne, Earl of Charteris, Francis Labouchere, Henry Somerville. Sir W. Christy, Samuel Langston, J. 11. Spooner, Richard Clerk Sir G. Lewis, GeOrge C. Stafford, Augustus Craig, W. G. Lincoln, Earl of Stanley, E. J. Cripps, William Mackinnon, Ql,. Towneley, Charles Dalrymple, Captain Mahon, O'Gorman Townahend, Captain Deedes, W. Martin, C. W. Urquhart, David Denison, W. J. Mlles, I'. W. S. Wilson, James Denison, J. ,E. Monsell,,William Wood, sir Charles Disraeli, B. Morison, General Wyvill, Marniaduke Divett, Edward Newdegata, N. Yorke, H. R. Evans, John Norreys, Sir 1). Evans, William O'Connell, H. J. Maier, Sir E. Paget, Lord A. TELLERS. Tuthell, Ilettry -11111, Lent M. Goddard, A. L. bray, Sir U. Parmerit,on, Yis. • Parker, John MINORITY-NOES, 21. Bright, John Humphery, Ald. Thompson, Colonel Brotherton, J. Kershaw, James Thornely, T. Brown, W. Lushington, C. Tuner, Edmund Clifford, Henry M. Moleswerth, Sir W. Walmeley, rlr J. Cobden, K. Moore, G. 11. Willoughby, Sir 11. Duncan, George Mow•att, Francis fiTELLEAS. Ewart, William Sidney, Alderman Hume, Joseph Fox, W. J. Tattered, 11. W. Bowring, Dr. REMOVAL OF ALIENS BILL. Order for Second Reading read ; Motion Made, and Clues. Bon- proposed, " That the Bill be‘ now read a second time:" —Amendment proposed, to leave out the word " nor,' ;and at the end of the Question to add the words " upon this day six months."—Question put, "That the word ' now' stand part of the Question." The House divided:— MAJORITY—AYES, 141. Arkwright, George Fortescue, J. W. O'Connell, M. J. Armstrong, Sir A. Frewen, C. 11. Ogle, S. C. Armstrong, It. B. Fuller, A. E. Ord, W. Arundel, Earl of Gaskell, J. M. Paget, Lord A. Bagsha. , , John Glyn, G. C. Palmer, Roundell Baines, M. T. Goddard, A. L. Palmerston, Viscount Barkly, lienry - ; Godson, R. . Parker, John Baring, Thomas Gordon, Admiral Perfect, R. Bellew, R. M. Granger; T. C. Philips, Sir G. It. itenbow, John Grenfell, C. Pascoe Pinney, W. Berkeley, Grantley Grey, Sir G. Power, tiicholai Bernard, Viscount Grosvenor, Lord It. Prime, Richard Bouverie, E. P. Harmer, Sir J. Pugh, David Bowies. Admiral Harris, Hon. Capt. Rawdon, Colonel Boyle, Colonel Hawes, B. Repton, G. W. Bremridge, Richard ' Hay, Lord John Ricardo, J. L. Broadley, Henry Hayes, Sir E. Ricardo, Osman Brockman, E. D. Heathcote, G. J. Rice, E .It. Brothertun, J. Ileneage, Edward Rich, Henry Brown, W. Herbert, lienry A. Romilly, John Browne, R. D. Herries, John C. Russell, Lord J. Buxton, ,ir E. Hildyard, R. C. Russell, F. C. H. Campbell, W. F. Hildyard, T.. 11. T. Seymer, Henry Ker Cardwell, Edward Hobliouse, Sir J. Seymo ur, Lord Christy, Samuel li o bhouse, T. B. Shell, It. L. Clerk Sir George Hodges, T. L. Shelburne, Earl of Cobbold, John C. Colebrooke, Sir T. Hope, 11. T. Simeon, John Cocks, T. S. . Ilotham, Lord Smith , R. V. Hudson, G. S o merton, Viscount G. Jervis, Sir John Craig, W. Somerville, Sir W. Denison, Dalrympleaaptain . Dashwood, G. H. K IG. T Jolliffe, .Sir W. H. Stanley, H. J. • • . elili , T. Denison, J. E. Deedes, W. Spooner, Richard Labouchere, Henry Stuart, H. W. J. - -• . Langston, J. H. Thornely, T. Disraeli, B.Townshend, Caplet* Drunilanrig,Wis. Law, Hon. E. C. Divett. Edward . Lewis,. . Lascelles, W. S. Towneley, Charles ii..ew G. C. Turner, George Dodd, G. Lindsay, Colonel Littleton, E. R. Tynte, Colonel Walpole, S. H. Drummond, Henry Mackinnon. W. Wilcox, Brodie Duncan, George Macnamara, Major Williamson, Sir H. Dundas, Sir David , Martin, C. W. Weod, Sir Charles Ebrington, Lord Matheson, Colonel Wyld, James Elliot, John E. Mitchell, T. A. 'Yorke, Henry E. Euston, Earl Monsen, William Evans, J. Morison, General TILLIIII. Evans, William Morris, David Tufnell.:ll. Fitewilliarn, G. W Newdegate, C. N. hill, Lord Marcia Foley, J. H. Nugent, sir Percy MINORITY-NOES, 22. Bewring, Dr. di 'Gregor, John Thompson, George Bright, John Mowatt, Francis Urquhart, David Clay, James Raphael, Alexander Wakley, Thomas Cobden, Richard Sidney, Alderman Walmsley, Sir J. Swart, William Smith, John B. Forster, M. Smythe, George TZLLERs. Fox, W. J. Stuart, Lord D. Molesworth, Sir W. Kershaw, Jamcs Tancred, H. W. Hume, Joseph Lushington, Charles Thompson, Colonel COWES, ISLE OF WIGHT. (PROD OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) ROYAL YACHT COWES, MAY 1, 1848. SQUADRON INTELLIGENCE.—The yachting season may now be said to have fairly corn tnenced. Tile signalman has taken up his station at the Royal Yacht Squadron's semaphore, and signalizing is the order of the day afloat and ashore. The Earl of Wilton, J. Manse, Esq, G. Bentinck, Esq., and several other gentlemen are at the club-house. The Dream arrived yesterday from the westward. The Sultana, the Gondola, and Ariudne are nearly ready for sea. Lord Rodney's schooner, built in Ratsey'B yard, will be launched in a few days. Her Majesty, Prince Albert, and suite attended Divine service at the little parish church of W hippingham on Sunday morning. The Court was in deep mourning. The Bo) al Family leave Osborne for town, to-morrow al ternoon. The Court will return in about three weeks. REGISTERED ECONOMIC SHIRT COLLAR. —This is indeed a novelty, whereby an apparently single shirt collar is, capable of doing the dudes of two. This is managed by two collars being attached to one band, either of which may be folded down without the slightest creasing in a sort of pocket made for its reception in the band itself. But an equally recommendatory innovation upon the customary collar will be found in the cut and style of this band, differing as it does from all the ordi nary ones, being so shaped as to fit the neck with great ease and comfort, without that fidgetty and irritating discomfort which is involved in the necessary tightne*s of others. This littlo,candidate for popularity h as t h e name . of W. Williams, Gutter-lane, stamped upon it 1.111 its maker. f 'T TCTES A y E VENI idleness?" But, not satisfied with teaching by example, by the moving example of Cecil, Mr. Lewes proceeds to give some very excellent practical advice to authors and artists who like him have worn away their lives in inactivity, while their fancy is busy with dreams. To these his advice may be summed up in one word, " work He admits that unwritten poems and un-i painted pictures are perhaps far superior to those actually produced; "but," he adds, "the world justly takes no account of unaceomplinhed prom i s es, of un- ) fought v i ctor i es. W hat i t applauds is the actual' victory won in earnest struggle with difficulty.; thei heroes it crowns are those who have enriched them-i selves with trophies, not those who ;night have done' SO." Scattered over the pages of these volumes are' many truthful and beautiful reflections, which,' apart from th e hi story of the story, give a va l ue to the work ;1 as, for example, the advice to men of gen ius to which we have already referred, and a very felicitous com parison between the rival merits of Talent and Will— strenrrth of will, that is. In one chapter the author has devoted many paragraphs to an attempt at de fining that often-thrfined yet undefinable word, Love. nßutand he h as , apparently with less of e ff or t intention, given an infinitely better definition anoth er plac e , w h ere i n a casual o b servat i on h e calls love " the most intense de f ferry o • Our ob. servationa on Mr. Lewes's work have, however, ex tended to sufficient l eng th, we therefore ta k e l eave o f him with the hope of r , eceiving some y e t b e tter work from hi m hereafter.s , its name or th e Queen of the J ung l e : , is, as name impli es , an Oriental romance. C a pt a i n Ratter, in hispreface, expresses an inte n ti on o f following t similar d escr i pt i on, founded i ou uPby other works of a various legends which he has collected during a residence in the East so as 1 to for m a ser i es of " Oriental rromance," a specie s oil in h literature almost unknownis country--almost unknown in prose, that is to say, for, a save the admi-, rable compo s iti ons o f t h e author of Zwo with b " and few others, o ur chief acquaintance ate h Eastern legends has been hith er t o through the medium of our poets. The inimitabl e t a l es of oore and Byron have depicted the gorgeous scenery and romantic narratives of the East in glowing colours and most attracti ve ' guise. In " Lallah Rookh" especially the various peculiarities of Eastern life are vividly portrayed, and the Vale of Cashmere is invested with charms fa ex ceedingr those with which reality has ad orne d it. Afters such writings have been published on the subjects Oriental romance is a dangerous subject to int e rfere with. Nevertheless, Captain Rafter has essayed hi s bard and with infinite success. The chief attraction of his work consists in its very interesting plot, and the romantic adventures in which its characters ar• concerned. The Queen of the Jungle, the beautiful Lachema, is a worthy heroine of an Eastern romance, and her history is most marvellous and full of interest. The next work which claims our attention is of a very different kind—" The Adventures of a Medical Student." Prefixed to these " Adventures" is a brie but interesting memoir of their author, Henry Dou glas, a surgeon of the Royal Navy, who died at an early age, after displaying great abilities, and giving promise of far greater. The " Adventures of a l Medical Student" consist of a series of sepa-! rate papers, which originally appeared in the; Neuf Monthly Magazine. They are written with; great power, and possess a most enthralling' interest ; nevertheless, they are in many cases far' from pleasing. Surgical operations, for instance, are occasionally detailed with a minuteness and emphasis, that have a most disagreeable effect. In one place 4 for example, he describes an amputation in a most} theatrical manner, increasing the horrible interest oq the description by the help of italics and capital let-I ters, thus—" it is the knife!" "it is the sear !" As t t being written by one who has mingled in the scenes' he describes, the " Adventures of a Medical Student' have necessarily a peculiar attraction, and as the) composition of one who has passed away, leaving only this memorial of his great talents, they are invests with an especial interest. ".James II.," edited b 4 Harrison Ainsworth, makes its appearance at an ap propriate time, when other sovereigns are tollevrin the example of its hero, and enduring similar, thoug hardly so great, misfortunes. What has peculiar' gratified us in this work is the impartial spirit wit which it has been penned. On first taking it up w feared to meet with errors of misrepresentation, eithe on the one side or the other. It is difficult for th, historian to be just, but for the novelist it is almost impossible—he must " extenuate" on thi one side, and consequently " set down in malice " mt. the other. The history of James 11. is, on this account, a very embarrassing subject. We antici pated to find the character and conduct of the exiled sovereign described with a censure of which he wai not deserving, or else to hear him extenuated at thg expense of the liberty of conscience and rights of his subjects. The author of this narrative has, however, avoided both extremes. He has given us a most interesting narrative of the downfal and exile of the last Stuart king. The account of the escape of Mars' and the Prince of Wales is, perhaps, hardly detailed in so interesting a mant.er as in Miss Pardoe's " Loui's XIV." Among the " new novels "we should include the recent publications of Cooper and Mrs Maberly, and the indefatigable James; but we mu necessarily reserve them flr a separate consideratior THE MAGAZINES. BLACK WOOD. Seldom have we seen a superior number of Maga. It is worthy of the merry month of May, the month of hope and greenness, the month of cowslips and lupins, of promise to summer, of germination to autumn, of defiance to winter, and of fervour to love. Those who remember the beautiful paper on May as the season of the heart in the " Spectator" will revel in the pages of this number of Blackwood, not because of any direct affinity between the essay and the magazine, but because of the mutual contrast afforded by the two effu sions, and because the last mentioned of the two is a new testimony that all has not been said that can be said in illustration of the charms of springtime. In speaking of Les Alois, by Roucher, we well re member that M. de Lamartine somewhere calls them "those French Fasti!" So may we term the charm ing comments penned upon the spring, and especially upon the month of May, by the writers of England, from Gower to Spenser, from Spenser to Thomson, from Thomson to Budgell, from Budgell to Allan Cunningham, and f rom All an C unn i ngham to B lackir oo d. I n the present instalment of Maga, however, the p r i ncipa l excellence is the diver sity of the themes and moods upon whidh and in whi c h t h e different articles have been penned. ':'here is scarcely a single page that is exactly be fitting the month of love (as May is regarded in the i'pe.cta is i tor"), and yet nearly every contribu tionn some sort appropriate, and even season able. There are two exceptions we will allow, and those exceptions are the poetic fragments. First, the little canzonet called " Heigh he, !" a dainty outbreak of naive passion : and, secondly, " The Last Walk," by B. Simmons. A welcome, thrice welcome to B. Simmons the sound of whose lyre has been too long hushed. He would be wel come, if only for that exquisite verse in the brief poem before us " Yes! far for ever from thy side, Madonna, now for ever fair, To death of DISTANCE I have died, And all has perished, but—Despair." The reiteration of the word ever (that articulate sigh of despair !) and the beautiful alliteration in the third line imparts to the verse a tone irresistibly plaintive. Let us quote it again if only for its musical pathos : 7 -- " Yea ! far for ever from thy side, - Madonna, now for ever fair, To death of DISTANCE I have died, '• And all has perished, but—Despair." We would listen to the voice of B. Simmons more frequently in the pages cf that magazine with which his signature has become identified. The con tinuation of " The Caxtons" (a serial which we dese rve dl y commended in Apr il) i s good—the controversy as to the orthography of Pisistratus or Peisistratos is capital,.and the letter of rebuke to his ' son about the preference of the latter name, from the pen of old 'Mr. Caxton, is admirable We commend that letter to Mr. Grote, who, to our thinking, h as done as much mischief to Greek history by the pe dantic exactitude of his orthography is proper names, as Mr. Lane had previously done in his new translation of the "Arabian Nights Entertainments." Thoroughly do we' sympathise in that emphatic sentence of old Mr. Caxton,—" I prefer my old acquaintances Thu cydides and Pisistratus to Thoukudides and Peisis tratros." So do we prefer them, heartily,—Mr. Grote nevertheless notwithstanding. " Education in Wales" is another enforcement of that report of the Com missioners of Inquiry, which we ourselves have already noticed so repeatedly. Against the ignorance of the Welch, the press must continue to utter its unanimous and vociferous protest—until the evil has been dissi pated. Never mind the repetition of the same facts and arguments—tautology is better than indifference ! " The Silver Cross—a Campaigning Sketch," is a story from the German of Ernest Koch, a young German now living near Bareges, in the Upper Pyrenees. It has all the fresh ness and fascination of novelty—and, if . only for that reason , will be relished. "Republican Paris" is —of course—a caricature of democracy such as the c onserva ti ve predilections of old Christo pher must revel in.- According to the opinion of the contributor r the_difference between the, a ppearance of downfall Paris as it i s now an d .as it was. before the of the monarchy is, the difference between our democratic t a lady and a Bacchant e . Need we sYtnpathies are not thors .ayofs- h Eb differ o they ence. " The ony. N ; are only the same Spaniard in Sicily is an a dmirable review r on the book recently written by Count Alexis t..P de Sriest, would be deliget t- p eof France. Any contribution fhulhaving reference to Sicily—to that Sicily " wh i C Plato taught and Timoleon go verned--which Archimedes defended and Theocritus sun g And the rapture of the theme is immemurably 1848. . . f enhanced to our mind' by the recent emancipation of the Sicilian; and the newly-conquered independence of their island—torn by a revolution from the grasp of the King of Naples. " Crimes and Remarkable Trials in Scotland" is an enthralling contribution, recounting the surprising adventures and vicissitudes of Peter Williamson—the narrative being prefaced by an animadversion upon the system of laws which admits of the practice of kidnapping. "The Repealer's Wish Granted" is a solemn warning to the mock patriots of Erin—a warning at ,first as, obscure as a prophecy, and at last as awful as the . utterance of a doom. But that a note deClares to the contrary, we should certainly have attributed ti se inspiration of the chapter to the adMirable - articles recently .published in our contemporary the Times. , One view_ of the scene of desolation has, however, been overlooked by the writer in Blackwood, namely, the sending away the many thousand liish •frOtn England--thOte Irish who find employment, wages, and food in the land of the Saxon. Could not the contributor pen a brief episode to his vision of the future? In the present chapter the repetition of ..the_sentence--- 7 " The sail bellies bigly to the, wind. From Erin the Green the Saxons are gonp There rose' from earth to sky—what ?"—has a sound so solemn that it becomes at last almost horrible. "Man is a Featherless Biped" reads pleasantly—it gives one the reminiscence of a passage or two in "Caleb Stukely." The writer rattles off his narrative with a devil me-care .precipitation, such as he would doubt less display on the , back Of a hunter. With a melancholy and even despairing lamehtation, over "The Revolutions in Europe"-the necessity of which lamentation is bolstered up by quotations from the eccentric speeches recently delivered,in the House of Peers by Lord. Brougba4l:7l3./gchwood is brought to a conclusion for May.. A;;better nun!her has not for a very considerable time appeared. .(041.1. TAIT • After the brilliant description of the Revolution of February, by Mr. Percy 13. St. John, it becomes peculiarly interesting to peruse his narrative of his "Political History of Republican France" during the past month of April. The mere circumstance of the writer being a resident at the present extraordinary, epoch in Paris is calculated to render his contribution to Tait attractive, and a peculiar degree of attention is excited to the paper from the publication in the same li magazine of the continuation of his st or y of "Miranda," , In a t a l e o f t h e fi rs t F re nch Revolution. transpired usi t o h n e the contributi on t o w hi c h we a re here making especial the great events European Republic hav e r ar ec e en d tl e y . tailed with co • nsiderable skill and perspicacity. The paper is divided into one recounting th several portions or chapters-- the Ultras under e L struggle between the two parties, under L at edru Rollin, a n d th e M o derates ins : another desc r ibi ng th e e l ect i ons o f the Natio nal Guard . movement against the e otr the continuation of the another, the Fet e de /a F rovisional Government : progress of the elections raternite : another the Assembly : another depicting for the National ment, and vicissitudes ' th e o the rise, develop tionary, clubs : another the eau various revolu- Riots : another the rage cau se of the 41 p r „ se and consecrating the trees of liber r t transplantin g fluctuations of the Bourse ; and another, y: the situation the situation of the Department s. Of the many enthraili ng and apposite magazine articles for May, this i fr om the pen of the author o f the " Three Da ys of February," will prove not the lea st remarkable. George Giffil: lan pursues his serial of sketches of " Popular Lecturers" by a portraiture of Mr. George Dawson-- a portraiture, if anything, written more after the manner of Emerson than of Cormenin. The chapters entitled " The Star Shines through the Mist" are followed up by others, and an additional part of the historic-romance of "Miranda" is subjoined. One contribution will not be passed over lightly or pe rused negligently—the one devoted to a consideration of the "Chartists of Great Britain and the R epealers of Ireland." " Jactitation of Marriage ; or the Wedding in the Fog," is a curiosity, not only in title but in conception. After an intelligent fragment on "Life Assurance," and three indifferent scraps of versification, the magazine is completed by its usual appendices of a Literary_ and Political Register. DOLMAN. Another of those domestic stories, which the pre sent editor of Dolman (the Rev. Edward Price) is so eminently capable of telling with touching sim plicity, adorns the magazine for May. It is among the series of " Sick Calls," and is entitled " The Magdalen." Over the fortunes of Margaret the reader will pour in a mood of genuine pensiveness. A thoughtful fragment, called " Religion and Poli tics," precedes this pathetic historielle, and subse quently there is a continuation of " The Adventures of a Schoolboy," and the conclusion of " The Golden Age of Merry England." Two agreeable contri butions are also contained in the present number of Dolman, the one headed " The Cemetery," the other being an American sketch in the shape of an " Irish Gleaning." Besides the foregoing, there are several reviews of books and a page or two of Catholic monthly intelligence. FRASER. If we may judge from the article on Chartism, which appears in this month's Fraser, the cause of old Toryism must be desperate. Laughed at by the well educated of the upper classes, and repudiated by the great body of the middle and lower classes, Tories now make a high bid for Chartist support—which, how. ever, they will not get. The disorderly plunderers (not real Chartists, by the bye,) who take advantage of every popular assemblage to ply their dishonest trade, will no doubt be but too happy torender their assistance ; in fact there have frequently been rela tions heretofore subsisting between the parties—the disorderlies in question having ever been known as " the Tory mob," the gentlemen who did the mischief in Lord George Gordon's riots, and who, at Birming ham, wrecked the house of Dr. Priestly ; but of the real Chartists, of those men who honestly seek to effect political emancipation by moral means, not one will lend a helping hand to the Tories, notwithstanding the hearty abuse of the middle classes and the sneers at the special con stables in which these worthy old Tories think proper now to indulge. The non-political portion of Fraser this month is excellent. The opening paper on " Recent Discoveries in Astronomy" is evidently the work of a writer who not only thoroughly under stands his subject, but who possesses the rare talent of making it understood also by others. His ac count of the manner in which M. Le Verrier and Mr. Adams were led to discover the new planet Neptune is, perhaps, the most successful attempt yet made to popularise mathematical science. The paper on Beligoland is peculiarly interesting at the present moment, when there is every probability that that rocky island may again become the great entrepot for articles of British manufacture destined for the supply of the Continent. We have in this number reviews of the memoirs of Mademoiselle de Launay, of Landor's Hellenics and Latin Poems, of Rosen 's Campaign in Algiers, and of Sir Thomas Mitchell's recently published work on the Australian Colonies, in addition to the continuation of the " Armourer of Munster," and the current " History of the Month."• • INTERESTING • MARRIAGE BEQUEST. Yesterday morning a young woman was married at the parish church of St. George's.in-the•East, who had been edu cated at Raine's Charity Schools, situate in Old Gravel lane, Wapping, and who, on -that occasion was entitled to a marriage portion of 1001., in pursuance of the will of the benevolent founder. In 1719, Henry Raine, Esq., l i who amassed a princely fortune as a brewer at Wapping, founded a school for fifty boys and fifty girls. He after wards endowed an asylum for the reception of forty girls, who were to be maintained, educated, and trained up to service, who, after arriving at the age of 22, pro ducing satisfactory testimonial(, were twice a year, viz., in December and May, to draw lots for a marriage por tion of 1001. with a honest and industrious person of St. John's Wapping, or St. Paul's, Shadwell. After the ceremony a sermon was preached, and in the evening the trustees, at a dinner, presented to the happy couple a purse containing 100 new sovereigns. THE ConDEN TXSTINONIAL FUND.—A meeting of the committee of the Cobden testimonial fund was held at the Town-hall, Manchester, on Saturday morning, when a number of the principal contributors to therfu were present, including Mr. R. Hyde Greg , m. W. Rawson, and Mr. George Wilson, the th rers • three treasurers; with Mr. J. Heywood, M.P., Mr. Alderman worth, Mr. Alderman Potter, Mr. T. 8.. Potter, Ashton, MShuttle- Kershaw, M.P., Mr. R. Ashton. T • . Henry Ashworth, Mr. Thomas Woolley, Air. W. Bick ham, Mr. W. vans, Mr. ~Josephbfr Simpson, Mr. T. Sales Schwabe, Mr. r J. Hunter, Mr. Edmund Potter , of Littleborough. It Thomas Barnes, and Mr. Sch o field,u bscribed was 79,0001., from appeared that the a mount e be placed at Mr. (1 1 :11 ct e d for Cobden's Of the whole notwithstanding the com mercial d subscribed, all within about which balance 4 S f ° 7 ° 4 l. ,o b o a o a d i m . 2,0001. bad been mercia Wil son , who read the report from the ' depression which had prevailed; and of this deficiency, Mr. to be treasurers, sta ted that probably 1 , 5001 . more would ve t be received. The delay in closing the s u b scr i pt i on was a ttributed to the great depression of trade, and the ab sence of• Mr. Cobden from home. A m ost comp l ete and flat contradiction was given by the three treasurers to the statements and insinuations put forth from time to time, as to a misappropriation of the money subscribed, - these gentlemen declaring they h e ld t h emse l ves res ponsible to Mr. Cobden for the whole amount named at any moment. The whole of the money had not re mained in the banker's hands, however; some portion having been invested, with Mr, Cobden's consent, to greater advantage, and one moiety had been expended in the purchase of the estate known as Mr. Cobden's birthplace. The balance was in cash, and ready to be paid over by the treasurers so soon as the mode of doing it should be determined upon. These explanations ap. peared to give the highest satisfaction to the gentlemen present, and a sub-conmaitteo was appointed to audit the accounts. NAVAL INTELLIGENCE. - . . The Earl of Auckland, with Captains Eden, Hartii/ton, and Milne, on Saturday morning . last were present --at importantscnneveryfitted w trials, screw ial), r o e pr stte propellers, Whitehall, fo rexile. with the new launches o d f it s io i n abo ut to proceed Franklinao u d n -h d i e s r p S a i r r ty J . am T es he ts b s oa i t n c. 4 t by Thompson, of RotherXttia,are about .3; u : length and 11 .feet i n b rea dth ) ; and are each fitted with screw-propeller high-pressures engines of 5 horse-power, by Blissiwere tried up itind dpwn the several times, when, at-a 7 pressure of .161ba,, -they attained ft speed. of between five and six knots an:hour. tinder the cireurve stances, the trials were deemed to be very satislabto4, much more so than those with the Meander!iilatn - 42. fitted by Seaward with a iniew-propeller engine. The boats were necessarily light,-and an immersiers-suGelent to afford the screw a smooth - action was. note..ollainted ; but when the boats have,ltheir crews with their mare fuel &c., on board, they could 'he worked .at a pressure of 401bs. to the square ieclizAeith i : ierr,littke vibra tion. The engines are most compactly fitted, and the ease and simplicity of the- machine!. j y- which:t back turn was obtained apoment eliettalhe-..4r6- bation ot the o ffi cers o f the' Board. ,Lord Auclkland and Capt. Milne were in one of the boats, and Captains Eden and fiamilton in the other. The whol&Board of Admiralty have taken great interest in the fitting of these boats, as indeed they, have in fittin g out- the ex pedition. Sir James Ross. we belieie. has 4-milt blanche to do anything which might in his opt/Sem-be conducive to the success of his mission, and to the com fort and convenience of those who have voluntreied for the perilous enterprise. It should he tinderitood With reference to the above trials, that the eiperimentin this instance is no test of the speed to be attained by such a power with a high-pres Sure locoinetive. boiler , insamtith as the boats are necessarily constructed . to Si the Enter prise and Investigator, whereas, if. it were a mere qu ell . tint' of speed, the same machinery, fitted to a - boat of different form—that is of a_uichgreatersiengtiO ~, yith fine entrance and a fine run, would produce a vastly superior result. Rear-Admiral Pandas and Mr. , Ward 'hive 'bad the new Holyhead" steain-paoket . Banshee, Master-Corn mender Smithett, attending on them during their official visit to Cork. _ • PORTSMOUTH, MONDlY.—Thelar, white'arthetafaen, of Rear-Admiral Sir Francis Collier, C.B. and was hoisted at nine A.M. to-day on-board the •Hastings, 72, Captain J. W. Morgan. It wait- :hardy afterwards transferred, for the purpose of saluting, to the Belle rophon, 78, Captain R. L. Baynes, C.B, 'which ship saluted the flag of Admiral Sir C. Ogle with 17 guns, and was answered by theirictory . with 43.- -The Eng was then re-hoisted by the Hastings. . . • The Sharpshooter, new iron steam-vessel, Lieut. J C. Bailey commanding, was towed by the Echo alongside the dockyard to-day, to have her machinery repaired. The Howe, 120, Captain Sir James Stirling, Knight, was not prepared for coming into the harbour to-day, neither guns nor powder being out. It is rather doubt ful, even had she been prepared, if she could have got in t, oa-ckda. s y , the be strongww i ll be E brought .S.E . winin to-morrow. wind having icept the tide h The Plumper, new screw schooner, wa ' ind Woolwich,but eck d c' day. She is quite ready to proceed to must of s wait fora change to tow. angeo fwinfrdiei,gautn, was saas taken k e e n n incestho the occur e The Arrogant, new sc rew pbiaestio b n to-day,orfi t ting. tti o n. n g the removal of thef Baynes, Roeysa, si commencedl il yacht, eosa- The Bellerophon, 78, Captain her refit. Wind, E.S.E.; strong breezes and fine weather. New Z e a l and z N e l a aj l ' a e o st d y:s a s n t d eam w e il r Inflexible l sail lo on the now 3doaft this month a with the Governor and General to visit all the settle ments, and will proceed round the Middle Island, ae well as the Chatham and Auckland groups, when she will return to Auckland for a supply of coal, and then go to Sydney, on her way to Bombay to be docked. All letters for that ship should, therefore, be addressed to India. i'Ly Norma, Aram 29.—0 n Thursday, the 27th, the barque graving Ff onor boardttrsh ? h e ; CaptainGover Governo r o T r u o d f o r, South saile d Australia,f for Henry E. Fox Young, and lady. The Forfarahire also takes out 202 i statute adult emigrants, viz., 118 i chiefly from the midl an d and eastern counties, ' and 84 from Devon and Cornwall, selected by Mr. Wilcock., the agent for Government emigration here. WOOLWICH, MAY I.—The Earl of Auckland, G.C.B First Lord of the Ad m i ra l ty , and Captain Alexande r Milne, one of the Lords of the Admiralty, arrived at Woolwich dockyard by water at four o'clock, eat., and were received by Commodore Sir Gordon Bremer, K.C.B. and K.C.H., Captain Sir James Clarke Roes, Commander of the Ent e rpri se ; C apta i n Bird, Com mander of the Investigator; Captain Johnson, Lieutenant Fowler, Lieut. Robertson, Mr. Dyer, Mr. Lang, master shipwright; Mr. Jenkins, storekeeper; Mr. Atherton,chief engineer; and Mr. Leen, acting master attendant. Their Lordships visited the Fisgard, formerly 42 gun f,ieata, and now carrying the broad pendant of Commodore tiir Gordon Bremer; and mounting 28 32-pounder guns for the exercise of the gun-boat inen and the riggers el the dockyard battalion. From the Fisgard their Lordships proceeded on board the Investigator, one of the vessels fitting out for the Arctic expedition, which' is expected to leave Woolwich about the 10th of the present month, to proceed in search of Captain Sir John Franklin and the officers and crews of the Erebus and Terror. Their Lordships, on landing, went on board the Enterprise. the other vessel of the new Arc tic Expedition, aril r;ninined some time on beard with Captain Sir James Clarke Ross examining mini / U.ly the preparations for the .North Polar regions. On leav ing the Enterprise, thrir Lordships were on board the Caradec, Holyhead mail steam-packet, now rea,ty for se.i, and examined her engines and the whole ei her cabins, the chief cabin being elegantly fitted with bird's e3e maple panels in mahogany frames, with other fit tings in excellent keeping ;or the comfort of pl.,seug ers in the snail :team-packets. Their Lordships also visited the Niger, now taken into dock to have copper put upon her bottom. The Ariel, the Trident, and the Rifleman steam-vessels were examined in the basin, and their Lordships went on board the Rifleman, now fitted with the engines of the Teaser, and, having a traversing platform constructing on deck, which will be mounted with alO inch gun of 84 cwt. Tneir Lordships lett Woolwich at halt -past six o'clock P.M. for town. The whole of the dockyard battalion assembled this evening for drill, being the first day ot drill for the pre sent season. COURT CIRCULAR. - - - 'The Queen and Prince Albert walked out yesterday morning in the pleasure grounds of Osborne. Their Royal Highnesses the Prince of Wales, Prince Alfred, the Princes• Royal, and the Princess Alice, went to the beach yesterday, and took walking and pony exercise. Her Royal Highness the Princess Helena wsaa taken an airing. _ _ The Court is expected, leave Osborn• this (Tuer.- day) afternoon for Buckingham Palace. Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge visited her Majesty the Queen Dowager and their Serene Highnesses the Duke Bernard and the Duchess MA of Saxe Weimar, yesterday, at Marlborough House. The Right Hon. R. Vernon Smith had an interview with Lord John Russell yesterday, at his official resi dence in Downing -street. Major• General D'Aiguilar had an interview with Earl Grey yesterday, at the Colonial-office. The Duke 01 Cleveland had an interview with Sir G. Grey yesterday. Lord Ashley and Mr. D. W. Harvey had also interviews yesterday with the Right Hon. Baronet, at the Home-effice. Mr. Borthwick, Agent for the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce, and Sir Alexander Crichton, had an inter view with the Chancellor or the Rachequer yesterday, at his official residence in Downing -street. Colonel Anson had also an interview yesterday with the Right Hon. Baronet. Dispatches were received yesterday at :the Colonial office, from the Governors of Hong-Kong, Ceylon, New South Wales, South Australia, West Australia, and the Mauritius. Dispatches were sent off last evening frcm the Colonial-office for the Governors of the Cape of Good Hope, New South Wales, and the West India Colonies. ST. JAMES'S THEATRE.—We olaserve that the re nowned Robert Houdin, from the Palais Royal, Paris, commences his soiries funtastiques at the St. James's Theatre, this evening. The fame and reputation of M. Houdin has preceded him, and as the inventor of most of the tricks and scientific experiments which have already be more attractive than the copy. M. Houdin will delighted many aeao7sl9dBBB3al47n Lieutenancy haeHlL aei audience , set urbtei nc.e t ecvl b evo8tie0 . 011 0 8 ; cajmo t s fail to con tinue his entertainment every Tuesday, Thursday, an d S Saturday, for a limited number of representations. DEATH OF IN I set h e omhne . eos2eno4:otGhtt. entered hu l ei N t a. t l ja late t r • tEe : Gde D enai nrber A aeiumeßr L reyny T gola i pient saLra at an Roberti E . — lns inneD 212 \ pdg,i ' , yny e nasse:l h innysiw a :eo ve c: of Ba ll, w t o rgoihsone r oinn e c unjaeoeo. o x pt Sel re r eid d yti ryr nte t iod,in h ,n; 4, the rat* of General honour of the. Prince on the occasion of of B Wale rgTrlipsv or THE DUKE Or WELLINGTON.—I'es hu i s c h p )tt ,eherea d r cy Wellington, A ( l n o un I d u s e (Monday) was adrat t )y h . ehofis this Gracebirthdayill illustrious completed of rmi op ul t es h t ne e d : hi, ex t u s k: n 9 79th tradesmencasi occasion, atd their the A f l r b i i e o n n d , friends A der assembled sga t e to st r d e o e t h . o w n h o ne where r e to a Tho totalvery elegant enterta i nmen t was p rov id e d. M r . Sh er iff Cubitt, M.P.. in the chair. SPIRITS m. MANUFACTURED IN THE UNITED KING.. Du quantity of spirits manufactured in England, in the year ending Jan. 5, 1848, was 5,356,794 gallons; in Ireland, L 737,687; • and in Scotland, 8,542,219. The total amount of duty paid on, proof spirits released for consumption, within the :mane period in England, was 3,293,5891. 12a. 6d.; in Scotland, 1,135,4281 19s. 8(1.; and in Ireland, 804,984/. Bs. The quantity of proof spirits imported into Eujlaud from Ireland, in the year 1848, was 1.062,450 gallons, and the amount of duty paid. 420,0421. 18s. 4d. Within the same period 92,488 gallons. upon which 16.956/. 2a. Bd. was received in duty, were imported into Ireland from Se gland. ACCIDENT TO THE BENAESS - STEAMER, OFT CALCUTTA.—LOSS OF FIFTEEN LIVES.—A supplement to the Overland Bombay Courier of the Ist of April, contains an account of an accident by fire to the Be nares, steamer, off Calcutta. Fifteen persons, trying to save themeelves, were drowned. The names of the parties who perished were—Mr. Hartley, Miss Nash, the wife of a soldier, name unknown; Mr. Houlton, chief officer; Captain Whisker, Captain Sneyd, Mr. Triepland, Mr. Groser, Mr. Baker, a jockey. and five servants. Several syces are missing. When the fire moiled the engine-room it was ,extinguished.