The Sun. — London, England, 1861-05-21 00:00:00

FRENCH .PLAYS.—ROYAL ST. JAMES'S THEATRE. —Under the Direction of Mons. Lambert Denncry.—THlS EVENING, LE SERMENT D'HORACE, In which Mons. Alfred Maugard and Mdlle. Thericivill ap pear. To conclude with LE VOYAGE DE MONS. PER RICHON : MM. Geoffroy, Grayler, floquet, Leduc • Madame Leduce and Mdlle. Delphini.—Commence at 8. rilllEA'rßE-ROYAL) HAYMARKET, Leslee, Mr. J. B. Backeteme. THIS EVENING, the performances will nommensa with a new and original Comedy, entitled BLACK SHEEP. Mr. Buekstone, Mr. Compton, Mr. Howe, etc. ; Mrs. Wilkins, Mrs. Charles Young, Miss Lovell, itc. Atter which, will be revived, with entirely new scenery and effects, and all the original music by the late Sir Henry Bistiop, the melodrama of THE MILLER AND HIS MEN. Commence at 7. ItO YAL PRINCESS'S THEATRE.- Lessee and Manar., , er, Mr. A. Harris. To conclude with MARRIED AND UNMARRIED. Mr. Ryder, Mr. Shore, Mr. Cathcart, Miss Murray, and Mis Heath. After which, a new comedietta, TRUTH AND FICTION. Messrs. F. Matthews,Widdicombe, Shore, Cathcart, Garden; Miss C. Leclercq, Miss R. Leclercq, and Miss M. Harris. t To conclude with NUESEY CHICKWEED. NEW THEATRE-ROYAL, ADELPHL- Sole Proprietor and Manager, Mr. B. Webster. Reproduction of "The Colleen Bawn. " The Adelph: " Census " every Eveninz. THIS EVENING, the successful new Farce, entitled A TURKISH BATH. Mr. J. L. Toole, Mr. P. Bedford. After which (185th"time), THE COLLEEN BAWN. Mr. D. Boucicault. D. Fisher, Blllington, Falconer, Stephenson, 'C. J. Smith, Romer, Howard, Ward • Mrs. Boucicault, Miss Woolgar, Mrs. Billing - ton, and Mrs. Chatterley. To be followed by a new apropos Sketch, THE CENSUS. Messrs. J. 1,. Toole, Eburne, Romer, C. J. Smith ; Miss Kate Kelly, Miss E. Thorne, and Mrs. Chatterley. Doors open at half past B—Commence at 7. ASTLEY'S ROYAL AMPHITHEATRE.- Open every Evening at a quarter-Past 7.—Day Per l'ormance To-morrow, Wednesday, 22d May, at 2 o'clock.— —With Boorn's Equestrian Company—the Rocky Mountain Wonders, and a Grand Spectacle and Ballet Troupe, under the direction of 31. Lauri.—Reduced Prices.—Box-office open from 11 to 3 daily. CANTERBURY -HALL CONCERTS tJ AND FINE ARTS GALLERY. EVERY EVENING, A Grand Selection from Verdi's new Opera, UN BALLO IN MASCHERA, (First produced in England at this Establishment), With a Chorus of Forty Voices. Also, Verdi's IL CORSARO, never performed at any her Concerts. Solos on the Cornet-a-piston, by Mr. Levy. The Comic Department comprises the Brothers Conrad (in their new and inimitable entertainments), Mr. Wood and his talented little Son, Mr. Marshall, Mr. Blanchard, Mr. Ho; lingsworth, and Miss Rose Howard. Musical Director, Mr. F. JONGHMANS. H E F 0 R D, 6, OXFORD-STREET. Mr. LEVY, undoubtedly the best performer of the day on the Cornet-a-Piston—Grand Selections (on the most complete scale) from Dinorah, Martha, Stradella, ac., and other vocal and instrumental music, by Miss Russell, the Misses Stuart, and Miss Ernst, Messrs. C%arles Greville, Fornari, Kimber ley, Bernard, Beaumont, Bervon, Finish, Signor Tivoli, and Mr. Henry Herbert, with full band and powerful and selected chorus, conducted by Mr. F. Jonghmans.—The following Comic talent, Messrs. W. Randall, j. Blanchard, W. H. Wie land, Hollingsworth, E. Marshall, Harvey, and French, and the Brothers Conrad in their latest and best entertainment, every evening. Admission, Hall, sixpence; Balcony and Stalls, one shilling. Private Boxes, 10s. 6d. HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE. Tats DAY.—Morning, 11h. 6m.—Afternoon, 11h. 34m. To-monaow.-Morning, h. m.—Afternoon, 12h. Cm. THE WEATHER.—SUN Orincos, MAY 21, 1861, THERMOMETER, TN THE SHADS. 72—highest since noon yesterday. 54—lowest this morning and during the night. 73—this day at noon. BARommTER-30.41. WIND--Westerly—light and variable; with fine sunshiny weather. MANDEVILLE has it--in his clever but wicked text-book of infidelity, in which his sayings are as the sayings of LA BRUYERE, and his philosophy as the philosophy of ROCHEPOUCAULT—that When ever a Victor is extremely cruel towards the Vanquished you may be quite certain that, in some crisis of the struggle, he was all but beaten ! The observation, which is profound, has its appli cation in one sense, at this moment to the course now being pursued in regard to the treatment of the Exiled Orleans Princes by the Imperial French Government. Judging of that course by the light of the simple and sententious axiom we have here quoted, we might not unreasonably draw the conclusion, from the excessive severity now being evidenced towards the younger Branch of the Bourbon dynasty by the reigning Sovereign of France and his despotic Government, that the point of the pen lately in the hand of the Due d'AumALB must surely have penetrated through the imperial panoply and gone deep into the heart of Bonapartism. Otherwise the extraordi nary proceedings now adventured upon by the councils of the Tuileries in consequence of the issue of the late brochure must remain altogether inexplicable. Recollect, first of all, that that pamphlet so much complained of by the Imperialists so much reviled in certain quarters as an indecorum on the part of a fallen dynasty, and as little else than simply scurrilous to the present occupant of the throne of the NAPOLEONS—was in itself purely a retaliation. It was provoked by a wanton and wholly uncalled-for diatribe uttered with indecent warmth from the tribune of the imperial senate by one standing upon the second step of the dais of the Majesty of France, by no other, in fact, than H.I.H. the Prince NAPO LEON. Until the haughty, and even, in fact, insolent, speech of the cousin of the Emperor NA roLEON 111. had been delivered, so to speak, in the view and hearing of all Europe the Orleans Princes had maintained a dignified silence, a silence unbroken by the merest whisper of a complaint or of a reproach ever since the lamentable close of their father's reign in the February Revolution. Then, but not until then, the earnest feelings of the D uc D'AUMALE could brook the continuance of that pro longed reticence no further, under circumstances of such peculiar irritation. There was every imagin able excuse why one of the Orleans exiles should at length blurt out the truth boldly, in answer to those cruel and unjust accusations. Hence the Due D'AUMALE'S pamphlet. Hence the rumour of the duel certain to be fought between his Royal Highness and his Imperial Highness, the P r i nce NAPOLEON, the first assailant ! A duel that has never come off, however—that turns out to have been all along on ly rum oured. The answer vouch safed by the imperial powers that be, to that for midable brochure, we all know to have been a pro secution ! A prosecution resulting in fine and im prisonment —the unfortunate publisher being con demned, for example, to undergo, in expiation of his offence, the galling penalty of one whole year's incarceration. Enough, one would have supposed —with a vengeance—under the circumstances. Not so, however, thinks the mild and liberal minded Count de PERSIGNY t That Count de PERSIGNY who was to have inaugurated under his Ministerial regime not only Free Trade for France (through the Commercial Treaty negotiated by Mr. COBDEN), but, together with Free Trade—Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Writing. We were to have witnessed the introduction of all these ineffable boons in France under the auspices of the new French Minister —thanks to his appreciation, by long residence in England, of the blessings accruing from Constitutional Government. Whatever may have been the momentary hopes excited in some sanguine minds by the benignant foreshadowings of improvement in the political institutions of the French Empire, with which M. de PERSIGNY sig nalised the comm encement of his administration, those illusory hopes have long since been effectually scattered to the winds of heaven, Under M. de . ' ;:',7V,,, ' ..'.;! . :'.', 4 • -, —, 4 .. .; '. ". .1 A ''.,4 . - -. ..'• .;, --- .---''. - , jpof ' - ‘4,4'• - - . 4 ‘-4 . 11 --- - :2 ) 4 ~. .4 t t io '.. ''''' ' ' ' ...., c -) ;: , 1 . A '':‘ ,1 1,% • ' l s' , ,s • Arig !, ~'• - , 'l' . 4. .; ".!;• • ',' - v.,Attfort. THE SUN. LONDON, TUESDAY, MAY 21, 1881. PERSIGNY'S rule, as absolutely as under M. de THOUVENEL'S, as previously under M. de WALEWSkI'S, newspapers have been warned, have been seized, have been fined, have been subjected to all sorts of pains and penalties. The Tribune has certainly been thrown open once more in the Imperial Legislature—but to what end ? To the end that the Councils of France should in no way be influenced by the force of dis cussion—and to the end, at the same time, that such exhibitions of " malice in power" should be wit nessed as that observable in the very speech of NAPOLEON'S, which elicited from the D uc D'AVIIALE his notable rejoinder. Well—after all this has been said and done—most lamentable to relate, the Imperial Ruler and his Minister go yet one step further in their tyrannous retaliation. A Cir cular is issued by M. DE PERSIGNY, of all men ! ordering the Prefects of France, to the number of very nearly a hundred, "to watch with care any attempt at publication which may be made in the names of persons who have been either banished or exiled." Meaning, in so many words—the Orleans Princes ! It is very cruel—but it is worse in one sense than simply cruel, it is at the same time wholly superfluous. After the results of the late prosecution had become known throughout France—throughout Christendom—it was in the highest degree improbable that any other exiled Prince could find a publisher within the boundaries of France ready to issue across his counter another such pamphlet as the Due D'AIDIALE'S, with a co . - tainty of having, in return for that, to pass the whole of the next year in durance vile—with no result whatever coming of it all but his own twelvemonths' imprisonment ! It was, we repeat, improbable in the highest degree that the incidents recently witnessed at Paris could very speedily be repeated. Consequently, therefore, that arro gant and despotic Circular of the French Minister's to the ninety-odd Prefects of France, empowering that numerous body of functionaries to exercise the right of veto on every political publication through out the EMPEROR'S dominions, is recognised upon the instant by every one to be--quite flagrantly— a matter of supererogation. It need not have been done—and, supposing it Rot to have been done, it would have saved the Imperial regime from a very grievous scandal and a very deplorable ignominy. And this, because from first to last the whole pro ceeding may be characterised—to employ one of the latest of the two-edged antitheses of Mr. DISRAELI —from first to last the whole of these proceedings against the Orleans Princes may be eharacterised as "mean in device and malignant in conception," on the part of the Emperor NAPOLEON 111. and his—we can hardly call them Advisers, we will say simply then his—satraps in the Imperial Govern ment. A debate which will certainly have a conspicuous place in European history is now vigorously in pro gress in the Hungarian Diet. One who should have been a leader in it, the noble Count TELEKI, is now no more ; let us hope, sad as even that hope is, that he fell by his own hand in a moment of mental abaration, and not by the hand of the Austrian assassin. His friend, M. DEAR, from whom he differed only on the question whether the reply to the Royal Speech should be in the form which re cognised FRANCIS JOSEPH as defacto King of Hun gary, or in that of a simple resolution or memorial, is now probably the most influential leader in this debate; he is a man of unquestioned moderation, would in England be classed with Conservatives; and he therefore concludes that an address in reply to the speech is the better form, and that the ad dress should be to " The Emperor FRANCIS JOSEPH, who convoked the Diet and has, de facto, Sovereign powers in Hungary." But his speech, which occupies eleven columns in a Vienna paper, is as firm in assertion of all pro bably that TELEKI himself would have demanded, as we should think even the Radicals can wish. It seems to have been listened to by the Diet with breathless attention, the applause bursting out voci ferously at the close of each important decision. In the clever summary of it which appeared in The Sun yesterday his arguments seem very forcible, and, by the Austrians, unanswerable. His proposals will probably be carried, though we in this coun try can hardly be competent judges' on the ques tion, whether the Hungarians would be conceding too much in admitting that FRANCIS lOSEPH is de facto King of Hungary. That he has a large army there and can do what he likes is true. That he eau, as he is now doing, collect taxes, illegally levied ; that he called the Diet, and that they assembled at his call, is true, and a more important truth than that, he has physical force by which he can dissolve it at any time. The Extreme Party say that they regard his call not as valid, and as an authority, but as giving the long illegally -suppressed as sembly an occasion or opportunity of meeting once mere. M. DEAR stated their position with admirable clearness when he said :—" In former times the disputes between the Sovereign and the Hungarian nation arose from the two parties giving different interpretations to laws the validity of which was recognised by both. At present the Austrian Government is trying to force Hungary to accept a promulgated (octroirt) Constitution in lieu of those fundamental laws to which she is so warmly attached. On the side of Hungary are right and justice; on the other side is physical force (materielle gewalt). Such being the state of things, both firmness and circumspec tion are necessary. Should the Hungarian Diet yield in matters of vital importance it would be guilty of treason to the nation ; should it run unne cessary risks it would be equally culpable." M. DEAK wisely desires to err rather on the side of moderation than otherwise; he doubtless sees the importance of retaining the approbation of Europe. And if he does not press the illegal position of a Sovereign, whom most of the Powers desire to support, he may be better able to ask that Europe shall join him in his demand that that Monarch shall respect the undeniable rights of Hunga r y. _ To th e question—what shall the Diet say ? M. D EAR answers with out any appearance of conces sion. He d emands, ( Austrian indeed, what will shake the despotism evident right o complete surrendern hto pieces, and vet with suc h is side that phy s i ca l fo rce or would appear to be the only alternatives. He enters into the history of his country, proves that the Pragmatic Sanction is the only basis of the HAPSBURG claims, a fact which the EMPEROR, himself admits by appealing to it. Yet the diploma of October 20th, 1860, is in con tradiction to it. By the Great Historical Docu- ment Hungary is a separate kingdom, governed 011 strictly defined conditions by its own King ; and therefore, the diploma, by convening Hunga rian deputies to assemble in a Reichsrath at Vienna, and there to tax Hungary, and to levy soldiers from her by the act of an assembly com posed of a majority of foreigners, would be a direct violation of the celebrated treaty by which the suc cession passed to the female line of the HA.PSBURGO in the person of MARIA THERESA. With:the exception of JOSEPH 11., who was never crowned, all the Sovereigns who succeeded M ARIA THERESA, entered on their reigns by signing the , 'coronation documents up to the last 'EADIzigiD .the living ex-Emperor, who also sanctioned the laws of 1848. There is no trace whatever of any other union than this personal one with Austria among all its laws, treaties, and transactions, Hence, M. BEAK concludes—" Hungary is not a member of the German Diet, because she has never been an in. tegral part of the Austrian empire. We must therefore solemnly declare that we insist on the restoration of our constitutional independence and self-government, which we consider the fundamental principles of our national existence. We can on no account allow the right to vote the supplies of money and men to be taken from us. We will not make laws for ocher countries, and will share our right to legislate for Hungary with no one but the King. We will neither send deputies to the present .Reichsrath, nor take any share in the representation of the empire." When such is the position taken, not by a Re publican, not by a sworn enemy (an enemy with cause enough) like M. KOSSUTH, but by a man of moderate temper, a very SOMERS, both in his dis position and his knowledge of his country's laws and constitution, the EMPEROR and his able but Austrian and German-Austrian Ministers must begin to reflect seriously. Will force now avail them ? M. DEAR'S grand plea with the more radical of his own countrymen is, that the Emperor of AUSTRIA has now entered on a cause of Consti tutionalism,—but if the EMPEROR persists in nulli fying the force of this appeal by openly refusing to act on the principles of the oldest and most vener ' able Constitution in Europe,—if he determines the tzcelve years of his own illegality and violence shall ds , !stroy the Constitution of the kingdom which , composes by far the most important of the many parts of his :motley domains,—if he sends foreign soldiers to collect Hungarian taxes, because, being levied contrary to !aw, the peasantry, like so many village HAMPDENS, refuse to pay them,—if, in a word, he means to override all law and right by mere brute force,—then let him prepare for a fear ful struggle. A struggle there must then be of patient endurance, on the one side, with the stolid brutal cruelty for which Austrian officers, as well as common soldiers, have made them selves the detestation of the armies of civilisation. On the other the regime of barbarism may last long, but can it be ultimately successful ? Austria wants money above all things, but how can a country furnish revenue whose home steads are overrun by the armed hordes of Austria ? Austria wants Hungarian soldiers, but while she violates the firesides of their wives, mothers, and sisters, can she expect that the soldier will not pre fer to level his musket or his rifle at his own officer, who, to him, is the representative of his country's Sovereign States," but it maintained, that it does lie in the power of the Federal Government to pre vent the construction of any more sovereignties based on what they held to be the immoral, and the politically, commercially, and industrially viciois principle of slavery. The North has aimed legally and indirectly to abolish slavery in the Union, the South fights to spread slavery in the territories, and thus to prevent its extinction. This is the real issue, In less than three years there will have arrived the Three Hundredth Anniversary of the Birth of our immortal SHAKSPERE. In anticipation of this memorable epoch in the history of England's, of the World's Literature—a subscription is already being set on foot with a view to the inauguration of a National Monument upon that day, namely, upon the 23d of April, 1864, in honour of THE IMMORTAL BARD ! What a designation for a Poet to have won, but yet it is indubitably SHAK-, SPERE'S distinctive appellation—The Immortal Bard! A monument like this is not called for in any way, of course, by his Fame, but simply by our Gratitude. The imperishable glory of SHAKSPERE'S genius is independent of all such efforts in the way of its commemoration. And in effect, if any visible monument were needed by him here in England, it would be found already conspicuously placed among the white-cliffs of his loved and honoured Fatherland. For there, upon the very threshold of England, as the European traveller comes across the Channel to this famous island, does he not note yonder, close to the seaport of Dover, in attestation of the Glory, and in reminder of the Genius of A.VILLIAM SHAKSPERE, that a few exquisite lines occurring incidentally in one of his great dramas, has associated his name directly and for ever with one of the most picturesque and beautiful among the wave-washed cliffs of Old England? SIIAKSPERE'S Cliff! That is the noblest and grandest of all the material monuments of his Fame and of his Genius. And it is a monument of his Fame and Genius carved out by his own potent hand—with a few strokes from his wondrous pen. Yet viewing the notion of another and, strictly speaking, National Monument to SHAKSPERE, here in England, view ing that suggestion simply through the medium of our general gratitude—it appears a happy thought, and one in every way most reasonable, that a Monument of that character should be inaugurated upon the 300th anniversary of SHAKCPERE'S Birth. So happy a thought is it, that we wish it heartily success. And if we might give one suggestion to the projectors of the scheme, we should be tempted to propose that SHAECSPERE'S monument (of course to be erected here .n London) should, upon a yet grander scale be raised somewhat upon the same plan as that visible :n Edinburgh, in the lofty and ornate and exquisitely beautiful Scott Monument. Here is the circular—a copy of which has just been sent us—definirg in a few words the scheme of this alluring enterprise :- 1, Bryanston•street, Portman-square, W., May 15th, 18G1. " SHAKSPERE MONUMENT." oppressor ? True, if Hungary obtain her demands the Aus trian Empire, in its illegal sense, will have ceased to exist. But the KING of Hungary and EMPEROR of Austria may then be a powerful monarch. He may be deterred from useless and costly schemes of aggressive ambition, and from trampling on the liberties of other nationalities, by having a second Diet to consult which knows the worth of freedom, but for defensive purposes he will be stronger than ever. With Hungary contented and governed freely through her constitutional representatives, no one will dare to attack without cause the hereditary States of the EMPEROR. The Government of FRANCIS JOSEPH would no longer be able to aid petty German Princes to suppress their elective Chambers, but it would be able to appeal with suc cess to any wanton invader of its domains, to a people who, throughout their history, have been but too ready generously to succour their oppres sors in the hour of danger. Sir,—April 23d, 1864, gill be the 300th anniversary of the birth of the immortal hakspere, and it has been deter mined to inaugurate, on that day, a National Monument to him —one worthy his great fame and his country's appre ciation of his pre-eminent genius. I shall be happy to know if I may have the honour of your name and influence in support of this movement. The maximum subscription proposed is five guineas, the minimur one penny, so that all classes may combine in erecting the nation's tribute to our greatest poet—already too long neglected.—l am, Sir, your obedient servant, ADOLPHLS FRANCIS THE BRITISH FORCES ON 7HE NORTH AMERICA. AND WEST INDIA STATION. The rumour now is that Washington is yet in danger. If it be, former accounts must have con siderably exaggerated the number of troops which had arrived at the capital, and the command which the North had gained over Maryland, as far as to the city of Baltimore itself. It is not unlikely that a demand from Washington for troops and arms may have given rise to one of those sudden alarms which are common in all wars. That "the capital is in imminent peril," after what we heard by the last few mails, is scarcely credible. The Vir ginians were certainly not in a position by the last advices to think of an attack, President DAvis appeared to be at Montgomery, and to have enough to do is the South—Maryland could not move, and unless, therefore, some great secret operations have been in hand, we should imagine Washington to be as safe as London. Another report—" That the Federal troops will occupy Baltimore in the course of the week," seems far more likely, unless former statements that a Federal fort commanded the city, and that the PRESIDENT'S soldiers occu pied all the important routes to the North, were mere fictions: On the other hand, it is not unlikely that the Virginians have responded to President LINCOLN'S declarations of his intention to re-occupy at once all the Federal positions in their territory by counter proclamations. They would naturally threaten to resist any invasion of the State, as they would term it. The Governor of North Carolina is also only following out' the natural consequences of his position in sending a warlike message to the Legislature. The Legis latures of Tennessee and Arkansas have also It may not be uninteresting to our readers, con sidering the present disturbed state of affairs in the United States, to glance over the following list of her Majesty's ships on the American seaboard, which has been carefully compiled from official sources, and comprises the number of ships, guns, men, horse-power tonnage, and the commandi ng officeron the NorthAmericaland West India Station ; , passed secession ordinances ; the former, however, will refer the question to the people, which most of the Seceding States are afraid to do. Probably the large number of free settlers in one half of Tennessee necessitate this course. The Southern Congress has by a law formally recognized the existence of a war with the Federal Government, and by an Act authorised the issuing of letters of marque. And though Fort Pickens has been lately strongly reinforced, yet despatches from the South say that General BRAGG is preparing to attack it. The previous accounts represented him as dis- couraged and withdrawing. Mr. SEWARD, how_ ever, has certainly commenced his part in the campaign, and reluctant as he was to believe that war was possible, has notified the New York merchants that the blockade of Norfolk in Chesa- peake Bay is complete, and that even a foreign vessel would not be permitted to load cotton there! The South will, therefore, probably soon begin to feel the pressure of want of trade and money. On the whole, we !gust regard ;hese last advices as little more than nu:tours and reports, with hardly any facts which show any important change in the position of parties. We must, however, do the North the justice to observe, that a contemporary is hardly fair in de scribing the struggle between the North and the South as merely one fer territory. It is true the mmediate issue between Mr. LINCOLN and the South was whether slavery should be extended into fresh territories ; but both parties well understood that this involved the greater question, whether slavery should be gradually stifled to death or not. Both sides believe, and we must allow them to be the best judges, that slavery restricted to its pre sent limits would soon destroy itself. Hence the North was bent on extinguishing this curse of their country in the only way legally open to it. The North did not wish to violate the fundamental principle of the Confederation by calling on Con- .grey to interfere in the " domestic institutiona of THE SUN,: LONDON, TUESDAY EvENING; MAY 21, 1861 LATEST NE PARIS, MAY 21 Tho Moniteur of today says :—" The Italian papers publish a letter alleged to have been ad dressed by the Emperor Napoleon to Prince Murat. This letter is a mere invention. Although the Emperor disapproved of the letter published by his cousin on the affairs of Naples without his permis sion, his Majesty has by no means withdrawn his friendship from him." TURIN, MAY 20. In to-day's sitting of the Chamber of Deputies, Signor Minghetti, Minister of the Interior, stated that administrative difficulties existed in the Nea politan Provinces, but that there was no political danger. The number of Italian soldiers killed and wounded in the suppression of brigandage since the 6th of April is under 30, The municipal elections are everywhere proceed ing regularly. The number of persons voting is numerous. MADRID, MAY 20. The Queen has signed the decree for the annexa tion of San Domingo to Spain. • MARSEILLES, MAY 20. Advices have been received here from Beyrout to the 14th inst., stating that Djemblst Bey had been found dead in his prison. VIENNA, MAY 20. The Emperor has granted a full amnesty to al those persons who had been condemned for politica crimes by the military authorities of Trieste. LISBON, MAY 20. The King opened the Cortes to-day. The Speech from the Throne was not of political importance. His Majesty stated that a loan would be con tracted for by Portuguese capitalists. He said also that the financial state of the country was satisfactory, and that the colonies required the attention of the Cortes. ST. PETERSBURG, MAY 20 (Evening.) Although the Neva has been already open for navigation, it was to-day suddenly and thickly covered with ice coming from Lake Ladoga. Many vessels have been damaged, and many barges laden with grain sunk. The losses caused are very considerable. F 6 Officer Ships. 51 d og o Commanding. ;.1 ;:8' Nile St. George, 9O 880 500 2 , 719 1 Capt. Hon. F. Egerton Cadmus Jason Terror l6 60 200 1,954 Capt. 14'. Hutton Valorous Racer Imaum Desperate Barracouta Firebrand Gladiator Hydra 6 130 220 818 Com. R. V. Hamilton Spiteful 5tyx....... 6 i 165 280 1.057 Com. J. H. Cave Landrail 5 60 80 425 Com. T. H, M. Martin IVrilble Nettle 2 23 20 211 Tender Onyx Skipjack 2 37 60 233 Corn. J. Murray Kite ...... 3 170 1;0 ;iOO Steam-tug Jasper 1 80 80 301 Lt.-Com. W. H. Ppm Kingston .• • • • • Tend6r Pyramus Weymouth .. 6 • • 826 Receiving hulk Despatch .. • • .. Sheer hulk Devonport .. • • • • Anchor flag Doterel .. • • .. Receiving ship Dromedary .. • • Convict ship Marianne .. • • • • ... Receiving ship Medway .... .. • • .. Convict ship Safety ...... .. • • • • .. Receiving hulk Tenedas • • .. Convict hulk Thames .• • • • • .. Convict hulk - Total.. 339 4,196 5, 3 .80 254,36 • FITTING OUT, &C. • ti • Commanding Ships. g 4 Officer C 7 t Es _Mersey -- ....1 40 594 1, 00 0 3,73.3 Capt. H. Caldwell, C. 13 Ariadne '26 435 1, 000 3,202 Capt. E. W. Vansittart Challenger .. 22 260 400 1,462 Capt. J. J. Kennedy, C.B Rinaldo .... 17 ' 65 6 165 2 00 878 Corn. W. N. W. H ewe tt, V.O Driverago 1,056~C0rn. H. Nelson Total 1 6 165 111i1,619, 2,86‘, g 10,331 The Mersey sailed last week for the above sta tion. The Ariadne has been ordered home from the Mediterranean to refit for the above station ; and the Challenger, Rinaldo, and Driver, are pro gressing fast in their equipment. The Duke and Duchess of Argyll left Campden hill on Saturday last on a visit during the holidays to the Duchess Dowager of Sutherland, at Cliefden, near Maiden head. Their graces will return to town on Monday next. The Marquis and Marchioness of Cholmondeley left Carlton House-terrace yesterday for Westbrooke, on a visit to the Hon. Mr. and Lady Georgiana Ryder. BARS OF GoLD.—Madllo. Titiens will make her first appearance at Exeter Hall in the Creation, under the auspices of the National Choral Society on Wednesday, the 22d. Mr. Martin having engaged her at the unprecedented sum of one hundred and twenty guineas to sing the com paratively few bars belonging to the part of Gabriel. LAMENTABLE ACCIDENT ON THE SOUTH WESTERN RAILWAY.—Last evening a fearful accident occurred to one of the porters engaged at the Vauxhall Station, who was proceeding down the Windsor line. It appears that when the train arrived at Twickenham, at 25 minutes past 8, a man was observed to fall from the top of one of the car riages head foremost on to the up-line rails. When picked up he was discovered to be one of the porters belonging to Vauxhall Station, and his head was completely split open. The poor fellow was conveyed at once to the house of Mr. Clark, a surgeon practising at Tw)tkenham, and is under stood to be in a very precarious state. A destructive fire broke out on Sunday morning, 1 17.1 one of the most populous parts of Dublin, and before it could be extinguished several houses and a timber yard were .destroyed, and the adjoining premises were greatly injured. It is not known how-the catastrophe originated. ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS, REGENT'S PARK.—The gardens of the Zoological Society of London were crowded with visitors during the Nliole of yesterday. Nearly 26,000 persons paid for their admission, and many of the Fellows and their friends were likewise present. FREE EMIGRATION TO THE CAPE OF GOOD TIOFE. —The Sedgemore, of 920 tons, being the 28th free emi grant ship despatched at the colonial expense, sailed from Southampton on Saturday last for Table Bay, with a selection made from the artisan and agricultural classes, by the acting emigration agent, Mr. A. C. Saunders. They number 258 souls, equal to 223 statute adults, and are under the charge of superintending surgeon S. P. Chennell. Mr. Saunders appointed from among them John M'Kay to be schoolmaster, Jane M'Connell to be matron, and Alice Wright, sub-matron. The emigration to the colony under the local act of 1857 has now reached 4 total of 8,020 souls. FRANCE. Commercial men for the present no longer occupy themselves with foreign politics. They are now directing their attention to the financial difficulties apprehended from the vast demands which are about to be made on the money-market. This day the Bank of France opens a subscription for the railway companies, who want to raise a sum of 230,000,000 f. on railway bonds. The next de mand on the public will be for 104,000,000 f., which the Government desires to raise on the security of bonds to be paid off in 30 years. This money is wanted for the execution of some branch railway lines, which the Government has under taken to construct at the expense of the State. The next demand to be submitted to the money market is for a loan of 500,000,000 f. for the new kingdom of Italy. In order to introduce this loan to the Paris Bourse a preliminary step is necessary —the kingdom of Italy must be acknowledged. The question asked among commercial men is, will the recognition be accomplished as speedily as some Paris papers have announced' Some doubts are entertained on the sub- ject. The recognition of the kingdom of Italy is considered impossible so long as the French troops remain at Rome. It is remarked with pleasure by some commercial men that the occupation of Rome by French troops protects, and may for some time longer protect, the Paris money-market from the invasion of the great Piedmontese loan. It is said that the cash in hand in the Bank of France has further increased within the last eight days, and that the amount of the commercial bills discounted has diminished ; under these circum stances it is not expected that the Governor of the Bank will increase the rate of discount for the present: Count de Germiny, Governor of the Bank of France, has published a notice relative to the issue of railway bonds. He offers to the public 86,000 bonds of the Ardennes Railway Com pany, at 29f. 25c. ; 80,000 of the Strasbourg Company, at 292 f. 50c.; 268,000 of the Paris to Lyons and the Mediterranean Company, at 293 f. 75c. ; 75,000 of the Bordeaux and Cette Com pany, at 293 f. 75c. ; 140,000 of the Orleans Com pany, at 293 f. 75c. ; and 137,000 of the Western Railway Company, at 292 f. 50c. These bonds pro duce an annual interest of 15f, each, and are re payable by annual drawings. The subscription list is to be open from the 21st to the 28th of May, including Sunday, the 26th. BOURSE, May 20.—The greatest stagnation pre vails in the market, but prices have been pretty well maintained. Threes, for the Account, have alternated between 69f 35c, and 69f 40c. Railway Shares quiet, but firm. The following were the last quotations :- 4k per per Cents ... 96 75 Credit Foueier 990 tiO end month.... Belgian 41 29 3 per Cents . 69 30 Piedmontese Fives. 73 50 Do. end month.... 69 40 Roman Bank Shares 2875 —}Austrian Credit Mobilier.... 707 50 ' Spanish Threes 49 75 Do. Account 707 50 Home Debt .. — RAILWAYS. Cash. Account. Orleans 1360 .. 1361 25 Northern New ditto Lyons and Mediterranean Geneva Southern Western Eastern Sardinian Austrian Low bard 985 - 986 15 897 50 .. 900 - 932 50 .. 933 75 418 75 .. 417 50 573 75 .. 575 526 25 .. 527 50 575 - 576 25 377 50 .. 380 -- 506 2.5 .. 506 2.5 502 50 .. 502 50 THIS .DAI'S MARKETS. HAY MARKETS. SMITHFIELD.—Meadow hay, £2 5s to £5 5s Od ; clover du., £3los to £5 18s ; and straw, £1 15s to £2 Os per load. A steady demand for all good and prime loads. CUMBERLAND. Meadow hay, £2 5s to £5 5s ; clover, £3 lOs to £6 Os Od ; and straw, £1 16s to £2 2s per load. A fair trade, at our quotations. WHITECHAPEL. Meadow hay, £2 5s to £5 5s Od ; clover, £3 10s to £5 18s Od ; and straw, £1 153 to £2 Os per load. Trade steady. COLONIAL• TEA.—No dealings of any importance have taken place, and prices remain unaltered. Svc; Au —The market has been closed for the Whiisun holidays, and private dealings have been limited, at former rates. COFFEE.—For the better qualities there has been a fair inquiry, and fully late prices are demanded by hold ers. RI :T.—Only a partial inquiry has been experienced, and quotations are a shade flatter. SALTPETRE.—The dealings have been on a very limited scale, and inferior qualities have slightly given way in price. TALLOW—The market has been very quiet, the few operations recorded being for home consumption. P.Y.C. on the spot is quoted 58s, and last three months' delivery 54s Gd per cwt. 1 COAL MAR. .ET-MAY 20. (recce of Coal per Ton at s. `d. Wylarn l6 13yass's Bebside West Hartley . 16 6 Huddle's West Hartleyl6 6 Carr's Original Hartleyls 6 Carway and Buffryn Malting Do. Anthracite.. 21 6 Lambert's West Hart- the close of the market Walls End. s. d. ley 1G 3 Tantield Moor l3 0 Tanfield Moor Butes„l3 0 Craghead Hartley_ _l5 0 Holywell 16 0 West Hartley 16 G Walker Primrose 13 0 Ships at market, Hetton .. l7 6 Hough Hall 15 9 Kelloo .. .16 6 Haswell Thorpe North Percy Hartley.. ls 6 South Hetton 47 6 South Hartlepool.— l5 9 Thornley _l4 0 Trimdon Th orn ley.. .. 14 6 Trimd on Hartlepool ..16 9 South Kelloe.. ........ 16 6 Cassop ............... 16 6 llarton .............. 15 6 Hilda l5 0 Byron ~ . ..01 5 8 , 112; NW ) 94. LITERATURE. Curious Things of the Outside World. Last Fire . By Hargrave Jennings. 2 V o l s . T. and W. Boone. It is but justice to the laborious and enthusiastic author of these two very:singular volumes, at once to pronounce y his work bath origin a l an d remar k a b le. 1 ehave rarely met with any book mo re accurate l y justif_ting its title th roug h ou t. E xc l us i ve o f t h e preliminary leaves set apart for an ingenious Pre face and a comprehensive Table of Contents, these volumes comprise within them very nearly seven hundred (693) pa ges o f, i n very d ee d , C ur i ous Thi ngs relating avowedly to th e O u t s id e W or ld, b ut sugges tive at every turn, a s we th rea d t h e l a b yr i nth, o f their inner significa nce ! Y et accurate an d com prehensive though the title of the work unques tionably is in itself, it appears, after all, to have been neither sufficiently accura t e nor yet suffi ciently comprehensive for the writer of it—already known to us among the rest of his readers and critics as the author of a kindred p ro d uc ti on, t h ough one of a less ambitious character, a volume published three or four years back un d er th e name of " The Inchon Religions, or Re su lt s o f t h e Mysterious Buddhism. By an Indian Missionary." Accord. ing to our author, the titlepage of his new volumes ought to have run very diff erently, sup posing he had wished to display the inner and re served side of his super-naturalism. Allowing that to have been his design, the work before us would, he acknowledges incidentally in his con cluding chapter (vol. ii. p. 346), have been thus more lengthily entitled:— " Curious Things of the Outside World ; con cerning that also which is to be understood in the Divinity of Fire." By Hargrave Jennings, F.R.C. Rosicrucian ! As his epigraph, he adds, there would have ap peared an excerpt from that daring " attempt to draw aside the veil of the Saitic Isis," known among those interested in th ese recon di te subjects forinvestigation under th e titl e o f A naca l yps i s. As it is, Mr. Jennings' motto is truly Shaksperian. " Can such things be ?"—an allowable exclamation of wonder from the lips of a ll as t o th eposs ibili ty of the " Curious Things" here numbered up for the reader's amazement ! Another motto from the same source might have been adopted as a no less appro priate quotation—to wit, Hamlet's ejaculation— " There are more Things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy !" That there are—it is only necessary (in order to recognise this) to glance through these twenty-seven chapters of " Curious Things" by our English Rosicrucian. O ur author's -notion, so far as we can comprehend it, is that the one Supreme Divinity is alone capable of being sym bolized or typified, or for that matter simply ex pressed accurately under the monosyllable Fire— and that the recognition of this truth is discoverable everywhere upon closer investigation in all the reli gions of the earth, not alone in Judaism and Christi anity, but in like manner also among all the various barbarian and classic mythologies. Having said thus much of the purport of Mr. Hargrave Jennings' argument we need scarcely add, though we do add, nevertheless quite explicitly, that we have not one syllable to utter in support of, much less in commendation of his theology. In remarking upon his work we have nothing whatever to do with its dimly avouched inner signification. Its philosophy, its theology, its metaphysics, in fact, supposing them to have any definable coherence, we stand apart from alto gether. In their illimitable and immeasurable pro fundity they are altogether beyond our capacities, they are above our ken, they are beyond the reach of our comprehension. If we attempt to traverse their depths, we are at the first instant flounder ing as helplessly as the rebel angel in his flight across the the abysses of the universe. The latent glow of Mr. Jennings' " high argument" acts upon our feeble pinions as the sun-rays in the Greek myth acted upon the waxen wings of leer's. We learn anew the old Virgilian truth of the facilis descensus—we learn it anew not upon th e verge of Avernus, but in the very empyrean of these rarified imaginings. Conscious of our own inapti tude, therefore, of our uttermost incapacity to soar through regions so exalted beyond the scope of our comprehension, we seem to hear another echo from Virgil as we loiter upon the threshold of the elabo rate structure here raised by this daring literary architect—an echo surely sounding to ourselves among the general multitude. Procul, 0 procul este profani ! We bow in modest submission to the mandate. The esoteric significance of the work now under examination is not, we feel that, for ourselves. The production of Mr. Hargrave Jennings' mingled researches and medita tions can only be viewed by us humbly and exclusively in its exoteric character. We turn then to " Curious Things," and examine them simply as they relate to the Outside . World. When ever we come to any of these mysterious comments written by our author in regard to them—whenever we find ourselves beginning to float out of our depth in the marvellous deductions drawn from his consideration of them singly or together —we wisely follow Samuel Rogers' advice to all readers, to emulate the flea judiciously, of course, and—skip ! Thus treating these volumes of Mr. Jennings, we have found them singularly readable and altogether wonderfully entertaining. Such we pledge ourselves to it, the vast majority of our readers cannot fail to jnd the work to be, when examined (after this fashion) by themselves. How, in fact, could it well be otherwise ? For the book is in itself a very wallet of most " Curious Things." Here, in effect, we have, and have in abundance, the " pick" of all the most remarkable and best authenticated ghost stories upon record. Apparition after apparition flits before us. We read of omens the most appalling, of dreadful prognostics, of dim but fearful presen timents. We hear tell of most strange repetitions of events—called in the world's language coinci dences. We read of predictions verified to the letter ; of second sight ; of supernatural prefigure tions. And Mr. Hargrave Jennings can tell a story with the best of them—instance his admirable mode of narrating (vide vol. i, pp. 114- 140) that " Wild Story of a Scottish Glen"—a story we would advise no nervous reader to peruse when all the rest of the household has long retired to rest, while the wind and rain are storming out side the house as, let us say, upon the memorable night of Pip's reception of Abel Magwitch ! There are several of these extraordinary narratives— ghost stories chiefly—that, although world-famous in their titles, it is almost impossible to discover any where else related with all their minute details and minor particulars. These—so far from being tedio us as more then " Twice Told Tales"—will be found no doubt by others, they hav e certainly been so found by ourselves, and we are therefore speaking fr om our own pleasant experience, espec Jelly welcome, as here revived to recollection in this book of " Curious Things." There is the best of all the ghost stories for example—the best because one so strange in itself, and one moreoverso marvellously well authen ticated—the ghost story connected with the death of Lord Lyttlet on, th e wicked Lord Lyttleton. Here it w ill be found related by Mr. Jennings with all regard to the minutiae. It is only elsewhere to be met with, as well told, if we remember rightly, in Nash's History of Worcestershire and in Miles Peter Andrews' Recollections. It is but very rarely that we find our author missing a good thing—either from a wane of knowledge of its exist ence — or possibly from the mere result of the einbarras des riehesses. For example, when talking of the slave's prediction of the future greatness of the Empress Josephine, when the latter was a young slip of a creole at Martinique—and when talking a little before that of a certain strange forecasting or divination by her wonderful husband Napoleon Bonaparte—upon neither of thes e occas i ons d oes Mr. Jennings avail himself of th e oppor t un i ty (possibly he is unconscious of it) for recounting that extra ordinary vision or multitude of apparitions beheld one beautiful summer's night, from an open win dow of the palace of the Tuileries, by the Empe ror Napoleon the Great and his first (would that she had been his on l y ) E mpress, J osep hi n e. The incident may be found relat e d in the memoirs or recollections of the Princ e Cambaceres. Again, when referring to the loss of the ill-fated Amazon —Mr. Jennings makes no mention at all of those astonishing descriptions of death .by fi re at sea, written by poor Eliot Warburton, i n his last work, his 3 volume novel called' " Darien," issued from the press upon the eve of his fatal departure for th a t isthmus on board the Amazon, in which and w ith which he perished. But if he misses an opportunity very rarely, here and there, how very frequently does not our author hith the mark, with a quick an.d, historysuch of the appa rition of Lady Be.re.sford.-.—the curious ac ready p u, p 9e ar o i f tio . n Charlemagne —the Hampshire —the story of ac countfatalities f of an English country family —the historical prog nostics of Charles 1, of England, of Henry IV. of France, of Mary de Medicis—the story of Dr. Pricetley and Mr. Pitt—that other story of Dr. Johnson and Mr. Cave—the wonderful incident of the Field of Malplaquet—the various circumstances in the histories of James 11., of Marie Louise, of Marie Antoinette. And so en--and so on ! It is difficult to lay the book down when you have once opened it, Ur, Hargrave Jennings has in the gleam of his eye something of the glamour of the gaze of the Ancient Mariner. We may beat our breast like the marriage guest, while we pause, battled and bewildered, before our authoes mystipil dreamingo in the region of abstract metaphysics in which Buddhism appears to his view, if we might dare to say so, even loftier and diviner than the awful, and 1191 y; And tutor4/40, and (41 B§ 14livving. the sole truths of God's universe, the truths of Christianity ! But while turning astounded from the mystic conclusions arrived at by our English llosicrucian he " hath his will " with us like the Ancient Mariner, in his character simply as a nar rator. We needs must hear him to the last. He has captivated our attention from his title page-- and the allurement carries us on securely enough to the Finis. We lay not the book down until its whole store of " Curious Things " has been ran sacked. ild Life on the Fields of Norway. By Francis M. Wyndham. Longman. This is a very interesting book of travels, that cannot fail to amuse. It is written in a very ani mated style, and furnishes us with considerable in formation regarding the customs of the country and the manners of the people. The author informs us in the preface that, "To lead a wild life among the snow-clad mountains of Norway was the hope entertained in sailing from England —a hope which, through the kindness of acquaintances formed in the country, was fully realised. An opportunity of gaining an insight into the pastoral and wild life led by the dairy folk at the soeters or chalets, and the reindeer hunters on the fjelds was thus obtained; and as glimpses only of that life have have been given in the numerous works on Nor way, I have been induced to offer these few pages to the public with the hope that they may afford a more intimate acquaintance with, and supply a cha racteristic feature of the rural life of the Norwegian peasantry." It is certain that this hope has been realised, and that the reader of this pleasing little volume will become fully informed of all the Munit ias of daily life which constitute in their entirety the peculiar and distinctive features of a race, and mark out nations in their segregating influence. Some of the descriptions of the traveller's adventures are very amusing. When they entered the cottages of the peasants they were regarded. with the greatest amazement. "By degrees as the rumour of the presence of two strangers spread about the room began to fill with men, women, and children, who stood round us in groups gazing in mute astonishment. All our actions were watched with intense curiosity, and. guns, rifles, and other baggage were minutely examined as soon as our permission had been ob tained." Among the peculiarities of the Norwegian peasants is mentioned the great predilection for salt. They place, fish, flesh, and fowl in a salting.. tub, and "if after some months it comes out in a semi-putrid state it is most highly prized." They would rather go without butter altogether than eat it unsalted. The Norwegians are no sportsmen. It is oniy among the peasants that it is practised from necessity, not choice, who only proceed to the mountains in search of reindeer to provide them selves with food for the winter months; and it is said that those who are not obliged to seek their food in the fjelds seem scarcely aware that such a thing as game exists in the country. Among the strange people met with by the travellers was one very eccentric man called Old Joh, He was quite a character in his way. It was said of him after returning from a long expedition with a party who, ascending the steep slope of the glacier, had ex plored the innermost recesses of the ice-clad rocks, " thst the strength, endurance, and presence of mind. at critical moments displayed by Joh were quite wonderful, and notwithstanding the fatigues of so arduous a day, the old hunter of three score and ten was a fresh and lively as any of the party." The sketches of the people and the various scenes described in the different places passed through, together with numerous adventures, some curious, others of a serious nature, but all noticeable one; render this a most delightful little work to take up at any time, and learn somewhat of the ways of an interesting people, and the character of a fine country. The book is elegantly illustrated with some beautiful chromo lithographs, which are sin gularly attractive ; also we meet with several wood cuts descriptive of places of mark mentioned in the volume, and with two maps, one showing the author's route, and another exhibiting the Ejendin. Lake and surrounding counties. The style is flowing, and throughout the whole course of the events the writer is evidently impressed with the pleasures of his trip in a great degree from his departure from Hull till his return to it, "when the recollection of a wild life among the savage mountains of Norway was speedily effaced by the bustle of custom-house officials and vociferat ing omnibus-drivers. Thus, then, ended a pleasant and agreeable tour with which the happiest recol lections are associated." It would be well if all rovers to distant lands could return with the same satisfaction to their homes, bringing with them such agreeable reminiscences of far away coun tries as animated the writer of these interesting records. The following descriptions of some object of particular note is worthy of notice :—" A Fjeld hes been described as a plateau or table topped mountain, and also as b e i ng one of the peculiarities of t h e mountains of Norway, and I was, therefore, disappointed in not finding any thing very striking in the appearance of the Segue Fjeld. The large extent of tableland is one of the most characteristic features of the country, but the traveller is mistaken when he applies to these plateaux the specc name of fjeld. For very long I did not discover the meaning of the word, but at last on hearing it so frequently applied in complete variance with the idea of its being a tableland, I asked for a definition of the word, and was told that in the term field is included every part of a mountainous region which from its elevation is entirely devoid of shrubs and bushes of any sort: At the same time, I was also practically shown what was, and what was not, a fjeld." An account of an aurora borealis is always de• sirable to dwell upon wherever it is met with-- flickered " opening the door I stepped out. The night was e furnace. and frosty, the dark blue sky was bespangled stars, the and in the northern heavens g e l a ar s d , a ia br ic i ho ll ue ia ldh n i t "ars, i s e k n yfi s :al w ned h o i r e fe h aa enh s nn r tg e e a nt d so i e n it g yh ehoeva zenith,etre d funi ing far and wide in a fan-like shape, and sh,ai g ng l l o e u l t ie nc ri r d; the estAtr gazesm:so u s scene it was, and long and intently upon it." northern transparent v:e have o l f he th a e tit hospitality h ore t' el'Yw thathere speaks i ' 'n the country, and here pays a grateful tribute to the people who wel co,m,Nedothhiinmg canso ebeerradioarlelypl Zing than . the ready recep tion, proceeding from sheer kindness, winch is granted to the wayfar er i n N orway. "And stran ger i s a holy name; Guidance and rest, and food and fire, In vain he never must require." P-- • 'note Correspondence of 2honias Raikes. Edited by hi s D aug h ter, Bentley. This volume forms the supplement and comple don of the Diary of Mr. Raikes, which was pub lished a few years since and attracted a good deal of public attention. Though not conspicuous him self in arts or politics or literature, Mr. Raikes was intimately associated with the celebrities of his time, and his private correspondence furnishes us with a running commentary on the events of the day. He was a conspicuous member of a set who then ruled society, though neither through rank or wealth, as the introduction observes; "nor did the possession of either in itself ever suffice as brevet to the freemasonry of the then termed Dandies." Of the members of this fraternity we have the fol lowing description ;-- "Theirs was a fraternity, founded upon the science of civi lised existence, not altogether conditional upon rank, sines station need not imply powers of observation and compari son, even did it always furnish that early and familiar acquaintance with foreign countries and modern lingui!ges influences of of ding g ent itl ia fi l andthat s f t o i r l I m l e a s s a c c o o p o e s a f j o i : i e t h t o e f m re e e re e xweeracli wealth, o s f in t c h e o l s e e s a fa c un ul i t v re e s t re fine- sally a des en o t w f h o le t h u ief, thesesu ppo a se r s uindeed form ing of the social judgments and appreciations of after life, must have been breathed with its first instincts in their origin; and of such elements the Dandies, with criticising into art, worked the indigenous material o f E nglish high lifo a coterie, which combined, at least, the pleasures of intelligence with those of dissipation. With them society was not understood to be, as now, a coalition of interests, where both sides are on the defensive, and where the day has no recreation without a view to the ambition on the popularity of the morrow; suf f icient for their day Was its own excitement of festivity and wit. " The manners of the Dandies were in themselves a charm, retained by some through infirmity and age. Their speech was pleasant, their language thorough-bred, their raillery conciliating, their satire—what they intended it to be; many among them highly-gifted—doing all that they did well; the less apt, always to the point, l ett i ng it alone ; without enthusiasm, without illusions, a school of gentle men, liberal and open-handed ; ephemeral as youth and spirits, yet marked by this endearing quality, that they re mained (with few exceptions) true and loyal friends, tested through years of later adversity, and even death's oblivion." The members of this fraternity were able and ready letter writers, and their gossiping pleasant letters have preserved the names of many of them who would otherwise have been altogether for gotten. The correspondence in the present volume, extending from 1812 io 1847, includes comments on the French retreat from Moscow, the Princess Charlotte's death, and all the shifting changes of Continental politics, ending with the Spanish marriages, O'C onne l l ' s trial, and the panic which succeeded the railway mania. There is a gap from 1813 to 1817, and, consequently, the eventful period which intervened is lett unnoticed. No rAferenee is made to our Reform agitation the work being principally occupied by foreign affairs. There are many letters to and from the late Duke of Wellington, who was on intimate terms with Mr. Mikes, and appears to have attached some impor tance to his opinion and to the intelligence which he supplied. Those interested in French politics will he attracted by the details given in the various letters of the state of feeling in the French capital. The letters themnlve4 present faithful pictures of the times c,71 of the men who wrote them, being mostly 'nwed in tlio spirit of un philoiophs qu find th e eta leap a~, zee de ~u~;