The Sun. — London, England, 1850-06-27 00:00:00

THE SUN, LITERATURE. derness concealed by him under a grotesque and ANNE DYSART. A Tale of Every day Life. almost repulsive bearing encircles him at last with 3 Trois the halo of the reader's sympathy aid edmiration. During the'reign of Queen Victoria our literature Here and there the minuteness of description is car has been most appropriately adorned by the names or tied by our authoress to an extent but little short of the masterpieces of a galaxy of authoresses. Inso- being ludicrous, as where she informs us very seriously much has this circumstance been observable, that ' (V 01.111., p. 325) of Anne's co s t ume a t h er some of the most judicious critics of our generatien marriage—she ° wore a gown of violet co have not shrunk from suggesting that the honours of loured silk with a velvet mantle of the the Poet Laureateship should, net only in commemo- same hue, trimmed with fur, and a rice straw bonnet, ration of that fact, but also in compliment to her with a white veil !!" Surely this is nothing less than Most Gracious Majesty, be bestowed on a lady pecu- the pretty garrulity of a lady-writer? Sometimes liarly qualified to grace as well as to—be graced by again our fair novelist is guilty of little anachronisms, as where, towards the conclusion of - the tale, she • the wearing of the hay garland, that lady being no other than the wife of the bard of Paracelsus. Look- says (Vol 111., p. 192)--" Sh e f oun d M rs . Dy sar t' s carriage and a servant w a iti ng f or h er a t th e coach ining at the various departments of art and letters, it is office—for 1: am writing of ten years ago, when there truth remarkable to detect the distinction attained through the mere display of large and beautiful ca- was no railway in Scotland, except that between E pacities by women of masculine genius though of Edinburgh and Gl asgow "— an d yet (f orge tti ng t h at sh feminine gentleness. While we have had occasion toe is still writing o f " t en y ears ago ") s h e says regret the departure of such writers as Jane Austin, shortly afterwards (V o l. 111., p. 202)—" I n th e and Maria Edgeworth, and the Countess of Blessing- evening, although the gay season had long been over ton ; though we have had reas o n to lament and the town wa s al mos t em pty, th e l a t ter , i n concer t the disappearance of Anna Maria Porter, of Felicia with her mother, generally contrived to assemble two Hemans, and of Letitia Landon— we h ave h a d a t th e or three young p ersons t o h ave a lit t l e mus i c an d a same time ample reason to felicitate ourselves upon polka." Ten years ago that bewitching dance was the survival of other female authors of distinguished not in existence. Apart, however, from a few inter excellence, and upon the rise of yet more into a rapid inittent blemishes scattered through the volumes, and auspicious celebrity. Assiduous application has " Anne D s sari" appears to us to be a novel sirgu failed to exhaust the powers of the lively and obser larly deserving of' commendation, auguring largely vant Mrs. Gore, of the shrewd and sarcastic Mrs. for the future popularity of its intelligent and accom Trollope, or of that accomplished Mis s Mitf or d, w h o s e plished author e ss effusions have ever combined the morality of Mrs. Hannah Moore with the fascinating simplicity of Mrs. Barbauld. Among the historical labours of un epoch rendered illustrious by the contemporary research of such annalists as the rhetorical Macaulay, the impar tial Lingard, the erudite Hallam, the indefatigable Prescott, the sedate Turner, and the comprehensive Alison, there has been awarded a lofty niche for the elaborate and elegant compositions of Agnes Strickland. Among brilliant uramatists, such as Talfourd, and Lytton, and White, and Knowles, and Lovell, and Marston, and Jerrold, and Bourcicault, a high and conspicuous position has been awarded to the intellect of the dramatist of the pas sions the eloquent and emotional genius of Joanna Baillie. One of the most exquisite of living lyrists— even with Tennyson still in his maturity, and Proc ter yet in the autumnal mellowness of his reputation —is a lady graced with a name doubly poetic, Eliza beth Barrett Browning. One of the greatest fa vourites of the population, so rendered by her homely and heart-born ballads, is Eliza Cook. One of the most felicitous of our occasional versifiers is unques tionably Frances Brown. One of the most earnest and imaginative of our poetic idealists is the Honour• able Mrs. Norton. In the histrionic art our fair countrywomen are nobly represented by Helen Faucit, and in the pictorial art by Miss Setchell, while, as a delineator of the fruits and flowers of the earth, Mrs. lelargetts has drawn inspiration not sparingly from the genius of the inimitable Lance. From the highest to the lowest department of intellectual excellence, among the competitors for popularity, not the least noticeable, or the .leaat entitled to encomium, are those ladies whose love fur the true and the beautiful has sur passed their terror of the supercilious designation of blue-stockings. But if the eminence acquired by the women of England, in the several walks of art or literature above enumerated, has been in any de gree remarkable—it has been singularly surpassed 'by the success of those numerous aspirants for renown who have assumed the literary masquerade as novel fats. Among these must be mentioned some of the most promising authors of our generation, who, it not possessing to the full the strong objective fancy of Mrs. Radcliff, or the irresistible hilarity of Madame de Sevigne, or the inexorable propriety of Mrs. Chapone, or the virile judgment of Madame •de Steel, have yet displayed, to a supriing extent, resources of invention, felicity of humour, directness of purpose, and keenness of observation. Foremost among these . are the author of " Jane .Eyre," and the author of "EmideWyndharn," both works of singular vigour and ability, the intellectual productiveness of the writers of which has been further severally illustrated, the one by " Shirley," the other by the " Wilmingtons." Even with such masters of fiction amongst us as Charles Dickens and Bulwer Lytton, and with such a multitude of gifted and agreeable rowancists as James, Lover, Disraeli, Teackeray, Jerrold, Smith, Chamier, Ainsworth, Lever, Collin;, and Warburton, the vigorous capacities of such romenciste as Currer Bell, and the author of " Two old Men's Tales," are of a kind neither to be disparaged nor overlooked. Another female writer, whose abilities must entitle her to be enrolled ultimately among those distinguished predecessors, has just appeared in the person of the author of " Anne Dysart." Another female writer, we say, because it is impossible not to recognise in this " tate of every day life " a woman's tact, a woman's sagacity, a wo man's clearness of perception, and a woman's gen tleness of sentiment. The story, although vigorously written, the incidents, although powerfully conceived, the characters, although boldly and nervously sketched, are, nevertheless, all of them, mulitestly the emanations of a feminine fancy. We must ac knowledge, moreover, to having been fairly charmed throughout the whole perusal by that freshness which is alone attributable to the unhackneyed verve of ca pacities neither worn nor jaded by previous employ ment. The narrative is of the simplest construction ; the tale is, as the second title imports, one of "every day life ;" the personages introduced by it to our ob servation, are the men, women, and children we see around us continually, creatures of flesh and blood—of generic characters generally, though some times of peculiar and individualized idiosyncrasy. What is, perhaps, the most prominent excellence in our authoress is 'her shrewdness of observation—a shrewdness which, aided by considerable piquancy of style, satirical without being ill -natured—enables her to limn the imaginary persons of her hi,tory with astonishing vividness. From epitomising the plot by a dry and needless analysis we sh .11 abeuin yet more sedulously than ever in the instance of " Anne Dy sart," seeing that the work, as a first work, cLinands more than ever such abstinence from premature dis closures. Besides, it always appears to us that the scheme of a. fictitious narrative, though eminently interesting in a novel, is , indescribably tedious if abbreviated to a mere enumeration of particulars in a criticism. What we feel ourselves alone justified in specifying directly as worthy of notice in a fiction 1 ke the present are, the principal character, the conspicuous incidents, and the manner in which both characters and incidents have been delineated. Here, therefore, we are com pelled to avow at once that, while thus restricting ourselves within a narrow compass we are embarrassed by the multiplicity of thiisgs upon which we are soli citous to comment at least in a few cursory but earnest observations. Anne Dysart herself, the heroine of the story, is a charming• portrait of the daughter of a Scotch clergyman, thrown suddenly by the death of her last surviving parent into the society of a little town in Northumberland. Her brother Frank, a student in the Scottish metropolis, divides with her the fascination of the reader's attention, the interest of the fiction fluctuating between the town of Lorlington and the city of Edinburgh. Mrs. Nat Wilson, the aunt of Frank and Anne, and the spouse of poor Nathaniel Wilson, with all her unconscionable niggardliness and meanne. s, her par simonious dulness, and painstakin g mediocrity, is pencilled with wonderful force of colouring and out line. It. is a picture of domestic meanness as bril liant as one of the gems of Hobbima. Of the family of the Greys we can think and speak only with the fullest satisfaction, forgetting their egotism in their . suavity, and their coxcombry in their benevolence. Charlotte. Grey, the patronizing and voluble blue sitioking, is admirably described with all her merits and all her weaknesses. Frederick, though a little too much of the " pet parson," secures our kind regard, and his sister Beatrice, notwithstanding herinanitv, obtains in some sort a share in our sympathies. Of all the abominable beings in the whole book the most abominable is that exceedingly. explicit and tautolo gical Air. Shield, who would be ;altogether an un mitigated prig but for his being at the same time a Most intolerable bore. she wealthy merchant's fa mily of the Dysarts at Edinburgh contains just such another nuisance as Mr. Shield in the person of the heir to the property. Of Julia, the gay and the frivolous, we could speak in- yet stronger terms of disgust but fur a circumstance which the reader will discover towards the close of the narrative, by which our contempt is merged in commiseration. Barbara, her deformed Sister, would, on the contrary, elicit from Us our. ;met genial eulogiums but for a certain repulsiveness about her which exists as it were in spite of the evident partiality of the authoress—beyond which the whole creation reminds u' so strongly of pour Humpy in M. Eugene Sue's Juif Errant as to deprive it in our eyes of the Merit of originality. Eleanor Gi mime, on the other ' hand, is a character as original in idea as it is masterly in execution. Her history constitutes a striking and beautiful episode, for a while diverting attention from the principal thread of the narrative. Kindred in inanity are Mrs. Snll], her chaperon, and Air. Hall, her suitor. One other of the principal characters, not yet mendoned—perhaps altogether about the principal character in the narrative—is Gerald Bolton. Conceived somewhat in the same morose or eccentric school as the Mr. Rochester of " Jane Eyre," and the Mr. Dan by of "Emilia Wyndham," this Mr. Belton of "Anne Dysart" is nev e rth e l ess no t ra nscript, out a creation of distinct and even insulated individuality. The powerful .touches of nature with which hi s rugged but sensitive character bas been portrayed redounds very highly to the credit of the head and the heart of the authoress. Several of the scenes in Which Mr. Bolton appears are penned, especially in regard to the dialogue, with much genius; his love Pusages are depicted with exceeding grace, pathos, 1 W delicacy; and On Noble and raagaaalcavas 44,1 THE TARANTAS ; Travelling Impressions of Young Russia. By Count Sol ttegub. Vassily Ivatiovitsch and Ivan Vassilievitsch, two worthy Russian gentlemen, says the preliminary advertisement to the " Tarantas," are anxious to avoid all such inflammatory and dispute-provoking topics as politics, either foreign or domestic ; but they believe that the social system of that considerable member cf the European family . of nations which is called Russia, is as interesting as it is little known and un derstood in this conntry, and they further believe that they are better able to act as interpreters or showmen of their father-land, than are any of those foreigners who have hitherto attempted to get behind the scenes of that mighty and important theatre. The " Tarantar," therefore, professes to be a Russian's tra velling impressions of Russia, and bearing this in mind, its readers will be continually astonished by the impar tial and even critical spirit by which it is animated. The Tarantas itself is a huge, unwieldy, but very Voinmedious vehicle, which transports its owner Vassily Ivanovie•ch (an old fashioned country gentle man), end Ivan Vassilievitsch (a member of Young Russia returned from a European tour), from Moscow to Kazan. Ivan carries in his hand a blank volume, to record his travelling impressions, but his journey, full of incidents as it is, is, nevertheless, to him pro ductive of continual disappointment. The chief fault we can find with the little volume is its very light and superficial character ; but this was, perhaps, its writer's object when he en. titled it " Travelling Impressions." Instead of descriptions of men and manners we find only brief units and passing allusions, its pictures of social life are shadowy glimpses or bare sketches. Teis peculiar style has, nevertheless, its advantages. Vague and incidental as is its mode of affording in formation, information is, nevertheless, afforded. Among the most effective descrip'ions of Russian life is the following melanct , oly picture of RUSSIAN LUXURY. " I was compelled by a stup , d presumption to imitate the luxuries of others, not at all regulating them by my means. This is a universal fault in St. Petersburgh. Lite there is like fireworks, much brilliancy, much smoke, and after a while nothing is lift. Every one does his utmost to surpass his neighbour ; every one is a cop) ist : one class copies the nth. r, poor people copy the rich people. The one who is not wealthy assumes the appearance of wealth, and gets ruined; the one who is rich offers so much to luxury that he inevitably gets ruined too. It :ems as if our nobility was seeking po verty; and, indeed, see what different things have ren dered themselves as ii.dispete-able for us, as bread and water; f lost 'net?, the crowd of our house-serfs, the legions of men in liveries, a major -demo, stewards, but lers, some thirty or ferrymen in all; then our mansions, with drawn g-rooms, dining-halls, studies, dancing salons, our coaches-and-four, opera-boxes, dresses, cards. In one word, I must. say that, in S . Pe•ersburgh, luxury is the first necessary of life. Preple there think first of what is not necessary, and then of what is; there , ore you every d'iy . see noblemen's es rates sold under the *auctioneer's hararn.r. And then what pass , ons rise from a discordance between income and expenditure; :to what doleful scenes they lead in 'amities; what a numb. r I f persons Lave tor ever lost both the quietude of their conscience and their • self esteem and honour. Lite in the capital, like a deluge, carries away with it every one, everything, without giving yisu even time to see your position." Arid here, by way of contrast, is a sweet glimpse of A HAPPY HOME. " Every thing in the house of Ivan Vassilievitsch's friend was c4lnf,riahle, though simple and unpretendii.g, but the smallest tittle was distinguished by an artistic selection; every thing ri-11Pctcd the indt•rcriGable light of the presence of a youlig end beautiful woman. She Wel coumd Ivan Vassilievitsch stub a smiling friendliness as if she had known him for meny, many years, and he stopped in devout admiration before her. It seemed to him us if tilt thea he had never tv:en a woman. She was not beautiful with that beauty that troubles the passionate dreams of youth; her whole bring was an ideal of the highest peace, of the most poetical quietude. Her soul looked through her el es—her heart spoke through htr lips. tier child-like features expressed such a kind-heartedness, such profound and holy love, that any titan in locking at her must inv , lontarily become a better man! Two rosy -chi eked children, at the view of the stranger pressed their curly little heads to her knees. Ivan viewed this picture as it it were a retie, and he felt that he had before him the brightest illu,tration c f the highest reward for man's toils, labours, and sorrows. How long he stopped before this scene he was uncoascious; he did not hear a slngte word That was said to him, but his heart fe:t wider and wider, all his feelings concentrated themselves into one of quiet beatitude, all his thoughts ieto a prayer." In the chapter entitled " Merchants" is recorded a curious scene at a tavern, where some merchants are regaling themselves on the, apparently, favourite Russian beverage, tea. An individual bearing the euphonious name of Potspitsch enters the room, in quires if one of the merchants , is•guing to . Ribue, and on being answered in the affirmative, consigns to his charge more than five thousand roubles, to be paid to some one residing at Ribua, without, to the astonish ment of the civilized Ivan, even asking for a receipt. On the stranger's departure, the inquiring Ivan can not resist demanding of the merchant if the owner of the money is a relstive or intimate acquaintance, and then naively asks—" but how is it that he did not ask you for a receipt for the money ?" The other merchants laugh, and the' one concerned gets into a passion. `s es. receipt !" he cried out furiously; "a receipt. I would havehrt ken his jaw with his own money had he dared to ask me for a receipt. I have been a merchant now more than fifty years, and I have never yet b-en insulted by being asked to give a receipt." In trifli-g matters like this the writer of "The Tarantas" has extiibited with happy effect some of the peculiar, anti in some cases praiseworthy, cha racteristics of his countrymen. Brief as is the jour ney, and trivial as are the events which it reveals, a trip by the Termites will he found by all who choose to essay it both a profitable and pleasant pastime. PUNCH VERSUS HUMBUG. A delighttul sarcasm, both pictorial and literary, is given in the columns of our droll contemporary, Punch, of this morning. Fain would we transfer to our impression the large wood-cut, most grotesque and humourous, pourtraying my Lord Ashley and my Lord John Russell as Puritans—the latter ex claiming, with the genuine nasal twang of the conven ticle—" Verily, Brother Ashley—between you and me, and the Post—we have made a nice mess of it." Gladly, too, would we give the sketch of the " Puritan Penny Postage Stamp' with the initial letters in the corners, C—A—N—T. We must content ourselves with transcribing the following facetious para graphs:-- . LORD SACKCLOTH-AN.D•ASHLEYS. WHEREAS,—On consideration of our desire to com memorate the pious services of our dear cousin, the• Member for Bath, and hereto:ore known as LORD A 8 It is our pleasure, thst, in consideration of our dear cousin's succesful attempt to abut up, put down, and otherwise confine and castigate Sunday, that he shall henceforth assume the title and name of— LORD SACKCLOTH AND ASHLEIS; And further, that he shall be empowered to quarter a cinder-sieve with his armorial bearings,—a cinchr sieve with a pilgrim's shirt of sackcloth proper. Given under our hand, at our Office, 85, Fleet•street, June 24, 1850. PUNCH. CONVERSATIONS OF THE SUNDAY-BOUND LETTERS.— We have received a communication, signed "St. Martin le-Grand," of so wonderful a nature, that it it had come from anybody but a saint, and from any saint but St. Martin-le-Grand, we should never have believed it. St. Martin avers that the letters detained in a provincial letter-box have been, in the interval between Satur day and Monday, owing to the stoppage of postal communication in the meanwhile through puri tanical legislation, so impatient •of the delay, test they could not contain themselves, and have been ac tually heard to compare notes. He gives the follow ing as a few out of many of their conversations:— To letter A—which excites attention by heaving a deep sigh, as if from the heart of the writer—says letter B. " What are you about? You seem very sentimental; and you are sealed with a heart skewered on an arrow." " Ah!" replies A, "I am addressed by a poor mad young fellow, head over ears in love, to the object of his affections, who has unaccountably neglected to answer his last six billets. lie writes to say that he will destroy himself cakes he heara from her by return of post. What is your news?" "Mine?' answers B, wily, rather urgent, I should say; briefly this Your father has had a fresh atttack—put yourself into a postchaise and come, up instantly if you want to see him alive.' " Any thmg particular F 6 asks - 10 Sser g lector D. ' 1 1.1o," sumo D. two Little prl - and , u ,i, btl ,i o j e t,t, him in- ( re fore h e t.ad h 0 ,f very quence a dfully idetsti .nci the nation. stste n tniti ,lightlY Ys' i r°- e now. ►f Cur- AY. ) k•on Great re 31r. a gold 1 ,1 1 the on the t OD 0 slept k, and ,nt)sat . p , and missed )oekt 3. Aa ppct cf enyi!ig W It' a. into seeing id, he furrt as the watch; them a deal Dee to d dis- James of the t with JOIIeYI s to be HER MAJESTY'S THEATRE, The eighth representation of La Tempesta took place on Tuesday evening ; the house was again crowded in every part, and the furore excited by its performance was as intense as ever. Madame Sontag was in exquisite voice, and sang the music deli ciously. In her rendering of her "aria d'intrata" on Tuesday night she surpassed herself ; never has such exquisite delicacy of execution been displayed as she displayed on that occasion ; her concluding cadenza was the most wonderful, and at the same time most delicate and most perf-ct piece of florid execution ever attempted, and excited rapturous applause and an unanimous encore. Car lotta Grisi. as Ariel, was the most fascinating of sylphs. We have heard it ohjtcted to Scribe that he has made the part of Ariel a dancing instead of a singing part, as it is in Shakspere. With all due deference to these hypercritics we contend that Scribe is right, and is more Shaksperian in his treatment of that subject than are his would-be critics ; Ariel is a light and airy spirit, and Shakespera evidently intended to draw a marked distinction between the sylph Ariel and the human beings of the drama, such a distinction as should at once mark that Ariel was of a distinct and different nature from that of the beings by which he is sur rounded. This distinction Shakespere has marked by making Ariel sing whilst all the other characters speak ; but in opera, where all the characters sing, it became necessary, in order to preserve this distinction between Ariel and the human actors in the drama, that Ariel should not sing, and therefore has M. Scribe acted most judiciously, and in a true Shaksperian spirit, in making the part of Ariel a mute pantomimic part. With such a poetess (for that is the proper title to apply to her) as Carlotta Grisi the part of Ariel is infinitely more effective than it could have been rendered by the utterance of any articulate sound. Her expressive gestures and her graceful abandon are far more effectively eloquent than would be any uttered language. La blache, magnificent Lablache, was as Caliban "great glorious and free ;" his dancing is of its sort as won. dertul as that of Carlotta, and Parodi was as usua encored in the Brindisi. The choruses were beau. tifully rendered, and the performance of the or chetra was perfect. La Tempestu is to be repeated to-night, and on Saturday &limes 1 Montecchi ed I Capuletti is to be produced for the rentree of Gardoni. ST. JAMES'S THEATRE. M. Lafont took his benefit here last night, and ap peared as Jean and as the Chevalier de St. Georges. As the gent subsequently transformed into the gen tleman, in the first piece, and as the all accomplished mulatto in the last, he was equally at home. He was excellently supported in the last piece by Madlle. Nathalie, whose Madame Presle was a perfectly graceful piece of acting. The house was crowded. MUSIC HALL, STORE-STREET. Mrs. Alexander Newton, the deservedly popular vocalist, gave her annual concert at the above hall last evening. We have remarked in her since her debut a constant and steady improvement, with which we are glad to find a gradually increasing fame•has kept p see. Her performance of last evening betokened still further progress. Li the duet, "Da quel di," the aria, "0 Luce di quest' anima," and a duet by Rossini she showed her mastery over the dif f iculties of the modern Italian school ; whilst trios by Cimarosa ann Cherubini enabled her .to display musical feeling and knowledge of a higher order. Wren we add V. these the pretty Scotch ballad, "An' ye shal, walk in silk attire," and state that she sang it very sweetly, we believe we shall have suffi ciently established the versatility of her talent. Tt Miss Ransford and Miss L-slie, who appeared on the occasion, we can also give a word of encouragement. They both possess excellent means, which time and study properly employed and applied may enable them to turn to great account. The other vo calists were Misses Poole and M Williams, Mdlle. Zimmerman and Madame Macfarren, Mr. Henry Drayton, Mr. B..Frodshare, Mr. Whitworth, Mr. Boddu, and Herr Mengis. Miss Poole's renderii l , of a ballad by Mr. Maynard elicited a rapturous encore ; and Mias Williams in a song composer. by her brother, arid Mr. Budda in Rossini's " Largt at factotum," received the same compliment. 111 r. Henry Drayton, one of our basses, was loudly ap plauded in Aieyerbert's " Piff•paff," and Mesdames Macfarren and Zimmermann, together with Messrs. Whitworth, B. Frodsham, and Mengis, likewise came in for their share of approbation. The instru mentalists were Miss Eliza %Yard (piano), Signor Giulio 'Regondi (congertina), Mr. Richardson (flute), all of whom acquitted themselves very satisfactorily. M. de Kontski, the violinist, also performed on the occasion, and received a hearty encore in the popular " Carnival of Venice." POPE PIUS THE NINTH AND THE CATHOLICS OF ENGLAND. An influential meeting cf Catholics was held on tlu 25th inst., in Windmill-street, for the purpose of takink into cunsiderati..n the address of the Catholic Bi•hops. puhlishei at their annual meeting in London, ealling upon the clergy and laity of England to purchase a superb remonstrance or ostensorium now in England a. a present to his Holiness Pope Pius the Ninth. Anionst the gentlemen present we noticed the Hon. C. Stinor, the Rev. Thomas Rooker. D.D. and president of the Catholic Colleges of Ss. Peter and Paul, Prior-park, the Revs. J. O'Neill, J. &Amber; Messrs. Amherst, Bag shaw, Mortyn, Palmer, Ryan, Wallis, Dearsly, &c. &c. The Right Rev. Dr. Morris, D.D., was called to the chair. Mr. i)earsly, in pr, posing the first resolution. said his Lot dship would be aware that tbs Bishops at their annual meeting had called for the zea lous co-operation of ihe Catholics with them in show ing some mark of sympathy wish the Holy Father ie the many sorrows aed afflictions which had lately visited his Holiness. To that summons he, in common with Catholics in general, responded with the most cordia. enthusiasm. England might not do so much as other c.amtriee, but she would do to the uttermost. The testimonial which they were about to present would, h. hoped, in the language of the Bishops, sfeek of the " faith and the zeal and the devotion" of the English Catholics. He beltevsd there was not a city, town, village, or hamlet, but would vie with each other in a noble rivalry In this good cause. An at tempt to describe this superb ostensorium wou'd be impossible. Its value vas unknown. The late Bishop Baines, so much lamented, and whose exqubite taste and judgment in all things relating to tn. fine arts, originally brought it from Rome. It had been designed tor the Basilica of St. Peter. It contained 1600 precious stones. Its weight in gold and silver they might imagine when he stated that it stood Lair f- et and a halt in height. There was but one place in the world fit for it, and that was St. Peter's, where it would be in harmony with everything around, arid, by its ac cumulations of riches and beauty, centre every eye and every heart on the Holy of Holies. It was most gratifying to him to know that this movement emanated irom the Bishops, and that it hail the full sanction of that revered and eminent prelate Dr. Wi man. Mr. Dearsly then moved " That the sum of 16001. be raised to purchase the ostensorium as a present to the Pope, on such occasion as the Bishops may deem fit." Mr. Wallis seconded the motion. Carried unanimously. On the motion of Mr. Amherst, seconded by Mr. Palmer, a committee was appointed. , Mr.„llagshaw then pro posed, and Mr. Ryan resiondea, that his Lordship should communicate the resolutions of the meeting to the Right Rev. Nicholas Wiseinan, D.D., V.A.L.D. Mr. Blinwell was appointed treasurer and Mr. Palmer , secretary pro tern. A vote of thanks was passed by ac clamation to the Chairman. This being the first occa sion of a similar nature since the Reformation the utmost enthusiasm seemed to prevail. SUSSEX HALL, LSADENHALL-STREET.—A concert took place here on Monday evening, for the benefit of Miss Hinckesman, at which many of her pupils sung fir the first time in public, and their performances did ample credit to her as their teacher. Besides these, several old public fa vourites took part, such as Miss Poole, Mrs. A. Newton, Miss Norton, Miss Lizzy Stuart, with Mr. Leffler, Mr. Bodda, and Mr. Frederick Chatterton, the harpist. The programme contained selections from the most eminent composers, and the artists acquitted themselves in their usual excellent man ner. There were several new songs, composed expressly for the occasion, sung by the young ladies. The first is quaintly entitled " Strawberries," by Lee, which Miss Rose &sham rendered worthy the author's reputation. The glee of "Blow gentle gales" was sung by Misses Poole and Stuart, with Mr. Bodda, very effectively; but the solo song that met with the best reception was, "Come off to the moors," sung with excellent feeling and judgement by Miss Stuart, which pleased the audience so well as to cause an encore. This young lady is improving rapidly as an artist, and b •ars pro mise of a vrominent position among the native vccaltsts. The-hall was well filled, and an agreeable evening, full of intellectual' enjoyment, was appreciated. Such con. certs cannot be too often repeated, enabling, as they do, such talent to be listened to at such moderate prices. We feel the neglect of others towards ourselves; but we do not even suspect our neglect of ther4.—Eliza Cook's Jourr.4l. THE GREAT CENTRAL GAS CONSUMERS COM.. PANY'S BILL.—The above Bill came before the Standing Orders C i ommittee of the House of Lords yesterday, Mr. Bryeen, Parliamentary agent for the promoters-- Their Lordships having only considered the provisions of the Bill, declared the standing orders to have been Complied WWI. Tho Bili w ulloppoiod, thiii 3ap of its progrou. JUNE 27, 1850. from a wife who writes to tell her husband that an execution has been put into their house in his ab sei,co, and that he must return home directly, and not w..it till the next day, or their g !d s will be all sold off at a I , ,ss, and she and her children turned into the street." "My tidings," remarks C, " are of some little importance." " So I should judge," observes E. " fro» your black " They are these," says C:—" Dear Tom.—Your poor uncle Fas died sud den iy. Ho named you as his heir. Come up instantly, or that old woman will make away with everything in the house.'" " And I," says E, "am to a surgeon of Bartholomew's, now in the country, begging him to come up instantly, as the danger is imminent, and a patient's °illy chance is an operation." Saint Martin-le-Grand says, that such news as that above instanced won't keep, and ought not to be kept even on Sunday; and we would take the word of St. Martin against that of St. Ashley, or St. Plumptre. (From the Cla Ministers and their partisans srfew to' be extremely delighted at the notion of the annoyance and incon venience which the country has be.un to suffer from the weekly obstructi o n o f it s postal communications. ['hey appear to regard it quite as a feather in I, , trd John Russell's cap, thi4t the House of C tnmons, of which he is the official leader, has blundered it,to an absurd and mischievous decision, the consequences of which are likely to be intolerably vexatious. "People are Aready finding out the e&ct of this measure," was the boastful exclamation of the ChAncelkr of the Exche quer, not many nights ago, in answer to a remonstrance 4gainst the stoppage or the Sunday delivery of news papers; and he evidently much t4ijo3ed the thought of the thing turning out many degrees worse than he had himself predict( d. It is regarded as particularly good fun for the Government that the Sabbatariana themselves have been asuong the first to cry out, and that they have not blushed to denounce the "animus" apparent in the new regulations—the .said animus being as Learly as possible identical (minus the sincerity) , with that which has marked their • own • fsnatical agitation. On the whole, it seems to be assumed by Ministers, t) at the worse the new system works for the country the better it is for them, and that every flesh develop ment of the oppressive consequences of this nuisance redounds somehow to their credit. For our own part, however, we doubt whether the public will let the Government off so easily. All this would be very well if Lord John Russell had been under any real compulsion to accept, as final and authoritative, the relult of a chance v(,te in the House of Commons. We can enjoy the laughable flight and mortification of the too stien asful 'Sabbatarians as heartily as our neighbours; and if. it had been absolutely necessary to give these agitators their own way, we could have ilorne a good deal for the sake of seei ng folly an d fanaticism work out their own cure. But t h ere was no su c h n e cess ity. The vote in question was but one out of some half-dozen or half score occasions (we have long since left off keeping an exact account) on which, in the course cf the present session. Ministers have been outnumbered by nn adverse majority of the House of Common,; end had they been really in earnest in resisting what Sir Charles Wood cu ll s an exceedingly great hardihip and inconvenience to ell classes, and especially to the poorer classes," they would have found a way of reconciling convitutional p-opriety with common sense and public convenience. The plain fact is, they have deliberately chosen to mske the very worst of , this business. Totally regardless of sit considerations except their own official convenience, they have eagerly selz:d on what they thought a good opportunity for "giving a lesson" to their supporters. is a selfish and shabby policy, and we are much. miss taken if the issue doss not prove far from satisfactory to its inventors. It will not to by any means so easy as Ministers imagine, to persuade the country that the whole and sole responsibility of th e late vexatious limos vation rests with Lord Ashley and the House of Com mons, and that none of it devolves on those who have dis played so indecorous an sliscrity in "carrying out" a scheme which they never n 3 iss an opportunity of denounoirg Pet). Pk WO Pt WW I 14 41i3 0911124 1 to gee gnu 044 ' POST-OFFICE , SUNDAY LABOUR. i changes in the organizati on o f public deeartmentte-- (From the Timex.) changes which interfer e with th e i r d a il y avocations e ind The late precipit a t e p ros , ec ii ng w ith res p ec t t o t h e I . ; enjoyments, whi c h d erange t h e i r calculations, and wh belt :may even ru n ous ly d e p rec i ao t h e i r property—made at Pest-effice may lead to consequ ences net expect e d by these who acted u p on t h e acc id enta l majority of the ; the mere fiat of a single b ranc h o f the Legislature, ;without notice, and with scarceey a s h ow o f di scuss i ies. House of Ceremons. A grave question has arisen as to ! the legality of th e ere!: r lately issued, and the courts of It may, as Sir Ch a rl e s W oo d averre d en Tuesday night., be strictly legal (though mall d ou b t i t), b ut it is ct sr law may prob a bly h e ca ll e d upon to d ec id e t h e po i nt. A taitily unusual, and c o nt rar y to a ll t h e analog i es of our mere resolution of e i t h er H ouse o f P ar li ament h as not ! social and political system ; and th e p u bli c w ill b e se iw the force of l aw , and we must recur to Acts c f P arl i a- i to. believe that anyb o dy i s really entices erable for a lit Ile rnent to ascertain th e powers of t h e P ostmaster -G erera l I r and the Crown with respect to t h e d e li very o f l etters. ievolution of this sort exc e pt th e G overnment wh i ch has The question may, i n d ee d , b e tr i e d i n var i ous mo d es, an d wilfully, and even ostent a tio us ly, a ll owe d t h e nu i sance to the only persons lik e l y eventual l y to pro fi t b y t h e re- take its own cours e . It i s no b us i ness o f ours to defecad striction now imp ose d are t h e l awyers . I mportant the Sabbatarian zealots f r o m th e censures w hi ch their letters being del a y e d or d elivery o f t h em re f use d on the folly deserves ; b u t Mi n i sters may b e assured that, Sunday, an actio n may b e foun d to li e aga i nst t h e per- when the consequ ences o f the ' recent c h ange shall have son refusing or d e t a i n i ng them, an d t h e i ncons id erate somewhat further developed th emse l ves . i t w ill not conduct of the G overnment may t h us l ea d to a l most i n- to the majority o f n i ne ty- t h ree t h at w il l have to bear terminable litigati on . I t ought to b e reco ll ecte d t h at t h e the chief blame. Wh a t t h ose consequences are likely to b business of deliv er i ng t h e l etters of t h e commun i ty i s a be, we shall, it may b e f eare d, soon h ave ample means of case entirely ex ce p t i ona l . The commun i ty, spea ki ng judging. On Tu es d a y even i ng L or d Brougham men by Parliament, h as d etermine d b ot h to i mpose ironed the instence of a death which had occu r r e d w i t hi n upon the Govern men t the o bli gat i on o f rece i v . the previous day or t wo , i n consequence of the new re ing, collecti ng , an d d el i vering letters, and to prevent all gulations rendering i t i m p oss ib le to cal l i n medical aid private person s f rom i n any way shar i ng i n the be- by letter; and though it w ill d ou b t l ess b e sa i d that the onsets. For reaso ns p art l y of finance, par tl y o f a soc i al case was an "isolat e d" one , i t un f ortunately happens character, a compl e t e monopoly h as b een esta bli she d , that." isolated ca ses ," o f one sort or another, constitute The Postmaster-G enera l has b"en ma d e " a corporation" no small part o f every man ' s lif e. Li a bi lity to "isolated" emergencies, whether o f a persona;, a pecun i ary, or a em this purpose ; a certein fixed sum or charge has been settled to be paid by th ose who sen d an d rece i ve letters; existence; and nothing i s more certa i n t h an that, in domestic nature, i s at f un d amenta l con d ition of human end heavy penaltie s are irne o i e d on those who shall pre sume to interf e r e w i t h t e e duty if receiv i ng, collecting, every consider a bl e t own i n G reat B r i tain, scores or bun end delivering th e m. F or many years t h e chief consi- dreds of instatic , s will arise every S un d a y i n w hi c h im et ration of th e G overement in this matter was the sum mediate communication with a di s t ant l oca li ty w ill b e a matter of lieu-and-de a th urgency . O f course we du not molected;* the tax was t h e thing regar d e d . S ecurity, of the indeed, seemed t o b e i ncreased by the G mean to say that th e new r e g i me, if a ll owed to be leg upon itself the duties- evernment talc- come permanent, will b e very i re quently productive Post-office; certainty . of extreme and f a tal consequences, as i n the case also appeared mor e lik e l y of attainment i n consequence adduced by Lord B roug h am . P eop l e w i ll soon learn to of•the same proc ee di ng . B ut many circumstancee have occurred to shake the public confidence as •to these sup- understand the thing, and, so far as may be, to aceom posed advantages. All un i ty and prec i s i on an d securiTy modals themselv es to i t . N ecess i ty is the mother of are likely to be lost, if th e l ate proceed i ng i s to b e taken invention. Th e p ro p r i etors o f the L on d on weekly juur as a precedent. Th e merest accident will hereafter have nals have already, as our rea d ers are aware, made ar fatal sway over our mos t i mportant i nteress; and ore rangements with at least on e o f th e great ra il way tom great advantage derived f rom our a d vance i n art, and Pantos, which will t en d to avert t h e threatened confis in our command ov er t h e powers of nature, will cation of their prop e r t y ; an d t h ere can b e no doubt have to be struck o u t o f the account to be made that it will be perf e ctly p ract i ca bl e, w i th a little time of the benefits derived from the exist and experience, to o rgau i ze a mac hi nery adequate to the once of society. Th e p eop l e of this country are, we re- - supply of other soci a l wants b esi d es t h e craving for ''la joice to believe, an eminently pious people. But their test intelligence." Country traders, who h ave bill s fall piety is not always a reasoni ng and rat i onal p i ety. They in;' due in Lond on on t h e M on d ay will find means of transmitting cash on th e S un d ay; an d urgent family are not unapt to permit their mermen sense to be sur missives will, w e may b e sure, neither be kept back till prised by interested profes s i ons if peculiar excellence, cs and to be thus led to sacrific e th e substance and true merit the critical moment i s p asse d, nor b e cerel sly flung into of piety tor mere outedeobservariele. An imperious•de- the receptacles whe re ever ythi ng li es " unsorted and sire to compel oth ers t o o b ey our own peculiar opinions untouched." We m a y sa y, i n genera l , t h at (after a And rules of condu ct i s b u t too often the real motive while) there will be a un i versa l S un d ay " collection and leading to an unnecessary str i ct observance of the letter, delivery" of all l e tt ers — except t h ose of the very poor— in place of the s pi r it o f t h e law; and of the movement in which are werth b e i ng d u n e up in str i ng and brown , the country which eventually led to th e Ice resolutien pap r, and cherged as "p arce l s. " I n a word, the most of the House of C ommons, t h e greater part was the re- notable and conspi cuous resu l ts o f t h e present delectable stilt of mere personal interest, and a mechanical obeli- device for promoting Sabbatical religion will be (should ence to mere outward f orms . Of the multitude who the thing last long enoug h), to ma k e a cons id era b le hole signed petition s f or t h e a b o li t i on of Sunda labour in in the Post-offic e revenue — to l evy a vast amount of y private taxation on a ll c l asses o f t h e commun i ty except The Post office, a very largo wajoiity acted without any real cons id erat i on of the consequence. The the poorest—to infli ct on th em a crue l and exasperating h mere signing one's name was deemed an easy way hardship—and to a dd enormous l y to the amount of of escaping remonstrance and importunity, as Sunday labour thro ug h out th e country. W e take it, well as of earnin g a c h aracter ter piety. Little atten- however, to be imp os sibl e , p ract i ca ll y spea ki ng, that, :ion was paid t o th e mot i ves of those by whom the our experience of thi s a b sur d an d f antast i c innova ' esejority cf the petitions were con cocted, and signing the tion will be suffici e ntly . p rotracte d to produce a rtaine i was generally b e li eve d to be all that would occur. tithe of the social and mora l m i sc hi ef w i th The first stir was m a d e un d er a misapprehension. Those which it is fra u ght. M r . L oc k e has g i ven who were unwilling to have a Sunday delivery of letters notice of a motion, for the 9th of next month, in London (which was never contemplated, in fact, by which, will bring th e w h o l e quest i on once more under enybedy) did not t a il t o take advant age of the feelin the consideration of th e H ouse o f C ommons ; an d what which they found general in th e metropolis, and the c r y themselves from the ver y d iscre di ta bl e pos i t i on which was raised, Wby not m a k e t h e whole country like London? Why need there b e a S unday delivery in any they have assumed, th ere are , we trust, i ndependent Members of that a s sem bl y w h o w ill ta k e care that the ttert of the kingdom? Two cl asses very distinct in their character, and as to th e o bj ects which they had in matter shall at lea s t un d ergo one n i g h t ' s thorough and view, were activ e o n th e occas i on ; and proved, what searching discussion. The issue we can scarcely re experience has, ind ee d, b ut too often shown that gard as dubious. L or d As hl ey hi mse l f must, we should in active, persevering, an d i nterested minority will , . imagine, he alr e ady somew h at scept i cal as to the moral ' 4enerally obtain their object in spite of the tame operation of a eystem which tends to identify the very opposition of an apathetic majority. All persons con- name of the sacred day with unwonted and odious social tletted with the deliveryaf letters, and more especially restrictions ; and we cannot but believe that very many hose wh o r ece i ve a fi xe d salary, had a powerful interest among his recent su p porters w ill have perceived, on in reflection, th a t t h e d ecorous and religious ob servance diminishing by one - sevent h the labour for which they servance of the w e ekly Ch r i st i an h o li day has nothing to rest, they dexte rous l y p ut f orth their demand for an un were paid. T o grace an d c l oa k this metre sordid irate rest, but everythin g t o Luse, from that sort of f i nali ca l employed Sabbath. They 'asserted that from being exaggeration which invariatly en d s i n an ant i- re li g i ous •ccupied during th e S un d a y they were unable to attend reaction. their religious duties, and prayed Parliament not to p er gait the contin uance , of so grie vous a wrong. To anap :teal of this doscrip itin Parliament and the country-were inxious to lend a willing attention, and all must wish that every facility should be afforded in such a matter. slut works ot necessity must still be performed; aud of the •housaeds who signed the petitions presented to Perlis went there are few who relieve their own servants from every duty beyond what absolute necessity e mends. The ordinary work of every household is performed, though it includes many more than mere acts f necessity. Red is prepared; carriages arid horses ire employed; visits are made and received. Some there nay be, but still a minute fractem of the whole commu- Jay, who restrict materially the duties of their house hold servants on a Sunday. But take these with all neir strictness, and much that is mere superfluity wiel Mill be found to remain. A crust of bread and a elm: ,t plain water are sufficient he al. hilt' to sustain ii he elthy person for a siege, day. Fire need not be lighted ee !ept for purposes of warmth—fm the purpose at prepar trig food it is wholly unnecessary. Th., very per.uns vno claim exemption in this case because of the need- :ion upon their time for religious observarce deal, we ire prepared to assert, with the time of others, as re tards themselves. in a far different spirit. They who lave servants command their services. They who have ,:he means of buyitie eejoymt i t t spend their money tot turchase the 'voluieary service of others to that end. slut who shill say that the transmission of some earls on the Cuuday is not a work of recessite ? .end if we allow it in any case, we must allow ;t in all, for no discrimination can be made. We have stow before us many complaints of the misery which this restriction has already inflicted. Otis case is an instance of most grievous misery, most wantonly in flicted. A mother lies dangerously ill on the Saturday, natty ()fie: r children are absent, and she, believing her end Lear, wishes to gather round her bed of' d , ath the Children from whom she is destined soon to part far ever. No letter can be sent. The family is not in affluent etretonstanees, and the children are scattered. To send Tor them is impossible. This is no fancied case. The proof of its afff,cting reality is now ; before us. In an ether instance the circumstances are different, but the :Offering is nearly equal. The child in this case is ill —additional advice is wished for. Again the family 'a not affluent —and without welter, and for the parents • almost impossible, 'expense the advice desired 'cannot be obtained. The great mischief of `she matter i 4 that the evil thus falls. chiefly on the poor. The cid' man, whether as respects his pleasures or his wants, is able in most cases by his wealth'to obtain what ee desires. Servants are dispatched, arrangeinents are predetermined, and at an increased cost the thing is lone. But as respects the very end sought to be ob t lined by this re-trictive system, that is wholly frus trated. Sunday labour, instead of being diminished, is ;really increased; while the good which that labour tfects is materially lessened. The same train that car rice one messenger would carry thousands of letters. The train travels, all the servants needed for it are em ploy:ed, but only the rich man's messenger proceeds upon eis journey. The messenger of the poor man—his un expensive letter—is stopped, and hearts may be wrung, irreparable wrong may to inflicted, and the poor pre once for which all this evil has been accomplished has ;tot the grace of being even in appearance what its authors desire. We assert, without tear of refutation, , hat the restriction on the Post-office, instead of di nishieg, must of necessity greatly increase Sunday labour. (From the Cork Examiner.) The fanatics of Sabbatical labour must apparently be satisfied with having annoy eel the public for an exceed ingly abort space of time. Their success has excited a universal outcry through England. Lord Brougham de nies that it is legal tor the Government to carry out the Lew regulations, the Post-office being a means of taxation, which they have no right to abrogate or lessen; and the Marquis of Lansdowne promises to take the point into serious consideration. The Chancellor of the Exchequer confesses to a maliciotis satisfaction at the in coevenience to which the public have subjected them selves; indeed, it is doubtful whether the testy indi vidual is not more pleased at the consequences of the vote in the Commons, than angry at its having been adopted against his advice. Lord John Russell agrees in the opinion of the Chaneeller, with regard to the change being unadvisable. Meanwhile, the l imes speeds the opposition to the measure of the vast body of the Erg!ish classes. The anxiety of Rnisters to see the House of Commons retrace its steps is not at all ac cepted as CM excuse for their complying with an address voted in such a way. The Spectator says their " con duct presents u case of the most naked mala fides — that it is grossly uncoostitulional,' and despicably shabby;" and the whole pies, without exception, merely varies the terms of con , iemnalion. From all these indi catieDS, we give the new regulations a very abort time longer to live. Toe best, because the shortest, argument on the question is, that the stoppage of the postal de. livery really tends to increase the amount of labour on the Sabbath. This has been over and over again de monsttatec!. Within the limited range of a single per son'. acquaint axe, and on the first occasion when the obnoxious regulations came into force, we have known au extent of trouble taken with counnunicationr, almost equal to that of all the persons engaged in the local post-office. One fact is stronger than a column of logic. We give the following illustration cf the new Post-office rule. A farmer in ih- county gaol for debt, had his bail papers bent up to Dublin. 'They were examined and round all rigor. They were tranzmitttd to Cork, and reached here on Sunday morning. From the non-de livery of letters, he was kept a prisoner till to-day, thus suffering a whole day's incarc,ration that might have been prevented. I(From the Scotsman.) ' IThe chief effect, as yet, of the remarkable postal change which came into operation last Sucday, has been a great outburst of bitter abuse against all concerned in it, coming from those who have been silent or very cautious end gentle in the previous stages of the ques tion. Every morning the. Times (Oath, we take only als conspicuous among a large eumber) comes out firmer and fiercer, arid with fresh specimens of the op pressions and ab.uroities arising out of the new tystem. That the complaints are just and the specimens fair there is no doubt ; and even in our Own much smaller sphere we have already evidenced that, as we have al ways maintained, the change wilt not only ieflict great inconvernerme and cruelty, but, without that inconve nience and cruelty being thereby removed in the more clamant class of cases, will greatly increase the amount of Sunday labour. The very first Sunday's experi ence 'has caused requests to be made to us from various districts to enter on arrangements by which, through means of parcels, &c., the papers may be ob tainable as hithert.i when the readers pay their Sand 'y visits to the places where (no anomalous neighbourship) the church and post-office stand together; and there is no doubt that arrangements of that kind, not only as regards despatching, but, in the case of papers published early in the week,as regards_ receiving also,will.treadopted, and to some extent are already ad o pt e d, by the chief portion of the newspaper press. The proprietors of the London Saturday papers are already far advanced with preparations for a Sunday delivery in a large number of places by means of private messengers, and a pressure, the , success of which seems considered certain, has been commenced on the English railway companies, to induce them to establish a Sunday parcels delivery. Our advertising co lumns also bear evidence already that the coffeehouse-keepers and others of the same class even in Scotland are calling new machinery into operation in order to obtain their supply of papers. These are spe cimens of the remedies resorted to in one department alone—whence inferent es may be drawn as to what will be the amount of labour called into existence to provide remedies in all the other departments, as well as of the amount of cruelty inflicted and or indignant feeling en gendered in those numerous and various cases (the cases of individuals as distinguished, froin trades or communi ties, and the puor a, distinguiihed from the rich) in which the wrong is irremediable.' The Times of Mon day Incidentally makes the following alluaion to 'the mode in which last Sunday was spent in-London, the city to which the advocates of the prohibition of intercourse are so fond of referring in example:— " The railways could not supply trains fast enough for the multitude pressing into the metropolitan stations, and by the time a regular train had got off there re mained enough for a supplementary special. The river, which had not cased to flow, presented a similar spec tacle; and as no air was to he got in the streets, it was a comfort to think cf the several score tiousands who in haled it, not quite pure perhaps, but stiil in motion on the Thames. We never remember to have seen so com- --- plete a turn-out of the population on the pavement as there was in the evening, .just as the air out of doors was beginning to be cooler inan within. We must add-that we; saw icgood many reading their newspapers, which they did with the lock of men exerctaug a privile;e, and resolved to keep it if possible." This in lieates two of the peculiarities connected with the case of London, to which we have occasionally ad verted. The one is that, besides an amount of Sunday business happily unknown either in Scotland or the pro vincial towns of England, London, with her shut Post offic-, is on Suuduy the most jaunting, arid pleasure seeking town in the kingdom. Of course, we do not adduce these things as cause and effect, but only as coincident, and as having a bearing both on the mdtive under which the Londoners keep their Post-office shut, and on the assumption of the Agnewites that shuttinl it throughout the kingdom would proejuce better Sab bath observance. The second peculiarity in the case of London iuditated above, is that, in au far as she has her population concentred, and is rather the giver than the receiver of intelligence, she is much less de. pendent on the Post-office than any other district is. l'or ilstance, London is nearly as pliulous as all Scotland, but it is very easy to see the difference as to the necessity of Post-office cummunication betweett B. population: "e Together on twelve kquat e wiles, and one spread over inure Wan 30,000 equate mile,--between a popula tion, the members of Which, any Sunday, at tan& any OUTO Mali AO GWAtors i Maga or olorwiou) within a few minutes and at a trifling oust—and an equally numerous population, the mereners or which are separated by scores and hundreds of miles, and perhaps by shut railroads and horae:ess highways. Thus, we Fee that, while the n ewN p a p ers b elong i ng to all the I rest of the population were, last Sunday, lying locked up in boxes, the Londoners not only had theirs carried and received, but employed themselves in reading them. Tile sum of the matter is, that, in a multitude of 'matters London is, so to speak, self-contained and self-supplying, while all other place s are dependent on such arrangements as that of which they have been this week deprived. Oddly enough —so oddly us to be worth mentioning—just when those who were silent or timid before are beginning to speak out, our respected contemporary, the Mercury, who • has hitherto borne well his share in the battle, seems rather inclined to " ring in." He " would wish the experiment fairly tried," and always "thought it well worthy of con sidera:ion." In the case of such conversions or waecrings, experience has led us to the suspicion, never yet wrong in any instance where inquiry has been made, that the convert's practice had become lax just when his profes sions had become strict. For instance. a reverend doctor in this city, who used to write very strongly against the stopping of Sunday trains, lately came out very furious on the other side--just at the time that he had shifted his residenee several miles out of town, and taken to driving in and out ever y S a bb ath-day. Similar is the case of th e Morning Herald, which has of lute -be come quite enthusiastic against every species of " Sab bath labour "—and whose printers and all connected with it labour every Sunday as long and as hard as they I do every Monday. It is nothing lof ' this kind we intend to allege against our friend's con sistency (though he may tel a little frightened) —we mean to confine ourselves strictly to the queetion in hand; and, doing so, we point out his announcement to his readers that, in consequence of that change in the Poet-office of which he declares in favour, he will hereafter get them news by means of Sunday parcels! In profession he says, " We wish the experiment tried;" in practice, he says (like many others of the few who approve of this experiment), "but we shall take pre- 1 cioue good care you shall not try it on us." It would relieve much perplexity were our contemporary (to whom we speak in respect and amity) to explain by what process of moral reasoning he arrives at the con clusions that it is right that the Government should pro hibit the carrying, sending, and receiving of letters of affection and faintly, necessity and mercy, mayhap life and death, and that it is right also that he should cause parcels to be cent, carried, and receivei, to facilitate the dispatch of his secular business. GRAND SWIMMING MATCHES. Last evening the first swimming matches of the Hot. born Swimming Club came off at the National Baths, High Holborn. There cou'd not have been less than 1,000 persons present to witness the race, one and all of whom wore delighted with the admirable arraugements made by the spirited proprietor of the baths, Mr. James .Hedgman, for their accommodation. The place was brilliantly lighted with gas for the occasion. At start ing the greatest excitement prevailed' amongst the bet ters, sto 1 being offered against the favourite, Mr. Thomas Young, coming in first, or eieu second. The number of competitors for the medals, which were of massive silver, was seven. The distance in trial heats was feur lengths of the bath, and the grand heat six lengths. After a most severely contested struggle, as far as regarded the trial heats, Mr. Thomas Young and Mr. David Young, brothers, were announced by Mr. H. -Kenworthy, amid loud plaudits, the successful candidates for the prizes. By .a strange fact it was quite a matter of chance which of the twobrothera came in first, so equally were they matched. -The six lengths of the bath were swam in the incredible short time of two minutes and ten second s . • Th e r i ce being ended, a sweep s t a k es was entered into T—the first of course reaching the goal being George Pewters, the champion of England; Messrs. Robertson and Young following close in his wake. After a short 'interval Messrs. Henson and Kenworthy entered the water, and greatly delighted th comany present by their extra ordinary feats. Mu c h having been said about a late diver, at Bath, having pulled on a pair of boots while underneath the water, Mr. George Pewters dived; clothes and all, into the bath, and before he went out he had succeeded in bringing himself to that state in which Dame Nature had introduced him to. the world. We were, at the termination of the evening's entertainment, which seemed to have delighted all present, requested to state that Mr. George Pewters is open to swim any man, from five to twenty miles for any amount. L: To THE HONOURABLE THE COMMONS OF THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND IN PAR LIAMENT ASSEMBLED, The petition of the undersigned Proprietors and Editors of London Newspapers, and Contributors thereto, and o th e r persons employed thereoc, Humbly showeth, Thet, on an Address, supported by ninety-five mem bers of your Honourable House, and which, by the rules of that House, could not be again considered before it was presented, her Majesty, by the advice of her Mi nisters, has prohibited the delivery of newspapers on Sundays by post throughout the kingdom. That your petitioners thereby have been suddenly aid without notice grievously injured in their property and ecoupation. That the liberty of the press has hitherto been con sidered the' first bulwark of British freedom, and that its uses have hitherto been considered of paramount value and importance, and that, therefore, any unneces sary interference with its operations is the most unbestie able of oppressions, and the moat galling of insults, that can be offered to the people, or their habitual informants, instructors, and defenders. That her Majesty's Government, in suddenly acting upon the resolve of an accidental majority, by stopping the delivery of the post on Sundays without taking means to consult the real sense of your Honourable House, has abandoned its duty and despctically trifled with the property and interests of your petitioners. Tbat the amount of Sunday labour which will be oc casioned by the efforts of the newspaper proprietors to protect their property will be threefold that saved by the new regulations. Tbat the stamp-tax on newspapers has been vindi cated as giving the privilege of transmission by post, and that to make this privilege availsble to one class and to deny it to another is an act of the grossest fiscal in ustiee. That the circulation of newspapers on a Sunday is a civiliziug act, meritorious to the highest degree in a free nation, where every individual is supposed to take the part of a fie eman in public affairs, and where this day is the only one that affords to many of the industrious classes the opportunity, by perusal of the public prints, to inform themselves of their duty as citizens. That the business to be transacted by a great number of indtviduals in the course of The ensuing week is ne cessarily regulated by the information as to markets and otherwise communicated by the weekly papers on the Sunday. That the Post•effice is a close monopoly of the most essential means of communication, which monopoly can only be justified by its rendering the most complete and equal service at all times to all parties who require its agency. That to make this great public institution subservient to the sectarian opinions of any body of individuals is an usurpation of the rights of Government and a per- VCISIOII of its duties. That your petitioners, who are as anxious as any other persons, whatever may be their religious preten skins, to give the full enjoyment and repose of one day in the week to the entire people, feel that this can only tie done by a moderate sacrifice of the convenience for some hours of the few to the many, and that it this truth be not admitted, no one has a right to claim any ser vice of any kind upon the seventh day; and that this principle should be strictly applied to all ranks of men by stringent I , gisiation. That your petitioners believe the new regulations of the Post-utlice to be a violent inroad on the liberty of conscience, a mere pretence as to the effect it professes• to produce, the precursor of a series of absurd and op. pressive messures against the civil and religious liberty of the people; an act unwarranted by the practice and faith of civilised Europe—a deprivation ietheted by a higher class upon au humbler one, and a measure so totally unworthy of the Government and Legislature of this country, that it could only have been carried by the surprise of a single vote. Your petitioners therefore humbly pray of your Hoeouranle House to rescind the resolution wh i ch led to the late Address, and to enable the Government to resort to the former usage in this behalf, And your petitioners, as in duty bound, will every pray, &c. ,TEST ,EWS OF MR. LAYARD.—Letters have been received from our enterprising countryman so late as the 10th of , April, and dated from Arban, on the River Kliabour. Our readers will remember that the last siccounts from this quarter in the Literary Gazette mentioned Mr. Layard's purpose of penetrating into the Desert, which he has now done, and explored for. three weeks, meeting with numerous traces of ancient population, though not so productive of an tiquities as was hoped for. His present site, however, is richer in archaeological remains, and is important, as these are undoubtedly Assyrian, and thus establish the fact of the extent of that empire. Two winged bulls and other frag ments have been discovered among the ruins. The country around is described as beautiful. The meadows rich in herb age, and the banks of the Khabuur literally gemmed with flowers. Mr. Layard was desirous to examine this river to its mouth ; but the Arabs in that direction were hostile to those whom he ranked among his friends, and amid whose' drums daries, flocks, and tents he w as l ocate d . The sheikh.aud his ladies and au the tribe were kind and 11( spitable; and we trust arrangements may be made with the inimical parties wherever they interpose between Mr. Layard and his inter esting discoveries. In his letter, that gentleman says that he thinks Major Rawlinson wrong i some of his topography, and that the chronological deductions cannot as yet be con sidered settled.—Literar y Gazette. SINGWLAR •Wii.r..—We are informed that-the late Miss Margarei Creak. of St. Andrews, in this city. whose dPattr was recorded in our paper of June 8, has left a very singular will, and not so much prm.erty us is generally sup posed —not more than 20,0ue/. in value. She has left Is. each to such of her relations as :choose to prove themselves so; a and a legacy ot 2OL to one neighbo ur , and 101. to ano t h er , ftrifling le.!acies ot 2/. etch. She has left WI. each to every houseless person in the country above sixty-eight years of age; and all her real estate to tound an hospital for .aged,peisons, the hospital to be built and the inmates to be habited as directed. she then gives all her personal pro perty to a neighbour, who is appointed executor. It is evi dent the hernia of the will caonot be carried out—the pro perty bEing insufficient. —Norfhlk Chronicle. CoD Fr.uleo.—Great quantities of cod continue :to be brought ashore at Wick. In Shetland and Orkney the take is ,also abundant. Last week, in Shetland, the smacks did well. At Iteawick the average wag about 500-- the highest the. sloop Nymph, Captain Watts. At Walls, the average was 300; highest sloop, 1,000. At Scalloway, avenge, 250; highest, 00. We have heard nothing from North Marine. At Papti;the take for the week was more than the average of farmer years. In Orkney, the, fisher men are paid at the rate of 4s. Bd. per cwt.--/neerass Courier. THE CLERGY AND THE SABBATARIAIi FRENZY TO THE .F:DiTOI OF THE SUN. is well known that great numbers of the clergy are, on principle, opposed to , the recent change in the Sunday postal arrangements. The rational and Scriptural views of Archbishop Whately and the late Dr. Arnold,. with reference to the Lord's day, are ac— cepted by hundreds even of those who would feel Some' difficulty in subscribing to the opiniens of those great and learned men on some other subjects. Why, then, do not those who believe this recent change iu the Kist-office to be repugnant alike to common sense and to Christianity, step forward boldly and aid the efforts now making to procure a repeal of this most offensive regulation ? For my own part, I have done and shall do all that is in my power to point out to the people the cruelty, injustice, and, above all, the utterly un-Christian nature of this proceeding, convinced that in so doing I am but acting in perfect consistency with my duty as a clergyman and as a Christian, in resisting the attempt to impose upon the English people a Judaical observance of the Sunday, and so to deprive them of '" that liberty wherewith Christ has made us free." Nothing, as it seems to me, can be more self-ovidt.nt to any unprejudiced student of the New Testament, than that the attempt to stop all postal communication on Sunday is an act of tyranny and oppression, for which no warrant whatever can be found in that Holy Book. Is it colic, ivable,' that He, who so severely rebuked the hypocrisy of those who would have prevented Him from healing the sick on the Jewish Sabbath, would sanction a measure which will prevent the son from hastening to the bedside of the d) lug parent, and keep thousands racked with the agony of hope, deferred through the long hours of a day which ought to be tier, so far as may be, for contemplation on sacred things, and tor holy Christian enjoyment? I perceive that the same parry, whose efforts have procured from a weak and reluctant;Miuistry the perpe tration of this outrage on religion and common sense, are now actively employed in circulating petitions against the admission ut Jews into Parliament. 1 can imagice nothing more absurd than this. Why, Sir, if they are so loud of Jewish ordinances, should they•so' strongly obj,ct to Jewish. Legislators? I enclose my address, that you may know that my signature , is not a feigned one, and with *my sincere wishes that your exertions in the cause of religious libeity may be soon crowned with SII3CEI3, Sir, your very obeo!ent servant A PRESBYTER OF THE CHURCH OF EN AND. [ADVERTISRMENT.]----BOTANI WATER AND BEARS' GREASE.-- When th e h a i r is becoming thin, and fall ing oft', the only effectual remedy, besides shaving the • • is the use of the two above - named alter nately, the botanic water to cleanshearrioioctiseslroar ii scurf,applied and as 4 stimulant, and the bears' grease as a nourisher. If any further evidence' Wa s r equired or the virtues of bears, grease for reno • vating and preserving the hair, Mr. Catlin's acccunt of the quantity used, and the length of hair obtained by some of ,the North American Indians, would be a sufficient answer....R& .Sows. 119 and 120, liishopsgate-street, London, who first introduced the use of bears' grease in this country, and who fat, and kill the animas, recommend the public to purchase none other but Is ith their names and address pruned on the pot, or the chances are their obtain ing a spurious article. [AD VEBTISEMEIST.]—WheeIer's General London and Provincial Newspaper-office, Manchester.—B. Wheeler begs to inform his friends and the public, that in consequence of the alteration in the Post-office regulations, he has made arrangements to receive Bell's Life in London, and other Lon don Saturday_ and Sunday newspapers at the earliest hour, possible on the Saturday, so as to be delivered in Manches ter the same day, and also to forward them to the neigh bouring towns on the Saturday.—Exchange Arcade, Man chester. CADvERTisEmENT.J—BeII's Life in London.—ln consequence of the new postal arrangements, a portion of the publication of this journal will take place before 5 o'clock on Saturday mornings in time fur the morning mails and early railways. To insure the insertion of advertisements in Bell's Life, they should be sent to 170, Strand, early on 18 d OOO AY . afierupon. The average sale of .14.4's i#Y . exceeds , THS BRIGHTON _ PAvimoN.—The Surveyor to thee' Woods and Forests gave the Commissioners of Britbton pos=ession of the rentioit %tate o Weitealllaikaiee I#4l l o/ 6 gift** b • GROTTO -PASSAG E RAGGED INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL.--• The annual meeting of this institution was held yesterday, at the Marylebone Institution, Edwards-street, Portman. square; Lord Ashley in the chair. The chairman com menced the proceedings by stating that, however ineaient their efforts might appear to be, yet still they had realised in many cases greater results than could have been antici pated. When they looked upon the lawless class which they had to deal with, and the depravity which they had to contend against, they had every cause to be grateful for the benefits which many had derived from the institution. of the ragged schools. The report being then read, stated that 36 boyS had been b: arded, lodged, and clothed in the Refuge Institution; 180 children of each s ex , and 4t) adults, had been under daily tuition; 70 boys had received instruetion in various trades, and 25 re each sex had been provided with a daily di-,ner. A Sunday-school, with an average attend ance of 43, had been in constant operation; and a library and reading-room had been opened. Eight boys and three men had been sent to the colonies. The report was adopted, and a vote or thanks to the chairman concluded the business of the meeting. LOBSTER FISHING.—The lobster fishing has been prosecuted with great activity and most successfully.on the .shores of ibis county during tte last two or three months. At Dunnet and Scarfskerry stations, where there are front sixteen to eighteen boats employed, the takes have hitherto averaged about 1;000 a week. Mr. Roberts, of London, fishes the whole coast from Cape Wrath to Hums, as also the Orkney Isles; and it is estimated, at a moderate calculation, that he expends in this one branch of industry atone, in this part of the country, about 3,00' L during the lobster fishing season, which extends from the Ist of April to tbq lat of July. The fishing on the south coast, from Hurna to Latheron, is carried on by our enterprising townamab, Gunn, merchant, Bridge-street, and a partner. They employ two boats, but they have not diiven so profitable a spec as Mr. R o b er t s h as on the north coast.—John -V Groat 'barna SNOW IN JUNE. —On Saturday morning. between the hours of nine and ten o'clock, there was a slight fall of sleet and snow at Lincoln, sufficient to lie upon the flag paVement. The mornings and evenings have been very cold.—Postm Herald. L. ---- %.: COTII:•:}1 lioprrAl..--A quarterly court. of the govenws of this corporation was held yesterday afternoon, at tueir offices in Crane-court, Fleet street, for he reception of the accounts and for o ther business ; Dr. .Webster In the chair. 'ri te statement' of accounts trout St. A:4drew's-clay to Midsummer was read and approved. frAn which it appeared that the total receipts ..during filet time amounted to .1,9121. 12s. 24.1.; of which 6011. 16s. was received in dona tions, and 354/. 165. in annual subscriptions. The restwas cumpOsed of a ualance from the last return and the interest on deposits, rents, &c. The expenditure during the Baum - 'period amounted to 1,6841. ls. 9d., of which upwards of 1,380/. was devoted to charitable purposes. A letter from pr, i fes•s-or 'Donaldson, on the subject of the New Record offices, was read to•the meeting, which :stated that he had been' in communication with the office of Woods and Forests on the subject, and it appeared that a plan had been determined upon much less extensive then that originally contemplated, 'and whidli would only occupy ground be tween Chancery and Fetter-laue, without extending further 'eastward, so that the premises 'of the , Scottish Corporation would not be required. ,A vote of tlAtukS to the chairman. Concluded the proceedings. THE BANQUET TO TRH EX.-LORD . MAYOR, or LONDON.— We understand that th 3 dinnet to•to given, to Sir James Duke, M.V., , in, return lot his hospitable entertain ment to the chief magistrates of English and Scottish towns during his iluiyOralty,' and which war agreed, at a 'recent meeting of Mayors and Provosts at D,rti‘, to take place in Edinburgh, is , fixed for Thursday, the 11 th 01 Jnly, at six o'clock. The ballque . t will take piece in the llopetoun Rooms, and preparations are, we believe, to be made for a cuinpany o from 150 to 200.—Edinburgh Advertiser. • --- THE ABODE OF LOVE—WARM RCCEFTION OF • VISIToRs.-- Five y oung gent l emen of filidgewater, anxious for a peep into the m 3 steries of the Agapemone, proCeeded to that interesting establishment one day last week, and finding "no admittance except on business," commenced an attack on the outer gate witt their walking sticks, when, to their distriiiy, • instead of the responsive expression of " Who in dat knocking at the doot?" Lund themselves surr6unded lay five of brethren armed with hockey sticks and hunt ing-whips. One of the gentlemen, famed for length of limb, made a :Lipid departure; the others received a sound thrash ing, and were told, with peculiar Princite politeness, that the same fate would await them on a similar annoyance. ATmo , pilutic 1-I AYmA4INci,,+ ,w jhirlwind visited a hay - lipid on the tarm of Lord li ray b roo k e near Saffron Walden, on Tuesday, and rath er astosas b e d th e troop of hay. makeig by hurrying off Part,. if the Attgriat uppja „Which they Were labouring, carrying, milt fantastic ship% Over the tops ,of the tall trees, 41A1 dekooitia4; ;me Of it bile s 64.4464 447414. L OND ON, r'. THURSDAY EVENING, THE FLUTE. The flute, which was the most popular musical instru ment of the ancient Greeks, and has retrained popular up to the present time, has lately undergone a revolution At the beginning of the last century it was but a com mon whistle. sounded like the modern flageolet, and termed flute-a-bcc. It had no keys, and could produce only the diatonic scale. The German flute, which sup planted this feeble instrument, was equally'limited in its range of notes, but bad a more sonorous tone. The in creased cultivation of instrumental music, and the de mands of the modern orchesira, whetted the invention of the eminent performers upon the instrument; and pro duced ultimately all the notes of the chromatic scale. The notes of the original diatonic settle, however, being imperfect, these additional notes, which were obtained by keyi, were still inferior, and thus the flute, like all the fingeted wind instruments' which were similarly cir cumstanced, remained proverbially false in intonation. Theme defects, however, having proved too gress for mo dern ears, the last twenty years have produced a flute tuned according . to equal terepennient, and with tones Of an equally resonant quality throughout the entire re gister of the' instrument. One of the most active movers in this direction was Boehm, of Munich, whose suggestions have been adopted, not only on the flat% hut the oboe, clarinet, and bassoon. Messrs. Rudall and Rose, who introduced the improvements of this gentle man to the English flute player, soon found two classes of 'objectors to them —one consisting of those who were indisposed to make certain changes in the manipulation which we re required iu playing upon the flute which went by Boehm's name, and another teas comprised great numbers who, having adopted the Boebm mode of fingering, found it more dAlicult of execution than their old method. In this dilemma Messrs. Rudall and Rose made numerous experiment 11 flutes for different in ventors, having fur an objf , ct to remove these obstacles to the free progress of the amelioration of the instru ment. But it was not until they met the flute as planned by Mr. Carteehat they were fully satisfied. The patent of Mr. Carte extends to two flutes, which are contrived to meet the objections of the two classes of persona re ferred to; one flute combining the principle of equally distributed holes, with the exact fingering of the old flute, and -the other having the same perfection of tone and intonation, with the fiegering somewhat ,changed, but aff)rding a facility of execution that is something extraordinary. cora - e;;Sed Ibury the iclud rts of boo. essrs. tkini. r the adies reary a ma- gave 3ness runk Al iluw► f the pro• )01," and ttee Ifort ilcu- an," e of ac rd and SS' EIP