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

THE SUN, LITERATURE. 1141 N E DYSART. A Tale of Every day Life. 3 VO. l B L el:Luring the reign of Queen Victoria cur literature !s been most appropriately adorned by t he names or " masterpieces of a galaxy of authoresses. Lissa lloth. has this circumstance been observable, that of the most judicious critics of our generation 4 ave not shrunk from suggesting that the ho nours cf L ae - Poet Laureate hip should, m t only in commune keti an of that fact, but also in compliment to her st Gracious Majesty, be bestowed on a lady pecu :at ly qualified to grace as well as to be graced by 1 4 wearing of the hay garland, that lady being no ° tin -I- than the wife of the bard of Paracele us. Lock ing, At the various departments of art and letters, it is t ruth remarkable to detect the distinction attained 1 6 ough the mere display of large and beautiful ca -I'lo ities by women of masculine geniu s thou g h of , 'eta Mine gentleness. While vs e have had occasion to t egi •et the departure of such writers as Jane _Austin, !eld Maria Edgeworth, and the Countess of Blessing `,4).;_ though we have had reason to l ament t ,is disappearance of Anna Maria Porter , o f F elicia nans, and of Letitia Landon—we have had at the I tta a time ample reason to felicitate ourselves upon the survival of other female antho:s of distinguished 'tel Ben ee, and upon the rise of yet more into a rapid nunpicious celebrity. Assiduous application has Gila d; to exhaust the powers of the lively and °beer- One\ Mrs. Gore, of the shrewd and sarcastic Mrs. Trot lope, or of that accomplished Miss Mitferd, whose effu: dons have ever combined the morality of Mrs. inah Moore with the f.iscivating simplicity of Mrs. bateld. Among the historical labours of an epoch ndered illustrious by the contemp)rary research of tp ch. annalists as the rhetorical Macaulay, the impato eit 1 Lingard, the erudite Hallam, the indefatigable pti acott, the sedate Turner, and the comprehensive itti son; there has been awarded a lofty niche for the "!B‘eorate and elegant compositions of A g nes 4t riekland. Among brilliant dramatists, such l e tt Talfourd, and Lytton, and White, and wawlei, and Lovell, and Marston, and Jerrold, and ttourcicault, a high and conspicuous position has been aura riled to the intellect of the dramatist of the pas sion s the eloquent and emotional genius of Joanna One of the most exquisite of living lyrists — eve) i with Tennyson still in his maturity, and Proc ter yet in the autumnal mellowness of his reputation n-is. a lady graced with a name doubly poetic, Elizt bette Barrett Browning. One a the greatest fa veil rites of the population, so rendered by her homely eted. heart-born ballads, is Eliza Cock. One of the Otent felicitous of our occasional versifiers is unquee• iticielably Frances Brown. One of the most earnest 'Sod imaginative of our poetic idealists is the Honour able Mrs. Norton. In the histrionic art our fair i,eou etrywomen are nobly represent ed b y Helen It'lran air, and in the pictorial art by Miss Setchell, 'Whit e, as a delineator of the fruits and flaw nes of the earth, Mrs. Margetts has drawn joephnation not sparingly from the genius of the rein Atable Lance. From the highest to the lowest dep artment of intellectual excellence, among the cou ipetitors for popularity, not the least noticeable, or a l e least entitled to encomium, are those ladies Mx se love for the true and the beautiful has sur past ea their terror of the supercilious designation of blows-ntockieos. But if the eminence acquired b y the women of England, in the several walks of art Or literature above enumerated, has been in any de gree • nemarkable—it has been singularly surpassed by the success of those numerous aspirants for renown who. have aeltimed the literary masquerade as novel ists. Among these must be mentioned some of the ; Mos.!: promising authors of our generation, who, if 'tot eeesessing to the full the strong objective fancy of Mrs. ! Radcliff, or the irresistible hilarity of Madame deS eVigne, or the inexorable propriety of Mrs. Chapone, or the virile judgment of Madame de Steel, have /et displayed, to a suprising extent, resources of hive ration, felicity of humour, directness of purpose, and 'keenness of observation. Foremost among these are the author of " Jane Eyre," and the author of nidaWyndham," both wor ks of singular vigour and ebil sty, the intellectual productiveness of, the writers of v ihich bas been further severally illustrated, the one by " Shirley," the other by the " Wilmingtoes." Lys o n with such masters of fiction amongst us as atlas Dickens and Bulwer Lytton, and with such a r nultitude of gifted and agreeable romancists as t dot aes, Lover, Disraeli, Teuckeray, Jerrold, Smith, Oh imier, AlCl6WOrth, Lever, Collins, and Warburton, the ,vigorous capacities of such romancists as Currcr Bea, and the author of " Two old Men's Tales," are of kind neither to be disparaged nor overlooked. An other female writer, whose abilities must entitle her , to be enrolled ultimately among those ( lis anguished prideceesors, has just appeared in the person of the author of " Anne %art." Another female writer, we say, because it is anapcssible not to recognise in this " tale of every die fr life" a woman's tact, a woman's sagacity, a wo- In: clearness of perception, and a woman's gen tle aess of sentiment. The story, although vigorously Written, the incidents, although powerfully conceived, the characters, although boldly and nervously ski etched, are, nevertheless, all of them, manifestly the, emanations of a feminine fancy. We must sw im owledge, moreover, to having been fairly charmed th roughout the whole perusal by that freshness which is alone attributable to the unhackneyed verve of ca ps cities neither worn nor j ided by previous employ ent. The narrative is of the simplest construction ; th a tale is, as the second title imports, one of " every de ,y life ;" the personages introduced by it to our og ee rvation, are the men, women, and children Na e see around us continually, creatures of flesh and blood—of generic characters generally, though some-• times of peculiar and individualized idiosyncrasy. that is, perhaps, the most prominent excellence in otar authoress is her shrewdness of observation—a shrewdness which, aided by considerable piquancy of style, satirical without being ill-natured—enables her tea limn the imaginary persons cf her history with astonishing vividness. From epitomising the plot by a thy and needless analysis we shall abstain yet more sedulously than ever in the instance of "Anne Dy sart," seeing that the work, as a first work, demands twere than ever such abstinence from premature dis closures. Besides, it always appears to us that the Selaeme of a fictitious narrative, though eminently iehteresting. 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 W orthy of notice in a fiction 1 Ire 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- Pslled to avow at once that, while thus restricting ourselves within a narrow compass we are embarrassed by the multiplicity of things 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 tha death of her last surviving parent into the society of a little town in Northumberland. Her brother Prank, 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 meanness, her par simonious dulness, and painstaking 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 llobbims. 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 stocking, 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 herivanity, 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 Mr. Shield, who would be altogether an un mitigated prig but for his being at the same time a moat intolerable bore. Ihe 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 co uld speak in yet stronger terms of disgust but for 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 most genial eulogiurns but for a certain repulsiveness about her which exists as it were in spite o f the evident partiality cf the authoress—beyond which the whole creaticn reminds us so strongly of poor _Humpy in M. Eugene Sue's Juif Errant as to deprive it in our eyes of the Merit of originality. Eleanor Gimme, on the other hand, is a character as original in idea as it is s " masterly in execution. Her histor y constitutes striking and beautiful episode, for a while diverting attention from the principal thread of the narrative. Kindred in inanity are Mrs. Smith, her chaperon, and Mr. Hall, her suitor. One other of the principal , characters, not yet mentioned—perhaps altogether . about the principal character in the narrative —is Gerald Bolton. Conceived somewhat in the same naor ote o r eccentric school as the Mr. Rochester of "Jane Eyre," and the Mr. Denby of "Emilia IV 3 ndharn," this Mr. Balton of "Anne Dysart" is nevertheless no transcript, but a creation of distinct and even insulated individuality. The powerful touches of nature with whi c h hi s rugg e d but sensitive character had been portrayed redounds very highly to the credit of the head and the heart of -the authoress. Several of the scenes it, vtbich Mr. Bolton typears are penned, especially i n regard to the dialogue, with much genius : his love Passages are depicted with exceeding grace, pathos, and delicacy ; and the noble and magnanimous ten- derness concealed by him under a grotesque and almost repulsive bearing encircles him at last with the halo of the reader's sympathy and admiration. Here and there the minuteness of description is car ried by our authoress to an extent but little short of being ludicrous, as where.she informs us very seriously (Vol. 111., p. 325) of Anne's costume at her marriage—she " wore a gown of violet co loured silk with a velvet mantle of the same hue, trimmed with fur, and a rice straw bonnet, with a white veil !!" Surely this is nothing less than the pretty garrulity of a lady-writer? Sometimes again our fair novelist is guilty of little anachronisms, as where, towards the conclusion of the tale, she says (Vol M., p. 192)—" She found Mrs. Dysart's carriage, and a servant waiting for her at the coach office—for lam writing of ten years ago, when there was no railway in Scotland, except that between Edinburgh and Glasgow"—and yet (forgetting that she is still writing of " ten years ago") she says s hortly afterwards (Vol. 111., p. 202)—" In the evening, although the gay season had long been over and the town was almost empty, the latter, in concert with her mother, generally contrived to.assemble two or three young persons to have a little music and a polka." Ten years ego that bewitching dance was not in existence. Apart, however, from a few inter mittent blemishes scattered through the volumes, " Anne DysarL" appears to us to be a novel singu larly deserving of commendatior, auguring largely for the future popularity of its intelligent and accom plished authoress. TILE TARANTAS ; Travelling Impressions of Young Russia. By Count Solizegub. Vassily Ivanovitsch and Ivan Vastilie vitsch, 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 country, end 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 " Tarantas," therefore, professes to be a Russian's tra velling impressions of Rassia, 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 commodious vehicle, which transports its owner Vassily Ivanovitsch (an old-fashioned country gentle man), and Ivan VessilieVitsch (a member of Young Russia returned from a European Wu), from Moscow to Kazin. Ivan carries in his hand a blank volume, to record his travelling impressions, but his journey, full of incidents as it ts, is, nevertheless, to him pro ductive of continual disappointment. The chief fault we can find with the litt!e volume is its very light and superficial character ; but this was, perhaps, its writer's object when he en title% it "Travelling Impressions." Instead of descriptions of men and manners we find only brief units and passing allusions, its pictutes of meta!l life are shadowy glimpses or bare sketches. This peculiar style has, nevertheless, its advantages Vague and incidental as is its mode of affording in formation information is, nevertheless, afforded. Atnoug the most effective descriptions of Russian life is the folloaing melancholy picture of RUSSIAN LUX UM'. " I was compelled by a stupid presumpt : on to inaitaa3 the luxuries of others, not at all regulating them by my means. This is a universal fault in St. Ptersturgli. Life there is like fireworks, much brilliancy, much smoke. and after a while nothing is left. Every one does his utmost to surpass his neighbour ; ( very ore is a copyist : one class copies the otla 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 learns as if cur nobility was seeking po verty; and, indeed, see what different things have ren dered themselves as isdispeasahle for us, a 3 bread and water; f,r instisce, the crowd of our house-serfs, the legions of men in liveries, a major -demo, stewards, but lers, some this ty or forty men in all; then our mansions, with drawing-rooms, dining-halls, studies, dancing salons, our coaches-snd-four, opera-boxes, dresses, cards. In one word, T roust say that, in Si. Pwrrsburgh, luxury is the first necessary of lite. People there think first of what is riot necessary, and there of what is; therefore you every day see noblemen's es tates sold under the auctioneer's hammer. And then what passons rise from a discordance between income and expenditure; to what doleful scenes they lead in lamiliesy what a tiumbsr f persons have for ever lost both the quietude of their conscience and their self esteem and honour. Life in the capital, like a deluge, carries away with it every one, everything, without giving you even time to see your position." And here, by way of contrast, is a sweet glimpse of A HAPPY HOME. "Everything in the house of Ivan Vassilievitsch's friend was comfortable, though simple and unpretending, but the smallest trifle was distinguished by en artistic selection; everything reflected the indescribable light of the presence of young and beautiful woman. She wel comed Ivan Vv.isilievitsch with a smiling friendliness as if she had known him for many, many years, and he stopped in devout admiration before her. It seemed to him as if till then ho had never seen a womsr. She was not heautitul with that beauty that troubles the passionate dreams of youth; her whole being was an ideal of the highest peace, of the most poetical quietude. Her soul looked through her ey es—her heart spoke through her lips. Her child-like features expressed such a kind-heartedness, such profound and holy love, that any man in looking at her must involuntarily become a better man! Two ros3-cheeked children, at the view of the stranger pressed their curly little heads to her knees. Ivan viewed this picture es if it were a relic, and he felt that he had before him the brightest illustration of tko highest reward for man's toils, labours, and sorrows. How long he stopped before this scene he was uncoascious; he did not hear a single word that was said to him, but his heart felt wider and wider, all his feelings concentrated themselves into one of quiet beatitude, all his thoughts into 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 Potapitsch enters the room, in quires it' one of the merchants is going to Ribue, and on being answered in the affirmative, consigns to hie 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 relative or intimate acquaintance, nod 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. " A receipt "he cried out furiously ; " a receipt. I would havehreken his jaw with his own money bad he dared to ask me for a receipt. I have been a merchant now more than fifty years, and I have never yet been insulted by being asked to give a receipt." ' In triflieg matters like this the writer of " The Tarantas" has exhibited with happy effect some of the peculiar, and 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 rip by the Tarantas will be found by all who choose ;co essay it both a profitable and pleasant pastime. from a wife who writes to tell her husband that an execution has been put into their house in his ab. sane", and that he must return home directly, and not wait till the next day, or their goods will. be all sold off at a lass, and she and her children turned into the street." •• 111 v tidings," r4-marks C, " are of some little importance' " So I should judge," observes. E. " from your black si al." They are these," ssys C:— . " Dear Tom,—Your poor uncle has died sud denly. He named you as his heir. Came up instantly, or tt at 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, b4gging him to come up instantly, as the dagger is imminent, and a patient's only 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. -Ashky, or St. Plumptre. HER, MAJESTY'S THEATRE. The eighth representation of La Tempesta took place on Tuesday evening ; the house was apin crow ded 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 occa , ion ; her concluding cadenza was the most wonderful, and at the same time most delicate and most perfect 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 objected 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 bypercritics we contend that Scribe is right, and is more Shaltsperian in his treatment of that subject than are his would-be critics ; Ariel is a light and airy spirit, and Shakespere 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 reeessary, 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 Sliksperian spirit, in making the part of Arial a mute pantomimic part. With such a poetess (fur 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 cf 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 derful as that of Carlotta, and Paxodi was as usual encored in the Brindisi. The choruses were beau tifully rendered, and the performance of the or chestra was perfect. La Tempesta is to be repeated to-night, and on Saturday Bellini's 1 Montecchi ed Capzdetti 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 borne. He was ex:ellently 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 ball 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 pace. Her performance of last Evening betokened still further progress. In the duet, "Da quel di," the aria, "0 Luce di quest' anima," and a duet by Rossini, she showed her mastery over the difficulties of the modern Italian school ; whilst trios by Cimarosa and Cherubini enabled her to display musical feeling and knowledge of a higher order. Wien we add to these the pretty . Scotch ballad, "An' ye shall 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. To Miss Lansford and Miss Lzslie, 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 11.1adarren, Mr. Henry Drayton, Air. B. Frodshain, Mr. Whitworth, Mr. Bodda, and Herr Mengis. Miss Poole's rendering of a ballad by Mr. Maynard elicited a rapturous encore ' • and Miss Williams in a song composed by her brother, and Mr. Bodda in Rossini's " Largo al factotum," received the same compliment. Mr. henry Drayton, one of our basses, was loudly ap plauded in Meyerbeer'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 Ward (piano), Signor Giulio Regondi (concertina), 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 IC THE NIN AND THE CATHOLICS OF EN T GH LAND. An influential meeting of Catholics was held on the 25th inst., in Windmill-street, for the purpose of taking into consideration the address of the Catholic Bishops, published at their annual meeting in London, calling upon the clergy and laity of Eogland to purchase a superb remonstrance or ostensoriuro now in England as a t h present i e t m o e h n i s present e i n n e t s s w P e o p n e o I t u e d s Th the e Ninth. ioC. s r n t o o ng ne s r t , 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. Bamber; Messrs. Amherst, Bag ahem, Mostyn, Palmer. Ryan, Wallis , Dearsly, &e. &c. The Right Rev. Dr. Morris, D.D., was called to the chair. Mr. Dearsly, in proposing the first resolution, said a his Lordship would be aware that the Bishops at their annual meeting had called for the zea lous co-operation of the Catholics with them in show ing some mark of sympathy with the Holy Father in the many sorrows and afflictions which had heely visiteel tie Hohness.• To that summons he, in common with Catholics in general, responded with the most cardiat enthusiasm. England might not do so much as other c.nintrie ,- , but she .would do to the uttermost. The test.monial which they were ahott to preteut would, he hoped, in the language of tho Bishops, sr,,eek of the " faith and the zeal and the devotion" cf the English Catholics. He believsd there was not a city, toan, vilh+g,e, or hamlet, but would vie with each other in a noble rivalry In this good cause. An at tempt to describe this superb ostensorium would be impossible. Its value was unknown. The late Bishop Baines, so much lamented, and whose exquisite taste and judgment in all things relating to tht fine arts, originally brought it from Rome. It had been designed for the Basilica of St. Peter. It contained 1600 precious stones. Its weight in gold and silver they might imagine when he stated that it steed four feet 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, and, 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 had the full sanction of that revered and eminent prelate Dr. Wise. 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 uf Mr. Amherst, seconded by Mr. Palmer, a committee was appointed. Mr. Bagahaw then pro. posed, and Mr. Ryan tesonded, that his Lordship should communicate the resolutions of the meeting to the Right Rev. Nicholas Wiseman, D.D., V.A.L.D. Mr. Barnwell was appointed treasurer and Mr. Palmer secretary pro tens. A vote of thanks was passed by ac clamation to the Chairman. This being the first occa skit of a similar nature since the Reformation the I utmost enthusiasm seemed to prevail. PUNCIII7ERSTISHUMBU G. A delightful 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 5 A.CKCLOTH-AND. A SHLEYS. WHEREAS,—On consideration of our desire to com memorate the pious services of our (Mar cousin, the Member for Bath, and hereto:ore known as LORD A SHLEY,— It is our pleasure, that, in consideration of our dear cousin's succesful attempt to shut up, put down, and otherwise confine and castigate Sunday, that ho shall henceforth assume the title and name of — LORD SACKCLOTH AND ASFILEIS; And further, that he shall be em p owered to Trirter a cinder-sieve with his armorial bearings,—a cindsr 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 if 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 Sant:- day and Monday, owing to the stoppage of postal communication in the meanwhile through puri tanical legislation, so impatient of the delay, mat 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 unless he hears from her by THE GREAT CENTRAL GAS CoNsultnns Coat return of post. I,Vbat is your news?" "Mine?" PANY . s BILL.—The above Bill came before the Standlng answer s 13, " why, rather urs'ent, I .hould say`; hilt fly 0 (las Conitni . tte: of the liou,e of Lords yt-sel day. Mr, tuffs Your lather has had u fresh atttack —put Bryeen, P.aliainentary agent for the promoters. Their Lordships having duly considered Vac provisions of the Bill, declared the standing orders to have been complied with. yourself into a postchaise a nd come u p instantl y if you want to see him-alive.' " "Anything particular ?" asks The Bill was unopposed in this stage of its progress. letter Cof letter '` so," answers D. "I'm only SUSSEX HALL, LEADENHALL-STREET.-A concert took place here on Monday evening, for the benefit of Miss Hiuckesman, at which many of her pupils sung ter the first time iu 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 ROW Brahatn 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 lady3m•oiusengof a is improving rapidly as an artist , and bears pro prominent position among the native vocalists: 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 ourelveF; but we do not even suspect our neglect of them. Cook's Journal. LO N DON, TIIURSDAY EVENING, JUNE 27, 1850. POST-OFFICE SUNDAY LABOUR (From tlie Timm) The late precipitate proceeding with respect to the iosnoilice may lead to consequences net expected by , those who acted upon the acerdental majority tf the House of Corneroes. A grave question has arisen as to the legidiry if the order lately issued, and the courts of kw may probably be called upon to decide the point. A i mere resolution of either Douse of Parliament has not th e force of law, and we must recur to !secs if Parlia ment to ascertain the powers of the Postmaster-Geriei al and the Crown with respect to the delivery of letters. The question - men. indeed, be tried in various moder, and the wily persons likely eventually to profit by the re striction now imposed are the lawyers. Important letters being delayed or delivery of them refused on the Sunday. no action may be found to lie against the per son refusing or detaining them, and the inconsiderate conduct ot the Government may thus lead to almost in terminable litigation. It ought to be recollected that the business of delivering the letters of the community is a case entirely exceptional. The community, speaking by Parliament, has determined both to impose upon the Government the obligation of receiv ing., collecting, and delivering letters, and to prevent all private persons from in any way sharing in the bu siness. For reasons partly of finance, parity of a social character, a complete monopoly has been established. The Postmaster-General has been made "a corporation" for this purpose; a certain fixed sum or charge has been settled to be paid by those who send and receive letters; and heavy penalties are imposed on those who shall pre sume to interfere with the duty of receiving. collecting, and delivering them. For many years the chief consi deration of the Government in this matter was the sum collected; the tax was the thing regarded. Security, incleei, seemed to be increased by the Government tak ing upon itself the duties of the Post-office; certainty alto apprared more likely of attainment in consequence of same erect?, ding. But many 'circumstances; have occurred to shake the public confidence as to these sup posed advantage's. AU unity and precision and security are likely to be lost, if the late proceeding is to be taken as a precedent. The merest accident will hereafter have fatal sway over our most important interests; and one great advantage derived from our • advance in art, and in our command over the powers e f nature, will have to be struck out of the account to be made of the benefits derived from the exist ence of society. The people of this country are, we re joice to believe, ail eminently pious people. But their piety is not always a reasoning and rational piety. They aro not unapt to permit their common sense to be sur prised by interested professions of eeculiar excellence, aed to be thus led to sacrifice the substance and true merit of piety for mare outdde obi.errance. An imperious de sire to compel ethers to obey our own, vettinar opinions and rules of conduct is but too often the real motive leading to an unnecessary strict observance of the letter, in place of the spirit of the law; and of the mos ement in the country which eventually led to the late resolution of the House of Commons, the greater part was the re sult of mere personal interest, and a mechanical obedi ence to mero outward forms. Of the multitude who signed petitions for the abolition of Sunday labour in the Posnoffice, a very large majority acted without any real consideration of the consequence. The mero signing one's name was deemed an easy way of escaping remonstrance and importunity, as well as of earning a character for piety. Little atten tion was paid .to the motives if those by whom the majority of the petitions were concocted, and signing the narne.was generally believed to be all that would occur. The first stir was made under a misapprehension. Those who were unwilling to have a Sunday delivery of letters in London (which was never contemplated, in fact, by anybody) did not fail to take advantage of the feeling which they found general in the metropolis, and the cry was raised, Wby not make the whole country like London? Why need there be a Sunday delivery in any part of the kingdom? Two classes very distinct in their character, and as to the objects which they had in view, were active on the occasion ; and proved, what experience has, indeed, but too often shown, that an active, persevering, and interested minority will generally obtain their object in spite of the tame opposition of an apathetic majority. All persons con neetei with the delivery cf letters, and more especially those who receive a fixed salary, had a powerful interest in diminishing by one-seventh the labour for which they were paid. To greco and cloak this mere sordid inte rest, they dexterously put forth their demand for an un employed Sabbath. They assorted that from being occupied during the Sunday they were unable to attend their religious duties, and prayed Parliament not to per mit the continuance of so grievous a wrong. To an ap peal of this devcripiun Parliament and the country were anxious to lend a willing attention, and all must wish that every facility should be afforded in such a matter. But works of necessity must still be performed; and of the arouse; ds who signed the petitions presented to Parlia ment there are few who relieve their own servants from every duty beyond what absolute necessity lemends. The ordinary work of every household is perform° I, though it includes many more than mere acts of necessity. Fool is prepared; carriages and horses ire employed; visits are made and received. Some there may be, but still a minute fraction of the whole commu nity, who restrict materially the duties of their house hold servants on a Sunday. But take these with ell :.heir strictness, and much that is mere superfleity will still be found to remain. A crust of bread and a glass A plain water are sufficient healthily to sustain a healthy person for a single day. Fire need not be lighted ex apt for purposes of warmth—for the purpose et prepar ing food it is wholly unnecessary. The very persons :rho claim exemption in this case because of the restric tion upon their time for religious observance deal, we are prepared to assert, • with the time of others, as re gards ib.eieselves, in a far different spirit. They who have servants command their services. They who have the means of hu3iag enjoyment spend their money to purchase the voluntary service ot others to that end. But who shill ray that the transmission of some letters on the Ounday is not a work of necessity ? And if we allow it in any case, we must allow it in all, for no discrimination can be made. We have now before us many complaints of the misery which this restriction has already inflicted. Ode case is an instance of most grievous misery, most wantonly in flicted. A mother lies dangerously ill on the Saturday, nany of her children are absent, and she, believing her end near, wishes to gather round her bed of death the children from whom she is destined soon to part for ever. No letter can be sent. The family is net in affluent eireurns:ances, and the, children are scattered. To send for theme is impossible. This is no fancied case. The prod of its afflicting reality is now before us. In an other instance the circumstances are different, but the suffering is nearly equal. The child in this case is ill —additional advice is wished for. Again the family is not affluent—and without greater, and for the parents almost impossible, expense the advice desired cannot be obtaked. The great mischief of the matter is that the evil thus falls chiefly on the poor. The rich man, whether as respects his pleasures or his wants, is able in most cases by his wealth to obtain what he desires. Servants are dispatched, arrangements are predetermined, and at an increased cost the thing is done. But as respects the very end sought to be ob tained by this restrictive system, that is wholly free crated. Sunday labour, instead o f being diminished, is greatly while the good which that labour effects i increased; s ineterially lessened. The same train that car ries One niersenger would carry thousands of letters. The train travels, all the servants needed for it aro em ployed, but only the rich man's messenger proceeds upon nis journey. The messenger of the poor man—his un expensive lever—is stopped, and hearts may be wrung, irreparable wrong may be inflicted, and the poor pre tence fur which all this evil has been accomplished has not the grace of being even in appearance what its authors desire. We assert, without fear of refutation, hat the restriction on the Post-office, instead of di .ishing, must if necessity greatly increase Sunday ,about. (From the Chronicle.) Ministers and their partisans seem to be extremely delighted at the notion of the annoyance and incon venience which the country has begun to suffer from the weekly obstruction of its postal communications. They appear to regard it quite as a feather in Lord John Russell's cap, that the House of Commons, of which he is the official leader, has blundered into an absurd and mischievous decision, the consequences of which are likely to be intolerably vexatious. "People are already finding out the effect of this measure," was the boastful exclamation of the Chancellor of the Exche quer, not many nights ago, in answer to a remonstrance against the stoppage of the Sunday delivery of news papers; and he evidently much enjoyed the thought of the thing turning out many degrees worse than he bad himsel. predicted. It is regarded as particUlarly good fun fur the Government that the Sabbatarians.themselves have been among 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 Lear!) , as possible identical (minus the sincerity) with that which has marked their own fanatical agitation. On the whole, it seems to be aSsurned by Ministers, that the worse the new system work, for the country the better it is fur them, and that every fresh develop anent of the oppressive consequences of this nuisance redounds somehow to their credit. For our own part, however, we doubt whether. he Public will let the Government off so easil y . All his would he very well if Lord John Russell had been under any real compulsion to accept, as final and authoritative, the result of a chance vote in the House of Commons. tar e can enjoy the laughable fright and mortification of the too successful Sabbatarians as heartily as our neighbours ; and if it had been absolutely necessary to give these agitators their own way, we could have +torn° a good deal for the sake of seeing folly and faualeism work out their own cure. But there eas no such necessity. The vote in question was but one out of come half-dozen or half score ocasions (we have long since loft off keeping an exact account) on which, in the course of the present eession, Ministers have been outnumbered by an adverse majority of the House of Commons; ens had they been really in earnest in resisting what Sir Charles Wood calls " an exceedingly great hardship and inconvenience to all classes, and especially to the poorer classes," they would have found a way of reconciling constitutional p'opriety with common sense and public convenience. i'he plain fact is, they have deliberately chosen to make the very worst of this business. Totally regardless of all coneith rations except their own official convenience, they have eagerly sersd on what they thought a good opportunite foe." g i ve g a let son" to their supporters. is is a selfish wad shabby policy, and we are much anise taken if the issue do's not prose 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 the late vexatious irate vution rests with Lord Ashley and the House of Com mons, uud that none of it devolves on those ssho have dis played so indecorous an alacrity in "carrying out" a scheme which they never missan opportunity of denouncing. Peo ple are not used, in this country, to see great and sudden " - - - changes in the organization of public departments— I within a few minutes and at a trifling cost—and an equally changes which interfere with their daily avocations and numerous population, the membersut whiCh are tape aneu enjoyments, which derange their calculatione, and which ' by scores and hundreds of miles, and perhaps by shut may even ruinously depreciate their property—made at railroads and boneless hietnays. Thu, we bee the mere fiat of a single branch of the Legislature, that, while the newspapers belonging to ell the without notice, and with scarce y a show of discussion. rest of the population were, last Sunday, It ing It may, as Sir Charles Wood averred on Tuesday night, locked up in boxes, the Londoners Lot only be strictly legal (though many doubt it), but it is ter- had theirs carried and received, but employed tainly unusual, and contrary to all the analogies of our themselves in reading them. The sum of the matter is, social and political system; and the public hill be slow that, in a multitude of matters Loudon is, so to speak, to believe that anybody is really answerable for a little self-contained and self-supplying, while all other places revolution of this sort except the Government which has are dependent on such arrangements as that of which wilfully, and oven ostentatiously, allowed the nuisenee to they have-been this week deprived. Oddly enough—so take its own course. It is no business of ours to elc;end eduty as to be worth mentioeing—just when those who the Sebbatarian zealots from the censures which their were silent or timid before are tegiening to speak out, folly deserves ; but Ministers may be assured that, our respected contemporary, the Mercury, who has when the consequences of the recent change shall have hitherto borne well his share in the beak, seems rather sum-what fur the r developed themselves. it will te t inclined to " ring in." He " would wish tne experiment le the majority of ninety-three that will have to bear fairly tried," and always "thought it well worthy of eon the chief blantre. What those consequences are likely to sideration." In the case of such conversions or waveriegs, be, we shall, it may be feared, soon have ample means of experience has led us to the suspicion, never yet wrong judging. On Tuesday evening Lord Brougham men- in any instance where inquiry has been made, that the domed tho instance of a death which had occurred within consent's practice bad become lax just when his proles the previous day or two, in consequence of the new re- signs had become strict. For instance, a reverend gulations rendering it impossible to call in medical aid elector in this city, who used to write very strongly by letter; and though it will doubtless be said that the against the stopping of Sunday trains, Lately came out case was an " isolated" one, it unfortunately happens very furious on ►he other side—just at the time that he that" isolated cases," of cite sort or another, constitute had shifted his residence several miles out of town, cud no small part of every man's life. Liability to " isolated" taken to driving in and out every Sabbath-day. Similar emergencies, whether of a personal, a prcaniary, or a is the case-of the Morning herald, which has of lets be domestic nature, is a fundamental conditioo of human come quite enthusiastic against every species of " Sab existence; and nothing is more certain than that, in bath labour "—and whose: printers and all connected every considerable town in Great Britain, scores or hun- with it labour every Sunday as long and as hard as they dreds of instatic:s will suite every Sunday in which im- do every Monday. It is nothing of this mediate communication with a distant locality will be a kind we intend to allege against our friend's con matter of life-and-death urgency. Of course we do not sistency (though he. may feel a little frightened) mean to say that the Leer regime, if allowed to be- —we mean to confine ourselves strictly to the question come permanent, will be very ire qtiently productive in band; and, doing so, we point out his announcement of extreme and fetal consequences, as in the case to his readers that, in consequence of that change in the adduced by Lord Brougham. People will soon learn to Post-office of which be declares in favour, ho will uederetand the thing, and, so far as may be, to accom- hereafter get them news by means of Sunday parcels! modate themselves to it. Necessity is the mother of In profession he says, "W e wish the experiment tried;" intention. The proprietors of the Loudon weekly jour- in practice, he says (like nanny others of the few who reds have already, as our readers are aware, made ar- approve of this experiment), "but we shall take pre rangemeets with at least one of the great railway cone- cious good care you shall not try it on us." It, would panics, which will tend to avert the threatened confia- relieve much perplexity were our contemporary (to cation of their property; and there can be no doubt whom we speak in rest ect and amity) to explain by that it will be perfectly practicable, with a little time what process of moral reasoning he arrives at the eau and experience, to organize a machinery adequate to the elusions that it is right that the Government should pro supply of other social wants besides the craving for " hibit the carrying, sending, and receiving of letters of test intelligence." Country traders, eh() have bills tall- affection and latility, necessity and mercy, mayhap life inn due in London on the Monday will find means of and death, and that it is right alio that he should curse transmitting cash on the Sunday; and urgent family parcels to be sent, tarried, and received, to facilitate the mi,sives will, a e may be sure, neither be kept back till dispatch of his secular business. the critical moment is passed, nor be care lessly flung into the receptacles where everything lies " unsorted and untouched." We may say, in grin rat, that (after a while) there will be a universal Suuday "collection and delivery" of alt letters—except those of the very poor — which are worth being done up in string and brown paper, and charged as "parcels." In a word, the most notable and conspicuous results of the present delectable device for promoting Sabbatical religion will be (should the thing last long enough), to make a considerable hole in the l'en,-office revenue—to levy a vast amount of private taxation on all classes of the community except the poorest—to inflict on them a cruel aed exasperasing hardship —and to add enormously to the amount of Sunday labour throughout the cotintry. We take it, however, to be impossible, practically speaking, that our experience of this absurd and fantastic innova tion will be sufficiently protracted to produce a tithe of the social. and moral mischief with which it is fraught. Mr. Locke has given notice of a motion, for the 9th of next month, which will bring the whole question once more under the consideration of the House of Commons ; and what ever Ministers may or may not do towards extricating themselves from the very discreditable position which they have assumed, there are, we trust, independent Members of thee, assembly who will take care that the matter shall at least undergo one night's thorough and searching discussion. The issue we (ran scarcely re gard as dubious. Lord Ashley himself must, we should Imagine, be already somewhat sceptical as tti the moral operation of a system which tends to identify the very name of the sacred day with unwonted and odious social restrictions ; and we cannot but believe that very many among his recent supporters will have perceived, on cooler reflection, that the decorous and religious ob servance of the weekly Christian holiday has nothing to gain, but everything to loss, from that sort of fanatical exaggeration which invariably ends in an anti-religious reaction. 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 Newspapere, and Contributors thereto, and other persons empioyed thereon, Humbly showeth, That, on an Address, supported by ninety-five mem bers of your Honourable House; and which, by the roles of that House, could not be again considered before it was presented, her Majesty, by the advice c f her Mi nister:, has prohibited the delivery of newspapers on Sundays by post throughout the kingdom. That your petitioners thereby here peen suddenly awl without notice grievously injured iu their property and t-C2UpatiOß. That the liberty of the press has hitherto been con sidered the first bulwark of British freedom, end that its uses have hitherto been considered of paramount value end importance, and that, therefore, any unneces sary interference with its operations is the must unbear able of oppressions, and the. most 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 cf the post on Sundays without Laking means to consult the real sense of your Honourable House, has abandoned its duty and despotically trifled With the property and interests of your petitioners. That 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. That the etemp-tax on newspapers has been vindi cated us giving the privilege 'of transmission by pest, and thew make this privilege available to ono class and to deny it to another is an act of the grossest fiscel in to,tlee. That the circulation of newspapers on a Sunday is a civilizieg act, meritorious to the highest degree in a free nation, where every individual is supposed to take the part of a In °man 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 individuals in the course of the ensuing week is re cessarily regulated by the information as to markets and otherwise communicated by the weekly papers on the Sunday. That the Post•cffice is 3 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 version of its duties. That your petitioners, who are as anxious as any other persons, whatever may be their religious preten sions, to give the full enjoyment and repose of outs tiny inehe week to the entire people, teel that this can only be 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 hes a right to claim uny ser vice of any king :•, , ori the seventh day; and that this principle should be strictly applied to all ranks of men by stringent legislation. That your petitioners believe the new regulations of the Post-office to be a violent inroad on the liberty of conscience, a mere pretence as to the effect it professes to produce, the precursor or a series of absurd and up• pressive measures against the civil and religious liberty of the people; an act unwarranted by the practice and faith of civilised Europe-=-a deprivation inflicted by a higher class upon an 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 Honourable House to rescind the resolution which 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, &e. (From the Cork Examiner.) The fanatics of Sabbatical labour must apparently he setitfied with having annoy e 3 the puha° for an exceed ingly short space of time. Their success has excited a universal outcry through England. Lord Brougham de nies that it is legal for the Government to carry out the re e regulations, the Post-office being a means of taxation, which they have no right to abrogate or lessen; and the Marquis of Lausdowne promises to take the point into serious consideration. The Chancellor cf the Exchequer confesses to a malicious satisfaction at the in convenience to which the public have subjected them selves; indeed, it is doubtful whether the testy indi vidus.l 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 Chancellor, with regard to the change being unadvisable. Meanwhile, the Times speeds the opposition to the measure of the vast body of the Etig!ish classes. The anxiety of Ministers to see the House of Commons retrace its steps is not at all ac cepted as an excuse fur their complying with an address voted in such a way. The Spectator says their " con duct p:elents a case of the most naked mala fides — that it is grossly 4 unconstitutional,' and desp:eably shabby;" and the whose press, without exception, merely varies the terms of condemnation. From all these indi cutler's, we give the new regulations a very short time longer to live. The 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 monstrated. Within the limited range of a single per son's acquaint ince, and on the first occasion when the obnoxious regulations came into force, we have known an extent of trouble taken with communications, 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 of the new Post-office rule. A farmer in the county gaol for debt, bad his bail papers sent up to Dublin. They were examined and fouud all right. They were transmitted to Cork, and reached here on Sunday morning. From the non-de livery of letters, he was kept a prisoner till to-day, thus sutfericg a whole day's incarceration that might have been prevented. (From the Scotsman.) The chief effect, as yet, of the remarkable postal change which came into operation last Sunday, has been a groat outburst of bitter abuse against all concerned in it, coming from those who have been silent or very cautious stud gentle in the preVious stages of the ques tion. Every morning the Times (which we take only as conspicuous among a large number) comes Out firmer and fiercer, and with fresh specimens of the op pressions and absurdities arising out of the new system. That the complaints are just and the specimens fair there is no doubt ; and even in our own much smaller sphere we have elready evidenced that, as we have al ways maintained, the change will not cider inflict great ' inconvenience and cruelty, but, without that inconve nience and cruelty being thereby removed in the more clamant class of cases, will greatly increase the amount . 01 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 oh taineblo as hitherto when the readers pay their Sunday visits to the places where (no anomalous neighbourship) the church nod 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,asregardiereceiving nlso,will,be,adopted, and to some extent are already adopted, 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 pieces by means of private messengers, and a pressure, the success of which seems considered certain, has been commenced on the English . railway I companies, to induce them to establish a I Sunday parcels delivery. Our advertising co lumns also bear evidence already that the coffeehouse-keepers and others of the same class even in Scotland arc ceiling 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 inferences 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 of indignant feeling en gendered in these numerous and various cases (the cases of individuals as distinguished from trades or communi fief., and the poor as distinguished from the rich) in which the wrong is irremediable. The Times of felon day incidentally makes the following allusion to the mode in which last Sunday was spent in Londoe, 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 ceased to flow, presented a similar spec tacle; and as no air was to be got in the streets, it was a comfort to think of the several score thousands who in haled it, not quite pure perhaps, but Still in motion on the Thames. We never remember to have seen so com plete is 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 than within. We must add that we saw a good many reading their newspapers, which they did with the look of men exercising a privilege, and resolved to keep it if possible." This indicates 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 office, is on Sunday the most jaunting and pleasure seeking town in the kingdom. Of course, we do not 'alduce these things as cause and effect, but only as coincident, and as having a bearing both on the motive under which the Londoners keep their Post-office shut, and on the assumption of the Agnewites that shutting it throughout the kingdom would produce better Sab bath obsert ance. The second peculiarity in the case of London indicated above, is that, in so 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. For 1 i istance, London is nearly as populous es all Scotland, but it is very easy to see the difference as to the necessity of net-office cemmunication between a population crushed together on twelve square miles, and one spread over more than 30,000 square miles—between a popula tion, the members of which, any Sunday, at almost any hour, can reach sue another, in person or otherwise, THE CLERGY AND THE SABBA,TARIAN FRENZY. TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN. is well known that great numbers of the clergy are, on principle, opposed to the recent change in the Sunday postal arraegeeeents. The rational and Scriptural views ef Archbishop Whately and the late 1)r. Arnold, with reference to the Lord's day, are no cepted try hundreds even of those who would feel some difficulty in subscribing to the opinions of afore great and learned men on some other subjects. Why, then, do not those who believe this recent change in the Post-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 E 0 doing I am but acting in perfect consistency with my duty as a clergyman and as a Christian, in resisting the sttsmpt to impose upon the English people a Judaical observance of the Sunday, and so to deprive them of " that liberty wherewith Christ bas made us free." Nothing, as it seems to me, can be more self-evident 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 bo round in that Holy Book. Is it cone, ivable, that He, who - so severely rebuked the hypocrisy if those who would have prevented Hun from healing the sick on the Jewish Sabbath, would sanction a measure which will prevent the son from hastening to the bedside of the dying parent, and keep thou:ands racked with the agony of hope, deferred through the long hours of a day which onqht to be fre so far as may be, for contemplation on ' sacred things, and for holy Christian enjoyment? I perceive that the same party, whose efforts have procured from a weak and reluctentMiuistry the I:espo use:ion of this outrage on religion and common sense, are now actively employed in circulating petitions against the admission of Jews into Parliament. 1. can imagine nothing more absurd than this. Why, Sir, if they are so fond of Jewish ordinances, shOuld they so strongly object to Jewish Legislators? I enclose my address, that you may know that my. signature is not a feigned one, and with my sincere wi,,hes that your exertions in the cause tf religious .herty may be soon crowned with success, Lam, sir, your very obedient servant, A PRESBYI:Eit OF THE OH URCII OF ENGLAND [ A.DVERTISEMENT.] ----BOTANIC WATER AND BEARS' GREASE.— When the hair is becoming thin, and fall ing otr, the only effectual remedy, besides shaving the head, is the use of the two above-named articles, applied alter nately, the botanic water to cleanse the roots from scurf, and as a stimulant, and the bears' grease as a nourisher. If any further evidence was required of the virtues of bears' grease for renovating and preserving the hair, Mr. Catlin's account of the quantity used, and the length of hair obtained by some of the North American Indians, would be a sufficient t answer.—Ross & Sows. 119 an d 120, 13 i s h o psgate- . s London, who first int ro d uce d th e use o f bears' grease adthe la t r thisee country, and who f a t a n d kill th e animals, recommees and public to purchas e none ot h er but with theirnieai names address printed on the pot, or the chances are ti obtain ing a spurious article. • [ADVERTISEMENT.]—wheeIer' s General London and Provincial Newspaper-office , Manchester. — B. Wheeler public, that in consequence begs to inform his friends and the of the alteration in the Post-o_fh pt regulations. he has made arrangements to receive Bell'. L• c e e in London, and other Lon don Saturday and Sunday nev.a-elipt.o.a possible on the Saturday, so pbeersdealtivtehreedeiannilllastncihmeusr ter the same day, and also , t a . o forward them to the neigh boUring towns on the Saturday. Exchange Arcade, Man chester, [A nvEnTisE:LE:ii..]—Ben , Life in London.—ln postal arrangements, a portion ot the consequence of the new . p will take place before 5 o'clock on publication of this ) gs i‘ in n i a rte fur . the morning mails and early Saturday mornings railways. To insure the insertion of vertiEements in Bell'slife, they should be sent to 170, Strand, early on Friday anerneon. Ihe average sale of Be Ts Life exceeds 28,000. DIE BRIG IiToN Pavaiox.—Th . eSurveyor to the W oo d s and ,Forests gave the Commissioners of Brighton p o ssession of the Pavilion estate on Wednesday last.- 13righton Guardian. THE FLUTE. The The flute, which was the most popular Musical instrr naent of the ancient Greeks, and hfts remsieed popular , up to the present.timd, has let'ly undergone a revolution At the beginning of the last estatury it VV , R but e com mon whistle. sounded like the modern flageolet. tend termed flute-a- bse. It had no keys, and (mild produce only the diatonic scale. The Getman flute, which stir planted this feeble instrument. was equally limited in its range of notes, but Fad a mere sonorous tone. The in creased cultivation of instrumental muele, and the de mands of the modern orchestra, whetted the invention of the eminent performers upon the instrument. end pro duced ultimately all the notes of the chromatic sea'e. The notes of the original diatonic scale, however, being imperfect, these additional notes, weigh were obtained by keys, were still inferior, and thus the flute, like all the lingered wind instruments which were similarly cir cumstanced, remaiut d proverbially felse in intonation. These defects, however, having proved too gross for mc dein ears, the last twenty years have produced a flute tuned according to equal temperament, and with tones of an equally resonant quality throughout the (teem re gister of the instrument. One of the most active movers in this direction was Boehm, of Mimic!), whose suggestions have been adopted, not only en the flate, but the oboe, clarinet, and bassoon. Messrs. Ruda)! and !lose, who introduced the improvemeLts of this gentle man to the English flute player, soon found two ciesses of objectors to them—or e consisting of those who were indisposed to make certain changes in the manipulation which were required in playing upon the flute which went by Boehtn's name, and another elms comprises! great numbers who, having adopted the Boehm mode of fingering, found it mere dtfficult of execution than their old method. In this dilemma Messrs. Rudall and Ise made numerous experimental flutes for different in ventors, having fer an of jset to remove these obstacle a to the free progress of the amelioration of the instru ment. But it was not until they met are flute es planned by Mr. Carte that they were fully satisfied. The r atebt of Mr. Carte extends to two flute?, which are contrived to meet the objections of the two classes of persons re torted 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 fingering somewhat changed, but aff)rding a facility of execution that is somethkg extraordinary. GRAND SWIMMING MATCHES. Last evening the first swimming raltches ut the Hole born Swimming Club came off at the National Baths, High Holhorn. There could not have been less than 1,000 persons present to witness the race, one and all at whom were delighted with the admirable arrangements made by the spirited proprietor of the baths, 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, 5 to 1 being effered against the favourite, Mr. Thomas Young, coming in first, or even accent). The number of competitors for the medals, which were of massive silver, was seven. The distance in trial heats was fur lengths ef the bath, and the grand heat six lengths. Atter a most severely contested struggle, as far as regarded the trial heat:, 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 feet it was quite a matter of chance which of the two brothers 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 seconds. The race being ended, a sweepstakes was entered into—the first of course reaching the goal being George Pewters, the champion of England; Messrs. Robertson and Young following close iu his wake. Alter a short interval Messrs. Henson and Kenworthy entered the water, and greatly delighted the company present by their extra urdinary feat:. Much having been said ebout a late diver, at Bath, having pulled on a pair of boots while underneath the water, Mr. George Pewters dived, clothes and al!, into the bath, and before he went out he had succeeded in bringing himtelf 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 orea to swim any man from five to tweety miles for any amount. LATEST _NEWS OF MR. LAYAED.—Letters have been received from our enterprising countryman so late as the 10th of April, and dated from Arban, on the River Kbabour. Our readers will remember that the last accounts from this quarter in the Literary Gazette mentioned Mr. Layard's purpose of penetrating into the Desert, which he has now done, and explered 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 archwological 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 libabour literally gemmed with flowers. Mr. Layard was desirous to examine this river to its month; but the Arabs in that direction were hostile to those whom he ranked among his friends, and amid whose drome daries, flocks, Ltd tents he was located. The sheikh and his ladies and all the tribe were kind and hospitable; 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 wroag in some of his topography, and that the chronological deductions cannot as yet be con sidered settled.—Literary Gazette. SINGULAR WILL.--LIVe are informtql that the late Miss Margaret Creak, of St. Andrews, in this city, whose &.‘atli was recorded in our paper of June 8, has left a very singular will, and not so much property as is generally sup posed—not more than 20,00C1. in value. She has left Is. each to such of her relations as choose to prove themselves so; a legacy of 201. to one neighbour, and 101. to another, and a few trifling legacies of 21. each. She has left 501. each to emy houseless person in the country above sixty- eight years of age; and all her real estate to found an hospital for aged persons, 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 terms of the will cannot be carried out—the pro perty being insufficient —Norfolk Chronicle. COD 'FlsulNG.—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 Reawick the average was about 500— the highest the sloop Nymph, Captain Watts. At Walls, the average was 300; highest Ooop, 1,000. At Scalloway, average, 250; highest, 600. We have heard nothing from North Mavine. At Papa, the take for the week was more than the average of farmer years. In Orkney, the fisher men aro paid at the rate of 4s. Bd. per cwt.—lnverness courier. GROTTO-PASSAGE RAGGED INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL...—. The annual meeting of this institution was held yesterday, at the Alarylehone Institution, Edwards-street, Portman square ; Lord Ashley in the chair. The chairman com menced the proceedings by stating that, however inefficient 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 cia.•s which they had to dal with, and the depravity which they had to contend against, they bad 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 boarded, lodged, and clothed inthe Refuge Institution; 180 children of each sex, and 49 adults, had been under daily tuition; 70 boys had received instru'Aion in various trades, and 25 o: each sex had been provided with a daily dinner. 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. LOiISTERFISHING. — The lobster fishing has been preSecuted with great activity and moat successfully on the chores of this county during the last two or three months. At Dunnet and Scarfskerry stations, where there arc 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 \Vrath to flume, as also the Orkney Isles; and it is estimated, at a moderate calculation, that he expends in this one branch of industry &one, iu this part of the country, about 3,000/. dating the lobster fishing season, which extends from the Ist of April to the Ist of July. The fishing on the south coast, from Huma to Lathcron, is carried on by our enterprising townsman, Mr. Gunn, merchant, Bridge-street, and a partner. They employ two boats, but they have not di iveu so profitable a spec as Mr. Roberts has on the north coast. John 0' Groat Journal. 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, suffi c i ent to li e upon the flag pavement. The mornings and evenings have been very cold. Boston Herald. SCOTTISH HOSPITAL.—A quarterly court of the governors of this corporation was held yes terday efternoon, at their offices in Cr ane - court, Fleet s treet, for the reception of the accounts and for other business ; Di. Webster in the chair. The statement of acv ou t s from St. Andrew's-day to Midsummer was read and approved, from which it appeared that the total receipts during; that time amounted to 1,912/. 12s. 9d., of which 60IL 16s. was received in dona tiona, and 384/.165. in annual subscriptions. The rest was composed of a balance from the last return and the interest On deposits, rents, &c. The expenditure during the same of p which upwards of I period ,3Bt. l a v m as ou d n el t . e o d ted te Air oses. A letter from Pr l e ss or Donaldson, on the subject of the New Record offices,.tol,c6Bh4alritalbsle9.di" in communication with the office of Woods and was read to the meeting, which stated that he had been c Forests on the subject, and it appeared that a plan had been determined upon much less extensive than that originally contemplated, and which would only occupy ground be tween Chancery amid Fetter-lane, without extending further eas tward, so that the premises of the Scottish Corporation would not be required. A vote of thanks to the chairman concluded the proceedings. THE BANQUET TO THE EX-LORD MAYOR OF LoNDoN.— We understand that the dinner to be given to Sir James Duke, M.P., in return fur his hospitable entertain ment to the chief magistrates of English and Scottish towns during his mayoralty, and which was agreed, at a recent meeting of Mayors and Provosts at Derby, to take place in Edinburgh, is fixed for Thursday, the 11th of July, nt six o'clock. The banquet will take place in the Hopetoun Rooms, and preparations are, we believe, to be made for a company of from 150 to 200.—Edinburgh Advertiser. THE ABODE OF LOVE—WARM RECEPTION OF VIEITons. - Five young gentlemen of Biidgewater, anxious fat a peep into the mysteries of the Agapeinone, proceeded to that interesting establishment one day last week, and finding "no admittance except on business," commenced an attack on the outer gate with their walking-sticks, when, to their dismay, instead of the respoheive expression of ." Who is dat, knocking at the door?" naiad themselves surrounded by five of the brethren armed with hockey sticks and hunt ing-whips. One of the gentlemen, famed for length of limb, inane a ,apid departure; the others received a sound thrash ing, and were told, with peculiar Princite palittness, that the same fate would await them on a similar annoyance. ATMosPIIERIC HAYMAKING..!—A whirlwind visited a bay-field on the farm of Lord Braybreoke, near Saffron Walden, on Tuesday, and rather astonished the troop of hay makers by hurrying off part of the material upon which they were labouring, carrying in it fantastic shapes over the tops of the tall trees, and depositing some of it half a mile oll;—.Essex Herald. .d, he ieg ry la. ant itic 0Y led No Lad