The Sun. — London, England, 1832-11-03 00:00:00

SPAIN. EETRACT or A LETTER FROM MADRID, DATED OCT. 23. In entering upon the political topip which at present absorb theattention . of every Spaniard, I need not assure you that, notwithstanding the principles and opinions by which I have always been actuated, I shall treat the sub ject without the least prejudice, and that I derive my in formation from the fountain head, to which I have of late lead all the access that is required to enable me to form a right judgment. After the nomination of the Queen to the Regency, the decree for the liberation of all the prisoners confined in the prisons of the kingdom, and the more notable one of the reopening of the Universities, the first attention of the authors of the projected reform was directed to the filling up of the principal posts in the Go vernment with men known for their idels of mo.!e ration and energetic characters, previous to the pro eeulgation of several fundamental decrees. If the reforms should continue without a check, and the still most prim crful party of the Apostolicals should be unable to rally, or get the better of the surprise in which they were thrown by the unexpected denouement of the King's illness, we may expect to see a civil emancipation in this country without causing either tears, blood, or anarchy. Spain will then take her rank among the European nations, get rid of the baneful influence exerted by the Northern Pow ers, tranquillize King Philip on his rear-guard, and place the Throne of Donna Maria on a firm basis. Neverthe less, we ask one another here if there will be sufficient energy and resolution in the Members of the Administra tion to carry into effect the necessarily great reforms which they have undertaken, and nobody ventures to answer in the affirmative, because there cannot be much harmony of opi nion among the Members of the Ministry, at the head of whom is the very man who allowed _the murier of that brave and unfortunate p itriot the Empecinado, who, relying upon the faith of treaties, returned from hi patriotic duties to the bosom of hie family, to spend hi days in that peace and quietness which was promised him, and because it is still problematical whether the present changes are made as a concession to the spirit of our age. or are the effect of some palace intrigue for private in terests. To the latter the generalty of the best-informed people incline, but it is quite evident that there are many influential individuals who from the first moment have en deavoured to take advantage of these favourable circum stances. The times are extremely critical, and such tree as are of our principles and opinions, without relinquish ing their labours, as if nothing had happened, endeavour to assist those who have declared themselves in favour of the Queen's party, because her Majesty feels the necessity sof conciliating the liberals, in order to increase her moral and political force, which, even with their aid, I fear, will not suffice to make head against the intrigues of the Carlists, whose numerous ramifications in evety city, town, and village of the peninsula will offer powerfn obstacles to the proposed reforms. A propos of intrigues, it would be endless were I to detail to you all that oc sirred during the King's illness. You have probably heard that Just at the time when he was given up by his physicians, the bead of the Carlist party made him sign:a formal renunciation of the rights of his daughter in favour t,f Den Curios, that afterwards his physicians were re quested to declare be had lost his sense., which they re fused, and that Ping, also refused to publish the codicil it. the council. The Dukes of San Fernando, Cerralbo, San Loreezo, Castrotorreno, and other noblemen, placed them. selves at the bead of the movement in favour of the Queen, in which they were powerfully aided by the In fanta Carlota, consort of the Infante Don Francisco, and they succeeded in overthrowing the plans of the Cellists, and obtaining the changes hitherto effected. The Re forMers meet at the houses of the Marquis of Santa Cruz and of the Duke of San Fernando, but the centre of their operations is in the apartment of the Infante Don Francisco. The extinction of the Royalist Volunteers, and Garde de- Corps, is in contemplation, as well as the removal of tnany chiefs and officers of the Royal Guard and army. The amnesty, a copy of which I enclose in my letter, has disappointed the expectations of the people of Madrid, and caused a fall of 2 per cent. in our funds, because it was confidently anticipated that there would he no exclusion of persons, and nobody doubts that the lest few lines, so dis similar from the rest in the decree, were smuggled in some unaccountable manner ; but the first and last cf the above mention, d measures, as well as the convocation of the Cortes, composed of all the classes of the nation, will not be puttlislico until the Generals and Governors newly appointed are at their pos s. This is a rapid sketch of what has happened up to this day. The agitation here is very great, the party of Don Car los is formidable, the clergy, Royalist Volunteers, and seve ral corps of the Guards and army do not show very fa vourable dispositions; proclamations are seen posted about against the Queen and the rising party : in a word, a civil war is secretly orgatiizing, from which it is gerterallv hoped the Queen would come out triumphant, but which, if allowed to be fomented, would plunge the country in a see of troulees. According to the opinion of the phy sicians, it is not probable the King can ever recover, and though he has been conveyed here, he is in as much dan- ' ger now as on the first day, and indeed on the night of the 12th they all thought he would die. All that I have here stated is the result of my mitn ob servations, and of those who now have access to the throne itself, and it will aff frd you as much food for reflection and apprehension as it does 'tie, . A correspondent informs us that there is at this time an apple-tree in the garden of a gentleman in Sedge&ld in full bloom. It bore a plentiful crop of frui , this season. To this we may add the fact, that a pear tree, growing upon the Ropewalk, on the Town-moor, near St. John's Chapel, in this town, has one of its branches in blossom, for the second time this year. Con sidering the lateness of the season, it i• somewhat singular, especially when the situation is taken into the account, it being within a stone's-throw of the German Ocean, and exposed to the winds from the east and north-east.— Sunderland Paper. The following official notification is puliished in the Albion, as made on Saturday evening to the Pleni potentiaries of the other Powers, in answer to the official communication of the new convention signed and ratified between England and France. It was as follows :—" The Plenipotentiaries of Russia act in conformity with the ex press directions of the EMPEROR, their master, in makine the following declaration;—The adoption of measur es of coercion, which France and Great Britain Lave resolved to take against Holland, brings the circumstances of the case to that position in which the Plenipotentiaries o Russia, in virtue of the instructions with which they are furnished, and with the tenour of which the Plenipoten tiaries of the allied Cabinets are not unacquainted, find thetnselvcs under the necessity of retiring from the Con ference. They will transmit immediately to their Crain a statement of the important circumstances which, in altering the character of the pacific mediation in which they were invited to take part, permit them no longer to associate themselves in the labours o! their colleagues. It, suspending their participation in the Conference, the Ple nipotentiaries of Russia await the ulterior determination of their Court, founded on the important circumstances which have made this declaration imperative upon them." AFFECTING INSTANCE OF MORTALITY.— Perhaps a more striking or affecting illustration of the ravages of the exterminating malady now prevalent has seldom occurred any where, than the following :—One day lately, about a dozen females were engaged, at the same moment together, in washing and bleaching their linens on the Green Sands, and of these no less than nine had been made widows within the short space of a fortnight ! These were all decent, respectable individuals, most of whom, during their husbands' life-time, lived in comfort and respectability, but who must now—many of them with large young families--struggle on with " the world and all its heartleasmss."—Dunfries Courier. SEDUCTION, AND DETERMINED ATTEMPT Ar SUICIDE..—(THIS DA .)—This morning, between six and seven o'clock, the family of Mrs. GLASCCW, a widow Irdy, residing in Norton-street, Fitzroy-square, were plunged into the most poignant grief, by the eldest daughter, a young lady of great accomplishments, between nineteen and twenty years of age, having swallowed a quantity of poison, with the intent of committing self destruction. It Providentially occurred, that this morn ing, being Saturday, the servant maid had occasion to get up sooner than usual, to perform her domestic occupa tion'. On entering the kitchen, with the intention or lighting the fire, she discovered ber young mistress, lying on the floor, apparently in a fit, emitting a quantity of saliva. She immediately ran up stairs, and acquainted her mistress and the family of the circumstance. On Mrs. G. entering the kitchen, she discovered a phial lying by her side, with a label on it, " Laudanum—Poi eon," the contents of which the unfortunate young lady had taken. Mr. Vaasa the medical attendant to the fa mily, was instantly sent for, and succeeded, by the aid oi the stomach-pump, in ejecting the deadly poison from off her stomach. On searching her pockets, some letters were found, which led to the csuse of the commission of the rash act. The unfortunate young creature had been, betrayed by a young gentleman, who abandoned her, and has since left the country for India. Another phial full of laudanum was found in her pocket. She was enabled to speak, but regrets that her life is likely to be spared. % AircouriT GracuLtik -\ s The QUEEN paid a visit to the Hulce, Duchess, ar:d Prince GEORGE, of Cumberland, on Wednesday, at their residence at Kew. Her MAJESTY partook of a dejeune with their Royal Highnesses, and left Kew soon after four o'clock, on her return to the Palace at Windsor. Prince TALLEYRAND received despatches yesterday morning from his Government; his Excellency went in the afternoon and had an interview with Viscount PAL MERSTON. Sir .TASTES GRAHAM had an interview with Viscount GODERICH yesterday, at the Colonial-office, and also tran sacted business at the Foreign-office. The KING has granted to Captain HORACE SEYMOUR, Equerry to his MAJESTY, the rank of Lieutenant. Colonel in the Hanoverian army. Mr. JEREMIE, the Right Hon C. GRANT, and Sir W. NICOLAY, had interviews with Viscount GODERICH on Thursday, at the Colonial-office. Mr. P. THomrsoN transacted business yesterday at the Foreign•ofiice. Viscount ALTHORP left town on Thursday for North ampton. Despatches were received yesterday at the Colonial office, from Sir A. WOODFORD, at the lonian Islands ; from Sir F. PON SONISY, the Lieutenant-Governor of Malta; from Mr. D. HAY, Consul-General at Tangiers; tnd from Sir W. flousToN, Lieutenant-Governor of Gibraltar. The Neapolitan Minister transacted business at the Co lonial-office on Wednesday. FASHIONABLE INTELLIGENCE. ARRIVALS. Mr. and Mrs. Jeremie, at the Brunswick Hotel, Jermyn. street, from the Mauritius; Count de la Rochefoucault, at ditto; the Earl of Belmore, at Fenton's Hotel, St. James's.. street, from Ireland; Captain Loftus, from West Lodge, Dor. setshire ; Lady Coote, E. Coote, M. P., and Mrs. Coote, at the Burlington Hotel, from West-park, Hants ; J. Brown, Esq., at ditto, from the North ; Mr. and Mrs. Platt, at the St. George's Hotel, Albermarle. street, from their seat in Sussex ; Captain and Mrs. Jackson, in Brook-street, from Cheltenham; Captain Duncan, at the Pulteney Hotel, Albermarle.street, from Chat. ham ; Mr. and Mrs. W. Evans, in Regent-street, from Nor folk; Hotel, Oxford-street, from Wiltshire ; J. G. Sparrow, Esq., and Mrs Sparrow, at ditto, from Chelmsford; Rev. Mr. Buller, at ditto; Captain Masters, at ditto, from Cheltenham. DEPARTURES. The Dowager Marchioness of Salisbury, from Arlington. street, to Hatfield ; George Byng, Esq., M.P., and Mrs. Byng, from St. James's-square, to Brighton; Lord Dorchester and the Rev. Mr. King, from the Burlington Hotel, for Hants ; Mr. and Mrs. Mussenden, and Miss Lowe, from ditto, for Ire land ; R. M. Boulton, Esq., and family, from ditto, for Eastone, Warwickshire; E. Rogers, Esq., from ditto, for Liverpool ; his Excellency Baron Fagel, from Batt's Hotel, Dover-street, for Windsor; Hon. Captain William Osborne, from ditto, for Sussex; P. Hammond, Esq., and William Nicholson, Esq., from ditto, for Canterbury; Captain Ainslie, from ditto, for ditto; Colonel Wyndham, from ditto, for Petworth, Sussex ; J. P. Browne, Esq., from ditto, for Brighton; the Earl and Countess of Kenmare, from Crawley's Hotel, Albemarle-street; for Brighton ; General Sir Robert Bolton, Bart., Major Bowers, and the Misses Bowers, from the St. James's Hotel, Jermyn street, for Swaffham Park, South Wales; Charles Pristly, Esq., from the Pulteney Hotel, Albemarle street, to Cheltenham ; the Rev. Dr. Butterfield, from ditto, for Windsor; William Hawkins, Esq., from ditto, for Brighton; Mr. and Mrs. Ogilvie, from Raggett's Hotel, Dover-street, for Dublin ; Capt. Perry, from ditto, for Bath ; Captain Colthurst, from Fladong's, Ox turd-street ; Captain Morrison, from ditto, for Brighton ; Capt. Rose, Mrs. and Miss Rose, from ditto, for Essex; Rev. Mr. Harrison, from ditto, for Wales ; Captain Brown, from ditto, for Buckingham. The LORD CHANCELLOR is suffering under a severe attack of quinsey, but he hopes to be able to re ceive the LORD IllAroa Elect and the RECORDER this day, according to annual cus . om. The other Civic Au thoi itiei will not go, as usual, on account of the CHAN CELLOR'S indisposition. LORD TENTERDEN.--A report was circu lated in Westminster Hall, yesterday, that Lord TENTER. DEN had died in the course of the morning. On inquiry, last night, we learned that the report was untrue ; that is Lordship is still living, but seriously iil ; and that hut Flint hopes are entertained of his recovery. The report of his physicians, Sir HENRY HALFORD and Dr. Hoe.- LAND, together with that of Mr. BRODIE, his Lordship's attending surgeon, at half-past two o'clock yesterday, was, ,hat his Lordship continued seriously ill. During Thurs lay night his Lordship was restless ; and suffered very acu•ely. Mr. CONST, though he has retired from the ~hairrnanship of the County Sessions, retains that of the city of Westminster. Accounts from La Vendee state that the Duchess of BERRY, though in no small danger of falling into the hands of the police, declares her determination not to quit France while the unsettled state of the Belgic question affords the chance or ho[,e of a general tear. HAMILTON PALACE.—The workmen at Hamilton Palace are for a time dismissed, and operations suspended, in consequence of the marriage of Lord LIN COLN to Lady SUSAN, only daughter of the Duke of HA 3uLToN, which takes place in a few days, and the happy couple are to pay a visit to the Palace. Lady SUSAN is in her ISth year, and is a beautiful interesting young Lady.— Glasgow Courier. SIR DAVID BAIRD.-WC are requested to ' , tate that the Life of Sir David UM, G.C.B , including his Correspondence with the Duke of Wellington, the Marquis Wellesley, Lords Melville and Castlereagh, Sir John Moore, and other distinguished characters, in two volumes, Eivo., with fine portrait, engraved by FINDEN, After an original painting by Sir FL RAEBURN, will be published on Tuesday nexP, by Mr. BENTLEY, New Bur ling►on-street, and may be had of all booksellers in the United Kingdom. Orders should be given immediately t insure early copies. Agents for Scotland—Mes , rs. BELL and BRADFUTE, Edinburgh; and for Ireland—Mr. JOHN CUMMING, Dublin. WINDSOR CASTLE AND THE ORDER OF THE GARTER.-Nothing conferred so much interest and celebrity upon Windsor Castle as the institution of the noble Order of the Garter by. EDWARD the Third, of which, accordingly, it behoves us to speak, not only be cause \Vindssr Castle was made the seat of that Order, but that St. George's College and Chapel were raised for the express purpose of celebrating their august cere monies, and of performing their religious ordinances. It has, indeed, been said that King ARTHUR kept his Court at WiLelsor, and there instituted his round table ; and the intention of King tow,tan the Third was to restore that institution. Certain it is, that the setting apart of a certain number of persons of valour and renown is of very ancient origin. Witness DAVID'S thirty mighty men, mentioned in the Second of Samuel. The twelve Peers of France, ordained by CHARLEMAGNE, were chosen for similar purpose. In like manner the Templars and Hospitallers were first instituted by the eastern Christians for the preservation of Jerusalem against the infidels; and again, the Knights of Alcantara and Calatrava, by the Kings of Spain, for their protection against the. Moors. There bas been much discu.sion as to the origin of the name of this Order, bestowed upon it by its founder. Some deduce it from a custom of the Phoenicians who encircled their bodies with a blue fillet, as an amulet against shipwreck. RICHARD CCEUR DE LION is said to have bound a leathern strap round the legs of his bravest warriors, as a badge of merit, at the seige of Acre ; and EDWARD the Third gave as a watchward the word " Garter," at the battle of Cressy. But the story that will ever be most popular, although, as it would appear, the least entitled to belief, is the well-known anecdote of the Countess of SALISBURY having dropped her garter while dancing,—the gallant KING's reproof to his smiling courtiers,—" Honi suit qui mal y pease,"—and his subs' quest adoption of the garter as a symbol of union to the order. There is just enough credibility in this story, if not to render it worthy of belief, to make it secure of adoption, since a devotion to the fair is implied and bound up with the pursuit of chivalry.—court Magazine. PRINCE OF THE CAMAROONS.--The Afri can black Prince, who arrived in town a few days ago, paid us a visit on Thursday evening. He seems an intelligent youth, speaks English, though imperfectly, and is much delighted with the grandeur and magnificence of the me tropolis. He was much surprised on his being introduced to the compositors' room, and was quite astonished on his name and title being quickly printed, and anxiously requested the marvellous work, to show to the King his father. He went, he said, to St. James's Palace, whets be saw his Royal Brother, and is to return home to his own country, in a big ship, in the course of a week. He took his leave with becoming grace and dignity, and being furnished with an admission to Covent garden Theatre, was exceedingly astonished and delighted with the performances. The above interesting stranger was brought to this country by his Majesty's ship Con way, which arrived a few days ago at Portsmouth, and was found on board a slave-ship bound to Cuba, and cap tured the b y his Majesty's ship Speedwell. H e i s a P r i nce of C a maroons, a nation of negroes occupyi ng t h e coast immediately opposite to Fernando Po, and.carrying on an extensive trade in teeth, gold dust, slaves, &c. LITERATURE. FOREIGN QUARTERLY REVIEW, No. XX. LONDON, 1832. It is with no small pleasure that we take up this periodical. Its existence is a continuing evidence of high civilization—of great and grow ing knowledge—of the gradual decline of the bi goted feeling which acknowledges nothing foreign to possess excellence—a feeling which, while it endures, offers an insurmountable bar to all im provement. The Chinese have this feeling in high perfection, and the result is such as might be expected ; they are standing still whilst all the rest of the world is advancing. We do not say that all sentiments of nationality are to be depre cated ; far from it, but there is as great a diffe ' rence between enlightened nationality and con. tempt of every thing foreign, as there is be tween the enlightened selfishness which sees that " 'True self-love and social are the same," and the selfishness which leads a man to pick his neighbour's pocket, whether by the admirable art which enables the light-fingered gentry of the Strand to appropriate the goods of others with out giving any thing in return, or the more clumsy form of a law by which the. artists make others pay twice their value for the goods they compel them to purchase. That good must be produced by a work like the present, making known to many mere English readers, books and facts of which their ignorance of foreign languages must otherwise have kept them from the knowledge of, is too clear to need argument at this time of day. Such a work must also prove of great utility even to English literati conversant with foreign languages, for it is not every individual who has such a facility of foreign correspondents as will enable him to direct his attention, with the least loss of time and trouble, to what may be most worthy of it. There are one or two articles in the present number of the Foreign Quarterly which forcibly illustrate the utility of the work, looked at in this point of view, such as the reviews of Professor 'Fakers work, " Der Germanische Ursprung der Lateinischen Sprache and des I? iimischen Volkes," and Augustus Lewald's novel of " Przebracki, the Rus sian Police-Spy." The object of Jiikcl is to prove that the Latin language is derived from the German, a conclusion, the satisfactory establishment of which would, no doubt, be made great matter of pride by our German friends. That there does exist a great and singular re semblance between the roots of the two languages cannot be denied ; but we quite agree with the reviewer that the fairer conclusion to arrive at is, that they are cognate tongues derived from one common source ; but that that which was formed first is matter of uncertainty. Both the hook and review cannot fail to prove of the highest interest to philologists. The article which stands first in the Review is, to our mind, much less interesting than that to which we have just referred, probably on ac count of its containing less of novel matter. It is a notice of M. le Chateaubriand's works, acorn plete edition of which was brought to a close last year. The greater part of Chateaubriand's lighter works are tolerably well-known in this country, and as his style is pretty much the same, whatever be his subject, none, we imagine will quarrel with the conclusion at which the reviewer arrives after a description of all his works. He says— " The expulsion of the elder branch of the Bourbons has placed M. de Chateaubriani's chivalrous spirit of loyalty in that honourable light which the generous ad vocacy of the unfortunate reflects even on misjudging champions. He has done for them all he can, consider ing how little chivalrous is the nature of tho , e weapons with which he constrained to defend their cans.. He has written lately an able pamphlet, in which he com ments powerfully on what he designa•es as the unjust ex clusion of the young unoffewling Duc de Bordeaux, and the ill compacted systom of republican monarchy now e,tahlished in France. " M. de Chateiubriand's active career is, we trust, still far from its close. We trust he is still destined to adorn the literature of his country with works more solidly ad vantageous, more pi.rmanently redounding to his own fame, than any he his yet produced. We are justified in this expectation by observing, that without any concomi tant decrease of imaginative power, judgment and good taste have progressively exercised a more decided influence from the earliest period of his authorship. his is a mind of which the reasoning faculties have been overshadowed and hidden by the vast luxuriance of his fancy ; and in proportion as the latter has been pruned and repressed, the former have been more effectually developed. We should hail with pleasure, whit, we trust, is possible, ano ther edition of his , Cftivres Complkes,' enriched with the added fruits of his matured experience, and unencum bered with those gaudy weeds, which, with an unfortunate excess of parental indulgence, he has forborne to pluck out from the one now before us." We have only space to add a few words upon an article on steam-carriages. The writer of it takes upon himself to condemn all the attempts which have hitherto been made to propel steam carriages as having some radical defect, which rendered it utterly impossible that they could succeed. He even attacks the carriages em ployed on the Liverpool rail-road as nothing better than splendid wasters of the capital of the Company. We are not sufficient of practical engineers to be a judge of the degree of atten tion due to the Reviewer, but we are certainly inclined to trust in the plain fact, that the Li verpool Company have persevered in the use of steam•carriages from the commencement of their enterprise, and have divided large profits, rather than in the confident assertions of any man I whatever. We cannot believe that the share holders would have allowed steam-carriages to be so long used if horse-power would have been more profitable. That a mode of conveyance yet in its infancy will admit of vast improve ments, is in the nature of things; but much has already been done, and deeply is the nation in debted to the able and ingenious men who have devoted time and fortune to the subject. The reviewer must, in spite of his strictures, enter-' tain the same feeling, or ought to do, towards individuals instrumental in bringing about the results he thus enumerates. He concludes his article : " Nevertheless, we do look forward to the change as the instrument of great go od. If, w hile it provides us with an accelerated mode of conve y ance, economising va luable time, and c oncentrating the energies of th e country, aitveanti;—if, isoe:Poefnsweulltioamndoredist industryan t parts of th e emp i re the while it diminishes the amount of cruelty to brutes, it also prevents that moral degradation which invariably accompanies its infliction ; if we shall succeed in displacing horses by the very ma 'liner), that formerly displaced men, and thus remedy by machinery a few of the evils of which it has been the cause by diminishing the consumption of corn, we take one penny from the price of the poor man's loaf or one pang from the ills of his lot, we shall attain a high and noble end,—an end worthy of ' a Newton's genius and a nation's boast.'" EDINB UR GH REVIEW, No. C XI. EDINBURGH, 1882. As a whole, we cannot take upon ourselves the responsibility of speaking in praise of this number. One or two particular articles are good, but the effect of the whole is heavy ; they form a bad aggregate, or at least an unseasona ble one. " Brewster's Life of Sir Isaac New ton" is, so far as style and substance are concerned, a well-written article ; but the subject is terribly hackneyed. What can be now said of Sir Isaac Newton that has not been said already ? Who is not familiar with the leading events of the great philosopher's life ? The present notice contains not an atom of novelty. It merely ploughs the same field of research that has been ploughed a hundred times before. " Recent German Lyrical Poetry" is another of thOse essays whose very title begets a yawn. On perusing it, we find the Reviewer confess. ing that modern German poetry is comparatively valueless. We wish he had announced this dis covery in the opening sentence of his criticism ; it would have spared us the pains of continuing It. One specimen, however, he gives of Ger man fancy and sentiment, which is very beautiful. The thought is not new, but it is gracefully and feelingly worked out : "THE PASSAGE. " Many a year is in its grave, Since I crossed this restless wave; And the evening, fair as ever, Shines on ruin, rock, and river. " Then in this same boat beside Sat two comrades old and tried, One with all a father's truth, One with all the fire of youth. " One on earth in silence wrought, And his grave in silence sought; But the younger brighter form Passed in battle and in storm. " So, whene'er I turn my eye Back upon the days gone by, Saddening thoughts of friends come o'er me, — Friends that closed their course before me. " But what binds us, friend to friend, But that soul with soul can blend ? Soul-like were those hours of yore, Let us walk in soul once more " Take, 0 boatman ! thrice thy fee, Take, I give it willingly; For invisible to thee, Spirits twain have crossed with me." The closing stanza of this little gem, gives a fine finish and consistency to what might other wise appear vague and inconclusive in the poem. " Dr. Chalmers, on Political Economy" is a trite, dull subject, treated, however, with all the spirit of which such a subject is susceptible. The writer dissents from the Doctor in most of his propositions, as was to be expected, for we never yet knew two Political Economists agree upon any one point of the science. " Colonel Todd on the History of the Rajpoots"—a numerous and, comparatively speaking, unknown tribe, in habiting the central states of India—contains some curious particulars respecting Omeda Rajah of Boondi, a hero who, in his attainment, and subsequent voluntary resignation of vast power, reminds us of Sylla, Diocletian, and Charles the Fifth. The Rajah, like the Roman Emperor, beguiled his retirementby planting cabbages, and less gloomy and ascetic than the German bigot, turned philanthropist on a grand scale, and has left a brilliant character, like a long trail of glory, behind him. The article will be found enter taining to those who are fond of studying the varieties of human character. " Inland Trans port" is the ablest, most practical, and most op portune essay in the whole number. In fact, it is its one redeeming feature. We give an ex tract, descriptive of the difficulties and obstruc tions, thrown in his way by interested parties, that Mr. Gurney had to struggle against during his recent attempt to run a steam-carriage be tween Gloucester and Cheltenham. When this great improvement really proved to be practicable, the whole tribe of coach proprietors, from the head to the tail of the concern, from the in fluential proprietor himself down to the lowest stable-boy on the road, were instantly up in arms. Every petty, vexatious mode of annoy - ance was had recourse to. Immense masses of stone and other rubbish were laid down on the highway ; the lie, the sneer, and the calumny were propagated with the speed of thought ; and when even these, usually effective, weapons fell harmless as ohmant machinery cos s i setu i eer n msy b ,p e ar l sno / iu e :cin t hpb e aoi / tt u sieui i ir ; i z eolg.r P tin oor witness Really is) carriages et , o ' s ' sl to l ls as numbers of Turnpike Bills were hastily passed n n throughe amounted f beb reflection t o i t coldness—the contumely—the withering, heart breaking disappointments against which intellect (no matter of what sort), has to contend. One would almost suppose that men of genius and Science were monsters of iniquity, whom the whole community were equally interested in putting down. Folly never pays half such a h ea vy tax as wisdom—never encounters half such inveterate hostility. Hers is no contra band trade. She appeals to the duly qualified Pr itslhuaelriedrstehceoorgferf, therefore z trh e e d eof marjcommon-placesrespectful o of society,j etctfultreat ment What would become of the Cou rt—the drawin g -ro o m, —the saloon of the wealthy or the boudoir of the Bl ue , were folly at once to sink, and wisdom ld a prejudices, asn'd the t ios to rise, each to her fitting level ? The follow ing is the extract to which we have just alluded : When it is considered that several years have now elapsed since the practicability of propelling a carriage on a common road by steam was established by incontestible experiment, it will naturally be inquired, why in a nation celebrated over tiie world for its mechanical skill and com mercial e nterprise, and abounding in capital, the project has not yet attained a more advanced stage? The facts detailed in the pamphlet of Mr. Gurney, the title of which i s owed at the head of this article, will furnish a solution of this question satisfactory to the reader, and little credit able to some parties, whose conduct is there brought be fore the public. i t a ppea , s that after several years of indefatigable exert i on , during which he had to encounter and refute in numerable objections urged against the scheme,—such as the expense, the public annoyance, the removal of horses from em ployment, the putting of coachmen, &c., out of bread, o nd all the hackneyed topics by which great improve ments in machinery have been ever opposed,—Mr. Gur ney at leng th succeeded in g ettin g a strain-carriage esta blished as a public conveyan ce b e t ween Gloucester and Che l ten ham in February 1831. It commenced runn i ng o n the 2 1 st of that month , and continued until the 22d of , •\ • \ June,—a period of four montbs—duting which it per formed the journey of nine miles between these places re gularly four times.a•day. It carried in this time upwards of 3,000 passengers, without a single accident, at a greater speed than that of horse coaches, and at half their fares. The value of the coke expended in this performance was about 501.,—giving an annual rate of 1501. for fuel. A horse coach to perform the same work, going at the rate of from eight to nine miles an hour, would have required eighteen horses constantly to be maintained. " The evidence afforded by an experiment continued for such a period was not to be resisted; and it carried conviction to the minds of those who fincied their inte rests would be affected by the impending change. The project was now to be opposed, not by fair objections, but , by any means which unscrupulous men tvill resort to in a desperate emergency. Agriculturists, trustees of roads, coach proprietors, coach drivers, grooms, stable boys,—all were immedi ftely up in arms. Not a day passed without gross mistarements being industriously and extensively circulated, with a view to deter passengers from choosing the new mode of conveyance. The continuance, however, of successful journeys giving constantly the lie to such re ports, deprive them of their poison. The next measure was of a more effectually mischievous and atrocious cha racter. On the 22d of June, a considerable space of the road about four miles from Gloucester, was found to be overlaid with heaps of loose stones to the depth of eighteen inches. The road at this place, and indeed generally, was at the time in the most excellent order. The horse car riages in cros , iing the stones thus laid down were com pelled to unload ; the steam-carriage not being built with that degree of strength, necessary to encounter so extraor dinary a strain, had its working axle-tree broken the se cond time it crossed the stones. " The purpose of laying clown the stones was r,ot to lie mistaken ; and the proprietor of the stesm• carriage was strongly urged to adopt some legal mode of redress against the patties wilfully committing such an act for the purpose of obstructing him. In reply, he stated that he would decline any hostile proceeding, and that he felt only pity and contempt for those who could resort to such means for preventing a great national undertaking.' " He hereupon determined to strengthen the wheels of his carriage, so as to be enabled to encounter any similar obstacle which public or private malignity might throw in his way. His proceedings, however, were speedily ar rested by the discovery that 'an immense number of turn pike bills had hastily passed both Houses of Parliament, imposing on carriages worked by machinery prohibitory tolls. In some cases the tolls imposed amounted to 40s. at every gate; in others to 48s. ; and in some to 08s. ; and as if it were a national object to prevent the possibi lity of such engines being used, one of these acts applied to the road between Cheltenham and Gloucester.' " Hitherto,' says Mr. Gurney, 'we had met the ob jections and difficulties proposed, by physical demonstra tion ; but time was a moral difficulty that could not be re moved except upon full investigation. I therefore in August p.titioned Parliament ; a Committee of the House of Commons was in consequence immediately appointed to inquire into the subject. The Committee, like all parties unacquainted with the real merits of the question, at first, I believe, considered the subject more visionary than real : how differently their minds were affected in the progress of inquiry may be judged of, when it is stated, that they soon applied for further powers, and deemed the matter worthy of close and deliberate investigation for three months. During that time some of the first statistical, scientific, and engineering authorities gave voluntary evi dence on the subject. The Report, on the 12th October, was brought up and ordered to be printed.' "In the progress of their inquiry, the Committee ex tended their examination to the principal objections which had been urged to the application of steam on common roads. These were, the danger of explosion, the annoy ance to travellers, the fright occasioned to horses by the noise of the machinery, and the smoke and steam which escape at the chimney. The Committee state, that they are led to believe, by the result of their inquiries, that the substitution of inanimate for animal power on common ninth, is one of the most important improvements in internal communication ever introduced ; that its prac ticability has been fully established ; that tolls to an amount which would utterly prohibit the introduction of steam-carriages have In en imposed on some roads; that on others the trustees have adopted measures which place such carriages in an unfair position compared with ordi nary coaches ; and that the causes of these measures are two fo'd,-18t, A determination on the part of the Trustees to obstruct as much as possible the use of steam as a propelling power ; and 2d, The misapprehension of its effects on roads. The Committee consider that legi•la. tive protection should be extended to steam-carriages with the least possible delay." The writer's observations on the ‘, Coneoctors of Prohibitory Toll Bills, and on the almost felonious conspirators against the public, who rendered impassable the King's high-way," with a view of neutralizing the good effects that Mr. Gurney's steani•carriage must otherwise have assuredly produced in society, are also well worthy of quotation : " The proceedings which rendered necessary the inves tigation instituted by the Parliamentary Committee, and which justified that Committee in reporting ' that they had ascertained that a determination existed to obstruct as much as possible the progress of an invention,' which they declared to be one of the moat important improvements in internal communication ever introduced,' will doubtless excite unqualified indignation. That the half-civilized population of Ireland, after ages of misgovernment and oppression, should view with distrust the factories of English settlers, and shrink from a participation in bene fits, the nature and extent of which they cannot appre ciate, excites no surprise: if they obstruct or occasion illy destroy these means of their own civilization, their defence is found in the irresponsibility inferred by exclusion from instruction. That improvements in machinery, by which labour is superseded, sometimes excite to violence the lower classes of hand-artisans, is a matter of just con detonation ; but in this case also, guilt has its palliation in the difficulty which uneducated persons find in perceiving that the displacement of labour by machinery is only ap parent, or at least temporary, and that the final and never-failing result is an increased demand for hands. The momentary distress which every great change in employ • ment necessarily occasions in a manufacturing community is also a palliation which should not be overlooked ; and it can scarcely he expected that present inconvenience will always be patiently borne by the labourint , classes in the prospect of future, and, as they may think, uncertain good. But we can find no such defence or palliation for the concoctors of prohibitory Toll Bills, and for the almost felonious conspirators against the public, who rendered impassable the King's highway, with a view to obstruct and defeat the efforts of those who endeavoured to extend the means by which science ministers to the uses and en joymeets of society. The same Parliament which, misled by false statements, was entrapped into the enactment of unjust laws, soon discovered its error, and exposed the deception practised upon it, not only by retracing its steps and repealing the laws previously enacted, but by substi tuting for them measures of a directly opposite tendency, —extending legislative protection to the improvement which it was the object of the former enactments to crush. We may hope that the offenders will feel the rebuke im plied in this proceeding; and that they will in future be deterred from resorting to modes of annoyance and ob struction, which, though they may elude the grasp of the law, cannot escape the blight of public opinion, in a country where freedom of discussion and the liberty of the press are recognized and established. " Mr. Lister's Arlington" is a laudatory notice of a novel which has been quite sufficiently be praised. Mr. Lister paints from life, but feebly, and in water-colours. He has no depth or breadth of colouring ; nothing to fix attention. We read his tales one day and for get them the next. They are, however, exceed ingly virtuous, and he must indeed be a heretic who would impugn their fashionable orthodoxy. " Life of Wycliffe" is an attempt to throw an air of novelty over a subject which is already worn as threadbare as a poet's coat. The field of research on this subject has been so diligently reaped that scarce an ear is left for the gleaner to pick up. " Working and Prospects of Re form" is a sad, vague, insipid article, possessing little in accordance with the day. The writer roars " like a sucking dove." We find no othe r fault with his remarks, than that they are desti tute of spirit, decision, appropriateness, and sagacity. STATISTICS OF FRANCE. Br LEWIS GOLDSMITH. LONDON. This is one of the most useful and important statistical works which has for a long time been published. It enters into the fullest de , ; tails of the past and present expenditure of France, its taxes, its revenues, its trade, its_ ma nufactures, its army, its navy, its local-andge•- neral administration, in short, every thing•Whicb cari be desired, as far as figures and feats are , concerned, in a work of this nature. Mr Goldsmith appears to have enjoyed peculiar fa cilities for performing such a task, and as the whole value of the book must depend upon its accuracy, we think it but fair to give the -Au thor's own statement of this matter. He says in his preface— " I commenced my work in 1825, during the minis try of M. de Villele, and when he quitted office in J.inuary 1828, it was far from being finished. In con sequence, however, of a long intimacy which had sub sisted between that excellent man and highly-talented minister, M. de Martignac, and myself, my access to tlet Government offices was as free as before. I first became acquainted with the Viscount de Martignac at Berlin in the year 1797, when he was secretary to the Abbe Sieyes, the French Ambassador, and I an humble student at a Prussian university. Nor was the work finished when the next great change took place in the French Ministry; hut having had the honour of being well known to Prince Polignac for 30 years, and having also been well acquainted with his colleagues Count de la Bourdonnaye, and the Barons de Capelle, Montbel, and d'Haussez, the needful sources of information were still kept open to me. The statements I bring forward may therefore lie considered as derived from official sources. I trust that I have nevertheless treated the various subjects with the strictest impartiality." The writer evinces a strong bias in his diffe rent observations to defend the administrations of the friends he here enumerates, and to un dervalue the Revolution of 1830. That its results have not been what the French people wished, is not the fault of the Revolution ; and the misconduct of those who have since been in power, is no justification of the course taken by the bigotted, ruthless Charles and his blinded Ministers. Putting this bias aside, we. have nothing to find fault with. In a work of this kind, although all is important, it is diffi cult to find matter fit for a newspaper, but the following, among the articles we have marked, possess considerable interest : MERCANTILE NAVIt OF FRANCE. " In the course of 16 years, from 1814 to 1830, the shipping of France has increased from a few half rotten ships unemployed, to 8,000 trading vessels, viz.._ At Bordeaux vessels. 210 Havre Marseilles l7O Saint-Mato Dunkirk Rouen Dieppe Caen Cherbourg Boulogne and Calais lO Brest 9 Bayonne Lorient 6 Cette 6 La Rochelle 4 Other ports " Total S2O trading vessels, on an average of 250 tong each, niak)ng in the whole 205,000 tons. " There are also 1,800 vessels trading to countries in Europe and to Newfoundland, of 250 tons each, making in all 270,000 tons, and 5,380 vessels employed in the coastin' trade (petit clbotage) of 50 tons each, making in the whole 8,000 vessels measuring nearly 744,000 tons, forming what may be called her mercantile navy. " These vessels employ 57,200 seamen, distributed as follows : 820 vessels with crews of 15 men each 12,300 1,800 id. id. 10 18,000 5,380 id. id. 5 26,908 Which number, added to the seamen employed in ships of war, would raise the number engaged in the sea service to nearly 80,000 experienced sennen. " The vessels trading out of Europe are thus distri buted : To India .merchantmen • 35 Islands of Bourbon and Maurice ..... 70 - - South Seas - 25 Brazil 65 River Plata Mexico Columbia Island of Cuba 6O Haiti 6u United States of America 35 The West Indies (not belonging to France) 20 Cayenne Senegal and Goree 4O Martinique and Guadaloupe 3OO Whale fishery 6 Circumnavigation by way of China 6 Total 832 " These figures affnd additional evidence of the pro gre-s which France was making towards a state of com mercial prosperity anterior to the events of the late revs- lution. " From the best accounts it appears that the whole of the capital employed in trade and shipping, independent of manufactures, does not exceed two milliards of francs or about 80,000,000/. sterling," FRENCH PRISONS. " In 1828 I visited Bicetre, and on that side where the lunatics are confined, my attention was called by the director of that establishment to an Italian who was walk ing in the garden, reading very attentively. The director observe] to me that he was certain that the unfortunate man was not mad. He said, that he (the director) had only held hie situation about a month, and that from what he saw of the man he was convinced that he was sane, although he had been confined as insane since 1821.' therefore accosted him, asked his name, his country, He thus replied : ' I am a native of Naples; my name la Pisa : I have been in Paris these ten years, and gave lessons in Italian, and translated and composed severe! works. My brother was the aid-de-camp of General Pepe during the last revolution of Naples. After Napoleon's death, I wrote an elegy on him in Italian. Soon after, I !es arrested by order of M. Angles, the prefect of polic e ' and confined here as a lunatic, where I have been ester since. I have written to my ambassador, hut received no answer. It is a wonder that lam not mad, being obliged to live night and d.y with these unfortunat e men.' I promised poor Pisa that I would inquire into this atrsir. 1 mentioned the subject to M. de Corbiere, then Minister of the Home Department, who referred me t° M. Franchet, Director of the general police, who imme diately wrote to M. Delaveatt, then prefect, regarding it. The answer was, that "on reference to his registers, he found that a man of the name of Pisa had been arrested fri h a e a r tis om pe e c o teil h p i m e r , s bwhethuert t h h e at w h a e s s d t i i d li n i o know in prison, w w h h e a r t e ba n d e was confined, nor if he had been liberated." In abort, after a good deal of trouble, I had it settled that the prefect of police was to defray the expenses of Pisa's journey to Mar seille, and that the Neapolitan Consul, by order of the Neapolitan Ambassador, was to pay his ex penses . to Napl es . st t u s bs s t sc h 7 e . iep u to n i fo fo n r i n t tuyon friends, aptue purchase a o s ea h n a cci d i o n t etsa succeeded r a a n g d t o o itn t h ir e a rra b in a s ei c nc k eg , s s l aar ies sn applied faol ri him. The Chevalier Lawrence, of lite rary f ame, accom panied me to Bicetre, and was one of the contributors to the subscription. 44 REGULATIONS AND DISCIPLINE. " Prisoners who work at a trade, either in the depart mental prisons or in the maisons centrales, receive twice . a day during five days in th e wee k , soupe maigre, made from haricots, lentilles, gre en peas, potatoes, or from ri c e, with a portion of butter or grease, and vegetables. rations are as follows :—For 100 prisoners:- 30 lbs. of haricots, lentilles, or peas (legumes secs). c ab 30Ibs. of carrots, leeks, t urn i ps, parsnips, celery, onions , bags or sorrel (these arc called legumes verts). 41bs. of butter or lard. lb. of salt. • RATION OF RICE SOUP FOR 100 PRISONERS. 24 lbs. of rice. 10 lbs. of dried vegetables. j 0 lbs. of green vegetables. 4 lbs. of butter or lard. 1!, lb. of salt. RATION OF POTATOE SOUP roa 100 rzasolis. &Abs, of potatoes. 101bs. of dried vegetables. 30Ibs. of green vegetables. 41bs of butter or l ar d . 1 y¢ lb. of salt. These different rations are delivered alternately. Three days dried vegetables. One day rice. One day potatoes. On Thursdays and Sundays the working prisoners re. ceive four ounces of boiled beef of good quality, and out hone; the meat u.ed for one hundred rations is 6' ', ; pounds o f raw mea t, ten pou n d s o f green vege t a bl e s, a ' o f sufficient quantity of salt and water to furnish a pi 3g soup for eac h p erson . Th e p r i so n e rs w h o d o n ot wl t . receive two-thirds of a quart of soup maiyre, prepared a one hundred persons froth fourteen pounds of dried yege