The Sun. — London, England, 1814-06-16 00:00:00

THE WI . REVIEW (No. I.) PROSPEcTUS. Friira a state of universal War,. we are happily tubsiding into a state of universal Peace-;4rOm a contest which threatened to be almost intermi nable, we verge towards a• repose of which Hope sees-uo limit. Tote storm is over, and the calm succeeds, The clouds of the, tempest have va , vished away, and all. the horizOn burns with the recent glories of the bolts which have dissipated them, or melts, with a kindred glow, into the soft effulgence which promises a • long season of joy. - In the day of trial, whathas there been to com pare with the firmness of Old England. Amid the wreck of nations and the crash of 'worlds, where shall we find a parallel to the fortitude of Britain ? Persevering under adversity ; constant even in prosperity; unmoved by peril's most immincni ; unshaken by convulsions which *Muted other liatiOns in chaos ; mighty, undaunted, temperate, sublime, she has maintained her principles sted fastly, fought her battles nobly, and achieved her victoty gloriously ; And not alone her victory, but the victory of mankind ; the triumph of Order, over Anarchy ; of Morality over Crime; Of Eter-. nal Justice over a horrid system of robbery and impiety and murder and atheism. Such is the resplendent NEW ELIA at which we : have so prosperously arrived. The blood-stained shrines of Moloch are throWn down, and the Da , gun of the Philistines, shorn of his afilicting power : the Temple of Janus is shut, an,-: we hate r4ised our altars on high in the Dome of Concord. Let us hasten to adorn them ! Let us hasten to bnry in oblivion the remembrance. of the troubled times we have seen, and turn with one mind to the cultivation of the' arts of Peace. Even of the laurels round (nir browi let us think less, than of the olive branch with which it is entwined. But, at all events, let us forget the themes of discord, and direct our better thoughts to the boundless fields of science, - which court our steps, to the delights of literature, to the enchantments of the fine arts; to all those'pursuits which are' most worthy of the dignity of man, his noblest studies, the knowledge of nature, of himself, of his Al- Mighty Creator. • THE SUN,/ -wc bvhlly say, lnt pc4ormiad the duty of a consistent, , intrepid, and inde . pendant Journal throughout the arduonS struggle of the last twenty years. Conscious of the ines timable value and dignity of the 1 5 ress, it has en deavoured not to abuse the one or.disgrace the other. In the present heur of triumph, without fearindthe imputation of vanity ; but indulging, on the cOntrary, in an honest pride, it assumes a station among the foremost publicationS which have contributed, with ceaseless and unvarying exertion, to that consummation of the glory of Great Britain, the overthrow of tyranny, and the, solid establishment of the liberties of Europe, which arc now complete. On these grounds we feel ourselves entitled to take the lead in assuming those. new features which may properly belong to the state of tran quillity already commenced. The task of review-. nig the labours of Learning, the eirusiOns of the Muse, the speetilations of - the Politician, haS, it is true, been heretofore confined to works of More imposing magnitude and less frequent occurrence thanthe columns of a daily Ne w sp a p er . Q uar t er l y Leviathans and monthly Sharks have swallowed vp;and devoured the shoals Of AuthOrs swarming the literary wave. But, after maturely consider- 7 ing the subject, we can discover no good reason why :he- diurnal Press should not go beyond the bounds of an advertisement, in noticing the .pro ductions. of talent and recording the triumphs of. genius ; in rescuing lowly merit froth chilling in difference, and brightening in the Sun those flowers which blush unseen ; in giving, through' our more. generally diffused median), greater pub licity than k at present attainable to eve r y s p ec i es of composition which issues from the Bookseller's hind ; and enaliug the world to form an opinion of their nature and character. ThiS is the ohiect we propose in THE Sun RE VIEW,tO be continued as regularly as the insertion of temporary matter will permit. Our wish is to cherish not to repress, to encourage not to repel, the efforts of the pen. Our criticism shall there fore be impartial, our praises liberal, our censures load. As, to be spirited we will not be unjustly severe ; so neither will we, for personal or private gratification, prostitute ourselves to the tame in 4ipidity of too lavish flattery and indiscriminate encomium. Such are our determinations—the Public, in the progress of our task, will appreciate the worth of our perfoimance. If we go about to cozen for tune without the stamp of merit, our reward will be disregard, our intentions saving us from con tempt, and the design of planting a novel and riot (as we trust) an une n t erta i n i ng , nor un i nstruct i ve, mot. unpatriotic featiire lipon a Publication of the kind .under our superintendaneQ m securing us,at least the indulgent construction ui our. Readers. We invite communications of every description books from their Authors and Publishers, of Lints from literary men, of notices from those in clined to promote Our views. These shall meet tiro earliest possible - attention, and be received with thnolis, but without favour. San ce, Jtale 23, 1314, : tititilkNaTAL OP ottii) tO PAttis. (No. XN .) ,(:).1 all the degrading vices. Which, tholigit net . a direct offence against the Cation, yet ittvol4s number of the most fatal - passions and erintinal propensities—of 'all the dangerous indul'gencii. , s which .threaten the happiness of the individual and evidenee,the degeneracy of a people, there is not one so ignominiously conspicuous as Gaming. Its origin and object are equally base. It is the child of Avarice and Idleness, and the parent of Guilt and Shame. The character of the professed Gambler kis one of the most worthless that can be conceived, and when this incurable mania seizes upon every breast, and overspreads a country, there Can be no surer proof of a general - laxity of prin ciple and depravity of morals. Such, 1 lament to say, is .the case •in France. The gaming-table is a prominent part of the entertainments among the highest circles—the gaming-table is the grand re sort of the middling classes,--the - gaming-table is the object of, the hopes ,orthe needyand the • streets,,and gardeniand yilads. arc deformed With the very lowest ,in society throwing dice on the grout * td from their hands,. instead of a dice-box, on the event of which, perhaps, dependl either a., comparative acquisition, or excessive Misery. I have spent evenings in the hotels of Princes; — there, Hazard and Faro were the chief sources of pleasure . : the Converzatione Rooms_ were de . sertefl, and even the attractions of the sportive dance failedto. fix the vagrant feet of the inveterate votaries of cards and dice. Loveliness and youth would have been left to bewail the more potent influence of "chance, did not loveliness . and'youth partalie of the epidemia, and join in those destruc tive pursuits which so speedily eradicate the bloom of the one and the innocency of the other. Cupidity is the =Hero' of Cupid. I have also vi sited the public rooms devoted to the world of ad venturers who RIC so prone to , “ . set their all upon a cast,"and, unhappilyfor them,: " stand the hazard of the die.", These arc extraordinary places, and it is there only that I have seen the apathy of the French roused into astate of fear 'Jill and desperate excitation—Hogarth7s picture of the Gamesters in the Rake's-Progress realized. As London with all its :faults is not, I believe, polluted with such institutions (for the Subscrip tion Houses, or Wells, are more reject and difficult of access), I shall venture to describe one of the three grand Public Gaming Mouses Which I spected in the Palais Royal.., This 'temple of Fortune consists of a suite of eleven spacious . , rooms; five or six of which are, at this period,. crowded nightly, not only with the Citi zens o f Paris but with y multitudes of -strangers, Officers, &c. of all ranks and denominations. On entering, you must leave yOur hat at .the door, for the re- covery of which a ticket is given you ; 'and on your exit it is returned, w h ere ' a sma ll basket is visible for the receptiOn Of a sons or two, 'ad li,- bitim, for the benefit of the servants,, who attend for this purpose. • In four of the apartments-are large tables, of the size of billiard-tables, at which are played the game Rouge et Noir, the chances of which are decided, at 'some olthem, by the deter mination of a small ivory ball in a wheel whiCh is divided into certain niches; 'eolour, and num bers, and at others by the cards. These tables' dre marked in a variety Of ways, so that many games are played, and depend upon every revo lution of the wheel and ball, and every deal of the cards. I endeavoured to. make myself master of :the !natter, but.could ascertain nothing further of the myitery than that as the Betters staked their, money upon red or black, they lost or gained according as the ball fell into a red or black iche, or the cards turned up red or black ; and, in the same manner, other chances, such as " par . " and " impar " (odd or even) and "pow " and " tnanque," (i. e. above or below the middle number) were decided. There were many other bets depending, the nature of whicb I could not ascertain ;-but n some of them the odds seem to be very great, as much as 20 or 30 to I. At other tables Faro, and at others Hazard, were the order of the night ; and all bad their numerous adherents, though Rougo'et Noir seems the most popular. The snms staked are from one frank to any amount : I have seen many hundreds upon the table at the same time ; there is, per haps, seldom less than twenty pounds----generally about thrice that sum-=depending upon each ap peal to. the Fates, which occupies two or three minutes. If the play is fair. .(a point I am not 'competent to determine), I was informed at my Banker's, that the run in favour of the persons who support these establishments is about 3 per cent. an ad vantage which must afford them prodigious emo lument in the course of twelve months continual practice, where 'thousands are. eversr night won and lost. There 'are =six-persons at every table, employed by the keepers, viz, two on each side at the and cn-. ;It eta) duty of these in the Mitre; to deal the cards, or re, VolVe the wheet and ball , and settle the stakes those at the ends, took- to: the fnir attiitstrnent-of the st keS in,those qua; tern.' These tiflicial atte-ndants 'are relieved ; like centinels, by fresh hands every two hours. The diSplay of heaps of gold qiul silver before them is of the most tenipting• brilliancy; consisting, at, this. era, of the coins of all tuitions, which are very necessary, as it• is not uncorrmou to see French Napoleons and Louis-d'or§, tugliA guineas and crowns, Dutch ducats, Spanish dou bloons, Russian roubles, as well At the 'various monies of Prussia, Italy, and Germany on the. table at the same moment. Paper is rarely seen, except in very large notes of the Freud' Bank, which arc, a priori, converted into - specie for the putpose of gaming. • One of the most constant visitors to these haunts is the renowned Marshal Bcucher, who plays pretty deep, and, as it appeared tb me on one .oi two occasions, with peculiar ill luck. Perhaps the French are taking their revenge upon hint in this way. I cannot but be sorry that he atfOrds them an opportunity, as there is_Certainly no other person of his rank who does•So ; but the Marshal is a •plain, blunt soldier, and does not rnix much with ceremonious State Parties. I have already noticed that the intoxication of gambling descends to the lowest of the-people, and that it is - common to see it greedily pursued on the pavement and in all the suburbs. What 1 have heard of the excesses and inveterate habits Of the French prisoners in England is fully con. firmed by the extent and rooteditess of the vice apparent in tliis country. The system of plunder, the disregatal of all moral obli gations,. and the unsettled state of thing 3 introduced by the infamous robber at.the helix! of the Government, has pennded the whole mass of the population, and induced an inclination to rely more upon chance, or dishonest artifices, than upon honest industry and steady exertion. Let us hope that a better Government will be able to establish bitter feelins. I any afraid l hUve tired you. with s'o much un lucky lucubration on one subjeet-L-if so, my next will, I trust, be more various, and therefore af ford a chance of yaw' picking up some amusement from VIATOR. FRENCH PA PERS. FRANKFORT, J 1.710. 6.—Letters from Wirt zburgh state, that the most precious effects of the Court are packed up, in order to be transported into Italy. The departure of the Grand Duke is.again deferred. The reports that are in circulation, re specting the future fate of the Grand Duchy of Wurtzburgb„ are various and contradictory. The present Government have adopted several mea sures, which indicate the cession of the country. HANOVER, MAY 27.—The march of Swedish troops commenced on the 19th, and concluded this day. The number of those Which passed this way is about 14,000 men. VIENNA, MAN' f29.—By an official statement, which bas just been published, the loss of our Army in the last campaign amounts to . 2 Generals and 267 Officers killed, 1G Generals and 952 Of ficers wounded, 2 Generals and 267 Officers taken prisoners, and 61 Officers absent from their corps —Total, 20 Generals and . 1506 Officers. BRWMEN, JUNE 1.--Marshal Davoust was at Nienbonrg on the 30th ult. PARIS, JUNE I3.—We are assured that the Co ronation of his Majcsty will take plate on the 25th August (St. Louis Day). It is said that his Majesty will, on that day, create 46 new Peers for life.— Yesterday being the Corpus Christi Day, the pro cession took place in the different parts of Paris. They were grand and edifying. In the streets through which they were to pass, the inhabitants had, with the most religious care, decorated the fronts of their houses. All the population of the capital were assembled on this occasion, and never was' there more decorum observed in so immense a crowd. The processsion of . St. Roch was distinguished by the elevated rank of the persons who carried the canopy. An unfor tunate accident occurred at the moment when the procession of St. Gumain L'Auxcrrois quitted the church : four Children, who had mounted a ladder, fell off, and were very nearly killed. NORWAY. LANDWXCK, MAY 10.-There have' been nu merous debates in the Diet of Eidswo(d. The opinions of the Members were much. divided uPon the question, whether Norway could maintain her self as an indcpendant State ? The conclusion was, that Norway could maintain herself independent if England should declare in her favour. But the declaration of England has arrived at Christiana, and it is not ,cotteliO in very favourable terms: Intelligence was at the same time received; that nine Sail of the Line were upon tile point of • sailing to enfort the oril6l - of the ''' bi ' l' ‘ strict blockade. thi:i has disci;-nraE.-e,/ 7:0 flts sutra; nevertheless, tirince CtitttSTiAN is , his object with g rea t firmness. • Tile jul " hir": 0 ils' u who are friends o f Peace, hope t , hat -- 51 saries-of the Allied Soterelgn.sl W ill s ettle tuts so. jeet ariiicably. joh - - - WURTZBURGH, JUNE ness the Archduke Grand Duke set out Yciether, morning for Munich, to meet his augu st t Ills the Emperor of Austria. It is 60110 •ry 1.11 0 .1' s pp , e . riztl Ilighn e 6 s accompanY - to N'ienna. , e lert~lt BEPN E, JUNE 3.—Ye s t er day niornipg '6le` die that ai3out 250 . arme d' peasants sca„hs ramparts of S o l cure i n t h e n i g ht, and 10"1/4cy _ t ared the g - itard; s e t at liberty the Prefec` 'Often, who was there detained. • Last night 'die guards of o ur city "'e re tr.4 ' da At eleven o'clock at n igh t , t h e light artine r Volk ta icompany morni ng of itita try, o s ps et l riages. 00 4'. We have ,learnt to-day that ibe tie sSailts , tedSoleure yesterday:at noon. The citiz l :; l , the ins attempted to retake the arsenal, of ` v , l ; insurgents were 'in possession; There men killed and about 26 ;Founded on thy ° ce- ,;:led- The. two sons of M. L'A veyer Caotz tvCre e Our troops occupy t h e gates o r Sdl e ure; t ' r ,bers have fled., A dep u tati on I s gone henc o) ,,,py 1345 OULOUSE, JUNE 7.--The AlllOl. 1 '')„11C 5 nearly evactuk. ,l thiS city. On the 2' cony brigade of English Hussars, .6000 strOg; Aloo' minded by Lord C. Somerset, has arrive d fc', tat:bran. This brigade is part o f . colt°1,• 0 11 vary of Marshal Wellington's Arnty; going s to Calais to pass o v er i nt() E n glol",,• ile avg C. Otnerset dined. with the Marquis de Vise and the Generais . Of the French' HAMBURGII AND .13RE2,IbN.M'1' CoPENHAGEN., MAc 31.—8 y a Decree r a 1 r L . to-day, all com mun i ca ti on w i t h NortvlY ` - i ' nce ol bited under pain of de a th. Th e Crown P I- Sweden is arrived at Schonen. Is e SCHONEN, JUNE 3.--The regiment rt e Y' g A lltl j , e dois is now arrived here. In a short time shied, regiments intended for this part will be a'rvllcr and ready t o ac t i n concert with Grove l ' s . , creut and Von Essen, again s t Noo"Y r ' Ij , nic' e the Norwegians shonKrefnse an union o' l ble terms evith Sweden. pccq FitANKtonT, JVNE 2.—Baron Stein is-c t A l ' 4 ; on the sth. Letters from Vienna aft ti'fitiafo'n tria has sold the Netherlands to 1.4.;90 0 ! - , , ,tid, fr , hum-lred millions of florins. A petition barb been sent from a part of Gerund!) : ) tils' 11';mper,ors and Kings, humbly reOnc s r',,tlit it „' il t Germany may be made complete by 01`:-fitrY of Alsace; and Lorraine, the original cnu" the Imper!al Family. ttre ' Ith • 1 HAMBURGH, j 0" S.—On Monday the Bank will be opened again vvith of 5 millions of Ma re s B a n co ( near bal fs i viii sterling). All fine silver that is given melted down ; all business has been in Louis-d'OrS ; S ena t ors Wid ow a' 3 , ( ' c.ien" i f rin'gk are appointed city P re t ors , Barlels"and Brentnenati, Pretors for the s tro l6‘ The Russian 'garrison is not above 4 9 but we have a g reat nnmberof Offie(' ls " t4f icl'l 4 6 ' JUNE 10.--On the sth, public th an 'of were celebrated here f or the d?l'ver ne f e city. On the 4th, th e tirth-day of ts w itit the king of England was celebrate I . greatest I.6c:icings at St a d e . M. 9 1 °4 English Consul General in N or waY, here, g ave , a splendid entertainment 0 " t iesty's b irth-day;, at his co a rtrv ..bonse , the English Captain4-Atarshall an.tl-I;4,rdi,;tio,se neral liennigsen, and all .the Officers "' tinn in the neighbourhood; were prO',, rl „ ic -d Austrian . Consul, Z.I. Meter, has 1 0 " „or' functions here. t be P,lty BREMEN, JUNE 7.—lt is. said tau t c t relating to the suit instituted agnia st , -c r A 6 damme are already sent to S t. resets a t. that he will, perhaps, he sent to d oe r Gent .• mines of Nertschinsk, There are' oth ei r e• , t he ,wit men very worthy to keep him compa".7 ls , y, VIENNA, MAY 7.—Letters from j : is ti e; Corsica is in a very disturbed stat e ,' .Sits,lieved that the English will occUpY' () t he c - t u for themselves, but to g i ve it up, Ivir htirzp sent of the 'Allies, to Napoleon, wh ° '- .„, renounce his pension of six millions . N. B. The bram burgh Corresponde nt the port is little credited. li erc ..ll: LElPziu, MAY 27.---m-day au -rive- I;4 i / rt-' first division of the R u s s i an Army, °n' t home. ~.,~,r~,,-~-~--, brig NAVAL NE PLYMOUTH, JUNE 'l4.—Arrived th e Capt. COWAN, from Gibraltar to L'''" °l - p ri o „,1 1, • teen Yankee, a tc k . ee was captured by the Ame rie n - , slid also Captured , i t t ri t e h e ß e e n i from Teneriffe to London. The ert” vs , o fte r." t. vessels have arrived at Plymouth'in the , i 1 ',, 0 0 , •trrvaCic:stoife,thCe3CPllllleiblortsl: ova►' from ./,' : of Arrived the Thais' sloop of I mouth. Sailed the Tyrian and Insolent 1)4 FALMO l'ort ' o' to be wan on a craize. •1 Ar3' .I'o , RT . smotn.:Ft P , UTH, a cly • 0 belle three packet, packet his 5 11 ._ is Y ) : iseoty;s, days ; Marchioness of Queensber.Y're_sbi?, NA rl s to wit o ISe 64 . • u j 'i u tl N l s w! b uns, CocK, for• Plyiuou‘t 11 f agicienne from Lisbon ,- s."P. 'Tigress from Bourcieaux (tWo thi)' P`„,• t fr" ... 1 1- 1 , Resolution, Befsev, and Frien ds ; Cr uiz e; n T i n charge the following "11,111:is 144' e i sq's ships Tyrian and Escort froin a.. ce res ;I°lll the Downs. Sailed • his iii,oestY.; riy^ lapshooter for Clierburkh; aud I.3ittern woutb.—Wind NV. S. W. ann,,