The Press.
London, England, 1854-01-28 00:00:00

Itiev. RICHARD COME.

Heigate, August 11, 1852.
Iy dear Richard,—l have had several interviews with
ministers, and crowned them all with one with Lurd ;
but, as yet, there has been no result. They were all very
polite, I may say kind, and appear to enter alto my views •
bat tits groundereet of my position was, that they might
avail themselves of my services if they choose, and if nut
that I wouid be obliged to thew to make up their winds
and let me take an independent course. If employed,
I insisted on confidence and elliciency—reality and not

pretenee—and a remedy for the anon-taloa* position in
which I was placed by my being Consul-Lieuentl, with
plenipotentiary powers, &c. They will soon give me au
answer, and I will let you know what it is. At the
time I offered, for the good of the public service, and to
set the question et rest, to submit to a committee of the
House of Commons : this ministers will likewise consider.
Yesterday (10th) there was a long correspondence of Ruins
with the judges of Singapore publisin d-411 very wrong
and shameful in the opinion of the Daily News, because
the shoe pinches on that quarter ; but I believe that you
and every odter high-minded and honest man will coin•
mend me for the principles I asserted at no small per-
sonal ineonvenienoe.
Almost the last visit which Sir James paid
to any person in England was to a member of
the late Administration ; and he then re-
peated, with an energy enhanced by subse-
quent contrast, his gratitude for the kindness
with which he had been treated both by Sir
John Pakington and Lord Malmesbury. It
remained for Lords Aberdeen and Clarendon
to shuffle off the responsibility of decisive
action by the appointment of a futile and
offensive commission of inquiry, to be con-
ducted at Singapore, 10,1100 miles from home,
and its proceedings ratified (if, indeed, they
were not anticipated) in Downing-street. In
that notable expedient we observe the same
dilatory genius which, displayed on a larger
scale, ha* since embroiled Europe in war.
In conclusion, we have but one word to add.
Let Sir James rely on his own acts, and on
the reputation they have won for him as a
stout-hearted and clearheaded man ; and let
him not again commit his character to a
champion so injudicious as the " dear Jack "
of this conespondence.

Casteltemente. An Autobiographical Sketch
illustrative of Italian Life during the
Insurrection of 1881. Loudon : Westertou.
TwEirv-ruitEE years ago occurred one of those
convulsive and spasmodic shocks which pass
periodically through the still breathing frame
of Italy. Events happened which are history ;
and those evental form the ostensible subject
or groundwork of the new narrative before us,
" Castellamonte." But " Castellamonte "is
not history, and it is not historical. It pro-
fesses, indeed, something considerably less ;
and it is even less than it professes. What is
it, then? Is it a romance? We all know that
the sort of information to be derived from the
exact narrative of memorable occurrences is
not the same sort of information which may
be derived from an able fiction based upon
those occurrences, and giving, we will sup-
pose, a faithful aspect of them in one of their
phases, but of course an aspect taken from
the private-life " point of view." These two
sorts of information are distinct ; but, if it be
not true that their value is equal, it is equally
true of both that valuable they are, and that
they can often throw reciprocal light and a
more vivid illustration on each other. As WI
get instruction of one kind from a good