The Press.
London, England, 1857-01-17 00:00:00

LOSS OF " THE TYNE"_

- _ -
THE Royal Mail steamship Tyne, while coming
up Channel from the Brazils, ran ashore on Tuesday
morning off Chapman's Cove, about Rye miles to the
westward of St. Alban's Head, on the Dorsetshire
coast. The weather was very foggy, no land could
he seen ; and by some error or other the ship's head,
it would appear, after passing the Portland Lights,
was run inshore, with the inevitable result of running
on shore in a very short time. The concussion when
the ship struck was very great; some of the pas-
sengers were thrown out of their berths, and
of course, in a great state of alarm and con-
fusion, rushed on deck to ascertain what bad occurred.
At this time it was so dark and thick that objects

SATURDAY,

only a few inches off could not be seen. The ship
was then bumping violently. As the tide rose she
eased and settled down, and though every means were
resorted to to get her off, they were without avail. After
daylight the mails were got out by Lieutenant Fuge,
who safely reached the shore, in spite of the heavy
surf. About noon the boats were lowered from the
ship's side and the passengers were slung into them
from the deck, the high tide and heavy sea prevent-
ing their getting down into the boats in the usual
way. During this period one or two of the boats
were swamped to the great peril of some of the pas-
sengers ; but they were all saved, and no lives
were lost. The boats reached the shore in safety,
and the passengers on landing were taken care of
by Lord Eldon's servants, and conveyed to the estate
at Eneombe, where they were treated in the most
hospitable manner, and subsequently taken in car-
riages and other vehicles to the Wareham Railway
station. A portion of the passengers went on to
Southampton, and others remained in Wareham.
They were landed without a single article beyond
the clothes they stood in, and those who went to
Southampton looked very jaded and distressed.
The Tyne left Lisbon on the 9th inst., and experienced
heavy seas and hazy weather throughout her home-
ward run. On Monday it was found impossible to
take an observation, owing to the dense state of the
atmosphere. Soundings were made every two hours,
and the result so far agreed with the charts and the
supposed course of the ship, that no anxiety was
felt on this head. After dinner, the passengers, to
the number of fifty three, assembled in the saloon,
and passed a unanimous vote of thanks to Captain
Valler for the admirable manner in which the voyage
had been so far performed. The weather continuing
very thick, and the captain's reckoning showing that
the ship was entering the Channel, before six o'clock
the engines were reduced to and kept at half speed.
At twenty minutes after eleven o'clock the Portland
Lights were sighted N.E.and by E., supposed distant
fifteen miles, and the course of the ship was altered
to the eastward. At midnight the Portland Lights
bore N.E., and at one o'clock on Tuesday morning,
N.N.E. E. At ten minutes after two o'clock they
bore in one N.N.W, W., distant about eight miles,
and half an hour subsequently the lights "dipped."
The haze still continuing, Captain Valler remained
on deck, personally directing the course of the ship,
and watching the operation of the lead, which was
kept going every two hours. At forty minutes past
three o'clock, the weather being still thick and the
fog increasing, Captain Valler left the deck for a few
moments to examine his chart. He had completed
his examination, and was in the act of going from
his cabin to the engine-room to desire the engineer
on watch to stop the engines, until daybreak, when
he heard the voice of the third officer calling out
" Hard-a-port." Captain Valler's first thought was
that a vessel might be crossing the ship's course,
but hastily running up on to the deck, he at once
saw breakers on the port bow, and rushing to the
engine-room skylight he called out to the engineer
to " stop her." Before the engines had ceased oscillat-
ing the ship struck heavily forward. A strong
westerly swell was running at this time, and the ship
bumped heavily several times. The passengers
rushed up on deck in a state of great terror, and all
was confusion for a few moments, until Captain
Valler succeeded in persuading them that there was
no imminent danger. The position of the ship was
at this time unknown, and it was not until some
moments after she had struck that Captain Valler
observed looming through the haze the dark outline
of the Encombo Cliffs, with St. Alban's bluff head-
s land on the starboard bow. The worst apprehen-
sions were now realised, and guns were fired and
blue lights sent up as signals of distress to the ad-
joining coast. Meantime, Captain Valler used every
endeavour to get the ship afloat again. The topsail
and foresail were set, and by dint of great exertion
the vessel's head was got round. For a moment
there appeared a prospect of her coming off, but
although she swung completely round, and got her
head to sea, she held fast by her keel on the ledge
where she had struck, and all attempts to move her
failed. It is believed that but for the bursting of
one of the steam pipes at the critical moment when
Captain Wailer gave the order to " go-ahead," by
which the engines were rendered powerless, the ship
would have floated. It seems very doubtful whether
the ship can be saved. A considerable portion of
the baggage and a small part of the cargo have been
rescued. There are five tugs rendering assistance,
besides her Majesty's steam frigate Devastation, the
paddle-box lifeboats of which were of great use in
keeping up communication between the Tync and
the tugs. It appears that there are two feet of
water in the steamer's saloon at high water, and that
the boilers had moved about six inches forward
when the ship struck, and the steam pipe had also
burst. A Coastguardsman was unhappily drowned
on Tuesday night by the swamping of a limit as it
was going from the shore to the ship. Every effort is
being made to save the cargo ; but it is feared the
vessel will be lost.

JANUARY 17, 1857.

itcratarr.

The Letters of Horace Walpole, Earl of Orford.
Edited by Peter Cunningham. Now First
Chronologically Arranged. In Eight. Vols.
Vol. I. London: Bentley.
WHATEVER differences exist as to the character
of Horace Walpole, and as to the estimate of
his talents, all critics are agreed on his trans-
cendent merits as a letter-writer. In his
correspondence we see his mind exactly pot-
frayed. His style is the nearest approach in
English to the lightness and sharp•cutting
clearness of Voltaire. He could condense
and expand with equal ease ; his wit was
poignant, find was his own ; and his vivacity
was sustained. He lived in the great world,
and he had constant access to first-hand know-
ledge; and thus his letters have the double
advantages of matter and manner.
The " character " of this most peculiar per-
son is not necessarily brought before us by
this publication. We must remark, however,
that as a man Horace \Valpole is not one of
our literary favourites, though we think that
he does not deserve the merciless bludgeoning
inflicted on hint by Mr. Macaulay. Indeed.
there has been too great a propensity to treat
with s3orching severity the " characters " of
authors, apart from their works. In a public
man. aspiring to govern and sway his age, it
is right to give great consideration to his
" character," whether he be a king or an
orator. In many of his literary judgments
Mr. Macaulay has most injuriously applied a
Parliamentary and political standard. \Valpole
was a sickly valetudinarian ; he had much of
the squeamish oadity common to men of intel-
lectual vivacity, whose constitution denies
them the sports of the field, or the pleasure of
the exciting passions of the Senate. His
foibles have been lashed as vices, and his
acquired mannerism—which was worthy of
the modish manner of the times—branded as
deliberate affectation. But we shall not in
this placo expatiate on the peculiarities of
Walpole; our immediate business is with
the edition before us of his letters.

The chief merit of this edition consists in
its promised fulness and in its chronological
arrangement. In many respects Mr. Peter
Cunningham is highly qualified for his post as
an editor, and he is thoroughly master of his
subject. His aim is not too high, and he prin-
cipally endeavours to correct and supplemen
talise Walpole's facts Whether anything more
could be done for Walpole by "an editor "
is doubtful. To attempt the exposure of his '
prejudices, or the reve►sal of his judgments,
would be endless work. Every reader must
take Walpole for what he is worth.
We have been pleased with many of the
notes before us, but Mr. Cunningham's system
of annotation tends to excessive surplusage. His
corroborative quotations are too frequent, and
his excerpts from the peerage hooks are too
copious. Several of the pages swarm with
little notes, the majority of which are not
necessary. The editor often confounds minute-
ness with accuracy ; and it is to be wished that
the labour given by him on details had been
applied to improving his composition, which
repeatedly wants ordinary g►ammar, besides
being habitually slipshod. Examples, how-
ever, will better than description show the
defects of some of the editing before us.
Neatness and precision of writing are rarely
aimed at by Mr. Cunningham. Even his title-
page is careless. Horace Walpole was " fourth
Earl of Orford ;" and " The letters of Philip
Durwin Stanhope, fourth Earl of Chesterfield,"
or of ",John, fourth Duke of Bedford," is the
proper style of entitling the correspondence of
a peer. As the titlepage here reads, it would
seem that Mr. Peter Cunningham is " now
" first chronologically arranged." In such
cases the editor's name should follow the indi
cation of the speciality of the particular
edition. These are small points, but it is on
such matters that Mr. Cunningham most exer-
cises himself.
The editor's table of contents is calculated
to daunt. Before getting at the letters we
must make acquaintance with—

THE PRESS.

Mr. Cunningham's Advertisement—Walpole's Advertise-
ment to his Letters addressed to Sir Horace Mann—Mr.
Croker's Preface—Lord I►over's Preface—Mr. IVright's
Preface—Miss Mary Berr.,'s Advertisement—Mr. Vernon
Smith's l'reface—Mr. Vernon Smith's Second Preface—
Mr. Bentley's Advertisement—Rev. John M itford's Preface.
Now, surely a brief and well-penned essay,
resuming the matter of these various pre-
faces, would be better than this parade of
petty introductions. The pioneers are the
most ill-favoured men in the regiment, and
in this instance the precursory papers
to Walpole's letters are the least attractive
parts of the volume. An exception of course
we gladly make in favour of Miss Mary BexTy's
graceful defence of her deceased friend. We
must also observe that the index to the con-
tents of the chapters is too sparse ; the
enumeration of the topics should be more
detailed. In his own " advertisement" Mr
Cunningham says:—
The uuptinted letters will be found to reveal much
curious matter illustrative of the family quarrels of Horace
with his brother Sir Edward, and with his uncle, old
Horace, whom he bated so heartily; while the letters that
collected in this edition, and addressed to men like Hume,
Robertson, and Joseph IVarton, will he found to contain
the best qualities of his style on other subjects than mas-
querades and marriages.

" To contain the best qualities of his style " is
a mode of expression at once inelegant and
incorrect ; and we meet with much careless-
ness of a similar kind. Mr. Cunningham,
however, has precedents amongst his prede-
cessors. That redoubtable critic, Mr. Croker,
thus writes in the introduction to his edition
of " Walpole's Letters " (1825) :

Of the former collections, anecdote and chitchat formed
the principal topics, and politics were introduced only as
the) happened to be the news of the day. Of the series
now offered to the public, politics are the groundwork, and
the town talk is only the accidental embroidery.

" Accidental embroidery " must clearly belong
to some species of " Irish manufacture " not
yet known in England ; and several other in-
elegancies may be seen in Mr. Croker's
preface, such as " the very errom" for " the
" errors themselves," or "even the errors."
We doubt whether Mr. Cunningham should
have consumed space by preserving such care-
less writings on account of the eminent names
attached to them. _ .

On coming, to " Lord Dover's prefaee " we
are treated to a capital characterisation of that
amiable nobleman. While perusing it we
were struck by its writing, and we thought it
the best that we had ever read from Mr. P.
Cunningham ; and we felt that the flow of the
sentences was very unlike the rhythm of the
editor's rhetoric. On arriving at the end of it
we read :

Macaulay. (Edinburgh Review, vnl. lviii.) Lord Dover
died 10th July, 1833, aged 30.--CumNisouAm.
And so throughout the volume. After every
quotation and trivial reference " CUNNINGHAM "
in capitals arrests the eye. " Madam," said
Sir Joshua to the " Tragic Muse," when
he wrote "Josh. Reynolds, pinxt.," in the
corner of his and her famous picture, " I wish
" to descend to posterity on the hen: of your
" garment." Mr. Cunningham is matchless
in the art of " hemming " his name on to
famous authors. _

We are rather amused at the way in which
the editor "misters" the caustic " Mr.
Croker," while he gives " Macaulay " his
historic rather than his contemporary rank.
Both these distinguished persons are Privy
Councillors ; but there is another personage
of equal official rank, though of far different
literary standing, with whom Mr. Cunning-
ham takes an unpardonable lily2rty. At page
lvi. of the prolegomena, the editor refers to Mr.
Vernon Smith as the " Right Honourable
" Richard (!!!) Vernon Smith " Oh! hapless
Mr. Peter Cunningham, you have committed
high treason against " the Whig familiPs."
Mr. Smith is nephew-in-law to a Whig Mar-
quis, and he is son to a Robert Smith, immor-
talised by Mr. Canning's Etonism of " Bobus
" pro Bob." We may forgive Mr. Cunning-
ham for not being familiar with the name of
one of the most obscure Cabinet Ministers
who ever dosed in Downing.street ; but at
" Farming Woods " the mistake will never be
forgotten. But
Aruoto quertemus seria ludo.
Continuing our examination of the prolego-
mena, we must quote a passage from Miss
Berry's defence of her friend against the

63

invective of Mr. Macaulay. The editor
should have had an emphatic note on this
passage in " Miss Mary Berry's Advertise-
ment":—

He had lost his mother, to whom he was fondly attached,
early in life; and with his father, a man of coarse feelings
and boisterous manners, he had few sentiments in
common. Always feeble in constitution, he was unequal to
the sports of the field, and to the drinking which then ac-
companied them ; so that during his father's retreat at
Houghton, hriever much he respected his abilities and
was devoted to his fume, he had little sympathy in his
tastes or pleasure in his society.

The cue to a critical defence of Walpole's un-
deniable eccentricity and alleged " affecta-
tion " lies in the feebleness of constitution
here alluded to by Miss Berry.
At page lviii. Mr. Cunningham writes, sub
titulo, - Mr. Vernon Smith's Preface to the
" Second Edition of Walpole's Letters to Lady
" Ossory "

I have here omitted Mr. Smith's successful vindicati(
of himself, from an error attributed to him in the Quarterly
Iteriew; Mr. Smith's information will, in this edition, be
found in its more appropriate place, the letter to which it
reIates.—CUNNINGHAM.

The last sentence cannot l►e construed
grammatically ; and we are sorry that when
the matter of these notes is often so good, the
manner should be so obviously hurried. On
tl►o next page but one we are treated to this
note :

Other portions of Mr. Milford's preface will be found io
this edition attached to the letters they more immediately
relate to.—CUNNINGHAM.

Precise old gentlemen and dainty young
critics fresh from Oxford will often be ex-
cruciated at the editor ending his sentences,
as in the foregoing notes, with prepositions
reminding one of involved pedigrees termi-
nating in illegitimate " snobs." We are con-
stantly reminded of the country from which
Bishop Burnet and Lord Campbell came. A
writer of such literary resources, influential
connections, and wide a3ceptance as Mr. P.
Cunningham, ought really to take more pains.
In " Short Notes of my I ife" Walpole