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London, England, 1856-04-19 00:00:00

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THE PRESS.

HOUSE OF LORDS-FRIDAY.
SECONDARY PUNISHMENTS.

The Marquis of SLLIPBURY, in moving for some
returns, called attention to the ticket-of-leave system'
which, he contended, required immediate revision,
having proved an almost total failure.
The Duke of ARGYLL cited documents and referred
to judicial authorities in support of his assumption,
that the experiment in question had not broken down
to the extent alleged by its opponents. He offered
no opposition to the production of the documents
asked for respecting the tickets of leave, but sub-
mitted that the system should not be condemned
without a more ample and deliberate trial.
Earl STANHOPE having commented upon the
general question of secondary punishment, the
subject was followed up with some prolonged remarks
by Earl Granville, Lord Lyttleton, Earl Grey, the
Earl of Darby, and Lord Harrowby. Ultimately,
Earl STANHOPE gave notice that on some future
day he should move for the appointment of a select
committee to investigate the subject.
After transacting some routine business, their
lordships adjourned at half-past eight o'clock.

HOUSE OF COMMONS—FRIDAY.
CELEBRATION OF PEACE.
Questions having been asked touching the pur-
pose and cost of certain scaffoldings which had
lately made their appearance in St. James's and
Hy le Parks,
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER stated that
the fabrics in question were designed for a pyro-
tecnic display in commemoration of the conclusion
of peace, and that an estimate of the cost incurred
on that account would je laid before the house in
due time.

ST. JAMES'S PARK.

Sir B. HALL referred to the question respecting
the communications with, or across, St. James's-
park. He intended to ask for leave, and money,
to open a route into the park upon the situ of
the German chapel, to render the roadway in front
of St. James's.palace practicable for general traffic,
and to throw a foot-bridge across the ornamental
water. The York Column, he added, would not be
touched for the present, as, although he retained
his preference for a roadway from Waterloo-place to
Storey's gate, it had been found necessary to obtain
an act of Parliament for that purpose.

- -
. . . •

SATURDAY,

sT►TUE TO THE DUKE OF WELLINOTON.
Viscount CHELSEA inquired what steps had been
taken, or were in contemplation, for the purpose of
erecting a statue to the late Duke of Wellington.
Sir B. H►LL said that some time since competitive
designs for such a monument were invited from four
artists, two of whom sent in models, but neither of
them were considered acceptable. As there re-
mained nearly 25,0001. unexpended from the 80,00 U.
voted for the funeral expenses of the late duke, It
was intended to ask leave of the house to devote that
sum to the execution of a monument, the design for
which would be thrown open to a wide competition
among artists.
The housa then went into Committee of Supply,
and the discussion of various votes belonging to the
Miscellaneous Civil Service Estimates occupied the
remainder of the sitting.

DESPATCH FROM GEN. SIR W. CODRINGTON.

Lord Psnmure received on Thursday the following
despatch from General Sir William Codrington,
H.C.B.

Sebastopol, April 7.
My Lord,—There is nothing particular to report ex•
cept the continuance of the well•being of the army. Even
under the circumstances of a month as severe in point of
change and cold as any that we have had, there is no
material increase in the number of sick. And if the
numbers are higher, your lordship will remember that
drafts to the extent of 4,000 men have latterly been sent
up from Malta. Yet the whole of the month of March has
been very cold and trying, from nortbenily winds and frost
almost every night, and the thermometer occasionally down
at 13 and l degrees ; and yesterday morning the ground
was for a short time white with snow.
Having received the signature of General Luders to the
armistice agreed upon by the allied generals, the continua-
tion of it has been prolonged till further orders.
A boat from her Majesty's ship Leopard entered the
harbour from the sea yesterday. under a flag of truce, to
carry on the communication across the harbour from our
side. We had only one old and heavy Russian boat for
this purpose. The conditions of the armistice did not
permit to either party to use the harbour; and the entry
of the boat of her Majesty's ship Leopard was the result of
communications between General Luders and myself.
The Artillery continue to move the Russian guns from
Sebastopol, as well 41s those, damaged ones of ours from
the batteries of attack; 718 are already embarked fcr

England.
There have been recovered from below the water of the
dockyard by Mr. Deane, the Submarine Engineer, eleven
pieces of field artillery, with their limbers and waggons.
J. W. CODRINOTON, General Commanding.

FROM THE LONDON GAZETTE.

Tuesday, April 15.
BANKRUPTCIES ANNUILED.—THOKASCoopEa,Wootton.
farm, Wootton, Isle of Wight, farmer and brickmaker—Sir Ro-
BERT PRICE, Bait., Stratton-street, Piccadilly, and Foxley,
Hereford, M.P. for Hereford, iron manufacturer and dealer.
BANKRUPTS.—NATHANIEL WARn, Farringdon street, City,
dealer in potatoes—AconsTus JOHN PHILLIPS. OAle.-street,
Chelsea, shipowner—Jour TAYLOR the Younger, United Service
Tavern, Trinity-streot, Woolwich, licensed victualler—lSAAC
GUNTON, Menea, Isle of Ely, grocer and draper—THOMAS HAS.
miaow, Chancery-lane, Middlesex, and Holly-cottage, Wesceni,
Esher, Surrey, tailor and church decorator—JAAtes FLOOD the
Younger, and CORNELIUS ROBERT SCHALLER, Charles-street,
Middlesex-hospo al, auctioneers, upholsterers, and valuers—
THOMAS BALLS, Nicholas-lane, Lombard-street, City, and Bel-
grave-place, Tuffuell-park-road, Upper Holloway. iron merchant
and commission agent—JOHN JOSEPH DIAPER (not Draper, as
stated last Friday), Mansell Arms Tavern, Wimble ton, Surrey,
victualler—GEoaos STANTON, Torian,o-terrace, Kentish town,
woollen draper—DANlEL DAVIES, James-street, Bute-docks,
Cardiff, Glamorgan, provision and general dealer—Courrrs
HARRISON, Liverpool, wine merchant.
SCOTCH SEQUESTRATIONS.—JAMS. WArr, Glasgow,
outfitter and merchant—JoHN MORRISON, Dunblane, builder and
contractor —,TAmEs FuLLis, Rose-street, Hutchesontown, Glas-
gow, builder.
BANKRUPTCIES ANNULLED.—W. S. SLATER, Chester
and Liverpool, timber merchant—A. SIMPSON. Kingston-upon-
Hull, warehouseman.
BA N K RUPTS.—J. L HARVEY, Chichester-place, King's-cruse,
draper—G F. PARSONS. Cumming-place, Pentonville. jeweller--
JANE FOAN, Yeovil, glover and grocer—J. GODFREY, late of
Taunton. now of creech, St. Michael, Somersetsliire, coach.
maker—W. Sc HOFIELD, Homily, Chester, coaldealer—S.THOMAS,
Wigan, Lancashire, cabinetmaker—W. 0. YOUNG, Liverpool,
merchant—R. THOMPSON, otherwise R. THOMAS, Croydon,
pastrycook—E. FoLKAan, Drury-lane, Grocer—J. F. B. L.
STRIFFLER and A. ALOAR, Inwortb, mUlwrighta—J. ROBERT,
Holyhead, shipbuilder.
SCOTCH SEQUESTRATIONS.—H. Cow:mous, Main-
street, Gorbals, Glasgow, grocer—M. KALISCH,
Glasgow, mar'
chant—J. KELT, Glasgow, tailor and clothier.

A " Committee7of Laymen " has been fcrmed in
Westminster, consisting of influential members of
Parliament and other gentlemen, for the purpose of
watching the Church•rate question now before Par-
liament. The object of those engaged is to concen-
trate opinion and effort in promoting s right settle-
ment of this much vexed question, and, if possible,
to rouse lay members of the Church, as well as the
clergy, to meet with becoming activity the untiring
efforts of those who are desirous by Church-rate abo-
lition to subvert the Established Church of this
country. Among other names that have transpired
as members of the committee are those of the Mar-
quis of Blandford, M.P., Lord John Manners. M.P.,
Lord Robert Cecil, M.P., Mr. J. C. Colquhoim, Mr.
Addeley, M.P., Sir John Pakington, M.P., Mr.
Spooner, M.P., Mr. Robert Baxter, Mr. C. N. Newde-
olte, M.P., Mr. Stapleton, Mr. N. Kendall, M.P.,
and Mr. Smith bhild, M.P.

APRIL 19, 1856•

Sittrature.

History of Europe from 1815 to 1852. By Sir
A. Alison. Vol. V. London : Blackwoods.
IN his last volume, Sir A. Alison follows four
streams of history—the constitutional course
of Germany, from 1814 to 1848, with notices of
its social progress and of its literature and
art; the consequences of the July revolution
in France, to the establishment of Louis Phi-
lippe's throne by the elections of 1834 ; the
politics of England from the Reform Bill to
the fall of Earl Grey's Ministry at the end of
1834; and the events in Turkey, Greece,
Egypt, and the East, from the treaty of
Adrianople in 1828 to the treaty of 1841. In
each division the historian has skilfully mar-
shalled his facts. His industry and clearness
of narration—merits which every one must
allow him—are as conspicuous in this volume
as in his previous efforts, and we have here
less of that sermonising and intiated dogmati-
cal teaching with which the author often
sorely tries the patience of his readers. He
should check his pen the instant he is tempted
to moralise, and should shun what we suppose
he would call "the philosophy of politics," as
the greatest drawback to the value of his
writings.
The superficial habits of the reviewing mind
are more prominent in parts of this volume
than could be wished. In the chapter on the
literature and art of Germany, it is evident
that the historian discourses on subjects with
which he has but an imperfect acquaintance.
Is it necessary for a historian to affect univer-
sal accomplishment, and to pronounce an
authoritative judgment on the peculiar excel-
lencies or demerits of professors in every
branch of intellectual life ? We think not.
Voltaire sneered at Suetonius for pretending
to intimate knowledge of the life of twelve
Cnsars. What is to be thought of Sir A.
Alison's pretence to judge, not only the policy
of Courts and Cabinets, but the merits of
Kant's metaphysics, Danneker's sculpture,
and Beethoven's music? Such parade of
knowledge is the plague of history It is
useless for any good purpose ; it is always
incomplete and superficial ; and it involun-
tarily inspires the mind with a sentiment akin
to contempt for the abilities of an author with
such cycloptediac pretension. Of what worth
CAD be a review of the romantic literature of
rmany which omits all mention of La
Mctte Fouque? And of what value can be
the musical criticism which deals in such
vague generalities as that Beethoven is the
Michael Angelo of music, Mozart its Raphael,
and Haydn its Aunibale Caracci.

It is worth while to dwell on this subject
for a moment, as the critical cant arising from
a pretence of universal knowledge is the be-
setting sin of our time. Sir A. Alison has a
few catch-Ards which he introduces, like the
reviewers in our inferior periodical literature, to
amaze his readers by a parade of awful learning.
Schiller was a mannerist, we are told, but
" his mannerism was that of the Iliad ;' "
though some sentences later we are informed
that his mind " was not graphic like that of
" Bonier, nor profound like that of Shake-
" speare, nor tender like those of Virgil and
" Racine?' Homer does great duty in this
chapter; Handers compositions, "like the
" poems of Homer, will continue to enchant
" successive generations," &c. But there is
comfort for Schiller, though he had little in
common with Homer, Shakespeare, Virgil, or
Racine; his lyrics "unite the burning thoughts
" of Gray, the condensed expression of Camp-
" bell, to the varied pictures of Collins, the
" poetic fire of Pindar. Milton serves Sir A.
Alison for a standard of comparison almost as
often as Homer. The lyrics of Klopstock,
like the Allegro' and the ' Penseroso,' or
Lyeidas,' evince the lustre of his imagina-
" tion." Beethoven's pieces are like Milton's
"Paradise Lost," and the symphonies of
,Muzart awaken emotion " identical with that
produced by the Holy Families of Raphael,
"and akin to that whieh springs fiom the
" coutentplation of the Parthenon of Athens,
or reflection on the ' Penseroso' of Milton."
ittlelthirti we are told, is more akin to Horace