The Press.
London, England, 1854-08-05 00:00:00

THE PIIEBB.

Fraser is usually successful in making up an
attractive table of contents, but his magazine
wants that tone which can only result from
decided views and definite aims. A number of
merely amusing superficial papers following each
other are often felt as tiresome, while there is no
pleasure comparable to that which results from the
mind obeying the guidance of a superior intellect.
To be well amused, the mind must be thoroughly
roused, and it is the fault of our light literature that
it rather occupies the eye than really engages and
fascinates the thought.

The New Monthly maintains its character for
animated writing. In the paper on " Promotion in
the Army" old-fashioned ideas of military propriety
are pleasantly ridiculed, and some sensible sugges-
tions are made for improving the efficiency of our
military service. " The Last Days of Charles the
Fifth " are elucidated from the contents of recent his-
torical works. In " A Tnp to Boulogne" Mr. Dudley
Costello exhibits his practised ease and vivacity in
expanding a humorous anecdote. The " Diary of a
First Winter in Rome" is sketchy and gossiping on
a subject of which people never tire. There is a racy
article on Mr. Ruskin's " Edinburgh Lectures." Doc-
tor Veron helps to some facts the writer of the
paper on "A Royal Family in Distress." Tales, cri-
ticisms, anecdotes, with sketches of travel and ad-
venture, combine to make up an agreeable number,
excellently suited to the table of the drawing-room
and the tastes of loungers.
The Rambler, a Roman Catholic miscellany, at-
tempts, not very successfully we think, to combine
notices of general literature with steady adherence to
Romish principles. There are some amusing com-
plaints in the first article :

" Go where we will, it is undeniable that one-half, or
one-third, of the individuals whom we come across would
with the utmost satisfaction consign its to the treadmill,
or banish us beyond the seas. Luckhy for ourselves, our
countenance and gait do not tell tales, and the zealous
Papist passes undetected in the sound Protestant crowd.
But it is perfectly certain, nevertheless, that were our
creed suddenly revealed to a room full of our fellow-coun-
trymen, there would be instantly manifest an instinctive
shrinking from our touch, a cloud would gather over many
a manly brow, a pallor would overspread many a fair cheek,
and many an eye would steal a furtive glance at our coun-
tenances, akin to that mingled curiosity and horror with
which the gaping multitude stares at Madame Tussaud's
' chamber of horrors.'"
There is some truth in this picture, and the writer
might with advantage, we think, inquire into the
causes of this general antipathy he laments. Would
he say that it results from pure prejudice ? But can
prejudice be so widely spread and so lasting ? Un-
doubtedly there is at the present time a stronger feel-
ing against Romanism in this country than has
existed since the commencement of the nineteenth
century ; but a candid inquirer need not go far to find
a perfectly rational explanation of the fact.

BOOKS RECEIVED.
BOOKS.

Louis XVIII. and Charles X. Eyre Crowe. Bentley.
Gibbon's Roman Empire. Vol. IV. W. Smith, LL.D. .
Murray
Annotated Edition of English Poets, " Songs from the
Dramatists." R. Bell. Parker and Son.
Evenings with the Romanists. Rev. M. H. Seymour.
Seeleys.
Sister Agnes. Ditto.
Ten Thousand 4 Year. S. Warren. Blackwood and Sons.
The Violets Close. E. Rnmae'. Hatchard.
7'he City of the Sultan. Mies Pardoe. Routledge.
Firmiliin. T. P. Jones. Itlackwwood and Sons.
American Handbook. Rout ledge.

The Nemesis of Pow•er. J. A. St. John.
Chapman and Hall.

The Removol of the Poor. Butterworth.
Moral Results of the Romish System. Seeleys.
Clergy Charity Societies. Hatchard.
The Czar. Piper, Stephenson, and Co.
Music. A Lecture. Parker and Son.
Masada and its Tragedy. W. Freeman.
Our Own Correspondent. Tinsley and Co.
The State of the Church at the Time of Augustin. Seeleys.
The Opening of the Crystal Palace Comidered.
Smith and Elder.

Sin JOAN RAMADEN, the youngest, and it is said the
richest, member in the House of Commons, owns all the
land upon which the town of Huddersfield is built, with
the exception of one plot of ground upon which stands the
dwelling of an eccentric Quaker. This piece of freehold
has been always much coveted by the Hamsden family,
and its pnasesion has been as obstinately retained by the
present holder, in spite of most tempting offers. On one
occasion the father of the present Sir John, then plain Mr.
Ranutden, called upon the Quaker, and is said to have
offered to cover the roof of the house with sovereigns as
the price of its purchase. Broadbrim, however, refused
unless the sovereigns were placed edgeways. Mr. llamsden
naturally thought this would be paying rather too dear, and
refined the offer, upon which the Quaker closed the chaffer
by saying. "Then thou mayst go home to thy friends,
John, rndtell them that all Huddersfield belongs to mould
to thee."

An

;Id, Sittraturt, ft,

79

r•

NOTHING will come of the plans for railways in
Sweden. Between the two stools—Mr. Peto's scheme,
and that of the Government—the whole movement
falls to the ground. The parliamentary committee
accepts neither. It has decided on recommending a
commission to inquire into the lines laid down in the
drawings for South Sweden, and to report on the
same to the next Diet, and grants a sum of 100,0t1)
r.d. bko. for this purpose.
The Moniteur has filled two pages lately with a list
of citizens who, during the second quarter of the
present year, have established their claims to the
gold and silver medals appropriated to the reward of
such as have exhibited great courage and self-devoted-
ness. They are 257 in number ; and the one who
has obtained the grand gold medal of the first class is
M. Francais Armonet, Lieutenant of the Sapeurs-
Pompiers of Vienne.
THE report of the directors of the Berlin Wate r
works Company states that the operations of the
company continue to progress very satisfactorily.
The works have considerably advanced, and they
meet with the perfect satisfaction of the Prussian
Government. The directors, to provide funds so as
to keep pace with the rapid progress of the works,
announce their intention of making a call of 11. 10s.
per share, payable on or about the Ist September;
and of making further similar calls at intervals of
about three months, until the entire capital shall be
paid up.
sfAT Hesselmoor, in Bavaria, there is a manufactory
where a sort of peat is made which possesses almost
all the qualities of coal, and is used by the engines on
several of the railways in that country. This manu•
factory last year supplied ten millions of cubic feet
of the fuel. The Austrian Government has sent
Professor Gurusay to examine the works in detail,
in order to establish similar ones in the neighbour-
hood of Loiboch, in Illyria.
A French imperial decree orders that for the future
the new gold sf. pieces shall be coined with a milled
edge, the smooth edge having been found very oh.
jectionable.

LAYING THE SUBMARINE TELEGRAPH TO
CONNECT EUROPE AND AFRICA.
Os the morning of the 21st nit. was performed the
ceremony of inaugurating the laying down of the cable of
the submarine telegraph which is to unite Europe to
Africa, and no doubt to India. The Persian, with the cable,
110 English miles in length, weighing nearly 9(X) tons, left
Genoa on the previous night, at a quarter past ten, follow-
ing the steam-frigate La Consfiteriene, on which had em•
barked his Royal Highness Prince Carignan ; their Excel-
lencies Pleocopa, Minister of Public Works; La Marmora,
Minister of War ; the French Ambassador, Due de Quiche ;
the English Minister, Mr. Hudson, and some other public
functionaries. The steamers Malfatiano and 7'ripoli,
which had been by the Government placed at the service
of the director-in-chief, Mr. John Brett, preceded the two
above-mentioned steamers, toprepare things, and to convey
some few persons that had been invited. Nothing occurred
in the short voyage. At half-past four a.m. of thellat the
Persian cast anchor at about 100 yards from the spot fixed
on to receive the end of the cable. It is at the mouth of
the River La Magra, on a recess of a small promontory
called St. Croce, opposite the mountains of Carrara, three
miles distant from Levici and twelve ftom Spezzia. The
moment the Persian arrived were begun the preliminary
operations for sinking the cable. At half past eight all was
ready, and a boat with about 450 yards of cable approached
the place where part of the company were already Blanding,
and the remainder, with the Prince, soon came. Pictu-
resque as the spot may be, it was the most uncomfortable
piece of ground in the universe. It is a sort of small crag
cut in a rock of no more than ten or twelve square yartle.
The sun, which shone in full at the time, was scorching,
and the place could not have been tenable an hour to-
gether. At exactly nine, the Prince took the cable and
accomplished the ceremony of laying it down, the two war-
steamers firing a salute of twenty-one guns each.
The steamers with the distinguished company then fol.
lowed the Persian a few miles out to sea, but speedily put
about, and returned to La Spezzia, where a banquet had
been prepared for sixty guests. Meanwhile, the Persian
proceeded on her way, laying down the cable as she went.
Her course was, however, interrupted more than once by
the " unravelling" of the cable, which obliged frequent
stoppages for repairs. These accidents were owing to a
deficiency of mechanical power, and some imperfection in
the " paying out" apparatus. From this cause the steamer
was only able to be under way ten hours on the 21st, and
five and a half hours on the 22nd, and it was not until the
evening of the 26th that the operation was completed. For
the weather continued calm during the whole
time. At 6 p.m. on that day the Persian arrived with the
end of the cable off Cape Corso, in Corsica, and a gun fired
on board, by an electric spark transmitted from Santa
Croce, announced the full success of the undertaking.
The direct line from the bay of Santa Croce to Cape
Corse is seventy five English miles. The cable will be cut
at Cape Corse, and laid down again on +lie other side of the
island, at the strait of Bonifacio, to unite Corsica to Sar
dinia. The length is übout ten mil. a. and, with the courses
by land in those two islands and the sea line, from St.
Croce to Cagliari, there will be a complete line of about
600 miles. Next month (September) this line will be ex-
tended by another cable of 100 miles in length to Bons lit
Algiers.

_4*

740

~-

NEWSPAPER OPINIONS ON MR. LAWLEY'S
APPOINTMENT.
Tan debate in the Commons on Thursday is made
the subject of editorial remark in all the leading
journals of yesterday. The Times happily exposes the
fallacy of attempting to draw a distinction between
Mr. Private-Secretary Lawley and Mr. Stock-jobbing
Lawley
A question has arisen whether he used his official
knowledge in his City speculations. The question is a
curious but not a very wise one; and the answer given by
Mr. Lawley and his friends is still more curious and still
less wise. Every man who speculates in the funds must
use all his knowledge, whether private or public, for he
cannot possibly ignore any part of it. He may tell more
or less of what he knows to another, but he cannot tell
more or less of what he knows to himself, and, if he be-
lieves in his official capacity that it is judicious to sell
stock, he will not buy stock because he sees reasons for
doing so in his public capacity. 1 u fact, this distinction
of using private knowledge is quite beside the purpose,
the rule—the rule of common sense as well as of office—
being that nobody holding a Ministerial place shall specu-
late in the funds. So the question is not a very wise one.
Mr. Lawley's answer is that he speculated, but lost. If
that proves anything at all, it must prove that he did use
his private information, for that is the surest way to lose.
Everybody knows the story of Alderman Beckford specu-
lating twice on private information received from Lord
Chatham, and losing so heavily, that, when be was offered
private information a third time, he begged to decline it,
as having had too much of it already. Moreover, as Mr.
Gladstone's financial schemes were intended to raise the
market, and did not succeed in doing so, it follows that
Mr. Lawley must at least have shared his master's expec-
tations so far, that while one was operating for a rise on
public grounds, the other was putting himself in a condi-
tion to hope for a rise on private grounds."
The Post, supposed to reflect the sentiments of
Lord Palmerston, is mere severe on " the War
Minister" than on Mr. Lawley himself :
" We charge the Duke of Newcastle expressly and
specially with the responsibility of this appointment, and
with all the scandal and disgrace of its results; because it
was on him that the duty of selection and scrutiny rested
before ptocceding to the point at which Sir George Grey
found the engagement to Mr. Lawley. We believe that
public opinion will be at no loss on whom to fix the chief
blame in this most unhappy transaction, and we conceive
that such a fresh and glaring evidence of indiscretion or
incapacity will not tend to lessen the surprise which has
been created by the position lately assigned to the Duke
of Newcastle, and by the Cabinet arrangements, made ap-
parently expressly for his advantage and elevation. The
unhappy episode of Mr. Lawley's appointment and dis-
grace is not of a nature to create confidence in the quail-
tications of the War Minister for an office peculiarly de-
manding judgment, discrimination, and firmness in its
possessor. We wish sincerely that our eensure might
stop here; but it is imposible to strike the War Minister
without wounding the Chancellor of the Exchequer. What
one did the other counselled. There is an unhappy
sympathy between them in the matter of patronage. Both
mesa to have a disastrous obliquity of vision, which has
lel them to overlook honest and tit men in order to ap-
point to places of trust, emolument, and dignity, persons
• whose habits will riot bear the light, and whose doings
being ruin on themselves, scandal to the public service,
and disgrace to their patrons. Among all the names con-
cerned in this ugly story, we repeat that the one to whom
honour and credit are alone due is that of Sir John Pa-
kington. He has faced a difficult and odious task with
timely good sense, firmness, and spirit, and has saved the
country from incurring serious discredit and injury in one
of the most important dependencies of the Crown."
The Daily News comments on the rank ,jobbery of
the whole transaction :

" How admirably do all the events dovetail ! First,
there is a Prime Minister wanting votes, with a son want-
- ing a seat. Next there is a sporting gentleman wanting
anything that a generous Government has to bestow, and
possessing a seat which is the very thing for the Prime
Minister's son. Next there is a colony wanting a governor.
The sporting gentleman is therefore appointed to rule the
important colony. The Premier's son is introduced by the
sporting gentleman to the disconsolate constituents at
Beverley. Of course all this came about by pure accident.
There was not the slightest corruption in the case—no pre-
vious arrangement whatever. It was simply a piece of
accidental good fortune that the Minister got a sure vote, his
son a safe seat, and the sporting gentleman a valuable post.
Everybody concerned seem satisfied, and the tripartite
' accident' wanted but one thing to he completed as snugly
as jobs were ever completed in the days of Sir Robert
Walpole."
The Ministerial journals—one morning and one
evening—repeat the apologetic tone of their chiefs in
the house. The Chronicle attempts to maintain that
distinction between personal and official knowledge
which common sense scoffs at
" Nor is there any ground whatever for supposing that
Mr. Lawley, in the speculations in which he unfortunately
engaged, availed himself of knowledge acquired by means
of his official position. The indiscretion which he has
committed is in itself serious enough, and we have no wish
to extenuate it: but it involves no moral guilt, and it is
perfectly possible that facts may yet be stated which may
show that simple imprudence, and an overanxious desire
to meet debts of honour with the requisite promptitude,
constitute the only charges which can really be substan•
t iated."
The Globe, caring nothing for character, thinks
th t Mr. Lawley might have made an excellent good-
fellow sort of governor had the chance been allowed
him, and hardly knows which to pity most, Mr.