The Express.
London, England, 1857-07-18 00:00:00

SINGULAR PHENOMENON.

Tho following letter, from the Hon. (harks Auras
Murray, H.M. Envoy to Persia, has been handsel to al
(Literary Gmettc) for publication by Sir Charles Lyell, I
" Baghdad, Msy 23, 1827.
" My dear Sir Chsrlea,—We have lately s imaged hats
phenomenon as strange, that a brief description of it nay net
be uninteresting to you. On the 20th instmt, a few minutes
before 6 p.m. (which a here about an 18 us lefore anal), I
was sitting with my mina reading ia me Itrsixa letters,
when on a sudden I became eentible of an muted
°Decoration of the light on the paper. I jumped I%
and going to the window, saw a huge hark clout
approaching from the north-west, exactly as if a
pall were being drawn over the face of the heavens. It mut
have travelled with considerable rapidity, for in leas the.
three minutes we were enveloped its total darkness, a tint.
new more intense than an ordinary midnight when Dada
stare nor moon are visible. Groping my way amidst choke
and tables, I succeeded in striking a light, and then fee*
assured that a simoom of 601110 kind watt coming oe, I
called to my servants to come up and shut the windows,
which were all open, the weather having teen praiocely
very sultry. While they wen doing so, the wind inertia;
and born with it inch a dense volume of dust or sand, the
before they could succeed In dlo,ing the windows the
room was entirely tilled, so that tho tables al
furniture were speedily covered. Meanwhile a pea
aetoed the whole city, the Armenians and ode
Christian sects rushed through the gloom to on.
fen and pray in the churches ; women shriekel
and boat their breasts in the streets; and the met of
clans prostrated themselves in prayer, believine Until*
end of the world had arrived. After a abort time the Eck
darkness weti Fuermled by a red lurid gloom, suthrat
never saw in any part of the world, and which I cancel,
liken in imagination to the effect that might be produatil
all London were in conflagration in a heavy November 11;
to me it wax more striking (I may alm•st ay fearful) Ma
the pros iota utter darlusea, and reminded me id' tat
"darkness visible" in which the poetic genius of Milan
placed the demons and horrid *hopes of the infernal mink
This lurid fog was doubtleas occasioned by the
rays of the western sun shining obliquely on the dare
. . . .

minas of red sand or dust which had Lou, raised from woo
distant desert, and was borne ;dung upon the blast. ler
close you a specimen of the dust. The Arabs here dirk
that it came from the gejd. The storm seems to haw me
welled in a circular direction, having appeared first from the
south, then eoutL-w.utt, then west, then north-west. Afta
about two hours it had so far passed away, that we was shit
to open the windows again and breathe the outer air. 1;
cannot have boon a shooont, for during those which I haw
experienced in Arabia and Egypt the wind is hot and stilkm.
On the 20th the wind was high ; but only oppressive km
the dense num, of duet that it carried with it.—l weed. &t,
Cu. A. Ml RUT."
..9 Prot...seer J. Quekett, of the Royal College of Ste
geone, haring kindly examined the sprimcn of red duet km
Baghdad, which accompanied Mr. Murray's letter, has it.
formed Sir Charles Lyell that he could detect, under th
microscope, only inorganic particles., such as quartz-watt, a
the duet. There are no relics of Diatomaccre apparent; as:
though a small portion of calcareous matter was prwatt
the sand, yet he could observe no microscopic atolls or otbe
organic matter.

DR. WAAOEN'S CHRONOLOGICAL EPIDEMR.—It
the Royal Berlin Museum they have endeavoured to arrepl
the pictures in chronological order which can towhee le
obtained, however, in perfection—iertainly not bere,sehtl2
scanty means at our divoad. Tho division of the picma
into vehoob neither improves the student, nor gives a c;,e
view of the rise and fall of art, nor does it leave an instram,
or agreeable improesion. This " chronological epi4euo
has produced great and ridiculous blunders. Frightful 424
have been exhibited because they were old and filled up cures
noloaleal gaps. Of what use ran it be to see that in tht
of }';mole, Francis. Raphael, Itubena, and Van Dr.ili, taP
were daubers also at work, who in their time were no =1
esteemed to be artists than our auriege end bouse
Gaulle of this description abound in the Royal Berlin Nos=
—Dr. liraagen't l'irtura Baptista.
TIMELY ENCOURAGEMENT.—Whenever Ton Kt
young man's work bold or slovenly in execution., snack 5
firmly. If his work is bold, it is insolent ; if slovenly, irri,
lent. But if the young man deserves our praise, kt te 4
sure to give it. It is only the young that can weirs cta
reward from men's praise ; the old have got too brio as
what we think of them. We may urge them nu sith rit•
rathy, and surround them with acclamation; bet AO
al
doubt our pleasure and disbelieve our pease. We wiP
have cheered them in their youth, but now we em 141
them pleasure no longer; their ambition is in here.
their pleasure is in memory. It is possible. in vu'
noble natures, that the warmth and affeetioes
claidlimal may scounin onehilled, arid that old nicas beel
are still earable of gladness when long-withheld Fyne?
is at lest given. But in three noble natures it
always happens that their chief motive of earthly ambit
has not been to give delight to themselves, but to Ile
parents. Every noble youth looks back, as to the dirf..4
joy which this world's honour ever gained, to the more
when first ho saw hie father's eye flash with pride, dud
mother's head turned away lest her testes sheald be taken
those of sorrow. It is with the pure hope of girmg dc'
pleasure that he comes and tells theta what he bus 81°I.
what has been said of him. But his rarest and Deed r
wards we keep from him if we can. We feed hue n
tender youth with ashes and dishonour ; and then Pe
to him obsequious, but too late, with our sharp laurel
with the dew all dried from elf the leaves, end we dui"
his band. He looks wistful. What can he du bat lay it cl
his mother's gravo.—(Mr. Ruskin at Manchester.) ,
AWARD By THE FRENCIf GOYEENREFf 70
SCOTCIIIIAN.—Some to years ago Mr. John Kyle,
view, Petrick, near Glasgow, propounded as • perau'- '.
and cure for the grape dia.:lase, which about that ttnes'"'i
messed its ravages m France and Spain, the
sulphur to the plant. The subject was warmly tam
France, end a report has just been presented to the VI:
government, mentioning that the cure of the diem,. ,e 7,
propounded by Mr. Kyle in 1848, is the only ens_Tt;
Las proved successful in not only destroying, but r!"7.3
ttKhoheyledsuel•easetittroce,
lannFddruettlietr‘echm.Fuarenc,
,"whhsgiii.ewmkardmaenedrot,iimonle...,invejr.suputnchca:mt.
fog it, being also recipients of a portion of the same lor
Mr. Kyle, we understand, never even dreamt of such St,'
Dour, until his attention was drawn to the fact in the Jo°
newapaper.—.ll-orflt British Daily Nail. beA
WanEttam (save one of the local papers) nu
nearly emptied by die proceedings of the election eoh cosh
end on Sunday morning the yongregalion
not raise a tune, as the organist was among the
For some moments after the psalm hat been gtverr-
...
congregation sat in the most perplexing silence,
shuck
at length broken by the sonorous voice of gall
lain, who said," I wish I knew the tune, but I'm teerf,'lbi
not." Some adventurous voice gave the key-noin,la'
taw was taken and sung.