The Sun.
London, England, 1855-04-02 00:00:00

LITEBATURE.

A _History of Modern Italy, from the First French
• Revolution to the'year 1850. By Richard Weber
Wrightson. Richard Bentley.
In these pages will be found a compendious
sketch of the occurrences which have contributed
to decide the destiny of the Peninsula, and which
have paved the way for its present condition. The
spirit in which they aro narrated may be gathered
from the preface, in which the author tells us the
purpose he has had in view is to present such a re-
trospect of the past as may be useful in estimating
the hopes and probabilities of the future, and to
deprecate any interference by foreign sympathisers
on questions which can only be brought to a satis-
factory solution by the intelligence and fortitude of
the people whom they concern. The work is there-
fore not a Mazzinian history, nor, on the other hand,
is it a reactionary one ; while the Italian demo-
crat meets with little favour, a strong faith in
constitutional government, as the panacea required
with a desire for its application, is perceptible
throughout. The author's style is vigorous and
flowing, and whethpr wa_ngree with him or not on
certain points we must accord him the merit of
being thoroughly conversant with his subject, and,
in a literary point of view at least, well able to deal
with it.. With one passage ive fancy some of our
readers will be a little struck. "An idea," we are
told, " has long been current among Italians that
the prospect of country would be brightened
by a relegation of the Turks from Europe. On
this account, England, being considered the princi-
pal stay of Turkey as it is, is often regarded with
no small jealousy and dislike."

Autobiography of .7a.mes Silk Buckingham,. Vols.
I. and 11. Longman, Brown, Green, and
Longrnans.

This book, the amiable and accomplished author
tells us in the preface, will surprise many and en-
tertain, it is hoped, not a few. On the first head
we are unable to express an opinion, but on the
second we may say there can be little doubt of the
author's hope being. realised. The contents of
these volumes, in fact, form very pleasant reading,
and are not without considerable value in the way
of information and instruction. In the aubbio-
graphy, we are informed, Mr. Buckingham intends
to include his voyages, travels, adventures, specu-
lations, successes, and failures, interspersed with
characteristic sketches of public men with whom he
had intercourse during a period of more than fifty
years, and to set down everything with fidelity and
frankness. The reasons which have induced him to
write his biography deserve to be recorded; they are
(1) a conviction that few public men have been more
misrepresented than himself ; (2) that few travel-
lers have seen more, and few personally have ex-
petienced greater vicissitudes ; (3) a degire to en-
courage .others about to begin life by showing
the beneficial results of industry, temperance,
and perseverance in surmounting the greatest dif-
ficulties ; and (4) a wish to leave behind him for
the consideration of posterity his deliberate views
as a social reformer. The cogency of reasons like
these few will be inclined to dispute. Vols. I. and
11. contain the history of the author's early life,
together with his experiences and adventiires up to
the period of his second , visit to India. Among
other things we are introduced to the late Mahomed
Ali and sundry other notables, the reader's at-
tention by the way being kept up from first to last.
A portrait of Mr. Buckingham accompanies the
work.

The Fibrous Plants of India. By J. Forbes
Royle, M.D., F.R.S. Smith, Elder, and Co.
A work Lby so eminent an authority as Dr.
Royle on a subject of so much importance at the
present day as the adaptation of the fibrous plants
of India for cordage, clothing, and paper can re-
quire no comments of ours to insure its perusal.
All, therefore, we shall do is to state that the same
powers of observation, discrimination, and careful
research which give their character to the other
works of the learned botanist are obvious in the
present volume, and that the result of his investi-
gations is a conviction that an abundant supply of
cheap and effective materials for paper making and
our textile manufactures may be had from the
vegetable kingdom without confining ourselves to
flax and cotton ; while, with regard to cordage,
neither our royal nor our mercantile marine need
restrict themselves to European sources of supply.
Not the least valuable part of the work, we may
add, is the accurate account of the cultivation and
preparation of flax, hemp, and their substitutes.
In this the disheartened colonist and planter will
have access to much useful information.

The Irish Quarterly Review (Simpkin, Marshall,
and Co.), for March, contains papers on education,
poetry, and general literature. An article on the
ancient MSS. of Trinity College (Dublin) Library
will prove interesting to the Biblical student.

The Crimea, with a Visit to Odessa. By C. W.
Kech ; with illustrations. Routledge.
Those who wish for information with respect to
the climate, soil, &c., of the Crimea, on which they
may feel they can depend, should buy this cheap
little book, which is written in an unexaggerated
vein, and affords proof of observation and judg-
ment. The author's visit was paid prior to the oc-
cupation of the Crimea by the allied armies. The
work, we may add, is a continuation of his eastern
travels.

Photographic Pleasures Popularly Portrayed with
Pen and Pencil. By Cuthbert Bede, B.A.
T. M'Lean.

-----
Under the above alliterative title, and in the
most amusing manner, the art of Photography is
presented to us in various lights. First we have
it as " a light subject," then in a legendary, high-
art, artistic, portrait-painting, love, amateur,
aristocratic, negative, positive, and detective light;
and, by way of conclusion, "in all manner of lights"
beside,Vie veritable biographer' of Verdant Grove

4.002, a
r, 4,11
> 2,,„

SUN OFFICE, Six o'clock,

TATTERSALL'S,

(THIS EVENING.)

NEWMARKET HANDICAP.
sto 1 agst Quince (take 6to 1)
7to 1 agst Crown Pigeon (taken)
Bto 1 agst Dr. O'Toole (taken)
GREAT NORTHERN HANDICAP.
10 to 1 agst Atberstone (taken)
100 to 6 agst Spencer

CHESTER CUP.
12 to 1 agst Scythian (taken)
20 to 1 agst Muscovite (taken)
20 to 1 agst Andover (taken)
30 to 1 agst Joe Miller (taken)
1000 to 15 agst Little Davie
THE TWO THOUSAND GUINEAS.
6to 4 agst St. Hubert (taken)
6to 1 agst. Lord of the Isles (taken)
6to 1 agst Polydore (taken)
DERBY.
6to 1 agst St. Hubert
10 to 1 agst Rifleman
10 to 1 agst De Clare (taken freely).
12 to 1 aget Grawculus Esuriens.
20 to 1 agst Wild Dayrell (taken).
20 to 1 agst Dirk Hatteraick (taken freely.)
25 to 1 agst Bonnie Morn.

OFFICIAL DESPATCHES PROM FIELD•
MARSHAL LORD RAGLAN.

( From a Supplement to Friday's Gazette.)
WAR DEPARTMENT, APRIL 2.
Lord Paninure has this day received two despatches and
their enclosures, of which the following are copies, ad-
dressed to his Lordship by Field-Marshal the Lord Rag-
lan, G.C.B.

Before Sebastopol, March 20, 1855.
My Lord,—l do myself the honour to transmit to
your lordship a letter from the Inspector-General of
Hospitals, forwarding the weekly return of sick to the
17th inst.

The number of sicii is not diminished, but the cases
are lighter, and every day the men in camp exhibit a
more healthy appearance. I have, &c.

The Lord Panmure, &c. &c. &c.

Enclosure.

RAGLAN.

Before Sebastopol, March 19.
My Lord,—ln transmitting the weekly state of sick of
the army to the 17th instant, I have the honour to state,
that though the sickness still amounts to 14.31 per cent.,
the mortality does not e/eceed 0.51 per cent., which is a
proof that the diseasesare mi!derin character; and I think
I may safely say the general health and appearance
of the men is greatly improved ; and had not the duty,
by the unavoidable operations of the siege going on,
been increased of late, I think the sick list would have
been still more diminished, as the men's condition is in
every other way so much improved both in diet, dress,
and accommodation.
It has been proposed by the Minister-at-War to give
the men tea, coffee, ,and cocoa on alternate mornings,
and to-morrow your lordship will receive the report of
the Medics! Thud ordered to consider the subject. The
two first, I think good, and the change will be both
agreeable and beneficial to the men, but cocoa I am afraid
requires too much preparation to be usefully adopted in
the army unthr present circumstances.
The prevailing diseases aro fevers of a low typhoid
form in sonic instances, and in others assuining in in-
termittent and rt mitterit type, and 'bowel comp!aints.
Fevers have been rather on the' incrra-ie of late, but
bowel complaints have become much fewer in number,
and milder in ch:iracter.

Scurvy, too, though the number appears large in the
return, is on the decrease; and I cui assure your Lord-
ship, rom recent personal inspection of the men of the
different divisions, that the generality of the cases re-
turned under that head are of the most trifling character,
and under the use of the present change of diet, I am in
hopes the disease will sou totally disappear from our
list.

In the Ist Division, the Brigade of Guards continues
to improve in health and appearance, from its change
of situation; and the brigade of Highlanders is also effi-
cient. The 79th and 93d are influenced by the locality
of their camps, which cannot well be changed, and have
more sickness than the 42d, which are more favourably
placed, and in this regiment the most scrupulous atten-
tion is paid to the sanitary condition of their camp.
To show how locality affects the health of the men, I
may mention the wing of tho 2d battalion of the Rifle
Brigade which occupies the high promontory of the
southern extremity of the Balaklava, lines overlooking
the sea and here, though the men are exposed, and the
duty as as severe as in any other part of the camp, there
is little or no disease:
In the 2d Division, the •41st and nth Regtments
have been more unhealthy than the rest, and have
had a larger number of fever cases than others ad-
mitted into hospital. and many of them have been of a
serious character. It is difficult to account for this, as
there is nothing in the locality of the ground occupied
by these two regiments different from that of the rest of
the division. Perhaps their terts were a little more
crowded than the rest, and the hospital huts, from the
pressure of sickness, had more men in them than was
advisable ; but this I directed to be remedied when I
visited the hospitals a few days age.
The health of the 3d Divison is improved, decidedly
so in some of the regiments ; and the health of the 4th
and Light Divisions is improved also.
The cavalry, with the exception of the 2d Dragoons,
is in good health, and the health of the 2d, the Superin-
tending Medical Officer seems to think, has been influ-
ence 1 by local causes that are now in course of removal.
The health of the artillery has been tolerably good
during the week, and the cases under treatment, both
in the general and convalescent hospitals at Balaklava,
have progressed favourably ; and when the remainder of
the hospital huts at the Castle come into use, expect
great advantage from their occupation, both by con-
% alescents and wounded men, should we unfortunately
have any.—l have &c., J. HALL,
Inspector-G.Bene.,ral of Hospitals.
To Field-Marshal Lord Raglan, G.O
Commanding-in-Chief.

Before Sebastopol, March 20, 1855.
Mr LORD,—In my despatch of the 17th inst., I re-
ported to your lordship the progress made in forming
the parallel constructed to unite the right of our attack
with the left of the French on the Inkerman heights.
The contest of the latter with the enemy for the 'pos.
session of the rifle pits in their immediate front was
renewed after dark on that night, and was continued for
several hours, the fire being excessively heavy, particu-
larly of musketry, and considerable loss must have been
sustained by our allies I fear, as well as by the enemy,
who continue to hold the ambuscades ; but the French
persevere, notwithstanding, in working forward, and are
approaching the mamelon, on which the Russians are
busily engaged in building a formidable work, though
frequently interrupted by our batteries and those of the
French.

On the. night of the 17th the English parallels were
not attacked, but the fire to which I have above alluded
was so continuous, that the whole force was either under
arms or ready to turn out. _ _ _

I enclose the returns of casualties to the 18th inst.

It was currently reported yesterday that Prince Men-
schikoff had died on his way to Moscow. I have not
been able to ascertain if this ,report be founded ; but it
was so fully credited as to have been despatched to Con-
stantinople. ,
Prince Gortshakoff is stated to have arrived at
Batschi-Sarai, and to have assumed the command of the
army.
Reinforcements are reported to be on their Way from
Russia, and the 9th bivision to have reached the neigh-
bourhood of Eupatoria. The position of the Russian
troops in the vicinity of the Tchernaya remains un-
altered. _ - ..

_
The progress of the railway oontinues to be
satisfactory, and wo are already enabled to use it
f
th considerable advinantage, both for the conveyance
way on
o suppli
this side of Kads and huttg,
ikoi, so far as the high ground some
Nr. Beattie's exertions deserve every commendation.
-I have, &'.,
RAGLAN.

........,....... a...*

RETURN. Enclosure 1.
OF CASUALTIES FROM THE 16TH TO
18TH OF MARCH, INCLUSIVE.
17th Regiment of Foot-1 rank and file missing.
34th Foot-3 rank and file, wounded.
49th Foot--1 rank and file, wounded.
57th Foot —1 officer, wounded.
77th Foot-1 rank and file, wounded.
89th Foot-2 rank and file, woun d
2d Battalion Rifle Brigade-2 ran sld file, wounded.
Royal Artillery-1 sergeant, wonunded.
Royal Sappers and ra-1 rank and Al., wounded.

is quite an enthusiastic photographer, and all the
wit and drollery of the work is directed, and most
successfully, to elucidate the history, present con-
dition, value, and prospects of the art, for the ad-
miration and insti uction of the gentle public. The
chapter on " high art " will hardly meet with the
approbation of some connoisseurs, but the whimsi-
cal pencillings cannot fail to
,excite general merri-
ment. " Photographic Pleasures," " The Fixity
Process," " The Photographist in a Fix," and " To
secure a pleasing Portrait is everything" are ex-
ceedingly good.

Mahomedanisin, in its Relation to Prophecy. By
Ambrose Lisle Phillips, Esq. Dolman.
An interesting inquiry into the prophecies con-
cerning Antichrist, with reference to their possible
bearing on the events of the present day. Tem-
perately written and learnedly ; of course tinctured
by the religious Views of the author, a distinguished
convert, if we are not mistaken, to the Roman
Catholic faith. Those who wish to see how Roman
Catholics interpret prophecy cannot do better than
purchase this work.