The Sun.
London, England, 1855-01-23 00:00:00

air :

"We were scarcely placed in position, before the loud
rush of round-shot from the fort was heard, again and
again, in our cars, causing sundry dislocations of the
square—the men grinning and swaying about at each
whirr in a kind of jocular disoraler. Nothing was left for
it, but to move off. So we took up our ground a few
hundred yards lower down ; and here—though a fleecy
litt?c.clood let, which announced its birth in a thunder-
clap, showed that a shell had burst above us, not very
far off to our rear—the service was conducted to a close.
Everybody, of course, stands upon these occasions
throughout the ceremory. To obviate fatigue, there-
fore, the Litany and Communion are omitted. The
chaplain preached exteturoraneously, and with so ex-
cellent a voice, that, though the wind was blowing his
surplice about, it did not drown his tones. I was amused
by his British sang froid. Half his congregation might
perish round the wails cf Sebastopol before next church-
parade—a theme which the threatening missiles explod-
ing about him would have served sufficiently well to en-
force—bat he utterly 'disdained such obvious rhetoric.
Perhaps, indeed, it is considered undesirable to make
allusions of the kind ; and certainly they are too patent
to need much insisting on. At any rate, the reverend
gentleman neither noticed the pyrotechnics in his sound
practical sermon, Nor in his own person ; but stood with
his back to the fort, and preached on some everyday
text, and never changed his voice, or turned his head, in
compliment to shot or shell."

In his view of a battle, the writer was somewhat
disappointed :

"How any one, who has not somebody in the secrets
of the generals by his side to explain the movements,
can understand an affair of the kind is to me a mystery.
If a man is in the melee he only sees that. If, on the
other hand, he is at a sufficient distance to take in the
whole field, he sees an array of dark sparkling
masses—now moving, now stationary—covered with
smoke, or emerging from it. Finally, he sees a certain
portion of the whole marching away, perhaps in very
good order. We will suppose at such a juncture that,
by good luck, he really does know that the fight is de-
cided, and which party it is that is retreating, and that
he rejoices or laments appropriately. Nevertheless, as
regards all the sudden emergencies, the daring move-
ments, and sagacious plans—all, in fact, that give the
battle its historical interest--our spectator comprehends
no more of them, believe me, than you comprehend of
the manoeuvres of a review."

After the battle of Inkerman, of which a full de-
scription is given, the author remained, making a
sketch of the ground in circumstances of some
danger :
"My sketch of the ground was now cempleted, the
victory won, anti I got up and prepared for my long
trudge, so as to be in time for dinner on board the —;
but I had not walked many paces, when one of our regi-
ments was brought forward past me, to fire at the re-
treating foe. Stretchers were being carried behind
them ; and though I had bean these implements often
used in carrying the wounded, I confess it gave me a
shock to see them borne close behind these soldiers—
now walking well and erect, their faces full iii my view
—in anticipation I An anticipation soon realised. Di-
rectly they appeared there, the place where I had been
lying seemed alive with round shot, throwing up the
dust in all directions ; while the stretcher bearers were
running here and there—l knew too well for what rea-
son.

"It did also occur to me (why will thoughts cross
one at the wrong times ?) that, pei haps, it was lucky for
a certain person that these poor fellows did not come up
before—that had that happened, he might have pre-
sented himself at a particular nook of the Temple with a
wooden leg ; but with no honours, no pension, to show
for it—only sharp shafts of ridicule and—' Que, diable,
allait-il faire dans Bette galre?' Ah, Ah ! you have
lest that triumph."

The author strongly combats the arguments against
a red uniform, citing the fact that at the battle of
ink erman great inconvenience was felt from the
English fighting in their grey great coats. No,
doubt, he observes, it is an inconvenience for troops
to be seen plainly by an enemy, but it is a greater
one not to be seen plainly by their own comrades.
Great indignation at the conduct of the Russians
appears to exist in the army :
"You will have heard of the atrocities committed by
the enemy on the wounded. As I returned from the
fidd I met two or three hundred prisoners being taken
into Balaklava, upon whom as they passed, all kinds of
abuse were being lavished by our men. I saw one of
these Russians, in particular, signalise a private who
was smoking to give him a light ; but it was refused,
with the most hearty maledictions. Now, as vin-
dictive feeling towards the conquered is the very last
sentiment that enters the.breast of an English soldier,
these are symptoms of the extent to which the barbari-
ties in question are beginning to inflame the minds of
our army. Let the irritation go on a little longer, and
`quarter' will be unknown."

A comparison is made between some of our arrange-
ments and those of our Allies. Ono great advan-
tago they possess appeare to be the water-flask,
which is a light tin vessel, with a funnel for drink-
ing, whereas the canteen " with which. the
Englishman is afflicted" is wood, half-a-dozen times
as heavy and without a funnel, although it costs
twice the sum. There is, says the author, but one
thing to be said for it—it dates from the days of
Marlborough ! The French also have one cook for
twelve, instead of every man being cumbered with
cooking utensils. They bake their own bread,
and General Canrobert recently distributed one
day's supply to every British soldier.
Those who wish for a brief and vivid picture of
the events and incidents of a camp life will find
this little volume the most interesting that has yet
appeared.

The Life of Nicholas 1., Emperor of Russia, with
a short account of Russia and the Russians. By
T. Mayne. Longman.

Some portions of this work have already appeared
before the public, but it is now enlarged, and from
(Ffferent sources of information interesting accounts
have been taken of the subject under notice. It
is eminently calculated to augment the stock we
at present possess of knowledge and details concern-
ing Russia. A great deal is written on the internal
and domestic arrangements of the country ; the
people appear.
.barbarous and cruel ; the more inti-
mately they are studied, the more savage and un-
softened are their manners, the more harsh their
customs, and the more uncivilised their lives. The
military power of Russia is descanted upon; it is
observed that fear is the ruling passion in the
army, "the Russian soldier knows that if the
enemy is before him the stick is behind him, in
short, the fear of the stick replaces the sentiment 1,
of honour." The social state of the people may be
judged of fiOm the fact of the Czar's having un-
limited power to send off, without notice, the first
minister or highest prince to Siberian exile, or to
reduce them to the meanest position without any
opportunity of defending themselves, or any hope
of appeal from the arbitrary measure. The punish-
ments which are inflicted are of the most barbarous
and inhuman description ; no one who has perused
the account of them will fail to be struck with
horror and amazement. After such details and
descriptions it must be a subject of rejoicing that
the Government which sanctions and promulgates
oboorvanceg will, in all probability, be
checked in its evil course, and as it is here ob-
served, "we are thankful that the talons of the
Russian eagle, under which such barbarities may
be practised, are about to be clipt."

Institutes of Metaphysic. The Theory of Knowing
and Being. By James F. Ferrier, A.B. Black-
wood.

Whatever may be the author's success in these
institutes, it is impossible to deny him credit for
vigorous logic and independent thought. He is
one of those who are not disposed to take anything
in philosophy for granted, however high the autho-
rity under which it is advanced. Having stated at
the outset of his introductory chapter that when
using the word " Philosophy" by itself he means
it to be accepted as synonymous with Metaphysics
or speculative science, he lays down the proposition
that a systerti of philosophy is bound by two main
requisitions—it ought to be true, and it ought to
be reasoned—and proceeds to show that the latter
is the most stringent ; and-that while a system em-
bracing both requisitions is the most valuable, that
which is reasoned is more valuable than that which
is true without being reasoned. Noticing the
general complaint, that while we have plenty of
dissertations on philosophy, we have no philosophy
itself, he admits its truth, and endeavours to explain
the cause, and to discover how the evil may be re-
medied. No inquirer, be asserts, has ever yet got
beginning, and this is to be accounted for
things which are first in the order
tohy thethe
fact that
of nature are last in the order of knowledge ; and
first principles being unknown, there can be nD
advance, no system of philosophy. Having advertcd
to other retarding causes, including the tendency
of late years to limit the strictly necessary truths of
reason—i.e., truths in laws—the opposite of which
are inconceivable, contradictory, nonsensical, im-
possible, the criterion of which is the law of identity
or contradiction—he next applies himself to the
question, " How is this unsatisfactory state of
Ithings to be remedied V' His anwer is, only by a
diligent attempt to digest a body of Philosophical