The Sun.
London, England, 1855-09-14 00:00:00

a stage in her progress when she I.cead;lll ec arts
back upon them her reflected light, so also has
reached a degree of developmeut:which casts sc
forward on• questions of higher import than those • _
she can fully answer. It is in vain that we try to dra'
(lefinite lines between the physical and the metaphysical, ~
between the secular and the religious. There is &felt re- •
lation between the lees which obtain in each—such, it•
hshdusemlekllicolbnln,ioetgasywd, we might expect to find in provinces of a universal
empire. The consequence is that in every speculation on '
those higher questions on which men will and must specn*
late, in every system of philosophy, whether ancient or
modern, they draw not merely their illustrations, but Ile t
a few of their canclnsions, from science or from that which
passes by the name. If, therefore, her discoveries, and,
above all, her methods and her history be but partially and '
superficially understood, the. popular mind will be a per- -
petual prey to"the most specious forms of error. But that
us
impelling
morehnn:ae(ineao:
history teaches dilution. It is full of warning as well as
of example. In being a history of the progress of know-
ledge, it is a history also of the obstructions which know-
ledge has encountered and an index of those to which
she is still exposed. The influence of opinions and
theories preconceived,—of rash conclusions, and of false
analogies—Las been, and still is, a perpetual source Qf
that 3
receivedang er. w So
ii h much
extremei is this
cautionthe
tcase i n
ft
ehr
ea that
cwe
se
drawnaeon lebayrmnetoit
of science from the facts they may bring to light, wher-
ever these inferences touch upon ether departments of
ttkohnro.
00 etublgeehdr
sgfils.
i:Ttei hlndegosfraval
naa
atti relation
oncein
controversiesrwi
ghhi ue which a
understood
wf
everya
kindr / nlwt
that
shstaanotn di
iyts
.ri
qulvenastlysuapn.
brought to light. Far from it. It would be more true to
say ttrefr ultimate me:ming is never reached ; -and-that -
for every question which science answers she propounds
instrumentPtg hr° aes edlual t full meaning y s
fia pnindfldaeiits
use
ofnnpedl defence
place,
the i truthsanile
discoveriesd*l becomes
wd hicnhoonftaot science mean
fic
ui
rel:er eeittoissaalyways
another which is beyond her powers to solve. But in this
we may see the strongest of all arguments against our et.,
tertaining any fear of science as regards the interests of
'religion. It is 'sometimes proudly asked 'who shall set _
bounds to science, or to -the widening circle of her horizon I' t
But why should we try to do so when it is enough to ob- ,
servo that the horizon, however it may be enlarged, is an
horizon still—a circle beyond which, however 'wide it be,
perpetuallywitci;:tuiy:sp:;":
deswnn dthty:aeowatmushrkb;tntnhqilriereerashatira
hananiadaneliishe
scalwe already
s,rth,i,
whichpokoinrtn
there shine, like fixed stars without a parallax, eternal •
problems in which the march of science never Shows any
change of place. If there be one fact of which science re-
minds
powers enabliug us to answer. What better lesson of
faculties
reason-
ableness of looking to a state in which this discrepancy
are
eo
thiswo u l
occasion.hav e b
The,eenohcocspn occupied
hospitality
you, I trust, a pleasant, and your own exertions will secure
i sc
3owft that
hewnvil(havelawoe '
o f this
affordooi:l .
a profitable, meeting. Yon may well engage in its bee&
mess and discussions with a sense of the high interest and
value of your pursuits, not less interesting in themselves,
not less conducive to the progress and happiness of man-
kind, not less tasking the noblest faculties of the mind,
than those which engross the attention of jurists, of sol-
diers, or of statesmen when their motives are the purest
and their objects are the best.

JOHN BULL'S VIEW OF THE " BELEA-
GUERED CITY."

There is in some divisions a considerable accumulation
of stores in advance. Rum for a month, forage for three
weeks, and several days' supply of meat, but fuel is
brought up de die in client by a most thriftless process.
It is no unusual thing to see a string of fine Spanish-
mules and ponies, each of which has cost a good round
sum, coming from Kasatoh or Balaklava with a couple
of stout boughs lashed to each side of their pack saddles,
the ends trailing on the ground, and the drivers urging
them at full speed. The proper load of wood for a mule
is 2001 b. Judging by the loads I have seen weighed
they actually carry less than 100 lb., and at the same
time the costly pack saddles are ruined, and the animals
distressed and injurei by this clumsy mode of carriage.
How the money is flying ! If Mr. John could but get
up on one of the hill tops here, and after gladdening his'
heart with the sight of his fine fleet floating grandly on
the water outside the " beleaguered city," rejoicing
over his braire eons whose white tents stud the brown
1 steppe row after row, and rubbing his hands with de-
ight at the thunder of his batteries, just wipe his
glasses and look at the less glorious and exciting por-
tions of the scene, he would have some uneasy tinglings
in hii breeches' pocket, depend on it. " Where are
all these horses going to ?" " Oh, they're Spanish
horses. We cart for the artillery, and they're going
to be sold as unfit for service." "Why, Lord bless me !
it's only a few months since I paid 30,0001. for that very
lot, and they've done nothing I hear but stand at their
picket ropes ever since. They cost me, I'm sure, carriage
and ail, 1001. a-piece. What do you think I'll get for
them ?" "Well, sir, to tell you the truth, I don't think
as how they'll fetch more than 101. a head, if so much."
In fact, for the old gentleman's peace of mind, I would
not advise him to be too inquisitive, and a visit to the
camp, although he would see it in a most flourishing and
healthy aspect, might injure his nerves irremediably.
" Who are those fellows in that secluded valley, hunting
among the vines for some grapes, while their horses wan-
der through the neglected gardens ?" " They belong to
Division A, or B, or C, or D ; see the letter branded on
the horses' flanks.. They are Turks, Elamites, Affghane,
dwellers in Mesopotamia, Kurds, Parthiane, Canaanites,
Greeks, for whose services in the Land Transport Corps
von, John, pay daily the sum of 3s. per man, and they
iught now to be carrying up provisions for your soldiers,
John ; hut, being philosophers of the Epicurean school,
they prefer the pursuit of the grape and the insouciance
Of the eiesta to tramping over dusty roads-er urging their
nad career d iwn stony ravines on thy much hew-hacked
quadrupeds." " And those miles of mules and carts all
Along the plain, emergingfrom ras ines, ascending hills, and
that vast army of drivers in quaint attire, the concentra-
tion of the floating vagabondage of the world, the flotsam
and jetsam of the social life of every nation, civil
and barbarous, on earth—to whom do they belong, and
who pays them and for them ?" "Even you, me dear sir,
and very handsomely too, I can assure you." "And
those ships in Balaklava ?" "Yours again, sir ; but
lon't be uneasy, things are really better there now ;
occasionally the authorities root out a great demurrager,
end send her off hopping after she bas lain perdu some
months doing nothing. There was the Weimer Castle
he other day, a _floe Indiaman, sir, sent off at last--lay
in Balaklava since last February, doing nothing—com-
-1 fortehle lodgings for a few of the authorities ; but we
won't talk of these things any more, for really the ar-
:argements are now much better." " Who are those
officers in blue, with grey, yellow, and red facings—men
,1 rank apparently, with stars and crowns and lace on
their collars ?" "They are of the Land Transport
corps captains and quartermasters of brigade."
" Halo ! is there a theatrical company here ? 'Who're
the queer-looking chaps with the huntsmen in Der
Freischut: caps and tunics, smoking short pipes, and
driving their carts like so many Jehus I" " Well, we
have the Zouave Theatre and the Sailors' Theatre, but
these men belong to Colonel 31,Murilo, and certainly
they have let their hats get cruelly out of shape ; it
was a neat thing, and looked well while the r.settes
"black Ahnrdaidwhaond are
eworthdse
ilteisicopes—some new riflerner,
ea:vihneednrftll;cloc'aluiPecilaihtna:li) en
ldbt rsugetrsas"nn,dfoow.rre—sharpshooters." " Why, dear
me, sir, don't you know those are harmless civilians,
who never watt and never wish to shoot any one or
Co be shot at. either ? They are civil engineers and civi-
lians belonging to your recent'y formed Army Works
Corps." " Hallo, here's another—what's he? a felt
he'inet with a spike in it and brass binding—a red frock
with black braid—a big horse--a cavalry man, eh r
- Well, he's one of the Mounted Staff Corps, and he
gets as much as an ensign in the line for being ready to
co anywhere when he's wanted." " Who's that
drunken fellow—an old soldier in the odd uniform, with
medals on his breast?" "Hush ! he's the last one left
of the Ambulance Corps. They cost a lot of money, and
did some good, but M‘Murdo won't have them now,
unless he gets his own way with them, aitcl—" "I
beg your pardon, but who is that foreign officer with a
white bournous and a brilliant staff of Generals—with
the blue and silver stripe down his trousers I mean, and
gold braid on his waistcoat, and a red and white cap ;
it must be Pelissier r "That ! why-that's M. Soyer,
chef de nos batteries de cuisine, and if you go and speak
to him you'll find he'll talk to you for several hours
1
about the way your meat is wasted ; and so I wish you
good morning, sir, and every success in trade and com-
merce to enable you to pay all the gentlemen you have
to-day, and a speedy entry into Sebastopol.