The Sun.
London, England, 1855-02-08 00:00:00

LITEIZATURB.

The Rambler. Burns and Lambert.

The February number of this ably-conducted
Roman Catholic periodical contains a somewhat
remarkable leading article on " Catholic Politics
and Catholic M.P.'s." Evidently dictated by a sense
of duty rather than by the exigencies of partisan-
ship, the article supplies us with reliable informa-
tion respecting the affairs of British and Irish Ca-
tholicism, in a political point of view, and reveals
the feeling with which the present state of things
is regarded by the more enlightened and reflecting
portion of the Roman Catholic community. These
affairs are described as being in an eminently un-
satisfactory condition, though better than they
used to be. Having dwelt with some bitterness on
the price formerly paid by Roman Catholics for
Whig patronage, the writer arrives at the year
1851. The crisis of this period, we are told, re-
sulted in the liberation of Catholics from Whiggish
tyranny, and their establishment as " compara-
tively a free-spirited, manly, and self-relying
body." Notwithstanding this, the position of the
Catholic cause in Parliament, and in all its rela-
tions to the State out of doors, is described as being
anything but what it should be. Its political re-
presentatives, both past and present, find little
favour with the writer. The Earl of Shrewsbury,
he tells us, did nothing in the Lords, and in
Downing-street did more harm than good. Shiel
was " a brilliant and almost a powerful speaker,"
but he was a mere political partisan, and
had no Catholic influence. O'Connell even
effected " very little indeed," and of the system
of Mr. Lucas (to whose abilities, and whose in-
fluence as a Catholic, ample justice is done) it is
said "no good can come" of it, and it has borne
no fruit, but "veritable apples of Sodom." His
followers have " contaminated Catholic interests"
by a " blackguarding" style of oratory, which " pre-
judices every light-thinking man among the Pro-
testants against us." The spirit of the Catholic
newspaper press, it would appear, is not more sa-
tisfactory, the fiery personalities of the adherents
of the Tablet being met by the diatribes of the
Weekly Telegraph, which "has literally no aim
but the personal abuse of Mr. Lucas." In con-
clusion, the writer gives it as his opinion " that
the advancement of Catholic interests with regard
to the State and the world in general requires a
perfect freedom from all party ties on the part of
our Catholic representatives." " Compton Hall"
progresses in interest, and " A Conversion under
the Old Penal Laws" is concluded iu the
present number. " Our Camp Disasters and
their Cause ;" " Gleanings from the Broad
Church ;' " " How did Scotland become
Presbyterian ;" and " The Blind Leading the
Blind," are the principal remaining papers, all of
which will be read with interest. The number, a
good one, is embellished by two engravings of
scriptural subjects, and a vignette map of Pales-
tine, the contributions of episcopal and lay mem-
bers of the Roman Catholic Church.

The Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society of
England. Vol. XV. Part 11. John Murray.
This national agricultural journal, for so it may
be called, opens with the second and concluding
part of the prize report by Clare Sewell, read. on
the " Farming of Oxfordshire." From this
thoughtful and practical paper it would appear that
beer-loving Oxfordshire is not now a laggard in the
race of agricultural improvement, but that while
F much remains to be done, a good deal is likely
before long to be effected. Two or three years ago,
for instance, the use of steam in threshing was
hardly known in Oxfordshire, and now twenty
steam-engines are thus employed throughout the
county. The breed of horses for the plough has,
it seems, deteriorated, owing probably to the fact
that horses in Oxfordshire farming are worked too
long fasting—two hours in fact longer than the six
which the society's journal has pronounced too
long. On the Cotswold hills we are told oxen are
yoked three or four together, and after two years
work at the plough are sold to the Buckingham-
shire grazier. Perhaps the most important, and
certainy not the least lengthy and interesting
paper in the part is that "on the flesh of the Ox,
Sheep, and Pig, as indicative of the age of the
animal," being the substance of two lectures de-
livered before the Royal Agricultbral Society of
England, by Professor Beart Simonds, of the Royal
Veterinary College. The paper is profusely illus-
trated, and the learning of the Professor is thereby
rendered practically available to the average intel-
ligence of breeders and purchasers of stock. The
aid of the microscope seems to have been
as liberally as judiciously put into requisi-
tion, and the result is a valuable treatise.
To this succeeds a "Report on the Exhibition and
Trial of Implements at the Lincoln Meeting, 1854,"
which seems on the whole to have been satisfactory
—the field trials, however, proving " the absur-
dity of ploughing up at one timo no large a mass of
inert, stubborn clay." The importance of steam
power, and plenty of it, in farming operations, is
forcibly urged_. Chief among the remaining papers
is the prize report by Louis H. Ruegg, on the
" Farming of Dorsetshire." This has evidently
been got up with great taro and considerable con-
scientiousness and is rendered more valuable by
being illustrated. Among the illustrations are an
outline of the geology of the county, a sectional
view of the strata from Portland Bill to Patsou
Hill, and farm-yard and cottage plans. The re-
port is far from being unfavourable, and by no
means countenances the notion of " once bad,
always bad." The condition of the Dorsetshire pea-
santry and their cottages has been greatly improved.
Good service, we are told, has been done by the
establishment of various agricultural societies and
farmers' clubs, and in one district a labourers'
friend society works steadily and well in the pro-
motion of its objects. The extinction of the deer
in Cranborno Chase is designated as the crowning
improvement since Stevenson's report. What
remains to be done in the way of improve-
ment is much the same as in other countries. To
use the words of Mr. Pusey at the Smithfield Club
dinner, speaking of agriculture generally, " There
is a great deal of discovery to be made, and a
great deal to be done for the diffusion of
the discoveries to be made ; there are still large
quantities of land to be drained ; there are a great
many hedges .to be removed or reduced, and a great
deal of couch to be rooted out." A prize essay
on " The Natural History of British Grasses," by
Professor Buckman, and another on the "Cultiva-
tion of Beans and Peas," by R. Vallentine, of
Burcott Lodge, Leighton Buzzard, will be real
with interest, as will a paper " On Diminishing
the Quantity of Roots used in Feeding Cattle,"
and an essay by John Thomas Way, " On the In-
fluence of Lime on the Absorptive Properties of
Soils," the concluding paper of the part.

THE ADMIRALTY AND BALAKLAVA
HARBOUR.

" Admiral Berkeley's defence of the arrangements in Ba-
laklava harbour, says a writer in the Times, by no means
settles the matter, though it may establish the particular
point alluded to—the efficiency of the local naval men. The
public may hot -have been satisfied on this point, though
everybody acquainted with such men as Sir E. Lyons,
and Captains Mends, Dacres, Heath, and Powell, re-
quired no such assurance. If such men fail, men so
remarkable for zeal, intelligence, and untiring activity,
where are we to look ? But, while cheerfully bearing
testimony to the value of the working navy, I can-
not acquit the Admiralty. There are sources of dis-
order at Balaklava, and throughout the transport ser-
vice, which may be directly traced to the latter, and
over which the former have no control. Mr. Bernal
Osborne seems to thick that the Board of Admiralty
is safe from the storm of public wrath, ready to an-
nihilate jobbing or incompetent administrators ; but
let a little light be thrown into certain dark cor-
ners at the Admiralty and some facts rather more
curious than creditable will come out. I wish to draw
public attention, and that of members of Parliament t)
the entire state of the transport system. Let us Ascer-
tain how this most important service has been conducted.
England demands perfection in this branch, to compen-
sate for the numerical inferiority of her armies and the
difficulties of an insular base. The arrangement of this
vital matter has been left to the Board of Admiralty,
who, whether from supercilious.. contempt for a non-
hwaveillailtwbaye
combatant service, from political jobbery, or from igno-
rmaenntappointed old worn-out
always
that at the
com-
mencement of a great war, requiring the utmost energy,
tofa thesese poste. economy,
activity, and zeal of everybody concerned in the transport
of troops and stores—the very soul of all our military
operations—the naval officers selected by the Admiralty
were venerable patriarchal lieutenants, infirm and
feeble ? On taking up the Navy List I find that the
first on the transport service was made a lieutenant 46
years ago, the second 41 years ago, and so on ! It was
quite a painful sight to see these poor old fellows assem-
bled on board the flagship in the Black Sea. All hands
gazed on these antediluvian curiosities with feelings of
wonder. It was whispered that some of them had
served in the Ark. such men must necessarily be soured
by disappointment—a feeling that does not promote zeal
Or counteract old age and infirmity. We shall be told
that the duties are not very important (which I deny),
and that young, zealous officers, cannot be induced t•
accept such posts (which I doubt). Let officers find that
zeal and efficiency iu this most valuable service do not
go unrewarded—that ho who distinguishes himself in
forwarding a great expedition is not to remain a lieute-
nant for 46 years ; only reward merit in whatever shape
it may show itself, and there will be plenty of good can-
didates. But at present the transport service is certain
neglect—the refuge for the destitute.
When we consider the miracles the French ha►e, per-
formed with their wretched little transports—l speak
from personal observation of their lauding and camp in
the Crimea, and of their hospital at Pent—and contrast
them with our vast fleet of magnificent merchantmen
and huge steamers, we may well ask a question or two.
The last year's bill for the trauport service is said to