The Sun.
London, England, 1863-09-16 00:00:00

BA ILWAYB.

Cash. Account.
Orleans lO4O .. 1042 50
Northern lOO5 .. 1005
New. ditto ............ " --
Lyons and Mediterranean 1050 .. 1050
Geneva -
Southern .............
Western
Eastern
....... 515 • • --
Sardinian
Austrian ........... 427 50 .. 420
Lon-bard ........... 573 75 .. 573 15
North of Spain
Saragossa ............... 670 • • 670
Ditto to Barcelona 365 —• •

THE POLISH QUESTION,
The following summary of the Russian reply to
the last notes of the three Powers appears in the
Nord :

We have received from our correspondents at St. Peters-
burg some details respecting Prince Gortschakoff's despatch
and the memorandum which accompanies it. In the best
informed circles at St. Petersburg the contents of the me-
morandum are better known than the wording of the des-
patch. We may add that the memorandum is of consider-
able length, while the despatch is very brief.
The Russian memrandum is a reply to the document
which accompanied M. Drou de L'Huys' last despatch,
but it is not an annexe of the despatch; it is addressed
separately.

This document treats the question exclusively in an in-
ternational point of view. It gives an historical sketch from
the Congress of Vienna. It thoroughly examines in how
ebuss
much Russia is bound by those treaties, and dwells at con-
siderable length upon the Congress itself. It endeavours
to prove that the autonomy already decreed for the King-
dom of Poland, and the application of which has not been
suspendedl but e
p
revolution,satisfiesEure.
However (and we particularly point out this declaration
the
obligations
towards
Europe.
by the St. Petersburg Cabinet), a provin-
cial elective representation does not constitute the limit of
the Russian programme.As regards the despatch, we repeat it, our informs ion is
not so full ; but we know enough to indicate its character.
It maintains the point of view which Russia has always
advanced--that of the necessity of a lasting pacification as
the condition of more extensive reforms. If the Russian
Government does not again enter into a long discussion, it
is simply from a desire not to envenom the debate.
As regards the basis (the six points) the Russian Govern-
ment declares that it is agreed upon, and Russia will do
everything that is within her power to resolve a question
which is a source of misunderstanding between the
Cabinets.

Such are the principal declarations contained in the las'
respatch of Prince Gortschakoff.

THE BRITISII MUSEUM,

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
SIR,—I have read in The Sun, this evening, a
statement, taken from the Atheneum, respecting
the delay incarred in the obtaining of books in this
National Repository.
Whether such is the case or not I cannot state,
not having yet succeeded in obtaining the entrie,
although a week since I forwarded to the librarian
a written recommendation, signed by a gentleman
who is a member of the bar, for my admission to
the privilege.
I was informed this evening that an additional
sponsor is now required, although a few years since
in my case one was deemed sufficient, in order to
enter the reading room; but this addition appears
to be merely a whim of the principal librarian, as
the names of the trustees are not mentioned.
Is the demand usual, can any of your readers say p
Yours obediently,

s u
ffi[ Oc
ineen
tsr
ynesysor a
rus t ,
used certainly to be deemed quite
C.
14th Sept., 1863.
fact that t was so before Mr.
.Panizzi's time is Within
Henry Ellis was
Librarian. The i
our correspondent—
Si
having once beenorwn recollection and
a Reader there, no matter how
y experience.years
require a re-introduction of any
bg°ivi lvcoh, ourene
m s
many a g 0
..... t 0
kind in order to obtain access to the Library of the
p--ED. San.]
British Museum

of LIGHT•-- Moigno ex-
-
The
Abbe
INVISIBILITY •
ex-
hibited and described M. Soleil's Tenebroscope, for
illustrating the of light at one of the recent
sittings of the British Association. It is well known to
although the general public do not scientific) men,
suffi-
ciently apprecra
• te the fact, that light in itself is invisible
placed as
unless the eye be so to receive the says as they
generally thus give notice of the presence of
approach it, or unless some object be placed in its course,
from whose surface the light
may be reflected to the eye,
Tdal3rukenieidthcehamber through a small opening
strong beam of sunlight be ad-
mittedwhich will
that object.into
and received on some blackened surface glaced against the
pentire
in
chamber
iernvwisililblree,mexacinept in in perfect
far
as
darkness,mosaitl
motes and wall,
al the
n
floating in the air mark the course of the
sunbeam by reflecting portions of its light. Upon project-
ing a fluid or small dust across the course of the beam its
presence also becomes perceptible. The instrument exhi-
bitedopale l theeotbi
consisted of a tube with an opening at one end to be
looked into, the other end closed, the inside well blackened,
across. On looking in, all is perfectly dark, but
a am
all
a wide opening across the tube to admit strong light to
passs aonly
11 trigger raises at pleasure a small ivory ball into the
course of the rays,
and its presence instantly reveals the
existence of the crossing beam by reflecting a portion of its
light.
--A—BTLbE INTERRUPTION TO A DRAMATIC
Se success of lrnnani was secured by the
m 1 jo
AGREEnC OCI EogS: e. of Charles V. in the fourth act ; that tremendous
monologue was interrupted at almost every verse by bravos,
and ended in interminable rounds of applause. These
shouts were still going on, when some one came to tell them
author that he W
wanted. He went out and saw a little
man with a round belly and staring eyes. "My name's
Marne," said the little man. " I'm the partner of M.
Baudoin, the publisher : but we can't talk here : " will you
spare me a minute outside the house ?" When they were
in the street, NT
" ow, then, he said. "M. Baudoin and I
were at tl.- e performance,
' Hernani'—will You sell it ?" " What do you offer ?"
" Six thousand francs', (£240). "We will talk about it
when and we should like to publish
the performance is over." "I beg your pardon,"
said the publisher, " but I make a great point of settling
the matter at once," " Why ? You don't know what you
are buying. The success maybe less complete." " Al),Al)that's true, but it may be much greater. At the second act
I thought of offering 2,000 francs ; at the third act I got up
to 4,000; I now,
at the fourth act, offer 6,000; and after
the fifth lam afraid I should have to 10,000." " Well,'
said M. Victor Hugo,
about the play, you shall have it. Come to-morrow
morning, and we will settle the matter." "If it's the same
should gu
thing to you, 10, laughing, "since you have so much
prefer settling it at once. I have
get the 6,000 francs in my pocket." " I've no objection, but
how can it be managed ? we are in the street." " Here's a
tobacco shop.'' Tho publisher entered with the author,
bought a sheet of stamped paper, and asked for a pen and
ink. The treaty was written and signed on the counter,
and the author received the money, which was by no means
unacceptable, as he had not more than 50 francs in his pos-
session. lle went back into the theatre as fast as possible,
and saw, by the maiversal attention paid, that the success
had not diminished,— Victor .ffmgo's Life, by his Wife) its
Witness,

THE MARSEILLAISE HYMN.

Proved to have been both written and corn.
posed by Rouget de l'lsle.

Daring the last few weeks there has been a very
stormy controversy in most of the Paris journals as
to the authorship of the Marseilleise—Rouget de
''lsle's right to be regarded as the composer of the
music, at any rate, of that glorious Hymn or War
Song having been distinctly called in question. The
matter has at length, however, as it appears to us,
been definitively set at rest by the following sum-
ming up of the whole matter in dispute by ono of
the ablest critics in one of the very first among
the Paris daily newspapers. Having given at con-
siderable length the argument of those calling in
question Rouget de 'lsle's claim to be regarded as
both the writer and composer of the Marseillaise, as
in regard to it both poet and musician, the critic thus
makes good that double claim of his to the glory of
the authorship, thus clearly verifies, as the simple
record of a fact, the beautiful and eloquent descrip-
tion of the origin of that Hymn as related in his
Histoire des Gironthns, by Alphonse de Lamartine.

"Arrived at this point [the critic is here quoting
the last triumphant sentence of his opponent], the
whole question appears to me to be proved to de-
monstration."

BUT—it is not by any means proved at all.
Quite the contrary. Que diablc ! one does not
destroy thus easily an old time-honoured conviction.
I Wive always hitherto believed that Rouget de
l'lsle was the author of the Marseillaise —before me
others had believed it—and I cling firmly to the
conviction that others will believe it after me. I
have consulted all the biographies, all the modern
encyclopoz dies, all the books of recollections, and,
above all, while sojourning in Castile Blon, I have
seen, read, discovered that Rouget de l'lsle was in
truth the only, the veritable inventor of the Mar-

_ _..._
scillaise. That proves nothing, however, you will
tell me. It is enough you will say for one error, in
the first instance, to deceive thenceforth all the

biogri<phies of the future, because it is easier to trust
the propagator of one fragment of false intelligence
rather than to do what he has not done, viz., to
consult the sources of it—often difficult to discover.
And it is thus, in point of fact, that errors of all
kinds come to be propagated.
So be it, then, since you will force me to it—l
will at once hasten to carry out your own counsels
by reverting to the origin of this statement about
Itouget de l'lsle, availing myself, in doing so, of
the very documents you enumerate.
And, while doing this, it will not be my fault if
your own arguments come to be turned directly
against yourself.

I take up, therefore, your cherished thesis at the

very point where it appears to be the most specious.
You remark, in the first place, " He (i. e., Rouget
de l'Isle) published in the year V. an octavo volume,
under the title of Essays in Verse and Prose :' and
anyone will there find the words of the Marseillaise
simply entitled, War 'Song, but not a word relative
to the music.,,

I ant sorry to say to M. Fetis that this assertion
seems to bet ray on his part a certain ferment of
flippancy,

And f will prove what I say :
At the bottom of page 7 of these very " Essays
in Prose and Verse," I perceive a little note (a foot-
note), in which Rouge,: de l'lsle apprises
the reader beforehand that the lyrical pieces
which he himself set to music are each of
thew distinguished from the others (which he
did not set to music) by being marked
with an asterisk. And the Hymn of the Marseil-
laise, which may be found situated in the volume at
page 57, is precisely marked at the side with the
very distinct've sign indicated thus at, the outset of
his book by the author—to wit, an asterisk I
By a free translation, therefore, that asterisk at
Page 57 might be said to read literally—"l, ROUGET
DE L'ISLE, the author of the book, wrote the words
and composed the music of the MARSEILLAISE
That is certainy clear enough.
As early as 1797, therefore, the author himself
asserted his own right to the authorship; to the
authorship, that is, both of the words and of the
music of the Marseillaise.

All the arguments of M. Fetia crumble away

like a scaffolding badly constructed. For, at all
events, before hazardingsueh an assertion, he ought
at least to have taken into consideration these
asterisks which have proved hidden snares to him.
There remains another objection. Further on M.
Fetis says :—" When he (Rouget de l'Isle) had
placed this piece with other melodies of his compo-
sition, which were published in 1827, he did not
accompany it with any explanations." I call you
to account here again. The collection to which you
allude is entitled—" Fifty French songs, the words
by different authors, set to music, with piano-forte
accompaniment, by Rouget de l'lsle. Paris : Carli.
(no date) Folio." In this work, pages 80 to 87, I
find the iVlarstillaise Hymn, with a historical note to
the following effect :—" I composed the words and
the air of this song at Strasbourg during the night
which followed the proclamation of war at the end
of April, 1792. Entitled at first Song of the Army
of the Rhine,' it became known at Marseilles by
means of a constitutional journal conducted by the

illustrious and unfortunate Dietrich. When it
became the rage some months after, I was wander.
ing in Alsace in extreme destitution, in con-
sequence of having refused '•to adhere to the
catastrophe of the 10th August, and pursued by the
proscription, which, in the following year, at the
very commencement of the Reign of Terror, threw
me in;o the prisons of Robespierre, from which I
was not liberated until after the 9tb. Thermidor."
After this, what remains of this profound series of
arguments ? I see absolutely nothing left to
answer.