The Sun.
London, England, 1852-01-03 00:00:00

SATURDAY

LONDON,

&c.--(CONTINUED ) THE MINISTR Y,
:NIGIIT'S PICTORIA.L SHAKSPERE. The state of the Cabinet has provoked an abundance
of rumoure, and some grave apprehensions. As for the l
Shakspere has never been published in a more beau-
rumours their existence may be taken as a matter of
iful edition, or one calculated to he more popular,
ceurse, for, besides that political rumours always are
Jean the pictorial edition here prraluced, under the rife at this time of the year, urquestionably the dis- ie
editorship and supervision ef
.Charles lreeigh net, one of ; sse, o.e the most restless spirit in Europe from the
the most distinguished of los counne.ntators. We sphere of activity to which he hod become so thoroughly
have frequently had occasion to congratulate Mr. ' habituated is a highly suggestive event. In the absence
Knight upon the remarkable and luminous ability he of certain information, nothing is more probable, or
has displayed in the collation of the text of the greatest rather conceivable, than the coalitions and redistribu-
of all poets as well as the most incomparable of drama” does of offise that are everywhere talked of, but we do
tists. The fruits of his research and meditation are not bslieve that at present any of these probabilities
atest and, in have been realized in fact. The apprehensions, how-
here squandered over the pages of his lmost respects, his best edition of Shakspere. These I ever, which a e'sanging apd, apparently, a provisional
Cabinet jastly iespires, are a more serious affair,.ich
and
pages it must especially he observed are no longer ,
disfigured by the old and cramping system of double uwoedcparntankoet
ibut,o participate in in
sthoevernr. A
eiSovereignnCabinetaudtowh
tune t —the letter- press extending freely fromlead
col the Legislature of an active, businesslike, and ins-
Margin to margin, with the brisf.sr remarks of the proving people, must have a strong line of policy,
editor as footnotes, and the longer collected together able administrative powers, and an energetic expres:ien.
in an rpeendix. Each successive instalment of the It has to dictate, to teach, and to do; to strike the
publication corn i praea a play complete—the number mind, and produce gr(:at results. We might ray more,
before us (the twenty-ninth) contains the whole of but this is enough, for the very feeblest description of
Richard 111. Beyond its other attractions, our present Ministerial eflieieecy would be apt to move
the edition, as its title indicates, has that a smile at the expense of the sixteen noblemen and
,f,uetn:i. iie: en—speakingof:htbem as a whole, thatconsti-f
of being pictorial pictorial, too, in the
them may be Governmentvery excellent c'f 'semenithemtyenemape most valuable and interesting manner, the
right-
engravings being in a twofold sense literal illustra• minded politicians ; they rosy once have been famous,
°renal still be well connected; but, unfortunately, lions. Scenery, armour, dungeons, palaces, androsyidrev. seryorneofortunately, they
costumes, are all sketched by the artist with the same have not lately distinguished themselves either by Par-
punctilious exactitude. Everyone without a " Shaks • iiamcntary or by official success. To the vulgar eye,
pure" cannot but rejoice at the issue of this cheap and the look of the Government suggests the same unpleaseut
splendid publication. idea) of redundant (Alice and supeifluous salaries es that
of the Court itself, with its pageant of loyalty.
Failing ponere, frequent illness, and grievous unlucki-
tees are felt at least to disqualify for a service
which ought to be efficient and successful. If people
wish to enjoy their otium clan dignitate at the close of
their days; if they are too modest to be eloquent, or too
gentlemanly to stick to the desk; if they are invalids, er
unlucky, Dawning-street is not the place to nurse a sick
statesman, to hide excessive modesty, to soothe the de-
cline of life, or to provide opportunities for the man who
is the sport of an evil destiny. The work is too hard,
the load too great, the pace too severe, and the road too
heavy, to allow of a faulty ttarn. They who are act
equal to the work must give place to those who are.
• Were there any doubt on this point it would be at
once removed by a glance at the last session, when the
Government could only get on by a series of appeals be-
low the proper standard of Ministerial dignity. It was
hardly decorous to purchase safety by the promise of a
measure which might or might not have been already
in contemplation. It was not creditable to exist merely
fur want of a better. It was far from dignified to solicit
support as the naked symbol of unity and order. It
was positively discreditable to borrow reputation and
support from the Great Exhibition. At one limo during
the session it seemed in the power of almost anybody
who was mischievously disposed to mob Government,
end give it a fall. Nobody cared much to support it,
and in the absence of a steady and constant support the
meanest assailant might get himself reputation at the
expense of her Majesty's advisers. One blow was so
severe, and the trance that followed was so long
that the bystanders had almost mistaken it for
death, and •Government might have read its obi-
tuary in every newspaper in the land. Besides all
these vasualties there was the still more disagreeable
fact that the last session was not quite so industrious
and profitable as it might have been. For what was ac-
tually done we are indebted, not so much to-Gorern-
meat, as to independent Members, to out-door agitation,
and undeniable necessity. Oa the other hand, some
measures of great importance have either been post-
poner', or, having become law, are still permitted to be
inoperative. Now, whether this state of things arises
from the weakness of Government or the perverseness of
the House of Commons, the inference is the same. It is
necessary to have a stronger Government, one more
capable of commanding the attention and respect of the
House; one that can muster a more devoted and better-
disciplined body of followers, and that will take care not
to let a session pass without providing some new claim
to Parliamentary allegiance.
Government must be able as well as good. It can no
more do without practical talent, energy, eloquence, and
the other requisites of a statemare than a general can
do without a sufficiency of men, guns, and other mate-
rial. To obtain the needful amount of ability it must do
one of two things,—it must either produce and elicit
talent from its own immediate followers, or it must look
out of that comparatively narrow circle, and enlist talent
where talent is to be found. Now, it so happens that at
this moment it is a general complaint in the political
world, as it is elsewhere, that-there are 110 young men
of talent coming on. The rising generation, we are
assured by those who have the best opportunity of judg-
ing, and the best reasons to be impartial, are particularly
dull. There appears to be blight in the crop, and
sagacious observers look forward with appre-
hension to the time when the state of this world, the
protection of order, the sustentation of virtue, and the
propagation of genius, will have to devolve on those who
are now young. Lord John Russell has not succeeded
in raising any young statesmen of merit to supply the
lace of his own veterans and invalids. On the other
hand, out of his constant and avowed supporters there
is a vast amount of ability scattered over the various sec-
tions of the political world. The vast remains of the
dismembered Conservative party lie all around him,
sufficiently disgusted, we should think, with the game of
impotent and suicidal revenge into which they have been
duped. They are only waiting the call that
is one day to summon them to a policy worthy
of gentlemen and statesmen. . There is also the
Manchester party, which, if it cannot be invited
to a participation of office, has too much truth
and ability on its side to be lightly opposed or easily
wlthstocd. To the other independent powers in the
field must now be added the most powerful defender of
an indifferent cause, the most active in office and the
most persuasive in the senate, the most ambitious, and
in ail respects the most formidable man in the whole
circle or Whig statesmen. The Cabinet of last session,
which hardly survived it, is now minus Lord Palmerston,
It may not be a matter of much moment what line he
takes next session, or what political combination
he may
ed
attempt; but the fact that he is no longer attach to
Lord John Russell, end is open to bids from oils(
quartere, does certainly suggest the necessity of acquiring
all possible strength for the Cabinet, deprived of her
aid and threatened with his hostility.—Tutees

THE COMPANION SHAKSI'ERE. No. I.

Charles Knight.
A novf-I and exquit4te reprint from the larger edi-
tions of Knight's Shakspere. Each number, like
the foregoing edition, is to contain a drams in its en-
tirety—the present instalment giving us, for example,
the whole of King John. The serial promises well
at its commencement.

HALF-11OURS OF ENGLISH HISTORY.
Charles Knight.
Foremost among the most enterprising originators
and promoters of cheap literature, Charles Knight is
also conspicuous by tho variety and value that dis-
tinguish his successive publications. Scarcely has
one important serial terminated than another of an en-
tirely different, and yet in some iespects kindred
character, sprouts into existence. It has been thus
with these " Half-hours of English History"—an ad-
mirable series of selections, principally this month
from the classical writings of Bacon and Barante.

THE COUNTRY ROUSE-THE PIGGERY.

By 147. C. L. Marlin. Charles Knight.
Here again is an example of the correctness of our
foregoing remarks upon the efforts made by this dis-
tinguished publisher to supply the masses with cheap
and useful as well as entertaining periodicals. As an
important division of the country house, the piggery
is described by Mr. Martin with an exactitude that
reveals his complete mastery of the subject under
delineation. We regret that the delightful chapter
on the "Abattoirs des Cochouq," given in the first
volume of Sir Francis Head's charming "Faggot of
French Sticks," could not have been quoted here in
tha form of cn appendix.

THE IMPERIAL CYCLOP2EDIA. Charles

Knight.
We are gratified to observe the continued success of
this important, and in many respects gigantic,
undertaking. The division now approaching its
completion is the one descriptive exclusively of the
British Empire, and from the skill with which the
compilation and condensation is conducted, it pro-
mises to render a masterly and national Gazetteer one
of the most conspicuous features of the " Imperial
Cycloi

FROLIC AND FUZZ. London in 1851.

A grotesque series of plates, displaying more inge-
nuity of idea than felicity of execution. The artist
has carried out rather feebly his extravagant notions
of a charivari.

A CRACKER BO N-B ON. By Robert B
Brough.
Mr. Brough, one of the most humorous of our
writers of burlesque, and Mr. Hine, one of the most
delightful but neglected of our caricaturists, have in
the little volume before us contributed largely to this
festive season .of Christmas. Every one who wants a
good laugh will not be disappointed in the hope of
finding one on turning over the pages of this brochure.
Jokes, puns, quips, cranks, and all imaginable con-
cc its of a ludicrous character, are crowded into it as
" plentiful as blackberries." We don't exactly know
which to prefer for extravagance " King Alfred and
the Cakes," " William Tell," or "Orpheus and Eu-
rydice." They are all, equally—like . the panto-
mimes, or rather like Adelphi farces, and Haymarket
extravaganzas—screamers. Then comes a piece en-
titled "Skates and Life"—the weakest joke in the
book, but still sufficiently ridiculous. After this we
hear in prose by no means prosy " How the Last
Act of Hamlet was written," a chapter we refer to
the serious consideration of either Mr. Charles
Knight or Mr. Payne Collier. Added to this
glimpse into the literary age of Elizabeth, is a
" Christmas Croak"—followed by a laughable group
.of parodies, headed after the fashion of Leigh Hunt,"
" A Pot of Preserves from Mount Parnassus.
The last of these we must amuse ourselVes by ex-
tracting :
" Our concluding swcimen is of a school whose.pecu-
liarites baffle all attempts at definition, and whose repro•
sentation is confined at present to its founder—who is
himself confined at present (and likely to be for some
time) in the Hanw,:ll Lunatic Asylum.
No one can deny that its general adoption would
mark a new era iu the history of our literature.
"SONG.
'6 'Tis sweet to roam when morning's light
Resounds across the deep;
And the crystal song of the woodbine bright
Hushes the reeks to sleep.
IVhen the midnight sky has a sangiiine dye,
Of a pate and inky hue ' •
And the wolf rings out, with a glittering ,-,bout,
To- s% hit! to-whit! to-whool
" When the pearly wing of the wintry trees
Dashes slang the glen;
And the leughing tint of the moss-grown cliff
Flaunts the ethereal fen.
When, at burning noon, the bloodshot moon
Is bathed in crumbling dew;
And the wolf rings out, with a glittering shout,
To-whit! to-whit! to-whoo!"
The little volume is completed by a few " Popular
Notions of Popular Actors," relating the private his-
tory and individual peculiarities of such men as
Wright, Bland, 0. Smith, and Frank Matthews. The
illustrations, as we have intimated, are among the
drollest parts cf the publication.

FATAL ACCIDENT AT THE COLOSSEUM. ,•-• OJ
Thursday evening, about eight o'clock, a fatal accident oc-
curred to a man of the name of Thomas Foreman, an en-
gineer in employment at the Colosseum, Regent's-park, who
has been in the service of the proprietor many years. lie
wad engaged at the skam-ergii,e which is erected for the
purpose of ,tipplyiui.; is a!t r to the lakes ajoining the pre-
mises from the well, is under the engine. He was in
the act of examining the in.ti,ator, which shows the depth of
the water in the lakes, when while doing so his foot slipped,
and he fell among the machinery. At the moment the
crank, which was going at the rate of above thirty revolu-
tions a minute, struck the deceased on the left shoulder, and
knceke d him down. The assistant-engineer stopped the
engine,. and deceased was taken out. Mr. Mott, surgeon,
-who wlas sent for, promptly arrived, but life was then ex-
tinct. r.fiie unfortunate man, who was thirty-six years of
age, wad who has left a widow and one child, had his left
arm discloeated from his shoulder, and his breast dreadfully
lacerated.

COURT CIRCULAR.
WINDSOR, JAN. 2.
The Queen walked in the Home-park and Slopes this
morning.
The Prince of Wales, the Princess Royal and younger
members of the Royal Family took their usual walkieg
and pony exercise.
His Royal Highness Prince Albert went out hunting
this forenoon, accompanied by his Royal Highness the
Duke of Cambridge, and attended by their Equerries in
waiting, Colonel F. H. Seymour and Lord W. Paulet. ,
The Duke and Duchess de Nemours visited her Ma-
jesty from Clarernpnt, and partook of luncheon at the
royal table.
The Tyrsalefie minstrels had the honour of singieg
bafore her Majesty and his Royal Highness Prince
les,
sh© Duchess of Kent, the Prince of V 4 a
en New Year's day. The Queen
witnessed the performance, accompanied by her Royal
Highness
Albert at the Cistte;
Prince 'Alfred, the Princess Royal, the Princesses Alice,
miens, and Louisa, and the distinguished visitors
8 t..” jog at the' Castle, his Royal Highness the Duke of
Cambridge, Monsieur and Madame Van de Weyer,
Lord and Lady E. Howard, and attended by the ladies
and gentlemen of the Hutischold.
The Duke of Cambricl4o and Monsieur and Madame
Van de Weyer have taken their departure from the
Castle this atternoon.
The Baud of the Royal Horse Guards attended during
dinner yesterday at the Castle, and played the following
selection
Overture, Op. 24, Mendelssohn.
Selection. " Favourite
" Crystal Palace "
Finale, "Marie de Rohm," Donizetti.
G slop, " Prince of Wales " Seaman.

Sir Charles Fox, Dr. Cullen, Dr. Black, and Mr. Bal-
lard, had an interview with Earl Granville' at the Fo-
reign-office yesterday.
Dispatches were received at the Colonial-office yes-
terday, from the Lord High Commissioner of the Lnian
Islands, and from the Governor of Ceylon.
Dispatches were sent off yesterday to the Governors
of the North American provinces.

SALOON RAIL CAR.--The directors of the Boston
and Yew Haven Railroad (the land route to New York)
have ;resolved upon attaching a saloon car to each train, so
Our foreign policy is delivered from the superin
antagonist, Lord' Grey.
constructed as to enable gentlemen to sit in groups, and in
which. smoking is to be allowed. The carriages will be
tendence of Lord Palmerston, . our colonies am still adan-
placed on the road early in January.--Boston Paper.
The balance of power in the Cabinet has been destroyed by
double.if foreign nations are
STATE OF TRAPALGAR-EQUARE.—Being a frequent
the removal competitors.. Henceforth it
visits rto the metropolis, I have from time to time noticed dewed to the government of his old
fee simple to its with regret the filthy-lookingstcaotendiotfionthoefpTonradfsa;lgaanr-ds,quiiparoen,
proceeding from the leaky
fwould seem. that our colonial empire ei,
o presentoneof thesecom
ruler, and that -delivered over in
a desirable but vain attempt to make them perfectl sounds
one occasion, saw work going forward that appeared to me
to be exempted from annoyance a
I would, therefore, venture to suggest whether or not a laid on the shoulders of Lord Grey's discontented
weight is to be
small gutter cut round the base of each pond would not at The same Parliament which sanctionedcontented subjects.
the small
all events answer the present purpose to confine . creations of Lord Palmerston has equally
Athenian re-
quantity of escope to a few inches, instead of allowing it to African and Australian extravagancies otyLsupported the
straggle, as it does at present, over the surface of the pave- the Cabinet which has so long murmured Loup .Grey, and
menu.— C. E. K. [Something effectual should at once be hitherto remained patient of the other. at the one has
done here; the present condition of the place is miserable. things never locked worse for the mother n the surface
The I.lement pavement laid down as bands to the stone pave- for the Colonial-office. It has been permitted,
or fairer
merle has failed entirely. Some particulars of its formation out murmur or remonstrance, to give, to , almost water
and finally
might be useful as a warning.]— The Builder. to elude a constitution at the Cape, to: disgust ' -
our colonists,
ROYAL ORTHOPCEDIC HOSPITAL FOIt TUE CURE to expose our Government to contempt and our arms
OF CLUB Fool, &e.—Yesterday afternoon a meeting of the to disgrace, and to squander our treasure. In Australia
committee of this valuable institution was held at the Board- it has been able to pledge and. violate the word of a
room, in Bloomsbury-square, for the transaction of the ordi- 1. British Minister, to rouse the colonists to a sense of common
nary business of the charity. FrGin the report it appeared I injury and common danger, and. unite them into one com-
that the number of patients applying for the cure of the most pact confederacy, whose proferions of loyalty are far less
severe deformities had considerably increased, and, upwards fervent than those under whi ls our American colonies took
of 300, cases beyond the number the present hospital can Sc- up arms. It hes, as we have shOw.n, diverted the stream of
corntaneate were on the books, waiting their turn of admix- emigration from the foreign dinioeas of the Queen to the
Ilion_ -The cases admitting of operation and out, door treat- , States of the American Republic.
If results such as these
merit had also increased to a considerable degree ; but there fail to rouse the attention of the English public, the Colonial
being 3io hinderance (such eslineited beds) to their immediate Minis.tor may well deem that no uture miscarriage, however
relief,. there was no difficulty in extending the benefits of the grave, can occasion him any
trouble here, and that though
charbter to that class cf patients. Strong hopes were ex- not exempt from the vicissitudes of
party, and, therefore,
preeseei that at no distant period the committee would be en- liable to fall with the Ministry of which be is a member, no
abted 1;0 afford the obviously needed extension of accommoe amount of colonial discontent or Imperial disaster can curtail
dation ; and it having been stated that funds were only his official career. If the colonists murmur, it is always easy
neednd for that desirable object, some routine business was to find a Governor to represent the malcontents as dema-
traneac ted awl the meeting separated. ! gogues and firebrands, as persons of bad character and broken
, fortunes, and to procure addresses in a contrary sense from
STA.TE OF TRADE., THURsDAY.-- '
The -usual characteristics' discreet and respectable men amenable to Government in-
of this festive season—the almost ' hostilities occur, who •
total absence of b - finence. Should will grud
usiness— has prevailed during this week. ••AU • 1 a few millions to supportthe ge a pa-
The to Wn has scarcely triotic nis er prestige of the
been visited by any person in thesplendour of the
shape: of a customer for any descriptionin either
British name and the British arms ? Times.
. of goods
trade ; nevertheless, some houses in each trade are tolerably I Even at the risk of incurring the censure of the
well employed with foreign orders, while many others have Times we must express our strongest disapprobation of the
scat e:el:r anything to do. The export business for the last appointenent of Lord Granville, uon those grounds to which
four Months has ir°t been nearly so extensive as it was anti- our sensitive contemporary considers it a piece of ill-manners
cipated it wou:d be; but as consumption is going on as to refer. We allude of course to the foreign and Popish
heretofore in those countries with which we trade, it is fair to connexions of the Noble Lord. We believe that, under all
presttm B that a large portion of exports will fall to our share the circ urnstances attending this apponoin oftment, the
Granville fact o
e- f
this
,year, during which we wish our friends abundant su those connexions stamps the selecti Lord .
CMS. The prices of yarns are firm at previous rates.—l Ve- as one of treason to the cause of Protestantism and freedom
tingiam Journal. 4 on the 9witinent of Burope.--Jierald.