The Sun.
London, England, 1852-05-19 00:00:00

GATHERING OF THE VINE.

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The ancient types and figures descriptive of the
vintage are still literally true. The march of agri-
cultural improvement seems never to have set foot
amid the vines. As it was with the patriarchs
in the East, so it is with the modern children of
men. The goaded ox still bears home the high-
pressed grape too, and the feet of the treader are
still red in the purple juice which maketh glad the
heart of man. The scene is at once fall of beauty,
and of tender and even sacred associations. The
songs of the vintagers, frequently ehorussed from one
part of the field to the other, ring blithely into the
bright summer air, pealing out above the rough
jokes and hearty peals of laughter shouted hither and
thither. All the green jungle is alive with the moving
figures of men and women, stooping among the vines, or
bearing pairs and basketfuls of grapes out to the grass-
grown cross roads, along which the labouring oxen
drag the rough vintage carts, groaning and cracking as
they stagger along beneath their weight of purple
tubs heaped high with the tumbling masses of luscious
fruit. The congregation of every age and both sexes, and
the careless variety of costume, add additional features
of picturesqueness to the scene. The white haired old
man labours with shakieg hands to fill the basket
which his black eyed imp of a grandchild carries rejoic-
ingly away. Qaaint broad-brimmed straw and felt hats
—handkerchiefs twisted like turi!)ans over straggling elf
lucks—swarthy skins tanned to an olive brown—black
flashing. eyes—and hands and feet stained in the abound-
ing juices of the precious fruit—all these southern pecu-
liarities of costume and appearance supply the vintage
with its peasant characteristic 3. The clatter of
tongues is incessent. A fire of jokes and jeers, of
saucy questions and more saucy retorts—of whale
in fact, iu the humble and unpoetic but expressive ver-
nacular, is called chaff"—is kept up with a vigour
which seldom flegF, except now and then, when the
butt•end of a song, or the twanging close of a chorus
strikes the general fancy, and procures for the morceau
a lusty encore.—Reache's Claret and Olives,

THE AUSTRIAN ARMY.
It is a rule in the Austrian army, that if any officer,
whether can duty or not, is struck by a man, armed or
unarmed, it is his duty to hill him on the spot. If he
fails to do so, he is disgraced, and foiced to quit the
service. No duel, no apology, no explanation, after-
wards can wipe out the affront. lie must draw his
sword and blay the offender at the moment. In a
number of oases this has been done. When half a duz3n
offi3ers were present, all have aided in the slaughter of
one, perhaps. inadvertent, °Euler; grad no puniAment
has ever followed such murders, for they can tkl called
by no other name. Oa the other hand, there have been
instances in which the officers offended, from humanity
or inexperionca have delayed their vengeance to the
next day, and have then called out and fought the
offender. They were bound to gait the army ! None
of their brother officers would serve with them. It is
not a law of the country, but a rule of tie service, which
is acted on in these cases.