The Sun.
London, England, 1864-08-25 00:00:00

AUSTRIA.

VISIT OF THE RING OF PRUSSIA TO
BADEN BADEN.

VIENNA, AUG. 24, Evening.

The King of Prussia will proceed to-morrow, via
Stuttgard, to Baden-Men, where his Majesty will
probably remain until the 9th of September.

SPAIN.

MADRID, AUG. 24, Evening.

The Correspondencia of to-day proposes an in-
crease of the Customs daties on the importation of
foreign textile fabrics.
The Epoca replies that it would be better to
abolish those on the raw material.

FRANCE.

ST. ETIENNE, AUG. 21 (Evening).

A banquet took place here this evening in con..
sequence of the Assembly 3f the Council General
for the Department of the Loire.

The Duke de Persigny, who presided, proposed
the health of Napoleon 111,, " the founder of liberty
in France." The Duke's speech was:a complete re-
view of the theory of the Imperial constitution.
He showed the form of liberty to wary with every
free people. " The present physiognomy of liberty,
properly so called," said M. de Persigny, " may be
recognised by the striking signs of the solidity and
duration of the governments which it founds, and
above all ,by tha passion it inspires for great
things."
M. de Persigny then demonstrated that the poli-
tical institutions of England are not adapted for
France. "It not being possible," he continued,
"for authority and liberty to remain in the hands
of one class as in England. Instead of subordinating
one class to another, it was natural to render them
independent, and this is the fundamental principle
of our institutions."

The Speaker further said:—" In order that the
liberty of the press may be a benefit, it is necessary,
in a country newly constitated, that a new, vigorous,
and independent political generation should aris3
to replace the minds enervated by revolution."
"Some journals," says the Patric, " have spoken
of the approaching departure of the Emperor for the
camp of Chalons. Tue exact day is not yet fixed,
but the expectation is that his Majesty will leave
St. Cloud between the 26th and the 28th, to remain
absent only five or six days. Some change may be
made in this arrangement in consequence of the
arrival of Prince Humbert, the precise day when
his royal highness will reach Paris not being known.
Nothing has yet been decided respecting the visit
which the Imperial family makes each year to
Biarritz."

The Dresden Journal publishes a note contra.
dieting
the statement made by the journals that
the occupation of Lauenburg by the Federal troops
had given rise to differences between Hanover and
Saxony, and that a note containing complaints had
been sent to the Saxon Government on the subject.
The Dresden Journal affirms that no note or any
other communication has been received from the
Hanoverian Government relative to the affair of
Lanenburg.

The Siecle makes the following observations
on the line of conduct which the Emperor Maxi-
milian has adopted in his new States :-1, The in.
telligence from Mexico refers to the impatience
with which the first reforms of the new Emperor
are looked forward to. That prince has found out
the means of exciting in the highest degree the
curiosity of his new subjects, who all, like the Jews
on Mount Sinai, stretch forth their hands for the
new law. Previous governments simply took pos-
session of the authority with an abundant supply
of constitutions, decrees, and regulations prepared
beforehand, and in that way they inaugurated the
era of
happiness promised, bat, alas ! always post-
poned. In doing so they showed but little adrcit-
ness; the illusions and hopes were toosoon dissipated,
and the discontented quickly manifested their dis-
pleasure
or their disappointment by renewing
the hardly-interrupted series of conspiracies and
pronunciamientos. Maximilian proceeds in a dif-
ferent manner. Shut up in the palace which crowns
the hill of Capultepec, he envelops himself in silence
and mystery.
Rumour declares that he is occupied
in dark manipulations of systems destined to recon-
atruet the governmental machine—to efface the
wrinkles of the Mexican people already afflicted
with signs of a
prematnre old age. At four in the
morning the Emperor is on foot, interrogating,
noting, studying, and labouring in his great work.
This activity, unusual in those climates, has pro-
cured him the admiration of the foreign residents.
The Mexicans themselves are, however, bat slightly
touched with this ardour, which they do not under-
stand. They are above all astonished at being kept
at a distance, and not being able to treat their
monarch with the familiarity which formerly
existed between them and their presidents. Lastly,
they are impatient at the long period of gestation,
the end of which they cannot foresee, and the
authors of the celebrated report which declared for
the Mexican monarchy can hardly explain the htei-

tations and scruples of their elected, for in his place
they would have presented a hundred solutions for
his one. By a rather singular revulsion, the clergy
and the reaction, which ought to love the sovereign
of their choice, have arrived at the point of fearing
him; on the other hand, the honourable men of the
Liberal party, whilst keeping at a distance, how-
ever,.seem to show a certain sympathy towards
Maximilian as a private man."

BOURSE, Aug. 22.—The market has been again
heavy, and Stock and other Securities have been
offered. Threes, for the Account, however, remain
unvaried at 66fr. 30c., but Mobilier have declined
to 995 fr. 50c. Railway Market also dull, with
lower quotations for several of the lines. The mar-
ket became rather rirmer towards the close, and left
vs follows :

It per Cents .. 94 45
Do. end month....
3 per Cents
Do. end month 66 30
Credit Mobilier 937 50
Do. end month 1000
Bank Shares 3360
Credit k oncier l2lO
Roman

RAIL

Orleans
Northam
Lyons and Mediterranean
Soathorn
Western
Easte.
Sardinian
Austrian
Lombard
North of Spain
Saragossa..
Ditto to Barcelona

Italian Loan 67 50
Do. end month 67 5.5
Ditto Threes —
Now Mexican 56a
Russian
Austrian .. —
Spanieh Threes 49
Rome Debt
Deferred

'ATS.
Cash. Account.
888 75 885 --
980 980
915 917 50
637 50 .. 638 75
522 50 .. 520
495 495
345 345
430 .. 431 25
538 75. 538 75
410 410
498 75 497 50

The Vitrified Forts of Scotland.

A correspondent of the Daily Review, we observe, has
been recently starting a new theory as to the origin and use
and purpose of those remarkable objects generally known
as Vitrified Forts. The theories hitherto propounded in
connection with the subject may be briefly stated. Dr
Anderson, who was among the first to draw attention to the
matter, gives it as his opinion, in the Archevologia, that the
vitrification of these forts is an effect designed by their
builders. He supposes that the ramparts or walls were first
built of such common stones as the place afforded, and in
the course of building all the interstices between the rude
and rough stonework was filled up with vitrescible iron ore
common enough in the norther* parts of the island. The
wall being at last finished in this manner, a brushwood fire
was kindled all around it, which, melting the vitrescible ore,
the whole would become connected inton wore or less co•
herent mass in proportion to the intensity of the heat and
the time the fire lasted. As the country then abounded
with wood, there would be no scarcity of fuel. Such is the
first theory. The second, that of Mr Tytler, is this :—These
forts were places of defence—a sturdier sort of Caledonian
palls designed by our unconquerable quasi Maori ancestors.
According to this theory, they first began the fort by erect.
ing a strong double row of palisades, the outline of the in-
tended structure. These palisades or upright stakes were
probably warped across and closely interwoven with branches
of trees and such brushwood as was at hand. Into he in-
termediate space between the double row of palisades or
wooden fences thus formed, all sorts of rubbish, stones of
every description, earth, branches, stems, and roots of trees,
were thrown; little care or trouble being necessary, all tha
was wanted being the filling up of the vacant space between
the palisade rows, to the required height, indeed, but any-
how and with the readiest materials that came in the way.
The fortification thus formed some neighbouring enemy
would attack, literally, with fire and sword—fire first, which
meeting with so much ready fuel in the closely interwoven
double row of palisades, would burn fiercely, acting upon
the intermediate stone conglomeration which would thus
become vitrified. The third theory is Sir G. Sinclair's. Ho
supposes that from fear of invasion, or otherwise in prospect
of hostile attack from some neighbouring tribe, the natives
of a remote period selected a conspicuous spot, naturally a
hill top, for lighting beacon fires upon for the purpose of
spreading an alarm from one part of the country to another.
To prevent these fires from being spread about and scattered
by the wind, they piled heaps of stones to leeward of the
fires, and hence the vitrification. To ourselves we confess
none of these theories is quite satisfactory. But supposing
them to have been designed as places of defence, we should
meantime be more inclined to go with Dr. Anderson's views
than with those of his brother theorists, The new theory
to which we have alluded, and which is to be found in a
well-written communication to the Daily Review of July
12th, is, that the hills or duns on which we find what are
called vitrified forts, were in truth the mountain altars of
the ancient fireworshippers. The author argues his case
in a very able manner. We refer our readers to the article
itself. Our object at present is merely to draw attention to
the subject, and to assure the writer of an otherwise very
clever paper, that on one point at least he is quite wrong,
He sees, or pretends to see, that the vitrified walls are never
found to be circles, Lut ell pees, and supposing a central
fire in the focus of these ellipses, he coolly comes to the
conclusion that this would be a designed though rude re-
presentation of the heav nly motions, "according (he says)
to the Copernican system, which was derived from Pytha-
goras from the East, whence the system of fire worship
originally came," ergo, these are the works of the worship-
pers of fire or of the sun, and at a period long anterior to
the Christian era. All we have time to say at present is,
that there is not the shadow or a shade of proof, probability,
nor, we had almost said, of possibility, that tho ancient fire
worshippers knew anything whatever of ellipses or their
foci either. The circle and the circle only—the most
simple, and perfect, and beautiful of curves—was alone
known to the ancient ire worshippers, and held by them as
sacred, and by it only. Let us further add, for upwards of
five thousand longyears, was it ever attempted by the astro-
nomers of each age to account for the planetary motions,
The ellipse, it is true, was known to the mathematicians of
ancient Greece, and its properties, very different from the
properties of the circle, may, for all we know, have afforded
them an amusing subject of speculation, but nothing more.
Neither they nor the astronomers of many succeeding cen-
turies ever once thought of erecting the ellipse in the
heavens, and making the solar system move harmoniously
in obedience and subservience to its laws. This.was re-
served for the immortal Kepler, who quite in modern times
—about the time, that is, that our own James VI. ascended
the English throne—after long years of undaunted perseve-
rance and toil, was the first to announce to the world the
hitherto undreamt of truth that "planets revolve in elliptic
orbits about the sun, which occupies the common focus of
all the orbits." This is Kelper's first great law, deservedly
entitling him to bs styled "The morning star of modern
astronomical science." What then, let us ask the ingenious
author of the new vitrified forts' theory, what in the uni-
verse —(the term is surely fitting here, if anywhere)—what
did or could the ancient fire worshippers know of the ellipse
or its foci? What did Pythagoras or Copernicus either ?
Absolutely nothing ; as far at least as we now know it.in
its connexion with the laws which regulate the movements
of the heavenly bodies. The new theory must stand or fall
without any help whatever from an "ellipse" or a "focus"
and their introduction at all, so inopportunely and irrele-
vantly, into the discussion, has, we confess, not a little
assisted in strengthening our other objections against
an otherwise very plausible and ingeniously argued out
hypothesis.

THE MURDER OF MR. BRlGGS.—lntelligence
may be anticipated in the course of a few days,
possibly hours, that the suspected murderer Muller is in
the hands of justice; as the Victoria, in which he sailed,
had been out 30 days when the steamer left which would
bring the mail due to-morrow (Friday). If the arrange-
ments of Inspector Tanner, the chief of the metropolitan
police, and Sergeant Clarke, assisted by the New York
authorities, should be successful, the American officers will
board the Victoria in the open roadstead, acccompaniel by
the English officers. The American police will arrest
Muller and take him before the proper authorities at New
York. The warrant will then be produced by Mr Tanner,
and evidence given of the alleged complicity of Muller in
the murder ; and should that evidence be considered suffi-
cient, ho will be remitted to England, and for that purpose
be given into the custody of the English officers. In the
event of their not being any steamer leaving within a con-
venient period of the magisterial examination at New York
being concluded, although Muller may ht.ve been given up
to Mr 'fanner's charge, he will be kept in ward in the
House of Detention there until the departure is fixed, when
he will be taken on board the steamer by the English
officers of justice, accompanied by the New York police,
and when safe on shipboard left entirely in charge of Chief
Inspector Tanner and Sergeant Clarke.

ACCIDENT FROM FlRE.—Yesterday morning the
family of Mr Chetwynd, Gordon-terrace, Highhury, were
aroused from their sleep, between one and two o'clock, by
loud screams and cries for help issuing from the sleeping
apartment of Miss Maynard, who was on a visit to the
family. On proceeding to her room they discovered the
lady with her nightdress and the bedding on fire. She had,
it appears, fallen asleep while reading in bed, and the candle
falling set tho bedding on fire. Mr Chetwynd smothered
the flames with a carpet, but the young lady is shockingly
burnt, and not expected to recover.
THE ATTACK ON MOBILE.—What if the report
of the Federal success of Mobile should turn out to
be a fabrication? The telegram forwarded by General
Butler to President Lincoln announcing Farragoes victory
has a very suspicious appearance. It purports to be taken
from the Richmond Sentinel of the Bth, on which day the
paper must have reached Butler, as he telegraphed the so-
called official despatch of General Maury, at three p,m. of
the same day, to Washington. How could General Butler
have got the Richmond paper at Bermuda Hundred on the
Bth. And is it probable that the Confederate Secretary of
War could publish such intelligence? Fourteen of Far-
rogues leet are stated to be wooden ships, and only four
ironclads—one of which, the Tecumseh, was sunk by Fort
Morgan. The action took place at the entrance of Mobile
Bay, thirty miles from the city, on the sth instant, and
was telegraphed the same day to Richmond. Now, though
it may be true, it certainly looks very like a stock-jobbing
canard,--Lirerpoo‘

I,ITERATURE.

Guilty, or Not Guilty. A Novel. By Mrs Gordon
Srnythies, author of " Cousin Geoffrey." Three

Vols. Hurst and Blackett.

It would be somewhat akin to the famous im•
possibility of " breaking a butterfly upon a wheel,"
to subject a work of this class to the ordinary rules
of criticism. As the gay orange binding which forms
the external decoration of its cover is only calcua
lated to please the eye and adorn the boudoir-table,
so in like manner the highly extravagant and alto-
gether impossible marvels which it contains, told as
they are in Mrs Gordon Smythies' gay and lively
manner, are only inteeded to amuse and entertain
the reeder. " Guilty, or Not Guilty" is just the
book for the eeaeside and the circulating library.
Full of adventure and vicissitude, the story never
flags; the author never seems to grow weary; the
reader i 3 constantly amused—although occasionally
the smile is raised at the expense of the fair autho-
ress when some over-extravagant incident or
description taxes the credulity of the most
credulous sensationalist. The first volume
opens with a Countess of Rockalpine seated
in her dressing-room. "Tee large oval mirror
is draped with lace and muslin, and looped up with
pink ribbons," &c. Mrs. Smythies is a little too
tend of sack minutia. She not only describes a
banquet but enumerates the dishes; she not only
conducts us to the ball-room but explains to us all
the mysteries of the toilette of the danseuse. It is
true she excels in such descriptions, as, for example,
when the fair heroine makes her debut at a ball in
Paris. We are told that the Empress's milliner and
d ressmaker, "the great Mdtne. Beget," was consul ted.
With the enthusiasm of genius she threw her whole
heart and soul into Eolith's ball dress",—" for Edith
she was inspired." The result, of course, is mars
vellous. " Nothing in such exquisite taste, so
fairy-like, so aerial, so becoming, so costly, so light,
so chaste, and yet so rich, had ever been seen, even
in Pares ! ' No wonder that Edith, thus apparelled,
is the admired of all. Even her own mother, the
haughty Lady Hauteville, who had not seen her
for some years, having sent her abroad with a
chaperone for her health, does not recognise her.
This amiable and noble lady and her elder daughters
are accustomed, in the elegant language of Bel-
gravia, to speak of the fair and delicate Edith as
" the carrotty cripple !"—no wonder they fail to
recognise her in the ball-dress of Madame Roget !
But we are talking of balls and ball-dresses,
when in the volumes now beside us
there is matter far more attractive. What will
the novel-readers say for the treat in store for
them, when we tell them that we have here no less
than two murders—two real murders—one in the
first volume and one in the second ; in both of
which the victims are actual lords, and for each of
which an innocent man is arrested ! We have
three elopements—in one instance two sisters going
off together. We have four different incarcerations
of different people in a madhouse, in two of which
the victims are perfectly in their senses, and the
heroine is three times rescued from death by the
hero at the peril of his life. In feet, it is
almost impossible to enumerate all the marvels to
be met with in these pages ; and comedy is eo in-
termingled with the tragedies that, when Mrs.
Smythies calls upon us to sympathise with a tender
love scene, in which a most euphoniously-named
lover whispers to his beloved, "Doesn't she see how
her poor Tight-Blower loves the ground she treads
on ?" &e., we must confess that we feel bewildered
as to whether we are expected to regard the scene
as belonging to the sublime or the ridiculous ! We
will not spoil the mystery of the tale by -any fur-
ther revelation of its secrets. The three brilliant
volumes—brilliant without and animated within:—
will wile away many an idle hour and afford no
little entertainment, and let the amused reader, on
concluding a perusal of the whole work, pronounce
whether, in our estimate of its contents, we 011 rs
selves are " Guilty, or Not Guilty.'