The Sun.
London, England, 1864-01-15 00:00:00

W. M. Thackeray and Robert Bell ; Or, the
Stolen Watch and the Spectacled Spirit.

An anecdote related by M. Louis Blanc in a letter to Le
Temps, a letter full of the most generous feeling, and of
fine and penetrating criticism of the genius of our great
departed humourist, whose friendship he (M. Louis Blanc)
had enjoyed :—" A few years ago the London papers an-
nounced that a Frenchman, whose name I need not give
you, was going to deliver in English what is here called
a lecture. Foremost among those who were moved by a
feeling of delicate kindness and hospitable curiosity to en-
courage the lecturer with their presence was Thackeray.
When the lecture was over the manager of the Literary
Institution where it was delivered, for some reason or
other, recommended the company to take care of their
pockets in the crowd at the doors—a hint which was not
particularly to the taste of a highly respectable and even
distinguished audience. Some even protested, and none
more warmly than an unknown person, very well dressed,
sitting next to Mr. Robert Bell. Not content with speak -
ing, this unknown person gesticulated in a singularly
animated manner, ' Isn't such a suggestion indecent, sir;
insulting ?' said he to Mr. Bell; What does he take us
for ?' &c. After giving vent to his indignation in this
way for some moments the susceptible stranger disap-
peared, and when Mr. Robert Bell, who wanted to know
how long the lecture had lasted, put his hand to his
watch-pocket, behold ! his watch had disappeared like-
wise. Thackeray, to whom his excellent friend men-
tioned the mishap, invited Robert Bell to dinner a
day or two after, When the day came, Robert Bell took
his seat at his friend's table,round which a joyous company
of wits were gathered, and soon found himself encircled by
a rattling fire of banter about an article of his which had
just appeared in the Cornhill Magazine, then conducted by
Thackeray; an article remarkable in all respects, and which
had attracted universal notice, as a faithful, serious, and
philosophical account of some effects of Spiritism, which the
author had witnessed at a seance given by Mr. Home. Mr.
Robert Bell is an admirable causeur; his talk is a happy
mixture of an Englishman's good sense and an Irishman's
terse. So his questioners found their match in brilliant
fence. Next day a mysterious messenger arrived at Mr,
Robert Bell's, and handed to him, without saying who had
sent it, a box containing a note, worded as nearly as I re-
collect, as follows The Spirits present their compliments
to Mr Robert Bell,and as a mark of their gratitude to him,
they have the honour to return him the watch that was
stolen from him," And a watch it really was that the box,
contained, but a watch far finer and richer than the one
which had disappeared. Mr, Robert Bell thought at once
of Thackeray, and wrote to him without further explana-
tion—' I don't know if it is you, but it is very like you.'
Thackeray, in reply, sent a caricature portrait of him-
self, drawn by his own hand, and representing a winged
Spirit in a flowing robe, and spectacles on nose,
Thackeray had in early life taken to painting, and perhaps
if he had pursued his first vocation, he might have come
in time to handle the brush as well as he afterwards handled
the pen. At any rate, the drawing in question, as I can
bear witness, was one to bring tears into your eyes for
laughing. It was accompanied by a note as follows :
The Spirit Gabriel presents its compliments to Mr. Robert
Bell, and takes the liberty to communicate to him the por-
trait of the person who stood the watch.' Now, is not this
bit of a story charming? What grace! what delicacy !
what humour in this inspiration of a friend who, to punish
his friend for having done the Spirits the honour to speak
of them, sends him with a smile a magnificent present I
Honourable to Thackeray, this note is equally so to Robert
Bell, who could inspire such feelings in such a man. And
this is why I feel a double pleasure in relating it."

THE GREAT EASTERN AND THE GIBRALTAR, ALIAS
SUMTER, IN THE AUCTION-ROOM.—An enormous crowd
thronged the Liverpool Cotton Sales Room, yesterday, to
witness the sale of the Great Eastern by auction, by
Meksrs. Cunard, Wilson, and Co. Mr. Cunard, the auc-
tioneer, after reading a description of the vessel and the
usual conditions of sale, said that the bids must not be less
than £l,OOO. Only one bid, however, was made by a Mr.
Robinson, the amount of his bid being £50,000, and the
auctioneer then announced that the reserved bid of the
owners was £130,000, and after vain efforts to increase the
offers, the vessel was withdrawn to the surprise of all pre-
sent, rumours as to various probable purchasers, including
the Lottery Company, having been for some time current on
'Change. The Gibraltar, formerly so notorious as the Con-
federate cruiser Samter, was then put up and finally pur-
chased for £4,500 by a Mr. Patterson.
SMOKELESS COAL (3,000 to 4,000 tons monthly)
is being shipped from Cardiff in Wales to Nassau and con-
tiguous ports for the use of blockade runners, to whoa
smoke is an abomination, as pointing out their whereabouts
at sea.

THE EMPEROR OF THE FRENCH did not say he
had "the conviction," but simply " j'ai la confiance," that
peace can be preserved, which is not precisely equivalent in
meaning.
DISGRACEFUL PROCEEDINGS AT A FUNERAL AT
PERTH.—In Monday's Mercury we mentioned that
the body of Peter M'Culloch, tailor, Scone, had been found
in the Tay. The body was taken to Scone, where it was

interred on Tuesday, There is good reason to suppose that
M'Culloch committed suicide; and it seems to be the
general opinion amongst the antiquated inhabitants of
Scone that the body of a suicide should not be allowed
to enter the churchyard by the gate, but ought to be
lifted over the wall. The reason for this is sup-
posed to be that, in the event of the body being
allowed to pass through the gate, the first bride

" kirked " thereafter will commit suicide within a
very short period after her marriage, and that the first child
carried to church to be christened will commit suicide before

it reiched the age of eight years. As the hour for the
funeral approached a bevy of the gudewives of Scone, num-
bering about forty, took up their position on the road lead-
ing to the graveyard, and as the humble cortege drew near
they endeavoured, first by persuasion and at last by threats
to prevent the coffin from being carried through the gate-
way. The undertaker expostulated with the angry dames,
and at length, after a deal of wrangling and unseemly
conduct, the remains were allowed to pass on. Who will
say that the days of superstition are gone?—Caledonian
Mercury.

PLYMOUTH, Thursday.—The East India and Lon-
don Shipping Company's screw steamship Indiana,
Captain Smyth, bound to the Cape of Good Hope, Madras,
and Calcutta, was off this port at seven in the morning, all
well ; wind south 'east, a smart breeze. She left Gravesend
at 3 p.m., on Monday last, and at dark anchored off the
Nore Light ship, where she remained until Tuesday, at 8
a.m. Thick foggy weather was experienced in the Channel,
which obliged her often to go at half speed. All last night
she lay to off this port. The Indiana has a full general cargo
and 70 passengers, including, for the Cape—Commander H.
G. Simpson, R.N., Captain Brown, 11th Foot, Mr. Herbert,
and Mr. Leckie; for Madras—Dr. Ramsbottom, Mr. Mober-
ley, Mr. Cramp, Dr. Bryson, Lieutenant Giffard, Dr.
Kennedy, and Lieutenant Wolsely ; and for Calcutta—Mr,
Clutterback, Dr. M'Yinnon, Miss Blanchard, Captain
East, Mr. Neal, Lieut. Keyser, Mr. Wright, Ensign Bu-
chanan, Lieut. W. Hailes, Mr. Bourke, and Lieut. Wing-
field. The ship White Adder, belonging to Messrs. R.
Willis and Co., of Lsadenhall-street, from London for
Shanghai, passed down Channel this morning. Captain
Glanville and the crew (five in all) of the schooner Thomas
Protheroe, of Fowey, were landed here this evening by a
pilot cutter. They state that at 1 o'clock this morning,
wind E by S, the schooner was 16 miles SW of Portland on
the port tack, reaching off the land, when the bark Augusta,
Capt. P. Racmurfin, with timber from Christiansand, ran
into her right amidships. The schooner foundered in five
minutes. The bark, with the loss of jibboom and spritsail-
yard, has proceeded for Alicante. Captain Glanville and
crew have been sent home by the Shipwrecked Mariners'
Society.

DENSE FOG AT LIVERPOOL.—A very dense fog
enveloped the estuary of the Mersey as well as Liver-
pool and its environs on Wednesday night and during the
early portion of yesterday. The fog was so dense as seriously
to impede the navigation of the river. The darkness caused
by the fog was so great as to prevent the arrival of seagoing
steamers, none of which arrived in course of Wednesday.
The Canadian mail steamer Jura only arrived in port yes-
terday morning, having been detained off the bar fully
17 hours. The Isle of Man steamer Tynwald was 29
hours on the passage to Liverpool, the time usually occu-
pied being six hours. The passengers for New York by the
Liverpool, New York, and Philadelphia steamer City of
New York, to sail on Wednesday, were unable to proceed on
board the tender. Up to yesterday afternoon the City
of New York was unable to proceed to sea, it being
impossible to see half the length of the vessel. The
Nova Scotian, for Portland, with the Canadian mails, was
also detained. On Wednesday most of the ferry traffic
across the Mersey was suspended, except that by Woodside.
The Seaeombe steamer, with passengers on board, had to
come to an anchor, and the passengers were detained on
board all night. Fortunately, so far as is known,:ne serious
casualty took place,
THE Loss OF LIFE ON THE EAST COAST.—The
fund which is being raised for the relief of widows
and orphans of the poor men who perished during the
great gale of last month, when fishing on board Great Yar-
mouth smacks, is steadily increasing. Yesterday the Mayor
of Great Yarmourth (Mr. R. Steward) received the following
letter, which affords another gratifying proof of the solici-
tude entertained by her Majesty for the welfare of all
classes of her subjects :--" ()Ammo, Jan. 11. Sir,—The
Queen has seen with feelings of sincere sympathy the ac-
counts which have appeared in the newspapers of the dis-
tress and sufferings of those poor widowsand orphans whose
husbands and fathers have perished in the late gales. Her
Majesty has directed mo to forward you the enclosed check
for XlOO to be added to the sum already collected for their
relief. The Queen would be glad that these poor widows
and orphans should be made aware of her Majesty's sym•
pathy also with them in their sorrows, which money cannot
alleviate. I have the honour to be, Sir, your obedient hum-
ble servant, C. B. Pieirrs,—The Mayor of Great Yar-
mouth."

At six o'clock yesterday morning, at Paris, the
thermometer of M, Chevallier stood at 2 6-10ths below zero
Centigrade (27 1-3 d Fahrenheit) ; at noon, 2 6-10ths above
C. (361 F.); and at three o'clock, 4 above C. (39 1.-sth F.)