The Sun.
London, England, 1864-03-22 00:00:00

FRENCH LITERATURE.

Monsieur Bourgeois gave the second lecture of
his present course on Friday, the 19th inst., at the
Ladies' College, Kensington-squa,:a. Having in his
former lecture treated of the first period of La Fon-
taine's literary career, which terminated with tte;.7
disgrace of Fouquet, M. Bourgeois now passed in
review the second period. Ho to'd of his friend-
ship with Racine, Boileau, and Moliere ; bow the
four friends were in the habit of meeting three or
four times a week at Boileau's house, and of the
influence this GDnaection had both on his literary
and moral character. A great deal has been said
about La Fontaine's eccentricities, and M. Bourgeois
related several anecdotes exemplifying these pecu-
liarities, at the same time that they served as an
analysis of his character. La Fontaine was not
happy, or would not content himself in his own
home. He lived at Paris : his wife lived at Chateau-
Thierry. His courtly friends who frequented the
Chateau de Vaux thought little of such trifles, but
in compliance with the representations of Racine
and his new friends he resolved to visit his wife,
and put his domestic relations on a more respectable
footing. He accordingly left Paris for Chateau-
thierry, and when he arrived there went direct to
the house of his wife. The servant, who did not
know him, replied to his inquiries that Madame La
Fontaine was gone to church, and would not return
for some time. La Fontaine adjourned to the house
of a friend, spent the evening there, forgot the
object of his mission, and returned next day to
Paris. His friends eagerly asked atter his wife.
"I have not seen her," replied La Fontaine," she
was at church." Though successful authorship in
hose days achieved celebrity, it did not entail pecu-
niary gain. La Fontaine was so far from being in
effluence, that his friends were glad to procure him
an appointment in the household of the Dowager
Duchess of Orleans. This lady died soon after,
when Madame de la Sablier a, so celebrated for her
beauty and her wit, invited La Fontaine to take up
his abode in her house. Here he lived for twenty
years, and it was; during this period that he
composed his fables, which he had been asked
to write for the use of the Dauphin. La
Fontaine achieved his highest fame as a fabulist
—a word which before his time did not exist in the
French language. Monsieur Bourgeois analysed
several of these fables, and pointed out with great
critical acumen their literary beauties, and the
dramatic art displayed in their composition. To
La Fontaine's eyes the realm of the lower enimals
exhibited the same passions that he found brought
into action amongst men, and under the guise of
an apologue he censured the vices and ridiculed
the follies of his own species. "La Fontaine," said
Monsieur Bourgeois, "caught, so to speak, the
moral physiognomy of the lower animals, unveiling
those links of connection so humbling to our pride,
which exist between them and us. This was a power
in which La Fontein° stood unrivalled until the
present day, when the pencil of Landseer has done
for dumb animals what the pen of La Fontaine had
already achieved. So closely akin is the excellence
displayed by these two great men that we may de-
scribe Landseer as the La Fontaine of painting, and
La Fontaine as the Landseer of poetry. To the brief
sketch which our prescribed space allows us to give
of this lecture, we shall only add that Monsieur
Bourgeois is another proof of how moral courage
and perseverance can triumph over physical diffi-
culties, and he is at the same time an evidence of
the Divine goodness, that makes compensation for
imposed privations. M. Bourgeois is blind, but he is
gifted with a prodigious memory, and delivered
without pause or hesitation a lecture of two hours'
length, replete with information, aided merely by
some notes, taken in what the French call ecriture
en pante, and which he deciphers by the sense of
touch.

The IMPERIAL PRINCE has been made a eergeazt
of the first Regiment of Grenadiers.
BATTERSEA PARK AND CHELSEA HOSPITAL
GROUNDS.—Fhe public money expended in the
purchase and formation of Battersea Park amounts, accord-
ing to a Parliamentary return, to £15,008 93. 3d. This
charge was defrayed from balances of former grants of Par-

liament, and receipts derived from rents, interest on pur-
chase-money, and sates of old materials. Respecting Chel-
sea Hospital grounds, £4,158 of the original Parliamentary
vote of £1,426 4s. has been expended.
THE CASE OF PIRACY BY CONFEDERATES.--A'

the Liverpool Police-office on Satu clay, before Mr
RaffLs, Warren Quincey, alias Wilson, George M'Murdock,
alias Kelly, and John Taverner, alias Clements, the three
men charged with having piratically seized the American
schooner Joseph L. Gerity, in November last, whilst on a
voyage from Matamoras for New York, were again brought
up. The case was first before the court on the 24th
February. Evidence was then gone into, and the case
was remanded, and twice again remanded on two sub-
sequent occasions. Mr. Squarey, as the representative of
the United States Government, asked the magistrates
to put in force the provisions of an act of Parliament
founded on a treaty between this country and the United
States by committing the mat to prison. It would then
become necessary for the American Government to apply
to one of the Secretaries of State that they might he sent
to America. Mr: RAIL2s still thought it a case of piracy,
but in a grave case of that kind, which might be followed
by serious consequences to those men, he did not like the
responsibility of giving a decision without obtaining the
opinion of the highest court of justice. For that reason he
had made up his mind to remand the prisoners, so as to
give thorn an opportunity, if they saw fit, of applying to a
full court in London. He would renand the case for seven
days, and should then adjourn it sine die. That would give
the men an oppor unity of having the opinion of a superior
court, and if it was against them they would be committed.
The prisoners were then put down, the case being remanded
for a week.

THE RECENT ESCAPE FROM THE WAKEFIELD
HOUSE OF CORRECTION.—We recently gave an ac-
count of the escape, on the evening of the 2d of 14.ferch, of
a female convict, named Mary Ellen Renshaw, from the
Wakefield House of Correction. On March 7, Renshaw
was captured at Leeds, and on Friday, at the House of
Correction, Wakeflsld, Mary Ann Abson, late a matron at
the prison, was charged with aiding her in her escape. Mar)
Ellen Renshaw was the first witness. She said that in No
vember she asked Abson about a scarf shawl that had been
taken from the hospital, and said that it was hers, though
it was no:; and Abson said that she had taken it, but she
(Renshaw) was not to say anything about it. After that
Abson brought her bacon, tea, sugar, and cheese, and used
to let her out of the cell at night. The matron suggeStea
an escape to her, and at last she (Renshaw) urged her to
let her out, but Abson said she dared not. Renshaw said
that Abson had done worse things. Ultimately, Abson
promised to let her out; and, on the day of her escape,
Renshaw gave Abson a gold ring, and promised to give
her some money when she got out. Abae' brought her
a crinoline, a silk dress, a plaided scarf shawl, and a pair
of boots and a bonnet, and let her out of the cell, took
her into the matron's room to look at herself in the glass,
and went with her a few yards towards the gate. She
also told her that if the gatekeeper hesitated to let her
out she was to tell him to go down to Mr, Ulyatt's, the
deputy governor. Mr. Shepherd, the governor at the
nrison, said that on February 9 he gave the prisoner, who
was 11;j ht watchwowan, notice to leave on the 4th March,
end hor last relst of they was the 3d March. She wished
to stay as day matrox.7; but he told her she was inefficient
John Hudson, night port,'r, said that about half-past eight
on the night of the 2d instant he allowed a woman who wa,,
wearing a plum coloured dress, bonnet, &c., to pass out
He took her for a visitor. Evideece in corroboration et
Renshaw's statement was given by seeTral persons, and
then, after an address from Mr. Barrett, ev;Se said there
was not corroboration sufficient, the prisoner was committed
fur trial at the Pontefract sessions, but admitted to bail.
HORRID MURDER.-041 Tuesday afternoon a lad,
about 12 years of age; named James Paton, was found lying
on the Stirling and Allots road near Tullibody-bridge,
frightfully wounded and speechless, and next day he ex-
-ired of his injuries, which had clearly been the result of
.
701ence committed upon him. Thomas ilmot,a
L‘yed on the road, was apprehendei on
spuerrsfaocnearrir
an emp
Wednesday evenieg, anti lodged in Alloa prison. charger.'
with the outrage. On being ex7mined before the Sheriff b.,
made a full acknowledgment of gutlt. His statement is
that he was et work on the real, repai.,:ing the footpaoh and
cleaning the run chanael, when the boy camp up leading a
horse by the head, and brought his cart over the p,,:ee which
ho had just finished. Arnot felt so enraged at this tLlt,
without speaking a word, he raised the shovel which was in
his hand, and kuneked the boy down with a blow on the
back from it.' He then With the edge of the shovel struck
him two or three times on the he'ad as he lay, and leaving
him lying on the roadside, gathered up his tools and wen,
home. Arnot says be has no recollection of having seen the
boy before, but adds that he was so enraged at the time that
if the boy had been a giant ho belicites he would have served
him in the same way. The prisoner, who is said to be
eccentric, if not embecile, and who was usually thought an
inoffensive person, told his wife and others all about the
affair when he went home, expressing some remorse of con-
science for the deed. On being apprehended he quoted to
the officers the pro-verb " that those who were born to be
hanged would never be drowned." He is a native of Perth-
shire, and is 56 Years of age, and has three dv.ighters
grown up.

- --.17
os.
‘`-'4•%-.47 , f v .
tin TV* 7 :,,,, Clralbr,
....c-.;
41

HER MAJESTY.

WINDSOR CASTLE, March 21.
The Queen, accompanied by her Royal Highness
Princess Louise, walked and drove in the grounds
this morning.
The Bishop of London had the honour of dinicg
with the Queen, the King of the Belgians, and the
royal family yesterday.