The Sun.
London, England, 1852-10-15 00:00:00

than of Billingsgate. But—we are allowing our !
emotions to transform what we intended to be a
simple comment into nothing less than an impassioned
eulogium. We must turn to the volume itself and I
gratify the English public by quotations that may
clearly demonstrate the accuracy of our foregoing
observations.

It must be remembered that our historian, in the I
work to.which we are here making especial reference,
is recording events which have recently attracted the
regard of Christendom, and in doing this he pro-
nounces judgment upon the present members, and
particularly upon the present leader, of the French
Republica n Government. He accomplishes this ap-
parently difficult task simply enough—by force of
language. Under the effort his diction proves almost*
wholly inexhaustible. His imagination, moreover
comes to tLe aid of his diction, and he luxuriates in
an astonishing multiplicity and diversity of what
some cavilli era might be absurd enough to designate
the most coarse invectives and the most vulgar per-
sonalities. As in the introductory pages of the
volume, th.cse are for the most part directed against
one personage in particular—the Chief of the
State, the man whom the French democracy
has chose a for its chief magistrate. M. VICTOR
HUGO, in. his capacity as an historian, speaks of
this individual by all sorts of designations. He calls
him an " teunuch" (p. 63). He calls him "an ordi-
nary mum broke loose" (p. 64). He calls him a
" ruffian" (p. 116). He calls him a " miserable
wretch" (p. 117). He talks of his " satanic art" (p.
121). H 3 says to him—precisely in these words—
" you are a liar" (p. 123). He speaks of him as " this
great horn.f.icide" (p. 124), this "felon" (p. 124), and
this " slaughterer" (p. 124). A little further on,
and he in troduces the same personage to us by new
epithets, Bald under rather unpleasant circumstances
—pointing• him out as " this man, this ghastly but-
cher," with " his apron round his waist" and " his
hands in 'smoking bowels." He likens him to the
most incc,zigruous personages both in the realms of
fact and in. the realms of fiction. He informs us that
the head ol the French Government is a " grotesque
FALSTAFF " (p. 145), that he is a "tragical RICHARD
III." (p. 145), that he is a " CiESAR BORGIA" (p.
124), that he is a " CARTOUCHE" (p. 124), that he
is an " abs3rtion of TIBERIUS" (p. 246). Remember !
we are ree aiing history, and that M. VICTOR HUGO
is the hist o rian !

Already' we have seen that the Firs; Magistrate of
the Frem:ll Republic is stated (p. i 2) to be an
" eunuch." He is now no longer an " eunuch"—we
regret the; we must write thus, but we are quoting
the expressions of a great annalist—he Is now no
longer an ."‘ eunuch," he is a woman, he is a " MES-,
SALINA" (0. 190). He is one moment a " groom of
FEANCONI" (p. 229), and at another a " Mandrin
of Lilliput" (p. 220)—though what all that means we
are left, of course, at full liberty to conjecture. Re-
freshed, it 'would seem, rather than exhausted by his
previous tluanderings of epithets, the dignified
and elev. it.ed historian speaks of the Ruler
of one of 'the greatest nations in the world as " this
hog wallo wing in his own slime" (p. 146). Re
calls him a "wretch" (p. 146). He calls him a
" brute" ,(p. 160). He calls him a "noodle" (p,
176). He calls him a " scoundrel" (p. 184). He
tyrms him at one moment a " malefactor" (p. 187),
at another u "wretched creature" (p. 188), at ano-
ther a "traitor" (p. 191), then a "rebel" (p. 191),
then an " ic.repostor" (p. 191). Here he is a " rogue"
(p. 192), 2.nd there he is a " miscreant" (p. 215).
Now he is "hideous" (p. 216), now he is "paltry"
(p. 215), tend now again he is " ridiculous" (p. 216).
Lle;is a " n,octurnal strangler" (p. 215), he is a " pig-
my tyrant"" (do.), he is a "buffoon" (do.), he is a
" grotequ e". (do.). Turn over the page and you
find that h o is a " fellow" (p. 216), and a " knave"
(p. 217), as "brigand" (p. 217), and a " poor little
skeleton" 4(p. 216). Turn over another page, and
you learn flat he is a " rogue" (p. 218), and not only
a " rogue I," but " a pitiful, sneaking scamp"
(p. 218) in,:to the bargain. M. VICTOR HuGo's hair
must be sleek, we conjecture, and his voice snuffling
when he saith (p. 229), that the leader of the French
democracy -is " a man of trick," and ." a man of lies,"
and " a m an of evil"—why not have added, and "a
man of sin,:" with the nasal twang and in the very
words of E. rifgAlM SMOnTri ? Within the same page,
however, e ven within the same paragraph, the sancti-
monious sn cer breaks out into the coarsest fury of
vituperation , where the serene and sedate historian—
through felt ming lips and gnashing teeth—howls out
—There moist be once more driven back " to his
dust, to his. filth, to his oblivion, this gipsy king, this
pickpocket prince, this imperial ruffian" (p. 229).
Remember, again say we, that it is history we are
reading, an Ci that M. VICTOR HuGo is the historian!

If we are to believe our illustrious and incom-
parable an a alist, the supporters of the chief of the
French st sto are " wolves " (p. 235), while the
chief himsclf is—what ?—a " hyena " (p. 217).
If we are to believe him ! But how can we ?
Scarcely Luc ve we heard that the Ruler of France is
a " hyena" (p. 217,) when we are called upon to
credit M. VICTOR HUGO'S assurance, first that he is
an " ar3" (p. 245), and then that he is a "parrot,"
(p. 245). Surely, this is the very menagerie of his-
tories, if it be be net, as we almost fancy the annalist
at one mon wnt insinuates, the scavenger's cart, or the
draggling water. Speaking of the supporters of the
existing Government at Paris, the great annalist re-
marks (p. 2:23) that " they brave the bespattering of
the mud." Can he mean the mud thrown about so
very plentifully by M. VICTOR HUGO in his capacity
es historical scavenger ? Such mud as that, for ex-
ample, throe n Against the Parisian Ministers en mane,
where he ea:Us them (p. 135,) "those civilian bullies
of the consp.irator." Or such mud as that cast against
the French administrators individually in neat little
splashes, als where (p. 76) he calls the cccupan
of the Elyryie "Crime, " and the occupant of the
Luxembourg " Baseness," and the occupant of the
Palais Bow;Lon " Imbecility," and the occupant of
the Palais L)'Orsay " Corruption," and the occupant
of the Palais de Justice " Prevarication." Such mud
as that flun.g at the Government, again collectively,
where he daaignates it (p. 177) "horrible, hypocritical,
and stupid!' Or, still more, such mud, tossed up by
the heels, agninst the Head of the Government, where
it is said (p. 189) that "he is perjury personified;
he is mental reservation incarnate, felony in flesh and
bone ; be is an ambulant false oath, wearing a ge-
neral's hat, and styling himself Monseigneur." Let
us not mistake, however. We are not looking at
mud—we Eote looking at the lofty words of History.
History—which terms the same personage (p. 246)
this masque, this dwarf, this nothing." History—
which calls (p. 246) ROUTIBR " a lackey," and
TROPLONG " a valet," and BAxecun—the annalist's
pEt phrase of opprobrium : what possibly can suggest
it to him so frequently ?—BAROCHE "an eunuch."
But—again and again let us repeat it, for otherwise
we should have it infallibly slipping from our recol-
lection—we, are reading History—History, sedate,
dignified, and impartial. Yes, we are reading
History ! And M. VICTOR HU4IO is the His-
torian

Thanks to the stringent comments of the public
jtoo udrins [lc
hl sa,
rtghee
their
duties magistratesefficiently,
saor e beginning
faras
wilful
end unprovoked assaults are concerned. These mur-
derous on mem-
bersr regarded with
of onslaugpolicehts
force,on privateare n o
longer
individuals
egar
leniency, dismissed with a trifling reprimand, or the
infliction of a small fine, as a playful and venial
ebullition of the animal spirits. The pugnacious gentry
whose custom it is, on the smallest provocation, or no
provocation, to " pitch in" to those who have been so
unfortunate as to incur their displeasure, have re-
ceived a heavy blow and great discouragement. One
of their recognised leaders, one of the prime spirits
of their order, has been for a time removed from
public Iife—JAMES CANNON, the fighting chimney-
sweeper, who had already maimed two policemen and
inflicted injuries that are reported to have occa-
sioned the death of another—has been com-
mitted for trial for a murderous attack on a fourth
victim, another member of the obnoxious force, who,
unfortunately for himself, interfered to obtain medi-
cal assistance for his assailant.

ani was remarkable for a kind-
Poor DWYER had been one of the most efficient
the most essential quali-
fications obtained the respect
ImineemssbeorfsdoifsptohaeitbiaondyLone
of
—with whom he had been
brought into contact. Ills conduct on the unfortunate
ft u aatlilo n
ad
approbation his
soi
occasion also showed an almost unparalleled