The Sun.
London, England, 1864-04-12 00:00:00

LITERATURE,

Adela Cathcart. By George MacDonald, M,A.,
author of "David Elgiubrod," &e. Three Vols.
Hurst and Blackett.
"Adele Cathcart" should, most assuredly, have
been issued at Christmas time, and it would have
taken its place as one of the most delightful Christ-
mas books which have appeared for many years. It
is appropriate to the season of lay and legend on
account of the variety of miscellaneous tales and
songs which are in the course of its pages happily
introduced, and it is more especially adapted to the
season of love and, kindness by reason of the
Christian s
which tae whole
of charity and tenderness by
whole narrative and series of narratives

is. suffused. As Professor Kingsley says of Dr,
Newman, " We like its tone"—it is one which wil
or should find universal favour. Without the name
on the title-page, it is easy to recognise " Adele
Cathcart" as the emanation of a poet's mind, and the
outpouring of a poet's heart. Adele, the heroine of
the main story, is the only child of a widowed
father, and when the story begins, at Christmas time,
she is drooping
appa-
rent cause, and dying away without any
Iliettai or physical. A new doctor is
called
.a, who ultimately effects her cure by the
kency of an elixir not specified in the Pharmacopia.
This doctor and Mr. John Smith, a dear delightful
old bachelor, the narrator of the history,
concoct a plan to win the young lady back from
her life of ideal sorrow to a contemplation of the
stern realities of actual existence, as exemplified in
the lives of her fellow. creatures. To this end a set
of very charitable conspirators meet together, and
narrate tales and recount histories singularly varied
in style and character, but all animated by one high
beneficent purpose. The young lady listens—and,
as her tears fall for the woes of others, already her
own individual burden becomes more light. Among
the group of characters assembled at Purleybridge
we are introduced to some very interesting indivi-
duals. First, and forethost, there is our host, the
father of Adele, the worthy Col. Cathcart, "straight,
broad-shouldered, and tall, with a severe military
expression underlying the genuine hospitality of
his countenance, as if he could not get rid of a sense
of duty even when doing what we liked best."
The good Colonel, who is devoted to his daughter,
is nevertheless anxious to have for his son-in-law
his nephew Percy, who forms one of the Christmas
guests, and who proves to be an empty-headed
coxcomb, who can only think of number one. This
gentleman generally passes the time of the
story-telling asleep on a sofa. His character
is best revealed after church on Christmas day,
when, having declined to accompany the party of
worshippers, he meets them on their return.
" There, in the churchyard, we found Percy, stand-
ing astride of an infant's grave, with his hands in his
trousers.pockets, and an air of condescending satis-
faction on his countenance, which seemed to
say to the dead beneath him—, Pray don't apolo-
gise. I know you are disagreeable, but you can't
help it, you know,' and to the living coming out
of Church—' Well, have you had your little whim
out ?' ' Percy owns that he does not like Sunday.
His mother, he tells us, had produced this effect by
an over-strictness and a too-constantly enforced
atendance at Church. " But the worst of it is,"
confesses the delinquent, "I can't
of my head that I ought to there even
get it out
be
when I'm driving tandem to Richmond." Mr.
Smith, who narrates to us the whole story, is,
he himself says, a Nobody,
full of sympathy
in all the joys and sorrows of all around
him, and hence himself a most loveable
and welcome companion. The curate and his wife,
and the doctor above mentioned, ere interesting
studies in their different ways, but the old school-
master and his wife are to our mind the most
attractive persons in the motley group, and the
stories related by them surpass all the rest in ten-
swoisthimiptslypaatnhdeticnaptinetrualrie;of
dtheseodriebaatdh,owf
ten-
derness and truthfulness. The schoolmaster's story,
appeal to
the heart OT every mother who may read it. " The
will
alllittle baby,
Brokeu Swords" is a very animated and interesting
narrative. The young soldier, who has one sword
broken in disgrace, more than retrieves his honour
and the second sword is broken as be gallantly falls
standing alone in the post of danger. So various
are the histories introduced that we cannot be sur-
prised that there are some among the number not
quite to our taste. Of these are,
strange to say,
the contributions of Mr. Smith, who, practical man
as he is, tells us the story of a " Light Prin-
cese," who has been deprived by
a wicked fairy of
her gravity, or power of gravitation, which is
humorous in the extreme, but this story and the
" giant's heart" are certainly
more adapted to the
chiloren's library. Were the book, however, as we
have eaid, a Christmas book (and
it is well worthy of
appearing as such in a second edition next et inter)
then eventhmeoseral, however,fantasticva in
would be in season.
Thor©
the most apparently
is a charmingo r
frivolous. Among the more attractive contributions
n oeintocryhroifs:miUss Day,cle Peter"—Uncle Peter
and who in conse-
quence regarded every succeeding Christmas es a new
n
who
was b
excuse fcr acts of generous kindness. We heartily
agree with Colonel Cathcart who, when it is ob.
jected that Uncle Peter is not natural, exclaimed,
" Chen he ought to be ! and it is all the more reason
for putting him into a story if he is not to bo found
in the world." Mrs. Bloomfield tells a sweet little
tale of how a lady learned a lesson—the lesson—
from an idiot boy, who gratefully trusted every-
thing to the bountiful care of Blessed Father."
Some fragments of Mr. Armstrong's discourses we
would willingly quote as specimens at once of the
beautiful style and tender teaching that abounds in
these three volumes, but isolated passages would do
injustice to the book, which is better read as a whole,
and fir which many a thoughtful reader will feel a
new debt of gratitude to the author of "David
Elginbrod."

THE COMPOSER OF THE NATIONAL ANTHEM :
WAS IT Dn. JOHN BULL?—` The name," said Mre.
Nickleby the beloved, "began with B and ended with G.
Perhaps it was Waters." A worse motto than this, for the
use of those who love whimsy, might be found to stand at
the head of the controversies concerning. the parentage of
our noble National Hymn. The last speculation put forth
concerning it, with the usual charming assurance and so-
quiintance with facts of our Allies, in one of their journals,
is this, that Haydn (I) pilfered the tune from Lulli, and
presented it to England.—Athanevunt.

LATEST INTELLIGENCE.

LREITTER'S TELEGRAMS.]

THE FRENCH BUDGET.

PARIS APRIL 12, 11.7 a.m:

The Budget stipulates that the stamp duty,
levied in accordance with the law of the 13th
May, 1863, on rentes, loans, and public securities
of foreign Governments shall be raised from 50
centimes to 1 franc. This measure is to take
effect from the Ist July, 1861.

THE BOMBARDMENT OF DUFFEL.
COPENHAGEN, APRIL 11, 1.55 e.m.
A violent fire was uninterruptedly kept up by the
enemy uniil 7 p.m. yesterday.
Twenty of our men were wounded.
The windmill on Duppel hill has been burnt
down.

FLENSBURG, APRIL 12.

A rescript of the Civil Commissioners prohibits
all public officers in Schleswig, under penalty of
immediate dismissal, from affixing their signatures
to any resolutions or addresses having reference to
the London Conference.

THE WEST INDIA AND PACIFIC MAILS.
SOUTHAMPTON, APRIL 12.

The Royal Mail steamship Seine, with the above
mails,has arrived here. She brings 150 passengers,
2,661,695 dots. in specie, and 821 packages, and a
general cargo. She left St. Thomas's on the 29th
ult., and experienced fine weather throughout the
passage.

Diplomatic negocia'ions between Chile and
Bolivia had been broken off. The quarrel is prin-
cipally the Mejillones Islands end their deposits of
guano. Peru and the Minister of the United States
had offered their intervention.

Eleetioneering was progressing. It was amid
pated that the results would be favourable to the
liberals.

A disastrous fire bad occurred in Valparaiso, and
•property to the value cf 400,000 dole. had been
destroyed. The fire originated in the best part of
the city. Messrs. Huth, Gruning, and Co., and
Messrs. Green, Nicholson, and Co., English firms,
have been completely burnt out.
A better tone prevai;ed in general business.
Considerable sales had been made. Foreign arrivals
were numerous. Home charters had declined.

Her MNjesty's corvette Alert left Valparaiso on
,he 20th ult. for Vancouver's Island.

At Valparaiso exchange was quoted 44d. to 44d.
Bar silver, per mare, fine, 10 dole. 75 c.
The general news from Peru is unimportant.

A measure had emanated from the Government to
put down gambling houses, and punish gamblers.

The experiments made in Guatemala for growing
cotton had been successful.
In Honduras General Jose Maria Medina had
been elected President, and General Florencio
Xatruch Vice-Present. Alvarez, the opposition can-
didate, had left the country, and taken refuge in
the island of Roatan.

The constituent Assembly in Salvador was hold-
ing session. Several laws had bean passed, and a
commission appointed for reforming the constitution.
In Nicaragua President Martinz had tendered his
resignation, which the Congress had declined to
accept.

The cotton crop was better than had been ex-
pected. It was calculated that it would amount to
20,000 quintals. Extensive preparations were
making for the next crop. Large tracts of land
bad been cleared for cultivation.

Trade was reported dull at Greytown. The new
channel to the harbour wes completely closed up,

BOMBAY AND MAURMITS MAILS,

SOUTHAMPTON, APRIL 12.

The Peninsular and Oriental Company's steamer
Syria, with the above mails, has arrived here. She
brings 118 passengers, a general cargo, and £l2O
in specie.

She left Gibraltar on the 7th inst., and on the
Bth spoke the steamer Ceylon.
Gibraltar exchange on London, 20 days, 50k; on
Paris, 5.30; Marseilles, 5.31. Freights unchanged.

The weather was fine at Jamaica. The cotton
cultivation was engaging attention, and being ex-
tended. The sugar crop was backward. Coffee
was scarce, and prices advancing. Freights were
plentiful for Europe. Exchange, 90 days, half per
cent.

At Demerara the weather was fine, and the
estates were busy. Produce was arriving freely at
the market. Freights unchanged. Exchange, 90
days,:47o dollars.
Barbadoes was suffering from want of rain.
Sugar reaping, and the general yield was unsatis.
factory. The young canes were healthy. Trade
dull. Exchange, 4871 dollars.
From St. Domingo nothing important. The
insurgents were said to be disheartened.

AUSTRIA,

VIENNA, April 9.

At 5 o'clock yesterday afternoon the Emperor
left this city for Trieste. His Majesty was accom-
panied by his yoengest brother (the Archduke
Louis Victor), the Archduke Leopold, the Ministers
Count Rechberg and M. von Schmerling, Count
Crenneville (the First Adjutant-General), Count
Koefstein (the Lord Marshal), M. von Carolyi (the
Hungarian Vice-Chancellor), M. von Mazuranic
(the Croatian Chancellor), and Baron Geringer, the
representative of Count Nadasdy, the Chancellor
of the Grand Principality of Transylvania. The
Abend Post (a supplement to the official Wiener
Zeitung) tells us that the Emperor has gone to
Trieste, " to affix his signature to a Staats Acte
(Public Act), which the acceptance of the Imperial
Crown of Mexico by his Imperial Highness the
Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian has rendered ne
cessary." When his Majesty left he said he
expected to be in Vienna again early in the morning
of Sunday (to-morrow), but he will hardly be able
to get back so soon, as it has been snowing heavily
for the last four and twenty hours.
It is understood that his Imperial Highness will
retain his title of Archduke of Austria, and his ap-
panage of 120,000f1, (X12;000) a year. The Em-
peror has allowed his brother to levy 6,000 men here.
The Austro-Mexican Legion will consist of three
battalions of the Line, one regiment of Lancer, one
regiment of Hussars, two batteries of eight guns
each, one company of Engineers, and one company
of Pioneers. Officers and men are to be engaged
for six years, and at the expiration of that time
the former will be allowed to re-enter the Austrian
army, and to have the rank they held when they
left it. The bounty money offered is 25f1. for the
common soldiers aid 501 for the non-commissioned
officers. Many cfficers have already effered their
services to the Archduke, and some of them are
men of rank and standing. For the last few weeks
an artist has been employed at Miramar in making
drawings for the liveries and other household
necessaries of the future Emperor of Mexico.

Information has been received from Bucharest
that 400 Austrian and Italian refugees are collected
on the frontier of Transylvania, and are waiting for
an opportunity of getting unobserved into that pro
vince. The men of action in Moldavia are said to
be in direct communication with persons in the
Szekler districts ; but I doubt the correctness of the
statement, as people here are much in Vie habit of
making mountains of molehills. As eilc regiments are
posted on the frontiers of Transylvania, the Austrian
Government has little, or no cause to fear that 400
men, who have not a single leader of note, will

attempt to enter that province. 15,000 men Are on
their way from Salzburg to the Southern Tyrol, and
several battalions are now marching from Hungary
to Venetia. Men in office still think that there will
be a revolutionary outbreak in the above-mentioned
province before the year is at an end ; but persons
of my acquaintance, who are in correspondence
with the inhabitants of some of the principal Italian
cities, say the prevalent opinion is, that the moment
is inopportune. The Dalmatian Diet has been dis-
solved " bete use no benefit to the province is to be
expected from it." The general Synods of the
Lutherans and Calvirists in Austria have at length
been convoked for May 22, 1862, and their sittings
will be held in this city.
Schubert, the renowned composer, died here on
the 19th November, 1828, and his property, which
consisted of wearing apparel and notes, was valued
at 631 Toe expenses for his funeral, which were
defrayed by his relatives and friends, were 84.351
The sum of 17,0001 has now been subscribed here
by the admirers of Schubert's conipceitions, and
the money will be employed in the construction of
a monument to the memory of a man of whom the
Austrians are very proud, As is but too often the
case, the merits of the originator of the musical
composition known as the German " Lied" were not
properly appreciated until he was dead and gone.
Schubert was 32 years of age when he died.