The Sun.
London, England, 1864-11-04 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

Charles Dickens's New Serial Story.

Our Mutual Friend, By Charles Dickens. No. 7.
If " All's Well that Ends Well" may be taken as
something more than a Shaksperian title to a play,
Number Seven of " Our Mutual Friend" may pass
muster with almost the happiest of its predecessors.
Not otherwise. And for this very simple reason, it
may be—that, whereas the closing chapter in the
present instalment brings before us again our well-
beloved Eugene Wrayburn—delightfullest of all
nonchaliant barristers ever conceived by the imagi-
nation of Novelist—brings him before us, moreover,
not as he appeared in Number Six, namely, as the
mere ghost of himself, little better than " a name
and nothing more—brings him before us, in other
words, as Eugene Redivivus, as one of the dearest
and most ridiculous fellows in the world—the two
preceding chapters of this November number of
"Our Mutual Friend" have to do with the very
dreariest and worldliest of the mere hangers on of
the great system of Podsnappery. " Cupid
Prompted" is the heading of one of these chapters.
"Mercury Prompting" is the heading of the other.
Reis the sequel to these—" A Riddle without an
Answer" that ie the charm and jewel of the number—
being descriptive of a scene of a very strange kind,
indeed, a scene, occurring in Eugene's chambers in
the Temple—a sort of duel of looks between
Eugene Wrayburn the Barrister, and Bradley
Headstone the Schoolmaster. The pert voice of
Charley Hexam—who opens out against Eugene
in fierce wrath about his sister—sounds, as it were
with an angry treble, the prelude of the discordant
talk that follows between her two lovers—a discus-
sion
thet closes at last, between the gentleman
and the parvenu, as if in under-tones of sup.
pressed passion. A new character— some-
what of the nature of Sparkler in " Littie
Dorrit"—being, in certain particulars, of the same
genus, though a far meaner exemplar of it—makes
his appearance in the eatlier pages of the number
before us, in the person of Fascination Fledgeby—
friend of the Lammles—suitor for the hand (and
purse) of Miss Podsnap. The contortions to which
that innocent is driven, in her more than ever stre •
nuous endeavour to conceal her elbows, now that
these feeble essays are being made by Young
Fledgeby with a view to his obtaining possession
of her hand (and purse) as aforesaid, would
b 3 inexpressibly amusing were it not that the-
whole intercourse between the constituents of this
Fledgebian, Podsnappish, and Lemmelian quartette
is simply odious. The Lammles especially and pre-
eminently are, in one tolerably plain word, detest•
able. As for Fiedgeby, he seems to be so far a
lusue natur ee that he might be described as a sort of
juvenile hunks—a kind of callow curmudgeon!
Upon the roof of his city offices—offices presided
over by another entirely new character—Rial, the
old Jew clerk of the young Christian usurer—
up aloft there in a strange smoke-dried garden among
the chimney pots—we have a glimpse of Lizzie
Hexam and her attendant sprite, Miss Jenny Wren.
Among all the curling and circling whirls and
eddies of the mysterious current of the narrative—
we cannot yet conjecture, even proximately, the pre•
cise direction towards which the general plot of
"Our Mutual Friend" is tending. The Veneerings,
the Podsnaps, the Lammles—the Fruit-stall Keeper,
the Briefless Barrister, the Doll's Dressmaker—the
foul False Witness born, we might fancy, from
the sludge and ocze of the river side—the National
8 3hoolmaster turned out from ourExperimentalEdu-
cetional System as though he were the latest article
dropped from the whirring wheels and cutters of
the National Lithe the dejected Analytical
Chemist—that poor raw-boned, open-eyed, open-
mouthed social waif 'yclepped Sloppy—each and
all of these now fast multiplying creations of the
genius of the great Realistic Novelist of the Age
we are perfectly well satisfied will prove, in' the
end, to have had the threads of their imaginary
lives inextricably interwoven, the one with the
other, in the network of the highly elaborated plot
of l' Our Mutual Friend." Thouih, how it can pas-

aly turn out to be so—to have ben so, all along

—we cannot, to this moment, as already inti-
mated, even in the remotest degree, conjecture.
Perhaps, in the next number, or the next—the
period, predetermined from the outset by Mr.
D:ckens, may arrive in which the heterogeneous
materials of his plot will reach the instant of—how
shall we express it P—amalgamation, precipitation,
crystallisation ! As yet, unquestionably, that
eagerly looked-for moment has not arrived.

A word, now, at last, we really must venture
upon, in regard to the illustrations of " Oar
Mutual Friend." It would be no exaggeration what.
ever to assert, point blank, that they are worse than
no illustrations at all. The Artist has had hie
opportunity—a priceless opportunity it might be
said, for any young beginner—and he has failed.
He has failed utterly and beyond all man-
ner of doubt. Of the entirely hopeless
character, moreover, of his failure as an illus-
trator of one of the world-welcomed green
monthly eerial tales of Charles Dickens, the
current number of " Our Mutual Friend"
,ffards (if such were needed !) absolutely conclu-
sive attractions. i‘ Forming the Domestic Virtues"
is about the most pretentious attempt at an illus-
tration that Mr Marcus Stone has here ventured
upon. And the result of this attempt is an embel-
lishment looking, for all the world, like the blurred
reflection in a cloudy mirror of a bad drawing. As
for character, for individuality, for the preservation
of anything like identity in the limning of the
same face and features under different sitna-

tions, one looks for them, here—despairingly. The
result altogether is such that we would seriously
acommend the readers of " Our Mutual Friend" to
have the work,when completed, bound up without the
illustrations. Unless, indeed, the publishers can enter
into an arrangement with that once inimitable illus-

trator of Boz, Mr Hablot Knight Browne, other-
wise Phiz, to issue—before the close of "Oar Mutual
Friend" in its serial form as a monthly publication—
a separate series of embellishments to the current
story—embellishments that might, then, be substi-
tuted for these wretched woodcuts from drawings by
Mr. Marcus Stone. Something of this kind, it may
be remembered, was actually done, and very happily
done, moreover, quite as by an after thought, in
the instance of " Dombey and Son "—to which
work Phiz, then, as he had been for years
previously, the illustrator of Boz, contributed,
in a separate form—as a sort of supplemen-
tary publication—a charming collection of ad-
ditional embellishments. Strenuously, therefore,
we would urge upon the Messrs. Chapman and
Hall the advisability
of securing to the pur-
chasers of Oar Mutual Friend " just some such
supplementary series of illustrations from the same
hand. Upon ,this one proviso—that Mr. Hablot
Browns should, in that event, really strive to render
these suggested illustrations worthy of " Phiz" as
he was, worthy of " Bea" as he still is—namely,
when at his best, with his lightest and seemingly
most careless touch, in a single word, just—
inimitable.

VISIT OF THE METROPOLITAN BOARD OF WORKS
TO EDINBURGH.-0a Monday forenoon the Metro.
politan Board of Works, including Mr J. Thwaites, chair-
man; Mr Creasy, his secretary • Mr Freeman, chairman
of the Main Drainage Committee 9 • Mr Bazolgette, chief
engineer to the board, and about 25 members of the board,
paid a visit to the Craigentinny Meadows to inspect the
system of irrigation by town sewage, which has for several
years past been carried on them The members of the
board were accomponied by Mr M'Pherson, superintendent
of streets and buildings. The party first visited Restalrig
Meadows, along with Mr Scott, the tenant, who
explained the system by which the meadows were
rrigated with the sewage that flows down from the
city. The inspection of this
part of the grass-fields con-
cluded, the members of the board were next conducted to
Figgate Whine by Mr Bryce, manager to Mr Miller, the
proprietor of Craigentinny Meadows. The gentlemen com-
posing the party were then shown about 20 acres of ground,
which was originally sand, and worth only about 12s 62
per acre, but which, by the application of the sewage ma-
nure, had at a small outlay been converted into rich and
fertile soil, which had during the last 35 years yielded ren-
tals varying from £2) to £3O an acre. Several members of
the board expressed their satisfaction at this gratifying re-
sult. We understand that the board has at present under
its consideration a proposal to apply the sewage of the north
side of London to about 30,000 acres of sandy ground in
Essex somewhat on the principle pursued at Craigentinny.
—ficotstrian,

LATEST INTELLIGENCE.

(REUTER'S TELEGRAMS.)

JAPAN.
ADMIRALTY, Nov. 4, 1864.

By telegram from Paris we hear that the Straits
of Simono Sak are open, the passage having been
forced by 16 vessels of war after three dayb' fighting.
All the batteries have been destroyed, and sixty
24 and 36-pounder bronze guns have been embarked.
The loss of life has been small, considering the
result, and no officers hays been killed. The Ja.
panese have asked for peace.

CANADA.
QUEBEC, OCT. 22.
The Conference is still in session, and to expedite
the business before it holds two sittings daily.
After four days' debate, the knotty question of
proportionate representation in the Upper House of
the Confederate Legislature has been decided. It
appears to have been decided that Upper and Lower
Car ada,togg ther with the leading maritime provinces'
should have 24 members each, to be appointed by
the Crown. Newfoundland to have a separate re-
presentation of four members-7G in all. The pro-
perty qualification of each is to be £l,OOO. On this
question a serious difficulty occurred, which was
almost insuperable, and has very nearly broken up
the Conference.

The question of representation in the Lower
House now occupies the attention of the delegation.
It is expected that a warm discussion %ill arise
on the question of Federal judiciary.
The opinion prevails that the proposed scheme of
Confederation will shortly be brought before the
various provincial legislatures.
There seems to be a disposition to avoid a direct
appeal to the people, although such a result is far
from unlikely should any formidable opposition be
offered to the terms of the new Constitution.

An offer has been made by the Governments of
Nova Scotia and New Brunswick of an English
company to build 103 miles of railroad connecting
the cities of St. John and Halifax. This would go
far towards completing the Intercolonial Railway,
which will be a necessary adjunct of the Confedera-
tion scheme. New Brunswick is said to guarantee
10,000 dole. per mile, and Nova Scotia 4 per cent.
on her portion of the road.

The Finance Minister has informed the deputa-
tion of brewers that lately waited upon him in
Quebec that he would concede the modification of
the excise law, which they suggested as necessary
to their interests. The objectionable " stock book"
will therefore be no longer required.

Already the contract has been given out for the
rebuilding of the Custom-house, recently destroyed
by fire. P is said that the insurances effected on
the building.will cover the cost of reconstruction.
Three American companies, possessing a capital
of 75,000 dols, have undertaken to work some newly
discovered iron mines in Goulais Bay, Lake Supe-
rior. They are said to be more than ordinarily
valuable, and to be a continuation of the Marguette
vein. Operations will be commenced in spring.
Preparations are being made at Montreal, and the
chief cities of Upper Canada, to do honour to the
delegates from the Lower Provinces.
A party of between 20 and 30 armed men con-
centrated in the town of St. Albans on Wednesday,
and pillaged the banks, during broad daylight.
About 200,000 dole. in notes were taken. Others
took horses and equipments for the whole band,
and after some resistance, in which a few persons
were shot, effected their escape, On Thursday
morning six of the party were arrested by the
Canadian authorities at Stainbridge, Eastern
Counties. One man had 50,000 dols. in his posses-
sion. The banks thus plundered have offered 10,000
dole. reward for the capture of those concerned in
the pillage. Judge Council, the Chief of Police,
with a strong party of men under him, left Mon-
treal on Thursday in pursuit of them.
Upon hearing of the outrage the Governor-
, General telegraphed to General Williams in com-
mand of the forces here to render every assistance
in his power towards capturing the perpetrators of
this daring act. Attorney-General Cartier sent
similar instructions to Judge Coursal. it is ex-
pected that few of the marauders will escape the
vigilance of police and military authorities.
Col. Conolly has been ordered to place himself
and a number of men at the disposal of the police
magistrate. and to render all possible aid in the
capture of the band.
O❑ Friday morning another person was arrested
at St. John's, who is supposed to have 2,000 dole.
lon his person. Four other men were arrested at
Stainbridge on Friday morning, and two at another
place.

POSTSCRIPT.

QUEBEC, Ocr. 22 (Afternoon).

It now appears that the St. Alban raiders are a
party of Confederate soldiers and officers, under
Capt. Young, a daring young man, who plotted and
matured the scheme on the other side of the lines.
Young has been arrested, and arrived in Montreal
last evening. Able counsel is engaged to defend
the prisoners, who, it is very likely, will escape
punishment. It is thought by some that they will
not come within the compass of the Extradition Act,
and that it would be a violation of English law to
hand them over to the Northern authorities. Young
and several of his party were in Montreal a few
days ago. As soon as these circumstances are made
known great public excitement will be created
throughout the province.

THE PEACE NEGOTIATIONS.
BERLIN, Nov. 1.
The following are further details of the con-
tents of the Peace Treaty :
It is quite untrue that the German Powers have
diminished by 500,000 thalers the quota imposed
upon Denmark, as compensation for the sum she
is forced to pay in lieu of the captured ships. It
has been stated that the Duchies would be charged
with the payment of pensions to all employes who
have been dismissed from their posts by the Pro-
visional Government. This statement is incorrect.
Pensions have been assigned only to such func-
tionaries as shall be able to prove their rights
before the Schleswig-Holstein tribunals. All who
have been removed for not having previously
studied two years at Kiel University, or for having
failed in their duties, will not i eceive pensions. The
Danish Government is bound to return to the town
of Flensburg, the Museum of Northern Antiquities,
which has been carried away to Copenhagen.
Such archives and other documents as Danish
functionaries have taken with them beyond the
frontiers of the Duchies are to be restored to the
towns to which they belong. During a certain
period, after the exchange of the ratifications, the
inhabitants of the Duchies who may wish to remove
into the Danish portion of Schleswig, and rice
versa, shall be freed from all exit and entry taxes,
and from all customs duties upon their Effects. The
treaty, lastly, contains a clause, according to which
no inhabitant of the Duchies or Danish Schleswig
is to ba prosecuted for his acts during the war:
Herr von Ablefeld, whom the Duke of Angus-
tenburg sent here upon a mission some time ago.