The Sun.
London, England, 1837-11-30 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

at a short distance from its surface. Hence the idea that the
healthines. of the air, at different times, and in different places,
depends upon the relative quantity of oxygen gas, has been
exploded. Eren in the miasmata of marshes, arid the effluvia
of infected places, there is no deficiency of oxygen, so that
their noxious qualities must be owing to some p inciple of toe
subtle a nature to be detected by chem'cal in a a. Nay, more,
in the infectious atmosphere of an hospital, the odour of which'
was almost intolerable, Seguin could not discover any appre-
ciable deficiency of oxygen, or detect any other peculiarity of
composition. Perhaps some of our readers may not be aware
how very small a proportion of any foreign ingredient can b:
detected ; if so, the following experiments will satisfy them
upon this point :—A single grain of iron, dissolved in nitro-
hydrochloric acid, commonly called aqua regia,-- and mixed
with three 3,137 pints of water, will be .diffusgdArouglohe
whole mass; by means of the ferro-cyanuret of cp,ota,‘*4)::
which strikes a uniform blue tint, some portion of iron may be
detected in every part of the liquid. This experiment proves
the grain of iron to hare been divided into ratlizr more than
twenty-four millions of parts ; and if the same portion of iron
were still further diluted, its diffusion through the whole liquid
might be proved by concentrating any portion of it by evapo-
ration, and detecting the metal by its appropriate tests. Agai.:,
starch is so delicate a test of the presence of iodine, that, ac-
cording to Stromeyer, a liquid containing 1-450,000 th of its
weight of iodine, receives a blue tinge from a solution of
starch. These facts are mentioned to show how very greatly
diluted those poisons must be which the air is supposed to
hold in solution, when they thus baths the endeavours of the
most scientific chemists to detect them. And we can scarcely
be so credulous as to conceive, that existing, as they must (if,
indeed, they exist at all except in imagination), in a state so
diluted, and consequently so very widely diffused, they could
he capable of producing the powerful, and, in many instances.
the sudden eff2ets whic have been ascribed to them. We
have, therefore, Perhaps, sufficient grounds to justify us in re-
jecting the notion of a poisoned atmosphere' being the cause
of epidemics, as unphilosophical, inasmuch as it is devoid of
even the shadow .of proof "

THE NEW STATISTICAL ACCOUNT OF
SCOTLAND. No. XVI.
Rdinbvrgh, Blackwood and Sons, 1837.

This part contains a map of Ayrshire, with a sta-
tistical, historical, and topographical account of the
pariJtes of Ayr, Newton-upon-Ayr, Ochiltree, St.
Quivox, Sorn, Muirkirk, IVlauchline, Monkfon, and
Prestwick ; Galstian, Ardrossan, Dalty, West Ku-
bride, Dalrymple, and Dunlop, by the Clergymen of
these districts. As we have repeatedly stated, this
work does honour to the abilities and the industry of
the Clergymen of the Church of Scotland; and, when
completed, will deservedly take precedence of every
other work of the kind ever published.

THE QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF AGRICUL-

TUBE. No. XXXIX.
Blackwood and Sons, Edinburgh.

This is a publication which the intelligent agricul-
turist should no more think of wanting ,than he would
of tilling his fields without a plough. Every Num-_
ber is sure to contain some two or more articles of
more value to a farmer than its entire cost. In the
present we find, among the subjects of general inte-
rest, an article on the kinds of food best for. fattening
cattle; another on the diseases incident to cultivated
plants; a third on the manufacture of cider; a fourth
on railways ; and a fifth on the propagation of apple
trees. The names 'of the writers are prefixed to their
respective articles, which adds to the weight of tl.e
statements therein contained.

HEATH'S BOOK OF BEAUTY
Longman, London, 1837.
The title of this Annual is no misnomer, for it is
n every respect a " Book of Beauty," containing
s(ne of the loveliest female portraits we have ever
S,eeti, engraved in the first style of art ; and several
'etches in prose and verse, which, to quote Cole- •
lidges description of his Christabel, are " beautiful
exceedingly." The Countess of Blessington is the
!clitor--and who so every way qualified to superintend
1 light, graceful volume of this description ? We will
not compare it with other Annuals, for " comparisons"
---43 Mrs. Malaprop justly and 'eloquently remarks— -
sare odorous," and in truth, the " Book of Beauty" is
_l
Work sui generis. The portrait of the Countess of
elleaterfield, which forms the frontispiece, is that of a
angularly lovely young woman, whose beauty how-
-1 ver, is less the result of any symmetrical regu-
arity of feature, than of the sweet, modest, and
gentle expression of her countenance. This en-
graving is skilfully executed by Robinson, whose
,
`'isposition of the long, auburn tresses,
has infinite spirit and freedom. The portrait of
Mrs. Woombwell is another highly-finished specimen
of art. The features are cast in the
.purest classic
ould ; but there is a shade- of pensiveness, amount-
ing almost to melancholy, in the expression of the
countenance, that reminds us of an admirable French
1';7444 we once saw of Madame de Stael's Corinne.
tho,e next picture is that of Miss Lethbridge. This,
only in outline, is the gem of the Number.
The igh face is truly English ; but never have we gazed
on
a more truly beautiful one. There is an anima-
."---a soul—in the large, full eye ;an intellect in the
high and expanded forehead ; a delicacy and sensibility
;about the mouth, which we have rarely seen combined
In the same face. Were chivalry still extant among
Miss Lethbridge would have knights without
!lumber in her train. At the famous tournaments of.
the Field of the Cloth of Gold, " her bright eyes"
would have rained influence, and adjudged the
Prize." The verses in illustration, of this portrait are
from the pen of Mr. Grantley Berkeley. We cannot
say they are worthy of the subject. They are
tame and monotonous ; clogged with unmeaning ex-
pletives ; and such trite, school-boy, common-places as
the " Lord of light," the " effulgence of the ruby
t`ies," and so forth. " Dolorida," as the name Mr-
Ports, is the picture of a girl whose face, though
Pretty, is of far too dolorous a character to be gene-
attractive. On (coking, however, to the poem in
illustration of this engraving, we find abundant cause
f
bolorida's grief ; for she is a young and fund wife,
'emu, sitting up till long past midnight, fur a hus-
b
and, who, had he the slightest taste-or feeling, should
have been hours since locked in the " heaven of her ;
embraces." There is a touching scene in one of
r leldilig's latest novels, on this very subject, where
lie; describes Amelia waiting till near day-break, alone
her scant, unfurnished room, for the arrival of her
1811 and Captain Booth, a prey to a thousand vague
alarms and jealousies. " The Butterfly" is repre-
euted by two rosy, pretty little children, who are
ne°king, with eyes sparkling with wonder and .eager-
, at a butterfly, which is resting on the boy's arm.
, Rhoda" is an arch, laughing young female—the very
personification of innocence and gaiety. Of the va-
-1.1"(Ins prose and vet-win illustration of these several
, ngravings, the best arc the tales from the pens of
fir'
linlwer and Barry Cornwall. The Countess of
.-sington also contributes several very elegant
sonnets. •
EL --N

FINE ARTS.

SAUNDERS' POR7'RAITS OF LIVING RE.

-
FORMERS. PART. 2.
Saunders, London, 1837.
The present part of this elegant and useful work
contains three portraits, one of Lord Melbourne, the
second of Mr. Leader, and the third of Mr. Grote.
They are all good likenesses., and engraved in the first
style of art ; but that of Lord Melbourne is the most
spirited and faithful portrait of his Lordship we have
yet seen. We should not omit to mention that the
memoirs which are attached to each engraving are very
gracefully and impartially penned, in a style far supe-
rior to the general average, of such productions.

AJiCTRICITY : ITS NATURE, OPERATIOIN
61,1
IMPORTANCE IN THE PHENOMENA
TIIE UNIVERSE.
BY wilerineeD,
aI,CRETARI" TO THLE'LOLO If ELECTRICAL SOCIETY.
London, Long Ain and Co. 1837.
This is a very able work ; and, judging from the
4 o tit)" of some of the opinions advanced by the
:til°r, one likely to attract more than an ordinary
e
f tree of attention. To the general reader the title is
ar
inviting ; but there arc few so ignorant of the
subjects of which it treats as not to be able to
eriv
e from it much valuable infort' +on. Among
aftie author',
•of most startling theories is T.- 'on-existence
tv
Pestilence by contagion—which, if established,
;tila put an end to all quarantine laws: The follow-
ho cxttact embraces his opinions upon this important
It
ma
,y y fairly be questioned whether there be a subject
and eted with medicine upon which opinions are so various
pt,itos° aumercus as upon that of epidemics. We read of subtle
4risirnf, field in solution by the atmosphere ; of noxious effluvia,
substiats from marshes, or from decaying animal and vegetable
heer,r'ces ; but these supposed poisonous particles havy never
katt detected by our most able chemists. Even admitt.ing that
afte:", undeigoing decomposition, may, in the first instance,
the an individual, it remains to be explained in what manner
ti)r°P'gction of the di-ease from one individual to another,
414 a , number of others can he effected. Whatever disagiee-.
'Pinion, however, may exist as to the specific cause of
the idea that it exists in the atmosphere is generally
that I'ned• Now, it is material that we should bear in mind
;4141•4C composition of the air is not only constant in the
'ol;e,sl)l4ce, but in all re,,ions, and in every latitude. Whether
rted at-the summit 6of Mont Blanc, or Chimborazo, or in
iq 0: west valleys its elements arc invariably the same, and
tlate relative proportion. Berthella has examined the
Pi ay 17-gypt, and lie found it to be similar to that of France.
esan."ll"ae brought air from an altitude of 21,735 feet above
and found its composition the same as that collected

THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 1837.

THE ARCHBISHOP OF COLOGNE.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE MORNING CHRONICLE.
16, Pal mall, Nov. 28, 1837.
Silt—l read with the deepest regret the following paragraph
in your paper' of yesterday. It was one of your leading
articles .

." The conduct of the Catholic Archbishop of Cologne
(o,oste) has occasioned some trouble in that city and pi o-
since. He refused to ble=s or ssnction marr;agcs betuern
Protestants and Catholics unless the children were to te edu-
.

cated in the latter persuasion. Th's being contrary to the
principles of the Prussian Government, they urged the Arch-
bishop to resign: He refused, and a body of Prussian troops,
having surrounded the Palace, took the prelate into custody,
and carried him off to Magdeburg for committing a brelch of
'the public peace. It is a melancholy duty to be obliged to
employ troops to enforce tolerance ; but it is a sacred duty,
when legally and constitutionally applied."
lam quite sure that you %%ill me detest invle.anee of
every deseription---that ynu detest it equally whether a:‘plied
by a CathoPe State or Ihince to a Protestant, or by a Pro-
testant State or Prince to a Catholic. I may be permitted to.
_

hate the former, namely, the persecution cf Protestants by a
Catholic State, more than the latter, simply because such a
crime serves to tarnish the r,•ligion which I prefer and
cherish. lam certain, also, that Ido you no more than ju:.•-
tice when I attribute to you detestatim of Protestant p-rsecu-
lin of Catholics.

In this conviction I procce.l t) put you in possession of
the facts:—

The venerable. Archbishop of Cologne, Monseigneur Droste
de Vischring, has not been guilty of any breach of the peace.
or of any force, violence, or turbulence ; on the contrary, the
force and violence have been used towards him. lie has

been dragged from his home and his flock by ruffian military
power, and is now probably perishing in the dungeons of
Magdeburg. His only crime was a consi•ientious refusal to
administer the sacrament of matrimony in cases arid under cir-
cumstances in which his sense of duty told him that he ought
not to administer it. In that lam convincel he was perfectly
right, and I have no doubt that you and every other
"tened Protestant will agree with m when you are acquainted
with the real merits or the caw. It would, indeed, have be-

trayed his scared and awful trust if he had acted otherwise

than as he ha 3 done.

If you can procure a book published at Augsburg in 1835
the German name of which signifies, " Materials for the Ec-
clesiastical History of Germany in the Nineteenth Century "*
—you will perceive that the King of Prussia had carried oa,
even to that time, a most emaciating, heart'ess, and treache-
rous persf,,cution of his Catholic subjects. If you cannot'pro-
cure that book, let mu refer you to an article on the subject
which you will find in the third Number of The Dublin Re-
view, published in December, 1836. The arti..le ai;l be
found at page 168, and is entitled " Persecution of Catholics
in Prussia."

The difficulty of bringin7 before the tribunal of public opi
nion the tyrannical acts of the King of Pru,sia is exceedingly
great, because the press is thoroughly and entirely enslaved in
his territories. Even when a book is published in any neigh-
bouring state, '(riving a true account of 11:s conduct, he pro-
cures the work to be suppressed. The book I have above
mentioned was published in Bavaria; but when the conten's
became known to the minions of the Prussian King. be inter-
fered hith the Bavarian Government, and procured the sup-
pression and destruction of all the copies
.which rema'ned un-
sold, and an edict forbidding the publication of another edi.ion.
Thus the exposure to universal execration of the breaches of
public faith and of the violation of religious liberty by the
Prussian Government, are protectel by being concealed, and
the victims of a most galling, virulen', and continued persecu-
tioi, are deprived of public sympathy and succour.
The Rhenish provinces were Catholic when ceded to Pats-
sia ; and they were ceded under the most sacred pledges
of preserving the Catholic religion in !ts full integrity.
Alas, sir! these pledges have been violated without remorse
and without shame, and this violation has been t.ffeetuated and
the royal honour has been forfeited by a system of chicanery
and fraud which would excite contempt for its meann..,s3 if
its wickedness, and the 'extent of its inflictions, did not
render it deserving of a louder and stronger tone of exe-
cration.

Let me, however, bring you to the m ire immediat- sub-
ject of this letter, the persecution of the Archbishop of
Cologne.
The subject matter and cause of that persecution were the
marriages called " mixed marriages;" that is, marriages be-
tween a Catholic and a Protestant; and the education of
the children of such marriages.
It seems sufficiently clear that this is a subject with
which the law ought not to interfere. It should be left, as
it is left in these countries, to the contracts or agreements,
or to the religious opinions or scruples, of the parties them-
selves.

But in Prussia it was deemed otherwise, and in mixed mar-
riages the contracts or agreements of the parties as to the
bringing up of their children were declared void, and the law
directed that the boys, until the age of fourteen, should be
brought up in the religion of the father, and the girls, until
the same ag,., in that of the mother.
This was a vexatious and meddling law • but it had this
much of justice in it, that it was equal, and bore with the
same weight and severity on all parties.
The Prussians, however, were but a short time in po3session
of the Catholic provinces when they altered this law, and in-
stead of it made another, namely, a law declating that all
children born in wedlock should be brought up in the religion
of the father. The object of this law was obvious. Almost
all the offices of state in the Catholic provinces were filled by
Protestants ; the " mixed marriages" were nearly all betwe .n
Prote-4ant men and Catholic women. The law was founded
ol that fact.

Yet even this Jaw did nit suffice. It had been followed
and superseded by another law, which in all " mixed mar-
riages"—that is, when either parent is a Protestant—peremp-
torily prohibits the bringing up any child as a Catholic, al-
though either or both parents should d,si.e it I
The Catholic clergy very properly refused to celebrate
mired marriages" under such conditions. They left such
parties to be =lied as Protestants, and simply dezlined
interfering. They could not countenance so glaring a viola.
tion of the conscience of,Catholics, and therefore they left
such marriages to the Protestant. clergy, who, of course
could have no difficulty in maming the parties, as all the
children were to be Protestants.

Now, Sir, I submit to you whether the Archbishop was
not perfectly justified in such refusal? Suppose in this
country a Protestant Archbishop or Bishop was called upon
to celebrate a marriage of parties who were bound by law,
in despite of the one of them • who was a Protestant, to
bring up all their children Catholics, is there one Protestant
Bishop living who would not decline to celebrate such a
marriage, and would not leave the parties to look elsewhere
for the marriage ceremony? I am convinced there is
not one.

Again, suppose the Archbishop WAS wrong in poilt of re-
ligious opinion —yet his was a conscientious acruple, and
ought to have been respected—the very odious and execrable
principle of persecution is the making one man the ju,lge of
another man's religious scruple s ; ald without the aid of that
principle you cannot censure the Archbishop.

- To work out the decree prohibiting the bringing up any o
the children of a mixed marriage as Catholics, the Archbishop
and his Clergy wen,: calle] on with the severest menaces to
subscribe a convention or declaration, consisting of four arti-
cles. I send you two of them, the second and third :
" Art. 2. In the examination of parties presenting them-
selves for marriage the pastor must not interogate about the
religion of the future offspring, and the nuptial bent,diction
must be conferred indifferently on all such mixed marriages.
" Art. 3. In the sacramental confi'ssion the priest is prohi-
bited from obliging the Cathol.c to rear the children in his or
her religi3n, and must not refine absulutioA by their not com-
plying with such conditions."
Now, sir, it is utterly impossible that any Catholic clergy-
man could conscientiously sign these articles. • It is equally
clear that the Government could.not require such signature
without directly outra;ing the religious doctrines and disci-
pline of its Catholic subjects.
The Archbishop refused to comply. All he did—the only
" breach cf the peace," as you call it, he was guilty of—was
to refuse to comply. He refused meekly but firmly, Ile was
immediately threatened with the vengeance of time Government.
He was told he should be " destituted." His reply was- that
lie was ready at once and without a murmur to give up the
Archiepiscopal palace, and to relinquish the gosornment sti-
pew! of 1,200 thalers a year. . All he desired was to be al-
lowed to live in a private house of the humblest kind. " I li,ve
no money," said he, "and must live in paverty and upon the
charity of the faithful. As to my worldly good-, I can easily
remove them; they consist of one other robe worse than that
which I wear."
lie was not allowel to retire into privacy. He was not al-
lowed to dwell amidst the flock whic% he cherished, and who
loved and revered him. His habitation was surrounded by a
troop of horse, and as fast as they could gallop he was hur-
ried out of the city of Cologne, and carried off to Magdeburg,
there- to await whatever fate his tyrannic matter may Impose.
tam quite sure that when you compare the real state of
the facts with your comments, you will agree pith me that
time Archbishop is blameless, and that the brand of intolerance
of the most cruel nature is justly to be affixed upon his op-
pressors.
The Catholic Church has always discouraged " mixed
marriages." It wisely considers that sectarian animosities form
a bad ingredient for domestic tranquillity and happiness. It
naturally desires that the children of a Catholic parent
should be educated as Catholics. The Protestant Church as
naturally desires that the children of a Protestant parent
should be educated as Protestants. Between both the law
cujht to be neutral. There is no justice—no fair play—except
in that neutraLty. The Prussian Government, however, be-
comes the partisan of the one party, and precludes all amicable
arrangement by preventing any agreement or compromise,
and by positively prohibiting the bringing up of any of the
children as Catholics ; and when the Catholic Bishop lefuses
to aanction marriages of this deser;ption, the army is called
out, RS you say, '• to en/'urge tolerance."
I trust that public opinion in England w:11 be rou od on this
subject. I think there ought to he a meeting of the friowls of
religious liberty, of all denominations of Christians, to offer
a t ken of sympathy with the suffe.ings of the venerable Arch-
bilop, and of execration of the inty and meddling, but, at
the same time, virulent and persecutug spirit of mhe Prussian
sUljects; in violaticn of bib soltITI
ttng4gMe, P 4, anduf"tlie rights'qt; ponSci,nce.
lsll4ll be my fault, unless such .arnecov shall tat a
I have the honour to be your humble servia t,
DANIEL O'CONNI
tr " Buitrage zur Kirchengeschichte des Neunzelin'
place.
rhunderts in Deutschland."