The Sun.
London, England, 1863-01-06 00:00:00

LATEST INTELLIGENCE.

AMERICA.

NEW YORK, DEC. 26.

The President has not signed the Bill for the
admission of Western Virginia as a separate State.
The Conservative party is using all its pressure to
induce him to veto it.

The Republicans insist that the President must
and will adhere to his emancipation policy, and
that he will issue a new proclamation in that sense
on the Ist of January.
The Democratic party asserts, on the contrary,
that he will take further time to consider.
The position of the Federal armies in the South-
West is exciting apprehension.
The Confederates have re-captured the town of
Holly Spring, and destroyed 200 waggons, cotton,
commissary stores, ammunition, &c., valued at
500,000 dole., and burned Union City.
The Federals state their loss at Holly Spring at
200 killed and wounded, and 150 taken prisoners.
In a raid upon Memphis, the Confederates carried
off 100 cattle and 180 mines.

A force of 7,000 Confederates is reported to be
advancing upon Columbus, their original stronghold
on the Mississippi.
It is supposed that the Confederates will make an
effort to crush the army of General Rosecranz at
Nashvillc, Tennessee, and recover that place, and
defeat General Grant's campaign against Jackson
and Vicksburg, Mississippi.
General Grant is already so situated that he can-
not send an order 20 mike in any direction from his
own camp.

No change has occurred in the position of affairs
on the Rappahannock.
General Foster's army has returned to Newbern.
The results of its four victories, in which it sus-
tained heavy losses, has been the destruction of a
portion of the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad
and telegraph, and of a large amount of private
property.

Intelligence from Key West states that more
than 50 large vessels of the Banks' expedition
had been seen passing into the Gulf.

A large steamer, with a full freight of supplies
for the Confederate Government, is reported by the
Richmond papers to have entered Charleston, South

LITERATURE.

Colburn's New Monthly.

"The Shadow of Ashlydyat is continued at
some length. The present instalment is a very sad
one. First we meet with Maria gradually learning
the awful truth concerning the state of affairs.
Then Thomas Godolphin is represented " bearing
the brunt" of the evil. His iniquitous brother
has absconded, leaving those whom he has ruined
to meet the evil as they best may. The authoress
comes out powerfully in her delineation of these
scenes, truly depicting the misery occasioned to the
innocent by the designing schemes of the guilty.
" It is rather with what may be called the domestic
phase of these tragedies that I would deal; the
private home details, the awful wreck of peace, of
happiness caused there. The world knows enough
(rather too much sometimes) of the private part
of these affairs; but what does it know of the part
behind the curtain?—the, if it may be so said, the
inner aspect ?" High as is the authoress's reputa-
tion, this story will enhance it most considerably,
from its lifelike details and vivid illustration of cha-
racter. "Damon and Pythias," is a peculiar sketch
translated from the Danish, about a man who pos-
sessed a mania for securing a friend, and in his
absurd ideas and morbid notions made of such ac-
quisitions a curse instead of a blessing. " About
a Sensation" is a well written paper, which
justly satirises the mania of the day in the
rage for excitement, and concludes with the
wise advice to the young not to attempt to cut
a figure unless they are well assured of their com-
petency to succeed. Then they must persevere,
otherwise they had better confine themselves to a
humble walk of life, and "travelling onwards, doing
a little good here, and a little there, and nothing
great any where, come at last in a very peaceful
mind to a very peaceful home." " Ruined Abbeys
and Castles of Great Britain" is a brief summary
of the Howitts' interesting book, some of the chief
points of which are discussed. " Granville de
Vigne" is continued, and the details of this part are
very exciting in their nature. The wretched wife
of Sahretasche is dying, and the curtain falls on
general gloom. " The Prussian Opposition" is
an elaborate article, which seeks to convey a right
understanding of the important events now taking
place in that country. It states that " the Prussian
King and Prussian Chambers are disputing upon a
matter of money, much like Charles the First and
Hampden, and it is quite certain that we have as
yet only seen the beginning of the struggle."
" Umbria and the Marches" discusses Mr. T. A.
Trollope's work on the subject. Sir Nathaniel this
month discourses on " Frederick, Prince of Wales,"
and we also meet with a paper on the "Explora-
tion of the Yang-take-Kiang," lately written by
Capt. Blakiston.

Macmillan's Magazine.
This magazine commences with a Dream of
Christmas Eve, entitled "The Pines at Hampstead."
We had rather leave the writer to explain his ob-
ject himself, for we confess to having no very clear
insight into it ourselves. One thing is, however,
certain, that certain verses introduced into this
article are by no means of a high order, nor can we
sympathise with the phantom. We suppose the
gentleman in question is one who, to prove his ad-
miration for the girl of his choice, converts one of
her shoes into a goblet, from which he drinks to
her. Kissing a shoe is bad enough, but to drink
wine from one, fresh from a heated foot, is too
much. "The History of Almanacs," by Thomas
Wright, F.S.A., contains much matter of interest.
The best writers on the subject agree that the word
almanac wtis brought in by the astrologers, and
that they took it from the Arabs ; and it was to
astrological calenders that it was first applied, but
they were gradually abridged into a more popular
shape. One of the earliest of those in the British
Museum dates back to about the year 1430. The
folding almanacs continued in use during the whole
of the 15th century, and when of less elaborate make
appear to have had a rather extensive circulation, for
they were among the first productions of the art of
printing in its rudest forms. " Vincenzo ;or
Sunken Rocks," is continued. In December, 1861,
an article on " Games of Curdle" was published in
this magazine, and the editor states that its re-
ception was so favourable that he has been tempted
to return to the subject again at the festive sea-
son of Christmas, and he this year devotes
his attention exclusively to the game of whist.
He states that it is curious that while so many of
all classes play at whist, so few can play it well;
mend proceeds to explain the
.probable cause, and to
lay down certain rules for the guidance of young
players, in which he quotes the authority of Hoyle,
Cavendish, and others. The article contains matter
of interest to experienced players, and much infor-
mation to the unskilled. " The Water Babies ; a
Fairy Tale for a Land Baby," by the Rev. Professor
Kingsley, has reached chapter VI. It is a curious
combination of nonsense and sense ; the object is
moral and the purpose good, but such uncongenial
characters are met together that the best way is to
select a few passages, for example :
The children were very much surprised, and asked the
fairy whether that was her doing.
" Yes, and no," she said, smiling. "It was only those
who could use their feet as well as their hands who could
get a good living ; or, indeed, get married ; so that they
got the best of everything, and starved out all the rest;
and those who are left keep a regular breed of toe-thumb-
men, as a breed of shorthorns, or skye-terriers, or fancy
pigeons is kept up."
" But there is a hairy one among them," said Ellie.
"Ah I" said the fairy, "that will be a great man in his
time, and chief of all the tribe."
And, when she turned over the next five hundred years,

it was true.
F r this hairy chief had had hairy children, and they
hairier children still ; and every one tried to marry hairy
husbands, and have hairy children too ; for the climate was
growing so damp that none but the hairy ones could live ;
all the rest coughed and sneezed, and had sore throats, and
went into consumption, before they could grow up to be

men and women.
And the fairy turned over the next five hundred years.
And they were fewer still.
" Why, there is one on the ground, picking up roots,"
said Ellie, " and he cannot walk upright."
No more he could ; in the same way that the shape of
their feet had altered also.
"Why," cried Tom, "I declare they are all apes."
" Something very like it, poor foolish creatures," said
the fairy. " They are grown so stupid now, that they can
hardly think; for none of them have used their wits for
many hundred years, and they have almost forgotten how
to talk. For each stupid child forgot son eof the words it
heard from its stupid parents, and had not wits enough to
make fresh words for itself. And beside, they are grown so
fierce, and suspicious, and brutal, that they keep out of
each other's way, and mope, and sulk in the dark forests,
never hearing each other's voice, till they have forgotten
almost what speech is like. lam afraid they will all be
apes very soon, and all by doing only what they liked."
And in the next five hundred years they were all dead
and gone, by bad food and wild beasts, and hunters, all
except one tremendous old fellow with jaws like a jack, who
stood full seven feet high ; and M. Du Chaillu came up to
him, and shot him, as he stood roaring and thumping his
breast. And he remembered that his ancestors had once
been men, and tried to say, "Am I not a man and a
brother 2" but he had forgotten how to use his tongue ; and
then he had tried to call for a doctor, but he had forgotten
the word for one. So all he said was, "Übboboo I " and
died.

And that was the end of the great and jolly nation of
the Doasyoulikes. And when 'rom and Ellie came to the
end of the book, they looked very sad and solemn; and
they had go,-,d reason so to do, for they really fancied that
the men were apes, and never thought of asking, in their
simplicity, whether the creatures had hippopotamus majors
in their brains or not ; in which case, you know, they could
not possibly have been apes, though they were more apish
than the apes of all aperies.
A chapter is devoted to " Maritime Rights of Bel-
ligerents and Neutrals." This much discussed sub-
ject will be before the public, we suppose, until the
termination of the American war. There is also to
be found a paper on " Political Economy and the
Gospel," as well as a review of the Bishop of Natal's
book.

Good Words. Edited by Norman Macleod, D.D
It is with great satisfaction that we see this
excellent magazine begin a new year with unabated
spirit and unflagging interest. The names of the
principal contributors are in themselves a sufficient
guarantee fe.r the high moral tone and literary
ability of the contents, since their list includes Dr.
Guthrie, Rev. Charles Kingsley, A. K. 1-. L 8.,
Laurence Oliphant, John Caird, D.D., Anthony
Trollops, and the editor himself. For popular

science we have such writers as Sif Divid Brewster
and Sir John Herschel, while feminine genius is
ably represented by the pens of Sarah rytler, Ade-
laide Proctor, Isa Craig, and the author of " John.
Halifax." One remarkable feature in this serial is
the entire absence of anything approaching to sec-
tarianism, which distinguishes it, although many
of the articles are on religious subjects. To this
peculiar merit not often found in similar publica-
tions, is probably due the widely-extended circu-
lation of " Good Words." We heartily commend
this pleasant and profitable number to the public,
assuring them that it fully carries out its motto,
" Good words are worth much, and cost little,"
taken from the pages of quaint George Herbert.