The Sun.
London, England, 1863-12-21 00:00:00

FRANCE.

A Paris letter in the Indepenclance states that
on the morning following the day on which M.
Itouher delivered his speech in the Senate he re-
ceived a telegraphic despatch from Compiegne, thus
worded—

" illy compliments ; I am delighted.
"NAPOLEON."

The Courrier du Dimanche has the following:—
" M. Drouyn de Lhuys's news eireu;ar to the French
agent bears the date Dec. 8. It is said to have been
drawn up with a marked spirit of conciliation, and
the appeal trade to the Cabinets constitutes less a
proposal than an overture, theconsequences of which
it is for them to appreciate. After having referred
to the more or less formal adhesion given to the
Emperor's project by all the Powers, England
excepted, and the results so favourable for the paci-
fication of Europe which would have naturally
arisen from the unanimous adoption of that pro
posal, the Minister of Foreign Affairs asks if the
Congress is no longer possible, and replies in the
affirmative, in case the Powers to which he addrrisseo

himself should maintain their adhesion. The Em-
peror's Government is prepared to come to an
understanding with them in order to lay down the
bases for their deliberations, and it still believes
that a positive result may be obtained.
General the Marquis de Chasseloup-Laubat,
brother of the Minister of Marine, has just died in
Paris, aged 63, of an attack of apoplexy. The de-
ceased, as officer of the staff, had made the campaign
in Spain in 1823, and was the following year
attached to the French Embassy at Constan-
tinople, where, during a period of three years,
he was charged with important topographical
works. In 1830 he took part in the campaign in
Belgium, and accompanied Marshal Maison to
Vienna and St. Petersburg. He was named general
of brigade in 1848, and general of division in 1853.
Under the Government of July he was deputy for
Dieppe, and in the Legislativc Assembly, after 1848,
he represented the Seine-Inferieure.
BOURSE, December 19.—The market at the com-
mencemen t of business showed a degree of buoyancy,
and Threes improved to 66f. 45c. They afterwards
receded in consequence of sales, and are now at
66f. 25c. Mobilier have improved to 1,040 f. Rail-
way Shares quiet, but pretty firm. The market
again improved towards the close, and left off as
follows :

41 per Cents. 94 15
Do. end month
3 per Cents
Do. end month 66 50
Credit Mobilier 1035
Do. end month 1035
Bank Shares 3350
Credit Fonder 1220
Roman
new

Orleans
Northern
New ditto
Lyons and Mediterranean
New ditto • •

Geneva..
S3uthern
Western
Eastern

Sardinian
Austrian
Lombard .

Italian Loan 7l 65
Do. end month 7l 65
New ditto —
Do. end month —
Russian
'Austrian
Spanish Threes 52
Rome Debt
,Deferred

'AIN.
Cash. Account.
970 .. 970
972 50 .. 970

926 25 .. 928 75
833 75 .. - -

498 75 .. - -
682 50 .. 681 25
507 50 .. - -
477 50 .. 477 50

396 50 ~ 395 -
400 - .. 403 75
520 - .. 622 50

North of Spain
Saragossa .. 615 .. 617 50
Ditto to Barcelona '.... 300 .. —,

SIR WALTER SCOTT'S PET.

Marjorie Fleming—the Child-Genius.

Pet Marjorie : a Story of Child-Life Fifty Years
Ago. Pp. 50. W. P. Nimmo.

Marjorie Fleming : a Sketch, reprinted from the
"North British Review." Pp, 32. Edmonston
and Douglas.
As Chatterton was, intellectually, the most won-
derful of striplings—so, beyond doubt, was Mar-
jorie Fleming the most marvellous of children.
It is true that the world has only just now
awakened to the knowledge that more than
half a century ago there ever was such a little
creature. But, such as she was, we do now
know her to have been for certain. An authentic
and detailed narrative of her brief, figuratively to
express it, her little more than momentary, career,
has happily come to us at last. We know at length
all about her. We know that she was no more than
eight years and eleven months old when she expired.
Not nine years old I—to echo Mr. Jarndyce's tender
ejaculation to the eldest daughter of poor dead-and-
gone Coavinses, " What a great age, Marjorie I 0,
Marjorie, what a great age I" Born on the 15th of
August, 1803, the little creature died on the 19th
of December, 1811. Within the compass of that
brief interval—we can hardly call it a span—just the
breadth of a finger—this marvellous little creature
wrote a poem of 200 lines in octosyllabic rhythm,
a uglier and well•constructed historical poem
descriptive of the sorrowful life and tragical death
of that truest heroine of romance, Mary Queen of
Scots ! Little Marjorie Fleming, the child-genius,
not only wrote that poem of 200 lines—the tiny
maiden, besides this, wrote a variety of minor
poems of a miscellaneous kind—kept a diary full
of the quaintest observations wrote numbers
of little charming, prattling letters to her own
kith and kin—add beyond all this was the dar-
ling of Sir Walter Scott's great heart! How
it was the world knew nothing about the existence
of tbis wonderful child earlier, it boots not now to
inquire. It seems strange, indeed, that it should
have been so—namely, that the factl of her existence
should so long have remained hidden : more parti-
cularly seeing that the extraordinary powers of Pet
Marjorie were familiarly known to, were fully
appreciated by, were actually the boast of a wonder-
ful man of genius like Sir Walter Scott. Such,
however, is simply the fact, whether that fact may
or may not be accounted for. And we should pro-
bably have remained in ignorance of the whole story
about Little Marjorie Fleming, but for that kindly
Original, Dr. John Brown, the author of "Rab
and his Friends." When we have said this, it must
be observel also that Dr. Brown would not appa-
rently have said anything whatever upon the
subject, but for the happy thought and the genial
industry of Mr. H. B. Farnie, who was the first, to
hunt up all the particulars that could be obtained
in regard to the little girl long since dead and
passed away, namely, on that sorrowful nineteenth
of December, 1811. Five years ago Mr. Farnie got
these part;calars together, and in 1858 published
in the columns of the Fife Herald the story of
"Pet Marjorie." Beyond the readers of that local
journal, however, the touching beautiful little story
remained altogether unknown—until, in a happy mo-
ment, the author of "Rab and his Friends" took it in
hand, as those already acquainted with "Rab and
his Friends" may readily understand, that Dr. John
Brown, can take in hand a narrative such as that
of the life and death of the Child Genius—Pet
Marjorie—Marjorie Fleming! Mr. Farnie's pub-
lication and Dr. Brown's publication are specified
at the head of this notice according to the wording
of their respective title-pages. Out of their
almost simultaneous issue in the form of miniature
pamphlets, we grieve to see that there has sprung up
a horrid little angry altercation. With this squabble
we shall have nothing whatever to do, We can only
regret it. We would here merely refer to it as
a something unusually out of place—by the side, as
it were, of the wee grave of Pet Marjorie ! We can
only say, at least, before passing on, that Mr. Farnie
has manifestly a distinct right to priority, as hav-
ing spoken out in regard to little Marjorie, through
the Fife Herald five long, years before Dr. Brown
spoke out through the North British Review. Yet
Mr. Farnie should also remember that his prior
narrative remained in a manner invisible to the
world at large until the luminous pen of Dr. Brown
shed these sunny rays of light upon it. The story
of "Pet Marjorie," published in 1858, we only know
of now in 1863 through Dr. Brown's charming
repetition of it in other words, in the North British
Review, a paper since reprinted as this sketch of
"Marjorie Fleming." Thankful both to the Doctor
and to bis five years' precursor, Mr. Farnie, we turn
now for a passing moment before quitting these two
small pamphlets to glance at the little creature of
whom they have written—that Child Genius of
Fifty Years ego, ycleped by Scott and by her own
" belongings," Pet Marjorie. It must not for an
instant be imagined that the precocious little crea-
ture was the least bit in the world what is called old-
fashioned. Here is Mr. Farnie's sketch of her bodily
appearance as, she is portrayed in a water-colour
drawing still in existence, a drawing roughly done,
he tells us, "but evidently possessing fidelity of
resemblance to the original. She is rather chubby
faced, red-cheeked, and with bright, intelligent
bon' eyes, over-arched by lifting eyebrows. Her
hair is short, and unconfined by any fastening,
which, with the childish dress, gives Marjorie a
romping and anything but studious ensemble,"
Next for a glimpse of the heart of the little creature.
Read how it is she writes Lome—with what
genuine child-like tenderness "My dear little

mama," she says . . . "I will write to you as
often as I can; but I am afraid not every week.
I long for you with the longings of a child to embrace
you—to fold you in my arms. I respect you with
all the respect due to a mother. You don't know
how I love you. So I shall remain your loving
t
child, M. FLEMING." See, in her Diary, her.luna,i_g
little way of yearning with pity over the dheitr
birth.
o
of kittens and puppies immediately
" I think," she says, " it is shoeltin7to think that
the dog and cat shoula. bear
ath th
er em
have a man-dog
, and they are
, ,drowned after all. I wod r

than a woman-dog, because they do not bear like
woman-dogs; it is a hard case—it is shocking."
So, also, this dear little Marjorie Fleming, this
Pet Marjorie, was, it should be said at once, a
Child Genius, a very considerable flavour, as we
may call it, about her character of Topsy !
Listen to the child in her odd reference to the boils
of Job—" I am very glad," she says, " that
Satan has not given me boils and many
other misfortunes. Ia the holy bible these
words are written that the Devil goes like a
roaring lyon in search of his pray but the lord lets
us escape from him but we do not strive against
this awfull Spirit. .. . to-day I pronou-iced a
word which should never come oat of a lady's lips
it was that I called John a Impadent Bitch. I will
tell you what I think made me in so bad a humour
was, I got 1 or 2 cups of that bad bad—sena tea."
" Devil" and " Devilish" are words often on the tip
of th 3 wee thing's pen—perhaps tongue. Hear her,
for example, while prattling thus. "It was the
very same devil that tempted Job that tempted me
I am sure bat he resisted Satan though he had boils
and many other misfortunes which I have escaped.
. . . lam now going to tell you the horrible
and wretched plaege that my multiplication gives me
you can't conceive it, the most devilsh thing is 8 times
8 and 7 times 7 it is what nature itself can't endure.',
Nay, once, even, in verse, a very faint little quaint
little whisper of an oath blurts out, in the manner
of a jest, at the close of one of Pet Marjorie's
rhythmical compositions—viz., with the following
oddity :

DIRGE.
Three Turkies fair their last have breathed,
And now this world for ever leaved,
Their father and their mothers too,
Will sigh and weep as well as you,
Maiming for their offspring fair,
Whom they did nurse with tender care,
Indeed the rats their bones have cranch'd,
into eternity are they launch'd ;
Their graceful forms and pretty eyes
Their fellow fowls did not despise,
A direful death indeed they had,
That would put any parent mad,
But she was more than usual calm
She did not give a single dam !

Enough, however, in the way of thus giving our
readers a gentle hint to seek at first hand all the
information that either Dr. John Brown or Mr. B.
B. Farnie have here to give in their records of the
child genius, Pet Marjorie, Sir Walter Scott's baby
friend and playmate, this same dear little, odd
ittle, wonderful little Marjorie Fleming.