The Sun.
London, England, 1863-07-13 00:00:00

ing the house with a bound and a war-whoop is
calculated to strike and to fascinate all lookers on.
The American Minister has not yet got over the
awful shock he experienced on hearing from Mr.
Roebuck that the North were the " scum of Eu-
rope." Before he has half recovered, here is his
enemy again. The unhappy Gen. Storks, who re-
ceived a knock-down blow the other night, and
learnt to his infinite dismay and astonishment that
ho " was an ill-conditioned soldier," has not the
satisfaction of feeling that his assailant exhausted
himself in the attack. He is up and doing once
more; he has been to France, and has come
back as vigorous as ever. The very misconcep-
tions and misconstructions to which his flying
tour have given rise increase his glory and his
fame. It is not everybody who has it in his power
to compromise an Emperor. But Mr. Roebuck,
who has been all through, as we may see at a
glance, the real actor, and who has led Mr. Lindsay,
probably, captive in his train from first to last—has
succeeded in doing this. He has created a scandal
in the very highest circles,—Baron Gros and the
other constituted authorities whom his fascinations
have made desolate, are eyeing him with horror and
surprise. So rare a triumph has seldom been ac-
corded to the most accomplished political coquette.
ATHENEUM.—The ancient metropolitan institu-
tion of Bethlehem Hospital, founded on its original
trusts more than six hundred years ago, will soon
share the fate of similar establishments which have
suffered from the growth of London. It has for
many years been the opinion of the Lunacy Board
that the site of the hospital, as respects its limited
extent, and situation in the centre of a dense and
rapidly increasing population, is unsuited to the
treatment of the insane. Oat-door exercise and
recreation, and freedom from disturbance and obser-
vation, so indispensable in cases of insauity, require
an ample extent of grounds and gardens within
the boundaries of the institution. In all these re-
spects Bethlehem Hospital is essentially defective.
In addition to this, the building is imperfect, ac-
cording to modern opinions, in its construction and
arrangements. The general aspect of the hospital,
externally and internally, notwithstanding the
sfforts made within the last tew years to enliven the
long corridors and day-rooms, cannot but exercise a
depressing influence upon the inmates, whose means
of out-door exercise are so limited and inadequate.
The Lunacy Commissioners state that in the case
of asylums for pauper lunatics, they would not
now sanction plans upon the principle of the pre-
sent building. In representing these facts to Sir
George Grey, the Commissioners add that the
large funds at the disposal of the Governors confer
upon them almost unprecedented means of improv-
ing the care and treatment of the insane, and conse-
quently impose upon them, in an especial manner.
the duty and responsibility of applying these funds
in the manner best calculated to promote and ex-
tend the objects and benefits of the institution,
which cannot be done upon the present site, Within
the last few days, Sir George Grey has expressed
his concurrence in the views of the Commissioners,
and his hope that the Governors will not allow the
opportunity now offered of removieg the hospital
to a suitable locality to escape.

LITERARY TlMES.—Beyond all question, the
greatest curiosity of the daily press is the corres-
pondence of " Manhattan" in the Morning Herald
and Standard. A new idea—a sensation—was
wanted to vary the monotony of average good sense
and decent English, and Shoe-lane has secured it.
Like the manager of a theatre or circus, who has
carried off from all rivals a new tumbler, and re-
joices in his bargain, so the Herald and Standard—
that wonderful mintage of two values, threepence
with one heading, a penny with the other—calls
all the world to come up and see the tricks of the
new phenomenon. There have been various sorts
of political writers and special correspondents.
Nearly a hundred years ago, when even the Herald
must have been a little girl, and as yet undreaming
of Gampish bonnets and umbrellas, Junius took the
town by storm by his fierce invectives, good hatings,
and classical style. Even now he is the model of
ambitious political letter writers, who endeavour to
emulate his brilliancy with their special fireworks
and electric lights of fitful lustre. Forty years ago,
Cobbett was broiling on his gridiron all and
sundry who were distasteful to his sturdy pre-
judices and pugilistic disposition. He called
names, and threw verbal mud enough to be-
spatter his opponents. His rage simmered into
italics, and reached the boiling point of capital let-
ters. Then came the era of descriptive reporting,
carried by the genius of Russell and Woods to the
greatest perfection. Mr. Russell gave us a few
sketches of the events of the war in America; and,
had he stayed there, would probably have produced
a gallery of pictures worthy to rank with his bril-
liant sketches of the Crimean war and the Indian
mutiny. But the Washington authorities, loving
darkness rather than light, objected to such a wit-
ness and critic of their proceedings. So Russell
came back ; and Dr. Charles Mackay, who had been
long wishing for the good times coming, found a
good Times had come at last, accepted an engage-
ment, and started, not as a war correspondent, but
as " special at New York ; not to witness the fight-
ing, but to report faithfully what Yankee newspa-
per editors, sensation preachers, strong-minded
temale orators, abotirionists and rowdies, non-com-
batants like himself, thought about it. Manhattan
resembles Dr. Mackay in one respect. He, too, stays
at home, and leaves others to run about note-book
in hand from the Shenandoah Valley to Vicksburg,
from Richmond to New Orleans. But there the re-
semblance ends. Mackay writes sensibly and like
a gentleman, if not very powerfully. But Manhat-
tan has initiated a new style of political writing.
Others have tried denunciation, scurrility, per-
sonality, and even rollicking humour. The sharp
wit of Sydney Smith was not removed farther from
the stinging darts shot from the safe concealment
of Junius's Roman toga, than is Manhattan's style
from that of all other writers. We have a word in
our " slang dictionary" which more nearly than any
other expresses the nature of the now famous let-
ters. It is " chaff." The French have their badinage,
but that is totaily inadequate to the expression of
the idea. The exotic correspondent, transplanted
to our atmosphere, has gathered the waste products
of the New York sheets, and hammered them into
a novel and most effective weapon. As a London
cabby "chaffs" a companion out of luck, so Man-
hattan chaffs the President and Secretary at War.