The Sun.
London, England, 1863-09-09 00:00:00

Zadkicl's Almanac for 1864.

Among the curiosities of literature in this
later half of the nineteenth century, Zad-
kiel's Almanac holds its own in the oddest
way imaginable—actually coming forth now, in the
34th animal issue of it, with a circulation -of no less
than 50,000 copies! At sixpence a-piece, that is,
according to the not very recondite calculations of
Cocker, a round sum of 25,000 shillings, or eleven
hundred pounds sterling—ex2ended upon a little
astrological pamphlet in an age not only of railroads
and electric telegraphs, of steam-printing and pho-
tograph, but one in which spectral illusions are
patented. But then, as indubitably, it is an age also
in which Mr. D. D. Home has held his seances, not
only in the middle-class drawing-rooms of Eng-
land, but far and wide in most of the palaces
of continental Europe I An age when
Mr. William Howitt quite confidently avows his
belief in spirit-rapping, as well in various other
kinds of eccentric phenomena—attributable, he tells
us, to the influence of a power ridiculously dubbed
by one of that gentleman's friends, by a couple of
female names, tackedtogether by a hyphen—names
applied by the discoverer of this unseen influence,
in affectionate tribute (we are left to imagine) to
some fair friend or relation, say his sweetheart or
his aunt. Cheek-by-jowl with these wonderful
wonders-ot-wonders, Zadkiel Tao Sze, professing to
be skilled in a science once the vogue among the
world's greatest philosophers, amongst intellectual
giants like Kepler and Brahe, like the poet Milton
and the Chancellor Bacon, appears upon the scene
autumn after autumn, quite as an ordinary, almost
as a commonplace, personage. Here he is, however,
a little earlier than is his wont, putting forth
his almanack in the beginning of September,
instead of, as hitherto, towards the close of
October. Propitiously calling 1864, upon his title
page, The Year of Hope ! And yet upon the opposite
side of his pamphlet, upon the very last page of it,
p. 84, " frighting the isle from its propriety," with
the most ominous and appalling of hieroglyphics !
Britannia upon the sea shore standing by a broken
column, her anchor snapped asunder, her banner of
the union jack lowered, and trailing in the dust!
Captain Morrison, R.N., for the mask, has be-
come transparent by this time, and the features
of Zadkiel are distinguishable through the
interposing veil of his disguise, has a word or two
to say quite apart from his usual wont, in regard to
the late trial, in which he appeared as
plaintiff. Another gallant and learned officer
in the royal navy, confronting him, as defen-
ant, in the Court of Queen's ;Bench, before the
Lord Chief Justice of England. A full true and
particular account of this strange trial will be found
appended this year to Zadkiel's Almanack. In it
the authentic record of those proceedings will be dis-
covered, given at length and in the minutest parti-
culars. That trial relating, as may ba very well
remembered, to the Crystal Globe, scanned, among
others, by a Bishop of the English Church Esta-
blishment, to say nothing of numerous Lords and
Ladies perfectly well known among the Upper Ten
Thousand ! The most noticeable peculiarity of all,
however, in this new issue of Zadkiel's Almanac is
one to be found upon page 80—LETTERS FROM
H.R.H. THE LATE PRINCE CONSORT, addressed by
order of H.R.H. to Zadkiel, otherwise Captain
"Thanks" from H.R.H. "for the
Morrison, R.N.
horoscope of the Princess Royal"—for Zadkiel's
Almanack for 1841—for another copy of Zadkiel's
Almanack conveyed to His Royal Highness by Lord
Robert Grosvenor ! To say nothing of thatnoble lord's
promise in one of these letters (a promise we take
it for granted afterwards fulfilled) to endeavour to
obtain the exact moment of the Prince's birth, toge-
ther with the expression of a hope that it might
be made known under a happy influence to his
correspondent, the Astrologer! Under any circum-
stance, but particularly atter the notoriety of the
late proceedings in the case of Morrison v. Belcher,
it is perfectly comprehensible that Zadkiel should
exult (as he, evidently and quite naturally, does)
in being able to give publicity, just at this time, to
the particulars of this really extraordinary corre-
spondence.

A CHURCH OR A SUB-EDITORSHIP !—An adver-
tisement appeared the other day in one of the
morning papers, says the Saturday Review, that may serve
to indicate the kind of speculation which may soon become
common —"
Wanted, a Church of Progressive Thought,
:
by a Young Minister, accustomed to a large Congregation
in one of the first Provincial Towns. No objection to a
Sub-Editorship.—Address, Alpha, &c." This modest pe-
tition for pulpit or paste-pot was cruelly thrust down into
obscurity among the unfurnished apartments, second-hand
billiard-tables, washing, nurses wet and dry, cream-coloured
cobs, and gentlemen of the highest position who would be
obliged by the loan of ten pounds for twenty-four hours.
We presume poor "Alpha" indulges in the hope that his
advertisement may catch the eye of some heretical deacon
as it wanders down the column of notices "To Mas-
ter Pork-butchers," "To Grocers' Assistants," or
" Eligible Milk-walks." But we fear his hope is
ill-founded, Persons of this sort like to keep busi-
ness apart from pleasure, and would be sorry to turn
their eyes, when once fixed on the shop till, to anything
connected with the edifying pastime of badgering !pagtors,
Besides, we would gladly think that even the most ignorant
and stupid of deacons has too much intelligence to be taken
in by so transparent a piece of impudence as a newspaper
advertisement for a church of progressive thought by a
person who has no objection to take a sub-editorship. And
what is a Church of Progressive Thought ? An assembly,
we presume, of half-educated tradesmen, who, under the
sage guidance of the advertiser—himself probably a person
with no pretence to any education beyond such as could be
procured at a Dissenting theological college—would begin
by a little mild Colensoism, would advance to some sort of
mysticism, would tumble into atheism, and finally (the
majority of them), after about five years of progressive
thought, would make a violent progress back again, and
become the most orthodox of churchmen or narrowest of
chapelmen, while their leader would be forced to insert an-
other advertisement in the daily papers, or perhaps take to
touting for a photographer,