The Sun.
London, England, 1863-12-10 00:00:00

Wiley's New Tongued Gold Pen.

About metallic Pens we must acknowledge our-
selves to be very fastidious. Beyond that—we have
an old-fashioned predilection for the "grey goo:e-
-quill." Were we still in those—" teacup times of
hoop and hood," when there was vastly more
leisure than in these days of railways and electri
city, we have a rather shrewd suspicion that we
should cling to the use of the goosequill, it only for
the sake of splitting it, paring it, and nibbing it pre-
cisely to out liking. And this with all due apprecia-
tion for the extraordinary skill evidenced, in their
various ways, by em:nent houses like those of Gillott,
of Perry, and of Mordan in the combination of
durability and flexibility in the fabrication of
steel pens, gold pens, and pens of mixed metals,
as substitutes for the time-honoured but now
almost wholely abandoned luxury of a goosequill. A won-
derful little box has just now come to hand, however, from
a manufactory at Birmingham, the contents of which
almost reconcile us to the notion of a permanent abandonment
henceforth of the quill as a writing implement. Wiley's
gold pen, but more especially his gold pen armed (in the
scoop of it) with a magical little tongue of the same incor-
rodible metal, seems to us to realise, in very truth, for the
first time, the possibility of writing currente ealarno! Its
advantages are numerous, and the chief among these advan-
tages deserve at once at our hands, every simple and explicit
enumeration. In the first place, then, Wiley's New Tongued
Gold Pen obviates altogether the necessity of that
principal source of delay hitherto in writing—
the perpetual dipping of the pen-point into the
etandish for a fresh supply of ink. Armed with
one of these pens, a ready writer has but to take a single
dip into the inkstand (holding the pen there, in the ink, for
just one passing instant), and thereupon ho can write, c ff-
hand, according to the Eaglish idiom, "on end," according
to the Yankee idiom, "at a streak—" without another dip of
the pen--not several lines only, but several sentences. The
economy, here, both of time and of labour, must be obvious
upon the instant. Added to this immense and distinguish.
ing advantage, Wiley's gold pen appears to us to combine
all the other advantages with which the steel pens of Gillott
and the gold pens of Mordan have long familiarised us.
To wit—those of flexibility, of durability, and, in the
latter instance, in the instance, that is, of Mordan's
exquisite gold pens, of incorrodibility. So far as we are
enabled to judge, from the specimens here submitted to
our judgment, all varieties of hands may be supplied, ac-
cording to choice, by the manufacturer. It is true that
not a pen in the box is what we should pronounce precisely
suited to ourselves. Our choice being for the very broadest
nib manufactured. That, however, we are perfectly aware, is
an exceptional peculiarity. For the ordinary run of
suited from this one collection— hard, very hard, like
writers,
a ek any
nSyqhuae hand
ers almost,'s o f might, we are satisfied, be readily
, "very soft" (with a giggle) like
his daughter Fanny's, who, it may be remembered by the
readers of Nicholas IVickleby, hinted to the handsome yoang
usher (by that giggle and by those words) that her heart was
colt, and that she wanted a pen to match I Those who
have much writing to do, and who are in consequence of
that not unwilling to find some comfort, some facilitation,
some economy both of time alai labour, in the mere process
of writing, will certainly do well at any rate to try these
new-tongued gold
pens of Wiley's of Birmingham. They
are certainly interesting enough to be turned to, while
new to the writer, as mere curiosities—and, as certainly, in
the majority of instances, they are likely, when once
written with, to be treasured and habitually used, until old,
as pocket companions. The simple ingenuity of the tongue
is something quite exceptionally remarkable.

M. NADAR'S GIANT is certainly th 3 largest bal-
loon ever constructed, and probably the strongest ;
in point of fact it is a double balloon, one inside the other ;
both are made of silk of the very best quality From the
crowns p e
a Wahl:
he
is balloon to the bottom of the car is nearly 200
feet, and the greatest circumference of the balloon is about
300 feet. It is pear-shaped, as usual ; but below the
larger balloon is a small one, attached to the stalk, so to
gas as it dilaptelasciendtthheeruepfpoerr ptharet,paunrdpossoeporefserrevceinivging
the it,
instead of allowing it to escape into the atmosphere as here-
tofore, thereby enabling the aeronaut to remain in the air
apparently as long as his provisions hold out. The oar is
the most novel part of the machine. Its appearance is that
of a fourwheeled caravan, and it is unsinkable in water.
The interior is divided into six compartments. At one
is the captain's cabin, with a berth, and beneath the
berth a receptacle for luggage ; at the other end the pas-
sengero' cabin, with three berths. The other compart-
ments are-1, larder; 2 cirelsing-room ;3, photographic-
room; 4 printing-office; all of them well stocked with
materials.--Once a Week.

CANDIDATE FOR BODMIN.—At the next general
election Mr. C. Locock Webb, barrister-at-law, will
be a candidate for the representation of the borough of
Bothnia in Parliament. Mr. "Webb is a Liberal-Conserva-
tive, and ie somewhat of an authority on mining and rail-
way questions, the former being a subject of much interest
in Bodmin, from the many neighbouring miles existing in
that locality. The learned gentleman is the author of two
pamphlets, one ou " Railways, their Accounts and Divi-
dends," the other on " The Condition of Ireland and on
Government Aid for Carrying Out an Efficient Railway
System."
STONEWALL JACKSON AND LEE!—Talking of the
just admiration which the English newspapers accorded to
Stonewall Jackson, a Confederate one day expressed to
Coloael Fremantle (vide his " Three Months in the Southern
States") his astonishment that they should have
praised so highly his strategic skill in outmanoeuvring Popo
at Manassas, and Hooker at Chancellorsville, totally
ignoring that in both cases the movements were planned
and ordered by General Lee, for whom (added the
Southerner) Jackson had the most " child-like reveroace,"
Lady Don is playing at Bath.

LATEST INTELLIGENCE.

(REUTER'S TELEGRAMS.)

FRANKFORT.

FRANKFORT, DEC 7.

Notwithstanding the violence with which the
orators in the Berlin Chambers attacked Herr Von
Bismark's policy, the bad effect produced at Vienna
by Count Rechberg's tortuous declarations, the
marked bias of the greater number of German
rulers, and, lastly, the unanimous desire of the
people, who claim the independence of the Duchies
to seat the Prince of Augustenburg upon the throne
—notwithstanding all these opposing influences, the
majority of the Federal Diet adopted the Ans,,ro-
Prussian propositions in its sitting to-day. These
it will be borne in mind tend, not to the occupation
of the Duchies, but to Federal execution simply,
as decided on the 15th October last.

This result has not been achieved without opposi-
tion, witness the two recent adjournments of the
Diet; but it is more than probable that the two
great Powers have refused to subordinate their
action to the vote of the Diet, that they have reite-
rated Count Rechberg's declaration that execution
would in no way prejudge the question of succes-
sion, and that they have also been forced to make
certain concessions to their confederates. However
that may be, it is stated here to-night that they
were supported in the Diet by Hanover, Saxony,
Electoral Hesse, and one or two smaller States,
among others by Nassau.

It remains to be seen whether after the Danish
protest of the 4th, withdrawing the proclamation
of the 30th March relative to the constitutional
position of Holstein, Federal execution ought stia
to be carried out. By this step the King of Den-
mark has complied with the resolution of the Diet
of the 7[ll July, requesting him not to carry into
effect the patent of the 30th March. It is true, that
the question of Schleswig remains, but Count Rech-
berg has himself declared that this did not come
within the competence of the Diet, Schleswig not
appertaining to the Germanic Confederation.
Vehement manifestations are eApected throughout
Germany with regard to this vote, which destroys
many hopes and restores 1843. Matters now are
in exactly the same position as at that period, when
the smaller States also gave the signal for patriotic
manifestations. The threats conveyed in the day
before yesterday's proclamation of King Christian
to the Holsteiners are not calculated to throw oil
upon the waters in spite of the promise the docu-
ment contains to confer upon the Duchy thorough
constitutional liberty.

The appeal of the committee lately formed here
to further the Schleswig-Holstein movement has
been stuck up at all the street corners. Here is a
translation:—

"It is a patriotic duty universal in Germany
which will be ardently felt by every one to labour
for the rights and independence of Schleswig-
Holstein, to utilise the propitious moment of a
change of tho Crown in Denmark, and to seize an
opportunity which never will return. All true
Germans, without distinction of birthplace and
political parties, are agreed upon this point. All
are ready to make sacrifices according to their
power and their means. The inhabitants of Frank-
fort, who have always belonged to our great coun-
try, will not be backward in this matter. The
country has its eyes fixed upon the free city of
Frankfort, the rallying point of patriotic life. The
country hopes in her. The foreigners must not be
again allowed to appropriate German soil, to op-
press the German race, to destroy the German
spirit, to proscribe the German tongue, to despise
the German laws. But it is, above all, indisptn-
sable to collect pecuniary means for arming and
equipment of volunteer defenders of right and
hrmour, and for the support of those who have
fallen, and who shall fall, victims of their resistance
to Danish usurpation."
Upwards of 50 signatures, many belonging to
the first people of the city, were appended to this
proclamation.

RUSSIA AND SWITZERLAND.

ST. PETERSBURG, DEC. 5.

Prince Gortschakoff has addressed the following
Note to the President of the Helvetic Confederation,
in reply to an appeal for the protection of Swiss
residents in Poland :
" Monsieur le President,—l have received from
Consul-General Bonenbliss the Note you were kind
enough to address to me upon the 11th November.
" The appeal made in this document to the
imperial authorities for protection of the Swiss
residing in the kingdom of Poland and the adjoin-
ing provinces of the empire, and who, remaining
strangers to politics, confine themselves to their
occupations in a manner to conciliate general
respect, is too natural and too jast not to be taken
into consideration.

" Although persuaded that S wise subjects coming
under this category have not ceased and will not
cease to be objects of the solicitude of the Imperial
authorities, I shall, nevertheless, consider it my
duty to bring to their knowledge the request you
have made, recommending it warmly to their
attention.

" I have already stated this to Consul-General
Bonenblust. This step will, without doubt, suffice
to assure to the resident Swiss the efficacious pro-
tection due to the subjects of a State with which
Russia is upon friendly terms.—Receive,
(Signed) " GORTSCHAKOFF."