The Sun.
London, England, 1863-09-04 00:00:00

Signed, Sealed, and Delivered.

There are adepts in this peculiar department of what may
be literally styled the literature of are. They are as erudite
as skilful. The majority of amateurs—especially the fashion-
able sort, who are the majority—though they may have or
come to have a more or less sincere love of art for art's sake,
are most superficial, extrinsic connoisseurs. Their first
ordinary question is, before venturing to bid, "Is it signed f"
The vendor is able to answer this question affirmatively
oftener than he otherwise could, thanks to the professional
monogrammatiet. This counterfeiter has made a special
study of signatures, not only materially of their i dottings
and t crossings, but historically of their variations at diffe-
rent epochs. Thus he knows, and practices in accordance
with his knowledge, that Hobbema signed his large pieces
with christian and family name in full ; others simply M.
Hobbema, others still Hobbema; that the letters should be
small, irregular, greyish in colour, not too well formed nor
too prominent, generally in the middle foreground on the
ground, and not in the right or left hand corners, rather
indistinct, and without date. Rembrandt should be in the
left not the right corner, in bitumen, with a long-tailed R :
if in full, Rembrandt van Ryn, then the date should be
affixed. A Proudhon, done before he went to Italy, should
be signed in capitals P. P. P. ; after that epoch, and ac-
cording to circumstances, Prud'hon, or Pierre Paul
Prud'hon, the letters traced as if with a tremulous hand.
This matter of signatures is curiously insisted on by vir-
tuosi, even in oases that admit no question of authenticity.
I know a Diaz, most marked with his marked manner of 10
years ago—so far superior to his present generation—but
by some accident not signed, sold in 1859 for 400fs. cheer-
fully
signed next day by the master, and resold next year
for 600 f. to the same man whose bid was arrested a twelve-
month before at 340 f. The next best proof of worth after
high birth is good social connection. Next to signatures
come seals. " You observe, gentlemen," remarks the ex-
pert, as he hands the dubious Corregio to the commission-
aire, " that the seal on the back of the frame shows this to
have come from the gallery of Cardinal Pesch." And al-
though it is as plain as any possible combination of pike
staves or hand spikes that his eminence's gallery never
could have warehoused all the works attributed to that
magazine, it is as true as history and the laws of trade that
any one work with such sealing-wax proof of respectable
local habitation and associate name sells 5, 10, 20 per cent.
higher than though it lacked the cardinal's hat in red wax.
411 the Year Bound.

NOVEL RETREAT FOR A BURGLAR.—Before the
magistrates at Manchester yesterday, two men
named Henry Smith and John Pendleton were charged
with breaking into the dwelling-house of Mr. Charles Mac-
laren, Embden-grove, Moss-lane. Mr. Maclaren had closed
his house to go into the country, but before doing so had de-
sired his neighbours to keep a watchful eye upon the pre-
mises. On Wednesday night the suspicions of three of the
neighbours were aroused by seeing a light in the house,
and went to search for it. They found the prisoner Smith
at the head of the stairs, who told them the house belonged
to him. For a time they failed to discover any one else, but
seeing a bed in some disorder two of the neighbours com-
menced beating the cover, one with a stick and the other
with a poker. Two sportsmen beating a cover in search of
other kind of game could hardly have found their labours
more immediately requited, for the prisoner Pendleton
started from under the clothes with a cry of pain, and was
ultimately handed over to the police, along with the other
prisoner. The prisoners
.had not taken anything from the
house, but they had broken open drawers and removed
goods within the meaning of the statute. The case was
remanded for want of a witness to prove that the house
had been locked up, but the depositions were ordered to
be taken, with a view to the committal of the prisoners
for trial.

FATAL ACCIDENT AND GALLANT ATTEMPT AT
RESCUE FROM DROWNING.—At art early hour on
Monday morning; while a number of ladies were bathing
at Spanish Point, Miltown Malbay, a young woman of the
neighbourhood, named M'Grane, who had also been
bathing, having swum out a considerable distance, was
evidently being carried out to sea by the ebb-tide, and
her perilous position being observed by the Misses Crowe,
of Bindon-street, Ennis, and Miss Barclay, they shouted
for assistance, Two of the police were promptly on the
strand, but could render no assistance, as thky were not
able to. swim. In this state of affairs, the Misses Crowe
ran in all haste to the lodge, and apprised their brother,
Captain Robert Crowe, of the girl's danger. This gentle-
man at once jumped from his bed, and, accompanied by
his younger brother, Mr. James Crowe, ran to the strand
and at once rushed into the sea. At this time the girl was
a considerable distance out, but these two young gentle•
men, having swans with amazing rapidity, reached her
while she was still afloat, but just as they did so she
turned on her face, and they soon perceived that she was
quite unconscious, Having placed her between them
they each caught hold of her, and then made the best of
their way back, and succeded in bringing her in to the
shore. The girl was at once conveyed in au unconscious
slate to the lodge, and every effort made to revive her, not-
withstanding which she gradually sank, and, wo regret to
say, in about two hours atterwarls expired, The brave
aed generous manner in which Captain Crowe and his
brother risked their lives on the occasion excited the admi-
ration of all who witnessed the occurrence.—Clare Journal,

THE SAILOR finds his thoughts set ready for him
in verse, and, generally speaking, one tune fits all
his songs. On a Saturday night he will go through a dozen
with no greater variation in the melody than a shake more
or less at the end of a vErsa. Good rollicking tunes are far
more scarce than songs. The air cannot be too simple to
please a sailor. It should have a sort of see-saw or lurch in
it, so that it can be rung at the capstan in time with the
motion of the men. Sailors in the docks often invent their
own tunes for this particular operation, and very plaintive
and wild some of them are. No one who has heard them
will forget the really beautiful melodies which the sailors
sing in the ports about the Bristol Channel, There is one
which even a landsman cannot hear without feeling an in-
clination to hitch up his trousers. We are not aware that
it has ever been-set to music ; but it is so good that a sailor
never comes within sound of it without carefully shifting
his quid to his hat or jacket pocket, and joining in the
chorus.---Spectator.

The Nantes journals mention the death of Alrne.
Grenet, of that place, at the ago of 104.