The Sun.
London, England, 1863-08-04 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

TIMES.—It is more than ten years ago that the
attention of the world was called in a practical
manner to a scheme which had been the dream of
at least the last four centuries. In the first days of
commercial speculation which succeeded the coup
d'etat of 1851 it was announced by a French gentle
man, M. Lesseps, that a company was to be formed
for piercing the Isthmus of Suez by a canal navi-
gable by the largest ships, and for thus restoring to
the old highway to the East more than all its for-
mer traffic and fame. It cannot be said that this
scheme at first met with much commercial favour.
First there were against it the conceptions which
people had formed of the Arabian desert and the Red
Sea. To cut an immense trench through 90 miles of
sand, to run out moles into the Mediterranean, to
deepen the shoal water at the two extremities of the
canal so as to create ports capable of receiving the
huge vessels which now make the voyages to India
and Australia, and the still huger ones which the
next twenty years might be supposed to produce;
finally, to keep this grand work in repair and open
for traffic, seemed an enterprise more befitting some
all-powerful Prince who disposed of the wealth
and labour of a whole race than a mercantile
company, which must buy everything it wanted,
pay wages to every one it employed, and ever have
an eye to a satisfactory return for capital. Never-
theless, by degrees the enterprise took form and
consistency. Its object was declared to be praise-
worthy, whatever might he the chances of success.
After a little time it became a favourite subject
with the French press, it was much discussed both
on the Continent and in this country, and though
it did not attract men of capital, it rather fired
the imagination of those who are anxious to see
grand experiments tried with the capital of others.
M. Lesseps was a man of energy, and while all
Europe was intent on the great quarrel which had
broken out between Russia and the Western Powers,
and thought little of peaceful undertakings in the
East, he obtained a concession from the Egyptian
Viceroy for a canal navigable by large vessels
from Suez and Pelusium. The details of the enter-
prise were to a certain extent agreed upon. The
work was to be completed in six years. Four-fifths
of the workmen were to be Egyptians, who it was
understood were to be found by the Pasha and paid
by the Company. As another minor undertaking—
namely, a canal for irrigation and the passage of
fresh water from the Nile—was included in the con-
cession, it came to pass that a considerable tract of
land was brought under the operation of the Com-
pany, and over this land they were granted rights
which almost gave them the sovereignty of a slip of
territory lying between Egypt and the rest of the
Turkish Empire. For these extraordinary con-
cessions M. Lesseps, in the name of the future com-
pany, contracted to do the work in a masterly and
complete manner. Lake Timsah was to be converted
into an inland harbour, fit for vessels of the highest
tonnage ; a harbour of refuge was to be constructed
in the Mediterranean; the port of Suez was to be
improved ; in short, by the combination of French
genius and Egyptian liberality the greatest work of
Vie age was to be accomplished. But it happened
that at that time the Porte was more than ordinarily
jealous of its rights, particularly as regarded the
semi-independent provinces. Already Europe was
at war; the Sultan was calling for troops from the
furthest extremities of his empire to resent an inva-
sion of one outlying province ; and there was no in-
clination to give to a Power like France, good ally
as she was at' the moment, rights which might be
used as much to Turkish detriment as the rights of
Nicholas in Moldo-Wallachia. This new conjunc-
tion between the French and the lately rebellious
family of Egypt to carry out so singular an under-
taking was scrutinised narrowly by the Porte,which
came to the conclusion that there were circumstances
in it which would make it more prudent to refuse a
firman. When we say that the British Ambassador
at Constantinople concurred in this opinion, and is
even reported to have urged it on the Porte, and
when it is also remembered that Lord Palmerston
was almost vehement in his opposition to the pro-
ject, it may be supposed that there were valid
reasons against it. The chief of these was
in fact the imprudence of granting terri-
torial rights to a foreign company belonging
to a nation which had always been most strict
in maintaining the independence of its citi-
zens in the Turkish empire, as allowed by the capi-
tulations, and which might be expected to take this
company, with its 90 miles of ground, under its
especial protection. Then there was also the belief
that the canal would really be made, and that the
company's works, though inadequate for the passage
of an Australian liner or the Peninsular and Orien-
tal- steamboat, might be turned into an excellent
barrier between Egypt and Syria 'whenever it might
please a descendant of Mehemet Ali to renew the
daring policy of his ancestor. The end of the ne-
gotiation was that, in spite of all the entreaties of
M. Lesseps, no firman was granted to his under-
taking. But this event, which might be supposed
to be fatal to the enterprise, was in reality the cause
of its first real success. What it wanted was share-
holders—men who would not only give a languid ap-
proval as to something beneficial to humanity, but
who would take an active part in it, and show their
zeal by a liberal subscription. These were obtained
tor it by the sharp discussions which ensued on the
refusal of the firman, and continued for two or
three years. It was said with considerable truth
England had been the chief cause of M. Lesseps'
non-success, and with no truth at all that her
reason was a jealousy of French trade and French
influence making their way to the far East, and
supplanting her own. The piercing of the Isthmus
of Suez became a standing topic of declamation in
te French papers, and public feeling was so roused
on the subject that when the rock of Perini was oc-
cupied for the purpose
of placing a light upon it,
the Continent rang with invectives against the na-
tion which has thus stopped up the Red Sea in fear
of the speedy piercing of the Isthmus by its rivals.
The consequence of these political discussions was,
that, when in the end of 1858 it was determined to
proceed without the firman, and the subscription
was opened, the whole capital of X 8,000,000 was
forthcoming in less than a month. From that time
M. Lesseps and his friends have practically had
their own way. The Porte had reserved its rights,
and, as the only wish of the British Government
was to maintain those rights, there was no further
cause to interfere. As a political question the Suez
Canal has ceased to be discussed for several years,
much to the advantage of both ourselves and oar
neighbours. A general interest was revived a few
months ago by the note of the Porte which followed
on the Sultan's visit to Egypt, and which was di-
rected to the questions of the forced labour by which
the canal is constructed, the possession of the lands on
its banks, and the agreement with regard to its neu-
trality. This communication of the Porte, though
quite consistent with its former policy in not granting
the firman, of course brought it at once into col-
lision with France, and has produced discussions of
rather a spirited kind—France being as imperious
as usual, and the Sultan showing more resolu-
tion than was expected of him. The end, we learn,
is a compromise. Oa the first point it is under-
stood that the fellahs are to be better paid, and
it is promised that they shall be fairly hired,
though this last substitution for forced labour is
not likely to be fully carried out. But the most
important question relates to the Company's land,
and on this subject it is stated that the Viceroy is
to come to an understanding with the Company,
which will receive a pecuniary compensation, to be
decided hereafter, in place of the grant of the lands.
The third question—of the neutrality of the canal
—is likewise satisfactorily settled. When every-
thing is arranged between the Viceroy and the
Company on the bases already agreed to, the
Porte will ratify the convention and recognise the
undertaking. Wo may congratulate all parties
concerned on this conclusion, which must entirely
remove the Suez Canal from the domain of politics,
and puts an end to any uneasiness that may have
less
been felt at Constantinople, or, in a degree, in
London. The Porte has, in fact, established the
principle for which it contended in 1855, when it
declined to recognise the late Viceroy's concession.
The Company's enterprise is now merely an ordi-
and as such will be looked
upon with goodwill
nary work of industry,
by all Europe, and by no
people more than by the English, who, if it suc-
ceeds, wilt profit by it most. On this last
question we have no desire to give an opinion.
Mr. Hawshaw has, after a long examination of
the works in progress, reversed, as it were,
the judgment of Mr. Robert Stephenson and

the French engineer who reported with him
against the scheme, and is of opinion that the work
can be completed and kept in repair for a sum not
very much more thin that originally estimated.
That this may be a correct opinion we sincerely
hope, for a Suez Canal, if even it did not bring the
trade with Eastern Asia back to its mediaeval
channel, would undoubtedly do much to civilise
the regions which border the Red Sea.
POST.—It has been well said by a great observer
of men and things that no one should attempt to
write a history of England without having carefully
read the 35 volumes of the " State Trials ;" and it
may as truly be observed that no one should attempt,
to describe the social state of our country in 1863
without having carefully examined the reports of
our assize courts. The accounts now in course of
publication from the different summer circuits pre-
sent a fairer epitome of the moral and social condi-
tion of oar country than can be obtained from any
other source. There are, doubtless, fewer crimes of
violence and robbery, and fewer deeds of blood, than
were recorded in the older time ; but, on the other
hand, crimes of covin, fraud, and deceit are more
prevalent, and forgery, false pretences, and seduc-
tion figure more than ever in the accounts of our
circuits. Fifty or sixty years ago cases of seduc-
tion were rarely brought into court unless the de-
fendant was really a person of condition and sub-
stance, occupying a certain position in society, but
of late years, owing to the improvements in our
system of law and indicature, humbler delinquents
offending in this respect are " dragged into day,"
and are made to pay, as they ought to pay, the
penalty of their crimes and amours either in purse
or in person. The seducer of the sensation novel,
which in nine cases out of ten is an inexact and
untrue portraiture of real life, is frequently described
as a young lord of ancient descent, immense wealth,
and great expectations ; or a young baronet, a cap-
tain in the Life Guards, cool, self-possessed, and
diabolically heartless, the owner of a castellated
mansion and park in a northern county. But if we
descend from the ideal to the real, and examine life
as it really exists—as Feydeau or Henri Murger
would paint it—we shall find that seducers are to be
found among the lowly as well as amongst the titled
and high-born—among shopkeepers and petty
dealers as well as amongst earls, viscounts, and
barons de la vielle roche. Previous to the institu-
tion of the Divorce Court an idea prevailed among

the ill-informed that infractions of the married vow
were more common among the higher than the
lower and middle classes. But the records and re-
ports of the late lamented Sir Cresswell Cresswell's
court abundantly prove the utter falsity of this as-
sumption. Possibly, if judicial statistics were care-
fully conned, and every case of seduction, no matter
who the defendant, were brought into court, it
would be found that the higher classes in England
have been unjustly charged with crimes to which
they are no more prone than their humbler fellow-
men. There are, if the truth were known, gay Lo-
tharios amid all ranks, and we learn from the last
report of the Midland Circuit that they are even
found among footmen. We are not among the num-
ber of those who would run down domestic servants
as a class. In no country in the world are there
better or more faithful domestic servants than in
England; but in a body so numerous as this, num-
bering several hundreds of thousands, there must
necessarily be many black sheep, and some particu-
larly unprincipled and heartless scamps. In this
latter category was the defendant in the case of
Shaw v. Baum. From the name of the miscreant,
we cling to the hope that the fellow is not of Eng-
lish cut, as his name imports a German origin. The
circumstances of the case are briefly told. The
plaintiff in the action was a person named Shaw, a
tenant farmer and a timber dealer, who occupied a
large farm under Lord Stamford, at Burton Lin-
ford. Mr. Shaw had a family of three daughters
and a son. The eldest of the daughters was Eliza-
beth Shaw. This girl was courted by Baum, the
defendant, who was in the habit of walking out
with her unknown to her parents. But as the
father of Baum was a gamekeeper of the Earl of
Stamford, and lived close to the plaintiff, the parties
had known each other long, and the families were
on familiar terms. In December, 1861, Baum the
younger became the footman of the earl, and about
this period he effected the poor girl's ruin. In
March he proceeded to London with his master, but
he returned to the country in May. Elizabeth,
finding she was likely to become a mother, sought
him on his return to Bradgate, and said she had
something particular to tell him. He hurried away,
saying he could not stay, but that he would meet
her in the evening. This appointment he did not
keep, and she wrote to him saying she wished to
see him " very, very particular." His answer was
as follows :
",Dear Elizabeth—i have been very buisey this week as
we are without a footman i have not been away from the
house yet i will come down one day next week—from
yours, " W. B.
He never kept his promise, and finally returned to
London without seeing her. She then wrote him
the following touching letter sorrowfully and sadly,
though not harshly toned :

" Charley Mill Farm, August, 1862.
" Dear William,—l write to you once again to tell you
in writing what you would not come down to Newton to
hear. Lit le did I think the time would come when I
should have to ask you to come to see me, after the many
times you came down last winter, and after what passed
between us. I would give all the world, if it was mine, to
recall the past. I now write to you, dear William, to ask
you if you will make me a wife before I am a mother and
you a father. However humble the home, I care not.
If ever you loved me, as your words and ways made me
think in the winter you did, I ask you now to prove it,
not only for your sake and mine, but for your family
and mine, for I cannot hide it from the world much
longer."
To this no answer was returned by Baum. In
the gaieties of London he forgot the poor creature
he had left behind him, who was the victim of his
heartlessness and deceit, who addressed him in her
anguish with no angry upbraidings, but with an
ardent hope that he would perform his promise.
She, however, addressed this stolid, stupid, lump
of gold lace and hair-powder in vain. In October,
1862, the poor deceived creature, who Wrote to her
seducer with such artless and natural pathos, was
confined, and her father was obliged to seek a
remedy for the loss of services of his daughter in
the Assize Court at Derby. A young woman who
could express herself with so much propriety and
feeling in writing to the man who had so deeply
wronged her, as this creature did, was doubtless the
delight, the pride, and the solace of her parents, and
possibly looked to as one on whom an aged mother,
anguished by sickness or sorrow, could repose.
The jury clearly appears to have thought so, for,
though the counsel for the defendant contended it
was not a case for heavy damages, they gave a ver-
dict for the plaintiff, with £125 damages. This
will consume four or five years of the wages of Mr.
Baum, and, with the costs, will eat considerably
into, if not exhaust, his capital. An obdurate and
heartless fellow, like this Lothario of low life, can
only be reached by the pocket ; and it is plain the
jury thought so, for £125 of damages against a foot-
man is equivalent to a sum of £5,000 against a gen-
tleman. There was one statement made by the
counsel for the plaintiff in which we should hope—
indeed, in which we believe—there must be a mis-
take. It was said by tt e learned advocate that after
the poor girl's confinement an agent of Lord Stam-
ford's informed the plaintiff unless he turned his
daughter out of his roof, and sent her away from his
home, he would be turned out of his farm. A state-
ment of this kind we deem to be incredible, and we
should think somebody on Lord Stamford's behalf
will take an early opportunity of correcting it. It
is added that when this threat was held out to the
father, he replied that when Baum was dismissed
from the great house he would think of turning out
his daughter. But Baum, if we are to believe the
report, has not been dismissed, though the plaintiff
has been dispossessed of a farm which his ancestors
occupied for two centuries. We repeat we cannot
credit this statement—at least, so far as the cause
assigned for the dispossession is given. That a
tenant may be ejected by a landlord for twenty
good and valid reasons we freely admit, but we
never can believe that a kind-hearted and indulgent
landlord like Lord Stamford would turn out a tenant
because he gave the protection of his namo and roof
to a daughter who had been betrayed, who had lost
her honour and good name by the artifices of the
liveried lackey of his landlord. The thing, we re-
peat, is impossible, and the counsel must have been
misunderstood. Had any counsel seriously made
such a statement in the presence of a judge, there
is no British magistrate who would not comment
on a circumstance not merely repugnant to ideas of
humanity, but to all our notions of natural justice,

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