The Sun.
London, England, 1837-04-04 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

AU STRIA AND THE AUSTRIANS. 2 Vois.

Co!burn, London, 1837.
The author of these volumes is evidently a gentle-
man who has seen and observed much in the course
of his various peregrinations, and given his own Im-
pressions of things. His opinions of Austria and the
Austrians are, on the whole, favourable. The Go-
vernment, he says, is a sort of mild, paternal despotism,
and in general favour with the community, who are
" peifectly content with their condition, and have
no other ambition than the certainty of always
enjoying their present manner and means of
existence." Of the present Emperor he speaks
in terms of eulogium, as being a quiet, un-
assuming man, fond of retirement and tranquillity,
and who will take care to make no changes in the
form of Government, except such as may be impe►'a-
tively called for by " State necessity." The author
furnishes us with some deeply interesting details of the
domestic habits and national peculiarities of the inha-
bitants of Vienna, who, provided they do not trouble
their heads with political matters, are allowed almost
uncontrolled freedom of action. The Government
supplies them with all sorts of public amusement ;
the magnificent Prater is embellished and kept up
for them ; the military bands are always at their
command ;—in fact, it seems to be the chief
policy—and excellent policy it is—of the Austrian
rulers, to make the people as contented as pos-
sible with their lot. "I do not know any town," ob-
serves our author, " not even Paris, where the citizens
of all classes have so many pleasurable resorts as those
of Vienna. The many public ''toffee-houses, ball-
rooms, pleasure-houses, are all open to them at very
trifling expense ; the tradespeople, high and low,
amuse themselves once a week, or oftener, at a
ball or concert, and the military bands play
to them every evening for nothing." To those
who desire to get an insight into the real
Austrian character, this work will convey mu "h

Lnstructive information. It abounds also in anecdote ;

is graphic in its descriptions, and, judging from inter-
nal evidence, is the production of the same writer who
a short time since contributed an able article on Aus-

tria to the pages of the British and Foreign Review.
The sketch of Prince Metternich may perhaps amuse
" Prince Metternich is a remarkably handsome and healthy
looking man. He walks and stands erect. His cowl-.
tenance is open, intellectual, and agreeable, without any for-
mality, and without any fascination in his manner farther than
being courteously polite and frank, in a plain, unostentatious,
well-bred way, to all who approach him. He dresses like a
well-conditioned, unaffected English gentleman. He talks a
good deal, but I think seldom so as not to interest. He be-
lieves that he has not a personal enemy in the world. Nor
can lie conceive how he should—although I should be sorry
to swear that he has not—were it from no other cause than the
jealousy which weak minds, and often able ones, entertain to-
wards those who have attained so elevated a position in the
world's affairs."

PHILOSOPHY OF MORALS.-An attachment to
literary pursuits—a desire for the acquisition of knowledge in
general—will, for the most part, be found to co-exist with &
virtuous turn of mind. Every species of literary, as distin-,
guished from scientific composition, is directly or indirectly
didactic; for, though vice may be propagated by books as welt
as virtue, there is no branch of literature of which this is the
nature, though it may be the perversion : and he who has a
relish for immoral productions, has not a taste for literature
(any more than a merchant, in calculating his profits, has
turn for mathematics), but merely for literature, so far as it 1s
a means of pampering his debased propensities. A taste for
literature, then, is, in general, a taste for the lessons of virtue.
But whoever takes pleasure in what teaches virtue, takes
pleasure in virtue itself.

The number of complaints made during the last two
years in the different London police-offices, against proprietors
and drivers of stages, omnibuses, hackney carriages, and ca-
briolets were 3,536, being at the rate of eighty-five Cosa'
plaints or prosecutions a-month against the drivers or owners
of public vehicles, of every description, which throng the
streets of London. In about two-thirds of the entire number
of cases, the offending parties were prosecuted to conviction,
and fined in sums varying from one shilling to three pout/asp
and in a few instances as high as five pounds. The other
eases of complaint were either not proved or abandoned.
The general character of the offences is—insulting behaviour,
overcharges, drunkenness, obstructing the street or road, fu-
rious driving and racing with each other.

It is admitted by Kant, whom no one will suspect
of a servile submission to the authority of antiquity, that, in
moral philosophy, the moderns have not made greater progress
than their ancient masters. Indeed, there is no science or
department of human literature which has come down to us
from a distant age so perfect in all its parts, and so little sus-
ceptible of further improvements as Ethics—almost every ques-
tion connected with which is handled in a most masterly man-
ner by Aristotle, in his Nichomachean Ethics. Any addi•-
tional interest which the subject has acquired in modern times
is derived rather from the metaphysics of the science than
from the science itself ; and, even in the former department*
it must be aeknledged that, in the dissertations of Epietetug•
and the Alexandrian Commentaries on his works and those of
Aristotle, we find specimens of a subtlety of reasoning and pro-
fundity of investigation which it will not be found easy to
surpass. —Aberdeen Herald.

•
WEST KENT.-The electors of West Kent, at the
coming crisis, can scarce more signally show themselves
wanting in common sense, or more plainly evince to the world
a pitiful destitution of all decent regard for good government
and their own political rights, than to return two Members of
opposite principles. It is obvious that for all practical pur-
poses—for all the use the franchise is to that constituency
which sends two men to Parliament, where the vote of each
Member is sure to be neutralised by that of the other, they
might just as well have no representative at all. We cle•
therefore, confidently hope that the truly honest and indepe"
dent electors of this important division of a county, second to
none in its resources, will, whenever an opportunity occurgo
make a vigorous and determined effort to regain the freedons
of election which the Tory landlords so basely tampered with.
We trust that when the day arrives we shall see the honest
constituency of West Kent rise up as one man, and boldly as:
sert their electoral rights. We trust we shall sec them sen"
to the right-about the young gentleman Sir William Gem"?'
whom at the last election a clique of Conservatives, sin"
curists, and state-pensioners—the Chapmans, the Berensq,
the Sydneys, and the Dykes—put forward to protect thel,r
own private, sordid interests—to uphold by their nominee s
vote that system of misrule of which they are the creatures--1
prop up that mass of corruption on which they have been tv°ll,,
to batten. Sir Wm. Geary may be, nay, he doubless is, a /el..'
pretty young gentleman. lie would be highly ornamental Id
a drawing-room ; but the bare mention of an intention to so f
again such a person as a representative into the Parliament
Great Britain, is eminently absurd and ludicrous. Mr. Hodg'l
should have a colleague willing and able to co-operate
him in promoting wholesome amelioration, and in efficientl
supporting the practice as well as the principles of cheap an,„
good government. Is Sir William Geary—the'supple sap
of the sinecurist Conservatives, the wretched tool of trading
Tories—such an one?

Last night, shortly after ten o'clock, a very cones
siderable °11;
siderable sensation was produced in the neighbourhood of 11
Compton-street, Soho, in consequence of an alarming I.ific
breaking out at the extensive manufactory of Messrs. Crisco%
and Ryan, compo and picture-frame makers. The flames el,
first discovered at the upper part of the building, afterthe
workmen, consisting of more than 100 men, had left. '2.,
destructive element made considerable progress before the
rival of the engines • when a plentiful supply of water o'l
' :
fortunately obtained from the pipes of the New River COlT'of
pany. Soon after the commencement of the fire, a Pique•t
the first regiment of Grenadier Guards, stationed at Chsrultvoi
cross barracks, arrived at the scene of conflagration, and, ir.;111
off the thousands that had assembled. The F and C divisiooa
of police, under the superintendence of inspectors Rock the
and Medlicott, were also early in attendance, and assisted i 0
military, who were under the command of Captain Lorrensald,
preventing numerous robberies from taking place. Mr. n„rptial
wood and a strong body of brigade-men were also of et°ll, the
service by their great exertions. At half-past ten e'clec
whole of the manufactory was gutted, very little of the Prlniedl
contained therein being saved. The adjoining houses, oe;IL $
by Mr. Parkens, patent card-maker, and Mr. 801.0131,1, fire
Jew salesman, are greatly damaged. At eleven o'clock !frther
was so far got under as to leave no apprehension of n.'essrs.
mischief. The amount of property destroyed is great. oi_Aces.
Creswick and Ryan were insured in the County and Sun yenta
We have not heard how the fire originated. No
ace
happened, but numerous robberies took place.
Yesterday the we2ther was unusually boisterou_se,atieloat
the river during the whole day was a scene of the ge`coeti-
confusion : the vessels going up and down the pool were .0 in,
nually running foul of each other, and several accident to
dividuals occurred, though not of a serious nature. Thae,and
blew a hurricane. At Blackwell there was quite a seers rod°,
the small craft were unable to weather it. The steam. r boo
out the gale well, but many coming up after high vret_etr;,,gti!
some difficulty in contending against the breeze and the.z'ea,
sad
of the current. Several boats and lighters were 001
their cargoes lost.
that The public meeting held in Bradford, on Tetlewsocia tl:
last, to petition Parliament for Household Sitcl4'
complete failure—there being not more than r_s Of fortr
200 persons present ; while at the same time, a$ B'e_r grean
tire, at an adjoining house, was attended by the g
number: a eireurn,tanec which plainly shows t1_7,4 Fur
p.:opte of Bradford are more in favour of House, ow
Cure, than Household Suffrage.—Halffax ExPress. •