The Sun.
London, England, 1862-04-24 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDOI THURSDAY EVENING, APRIL 24, 1862.

H
C . i •
RISTY'S MINSTRELS. wi The Oril l,
Well-known, and only CHRISTY'S MINSTRELS ate.
performing nightly to crowded houses at the POLYGR4Th
PHIC HALL, King William-street, Strand. Tickets tqlcki,,
had at Mr. Mitchell's Royal Library, 33, Old Bond-litretc;
Mr. Austin's Ticket Office, St. James's Hall, Piocad),-
Morning Performance every Saturday at three orclOtl V!'
.
W. P. COLLINS, Sole Proprietor.

ARGYLL ROOMS.—Series of New Music,
Valses, Quadrilles, and Polkas, by the unrivalled Band
of 50 performers, under the sole direction of Mons. Bout.-
COOT, Conductor and Composer. This gentleman will play
every evening at 11 o'clock, until further notice, variations
arranged by 'himself on the Cornet-a-Piston,—The free-list
will be open for the profession by leaving their card at the
door. By order of the Proprietor.—Manager, Mons. P.
Grenet. Admission ls.

ESSRS. FOWLER and WELLS, Phreno-
log,ists, from New York, having visited the principal
towns in the United States and North American British
Provinces, have arrived in London on a LECTURING
TOUR through Europe. LECTURES will shortly be given
at EXETER HALL.
At present Messrs. FOWLER and WELLS may be consulted
daily at 147, Strand, near Somerset House.

Just published, containing- 190 pages, with 100 Engravings,
free by post, 12 stamps, sealed 20 stamps,
THE SILENT FRIEND, the Greatest Medical
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the Reproductive System in health and disease, and pointing
out the sure means of perfect restoration to manhood ; with
an Essay on Single and Married Life, containing his Pre-
scription known as the Preventive Lotion, precluding the
possibility of contamination. Address R. and L. PERRY and
Co., 19, Berners-street. Oxford-street, W. Attendance daily,
from 10 till 8; Sundays, 11 till 2, by a Consulting Surgeon,
Member of the Royal College of Surgeons of England (Regis-
tered under the New Medical Act).

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This life-restoring remedy should be taken by all about to
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Success in every case is as certain as that water quenches
thirst.

Dr. Ricord's Essence of Life is sold in cases, with full in-
structions for use, at 11 s., or four quantities in one for 335.,
sad will be sent to any part of the world, carefully packed,
on receipt of remittance or post-office order payable to Prout
and Co., Patent Medicine Warehouse, 229, Strand, London.

LITERATURE.

Saturday Sterne. By John Edmund Heade, author
of " Wait and Hope," &c. 3 vols. Hurst and

Blackett.

This is a peculiar style of story that will find
admirers among the lovers of the marvellous. There
are many characters introduced in these pages, and
for the most part they are drawn with success.
Mr. and Mrs. Leigh Chandos are aptly represented
as secondary personages. Of him we are succinctly
informed that " the once animated and aspiring
young barrister, the frequenter of the best society,
and the sought after in his bachelor days, had been
gradually converted into the quiet reading .man,
the student, and. the bookworm, into the final
development of the author." Mrs. Chandos had not
so happily adapted herself to the change as her
husband. She still regretted in their solitude the
past brilliancy of her life. Their sons, Edmund and
Richard, formed a striking contrast to each other.
Neither of them was very attractive, Edmund being
abstracted and moody,while Richard was treacherous
and selfish. A continued strife and rivalry existed be-
tween them, which was at last terminated in a most
awful manner. The events of the latter part of the
narrative are very exciting, and the fearful mystery
that hung over Edmund is very ingeniously told.
The sudden horror which overwhelmed the whole
party was certainly a proof of the imprudence of
their conduct in continually making secret appoint-
ments and arranging clandestine interviews. The
ladies in the story are more remarkable than the
gentlemen, and in their delineation the author
displays considerable skill. Maude Kleobury is a
finished representation of a flirt, and she seems
also totally destitute of redeeming qualities. Her
only merit at best appears to be her indignant
repulse of Malefort. This latter individual is rather
overdrawn in his villaries. He reaped the just
reward of his acts in the sad death he met with
from the hands of one he had injured. Saturday
Sterne, the heroine, does not appear on the scene so
prominently as the primary persons of a tale mostly
do, but she is very striking when she does come
forward. She offers a favourable contrast to the evil
conduct of Maude, and it is satisfactory to mark that
at last she seems more likely to be happy than dur-
ing the years we have had acquaintance with her.
There are many persons encountered in these pages
who are well calculated to attract attention.
Tremadoc is a most remarkable man, and Gwyneth
is an extraordinary being, quite original in her
peculiar cast of disposition. With the strange in-
cidents, the exciting events, and the strongly-defined
characters met with in this story there is every
reason to suppose that it will be approved of in
many quarters. It exhibits in forcible language
some important features of character that influence
human life, and are mighty for good or potent for
evil, according as their shape is fashioned or their
course directed. The author may expect a satisfac-
tory result to ensue from his labours, and the skill
and ingenuity which abound in these pages will
infallibly arrest attention, and win regard from the
circles of novel readers.

Memoir of the Life of Sir Marc Isambard Brunel.
By Richard Beamish, F.R.S. Longman and
Co.

England may well be proud of the world-wide
celebrity of her engineers. In all parts of the globe
are their services required. To England is due the
invention of the steam engine, the formation of
railroads, and the development of the electric
telegraph. Although it has been too often the
misfortune of Great Britain to neglect merit, and
leave to other nations the benefit of the labours
and discoveries of those whose necessity obliged
them to seek assistance from more liberal Govern-
ments, in the case of Brunel England was the field
in which the energies and genius of a gifted French-
man have been developed; while his native coun-
try, although claiming him as a son, has the
mortification lo witness a rival nation enjoy his
renown. Fate seems to have decreed that it shall
be the—

" Accursed inheritance of worth,
To shame the land that boasts its birth,
And glories in its memory."
The latter part of last century is remarkable for the
births of celebrated men ; two of the greatest gene-
rals of Western civilisation, the most successful and
illustrious sea-captain of whom England can boast ;
the first practical chemist in the world; and
the two fathers of scientific engineering, Sir Marc
Isambard Brunel and George Stephenson. What
is still more remarkable is, that with the exception
of the Duke of Wellington, they all rose from an
obscure and humble station to fame, wealth, and.
honours. It is, however, of Sir Marc IsA
bard Brunel, that we have at present to OM.
He was born at Hacqueville, in Normandy, onttit:
25th of April, 1769, and was destined by:4W, fa-
ther for the Church ; a living being in the gift df,
the family, and, notwithstanding that the boy,
showed a most resolute objection to take charge of
the souls of his neighbours, his father, like too
many foolish, though well meaning individuals,
determined to enforce obedience, and to this end
the refractory urchin was often sentenced to solitary
confinement, and locked up in a certain room, in
which was an old family portrait with large staring
eyes, which, to the excited fancy of the child,
seemed to he always fixed upon him. At length
he could bear it no !tenger, and regardless of con-
sequences, he pushed a table to the wall, and having
placed a chair on it, so as to enable him to reach
the bugbear, with his pocket-knife, he cut out both,
its eyes. At eleven years of age he was sent to the
thatthe twowilln
f his
seminary at St. Nicaise, at Rouen, one of the
numerous establishments connected with the large
endeavour
ecclesiastical
te bendcollege
himto
of
, in t
he
parents.vain
Hero his decided talent fordrawing so attracted the
notice of the superior, that he was allowed the
assistance of a master; but the embryo engi-
neer was not satisfied with designing his
genius was practical. From childhood his
amusements differed from those of other
children. o At a period when most children
can scarcely manage an. ordinary knife and fork,
young Brunel was familiar with the uses of the
greatest part of the tools found in a carpenter's
shop ; and so inveterate was his love of such tools,
that he has been known to pawn his hat that he
might possess one newly exhibited in a cutler's
window at Rouen, though at the time unacquainted
with its special use. All endeavours
.having failed
to induce the boy to forego his longing for active
life, his father reluctantly consented to his entering
the navy, and for six years he seems to have actively
engaged in his
i profession, but no record can be
found to particularise that epoch n his eventful
i life. In 1793 we find him in Paris n thq, midst of
the perils of the Revolution ; he retired to Rouen,
and thence after encountered many dangers, not_
withstanding which, however, he contrived to fail
in love with, and be accepted by, a young English
lady, whom he afterwards married, who was at that
time residing with his friend Al. Carpentier, the

American Consul. To this engagement, coupled
with his desire to visit England, where he had been
;told engineering was carried on to an extent
unequalled in any other country, and to certain for-
atuitous circumstances, England is indebted for
the benefits which the genius of Brunel has con-
ferred upon her. At length, France becoming too
unsafe for him to remain any longer, he contrived
to escape to America. An incident occurred at
this time which shows the universal genius of
Brunel and his ready wit to combat all difficulties.
On reaching the ship that was to convey him to
the United States, he discovered that he had lost hik
passport. Nothing daunted, however, he borrowo
the passport of a fellow-passenger, and in a short
time produced so exact a copy as to defy detection.
Haring passed some years in America, where he
distinguished himself by his practical knowledge,
his talents for adaptation, and his ever ready
expedients in cases of difficulty, he fulfilled his long
cherished desire of visiting England. In January,
1799, he bade farewell to America, and from
that time, in act, thought, and desire, he
may be considered as an Englishman, and, in truth,
he considered the land of his adolation as.his cowl:
try. His career since that-Atine is a matter roT
English engineering history:-But his great work.-=`-
the work of the age, at that time consideraas an
impossibility—TheThamesTunnel—will alone hand
his name down ..to posterity. Since that period
greater wonders have been effected and more bene-
ficial results obtained, but these in no way detract
from the glory and merit of the early engineer
who had to combat prejudice, ignorance, and in-
terest in nearly all his undertakings. Does the fact
that a Liverpool clipper can now twice circumnavi-
g-
ate Ile globe in a tsVelvemonth prove that the
services of Columbus and Cook were of small im-
portance. On the contrary, we must estimate the
value of their labour by its mighty results. In like
manner do Mr. I. Brunel and G. Stephenson stand
forth as the fathers of modern engineering. To
enter into a detailed account of the many improve-
ments which Brunel effected in the various branches
of sciences and manufactures and the patents which
he took out would be to interpolate Mr. Beamish's
excellent work. In fact, there is scarcely a branch
of mechanism in which he has not made some im-
provement. We find him engaged by the Admiralty
in constructing machinery for making blocks for the
navy, he anticipated the go-a-head Yankees by some
40 years in the manufacture of peg shoes and stitch-
ing machines. which inventions with certain altera-
tions and improvements are now of course bona fide
American as much as a printed copyright. Although
the list of patents is no measure of the number
improvements effected by Brunel, it will never-
theless show the universality of his genius :-..

LIST OF PATENTS.

171,,. Machine for writing and drawing.
1801. Ships' blocks.
1802. Trimmings and borders for muslin, lawns, and
cambrics.
1805. Saws and machinery for sawing wood.
1806. Cutting veneers.
1808. Circular saws.
1810. Obtaining motive power.
1812. Saw-mills.
1813. Saw-mills.
1814. Rendering leather durable.
1816. Knitting machine.
1818. Forming tunnels, or drifts, underground,
1818. Manufacture of tinfoil.
1820. Copying press.
1820. Stereotype printing plates.
1822. Marine steam engines.
1825. Gas engines.
We have puposely refrained from entering into any
particulars relating to the construction of the
Thames Tunnel from the feeling that in the limited
space which we can devote to this notice, it would
be utterly impossible to do justice to Mr. Bea-
mish's interesting and detailed history of that bold
undertaking in which he himself took so prominent
a part. The illustrations are clearly and well exe-
cuted, and the workaltogether is got up in first-rate
style.

public service on land and by sea, and all of whom
were acquainted with officers, who received them
in camp and afloat ;without any risk of
,exposing
themselves to censuu or attack
by unpopular hop-
pitatity. Those officeri.witlAvhem Iwas acqu°anted'
were the very lasi 'men-71'VMM care to • eiPose
to slander or disparagement my presence near
them, unless I had the sanction of higher authority:
for accepting their kindly invitations. I-?N.S;
stranger, and I. did not belong, as Mr. Seward had
pointed, out, to the press of the United States.
Without'aOrne kind of recognition, I could not pos-
sibly take'the field. At last, on the 22d of Marcy,
I received a letter from General Marcy, Chief of the
Staff, requesting me to call upon him that morning
at his office, and on going there he informed me
that General M'Clellan had directed him to say he
had not the least objection to my accompanying
the army, and he not only gave me permission to
do so, but would be glad to be of any assistance in
his power. The General made some remarks, which
need not be repeated here, in reference to other
matters bearing on my presence at Head-Quarters.
Two or three days afterwards S.A.R. the Comte de
Paris, Aide-de-Camp of General M'Clellan, was
sent in from Alexandria to say that the General
would be very happy to take me and some mutual
friends with the expedition, and the message was
duly delivered. Brigadier-General Van Vliet, the
Quartermaster of the Army of the Potomac, and
Aide-de-Camp of General M'Clellan, had meantime
received authority from the General to take us on
board his transport, as indeed General Marcy gave
me to understand would be the case when I saw him.
Each of us was to take his own land transport,
blanket, and provisions, to lay in stores, and to
provide for himself without any charge to Govern-
ment. The day afterwards I received from General
Marcy a written pass for all places inside the lines
of the Army of the Potomac, which was intended
as a general authority for me to go where Ipleased
within the Federal lines. Having made the neces-
sary purchases and arrangements, laid in a stock of
stores, and prepared for all emergencies—minus the
appearance of the Merrimac—the party, which
consisted of Colonel Neville, Scots Fusilier Guards ;
Lieutenant-Colonel Fletcher, Scots Fusilier Guards;
and Mr. L'Amy (I hope they will pardon this in-
troduction of their names) yesterday morning, at
10•30,' proceeded on board the steamer Canonicus,
lying in the river, above the Navy-yard. General
Van Vliet came down soon afterwards, and as his
staff and horses, and our baggage, including a light
waggon, &c., were on board, we were indulging in
the hope of being able to get a glimpse of the de-
serted Confederate batteries on the river before sun-
set, when a messenger from the War Department
arrived to say that Mr. Stanton desired to see Gen.
Van Vliet immediately. He went on shore promis-
ing to be back very soon, but more than two hours
passed before he returned. I shall not dwell upon
the kindly embarrassment and expressions of regret
with which he fulfilled the duty he assured me was
so disagreeable and distasteful to him, but in effect
he told me Mr. Stanton had finally given him the
most positive orders not to permit me to stay on
board the transport. I reminded him as gently as
possible that I was General M'Clellan's guest, and
that I had General Marcy's written pass in my poc-
ket. He was aware of the one fact and of the other,
and I showed him the General's order as a formal
step in the proceedings. But what could General
Van Vliet do ? As he said," Here are the Secretary
of State's orders." He held in his hand two papers
which he read, and which he permitted me to copy.
They were as follows :

(No. 1.)
" To BRIGADIER-GENERAL VAN VLIET, QUARTER-
MASTER AND A.D.C.
" War Dcpaitnient, IV.tolibustuu City, D.C. April 2.

" The Secretary of War directs that no person not in the
public service be permitted upon the transports, except by
permission given by the War Department.
" I am, respectfully, your obedient servant,
" M. C. MEIGS, Quartermaster-General."
The other ran thus
(No. 2 )
" To BRIGADIER-GENERAL VAN VLIET.

" War Department, City of Washington, D.C., April 2.
" Colonels Neville and Fletcher and Captain L'Amy, of
the British army, having been invited by Major-General
M'Clellan to accompany the expeditionary force (or expedi-
tions) from Alexandria, you are authorised to exempt them
from the operation of the order of this date.
" By order of the Secretary of War,
" M. C. MEIGS, Quartermaster-General."

It was obvious that the intention of Mr. Stanton
was directly personal to myself, and that he had
taken all this trouble to exclude me especially,
although he was made aware that I was as much
the invited guest of General M'Clellan as Colonels
Neville and Fletcher, or Mr. L'Amy. What his
object may have been it is not worth while to in-
quire; but if he sought to make General M'Clellan
unpopular, or to expose him to assault because of
his courtesy to me, his motive could scarcely be re-
conciled with h.s own very great civility to myself
a very short time before, and his assurance that he
would give me every assistance in his power in
carrying out what he knew I had in view. Nay,
more, Mr. Stanton, but a few days previously, at
the house of one of the Ministers, wrote me a pass
which concluded with these words :
" All officers and persons in the service of the United
States are enjoined to treat Mr. Russell with every cour-
tesy, and to extend to him every protection in their power.
"E. M. STANTON, Secretary at War."

Nothing whatever had occurred meantime to
alter such relations as had subsisted between us.
However, there was now no use in remonstrance. I
went on shore, and with the aid of Gen. Van Vliet
and my friends, I got my baggage on the wharf,
and drove back with my servant and waggon to
Washington. lat once addressed a letter to the
President of the United States, in which I laid all
the proceedings, as above stated, befor6 him, in
a respectful manner, for his consideration, con-
cluding • with the remark that his kindness
towards me led me to hope he would think
the circumstances of the case, as well as my entire
unconsciousness of any cause for the treatment to
which I had been exposed, justified my appeal to
him. That evening I received a letter from Mr.
Hay, the President's private secretary, of which
the following is a copy :

" Executive Mansion, Washington, April 12.

"My dear Sir,—l submitted your communication of this
date to the President immediately upon his return to the
city from Mount Vernon, where he has been passing the
day. He directs me to say that, while he regrets your having
been exposed to any inconvenience by the late order of the
Secretary of War, he does not think it would be proper for
him to overrule the decision of Mr. Stanton without fur-
ther examination of the subject. —I have the honour to be,
your obedient servant,

(c JOHN HAY."

Not having heard from the President's secretary
up to the afternoon of (this) the next day I wrote to
Mr. Hay again stating that I was only waiting in
Washington to know the result, and that I would
feel much obliged by his communicating it to me as
speedily as might be convenient, or by his inform-
ing me when I might expect a communication of
the President's decision. I also addressed u letter
to Mr. Stanton, the Secretary of War, ou my re-
turn, of which the following is a copy as nearly as 1
can remember:—

"457, 17th Street, April 3.

" Sir,—A few days ago you wrote me a pass at the house
of the Minister, in which you desired all persons in the
service of the United States to treat me with courtesy and
to extend to me every protection in their power. To-day I
am refused, by your order, permission to go as the invited
guest of General M'Clollan with the expedition under his
command, along with my other friends, to whom he had
exhibited similar courtesy. . . lam not conscious, in the
of any cause for the change of
interval that has elapsed,
treatment which has occurred towards me. If there be, at
least I should have, in justice to myself, an opportunity
of knowing what it is before I leave for Europe, which I
shall do in a couple of days. The very eminence of your
position, and the immensity of your power should rather
strengthen the force of this appeal from one so humble as
myself in any ease—particularly should it do so in the pre-
sent instance."
To that I have as yet received no reply. lat the