The Sun.
London, England, 1862-05-12 00:00:00

LITERATURE,

Studies from _Life. By the author of " John
Halifax, Gentleman." Hurst and Blackett.
A very agrt cable addition to the " Standard
Library" is this collection of " studies," by Miss
Muloch. Varied in subject, graphic in style, show-
ing a command over both humour and pathos, it is
a volume suited either to a summer day or a
winter evening ; whilst old and young will find
amusement in its pages, or food for thought. Open-
ing the volume at hazard we struck upon the essay
called " Poor People's Children," and very excel-
lent it is ; the social problem it discusses being of
grave importance. That it is highly imprudent for
poor people to have children every sensible person
will admit. Still there is no help for it. "What can't
be cured must be endured," and the question is how
to ameliorate the evil, and raise as healthy a crop
of human plants as possible at the lowest outlay,
one means here suggested being the establishment
of infant nurseries. In a normal state of society
these would be -unnecessary. Each mother woald
attend to her own offspring. But as most poor
men's wives have to labour for bread, the children
must scramble into existence how they can, and
" in Manchester not one half of the children born
survive to their second year." A significant fact.
And how about those who do survive P Is it not pro-
bable that their constitutions have been weakened
by neglect, and that they grow up puny ailing
mortals, instead of models of sturdiness and health.
Impure air, scanty and unwholesome food, fami-
liarity with all things squalid and vile, tend to
lower the stamina of both mind and body. No
classes, perhaps, ever lived at any time more wretch-
edly than the poor of our great cities ; owing,
partly, to the value of space. What becomes
of the decencies of life when a room contains a
family ? Who can wonder if, in such a case, the
inmates strive to spend as little time in it as pos-
sible, and that the gin-palace should be considered
by them a terrestrial Paradise. Make the home a
fetid den and any place will seem preferable.
Granting, however, that to labour is the lot of the
poor, and accepting as a fact that they will increase
and multiply, the question with regard to the chil-
dren is, whether it is better that they be sickly and
criminal or healthy and virtuous. True, there is
no making them good by rule, but at least give
them a chance, and one means to this end is the
establishment of infant nurseries, to be, if possible,
self-supporting ; and it is a visit to an establish-
lishment of this kind the author describes. We fear
however, that they are, as yet, far from being
general. Against institutions such as these poor
people are prejudiced. They are apt to think that
those who set them afoot are actuated. by interested
motives. Ignorance is always averse to change,
and there can be no doubt that one of the greatest
obstacles to the amelioration of the condition of the
lower classes is their antipathy to what they con-
sider interference with their habits. Essays such
as this, however, direct attention ti) the evil and
pave the way for remedy. And we commend the
volume as one of the most readable miscellanies that
has of late appeared.

Poems and Songs. By
_David Wingate.

Blackwood and Sons.
The faculty of expressing thoughts and feelings
in verse is with the bulk of writers an accomplish-

ment similar in nature and value to drawing and
music. For one with innate genius for art there
are a thousand who dabble in it either to kill time,
to gain applause (or bread), or to gratify their love
of imitation. Among those, then, who possess re-
finement and leisure writing poetry is an ordinary
and harmless amusement, requiring merely a love
of nature, a rhythmical ear, and a familiarity with
certain figurative expressions easily acquired by
reading other poets. Works thus produced are of
course ephemeral. They are annuals, not perennials.
Having no inherent vitality, they fade as soon as
born. One crop succeeds another, is greeted by the
epithets "pretty," and "pleasing," and then vanishes
to the limbo of good intentions. It would almost

seem, then, as if the lower one descended among the
social strata the greater would be the chance of
poetry being genuine, but such is not the case.
That the rhythmical faculty will be rarer from want
of leisure and opportunity is unquestionable, but it
by no means follows that it will be purer in quality.
In all forms of art, culture is essential, and neither
a painter nor a poet can possess too much of it. To
think fluently and accurately oe must be familiar
with the thoughts of others. The germ, it is true,
must exist in ourselves ; for none can give us " the
vision and the faculty divine." Unless impelled by
the imagination the pen is powerless to invest "airy
nothing " with " a local habitation and a name ;"
though to give form to " fancy's images " will task
the highest artistic skill, But in poetic, as in pic-
torial art, there are degrees of difficulty. Lyric
poetry is far simpler than dramatic, a man may
produce a very tolerable portrait who is quite un-
equal to an historical picture. And he who would
fail lamentably in an epic may succeed perfectly in
a song or a short descriptive piece. Still it is, in
every case, necessary that he should be prompted
solely by his own genius, that the thoughts and
feelings excited in him by objects and events should
be not only true but new. He must draw his in-
spiration direct from nature herself, not accept it
after filtration through other minds. In forming
an estimate then of Mr. Wingate's poems, we must
consider the circumstances under which they have
been produced. He says, in his preface, "If I have
sung badly, or thought sillily, let it be no excuse
for me that I am, and have been, a collier
since my ninth year." That a collier should
write verses at all is highly creditable to his
taste, and he may even write good and sensible
verses without gaining the right to rank as a poet.
A man may possess great love of nature, a warm
heart, perfect integrity, considerable power of versi-
fication, judgment enough to enable him to steer
oleur yr ttboulutc nonsense, and yet be deetitutv of
that genius which alone can blossom forth in im-
mortal song. If Mr. Wingate has failed to take his
stand among the chosen few, thousands have failed
before him ; but he has at least produced a volume
of considerable merit, and one which will, we hope,
materially better his position. We give a few
stanzas from one of the most agreeable poems in the
collection, called

SPAE CRAFT.
My bairn, while thy wither rests„ tired wi' her toil,
While the pan's chirmin' sweetly its promise to boil,
While nae ncebor drape in the " wee stranger to see,"
Or to " taste" and foretell what a beauty thou'lt be,
Shall I play the warlock we nae evil ee,
And glint at the future that's waiting on thee P
Come, let thy wee haun' lie sae gently on mine
And let me peer into ilk curve, cross, and line :
This shows where Prosperity's path should run clear,
And these where the crosses o' life interfere.
Alas I thy wee haun' seems o' crosses filled fou,
But surely, oh surely, 1 dinna read true I
I see thee, sweet bairnie, a bud on life's tree,
Wi' twa shelterin' leaves in thy wither and me;
I see thee, while sweeps the blight blast o'er the field,
Cour cozy and trustfully under thy bield •;
But twa bonny buds o' weir promise than thee
Rae shrunk 'neath that shelter, and fa'en on the lea.
Right puirly, I trow, thy haun' hao I sped ;
whatgrand things in thy face may be read :
and what merry cheek dimples are seen I
TLAehntod'ussheaven'ssinieeist'
am blue's in thy twa blinkin' een.
Cauld, cauld were the heart, and far harder than airn,
Could o' thee say waur than " God bless thee, my bairn.

New Zealand and the War. By William Swainron,
Esq. Smith, Elder, & Co.

Having filled the post of Attorney-General for
New Zealand, Mr. Swainson has some pretension
to be considered an authority on the subject of
which he treats, and his views are both able and
impartial. His opinion of the country as a field for
emigration is most favourable, but he considers the
late war " not only a crime but a blunder. A war-
like and high-spirited race like the New Zealanders
may be civilised, or they may possibly be extermi-
nated, but they can hardly be subdued. In the art
of war, they are quite equal to ourselves ; in know-
ledge of the country they have the advantage °Ter

Cassel 's Publications—Popular Natural History.
Reptiles are described in this number, and numer-
ous illustration are given of alligators, tortoises,
and lizards.—lllustrated Family Bible. This part,
the thirty-sixth, concludes the Prophets, and the
third volume of the work.—lllustrated Family
Paper. " The Maroon" is continued, and the minor
articles display the usual variety.
.s.ga

The Nationel Magazine.—A photograph of the
East front of the International Exhibition is given
in this number, the building itself is described, and
the principal tale is called " Losing, Seeking, and
Finding," by the author of Aden Power.

Good Words.—The opening article by the editor
is called " Missions in the Nineteeth Century." The
author of " The Recreations of a Countryyarson"
contributes an essay " Concerning Beginnings and
Ends," and the story of " Mistress and Maid" has
reached its tenth chapter.

Once a Week.—Miss Martineau's story, " Sister
Ann's Probation," is concluded, and the remaining
contents are, as usual, meritorious and interesting,

_Every Boy's Dlagazine—The paper on "Domestic
Pets" describes the rabbit. " Hints on Cricket',
are given, two tales are in progress, and one is con-
cluded.

Newton's London Journal of Arts and Sciences.
" The International Exhibition" is commented on,
there is an article on " War Armaments„' and the
plates represent " Cupola Ships of War," &e.

.History of England. By Charles Knight. Brad-
bury and Evans. The fifty-seventh part is now
before us, concluding the reign of William the
Fourth, and illustrated with portraits of the Queen
and Prince Albert.

71ie Exchange.—Many of the topics of the day
are handled in this number; among others, we may
mention, " Ships in Armour," " Exhibitions of In-
dustry, National and International," " The Budget
and the Income-tax, &c.

Orley Farm. By Anthony Trollope.—Part 15
has reached us.

Barrington—By
.Charles Lever—is now in the
fourth number.

THE KING OF ITALY AT NAPLES.

This morning (May 4) there was a great review
of the National Guard. The King walked to the
front of this magnificent body of armed citizens
which was drawn up in the Piazza del Plebiscite,
and made the distribution of medals to the flags of
each battalion. This solemnity over, Victor Em-
manuel repaired to the church, where he was re-
ceived by the Bishop of Ariano. The prelate said
to the King, "Your Majesty has been elected by
God to liberate Italy from the thieves who have
robbed her so many years. But this is not your
place—your place is Rome. Go to Rome, and get
rid of the foetidness of the temporal power, and
ascend the steps of the Capitol, blessed by your
people." This allocution of the Bishop was re-
ceived with thundering vivas. It was a scene which
no pen can describe.
The other day, as the King was returning from
Caserta, he was surrounded by a dense crowd of
people. The National Guard wanted to make room
for the royal carriage to pass, but all was of no
avail. " Let the fellows approach the carriage,"
exclaimed his Majesty. " What do you want of
me, my good people ?" "We want to go to Rome,"
answered the people, some of whom had by this
time jumped into the carriage. "But, my good
friends," answered the King, " to Rome we cannot
go by means of arms ; we must patiently await
a peaceful solution." "
V •
Then," replied the peo-
ple, " let us go to Venice." Well, as for Venice,
it is another question. But you must enlist
in my army ; every young man must become
a soldier." Yes, yes, Sire," answered the
crowd, "we all ready to fight under your
orders." Victor Emmanuel then got hold of a boy
who was on the foot-board of the carriage, and,
lifting him up, said to him, "Do you wish to be-
come a soldier ?" " Yes, yes," answered the boy.
,‘ Then," said the King, " come wi •
th me, I will
place you in a military College The affability of
the
the Sing had a great success, and
rum car-
riage was rather carried than drawn to the palace.
For the Neapolitan the King is no longer Victor
Emmanuel, or Vittorin,,, as
they
used
.to call him—
he has become their valiant
nzustacione, an affec-
tionate nick-name which is derived
from the long
moustaches his I\lajesty wears. Francis 11. may
set his heart at rest,
,for the King of Italy has
already become
more popular than San Jannario.

ROYAL MATERNITY CHARITY.—The Lord Mayor
will to• morrow preside at the festival of this valuable insti-
tution, and the statement and report of the good effected
by its operations in this huge city is extremely encou-
raging,

PRICE..... —.4d.
STAMPED ....sd.

TILE SUEZ CANAL.

A letter from Alexandria, dated April 28, says :

—All that bus been accomplished, up to the present,

in actual work amounts to very little. The small

rigole de service has been dug up to the sand heights
of El Djisr, and the men are now chiefly employed
in cutting through the latter, so as to admit the
water of Lake 111enzIlch into the basin of the Tim-
sah lake. The cutting in question will be about 70
feet in depth. I have no doubt that this cutting
will be finished before long, and that there will be
a great flourish of trumpets about it. But, then,
a ditch of 15 to 18 feet wide, and one to two feet in
depth, is very far from being a maritime canal.
I should like very much to go and make a personal
inspection of the works, but I think it would be

better to do so a little later on.
Of course I could not go with the idea of doing
anything but acquainting myself with the work
now executing or actually done. Any estimate I
might form as to the magnitude of the engineering
difficulties, or as to the all-important question
whether the capital of the company is sufficient for
the accomplishment of its objects, would hardly be
looked upon as of so much value. What renders
it most difficult is, that all French engineers seem
to say one thing, and all English engineers pre-
cisely the reverse. I will, however, say, that after
reading, 1 think, very nearly all that has been
writen on the subject, and hearing reports from all
quarters, my opinion is that there is nothing to
prevent the company digging a ditch or canal
across the isthmus, and it is very likely that they
will do so, especially if the French find encourage-
ment in the idea that England fer..rs C.o existence
of a passage from the Mediterraffeart to the Red
Sea. I think that Mr. Stephenson made more
than there was any reason for of the difficulty from
the existence of sand. Throughout the greater
length, the sand merely covers hard ground and
clay, and even the heights of El Djisr are
simply a question of labour. But a canal such
as I have mentioned will not constitute a great
maritime canal. To keep it open through Lake
Menzaleh will be a very tough job, but the great ques-
tion of all, I think, will be the jetties at Port Said.
Mr. Robert Stephenson said that no engineer could
estimate what they would or would not cost, and
that, it may be expected, is the point upon which
they will fail. As to whether the thing will pay as
a commercial speculation, the French shareholders
have evidently been getting very uneasy on the sub-
ject, and this uneasiness, I think, must increase,
and will very likely end by being fatal to the con-
tinuance of the scheme—probably before very long,
unless it is kept alive by an indirect political and
commercial advantages to arise from the supposed
evil effects which the canal is to have upon the
naval and commercial supremacy of England. You
may have observed how industriously the French
have all along published, far and wide, any hostile
remarks from English statesmen. I am rather
sorry, therefore, to see that the subject is again to
be brought up in the House of Commons. The best
way for Englishmen to treat it is to laugh at the
scheme, and to show that it must end in financial
disaster to all concerned in it. This, I believe, to
be simply the truth. I believe that even the most
intelligent Frenchmen have a more or less distinct
notion that the existence of the canal would be a
great blow to English naval supremacy. But I
think their main idea is that, whether the
work comes to a successful end or not, it is the
means of strengthening French influence in Egypt,
and they look to the Egyptian Government ulti-
mately to bear the money losses in case of failure.
Lesseps himself, I think, is an enthusiast, with his
head full of the glory vhich he thinks will redound
upoa him. As regards the question of forced la-
bour, no Frenchman believes that Englishmen take
it up for mere philanthropic motives, and it cer-
tainly is the truth that the fellahs here will not en-
list to any public work, whatever the pay that
might be offered them, and that no public work
of any magnitude has ever been or can be carried
on in Egypt without impressment.
As I have said, very little work has actually been
completed, and this most Frenchmen admit ; but
they say that a great deal has been done in bringing
together materials and machinery, providing lodg-
ings food, and water, &c., for the workpeople. This
no doubt is true. They have set up foundries and
shops, and they have collected machinery and stores
of all kinds, and they have laid out plans of towns
and organised everything most completely ; but the
question is whether this has not absorbed too large
a proportion of their capital. They say that this was
nearly half the work. It is more likely that their
difficulties are now only about to commence,

NEINS PA P ER
Vf
fk'oe'.4
. tg-.4
THE MONEY Alf 14,24 ",;,47
• 'f(7;7.Pl
The signs that the money. market Ms toxin
:eel the effect of the loans and public schemes re-
cently introduced have this week been plain. Not
only therefore has the idea ceased of a possible re-
duction of the rate of discount to 2 per cent., but
some persons are beginning to contemplate the pro-
bability of a movement in the opposite direction.
Still, the appearance of the continental exchanges,
as well as of those of India and America, does not
at present indicate the approach of any adverse con-
dition that can lead to material alterations. Doubts
regarding the harvest or some sudden shifting of
the American question might operate powerfully,
but in the alxience of these contingencies the:
supply of capital inking employment seems likely
to continue on a moderately full scale. 0 t course
the persons who were clot-rued at the Russian loam
will, now that it has been perfectly successful, take
a very gloomy view of the future, and find their
dismay considerably increased by the fact that an
additional million h-ls subsequently been sulint.iitcd.
for banking purposes at Rio de Janeiro, and thtlt;
the satisfactory launching of this undertaking is
understood to have encouraged fresh projectors, who
are prepared with a number of similar proposa!s for
other countries. But, although the claims that will
thus be preferred during the next few months will
perhaps far exceed the amount of the Russian loan,
and there is a large party who should feel bound in
decent consistency to denounce them in every prac-
ticable manner, the general public will probably
even:yet feel that there is not much occasion for ap-
prehension. A moderate exercise of caution is all that
is required. There has been a dearth of new under-
takings for several years, and consequently it will be
some time before the legitimate field is overcrowded.
Each subscriber who renders himself liable to calls
has simply to satisfy himself that if those calls should
be made at a period when money is again at 5 or 6
per cent. he will be perfectly ready to meet them,
and that, if his shares should then be temporarily at
a discount, he will be able, in his reliance on their in-
trinsic worth, cheerfully to hold them until better
times. Shares in companies, it must be remembered
are not like Russian b on )vhich in days of
pressure money can be raised either in London or
on the Continental markets. The banker who would
make advances on such stock would not look with
equal readiness on a bundle of shares, which still
involve considerable liabilities. Independent in-
vestors, however, need not feel any trouble on
that score, and for such persons many of the compa-
nies lately introduced offer opportunities for fair
selection. At the same time the exercise of indivi-
dual discretion is requisite. If that is neglected
those who lose their means or get hampered with
unrealisable property must not complain. As a
general rule, the prospectuses which do not promise
too much should be regarded as most attractive,
and Stock Exchange recommendations should be
weighed with especial care. In the excitement of
that market it is scarcely possible to satisfy the
eagerness for paragraphs that will stimulate preli-
minary premiums. The directors of the New Bank
of Brazil, for instance, very rationally based their
sole ground of invitation on the fact that at Rio
there is a safe opening for profitable business, as
" the best mercantile paper at the banks rules from
8 to 9 per cent. ; but among some of the dealers in
the Stock Exchange this intimation has been con-
demned as altogether inadequate to the occasion.
Notwithstanding the dark shadow which the con -
eoctors of public companies assert to have been
thrown upon the future prospects of the market from
the Russian loan, these persons would stop at no-
thing to lure the public into hasty commitments.
Happily they are a small class, and have no influ-
ence with respectable capitalists, but among ill.
informed and sanguine people, prone to be carried
away by speculative representations, they are capa-
ble of creating, if left to themselves, a considerable
amount of mischief.

The French Minister for Foreign Affairs has re-
ceived despatches from China confirming the report of the
murder by the Taepings of the missionary, Pere Vuillaurne,
one of the most learned Chinese scholars. The Pere Vuil-
laume had been for 13 years incessantly employed in preach-
ing the Gospel to the Chinese, and had succeeded in con-
verting numbers to Christianity.
The receipts on the old lines of the Paris and
Orleans Railway Company for the week ending the 29th of
April amounted to 1,223,439 f. 4c., being a decrease of
148,074 f. 7c,, as compared with the corresponding week of
last year. The receipts from the Ist of January to the 20th
of April amounted to 20,040,3151. 47c., being a diminution
of 1,829,034 f. 98c., as compared with the corresponding
period of the year 1861. The receipts on the new lines
show an increase during the same week of 65,585 f. 7c., and
from the Ist of January an increase of 1,154,855 f. 43c.

The May-fly settles on the water in order to drop
its eggs. This is the rich harvest of the trout. Trouts
feed upon and gorge themselves to a degree which anglers
know when they have examined the maw of one of these
fish in the May-fly season. Nor is there cruelty in this, as
the insect dies as soon as its eggs are dropped. These eggs
in process of time undergo very striking metamorphoses.
They change first,into the pupa state, then into chrysalides,
and in about three hours emerge into a perfect state wit The
Tthe
exception of the skins which have been referred to.
chrysalis differs from the larva by having on its back eases
containing rudimentary wings, but both have on their sides
small fringes of hair which, when put in motion, servebtahne_ms
as fins. The larvae scoop themselves dwellings in hthoeng, lc
one
of rivers, and these aro small tubes made like y
fi seayso eu-
tehned
river s ervi ngge t flborwa,nt
heenytrdaingcfer,
fresh
he
holesother
infoturo
3e,..spyeciall at D have the benefit of water. Those who aatvnii:o übfits
atsinhle k
ste. d Shouldoo'na tthe
e
few
wrs worhich formerly abounded
Ile; of
rivers can "n! may
bhaenmks,
during
river ritvheer
bCogolninne
exhibit. It
have witnessed a sight such as
tbellthulaavit.lB°Nviirgiotewhri thorn, and others be without
none ; and why some
iNrisi, .
si a,t
rivers
sllmrishoeousyut fast
any, is not easy to be accounted for. Where they are to
be found trout are generally very abundant and of a largo
sizo.--BDWARD JESSE in NCO a JVccic.
NOTES OF INTERROGATION.—Why is it, when
the Parisians and Americans have for years had lofty and
comfortable omnibuses, that we, their notorious superiors
(no one, I think, will deny this), have not loftier omnibuses,
with two brass rods running along either side of the roof, to
aid the passenger who has to enter and take his seat while
the vehicle is still in motion, and who now treads on every
one's toes, and eventually wedges himself into his place by
sheer brute force ? Why should I have to poke at the con-
ductor's ribs, and to make vain signals of my desire to bo
put down, when I might easily, as in America, have a
means of communication with the driver, whom I could
pay, and to whom I could give the signal for stopping ?
, And why should there not be a regular ladder to the knife-
board instead of two or three dangerous steps? As London
streets are always dirty and crowded—ate daily becoming
more and more miserable and impassable, and as to bore
through Cheapside at noon is now a work of time, labour, and
danger, why are not flying iron bridges thrown over the
principal streets at the chief crossings, as once cleverly
proposed? The result would bG less delay, fewer accidents,
fewer stoppages. And why, in the narrower streets, could
not the ground-floors be purchased, turned into covered
paths, and thus the present pavement removed in order to
fi:faerat3o•ueupwasrssto for cert a i n
widen the carriage way. As nearly all our public statues
are contemptible, and are erected to persons to whoni, illy
nation owes no gratitude, why should there not be r
appointed to sit on them every twenty-
their removal, to arrange alterations to sheb
manliere
sound
or to decide on their permanence ? Why
entirely
Garibaldiye
a NrNri supersedenbhaeraers act
nh
de Dukepheasants,
of York
military jobbings ;) and by all means Pu_s_uttre,
Nelson, and give Mr. Fox, in BloonisbX q
Ycoafusion of the
washing. Why is not the indesc!ibe.
_stein,
coinage ended for ever by the decnan? ' ''•Y
. And why does our
successful in France and Ara?ricolan
cc°lllessnesfisvee-xainstasitwlesilttyhe—re
Queen never get older:n:111:
of elneveral other " insect
Dilek,hoe2sr'es‘i,sAallnikienYvaeasri
which much ignoran
ever a
" ravages of tho w-
ea
oin,
131.11°2
,oalooyif loo.atnusocrl
yet
bsepptouobi: )llnii
rce
bdlifyi
ser,cdN
Ns.uh,theineffectual
whose
s virtuestansna,
dtnatural
:la. oaldfll
f fields of manyll
s
acres laid waste as
terribly as by . What do W 0 proceed
pests ?"
t l
whlircehwlemd,ouand
7 We discuss, priva e y an
to do
various dressings of the soil ; we tiy remedies, sonic
absurd,ex-
tgrmin we suffer under, My readers
fbtpohoeooondtsy v i es
while r
1,
et wnh someeeallowtvoe r
ysh ocvaoe
have seen what an agitation has been stirred in France
against the destruction of field-birds for food, to which no
not read
theSupn se tin
'ps oat otpsa, them
eb order
say,i.osuo ti
small portion of the agricultural adversity of Franco is
owing. There is not much taste for such food in England,
except that London aldermen eat lark-puddings, and rural
cottagers a rook pie now and then, when they can get leave
to shoot a few young rooks ; but far too many birds
killed for sport, or with the idea of warding
Gooffy,,3l:llLit
from the fruit and the corn. In France, tiihothe u
provincial
Parents, and
has this spring issued an injunction
and all
wgauthoritiesuaarr
dtao
againste
to t os
stopmCaauu St:hi there
dpe r
asacethtcirocwoolarmada.sbt:_errdieliatrigfinyg;Fenpvi: