The Sun.
London, England, 1862-01-01 00:00:00

resolved to take a part of opposition to all the world, do so
in the behalf of things which are worth the trouble of the
strife. Let it not be engravers on your tombstsne, Here
lies the man who confronted the human race on the ques-
tion of the wide-awake hat. Stand up for truth and right,
if you are fond of fighting : you will have many opportu-
nities in this life. Smite the flunkey, pierce the humbug,
violently kick the aristocratic liar and seducer, and probably
you will find abundant occupation. But though you know
it is a pleasant and enjoyable thing for yourself and your
children to sit on the steps of your country house in the
sunshine after breakfast, you will not gain the approval of
wise men by the like on the steps of your town house in a
much• frequented stree—say, for example, in Princes-street
in Edinburgh. And though you often roll on the grass
with your little boy in the country, do not attempt the like
on the pavement of such a public way. For in that case it
is conceivable that you may be jeered at by the passers by,
and apprehended by the police. And while you are being
conveyed to the station house, instead of being esteemed as
philosopher and revered as a martyr, it is not impossible
that you may be laughed at as a fool. "We sat on the
bridge, and swung our legs over the water :" with these
words an eloquent writer lately began an essay. Of
course, the bridge was in a quiet, rural spot.
If the writer and his friend had done the like
on London-bridge the small boys would have hallooed
at thorn, and the constable would have moved them. Yet
the merits of the deed are the same in either case. Only
in the one case the world says you may ; in the other case
it says you must not. And the human being who resists
the world in these little matters shows not strength, but
weakness. Where principle is involved, it is noble to
swing your legs, but not otherwise. But doubtless you
have remarked that it is a common thing to find great obsti-
nacy in petty concerns in a man who has no real firmness.
You will find people who are squeezable and facile in the
great affairs of life, and in their large opinions have not a
mind of their own, but adopt the opinion of the last person
they heard express one, yet who persistently stick to some
little nbs .id or ba I habit which they have often been en-
treated to leave off, which annoys their friends, and makes
them ridiculous. You will find a man whom you might
turn with a straw in his belief on any question, political,
moral, or literary, but who, having taken up the ground
that once one is three, would go to the stake rather than
give in to the world's way of thinking on that point.
There is a very just and sensible article on the mar-
riage law of the empire, pointing out the sad results
of the anomalous and inefficient Marriage Acts of
Scotland and Ireland. The sooner the Legislature
interferes in this matter the better, as the present
state of things is most unjust and cruel, holding out
every facility to crime, and extending its baneful in-
fluence even to families in the sister kingdom. The
life and character'of Saint Teresa is made the sub-
ject of "A Psychological Study," which, however,
confines itself principally to the narration of facts
and to selection from her writings. The story of
" Barren Honour" proceeds with interest, and the
first cloud rises between Alan Wyverne and his
betrothed. A foreboding of sorrow hangs over the
tale, which is now beginning to be realised. A
treatise on Comets will interest the scientific reader,
and gives a considerable amount of information
respecting these astronomical phenomena. The
variations of the shape of the tails is very curious.
The Italians called the great comet of 1500 by the
name of .11 Signor stone. "'stone signifies
a great lance. In 1843 a secondary
tail of immense length was detected, and in addi-
tion to the ordinary tail, a comet in 1824 shot out
a longer and narrower stream in the direction of
the of the sun. Another paper, which will reward
the reader for perusal by the information it imparts,
is a criticism of Max Muller's book on the Science
of Language. The close of the eventful and some-
what unsatisfactory year that has passed forms the
subject of the concluding article, which gives a brief
resume of the principal occurrences, and discusses
the general aspect. The additional news which
has reached us across the Atlantic even since the
publication of this essay, comes as a supplement to
its obeervations on the American question, which
are throughout straightforward and forcible. On
the whole, this number is superior to its immediate
predecessors.

Bentley's iscella ny.
Harrison Ainsworth's new tale, " The Lord
Mayor of London," which commences with
the new year, has already been noticed
in these columns. Madame La Marquise is
a story pendant to a portrait, by Mignard.
It is romantic and tragic. Stage Emotion,
by Monkshood, like his other productions, is
cleverly written. A paper on The Moral Condi-
tion of the French in the various grades of
society, is considered at some length. The contrast
between the lower orders in towns and the country
is thus described :
While the workmen of the towns, who had nothing to
lose, were temporarily converted to the idea that they had
everything to gain by social convulsions, the peasantry, on
the contrary, have always respected property, because they
possess it. With but few exceptions they have never been
socialists at all. They present the same main outlines of
character as the manufacturing classes, who are indeed, to
a great extent, recruited from their ranks, but they are far
more rapacious and cunning than the latter. They are not
generally pleasant to deal with; and if a normal dislike of
the rich exists anywhere in the lower French population, it
is certainly amongst them that it will be found. The few
remaining families of the old nobility who still retain coun-
try positions are, almost without exception, respected and
liked, because they do their duty as neighbours ; but un-
fortunately the present possessors of country houses are
mast of them successful traders, who buy them from motives
of vanity, and with no notion of discharging charitable
duties around them. They think they prove their supe-
riority by an affectation of haughty grandeur, and depend
on their money instead of their education and good works
for the effect which they fancy they produce. Provoked
by their selfishness, the peasants naturally hate them, and
in certain districts the proprietors of chateaux might find
themselves in a disagreeable position in the event of a pro-
longed revolution, But this local irritation is to a great
extent excusable, and scarcely constitutes a ground of spe-
cial blame against the agricultural class as a whole. The
general state of French morality thus offers a series of
clearly marked good and bad qualities, which exist very
generally throughout the nation. Their good qualities are
scarcely likely to disappear; must the same be said of the
bad ones ?
A biography of the Countess of Albany contains
some interesting information relating to the unfor-
tunate Charles Edward. Under the head of "Eng-
land getting ready," some very sensible remarks
are made on the threatened American war.
A comparison highly favourable to present
administration is made between England's state
of preparation at the present time, and on
the breaking out of the Crimean War. The
concluding observations show the " Peace at any
Price school and their unpatriotic leader in their
true colours, and the writer remarks that if we
escape a war, the very expectation of it will have
done good, inasmuch that Canada will no longer be
at the mercy of the Americans.
We think, however, we have proved that England need
not feel the slightest apprehension as to the result of the
threatening war. Should it break out, it will be short,
sharp, and decisive, and read the Yankees that lesson
which they have deserved any time during the last twenty
years. Even if we escape a war wo shall have one great
advantage, that Canada will no longer remain defenceless,
and thus ffer a constant temptation to the transatlantic
Ishmaelites. The present expedition to Canada certainly
affords a (7 en?enti to those public writers who have asserted,
many a time and oft, that the loss of Canada was of no im-
portance to us, but, on the contrary, that we should derive
greater commercial advantages from its entire separation.
In the moment of emergency, however, the English na-
tion has shown that blood is thicker than water ; no ques-
tion is raised as to which party will pay the cost, and no
Ministry would have dared to leave the Canadians to their
own resources. As an abstract principle, we concede that
colonies entail charges on the mother-country out of pro-
portion to the commercial advantage derived from them ;
but when their independence is threatened, England does
not calculate the cost of defending them.
Out of evil good sometimes rises, and it therefore affords
us satisfaction to learn that Mr. Bright is about to depart
from America to try his powers in a reconciliation. If he
would only have the kindness to remain there permanently,
we would not have the slightest objection to give him up,
while bis attachment to American institutions might pro-
bably render him useful out there. At any rate, ho has
neariy played out his part in this country, and it will
doubtless afford him gratification to find willing audiences
in America. Still, for his own sake, we would hint to him
that tars and feathers are art Hes in immense demand in
his favoured land, or that the spectacle of a British mem-
ber taking a ride on a rail would not all at conduce to the
dignity of our institutions, even though the general opi-
nion in this country might be, " Serve him right, for Que
diable allait-il faire dans cette galore ?"
Lady Marabout's Worries, by Oujda, reaches
the third part. We are glad to find that this
prolific author has taken to writing continued
stories rather than his old plan of short tales,
all of the same patern. Frederick Marshall contri-
butes his tenth paper on the trade in France, which
treats of the merchant shipping. Among other
interesting details we find that the number of sail-
ing vessels owned in Fkance in the year 1847 was
14,204, of a tonnage of 667,693, while in 1858,
although the number of vessels was only increased
to 14,863, the tonnage rose to 983,257. Again, in
1847, the number of steamers was 117, with a ton-
nage of 12,567, which increased in 1858 to 324,
with a tonnage of 66,587. Dudley Costello's tale
of " Crooked Usage" is continued, and the ;interest
is kept up although nothing new beyond the Mar-
quis's valet is introduced.

Macmillan's Magazine.
Professor Kelland furnishes an interesting paper
on the Yard Measure extended to the stars, in which
he explains the method of calculating the distances
of the heavenly bodies. Ravenshoe is continued,
and as the tale advances the plot thickens. There
is a secret known to Lady Ascot and Lord Saltire
relating to Charles Ravenshoe, hut certain evidence
is required to substantiate the case which is
not yet forthcoming, Adelaide in spite of
her selfishness felt deeply for Charles,
and was very indignant with the Ascot
family supposing that they were aware
of his position, she therefore pays a visit to Lady
Ascot, much to that lady's surprise, and with the
her anger, but finding that
is present she alters her purpose, and tells
him privately about Charles. It is arranged that.
intention of expressing
William is to seek him the next day, but Charles's
evil genius wills it otherwise, for after his inter-
view with Adelaide in the park, he writes a letter
to Lieutenant Hornby, and enlists in a cavalry regi-
ment. The only person who knows of his where-
abouts is the little shoeblack, whose affection for his
fziend Charles is very touching. The characters of