The Sun.
London, England, 1865-04-05 00:00:00

LISABEE.

If she stood in the homeliest of haunts, the farmhouse
kitchen, for instance, a brightness would fill the place,
and, like the brightness of noonday sunlight, left a glow
after its disappearance. Having once seen her, if only for
an hour, for ten minutes—ay, for one minute—you could
never be again as if you had not seen her ; seeing her once
was to hunger and thirst for seeing her twice; and to see
no ono else like her life-long. The world held only one
Lisabee, could not possibly hold another, simply because
all that made her so lovable and dear, something not to be
expressed in any words, belonged to her essentially, as an
essence, in fact. There are particular summer skies ono
never sees twice—loveliest aspects of lovely scenes are
never repeated—and so may exist an inexpressible sweet-
ness in a woman's nature that makes that nature what it

is, that is not the sweetness of any other nature, and never
was or will bo described.

And all of us have our Lisabee. This helps to explain
our meaning intelligibly to the reader ; deep feelings are
ever easier to suggest than to make known; and no por-
trait so adequately portrays a beautiful woman as the
heart's ideal.

Lisabee and her sisters are the daughters of William
Plumtree, a simple, kind-hearted farmer, much over-
awed by his imperious sister Mercy and the rest
of the Plumtree family. This William Plumtree,
we are told, " did a bold thing in his youth to re-
main a coward ever after." He chose for his wife
Elgitha Pierrepoint, the penniless daughter of a
family that had " come in with the Conqueror," and
this marriage was, of course, antagonistic to all the
farmer-like affinities of the Plumtree family.

PIERREPOINT AND PLUMPTREE.
Now, the gulf between Sybarite and Spartan, between
Spurgeon and the Archbishop of Canterbury, between
Times and Telegraph, is as a water-furrow to the Avernus
dividing Pierrepoint from Plumtree. Pierrepoint repre-
sented to the Plumtree eye so many money-spending, free
and easy, six feet two in height, roystering, white-handed,
well-mannered mon, and so many—a great many—tall,
proud, book-learned, and dignified women. You might as
well have tried to find a careful, well-to-do Pierrepoint as
an extravagant Plumtree ; a Pierrepoint who had not im-
poverished himself by all sorts of imprudent generosities,
or a Plumtree who had ever given anything more expen-
sive than advice. Again, the Pierrepoints were free livers,
had warm blood, and liked to make it warmer ; while the
Plumtrees rejoiced in nothing so much as in small econo-
mies of diet, and hadn't a superabundant pound of flesh
among them. The Pierrepoints fattened and grew happy
to see money going out—the Plumtrees grew leaner but
ecstatic to see money come in. Both families were good
church-people, but the Pierropoints always came late,
stumbled over hassocks, fidgeted if the sermon exceeded
half an hour, and tossed a sovereign into the missionary
plate ; whilst the Plumtrees opened their books as the
clergyman emerged from the vestry, provided themselves
with fourpanny-pieces in case B,f a collection, and made,up
for want of liberality by excess of good meaning. Then
the Pierrepoints were sure to change their occupations as
often as once a year, while the Plumtrees had been farmers
every man and woman of them, from time immemorial.
You couldn't name a business or profession that one of the
late handsome Pierrepoint brothers had not tried, made
money in, borrowed in, lost in, and given up ; and though
the sisters carried themselves like queens, and spoke
French, painted, wrote verses, and played the " Battle of
Prague," not one could do up a pat of butter, or make a
dumpling, for the life of them.

On his wife's death the well-meaning farmer, in
spite of his sister's prudential warnings, resolves "to
bring up his little ladies as their Ma was brought
up," and Lisabee and her sisters have an education
beyond the dairy and the farmyard. As to the
main erent which gives its title to the book, we shall
not betray the secrets of Lisabee's love-story to the
uninitiated. Suffice it to say, that Lisabee is one
of those who love after the fashion of Shakspere's
We might be inclined
t :lents of the narrative,
once and foro ever.
allusions e n
teoi
them might diminish the
interest of the story—a story which we can readily
only'joa fient
thata fault
t
commend as giving a pleasant glimpse of English
country life, and a faithful narrative of a true and
tender affection.

THE SCOTCH IRON TRADE.---GlaSgOW, April 4.—.
At a large meeting, representing the Glasgoiv malleable
ironworker; held in Glasgow last night, it was resolved to
adopt the arbitration scheme as the best mode of settling
the present dispute. The District Council was requested
to take immediate measures to carry it out, and, further,
to recommend the ironworkers of the country to pass a
similar resolution.

RE-PAVING OF COVENTRY-STREET, PICCADILLY.
—The Board of Works of the parish of St. Jame's,
Westminster, intends to take up the granite pavement in
Coventry-street and Piccadilly, and to have the whole line
of thoroughfare macadamised. The inhabitants of the
neighbourhood several months ago memoralised the Board
to that effect, alleging that in Regent-street the roadway
there was much approved of in consequence of so little noise
being caused by the traffic. A contract has been taken for
the execution of the work, which is to be completed by
Easter ; and the contractor has taken it for seven years,
and to be allowed £1,400 per annum, for scavenging and
watering, and the old stones to be used for conversion.

Farewell Dinner to Captain Burton.

Yesterday evening a farewell dinner was given at
St. James's-hall, to Captain Burton, the well-known
African traveller, by the council and members of the
Anthropological Society, the fact being at the same
time celebrated that the society now comprises 500
members. The chair was taken by Lord Stanley,
M.P., who was supported by Lord Houghton, Mr.
Hardcastle, M.P., Mr. Stirling, M.P., Mr. Bag-
shawe, Mr. Vaux, Dr. Hunt, and other leading
members of the society.
After the usual loyal and national toasts,
The CHAIRMAN said he now rose to propose the
health of one of the most distinguished explorers and
geographers of the present day. (Cheers.) In that
gentleman's presence he should say a great deal less
about what he had done than if he were absent; but
no one could dispute the fact that into a life of less
than 45 years Captain Burton had crowded more of
study, more of hardship, and more of successful en-
terprise and adventure than would have sufficed to
fill up the existence of half a dozen ordinary men.
(Cheers.) If instead of continuing, as they hoped it
would continue for many years to come, his active
career were to end to-morrow, he would still have
done enough to entitle him to a conspicuous and per-
manent place in the annals of geographical discovery.,
(Cheers.) He need not remind them, except in
the briefest possible way, of the long course of
his adventures and their results. His first important
work, The History of the Races of Scinde," would
long continue to be useful to those whose studies lay
in that direction ; and those who, like himself, had
travelled through that unhappy valley, through that
young Egypt, which was about as like old Egypt as
a British barrack was like an Egyptian pyramid,
would recognise the fact that if there had been men
who had described that country for utilitarian purposes
more accurately and minutely, no man had described
it with a more graphic pen than Captain Burton.
(Cheers) His pilgrimage to Mecca was, he believed,
only part of a much larger undertaking, which
local disturbances in the country prevented from

being carried out to the fullest extent. (Cheers.)
He did not think he was exaggerating when he said
that not more than two or three Englishmen would
have been able to perform this feat. The only two
parallels to it that he recollected in our generation
were the exploring journeys of Sir Henry Pottinger
into Beloochistan and the journey of M. Vambery
through the deserts of Central Asia. The ways of
Europeans and of Asiatics were totally different ; he

did not mean merely in those important acts to which
they all paid a certain amount of attention, but in the
little trifling details of every-day life which were car-
ried out instinctively without paying any attention
to them. The differences in these respects between
the two races were so wide that the Englishman
who would attempt to travel in the disguise of an
oriental ought to be almost oriental in his habits, if
he could hope to carry out that personation success-
fully. (Hear, hear.) Ana if that were true of a
journey of a few days, it was certainly true of one
extending over weeks and months, where the secret
had to be kept, not merely from the casual observer,
but from one's own servants, one's own friends, and
one's owntravelling companions. To carry through
an enterprise of that kind must be a strain on the
ingenuity of any man, and though no doubt
danger stimulated our faculties, that did
not take from the merit of such a feat,
performed under circumstances in which in
the event of detection death was almost certain.

(Cheers.) He would say nothing in this brief sketch
of the well known expedition to the Somalee country,
which so nearly deprived the Anthropological Society
of one of its ablest members. That journey really
opened a wide district of country previously unknown
to the attention of civilised man. It led directly to
the Nile expedition, which lasted from 1856 to 1859.

With respect to the controversial subject of the
Nile, he could not help saying, though those who
were experienced in geographical matters might treat
him as a heretic--he could not help it if they did,
for he spoke only by the light of common sense--
that there was a little delusion in searching for what
was called the source of a river. Could they say of
any river that it had a source ? It had mouths,
that was certain, but it had a great many sources ;
and to his mind it appeared that they might
just as well talk of a hair upon a man's head or
a root of a plant. Every river was fed from
many sources, and it did not seem to him that
the mere accident of hitting upon that which sub-
sequent investigation might prove to be the largest
of many affluents to a river was a matter about which
there need be much controversy. The clear test of
the value of this kind of work was, what was the
quantity of land previously unknown which the dis-
coverer had gone through and opened up to the
knowledge of civilised man. (Cheers.) Judged by
that test he did not hesitate to say that the African
expedition of 1856 was the most important one of
our time ; the only rival to it being that separate
expedition which was undertaken by Dr. Living-
stone through the southern part of the continent.
When one man had made his way many would
follow, and he did not think it was too sanguine
an anticipation that within the lifetime of the pre-
sent
generation as much might be known of Africa,
at least of Africa north of the equator and within
five degrees south of it, as was now known of
South America. Captain Burton had recruited
his health, as they all knew, by a journey to
the Mormon country, travelling 30,000 miles by
sea and land, and afterwards giving the most
accurate description yet received of the most re-
markable phenomenon of our days. (Cheers.) As
regarded the account of the embassy to Dahomey,
it was to him a revelation of negro life and charac-
ter which enabled him to feel, with a certainty that
he never felt before, that he could understand a
barbarous African court. That was not the place
or the occasion to comment on Captain Burton's
theories or speculations arising out of his jour-
ney. All he would say about them was, that
when a man with infinite labour and, research,
and at imminent risk to his life, had collected
a series of facts, the least the public could do
was to allow him a fair hearing when he put his
own interpretation upon them. (Cheers.) There
were many people who received a new idea as if
personal violence were offered to them ; but that
was a state of mind which formed the best defence
for the existence of a scientific society like that.
In conclusion, the noble lord eulogised the spirit of
adventure and enterprise—a spirit which he ob-
served it was the tendency of great wealth and
material prosperity to diminish, but without which
the wealth and that prosperity would not be worth
year's purchase ; and expressed a hope that Captain
Burton would, by his future performances, efface
the memory of his earlier exploits. (Loud cheers.)

The toast was drunk with three times three.

Captain BURTON, in returning thanks, said that
when he entered again on the field of adventure, he
should be cheered by the recollection of the recep-
tion which he had met with that evening.
The toast of the Consular Corps was proposed by
Lord HOUGHTON, and shortly after the company
separated.

UNIVERSITY OF LONDON.—The election of exa-
miners for degrees, &c., in the University of London
is fixed for Wednesday, tho 26th inst. The following va-
cancies by resignation and otherwise are announced :
One in English history and literature ; one in the French
language ; one in the German language ; ono in political
economy ; ono in mathematics and natural philosophy ; one
in experimental philosophy ; one in chemistry ; one in
botany and vegetable physiology ; two in geology and
palEeontology ; two in law and the principles of legisla-
tion ; one in physiology and comparative anatomy ; two
in midwifery ; one in materia medica and pharmaceutical
chemistry. The other examiners offer themselves for re-
election.

THE SCOTCH IRON TRADE.—A meeting of dele-
gates from the workmen of the Scotch ironworks
whose proprietors have given notice of a reduction of wages,
to begin after Saturday next, was held in Glasgow on Mon-
day, with the purpose of taking a formal resolution on the
subject of the proposals for arbitration to be made to the
masters. It was, we understand, unanimously resolved by
the meeting that an endeavour should be made to have the
questions at issue between masters and men settled by ar-
bitration ; and, with the object of getting the concurrence
of the men at the different works to the proposal, it was
arranged that special meetings of the men in the various
districts should be held forthwith, and resolutions approv-
ing of arbitration in the case submitted to them. These
district meetings, we believe, will be held OR Wednesday
and Thursday.—Scotsman.