The Sun.
London, England, 1862-02-24 00:00:00

SIIERIDAN.

At one of the early performances, at Drury Lane, in one
of the stage boxes, sat the fretful critic, Cumberland, who,
amidst the general laughter, was observed not once to smile.
When the comedy was concluded, he incautiously remarked
to a friend, " I am much surprised that the audience should
laugh so immoderately at what could not make me smile."
This was told to Sheridan, who coolly observed that Cum-
berland was truly ungrateful for not smiling at his comedy,
as he had seen a tragedy of Cumberland's at Covent Gar-
den Theatre, not a fortnight before, and had laughed from
the beginning to the end. Tom Sheridan and his father
had many a pass of wit. One night, as they were supping
together, just when Tom expected to get into Parliament,
I think, father," he said, " that many men who are
thought to be great patriots in the House of Commons are
great humbugs. For my own part, if I get into Parlia-
ment, I will pledge myself to no party, but write upon my
forehead, in legible characters, To be let.' " " And under
that, Tom," said his father, "write Unfurnished.' " Tom
took the joke but soon repaid it. One day, meeting two
royal dukes walking up St. James'-street, the youngest
thus flippantly addressed him : " I say, Sherry, we have
just been discussing whether you are a greater fool or
rogue—what is your own opinion, my boy ?" Mr. Sheri-
dan, having bowed and smiled at the compliment, took each
of them by the arm and instantly replied, " Why, faith, I
believe lam between both." Being on a Parliamentary
committee, he one day entered the room when all the mem-
bers were seated and ready to commence business. Per-
ceiving no vacant seat he bowed, and looking round the
table with a droll expression of countenance, said, " Will
any gentleman move, that I may ' take the chair ?' "

SAMUEL rooTY.
Hugh Kelly wag mightily boasting of the power he had
as a reviewer of distributing literary reputation to any
extent. "Don't be too prodigal of it," Foote quietly inter.
posed, "or you may have none for yourself." „ Foote
" Why are you for ever huramiug that air?

Although the public must be pretty well ac-
quainted with the history of this war, from the
perusal of the voluminous accounts of special corre-
spondents and Government despatches, a succinct
and comprehensive narration of the various events
of the campaign cannot fail to prove interesting.
Colonel Wolseley has contrived to combine a de-
tailed account of all the movements of the army
and flotilla, together with a description of the coun-
try, and the habits and customs of its strange inha-
bitants. The capture of the Takoo Forts is minutely
described. The Chinese had taken great pains and
spared no expense in their construction ; but, like
most Chinese works, it was too complete, for each
fort being surrounded by two ditches, some 20 feet
apart, the space between them being planted " as
thickly as close stubble, with sharp bamboo stakes,
to cross which on foot was almost impossible"—
thus, when the allies entered at the gate, the de-
fences, which had proved ineffectual to keep them
out, presented an insurmountable barrier to the
discomfited garrison when they desired to retreat.
In the arrangements for the attack the French, as is
usually the case, were far better prepared than the
English, who, in military affairs, generally con-
trive to be too elaborate, and thus often
baulk their object by being too secure.
The author, in deprecating certain arrangements,
fault
after the justice to admit that it is easy to find
after the mischief is done.
"It is very easy when an undertaking of this kind is
over, to pick out faults in the arrangemeut s made before-
hand, and many are the wiseacres afterwards, who say,
' Oh, why was not so and so done ?" How very stupid
to have done so and so ?' These remarks particularly
apply to hangers-on about the camp, travelling gentlemen,
and that class commonly known as adventurers. Errors
in judgment are frequently made in all warlike operations,
and such will ever be the case, as long as warfare presents
such a vast variety of combinations. One of these mistakes
was made in taking up a small pontoon bridge, instead of a
number of ladders, or a small plank-bridge made like a fire-
escape, to rest on wheels. As it happened, the pontoons
were not only useless for the assault, but were really a very
great impediment, as they blocked up the narrow cause-
way along vhich we had to advance, and exposed a large
number of men for a considerable time as they carried
them, and who had freAuently to stop until a wounded
man was removed from the party. A round shot passed
through one of the pontoons as we advanced and rendered
it quite useless. A few ladders made of bamboo, and a
small number of planks carried along with them would have
enabled all to get across both ditches easily, whereas all
the English storming party, who actually captured the place
in conjunction with the French, struggled and clambered
across the wet, muddy ditch, having water nearly up to
their armpits ; the pontoons did not prove of any use, and
were the unfortunate cause of many wounds and several
lives being lost."
Before leaving the swamp on which the Takoo Forts
were built the author inspected the forts on the
south bank of the river, and from his observation
Colonel Wolseley understood the cause of the failure
of Admiral Hope in 1859. He vindicates the conduct
of the gallant admiral in making the attack, and shows
that although his rashness was censured on that
occasion, because of his want of success, yet had he
declined the encounter he would most probably
have met with far greater blame. He observes that
because the forts were taken with ease in 1858, it
did not follow that they should not be able to with-
stand an attack in 1859; and after describing all
the obstacles to be met with by a force attacking
from the sea, he sums up by stating it to be his be-
lief that were a resistance offered similar to that
which the land force encountered in the recent
attack, no troops in the world could capture the forts
from the sea. The melancholy affair of the cap-
ture of Mr. Parkes and his comrades, and the sub-
sequent deaths of the unfortunate Brabazon, Ander-
son, and Boulby, are related with every particular.
Col. Wolseley blames Mr. Parkes for dividing his
escort. This is no doubt right enough, but Mr.
Parkes's greatest mistakes seems to have been when
he found that the Chinese had not kept faith with
him, and were prepared to cut off his retreat, to
waste precious time in attempting to negotiate with
a people in whom his long experience must have
taught him no trust was to be placed, If when he
found his advance stopped by Chinese infantry! in-
stead of seeking their General, he had given
e
the order to charge, his wouldpartye
have
reached reached the British lines as di len
d C
some few minutes previously. But for the fortu-
tnhaetec icumstance that Col. Walker was called to
assistance of a French officer and so got himself
involved, he and those with him would have shared
the fate of their less fortunate countrymen ; " but
finding that to remain longer in the Chinese lines
without fighting was impossible, and for so few
men to contend against crowds would have
been ridiculous, he called out to his party to ride
for their lives," and all (some half a dozen) started
at a gallop, and cut their way through with only
I two wounded, although exposed to the fire of all
those near them, as well as the batteries. The de-
scription of Pekin and its fortifications are full of
interest. An amusing account of the sack of the
Summer Palace by the French is given, in which
the author maintains that soldiers are little better
than schoolboys on such occasions. He ridicules
the idea of the remonstrance made by the French
against the burning of the Palace afterwards, by
the British. He thinks that after they had
taken or destroyed everything of value
in the building, it was rather out of place to deny
us the satisfaction of destroying the shell. After
leaving Pekin, Colonel Wolseley paid a visit to
Nankin, and he gives a very different accoun.
tof
the rebels to that furnished by some other travellers.
He says that there is no regular form
Govern-
ment, that the soldiers, or rather mob,_
of
live
byp.
lage, and that if proof be required o f the wanton
destruction of property perpetrated by these robbers
one need only look at the banks f the river above
the possessions of the self-called Christians, where
all is prosperity, and in their own territory, where
all is desolation. That the Chinese hold human
life cheap i
but it would seem that
they possesss Weil
ace known,
discretion in their wholesale
slaughter. There is a certainresemblance betowmeeenn,
the Mormons and Chinese with
at least that portion of the celestial empire under
the rule of the Eastern King,. who calls in the
assistance of religion to secure is own ends
THE FAIR SEX AT NANKIN.
e population of which is now very ‘‘ In Nankin, th
are about two women for every man. Most of
capt.ured, a large proportion hav-
small, there
and unlike any other town
the inhabitants have Soochowl2.ee
had hitherto visited. in the empire, the women
ing been taken from
which I
rode about in public, and did not pretend, as
walked and
Chinese ladies usually do, to be in the least degree afraid
of foreigners, nor did they seek to shun us. '1 hey were
almost all beautifully dressed in the curiously worked silks
and. satins of Soochow. With admirable discrimination
the followers of the Heavenly King seem exclusively to
reserve the good looking women in the almost general mas-
sacres which follow their victories. Old women and female
children there were, we may say, none, although there was
a very large proportion of boys. To be the husband of one
wife does not necessarily form part of the new faith, the

For sixpence, the epitome of human life, as de.
pictad in immortal verse by William Shakspere
Beautifully illustrated by the facile and graceful
pencil of John Gilbert. Admirably engraved and
most enterprisingly published. The publication of
so much at such a price requires the coining of a
word aptly to define its excellence as a dis-
play of mingled courage and munificence on
the part of Messrs. Dean and Son, of Lud-
gate-hill. The firm just mentioned has for a long
while past been securely assuming to itself aposition
analogous nowadays to that occupied long ago
—a whole century since—by Mr. Newbury, of St.
Paul's-churchyard. It has come to be a pleasant
sound in the ears of picture-loving childhood the
name of this popular house for story-book, parti-
cularly for picture-story-book, publishing. And
not the most agreeably will the name of Messrs.
Dean and Son be held in recollection by reason of
Gilbert's sixpenny version of the Seven Ages of
Shakspere.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.—(This Day.)

MARLBOROUGH-STREET.

STONE THROWING AT A CAPTAIN.—John Buckley, a
labouring man, was charged, before Mr. Tyrwhitt, with
throwing a stone at Captain Arthur Annesley, of the Gre-
nadier Guards, residing in Clarges-street, while in Hyde-
park the previous afternoon.

Captain Annesley said—l was walking in Hyde-park
yesterday afternoon when I felt a blow on the top of my
hat. I turned round promptly, and from the manner of
the prisoner, and the stone falling at my feet, I charged
the prisoner with throwing the stone. He denied it, and I
gave him in charge. As soon as I had done so some of
the prisoner's companions asked me, if the prisoner apolo-
gised, to forgive him. On the way to the station the pri-
soner said he had done it, but that it was not a stone. I
was only five yards from the prisoner when I felt the
blow.

Wm. Savage, SA, said—l saw the prisoner turn round
and throw the stone at the prosecutor, and strike him on
the hat. The prisoner, who at first denied it, afterwards
said it was only a lump of clay.
Mr. Tyrwhitt said it was a most intolerable and dan-
gerous practice,and if persons would indulge in it they must
pay for it. He should fine the prisoner 205., or a month.
" YOU'RE AN OLD WOMAN FROM THE COUNTRY, BUT
YOU HAVE GOT OVER ME."—Ann Stephens, a woman of
about 50, was charged with robbing a young man named
Samuel Merritt, a plasterer, of 11, Hay's-place, Session
Grove.

The young man said he fell in with the prisoner, passed
the night with her, and, when he left her in the morning,
politely wishing her " Good morning," he missed £5 10s.
from his pocket, in which he had a 10s.
Mr. Tyrwhitt asked when it took place.
The Young Man—Last Monday night, and I've been
looking for her ever since. I should know her from a
thousand others. (Laughter.)
Mr. Tyrwhitt remanded the prisoner.