The Sun.
London, England, 1853-12-01 00:00:00

How rich wert thou in legends of magic lamps and ring—
of genii, whom a single word to mortal aid would bring ;
Of caves of gold and diamonds, where foot had never been,
Till by the favoured one their depths were all unveiled
and seen.

Thou wert the time for monarchs—then kings were kings
indeed,
With potent fairy sponsors to summon at their need ;
Whose wands could change their enemies to marble at
their will :
Ah, many a king would need to have those wands of
power still !

Oh, cruel race of stepmothers ! where are yon vanished
now ?

Where are the henpecked husbands who before you used
to bow,
And yield their lovely daughters to glut your jealous ire,
Forgetful, 'mid your blandishments, of ev'n the name of
sire ?

Sweet beauteous persecuted tribe, princesses young and
fair,
With faces like a poet's dreams, and veils of flowing hair,
Beloved by vile enchanters, who turned to stone and wood,
The princes who to rescue you dared steel, and fire, and
flood.

Fierce cannibalish giants, who dwelt in forests wild,
And worn and weary wayfarers to darksome dens beguiled ;
Brave knights with charmed weapons, who laid the mon-
sters low,
And opening wide the dungeon doors, bid cease the cap-
tive's woe.

Where are you all departed ?---where lie your treasures hid ?
Where are the pearls and emeralds that came when they
were bid ?
Where are the mines of gold and gems, that but to think

of now,
Dazzles our mental eyes with light—Old World, where
art thou ?

We want those endless riches, we want the magic spells,
That brought the fairies to your aid, from woods, and hills,
and wells ;
TVe've no enchanters nowaday, no cabalistic flames—
The world has lost them all, and keeps but their time-
honoured names.

Oh, could I find a magic wand, I'd bring those days again—
I'd call the treasures from the caves of earth and throbbing
main ;
The land should be a glorious land, as 'twas in ancient
time,
When the fairies were in fashion, and the world was in its
prime !

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Coll urn's United Service.—The United Service
Magazine opens this month with a paper on the
" Seat of War." It is followed by a chapter on
" Tactics," which gives some curious accounts of
different warlike manoeuvres, and their chances of
success and failure. A French account of " War
in China," has reached the last chapter, which teas
us of the blockade of the canals—the commence-
ment of the negotiations—the signing of the treaty
—and concludes with general considerations on the
opium war. A criticism of a French work recently
published, entitled " Military Portraits," gives
some interesting sketches of warriors
"Gustavus Adolphus, to whom precedence is accorded,
receives from our author the tribute of praise justly due
to his renown. Called to the throne at the age of sixteen,
he early signalised himself by his military achievements,
and bore a distinguished part in the Thirty Years' War.
Far in advance of the age in which he lived, he effected
great improvements in the disposal and accoutrements of
his troops, and brought them to a perfect state of subor-
dination and discipline. Although rigorously severe,
he was yet careful for their health and comfort, and
came to be regarded ' less as a king than as a god.
Simple in his habits, unaffected, and endued with a true
spirit of piety, which ever led him to attribute the suc-
cess of his arms to his Creator, the brevity ofhiscare
deprived the world of one of its most distinguished
0 lamentr
.welcome
thea
t
prematuremili-
tary
~Aornaments,nethdeathe r
sketch aonfds
owciics causes
and
anundsn
braveevenot fa i
Ina
towowsbrter
warrior.
subject of fortification, is that of Vauban, ol
has given us an agreeable account
less than '
his life, erected no thirty-
threewho, in the course of
a period when so much interest has been exnciwtebdomonaeHtAehiree.
of
others. He improved the systembastions, devised
r ket
engineers,es n.
plan a i lT 1
theefh ercac
half-moonirfi shortenedkroesnwtoiilikewise
the
ffrontrfurther.a
Dupareqnewdwfeollsrowcaitthionesa,tiaonndalrperpidaoeifrteabdnisdgtphrereaeatesuenrheg.uindred
the fortification nature of the
rinicangn,neoxneebilirenagch,
ones thehe wsubstituted
oemor thee iin
to the
line
rssiynkfortress,
betterteul
lneomddf,
onhfeaudefence,d curtain,nadapting
whiled ppursuedo tri
11 fnoi
attack than in defeiancolefn.
his Independently
leisure
hou
hours
sf hishe extraor-
dinarydevoted military genius,. Vauban was distinguished as a
civil engineer, and designed the Maintenon aqueduct,
produced works which, what-
Sappers,its
andtheir faults, bore witness to the
diversityeibwnvehhimselfgestiiricdt Ibesides
may
soytnohlfite htthrheoaeirvsaoethim.rihydraulicugre' been
genius, and the activity of his life.
"The next on whom we dwell with pleasure, and
whose name was assuredly one of the most illustrious
that adorned the seventeenth century, is Turenne. His
long and brilliant career was marked, not only by
military glory, but by the most inestimable private vir-
tues. Placing his whole trust in Providence, he was, in
character, singularly unaffected, generous, and disinte-
rested, while his modesty became proverbial. Simple
and frugal in his private life, distinguished alike by his
love of truth and great humanity, he added to these
qualities undoubted courage, patience, and sagacity.
The entire army regarded him with the deepest affection
and mourned for him as for a kind father. The character
of Turenne has been happily summed up by Montes-
quieu in a single line : ' His life was an hymn in praise
of humanity."'

The journals of " The Late Major Macready" and
" Fitz Gubin," are both continued, and are followed
by articles on " The Individual Organisation of
Prussian Regiments," and " The Military Schools
and Colleges in France." "A Narrative of Border
Warfare" contains murders and deeds of vengeance
in the usual border fashion•

Colburn's New Monthly.—The first article is on
the "War in the East," and the author is certainly
a most determined enemy to the Sultan, and, what
is more uncommon, a determined admirer of Lord
Aberdeen. He commences by informing us—" It
is impossible not to allow that the policy of Great
Britain in the present crisis in the east, so far as it