The Sun.
London, England, 1865-05-08 00:00:00

FRANCE,

PARIS, MAY 8.
The Enipress received Mr. and Mrs. Bigelow
yesterday.

Her Majesty, after • expresaing her profound
emotion at the recent sad events in Washington,
announced that she had addressed a private letter
tendering her sympathy to Mrs. Lincoln.
BOURSE, May 6.—There is no alteration to call
for particular notice in the market to-day. Threes,
for the Account, have realised the closing rates of
yesterday, while Mobiliers have slightly advanced,
the present quotation being 785 fr. Italian Fives
are stationary at Gsfr. 55c. The following are the
last quotations :-
4i per Cents 95 90
Do. end month
3 per Cents. 67 55
Do. end month 67 55
Credit Mobilier 780
Do. end month 778 75
Bank Shares 3675
Credit Foncier 1280
Roman

Italian Loan 65 60
Do. end month 65 65
Ditto Threes —
New Mexican
Russian —
Austrian
Spanish Threes 45
Home Debt
Deferred
rAYS.

R.

Cash. Acct.
'
Orleans
Northern 1065 ~. 1070
Lyons and Mediterranean BBB 75 ... 887 50
Southern 590 ... 592 50
Western 526 25 ... 530
Eastern , 505 ... 507 50
Sardinian 303 75 ... 302 50
Austrian
Lombard 541 75 ... 542 50
North of Spain 245 ... 250
Saragossa
Ditto to Barcelona l3O ...

THE HOMEWARD AMERICAN MAILS DUE AT
LIVERPOOL THIS WEEK.—The following steamers
are due at Liverpool this week with the American and
Canadian mails :—The City of Baltimore, with dates from
New York to April 29, may be expected to reach Crook-
haven or Queenstown in the course of Wednesday morning;
and the Belgian, from Portland, with corresponding ad-
vices, will no doubt arrive at Greencastle on Wednesday
evening or early on Thursday morning. On Friday next
the Cunard steamer Persia, from New York on May 3,
may be looked for either off Crookhaven or Queenstown.
The National Steam Navigation Company's steamer
Pennsylvania, which was to leave New York on the same
day as the City of Baltimore, will reach Queenstown on
Wednesday. The National Company's boats, however, do
not carry the mails—only a ship's letter-bag.
ALEERSHOTT CAMP.—The new brigade arrange-
ments at Aldershott have been officially settled.
Major-General Brook Taylor, commanding the first Brigade,
and Major Deedes, his Aide-de-camp, are struck off the
strength from the 30th ult. inclusive. Major General Lord
Henry Percy, V.C., assumed command of the let Infantry
Brigade, and Brigadier-General F. Adams, C. 8., that of 2(1
Infantry Brigade, from the Ist inst. inclusive. Commencing
from the 2d of May the infantry brigades are re-numbered
as follows :-3d, or Major General Russell's, will be the Ist
Brigade; 2d, or Brigadier-General F. Adams's, will remain
the 2d ; Ist, or Major-general Lord Henry Percy's, will be
the 3d.—Army and Nary Gagette.
THE COLDSTREAM GUARDS.—In our number of
the Bth ult. we led our readers to anticipate that
the result of the court of inquiry upon Lieutenant-Colonel
Dawkins, of the Coldstream Guards, would prove unfavour-
able to that officer, and that it was most likely he would
either have to retire from the army or be placed upon half-
pay. The decisions both of the Court and the Horse Guards
authorities have been promulgaled. The former is adverse
to Lieutenant-Colonel Dawkins ; the latter is to the effect
we anticipated, and the option of sending in his papers or
going upon half-pay is offered him. We should add that
Lieutenant-Colonel Dawkins has made a representation in
the nature of an appeal against this decision, and we be-
bellow kik§ for a court-niartial.—Army and Navy Gazette.

Historic Pictures. By A. Baillie Cochrane, M.P.
Two Vols. Hurst and Blackett.
Mr. Cochrane disclaims any personal merit in the
composition of this work, save perchance. that of a
judicious selection of its materials. That commen-
dation the grateful reader will very readily accord
to him, together with a pleasant recognition of the
very agreeable manner in which these " Historic
Pictures"—old friends with new faces—have been
here portrayed. The first subject selected for these
historic contemplations is entitled the " Spanish
Marriages," the name being in one instance some-
what of a misnomer, namely, in the first of the in-
cidents selected, which refers, not to " the Spanish
marriage," but to the proposal of a Spanish marriage
of Charles I. when Prince of Wales. The romantic
expedition of Prince Charles and the gay Duke of
Buckingham to the Spanish Court to judge of the
attractions of the proposed Infanta has again and
again been the favourite theme for the romance
writer, more especially that momentous dallying at
Paris, where Charles first beheld his future consort,
Henrietta Maria, and the Duke of Buckingham was
enthralled by no less a personage than the French
Queen herself. Even a " twice-told tale" like this
is invested with a new interest, placed as it is by
Mr. Cochrane in a series, as it were, of dissolving
views, in which we find this expedition of Charles I,
in 1623, succeeded by au account of the nuptials of
Louis XIV and Maria Theresa in 1660 ; and that
again followed by the startling contrast of another
Franco-Spanish alliance, entitled simply "A .Mar-
riage at Kingston, 1864" referring, of course, to
the recent union of the Count de Paris with the
Princess of Montpensier. This latter ceremony,
celebrated by the last heirs of a fallen house, is
naturally a more fitting subject for painters' art or
poets' fancy, than are the more magnificent incidents
to which some other of these pictures are devoted.
The longest and the most interesting, perhaps be-
cause the least familiar, historical episode commented
on in these volumes is the history of the Abbe De
Rance, the reformer of La Trappe. The history of this
remarkable man, from the worldliness of his earlier
days, when a great man among the great, to the
marvellous ascetism of his after-life, is very vividly
and powerfully portrayed. Very striking is the
incident, when as a youthful Churchman rich in
sinecures he returns to his gorgeous mansion, and
the thought strikes his heart that either the Gospel
must be false, or that he, the owner of this mag-
nificence, must be among the doomed. Such a
thought cannot lie idle in such a heart as De Rance's.
Very effectually has Mr. Cochrane followed the
struggles of the doubting, irresolute heart until
after hours and days of agony the sequel is thus
tenderly and beautifully told :
AFTER THE STORM.
" The hours sped on, and darker and darker seemed to
gather the clouds over the waters; but one morning, after
a night of gre.t mental disturbance, when the storm had
been raging without, and the old trees were rocked in the
violence of the gale, the wind suddenly sank to rest, and
the morning dawned peaceful, calm, and still ; the light
vapour rose from the ground, as it were the earth's incense
to the splendour of the morn. Do Rance rose, he tells us,
his heart inundated with an immense joy; he opened his
window, and the glory of tho heavens and the perfume of
the valley soothed him into a dream of happiness ; he ex-
perienced that fulness of life which all men are susceptible
of at moments. All around him seemed to abound with
love, life, and repose ; down the skirting showers the sun
had fallen on the hill-side. It was one of those moments
in which the heart cannot contain its gratitude. The land
of promise had been discovered ; the castaway saw the
beacon light across the waste of waters, the. small' voice
within whispered peace, the voices of the morning pro-
nounced their blessing. In this frame of mind de Rance
entered the chapel ; brightly the sun shone through the
painted windows, and beautiful was the reflection on the
marble pavement. It was the occasion of a fête in a vil-
lage in the neighbourhood. On the altar were placed
flowers, the freshest and sweetest of the season. Every-
thing seemed to harmonise with his ideas and sympathise
with his feelings. A new youth, a new faith, a new life
possessed him."
A kindred picture to that beautiful thought of
Beattie's " Hermit :"--
Darkness and doubt are now flying away ;
No longer I roam in conjecture forlorn,
So breaks on the traveller, faint and astray,
The bright and the balmy effulgence of morn."
Another episode from French history—the tragic
fate of the unfortunate Marie Antoinette—concludes
the second volume of these historic pictures. The
recently published correspondence of that unfortu-
nate Queen gives a fitting occasion to this article,
which is (necessarily) very interesting. For his
very agreeable companionship, not to say guidance,
in these pleasant bye-ways of history, the reader of
" Historic Pictures" closes the volume with a grate-
ful reminiscence of their author.

The Curate of Sadbrooke. 3 vols. Hurst and
Blackett.

This is a very earnest, thoughtful book, above
the average rank of a novel, and, we much fear,
also above the average taste of moat novel readers.
The Curate of Sadbrooke is one of those gifted, but
seemingly unhappy men, who are before their time,
who recognise truths to which the multitude are
blind, and who, to carry out a principle, or to en-
force a conviction, are willing to devote their lives,
and to sacrifice every selfish inclination. Such a
man is the hero of this novel. Here, in the fol-
lowing extract, is at once a glimpse of his anxieties
and of his ambition. He has, with infinite diffi-
culty, suceeeded in commencing a poor boys' school,
and he has just been assisting in the distribution of
a charity, partly organised by himself, but which is
productive of much discontent and disappointment :

would not accept, and which he was ready, in church,
in the school, in the cottages, by the wayside, wherever
there were ears to hear, wherever there were souls to be
saved, to declare.

This passage is sufficient to interest many in the
Curate of Sadbrooke. His character is very natu-
rally depicted in its varying phases, as is that of his
brother, who forms a fitting contrast to him. Very
charming is the gentle little heroine, and the scene
in which nolens volens she gives the purse intended
for another to the unbeloved suitor is very grace-
fully described. A more tragic interest attaches to
some of the minor characters of the tale. The un-
happy Jem, the widow's son, who keeps away from
school and falls a prey to the evil counsels of a
chance acquaintance, his mother's lodger, is no
doubt the sad history of many in similar circum-
stances. The incident of Jem's terror when, at the
attempted robbery of the poor-box at the church
door, the church bell rings out, is vividly told, only
it reminds us (no doubt without any intention
on the author's part) of a similar but (need we say ?)
infinitely more powerful scene, namely, that thrilling
scene familiar to all the readers of Barnaby Rudge.
No lingering pity for Jem prevents the author from
pointing the moral of his evil ways. Too late his
poor mother bewails her careless neglect, too late
the unthinking friend who had thrown him in the
way of his evil genius laments the issue of the ill-
advised companionship. All is over with the un-
happy boy ; " but no !" exclaims the writer, " all
is not yet over !"