The Sun.
London, England, 1865-07-19 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, JULY 19, 1865

consciousness of what treasure we possessed in the
factory population of this county, we recognise
the wisdom of PROVIDENCE in drawing good from
that which seemed to be unmitigated evil."
Of course such an orator as Mr. GLADSTONE
can always make a successful speech, but it must
be noticed that in this speech he said nothing of
foreign policy, and nothing of reform. He pre-
ferred to keep to the generalities of things rather
than to the details, and perhaps finance is the most
successful feature of the present Government's
achievements. At any rate, it may be admitted
that he will be a fitting representative for South
Lancashire, and he will do well and wisely if, in
the prominent position ho is likely to take in the
future legislation of the country, he adopt a more
calm and conciliatory tone than that which he often
displayed in the heat of debate and the excitement
of controversy. No great speaker ever impresses
less by moderation, and no statesman can attain
eminence without it.

The inhabitants of the good city of Plymouth
have just now a very imposing spectacle before
them. They are accustomed to see plenty of ships,
many of them well worth seeing, and the Channel Fleet
is no stranger to their waters. But even these they
cannot often boast of after witnessing such a com-
bination of attractions as is just now visible. The
French, the Dutch, and Austrian ships mingle in
the spectacle. The former, indeed, taking a prin-
cipal part, having come on a friendly visit of in-
spection and exhibition, which the English are
afterwards to return. The chief part of the French
visitors are to come over a few weeks hence, but in
the meantime the visit of the Prince and Princess
of WALES to the port is the occasion of additional
festivities. We are glad to find the young PRINCE
and PRINCESS so willing to extend their acquaint-
ance with their own dominions, and so ready to
gratify the national and loyal desire of their future
subjects. Almost every great division of England
has its own peculiar character and distinctive
features, and the capital can by no means be taken
as an illustration of the provinces any more than
the busy life of a crowded seaport can repre-
sent the quiet agricultural districts or the manufac-
turing towns. The PRINCESS, as the daughter of a
country always famous in its ships, must look with
interest on all connected with the sea and sailors.
It is to be hoped the representation of so many
different nations may be accepted as an augury for
peace and unity in the future, and that it may be
long before the vessels now so harmoniously sharing
the admiration of the visitors to Plymouth may find
themselves engaged in hostile action. The Prince
and Princess, who intend to pass a few days at the
beautiful seat of Lord MOUNT EDGCUMBE, will have
a favourable opportunity of seeing that famous and
beautiful locality to full advantage.

AMERICA.

(REUTEUR'S EXPRESS.)
(Per City of Boston.)
NEW YORK, July 8 (Noon).

The decision of the military court at Washington
was rendered on the 3d inst., and approved by Pre-
sident Johnson on the sth. It sentenced David E.
Harrold, G. A. Atzcrott, Lewis Payne, and Mary
E. Surratt to death by hanging ; Dr. S. A. Mudd,
S. Arnold, and M. O'Laughlin to imprisonment,
with hard labour, for life; and E. Spangler to six
years' imprisonment, with hard labour. The Pre-
sident designated the 7th inst. as the day on which
the sentences were to be carried into effect. The
order was read to the prisoners on the sth instant.
Payne and Mrs. Surratt heard it with
I quiet resignation ; the latter, however, earnestly
begged for four days more time in order to
prepare herself for death. Harrold was quite over-
come and wept bitterly, while Atzerott was para-
lyzed with terror. Mr. Clampit, one of the counsel
for Mrs. Surratt, procured a writ of habeas corpus
from Judge Wyle, which was served upon General
Hancock on the morning of the 7th. In answer
General Hancock appeared in court and stated that
his reason for not making the required return to
the writ was in consequence of the suspension of the
writ by the President. The following endorsement
upon the writ was then read :
" Executive Office, July 7, 1865.
" Major-Gen. Hancock, Commanding.
" I, Andrew Johnson, President of the United
States, do declare that the writ of habeas corpus has
been heretofore suspended in such cases as this,
and I do hereby especially suspend this writ, and
direct that you proceed to execute the order of the
Military Commission, and you will give this in re-
turn for the writ. 44 ANDREW JOHNSON."

Harold's sisters and Mrs. Surratt's daughter
Anna appeared early in the morning at the White
House to intercede for clemency, and craved an
interview with the President, who had, however,
given imperative orders to admit no one. The
grief of Miss Surratt is said to have been pitiable.
Failing in all her efforts in behalf of her mother,
she finally sank senseless upon the steps of the
Executive mansion. Payne is said to have earnestly
declared Mrs. Surratt to be innocent, and to have
exhibited the greatest anxiety that she should not
suffer death. Even up to the hour of the execution
it was generally expected that Mrs. Surratt's sen-
tence would be commuted. From the time of hear-
ing of their doom the prisoners were constantly at-
tended by their spiritual advisers. Payne's religious
persuasion being Baptist ; Mrs. Surratt's, Roman
Catholic ; Arnold's, Methodist ; while Atzerott
selected a Lutheran minister.

At one o'clock p.m. on the 7th inst. the prisoners
left the prison building for the gallows in the court-
yard. Mrs. Surratt had to be supported. She was
closely attended by Fathers Wiget and Walter.
Next came Atzerott, trembling and utterly un-
nerved. Payne followed, attended by the Rev. Mr.
Gillett; he walked firmly, displayed no bravado,
but manifested in no way the slightest fear. Harold
was pale and subdued in manner, but walked unaided.
Having reached the scaffold, Payne and Harrold,
through their ministers, thanked General Hart-
rauft for his uniform kinkness to them in their ini-
prisonment. Prayers were then conducted, after
which, all being in readiness, the prisoners were
brought forward bound, and the halter of each
adjusted. Payne throughout maintained his firm-
ness, Harold being partially unconscious, Mrs.
Surratt calm, and Atzerott quaking with terror.
The latter alone spoke upon the gallows, saying
" Good bye, gentlemen, may we all meet in another
world." At hall-past 1 o'clock the tr,^4 was sprung,
the four culprits falling simultaneously. There was
no struggle on the part of Mrs. Surratt, she seemed
to die without suffering a moment's pain. Harrold
struggled a little, but soon was quiet, and Atzerott
seemingly died easily. Payne, however, appeared
to suffer greatly : the fall did not break his neck,
and he writhed and heaved his body terribly, some-
times drawing himself up as in a sitting posture.
In six minutes all were dead. After hanging about
26 minutes the bodies were cut down, placed in
coffins, and at once buried in the prison yard. The
affair was conducted is a most orderly manner, and
was witnessed by about 300 persolis, including the
reporters for the press.

THE SALMON IN AUSTRALIA.—The salmon at
tho Plenty still in tho breeding ponds present as lively an
appearance as ever. Those that wore let loose in the
Plenty cannot now bo seen so well as formerly, owing to
the discoloration of the water, occasioned by the late rains
They are, however, believed to be in just as lively and
healthy a condition as those in the ponds. No further
signs of mortality have presented themselves among them
any where.—Australima and New Zealand Gazette.

DRIVEN TO DEATH.—On the 28th of June, in
pursuance of a wager for $6,000, an attempt was made to
drive a horse from Boston to Portland, 116 miles, between
sunrise and sunset. The horse got within six miles of the
goal considerably within the time, when ho fell and imme-
diately expired. The job is, therefore, unfinished, and the
true way to complete it would be to harness the men con-
cerned in the bet to the carcase of the horse, and, make
them drag it back towards Boston until each and everyone
brutal bipeds shared the fate of the poor animal,..so wan-
Maly MUrdeied.-41 ao Fork TOM

LATEST INTELLIGENCE.

(REUTER'S TELEGRAMS.)

HOLLAND.

THE HAGUE, JULY 19.

The Second Chamber of the States-General have,
with the exception of one adverse vote, unanimously
approved the Treaty of Commerce with France.

THE CHOLERA IN THE EAST.
CONSTANTINOPLE, JULY 12.
The cholera is spreading here. The total num-
ber of cases that have proved fatal is 32 in the naval
hospital, and 11 in the city. Strict sanitary mea-
sures have been adopted.
It is rumoured that Riza Pacha will be named
Minister without portfolio.
The Levant Herald states that the Porte has ceded
to Egypt two districts on the coast of Abyssinia for
a yearly tribute of 2,500,000 piastres.

THE CHOLERA IN EGYPT.

TRIESTE, RUT 15.

Advices from Alexandria to the 14th inst. show
a decided decrease in the mortality resulting from

cholera.

FRANCE.

PARIS, JULY 19.

The Moniteur of this morning announces that
the health of the Prince Imperial is now completely
re-established.

BOURSE, July 18.—The subscription to the new
City Loan being officially announced to commence
on the 25th inst. has caused the Bourse to open
business on improved quotations. But the opening
prices soon gave way ; Stock, and more particularly
Credit Mobilier shares, declined constantly, though
• .
at the present hour the market has again improved,
and attained previous prices. Threes, for the Ac-
count, obtained the following quotations-67f. 50c.,
67f. 45c., and 67f. 50c. Cr6dit Mobilier shares
opened at 726 f. 25c., retrograded to 717 f. 50c., and
are in active demand at present at 725 f. No varia-
tion whatsoever the last hour. The closing prices

are about the same as at
41 per Cents —
Do. end month —
3 per Cents. —
Do. end month 67 321
Credit Mobilior

Do. end month 726 25
Bank Shares —
Credit Foncier 1250
Italian Loan —

Do. end month 64 77
RAIL'

,wo o'clock :

Ditto Threes —
Mexican Loan 47 25
Do. Bonds —
Russian —
Austrian
Spanish Threes
Homo Debt —
Deferred
Roman —

AU.
Cash.

ANA-

Orleans
Northern
Lyons and Mediterranean...
Southern
Western
Eastern
Sardinian .
Austrian
Lombard
North of Spain
Saragossa
Ditto to Barcelona.,.,.„

,•.• - •••
- - ... 1043 75
- ... 846 25
562 50

- ... 285 -
- - ... 420 -

- - ... 485 -
- ... 178 75

323 75

... 135

LITERATUEB,

Charles Dickens's Serial Story.
Our Mutual Friend. By Charles Dickens. No. XV.

Chapman and Hall.
It may be that having advanced so far, Mr. Dickens
feels, in sailor phrase, that he has more " way" upon
him. Or, it may happen, again, that he simply
finds his hand of cunning and mastery, by this time,
fairly " in" to the accomplishment of the particular
work he has here set himself to do. Or, yet fur-
ther, it may just merely have so chanced with him,
that he has himself become gradually more familia-
rised with the intricacies of his own plot, or with the
idiosyncracies of the various characters with which
he has peopled it. At any rate, whatever the reason
may be for what we are about to remark upon, certain
it is, that " Our Mutual Friend " evidences, now,
month by month, more and more clearly, chapter
after chapter, instalment after instalment, greater
power, a more delightful ease, a more enthralling
interest, and, together with all that, an
obvious and instantly appreciable development or
expansion of its more salient and distinctive ex-
cellencies. The mystery of the plot—or, more
strictly speaking, we should say, perhaps,
of the under - plot—still, even at the close
of this fifteenth number, remains, as it appears
to us—just utterly inscrutable. The root idea of the
whole tale, the backbone, so to speak, of the entire body
of the story, has long ago been manifestly the
testing by John Harmon—under an assumed name
—after his supposed death : the testing thus by
John Harmon, at one and the same time, of the
affections of Bella, and of the honesty of Boffin.
That—so far, it appears to us, is what may be called
the main drift of the whole narrative. That, so far,
seems to be the general scheme upon which
the plot of " Our Mutual Friend" has been
e hero of it. The and pleasure,
constructed—meaning by Our Mutual Friend,
eiter accordingtbe tobootkhe reader'sitself
forth
whim
underplot of the tale, it is, that alone, as it
seems to us, fairly baffles the wiliest reader's con-
jectures as to the significance of it. This extraor-
dinary change, in point of fact, that has latterly
transformed the whole nature, or at any rate the
whole bearing of Noddy Boffin—Boffin whilome so
true-hearted, of late so miserly and now at length
so outrageously insolent and domineering—that be-
wildering change still remains, we cannot but think,
of " Our Mutual
even down to the very close of the very last chapter
oFfr i e this
the
rfiofbteleelnuthlittnleumlebses than absolutely in-
scrutable scrutable ! A problem that, so far as the story
has yet gone, justly simply defies solution.
Chapter fifteen of number fifteen, the chapter lead-
ing off this July instalment of the story (now alas !
three quarters finished) shows to the wondering
reader " The Golden Dustman at his worst !" Shows
him to us—reviling, dismissing, insulting, outraging
by every conceivable indignity, by every kind of
contumelious and disdainful treatment his (Boffin's)
Secretary, or rather it should be said his late Secre-
tary, seeing that he is his Secretary now no longer
—John Rokesmith. Thus says Boffin in the pre-
sence and hearing of Bella—talking at rather than
to the subject and recipient of these accumulated
indignities : thus quoth Boffin in words of in-
tolerable insolence—" This Rokesmith is a needy
' young man that I take for my secretary out of
the open street. This Rokesmith gets acquainted
with my affairs, and gets to know that I mean
to settle a sum of money on this young lady.
' Oho!' says this Rokesmith ;' here Mr. Boffin
clapped a finger against his nose, and tapped it seve-
ral times with a sneaking air as embodying Rokesmith's
confidentially confabulating with his own nose.
' This will be a good haul. I'll go in for this ! ' "
Treated thus like the merest hound—having his very
wages tossed towards him, upon the carpet, so that
he has to stoop for it—Rokesmith is contemptuously
discharged from the Golden Dustman's service in the
presence of the Golden Dutsman's heiress. No
sooner, however, has the discarded Secretary disap-
peared than the pent-up ire of Bella Wilfer—no
longer frivolous, no longer selfish, but " all her
baser self slipped from her like a robe "—bursts
forth in the prettiest petulance, in the most bewitch-
ingly incoherent utterances of girlish indignation,
upon the devoted head of Mr. Boffin himself. The
bewilderment of the latter under this unexpected
outbreak of temper on the part of his pretty protey
is wonderfully droll, even in the midst of the in-
tensely emotional passion of tho scene. " I hate
you!" cries Bella, turning suddenly upon him with
a stamp of her little foot, adding, " At least I can't
hate you, but I don't like you !" " !" says
Boffin to himself, in an amazed undertone. Bella
thereupon pouring out upon him from her rosy lips
a whole string of little scolding epithets, as though
she were pelting him smartly over the nose, so to
speak, with sugar plums ! Mr. Boffin, the while—
staring here and staring there—" misdoubting that
he must be in some sort of fit." Bella still con-
tinuing her reproaches—" Mr. Boffin," we read,
" seeming to be more convinced that this was a At,
rolled his eyes and lose his neckcloth." The dm

of the scene between the two is the prettiest thing
imaginable :
" I am very glad," sobbed Bella, " that I called you
names, sir, because you richly deserved it. But lam very
sorry that I called you names, because you used to be so
different. Say good-bye !"
" Good-bye," said Mr. Boffin, shortly.
"If I knew which of your hands was the least spoilt, I
would ask you to let me touch it," said Bella, "for the last
time. But not because I repent of what I said to you. For
I don't. It's true."

" Try the left hand," said Mr. Boffin, holding it out in a
stolid manner ; " its the least used."
" You have been wonderfully good and kind to me,"
said Bella, " and I kiss it for that. You have been as
bad as bad could be to Mr. Rokesmith, and I throw it away
for that. Thank you for myself, and good-bye !"
" Good-bye," said Mr. Boffin, as before.
Bella caught him round the neck, and kissed him, and
ran out for ever.

The chapter immediately following this one in
which the Grand House of the Boffins (the Corner
House once sacred to Miss Elizabeth, Master
George, Aunt Jane, and Uncle Parker) is quitted
first of all by Rokesmith and afterwards by Bella
—the very next chapter to this one, relates surely
in the most whimsical and charming manner one of
the most whimsical and charming lovescenes that
ever was depicted by the hand of Novelist. A
chapter recounting " The Feast of the Three Hob-
goblins" I--according to the notion of Dr. Southey's
famous nursery-story. The materials of the Feast con-
sisting of three cottage loaves and three pennyworths
of milk—consumed respectively, the loaves and the
pennyworths, by Pa, and Bella, and Rokesmith, in
their capacity as the Three Hobgoblins ! " A Social
Chorus" is the title of the last chapter of this
fifteenth number of " Our Mutual Friend "—said
Chorus consisting of that odious set of conven-
tional worldlings the Veneerings, the Podsnaps, and
the Lammles, et hoc genus omne, comprising among
the pick of that same " genus"—Boots and Brewer,
still industriously going about in cabs—Lady
Tippins ghastlier than ever in her senile coquetries—
and poor little Twemlow ever and anon hold-
ing his head between his hands, overshadowed in
his room above the Duke-street stable-yard, by that
portentous effigy of the sublime Snigsworth over
the mantelpiece, " snorting at a Corinthian column,
with an enormous roll of paper at his feet, and a
hetzvy curtain going to tumble down on his head—those
accessories being understood to represent the noble
lord as somehow in the act of saving his country."
The Wondering Dinner, described towards the
close of this chapter, in which the Veneerings gather
about them their choicest " intimates" to discuss the
collapse of the Lammles' No-Fortunes, is thickly
studded with the minutest, yet most trenchant and
piercing, and some among them absolutely scarifying
touches of sarcasm. The new specimens of the
intimate friends clustering about Veneering since
his entrance into the House as M.P. for Pocket
Breaches —are especially good—some of them indeed
are deliciously ridiculous—" These friends, like
astronomical distances are
-only to be spoken of," we
are told, "in the very largest figures." The Won-
dering Dinner, after all its oddities, arrives at
length at the aim and object of it all, the aim giving
to it, in fact, its distinctive title—namely, the
Wondering ! The wondering that is as to the
Lammels' smash ! " Gaming table," says one of
the new intimates, one of the Fathers of the Scrip-
church. " Speculated without knowing that specu-
lation is a science," says another of the Fathers.
Boots says " Horses." Lady Tippins says to her
fan, " Two establishments." Mr. Podsnap, how-
ever, is best of all in the matter of the wondering.
Mr. Podsnap, saying nothing, is referred to for his
opinion, which he delivers as follows, much flushed and
extremely angry :
" Don't ask me. I desire to lake no part in the discus-
sion of these people's affairs. I abhor the subject. It is
an odious subject, an offensive subject, a subject that
makes me sick, and right-
arm And with his favourite
flourish, which sweeps away everything and settles it
for ever, Mr. Podsnap sweeps these inconveniently unex-
plainable wretches who have lived beyond their means,
and gone to total smash, off the face of the universe.
As the Third Book of " Our Mutual Friend "
reaches its close, here, at the end of this July
number of the story—there comes Mr. Dolls—
bringing with him in a cab (for a matter of fifteen
shillings) the promised direction (Lizey's) for Eugene
the Imperturbable. As Eugene tucks the slip of
paper containing this direction into his waistcoat-
pocket, and goes forth from the doorway of the
Veneerings into the night, we have a sense coming
to us that the end is upon the eve of beginning.