The Sun.
London, England, 1862-04-03 00:00:00

LYNCH LAW.

The term Lynch law originated thus. An officer of the
American Revolution, named Col. Charles Lynch, brother
to the founder of Lynchburg, took up his residence at
Staunton, in the south-west part of Campbell county. At
that time the country, being very sparsely inhabited, was
infested by a lawless band of desperadoes. On the princi-
ple that desperate diseases require desperate remedies, the
Colonel apprehended some of the marauders, and by the in-
fliction of summary punishment dispensed with the neces-
sity for any superfluous legal ceremony. For many years
afterwards the practice of " Lynching " was followed up,
and became applied to mere cases of suspicion of guilt, not
admitting of regular proof. "In 1792," observes Wist, in
his Life of Henry, " there were many suits on the south side
of James River for inflicting Lynch's law."

In his rambles he came upon the native spot of the
" drink divine," which Longfellow joyously cele-
brates—

VINEYARDS.
l:n the immediate vicinity of Camp Clay—called after the
eminent Kentuckian. general and state came upon
the famous vineyards of Nicholas Longworth,—a
who some half century ago entered Cincinnati, millionaire,
friendless boy, at the time when this important inaamirer
turing and hog-raising city comprised but a few log huts.
Here the celebrated Catawba wine is produced, very simi-
lar in colour and flavour to that I have drank at Asti, in:
France, where it is largely made, and by which name it is
designated. I was informed that the cellars of the success-
ful grower contained no less than 300,000 of champagne,
besides an immense quantity of dry wines in wood. Nicholas
Longworth first introduced grape-growing into Ohio, when
he procured " cuttings" from all parts of the world.
The insubordination and dissension common among
the Northern troops is a frequent subject of com-
ment. The battle of Bull's Run is of course de-
scribed at full length, and it seems that many of the
men engaged in that immortal struggle threw all
the blame on their officers. Disputes between regi-
ments also existed, and the day after the author's
arrival in New York, a serious affray occurred at the
Broadway Barracks. The matter was hushed up,
and the dissentients removed to a distance. Similar
evils, it is said, exist in the Southern army, where
the establishment of court-martials has been found
necessary. The want of respect shown by the men
to their officers is a result we presume of the na-
tional democratic tendency, but is certainly calcu-
lated to lead to serious evils. Still it is impossible
to accept this .writer's representations uncondition-
ally, since they are manifestly an ex parte statement
and incline all ono way. The account of Mr. Day's
wanderings are graphic and interesting, and his
position gave him opportunities of observation not
allowed to many. As a very favourable picture of
the Southerners and their cause, the work will
be acceptable to all who favour their party, but we
trust there aro few Englishmen who will agree with
1‘ jay in his reflection that after all there is no
gieat evil in slavery.

TaBBageg i
Mrs. the Life of a Fast Young Lady. By
Grey,.,,rsatuthor of "The Gambler's Wife." 3
vols.
This is'''ariirand Blackett.
.tale, which furnishes a striking
example to those who
are giddy and thoughtless,
and a solemn waZila°
:Ivo those who act without 1
principle. Caroliu
neation of her class, „,,iZ!!ifield is a very apt deli-
' too prevalent tiv'orni is a class of late years
_tut_ ately. There is no-
thing so detrimental to
social circle, nothing so ruinous74e or comfort in the
the individual herself as thiss2.o the welfare of
irreales. true colours
ceeditios. No novelist can depiYeltei, of fast pro-
too strongly; no moralist can
that fol-
lowed it, awl the astonishing success that
sternly
4e,veigorous
lowed its introduction the were demandssa
ouicry to be raised against it, and a
resistance to be, employed to level its pnwe'r.rtined
Caro-
line Evcrsfield was nut badly disposed, but
good intentions did not profit her at all, as she snoop
lost the fitful fancy of kindneFs, and the transient
emotion of repentance passed away. Her sister
Geraldine was a striking contrast, gentle, gracious,
and benevolent. She was the exact opposite to her
wayward and imperious companion. Sir Hector
was a fine old soldier, who was greatly to be pitied
for the conduct of his daughter. Lady Julia, her
mother, is well described as a peevish discontented
invalid. She was totally unfit to cope with her
ungovernable daughter, and the weakness of one
parent, as much as the particularity of the other,
conspired to render the career of Caroline more
unat'adY. She despised her mother, and her
father she considered too fidgetty at one time, and
at another too unsuspicious to note her conduct.
Norman Lawless is a very strange young man; he

certainly had the excuse of having been goaded
into frenzy by the treatment he had received.
Linda is a nice character, but it is hardly likely she
would have agreed to so strange a marriage. How-
ever this remarkable proceeding turns out to be
the happiest portion of the story, as when the
gloomy valley had been passed through the hapless
wanderers emerged into pleasant pastures and
fertile meads. Lord and Lady Curraghmore are
very ably depicted, and the conduct of her ladyship
in particular is very smartly shown. She •read
a sad harvest in her plans for her children—plus
which were totally devoid of all consideration, d
in which the only object was to further her ideas
of wealth and power. All her plots and projects
crumbled away ; as a house on the sands they fell
never more to rise. Ono daughter, whom she in-
sisted on marrying to a man she hated, died shortly
after ; the other daughter ran away with some
penniless adventurer. Her son, in his turn, failed
her in her magnificent matrimonial speculations.
He was united to Linda, whom she detested. Her
various misfortunes at last seemed to effect what
the benefits strewed upon her path and the bless-
ings lavishly bestowed by Providence had not done.
The heart that hardened when her children stood
by her hearth, in the freshness of youth, and the
morning of life, was crushed by the overwhelming
calamities that befell her. The gentle Linda
effected what the violent ones of the earth can
never do. She restored peace and harmony to the
distracted householed into which she had entered
as member by her strange marriage. The final
picture of their house is a pleasing one, and the
reader is well pleased to leave them there in the
full frnition of happiness that must be too bright
to last long so unclouded and serene. I. t would be
agreeable to take a parting glance while the sur-
face is so smooth and the aspect so pleasing. But
we are reminded that where the shadow of sin has
fallen, there must the trail of the serpent be found,
and there must the curse inevitably rest. The last
passage records the home of Caroline, and draws a
picture of her future life such as it is likely to be
during the long years that await her on her pas-
sage to the grave. A sad account will be that
which is rendered up by that bright and beautiful
young creature. She who entered on life so happy
and so fortunate is left at last alone, in every sense
of the word. She married a man who was a most
disgraceful character, in spite of every warning,
in
and defiance of every endeavour on the part of
her friends and family to interfere and prevent the
dreadful calamity. Caroline was, however, of that
style who will have their own way. She persisted
in sowing the whirlwind, and she was compelled
to reap the storm. Still, with all her faults, one
feels regret at her sad fate, and cannot but
coincide with the hope ultimately expressed, that
at evening-time there might be light, and that
Caroline Lady Glendinnon might at last obtain in
her latter days that respect and esteem which had
never been her portion in the bright but deceitful
days of her early life ; also that, better still, hers
might be that inward peace which would alone
impart hope to her troubled breast, and give to her
harassed mind the blessed promise of an ultimate
abode where the wicked cease from troubling and
the weary are at rest. These "Passages in the
Life of a Fast Young Lady," are deserving of
notice, as they cannot fail to afford entertain-
ment, while they impart some useful and desirable
hints to the class which is so ably described in
these volumes. Few of the wilful or heedless
among them but would pause were their wrong-
doing once fairly set before them, and thus the
authoress may be congratulated upon her success
in her endeavour to ponrtray a distinguishing cha-
racteristic of modern society.

,john Rogers. By Joseph Lemnel Chester. Long.

man.

A certain amount of interest is inseparably at-
tached to this work, as it records the career of one
who was no less than the compiler of the first autho-
rised English Bible, the pioneer of the English
Reformation and its first martyr. In the preface
the author informs us of his motives in presenting
this volume to the public. He " discovered that
the only original account concerning him which has
been received as authentic for nearly three centu-
ries was full of the widest discrepancies, and
grossest errors. Modest and humble—unambitious
of a record on the common roll of fame—actuated by
higher and holier motives than the attainment of a
name among men, while he lived he carefully
avoided all appearance of ostentation, and never
claimed the honours to which he was justly entitled.
The reader will be struck with the painful interest
of this man's life and the solemn lessons of his
death. In the following impressive passage we are
shown how he was in his final hour more than con-
queror. " All writers, both Protestant and Romish,
united in bearing testimony to the wonderful
patience, constancy, nay, even cheerfulness with
which he met his fearful doom. The spectators
were more numerous than upon any subsequent
occasion, and although he was not permitted to
speak much to them, he did succeed in exhorting
them to remain true to the faith which he had
taught and many of them had embraced, and in
defence of which he had not only been content to
suffer all that he had already endured, but now
gladly resigned his life in this cruel manner, as his
final testimony in its behalf. After this the fires
ware lighted, and' as they began to take effect upon
him, he passed his hands through the flames, rub-
bing them as if in the act of washing, as though he
were thus ridding himself of the last impurities of
earth, and then lifting them up towards heaven, he
held them in that position until consciousness ceased
and his soul took its flight towards its eternal
home.' There is an interesting account given of
the spot where the stake was placed in Smithfield.
During the course of some excavations theworkmen '
found a quantity of ashes, in the midst cif which
were discovered a few charred and partially de-
stroyed bones. This circumstance reminds one of
the lines of the poetess :
" It may bo that each day we tread,
Where thus devoted hearts have bled ;
And haply all around lie strewed,
The ashes of that multitude."
"Here, then," exclaims the writer, "first the
martyr Rogers, and subsequently many others
in the same cause, yielded up their lives amid
such tortures as cannot be conceived without
enduring them i and there with their blood gave
vitality to the then feeble existence of that Refor-
mation which was eventually to secure to this land
andin
surrounds to
every theci
uwt
haoirrstl
edhr
at
oflhl oe
wt
hbelede sospvi nle
place
e-seg
ro
aof
rwerne
tl
ciogi
ti
byo
eut sshelaei
tbnenrmot ywe
...
mentocs erected to the memory of statesmen, war-
riors,
u scholars, and philosophers, but no tall shaft
or even bumbler cenotaph directs the curious visitor
or the anxious pilgrim to this spot, where scenes
were enacted at the memory of which humanity
still shudders, but: without which, perhaps, those
great ones since thus honoured would have had no
existence, or at least no such record as now exists
upon the page of history." There is considerable
interest in many parts of this volume ; the record of
a man so noted in his day, so fated to influence the
generations that came after him in regard to truths
of which this world could not see the extinction,
1 and which surmounted all transient notions of the
greatness and glory of the things of time and sense
in their relation to eternity and spiritual concerns,
is in itself of paramount importance. So long as
the Christian religion flourishes, so long will men
turn with regard and reverence to those who sowed
in tears that happier brethren might reap in joy,
and carried the cross through the darkest ways of
earth that others might follow to wear the crown
in heaven. The attention bestowed upon this book
is likely to ensure for it a considerable amount of
notice, and the various plates impart a characteris-
tic feature to its contents, and carry one back to
the earlier ages of superstition' and bigotry. Ap-
pended to this volume are biographical sketches of
the supposed descendants of John Rogers. It is
not to be wondered at that this is regarded as a
grand privilege, and a greater distinction could not
be claimed than the fact of being " the son of
parents passed into the skies." There is sufficient
material in this book to gain an attentive study
and an arrested notice. It treats of a lofty subject,
that of a man who gave up his life for his faith, it
descants upon a worthy theme, the gain effected
and the good promulgated by these early workers
in the far-off days of dawning enlightenment. Thus
it contains truths that may not be gainsaid and in-
formation that is in itself important and interest-
ing.

The life of Arthur, _First Luke of Wellington.
By the Rev. G. K. Gleig, Chaplain-General to
the Forces, and Prebendary of St. Paul's. Long-

man.

It is some time since we noticed the original
edition of this work, which, from its full and
accurate account of the eventful life of the Great
Duke, could scarcely fail to find favour with the
descendants of those who fought at Waterloo. The
Work in drAwn partly from the celebrated " Life of
the Duke of Wellingtoo" by M. Brialmont, and
w""istilide,ht.ll
Partly from original documents. The author had,
that "T havelington great advantage of a personal friendship
and justly observes in his preface,
listened to h.days
for
been the guest of the Duke of Wel-
and nights together ; to have
of questions, Lt7ords of wisdom in the discussion
the present; toul!,af the past, and of what was then
observed his habit in the
; thesneterchanged ideas with him
domestic circle, anri
on many subjects
aeiskposition in society
life on which any man, areei7currences in his own
zith satisfaction.
what it will, may well ook b
And, in my case, they entitle
that the
which I have assisted in drawingsa
picture
has not
been completed without some k personal ,
- llowLedge

of the original" The
present Duke, his late
lamented brother, Lord Charles Wellesley, Earl
Russell, and many other of the great warrior's
intimate friends, relations, and associates, have
assisted in furnishing documents ; the .4uthenticity
of the work may be consequently relied on. It is
not necessary to analyse closely the merits of a
work which has been already before the public ;
we need only say that the object of the author
in reducing it in form and price is, that it "may
find its way into the hands of Englishmen of all
ranks and callings." ',This hope is likely to be,
in a measure, realised ; and the comprehensive-
ness of the work, its full detail and numerous
maps, will afford valuable assistance to any
reader who wishes to gather all possible informa-
tion respecting the career of ono of whom his
country is justly proud.

Readings on the Prophets: _lsaiah. By Dr.
Cumming. Bentley.
The numerous admirers of Dr. Cumming will
doubtless welcome these popular expositions of the
grand old prophet. They are well adapted for the
use of families and schools, and were originally
read in church on Sunday evenings, aiming rather
at familiar and practical instruction than at learned
or theological display. They will consequently be
more acceptable to many than other works which
dwell more on Dr. Cumming's peculiar views.
The volume before us is the first of a series, and
will be followed by the reverend author's readings
on the other prophets.

History of the Four Conquests of' England. By
James Augustus St. John. 2 vols. Smith and
Elder.

Studious readers may ba gratified to mark these
substantial volumes which are the result of careful
investigation, and which bring before us the proofs
of matured deliberations. The theme is in itself
sufficiently important to demand more than a cur-
sory glance, and to ask for more than a brief notice.
The object of the writer is carefully shown in the
introductory remarks, and appears constantly
maintained throughout. The author observes that
during the momentous period that elapsed between
the advent of the Roinans and the final victory of the
Normans, an interest appertains to English history
" scarcely to be paralleled in any other portion of
the annals of mankind." After descanting upon
the various causes of the conflicts and the nature of
the changes, the writer impressively states at last
that the power-and civilisation of the British Em-
pire must be traced to the circumstances by which
its youth was surrounded and disciplined. "It is
the story of this youth that I have endeavoured to
tell in these volumes to show under what influences
it arose and waxed in strength, with what storms
of adversity it had to contend, how, with the
patience of greatness it braved them all, and how,
though beaten down and bent, it was never broken,
but rising again gradually, it recovered its erect
attitude, towering higher and higher after every
fall, until, at length it came to constitute the acme
of political communities, the model and exemplar
after which other free states have been proud to
fashion themselves." Without in any way laying
claim to distinguishing superiority of style, these
volumes are certainly above average merit, and
seem to bear traces of solid sense and a general
rectitude of judgment which go far to stamp ap-
proval on a work of this class, It is, of course,
peculiarly interesting to dwell upon the passages
that relate to Alfred the Great. This star in the
horizon of regal eelebrities, is the endless subject of
romance, legend, and song, and his deeds impart a
lustre to the pages of history, while the chronicles of
his reign illuminate the annals of our country's
history in those dark days of ignorance and oppres-
sion. It is thus appropriately observed of him,
"Posterity has not been disinclined to do justice to
Alfred. His greatness is acknowledged on all
hands, chiefly, perhaps, because his goodness ias
such as to disarm the hostility of envy. In an age
when all Europe was barbarous, his virtues shone
with the full lustre of civilisation. Alone among
modern princes he deserves to be compared with
the greatest sovereigns of antiquity. Taken alto-
gether, he was such a king and such a man as
modern history can scarcely parallel. The circum-
stances of the times in which he lived were pre-
eminently unfavourable to the cultivation of the
mind, yet he applied himselfunceasingly to thought,
and to all those elegant arts which tend to soften,
purify, and elevate a nation. His name is still
held dear, not only in England, but among our
kindred the Germans, and throughout those vast
colonies and commonwealths which our children
have founded beyond the ocean, and which will
concur to perpetuate his glory as long as the Eng-
lish language and literature shall endure." It is,
of course, a congenial theme on which the writer
can descant in flowing strains and measured periods
when he is once fairly launched upon the efforts
made by this man. Of him it has been truly said,
" Replete with soul this monarch stood alone,
And built on freedom's basis England's throne,
A legislator, patriot, warrior, sage,
He died the light of fa benighted age."

It may be presumed that many persons will be glad
of this opportunity afforded them of regarding the
events of an important period of our national
history thus succinctly stated and ingeniously put
before them. From the past we may learn of the
present and predict for the future. In those far-off
days of eld now slighted and disregarded by many,
the germs of high import were taking root and the
shadow of great things to come was apparent. The
men who toiled or fought then were the nurturers
of the great works of English freedom, and the
framers of the mighty edifice of English fame,
Since then, time has tried with its searching tests,
and nations have followed in the wake of these
pioneers of civilisation, and these heralds of the
glory of the aftertime. One generation passeth
and another cometh, but the voice of truth speaks
immortal through the ages, and the records of hero-
ism survive the moth and rust of earth to bear
witness to men of the favour of heaven. The history
of this country is always of sufficient importance to
arrest the notice of the student, and if its earlier
pages shine not with the classic grace of Grecian
splendour, and glow not with the fire of ancient
Rome, the dwellers in the cities of the Violet Crown
and the Seven Hills had no prouder reminiscences
and could trace no more glorious ancestors. We may
conclude then that Mr. St. John's efforts may
be attended, at all events, with a partial success in
most circles of the community, and will afford a
satisfactory insight into the modes and methods of
an earlier age whose peculiarities may now be in-
fluencing our lives, and whose events are important
as they have shaped the destinies of our land in a
fashian that may endure to the end of time.

Narrattve of the North China Campaign of 1860.
By Robert Swinhoe, of H.M.'s Consular Service
in China. Smith and Elder.
Among the many histories of the late China war
the present volume holds a prominent place, and
the fact that its author acted as staff interpreter to
Sir Hope Grant during the campaign, gives it a
decided advantage over most others, inasmuch as
speaking the language and having an übiquitous
appointment, which continually brought him into
contact with the natives, Mr. Swinhoe was enabled
to study their character and habits more minutely
than those whose military occupations and igno-
rance of the language deprived them of similar
facilities. But, while devoting the greater part
of the work to China and the Chinese he
does not neglect to sketch the military operations,
but as these have been described by so many able
writers, we are glad that Mr. Swinhoe has devoted
his attention mostly to social life and politics. He
speaks highly of the bravery of the Chinese under
fire, which is acknowledged by all writers, but he
discloses one horrible cause for their maintaining
their position. In describing the capture of the
first of the Takoo forts, he remarks that the wall
afforded very little protection to the Tartar gun-
ners, and it was astonishing how they managed to
stand so long against the destructive fire that our
Armstrongs poured upon them ; " but I observed, in
more instances than one, that the unfortunate
creatures had been tied to the guns by the legs.
This seems almost incredible ; but several officers
and myself saw the poor victims lying dead
or dying, thus tied to the weapons they em-
ployed against us." This is not to be wondered at
when we consider the entire want of humanity
among the Chinese. When in pursuance of his
duties as interpreter he had to make arrange-
ments for housing some of the troops in the
adjoining village, he discovered many wounded
and dying Chinese men as well as women and child-
renof all ages. These were collected together in
some spare huts, and after a while an inferior man-
derin came with two letters to Lord Elgin and
Baron Gros. At the request of Mr. Swinhoe he
agreed to take charge of the remaining villagers
who were forthwith brought out, but the want of
feeling so peculiar to the Chinese here showed it-
self. Amongst the number was an old hardy
woman and her daughter who had a sprained
,thigh. As the exodus was about to start the poor
girl implored the mother not to leave her, but the
old woman turned a deaf ear to her entreaties,
whereupon Mr. Swinhoe caused her to be carried
on a litter by two of her countrymen. There were
also two children, a child about two years old, and
a poor idiotic crone in her second childhood; these
he also caused to be taken out. When the party
arrived at the mandarin's escort, that functionary
asked each individual if he or she had any friends
at Takoo, to which all answered in the affirmative
except the old woman and the child, the former
not being able to :understand, and :the latter not
being able to speak ; whereupon he refused to take
them, saying that he should not be able to feed
them, but at the particular desire of the author he