The Sun.
London, England, 1849-08-09 00:00:00

THE MIRROR.

The contributions of Mr. Percy St. John, on mat-
ters relating to the modern history of France, are
always welcome. Here we have two of them, the
first entitled " The Aristocrat," an interesting
tale of the Reign of Terror, and the other
a continuation of the " Adventures of a French
Republican. "The present chapters describe the funeral
of General Lnmarque, and the preparation for the
contest in the Cloister St. Mery. This contest, like
the affair of June, 1849, was got up by the Govern-
ment. Mr. St. John thus explains the motives of
each of these treasons against the people
W hen a Ministry has no resource lett; when its un-
popularity is flagrant, glaring, evident ; when folly and
wickedness have laid it so low in the opinion of the public
that it has no hope left, it has one loop-bole. It gets up
a conspiracy or a fight, and the timid come back to it
for a while; a reaction gives it a new lease of existence.
" In June, 1832, the Government pushed on the fight
in every way in their power. They knew the Republi-
cans could not hope to rouse sympathy unless attacked
first, and the Government resolved it should be attacked.
" In June, 1849, a similar vile and disgraceful trick
has saved the Barrot Ministry. Paling before the Ro-
man crime, it got up the 13th June. Rollin fell a vic-
tim to a conspiracy got up by the police."
There is an admirable paper on " Thomas Carlyle, in
this number of the Mirror, in which the writer sets
him up as the hero of the present age, and worships
him accordingly. According to this writer, Thomas
Carlyle is the man of the age par excellence. He
says—
" It is remarkable how much is due to Mr. Carlyle, by
many who influence the age—and do not acknowledge
what they owe to him. l'usey ism itself is blundering
Carlylisoi. It is a hero-worship that has chosen the
wrong heroes. It is the metempsychosis of the religious
principle into an old dead body, instead of a new body
altogether. Carlyle held up his lump—and the Puseyites
hailed the light, but took the wrong way.
" Then the Young Englanders were set going by Car-
lyle; but they, unfortunately, in their adoption of hero-
worship, committed the error of taking themselves to be
th it heroes. But nothing can be hoped from them.
With them it is a fashion to be reformers. All such ape-
like imitators cl the divine contortions of the sybil pro-
fane the sanctuary.
" The influence of Carlyle is seen in Bulwer's philso-
phy ; in Mr. Disraeli's best affectations; and in the moral
and independent tone and morality of Mr. Thackeray's
fictions. The three words on Mr. Carl) le's banner are
Wonder, Sincerity, and Work. He has already learnt
much from his writings who looks on Nature with reve-
rence and awe, man with fearless love ; and there could
be no better commendation on him, than a man with God
Gt his heart and a spade in his hand."
There is another gentleman whose name this writer
has omitted to mention, who has been much abused
of late by Puseyites, Young Englanders, Bulwerites,
Disraelites, et hoc genus oinne, and whose principal
dogma is nevertheless pure Carlylism—we mean M.
Proudhon , the Communist. "It is not because of
his toils that I lament for the poor," says Thomas
Carlyle, in his " Sartor Resartus," " we must all toil or
steal (however we name our stealing), which is
worse." What is this but another version of M. Proud-
hon's far- fatned aphorism, La Propriete c'est le vat?

FOTJRIER'S WORKS IN ENGLISH.—It is now pro-
p'sett to publish, by subscription, Fourier's Philosophical
Treatise, from La Phalange Review, "On the Passions
of the Human Soui." The works of this French Socialist
are of great interest to whoever would understand the
working of continental Europe, in which the ideas pro-
pounded by this head of the leading Socialist school
mingle as a most important element. No doubt, also,
these works contain some practical suggestions that may
be of use to this country in the investigation of the
questions that Lre pies Aug upon its notice, as colonial
mpire, public education, public health, the peace ques-
tion, finance, and many others, of which the fertile
genius of Fourier has treated with great originality.
CHESTER AND HOLYHEAD RAlLWAY.—Traffic for
the week ending August 5, 1849:—Coaching traffic,
2 4621. I ls. 11d.; parcels, &c., 481, 16s. Ild.; goods,
,cattle, &c., 236/. 3s. 7d.; steamboats, 2581. 2s. 10d.--
Total, 3,0954 155.3 d., exclugy9 of mous and won.