The Sun.
London, England, 1849-05-28 00:00:00

SOPHOCLE

MILLION.

OEDIPUS, KING OF THEBES. Translated
front the CEdipus Tyrannus of S'ophocles. By Sir
Francis Hastings Doyle.
Pour summers back the reception of Antigone by
an English audience in Covent-garden Theatre suf-
ficiently showed that the old Greek dramatists were
not incapable of finding appreciation among us bar-
barians. 'lhe enthusiasm with which that great
tragedy was welcomed by the inhabitants of London
was scarcely °ming so much to the splendid histrionic
abilities of Mr. Vandenhoff and his daughter,
or to the noble composition of an il-
lustrious musician since deceased—Mendelssohn
Bartholdy—as it was to the dramatic majesty of
Sophocles, a majesty which was recognised even
through the film of a translation. Remembering that
incident, which almost constitutes of itself an epoch
in the drama and in literature, it is with peculiar
gratification that we observe the appearance of the
present diminutive, but most estimable volume, an
English version of the renowned CEiipus Tyrannus,
from the pen of Sir Francis Hastings Doyle, late
Fellow of All Souls' College, Oxford. From
the few words prefixed to the translation it would
appear that in the event of the writer meeting
with anything like adequate encouragement the
present will only prove the pursuivant of many
similar performances. With all possible cordiality
we trust to see this double intention realised—we
trust to witness this success which; will evoke this
scholarly enterprise. For the purpose of the trans-
lator is eminently deserving of encouragement—
seeing that it is a solicitude to familiarise the masses
of his fellow-countrymen (unacquainted as they are
with the language of ancient Greece) with the
famous masterpieces of antiquity. To do this
effectually Sir F. Hastings Doyle has here pro-
duced a faithful yet elegant translation into our
mother tongue of one of the chef deuvres of the im-
mortal Sophocles—at a very trifling expenditure for
the reader, and of a most portable size for his con-
venience. As we have already intimated, the trans-
lator in his preliminary " Notice," expresses his in-
tention of furnishing versions successively of the six
other plays. This intention, we repeat, we earnestly
hope to see realised. It will do honour to Sir F. 11.
Doyle, while conferring an inestimable advantage on
the community. It will tend to diffuse still further
the fame of Sophocles, and in so doing it will elevate
the tastes and widen the intelligence of the mul-
titude.

FINE ARTS.
BUILDINGS AND MONUMENTS. Part I.
By George Godwin, P.R S.
A new pictorial serial, especially directed to the
representation of the various achievements of the
science of architecture, is here commenced. Plate
one is a sketch of her Majesty's marine residence,
Osborne ; two, a beautiful design of the north porch
of Redcliff Church, Bristol (as it would appear
restored), a spot famous as being surmounted by the
muniment room in which the monk Rowley was
created by a schoolboy. We should marvellously
like to see that muniment room surmounted by a
colossal figure of Chatterton ! Plate three gives us a
view of St. Isaac's at St. Petersburgh. Plate four is
the interior of the new hall at Lincoln's-inn. Plate
five, the new Carlton Clubhouse; six, the Arch-
, bishop's throne, Canterbury Cathedal ; seven, the
Kensington Union Workhouse; eight, the Liverpool
Branch Bank of England. The work is edited by
the editor of our able contemporary the Builder.

CLERGY ORPHAN CORPORATION. A. half-yearly
meeting of this excellent society was held at the Free-
masons' Tavern, on Saturday last, the Rev. Dr. Shep-
herd in the chair, in the unavoidable absence of the
Bishop of London. After the minutes of the last meet-
ing had been read by the Rev. Mr. Glennie, the secre-
tary, the Reverend Chairman commented upon the great
loss which the society had sustained by the death of his
co-treasurer, Charles Frederick Barnewall, Esq , and
the meeting then proceeded to the election of buys and
girls into the schools at St. John's-wood, when, from
the great number of applications, and the unfortunately
few vacancies, an animated discussion arose as to the
relative merits of the candidates, but eventually those
who were recommended by the committee were elected.
These were five boys, namely, Wm. Thomas, H. B.
Marshall, Alfred Williams, John G. B. Owen, and W.
De Jabet; and five girls, namely, E. F. Sisson, M. M.
Durand, E. M. B. Lewis, Ellen Lee, and C. E. A. Ro-
gers, all orphans of clergymen of the Church of Eng-
land, who have been left in a destitute condition. We
are sorry to be informed that the annual subscriptions
to this valuable institution have of late years fallen off,
but it is to hoped that if greater publicity be given to
the existence and objects of the charity, this diminution
will be arrested, and the accounts present a more satis-
factory appearance than they have done for several years
past.
LARGE ARRIVAL or SPECIE.--The following nu-
merous arrivals of specie have taken place into the metro-
polis in one day from the different countries and ports
mentioned. The ship Alfred, arrived in the docks from
Calcutta and the Cape, brought from the latter place 15
boxes of specie, consigned to nine different firms in the
metropolis, and two boxes of specie consigned to order.
Tho ship Agincourt, also from Calcutta and the Cape,
has brought from th© latter place 12 boxes of specie,
consigned to order; the vessel New Margaret, from
Canton, brought 32 boxes of treasure, consigned to the
Oriental Bank, and also 22 boxes of treasure, consigned
to order; the vessel Cowlitz, from Port Victoria, Co-
lumbia River, and Honolala, respectively, brought from
the former place 12 cases of specie, consigned to the
Hudson's Bay Company, and from the latter, 5 cases
of specie, and four cases of gold ore, consigned to the
same company, aad also two packages of gold dust,
consigned to a party in the metropolis ; the Owen
Glendower, from Bombay, Cannanaro, and St. Helena,
16 boxes of silver, consigned to a firm of eminence in
the metropolis; the Alverton, from Calcutta and the
Cape of Good Hope, 3 boxes of specie, consigned to
order; the Frowning Beauty, from Hudsco, ',lquique,
Islay, and Callao, respectively, 3,050 bars of copper from
the first place, consigned to a metropolitan house, and
flora the last mentioned 22 packages of specie, consigned
to order; and the Wellington, from Hobart Town, 1
case of bullion, addressed, and 1 case of specie, con-
signed to a firm in the metropolis. The following ar-
rivals of a similar nature have also just taken place:—
The Winchester, from Launceston, Van Diemen's Land,
has brought 1 case of bullion, addressed; the Athena,
from Canton, 5 boxes of treasure, consigned to order;
the Meteor, from Sierra Leone, 1 case of gold, consigned
to a metropolitan firm; the 13roadaxe, from Bahia, 1
box of diamonds, addressed, and 1 package of coins, con-
signed to order; the Sir Robert Peel, from New York, 1
package of specie, addressed; and the vessel Bucephalus,
arrived in the docks from Whampoa, has brought 50
packages of species, consigned to a banking establish-
ment in the metropolis.
FATAL ACCIDENT ON THE DERBY DAY.—On
Saturday an inquest was held by Mr. Bedford, in the
Westminster Hospital, on the body of Nathaniel Rice,
aged 11 years, who was killed under very dreadful cir-
cumstances on the Derby day. It appeared by the evid-
ence that it has been the custom for a number of boys to
assemble on the days of the Epsom races at the Millbank
side of Vauxhall-bridge, and to run after the carriages
returning from the Downs, for the object of obtaining
money, which is too often thrown from the windows, or
by the riders in cabs. On Wednesday evening, about
half -past seven, Captain George Gardner, R.N., of 16,
Bury-street, St. James's, and Captain Jones, a member
of the Conservative Club, arrived in one of Hansom's
patent cabs, driven by the °Finer, Mr. Everitt,
of Royal Oak mews, Paddington, at Vaux-
hall-bridge, from the races, and when the ve•
hide had turned towards Millbank, the deceased and
many other boys ran after it, and importuned the gen-
tlemen inside for some halfpence, but did not succeed.
The driver, in order to get away from them, pulled to
the off side, and the deceased, by some means, tell over a
stone, and was thrown under the near wheel, which passed
over his head, and literally crushed it to pieces. He
was taken to a surgeon, and afterwards to the hospital,
where he died the same night from the effect of the
dreadful fractures. Captain Gardner stated that the cab
was not going at a rate of more than fire miles an hour,
and the driver was perfectly sober. - Neither he nor
Captain Jones had thrown out any money to the boys,
but from one which was in front of them something had
been tossed into the road, which the boys scrambled
after, and then came to their cab. The Coroner, having
deprecated the dangerous practice, of throwing about
money on such occasions amongst crowds of boys, the
jury returned a verdict of" Accidental death."
THE RUNNING OF THE DERBY..—The result of this
race, which excites such interest in the provinces as
well as the metropolis, was telegraphed yesterday after-
noon with wonderful rapidity. The race, which, as
will be seen, was won by " Flying Dutchman," is an-
nounced to be run at half-past two; immediately the
result is dispatched on the wings of numerous carrier
pigeons trained for the purpose (there being no tele-
graph between Epsom and London). For the moment
a cloud of those messenger-birds is seen, and immedi-
ately each flies off like a shot in the direction of its
home, the goal of some being across the Channel. Those
destined for Loudon sped the distance generally within
half an hour, and from the Electric Telegraph-office the
intelligence was momentarily transmitted over the greater
part of the kingdom. Tne result of the race was re-
ceived here exactly at half-past three. Thus, within the
hour, the race was run (and it frequently does not com-
mence till ten minutes or a quarter of an hour after the
time stated), the carrier pigeon received its message,
flew with it to London, theft ysterious agency of the
telegraph conveyed is here, dwe are now enabled to
announce it to our readers.—Caledonzan Mercury.
nted Audi-
APPOINTMENTS.—Major HoeisHaoppoi
Mr.
James
tor-General k,at the Cape of Gpoo di3
tatipicaai.
gardens at
Duncan is to be the head of the o
the Mauritius.
MIDDLE TEMPLE, MAY 26 --The following mem-
bers of this society have ho
nucalled to the bar, and were
all:—Henry Smith, Esq ,
sworn in this evening in the
and Henry Scotland, Esq.
The steam-ship Europa, Captain Lott sailed for
p,
Halifax and Bo3ton on Saturday last, carr3ing out
seventy passengers, and the weekly mails for Canada
and the United States.
THE COMMISSARIAT SERVICES.—The amount: re-
quired to be voted by Parliament this year for the c, m-
raissariat department is 531,8721. against 577,1621. for
the year 1848-9. The effective services require 488,0001.,
and the non-effective, 43,8721. .