The Sun.
London, England, 1849-01-01 00:00:00

BENTLEY.

The Gaol Chaplain opens the new volume of Bentley
with the first three chapters of a new tale, entitled
"The Coroner's Clerk." They are written with great
power, and the tale itself promises to be one of en-
chanting interest. This article is illustrated by Leech.
The other illustration of the month is en engraving,
by Holl, of Grant's picture of Raja Brooke, on whose
position in the Indian Archipelago we have an ela-
borately-written article by Mr. J. A. St. John. Mr.
St. John is completely master of his subject, and
satisfactorily refutes the sneerers who would fain give
up our possessions in the Eastern Archipelago, and
induce us to leave that fine region to be monopolized
by the Dutch, the Spaniards, and the Malay pirates.
He satisfactorily proves that not only have we a per-
fect right to settle and colonise these islands, without
any violation of our treaties with Holland and Spain,
but that the Dutch invasions of Bali, Celebes,
and New Guinea are positive encroachments in vio-
lation of those treaties. Our now settlement of Labuan
bids fair to be as€ cond Singapore ; it will be the
emporium of the Archipelago so soon as the pirates
shall be suppressed. Certain professors of ultra-
philanthropy have chosen to raise the cry of humanity
against those who insist upon the necessity of de-
stroying these nests of sea-marauders. They are
the innocent natives, we are told, and we have no
right to interfere with their pursuits. As well might
it be contended that the execution of a Thug was a
wanton infringement of the rights of religious liberty.
Murder can never be religion, therefore Thugs arc
hanged. Piracy can never he legitimate trade,
therefore pirates are to be extirpated. And those
pirates of the Indian Archipelago not only plunder
ships and massacre their crews, but land even upon
the settlements of European nations and earry. off theinhabitants and sell them as slaves. This is con-
stantly happening on the Island of Penang, aa
British settlement, and Mynherr Stosk.b iovi,va
rich Dutch merchant of Samarang, was carried 1.1
i
by these pirates and kept in slavery for years_
anb..).' t:ye
Sultan of Linga, and was at last ransomed d
re-
stored to his family by a Chinese merchant. Our
readers doubtless remember reaqing, o, f the massacre
trators
on board the " General Wood.' The porpe

of that crime took refuge in the island of Puly Oby,
and during the course of 1847 captured and plundered
70 trading vessels and massacred the crews. Towards
the end of the year they were attacked and rooted
out by the Phlegethon and thirty-five of them were
taken to Singapore. Among the plunder which they
had collected, besides the property which they had
carried off from the General Wood there were found
gun carriages, bayonets, time pieces, English boats'
rudder, mast, sails, ladies work-boxes, card cases, &a.
We are rejoiced to find that the Rajah Brooke, whose
return to Sarawak was hailed by his subjects with
the greatest enthusiasm, is about to propose
a plan for putting a stop to these atrocities, The
" Memoirs of Chateaubriand " are continued in this
number, as are the delightful " Wayside Pictures."
The:description of the steam-boat voyage up the Rance,
from St. Maio to Dinan, is one of the most beautiful
we have read for a long time.
" The banks of the Rance may be compared to a va-
riety of pretty pastoral spots, mixed up with wild
rocks, picked out of Switzerland and looked at through
the wrong end of an opera glass. You can here fancy
everything to the very breath of the steeps, to have come
freshly from Interlacken, and twenty other such places
in the recesses of the mountains, taken in the height of
their summer beauty, and dropped like showers of roses
over the margins of this stream. The variety is endless,
all upon a small scale, but, by force of contrast, occasion-
ally assuming a character of sublimity. Sometimes the
river runs into little bays and creeks, and sometimes it
closes up and forms inland lakes, sheltered on all sides
by hills covered with verdure to the summit ; in some
places a chateau crowns a well-wooded height, or
gleams out through the green depths of a valley ; then
a village grows up before you, its white facades creeping
along the side of a cliff, or disappearing in a ravine as
the steamer sails past. As you approach the port of
ju
ts
out (for so the French call the little quay that
out here) you see the spires of several churches glisten-
ing above dense masses of foliage on the tops of the
pretty miniature mountains, and now and then you get
a glimpse of the old grey walls of the fortifications, with
the dark outline of a mighty town standing on the
heights with an air of tyrannio strength. A clatter of
little boys and passengers from the town come down to
convey back sundry purchases conveyed by the steam-
boat—an odd caricature or two of a sailor hanging, like
a lizard, to the wall—some half-dozen idlers, such as are
to be found at every place in the known world where a
boat touches—and, perhaps, three or four English
visitors sauntering about, and glad of an incident to
break the sleepy routine of the day—are, upon the
average, the first signs of life you may expect to en-
counter upan landing at the port of Dinan."
The " Flaneur" is rather dull this month, and Al-
bert Smith is not so funny as is his wont. He gives
us, by way of Christmas amusement, a batch of ghost
stories from Glanville and Aubrey. Alfred Crowquill,
however, gives us an excellent gossip entitled " Life,"
and Mrs. Ward a beautiful sketch of the scenery on
the banks of the Coquet. Among the popular books
of the month noticed in this number is Macaulay's
" History of England."

COURT CIRCULAR.
WINDSOR, SATURDAY.
The Queen and Prince Albert took an early walk
;his morning in the Slopes and Home Park.
His Royal llighness the Prince of Wales and
;he younger branches of the Royal Family walked
n the Park.

Lord John Russell and the Earl of Liverpool left
he Castle this morning.
There was no addition to the royal dinner party
this day.

SUNDAY.

The Queen and his Royal highness, and the
younger members of the Royal Family, took an early
walk this morning in the Home Park.
Her Majesty, the Prince, and Ladies and Gentle-
men of the royal household, attended Divine 4ervice
in the private chapel. The service was performed and
the sermon preached by the llon. and Rev. C. L.
Courtenay.
There was no addition to the royal dinner party
this day.
Her Majesty's private band performed the follow-
pieces in the Castle, on Friday evening :
Overture—" Le Rovine di Paluzzi" Romberg.
Duo--" Colporteur" Onslow.
March—" Fidelio" . Beethoven.
Cavatina—" Freischutz" Weber.
Sommerfreuden and Balmoral Waltzes.. Labitzky.
March—" Les deux Journees"

Lord John Russell returned to his residence, in
Richmond Park, on Saturday, from Windsor Castle.