The Sun.
London, England, 1840-08-04 00:00:00

RVEMI!

G EDIT/0.

LITERATURE.

COL 0 NIA I IciA GA 7, INE.
Those who are interes.ed in colonial matters of
information, will find much to gratify them in this
periodical, which is almost exclusively devoted to
the subject of the British colonies. Iu the present
Number, we perceive an able and well digested
article on the question of free trade with India, and
some interesting sketches of Van Diemen's Land,
in which the writer relates many strange anecdotes
relative to a famous band of bush-rangers who,
the year 1826, kept the whole island in a statie of
incessant agitation. Here is an extraordinary ac-
count of an escape from Macquarie Harbour, made
by a convict named Pearse, and several -other felons,
with a view to join the bush-rwagers in another part
of the settlement of Van Diemen's Land :
" Notwithstanding the sea of jungle which barred a
passage to the main land, attempts at escape were fie-
itu,letsutw.as
tOnehat
ao
ff the
Pearse. earliestand
This
turn,ons;t
whoitrhribsleeveiha
oittshcrres:
in 1822 or 1823, resolved to encounter every haeard.
Having possessed themselves of a couple of boats, with a
small portion of provision, equal to a week's consumptio4l,
at the rate of two ounces a day per man, they were'seceess,
fel in flying the settlement. Their scanty stores exhausted
it appears they quitted the boats, rebinding witiAn sight of
Macquarie Harbour. They then lived for eight or nitre
days on the tops of tea-tree, which they boiled in tin pots
to extract the juice. Having entered the tremendous bar-
rier of jungle, where nothing capable of sustaining life wes
to be found, and the propriety of casting lots havi, g been
discussed, three of the -party separated privately from the
rest, two of whom it is said regained the settlement, where
they shortly thereafter died, the third perishing on his re-
turn. The party, now reduced to five, lived for two or
three days on wild berries and their kangarooeskin j,cleto,
which they roasted. At length they reached the Gordon
river, which they swam across, but their difficulties and
privations were as great as ever. The remorse less la-
byrinth seemed interminable, for, like birds withqu the
net, they found themselves enclosed within its faill
meshes. Lamed, exhausted, famished, they streg:_fted
vainly on—every step but added to their despair. Freniy
possessed their hearts. The vulture in their jaws must,be
appeased, and a victim died that his more miserae fel-
lows might live. Another and another fell, a matt named
.Greenhill appearing, invariably, to have been the execu-
tioner. At last Pearse and Greenhill aide remained,
Without the power to go forward—unable to retrace their
steps and surrender to the authorities, they madly sought
to extricate themselves. The scene that followed was
horrible. These sole survivors. the dismal relics of a die-
mal fate—each viewing the other with agonizing doubt,
with indescribable terror, their eyes glaring with fiendish
light—scanned each other's movements with nerves strung
to maduess. Sleep, that carried doom, was the object of
anxious avoidenee—'t nature's restorative," so much re•
quired, was wildly endeavoured to be repelled. The her-
culean constitution of Pearse bore him victor through the
inhuman contest—raging with hunger, Worn out with
watching, reduced to the veriest extreme of huMan hope-
lessness, despair in his soul, exhaustion in his frame—the
fated Greenhill sunk, overpowered, to earth. A spring..._
a half laugh, half shriek—and a swift-descending axe to'd
the rest."

ASIATIC JOURNAL.
Miss Emma Roberts, whose history of the two
rival Houses of York and Lancaster we retnember
reading some years ago with great pleasure, contri-
butes to the August Number of this Journal, some
Notes of a Journey through France and Egypt
to Bombay," which evince descriptive ability of no
mean order. Next in. interest to this article is a
sketch of the " Manners and Customs of the Ja-
panese," from which we would fain make an extract
or two, but space and time forbid.

LONDON MAGAZINE
Contains several sprightly communications both
in prose and verse, and a humourous engraving
from the pencil of an artist named Leech, which
represents a young extatic Scotch poet reading his
first printed lucubrations in the columns of a
minor magazine.

PRUSSIA AND THE EASTERN

QUESTION.

We have the following from Berlin, under date of the
11th of July :
" It is well known that after the revolution of Ju'y the
king of Prussia contributed in the most efficient manner to
the preservation of peace, by testifying his goodw',ll to-
wards the Orleans dynasty. His Majesty adopted in all
its objects the policy of Count Herzburg, by the operation
of which Prussia and France became natural allies.
" Since the death of William 111. it has been frequently
asked whether that event would lead to any change in the
line of policy towards France, previously adopted ; and if
the new 'Sovereign would not more closely ally himself
with a certain Northern Power, in conformity with his own
tendencies and sympathies. Were we allowed to hazard
an opinion in the matter we should declare, relying on au-
thority deserving credit, that no change whatever will
take place, and that the interests of this country, and indeed.
of all Germany, will be preferred to any foreign inclinations,
Prussia, front her geographical position, must nPeessasily
be compelled to take part in any struggle on the Rhtntk or
beyond it, in order that her own interests may not be com-
promised in any way. Therefore it is that she will make
(Irons to prevent any contest of this description, which
must impose upon her certain sacrifices, and leave her bat
a poor chance of recompense. It must also be admitted
rar°'afford a
g
that the extraordinary abilities of the man who has been
able to found a new dynasty under circtunstanceP_ of such
difficulty,uara,itee that the gsetti so many
of dispcoopdul will bue tbre
destroyed,:4s and,
and id
above all, that the provocations of ague giddy heads will
turn out to be only vain. The quesiion of the East will
ams
not be without producing its influence on our conduct to-
wards France, although rye have no direct interest in it.
The turn which this affair of the East may take will raise
the policy of Louis Philippe to a still higher degree of
elevation.
Let the issue be determined by the French Cabinet
one way or the other; it must always be manifest that this
CPoinet avoided a settlement contrary to its own interests,
until a time at which the vicissitudes of human affairs. should be productive of advantageous results.
" France will gain considerably by the independence of
Egypt, and will moreover, in all probability, secure her
position on the Rhine. If Egypt should establish an in-
dependent monarchy, the Sclavonian element which
threatens to invade Asia will meet with a check, and
F.ogland will not be able to open a way for her com-
merce across the countries which she has conquered or
which she exclusively rules by her influence.
" Let Russia and England carry their forces into the
plains of Asia, and a scattering abroad of their forces
must be inevitable, while France, mistress of Algiers, and
Protector of Egypt, having her forces more concentrated
will be enabled to balance the other two Powers, pro-
vided she be at pence within herself, and without anxiety
regarding the Eastern frontier. France would never
again rotas 'ridiculous pretensions to the Rhenish frontier
at a mrment when a war on the subject would compromise
her position with that foreign Power, which must of no-
cessity be the case if her relations, hitherto pacific with
Germany, should experience an essential change.
" Thus, although the inhabitants of Egypt do not in-
spire us with any close sympathy, we cannot but regard
with pleasure the prosperous condition of French interests
in that country ; and the party to which France lends her
protection remaning masters of the field."