The Sun.
London, England, 1871-01-27 00:00:00

HER MAJESTY.

OSBORNE, JANUARY 26.
The Queen drove out yesterday afternoon, attended by
the Hon. Lady Biddulph.
Her Majesty, accompanied by her Royal Highness
Princess Beatrice, walked out this morning.
Prince Arthur and Prince Leopold also went out.
The Dowager Lady Shelley had the honour of dining
with her Majesty and the Royal family yesterday.

Baptised with a Curse. By Edith Stewart Drewry. Three
Vols. Tinsley and Co.
The title of this novel is assuredly not an inviting
one, but the unhappy history of Caspar St. Leger
von Wolfgang more than justifies its applica-
tion. Endowed with every blessing, save one,
the hero of this story, which is partly related by
himself, may reasonably be classed among the
most miserable of men, Caspar von Wolfgang,
has the misfortune to have a free thinking unbeliever for
his mother. He is brought up without any religious be-
lief whatsoever, and at the first temptation falls a
victim to his own evil passions. Truly it
may be said of him in the gloomy words
of "Manfred," that he is indeed "baptised
with a curse "—a curse that works out its own fulfilment.
The story is partly written in the form of autobiographical
reminiscences of the early days of the unhappy
hero. At school he becomes acquainted with
Stewart Claverhouse, whose fate and fortunes are so pain-
fully interwoven with his own. Even in these early days,
the demon of jealousy finds a place in Caspar's
unquiet heart. Stewart Claverhouse, on the other
hand, is represented as a superior being. He is so good, so
perfect, that we must confess he does not enlist much of
our sympathy. His friend and companion, Guido de
Schiara, or Guy de Cavagnac, is a far more interesting
character. The third volume of this book records
the untiring pursuit, and unwearying animosity
' with which Guido tracks the murderer of his friend
step by step from lurking-place to lurking-place,
and is full of dramatic interest. The chief heroine, Nina

Lennox, is very charming and loveable, while Anna
Marie de Laval, the Provencale cameo seller of Rome,
although a very extravagant creation, is so picturesque in
her appearance, so piquante in her French-Italian
dialect, and so triumphant in her success as an
amateur detective, that she attracts and interests us,
irresistibly. Madame von Wolfgang the infidel, is simply
detestable. She only experiences a womanly emotion for
one single instant, namely, when her unhappy son is
about to reap the bitter fruit of her evil instruction. The
stoiy, it will be seen, is not deficient in the tragic and
sensational elements which to many readers will consider-
ably enhance its attractions.

St. Leger's Reminiscences of Balfe.
It seems only the other day that we were startled by
the news of the death of Michael Balfe, the charming
composer, and here already are a multitude of anecdotal
recollections of the author of the " Bohemian Girl," col-
lected together and placed within reach of his crowd of
admirers, The writer of these " Reminiscences " was one of
the oldest and most intimate of Balfe's personal friends, a
friend of six and thirty years,more than the lifetime of a whole
generation. Mr. St. Leger has jotted down his recollec-
tions obviously with a flying pen. He has paragraphed
them without any particular regard being paid to their
chronological sequence. He has written with a frankness
amounting to abandon. An oath or a blow
he puts on record as readily as a mot or a
compliment. When the promised second edition of these
pages is preparing for publication on the Ist of Febru
ary, it may be well perhaps to eliminate one or two
passages here hastily put on record. But, when saying
this, it would be simply ungracious not to add that the
very haste with which the first issue of this little brochure
has been hurried through the press, evidences on the
part of Mr. St. Leger an eagerness to offer some
tribute to the memory of a friend he so
earnestly regarded and so heartily admired, that no lover
of the music of Balfe can do otherwise than applaud con
amore. Fifty chapters—miniature chapters, certainly—
are embraced within the narrow compass of the readable
booklet now under notice—each of these half-a-hundred
sub-divisions comprising within it an anecdote
more or less interesting or humorous. The pamphlet
contains an ample, though not complete, list of Belle's
operas and songs—giving a catalogue, at any rate, of the
most popular of both ,the one and the other. We see the
r composer under all sorts of aspects, and under the influence
L of all manner of circumstances. We watch him
• in his intercourse, now with illustrious patrons
like the Duke of Devonshire, the Duke of
Wellington, the Duke of Beaufort, the King of Prussia
and the Emperor Napoleon ; now with brother and sister
artists like Bunn, and Julien, and Giuglini, and Berlioz,
and Piccolomini, and Dorus Gras, and Rossini ; now ex-
changing pleasantries with a cabman or a car driver ; now
receiving compliments from the Count von Bismarck. This
brief memorial will be most acceptable to the admirers of
- Michael Balfe, one of the most popular, and deservedly
popular, of English composers.

A Supplement to " Haydn's Dictionary of Dates
.868-1870," pp. 57, has just been issued from the press by
the Messrs. Moxon, more than ever full of interest, and
comprising among its contents an extraordinary amount of
valuable and thoroughly reliable information. It embraces
within it for the three years named, a comprehensive sum-
mary of the History of the World, containing among
other things a singularly exact and minute chronicle of
the Franco-Prussian war. This of itself renders it ex-
ceptionally attractive, and to many simply inestimable
as a handy work of reference. The last edition of the
great Dictionary of which this is the spplement, was the
thirteenth. Mr Benjamin Vincent is the compiler. Since
1855 that gentleman has conscientiously and laboriously
occupied the position of editor. Eight editions have since
that date appeared under his supervision. Practice in collect-
ing and arranging the materials constantly accumulating
under his hands, has continually brought the work nearer ,
and nearer towards perfection. He has acted scrupulously
during the last fifteen years in obedience to the motto
nulla dies sine iinea. Argus-eyed he has allowed no event
of importance to escape his vigilant observation. And
Briareus-handed he has put those events on record as
they have occurred. How full and copious are the data
he has jotted down as he worked, the present supplement.
has in a remarkable manner served to illustrate. Seven large
closely-printed, double-columned octavo pages comprise
within them, for example, all the extraordinary incidents
of the Franco-Prussian war. A preliminary paragraph
relates, in the first place, the origin of the contest. The
numerical strength of the two armies is then shewn, that
of France numbering 300,000, that of Germany 640,000.
Then follow in chronological order the events of the
campaign—the declaration of war on the 15th of July'
being the first, while the last is a small engagement in
Normandy on the 31st of December. Intermediately are
put on record—how many and what astounding occurrences!
On the 2nd of August the bloodshed began in the
baptism of fire at Saarbruck, on the 2nd of September the
crash at Sedan, on the 4th the Revolution at Paris, on the
20th the Crown Prince entered Versailles, on the 10th
October Gambetta escaped from Paris in a balloon, slid
so on towards that bitter end which is now seemingl,
about to be consummated by the last and crowning
he capitulation.

The Archbishop of the York has collated the MO.
Andrew Ramsay Campbell to the prebendal stall of
Tockerington, in York Cathedral.
Mr. David Chadwick, M.P., has addressed his cow
stituents at Macclesfield. After reviewing briefly the
work of last session, the hon. gentleman spoke upon futl2ll
legislation. He said the most important measure we'll'
be the Ballot Bill. He would await the report of the
Royal Commission before voting in favour of a repeal of
the Contagious Diseases Acts.
. A meeting of the general committee of the FreiJell
Peasant Farmers' Seed Fund will be held at the Seks'
bury Hotel on Monday next to receive a report from
tPle
executive committee as' to the progress already 00-181),.
the collection of donations. The meeting will consie he
e'
whether an English representative shall be sent to e
t
Of
improverished district to aid in the distribution the
seeds, and to furnish information for the guidance of th
committee in London.
'UNIVERSITY OF LONDON.—The Library of t:ide,
University of London, now established in the new
r-
ese,
ing opened by her Majesty in May lait, has late
ceived two very interesting accessions. One of th
presented by the New Church of Great Britain, 10 5
C 011;
plete reproduction by photo-lithography of the 01,..tlegn
script works of Emanuel Swedenborg, which 115ve
carefully preserved at Stockholm. This reproductl,°.."
admirably executed under the direction of the Bev. v't
Tafel, forms ten folio volumes, and is probably the largoe;
work of its kind- Only 110 copies have been
struckt
lc
and of these half are intended for America, which
v.°,ucti
the initiative in the movement. The other work
has been presented by the Lords of the Treasury, is
simile of the black-letter Prayer-book, containing 11;t3i,
script alterations and additions made in the Yor ..„00
" out of which was fairly written " the Book a Conv&o,
Prayer, subscribed December 20, A.D. 1661, by tbe
vocations of York and Canterbury, and annexed %E'er
Act of 'Uniformity. The original, which had bere„oce
rated from the Act to which it was in the first 11,00,
attached, and which was long supposed to have been
earcl
was brought to light in July, 1870, by a renewed sioile,
instituted by the Dean of Westminster; ; and thisfac,,
which forms a handsome folio volume, has been
,0 !jot°,
for the Ritual Commission by Sir Henry James P
zincog,raphic process.

)ates
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