The Sun.
London, England, 1847-01-27 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, JANUARY 27, 1847.

UNITED MEXICAN MINING
ASSOCIATION.-(THIS DAY.)

The half-yearly general meeting of the proprietors was
held this day at the company's offices, 5, Finsbury Circus.
Sir. JOHN EASTHOPE took the chair at one o'clock.

The SZCHETAIifr read the report of the directors, which
stated that the condition and prospects of the company's
mines in Mexico were, on the whole, favourable, considering
the hard ground which had impeded their operations, and
also the war impending in the country, for which the
labourers had been seized by thousands to recruit the army,
while many others had fled to hide themselves, dreading the
fate of being pressed for soldiers.
The London financial accounts laid before the meeting
showed a balance in favour of the company, over and above
all their liabilities, of 8,2011. 14s.

The CHAIRMAN said that nothing could be added to the
report which had been read, as to the state of the mines.
As regarded the company's claims on Zekefeka, he said they
had not pressed the Government here to press the Govern-
ment in Mexico for payment, because they probably were
aware that the answer which they should receive
would be that in the present state of the country
nothing could be done. They had not, therefore, thought
it advisable to wait on Lord Palmerston. But the proprie-
tors must be aware that the principles on which they grounded
the claim had been admitted by the Government in Mexico,
and were so after being thoroughly investigated by Lord
Aberdeen and the law officers of the Crown; so that there
was no doubt whatever but they would receive the aid of the
members of the British Government. He said the accounts
showed a balance of 8,201/. 14s. above their liabilities; but
in the present condition of Mexico, when they were com-
pelled to suspend their shipments from that country, which
would occasion numerous shipments to be made
as soon as ,peace was restored, he did not think the
proprietors would press them for a dividend. A dividend
of ss. would require a sum amounting to about 11,0001.. and
a less dividend than that would leave but a very scanty
remainder in hand to meet the sudden occurrences,
which no one could anticipate, and yet everybody
mus: be prepared for in the theatre of war. He thought,
therefore, that it would appear most prudent not even to
divide 2s. 6d. per share. This, however, he promised them,
that as soon as the state of? Mexico should settle, and
the association had received a shipment of money,
the directors would not wait till the usual half-yearly meet-
ing, but would be too happy to call the proprietors together
and make known to them the communication. He moved
that the report be received and laid on the table.—Motion
carried.

TI e CHATP.MAN, in answer to an, Hon. Proprietor, stated,
that the claims on the Mexican Government amounted to
about 40,000/. capital alone, which, inclusive of arrears of
interest, amounted to about 50,0001. in all.
A vote of thanks to the chairman was then put and carried,
and the meetin; broke up.

METROPOLIS IMPROVEMENTS.
In the 23d report of the Commissioners of Woods and
Forests yesterday printed, the following statement appears
on the metropolitan improvements In our last report
we stated that we ;lad purchased, or agreed for the purchase,
of ti.e whole of the ground and buildings required for the
completion of the several lines of improvement, authorised
by the Act•,, 3 and 4 Victoria, chap. 87, and 4 Victoria, chap.
12 ; and 'that we had let on building leases all the ground in
the line from Coventry-street to Long-acre, and hoped in the
course of the ensuing year to let the building ground in the
otter lines. We accordingly took measures for that pur-
pose during the last year, by offering the ground to public
competition by tender, and agreed to let on building leases
nearly the whole of the ground in the line from Oxford-
street to Holborn, at rents somewhat exceeding the estimates
made thereof by our architects. The buildings on that
ground (the plans and elevations of which were previously
approved of by us) are rapidly proceeding, and are of a
description suitable to the situation. In the line from Bow-
street to Charlotte•street, Bloomsbury, called Endell-
street,' the street has been formed and the vaults turned;
but no portion of the ground vested in this board has yet
been let. The portion of this street originally vested in the
Mercers' Company, and still retained by them, is also unlet.
We attribute this in some degree to the circumstances of the
building ground in the Oxford-street line having been in the
market about the same time. The line from the London
Docks to Spital Church, (including the line from East
Smithfield to Rosemary •lane.) forms a portion only of a
more extended line originally intended between Whitechapel
and Shoreditch, and to the non-completion of which commu-
nication we attribute the still unfinished state of this im-
provement. The thoroughfare from the London Docks to
Spitalfields' Church is open to the public, and an immediate
continuation of the line, as referred to above, is in contem-
plation. The whale of the buildings in Coventry-street line
are now completed, and the new street has for some time
past been open, and affords great accommodation to the
public. It not being considered advisable to proceed at pre-
sent in the sale of the ground rents, payable for the property
as required by the Acts, for the formation of these new lines
of street towards the repayment of the expense incurred
thereby, we have found it necessary to procure further loans
to the 'amount of 55,000/., upon the security of certain por-
tions of the land revenues of the Crown within the county of
Middlesex, under the powers of the Act 7 Victoria, chap. 1,
at a fluctuating rate of interest regu;ated by the price of
Consols, being, when Consols are above 90, as at present,
3/. 10s. per cent. per annum. These loans, with the sums
borrowed from the Equitable Assurance Company and the
Bank of England (which in oar last report we stated to
amount to 750,0001.), and also a sum of 40,0001., which has
been temporarily advanced during the last year out of other
funds under our charge and for the repayment of which it
will be necessary to effect a further loan, make the total
amount borrowed by us in respect to the improvements in
question, 845,000/. The total amount paid for purchases to
the sth of January, 1846, was 717,604/. 55., leaving purchases
to 10,813/. 155., agreed for to be made.

GREAT PEDESTRIAN MATCH FOR ONE HURD/tit)
PoUNDI.—On Monday one of the greatest foot races which
has for some time been contested came off near the Duke's
Ilead Inn, at Bedfont. The competitors were John Smith,
alias the Regent-street Pet, and Charles Jenkinson, who is
better known under the cognomen of the London Stag. Both
men have acquired great celebrity, and were considered the
rival champions of the present day—the former claiming
superiority over all his competitors for a short distance, and
the latter maintaining a position unequalled for a half-mile
race' and the present match was made to test the compara-
tive merits of the men over a distance of 400 yards, being an
intermediate length between their respective choice of dis-
tances. The " Stag," up to the time of starting, was the
favourite at 6 to 5, and many thousand pounds were pending
the result. The men came to the starting mark fnll of con-
fidedce, and after some dexterous efforts for an advantage at
starting, the men got off, the Pet taking the lead. His
opponent kept close up till within 100 yards of the goal, when
the Pet made a rush—his adversary immediately imitated
him, and after one of the most splitting races ever witnessed
Smith came in the winner, amidst the loudest cheers of his
backers. The 400 yards of road were covered in the unpre-
cedentedly short time of 43 seconds.
. .

The British residents at Frankfort have collected
the sum of 551. for the relief of their distressed countrymen
in Ireland and Scotland.
ROYAL ARTILLERY.—WOOLWICH, JAN. 26.--
Major H. W. Askwith's company of Royal Artillery (3d
company, sth battallion), leaves Woolwich this morning in
one of the Waterman's steamers for Portsmouth, via Nine
Elms, to relieve Captain Wilford's company (3d company,
3d battalion), stationed at that town. A detachment will also
leave for Devonport. A batch of 100 recruits have been sent
from Lisburn, Ireland, by Lieutenant Clarke, the recruiting
officer at that station, and are expected to joira at Woolwich
in a few days. Lieutenant-Colonel Dowse will leave Wool-
wich on the Ist of February, to assume the command of the
Royal Artillery at Ballincolig, Ireland. The present forage
stores of the Royal Artillery are to be cosiverted into barrack
rooms for the accommodation of the ttoops, and new forage
stores are to be erected outside the barracks on a piece of
ground belonging to the Board of Ordnance, in Artillery-
place, opposite the North Arch.
FALL OF THE MONSTER CHIMNEY AT WIGAN.—
On Thursday afternoon last, shortly after four o'clock, this
very imposing fabric fell to the ground with a loud crash.
The chimney, which has been completed for only a few
months, was commenced by Mr. Dobb nearly four years
ago, close to the lands of the Leeds and Liverpool
Canal, at the termination of his extensive chemical
works. Its progress since that time has been gradual
during the summer months, but has necessarily
been stayed for several months of each winter,
when its part completion gave indications of its future
greatness. Its completion was effected a few months ago,
when it had reached the great height of upwards of
400 feet or about 134 yards, and the event was duly cele-
brated. Shortly, however, after this was done an indentation
of one side near the top was observed, and which was
watched daily, when, after a further lapse of time, a very
apparent deviation from the perpendicular had taken place,
and the base slightly parted from one side of the excava-
tion. A further inclination being observed, the advice of
Mr. Fairbairn, civil engineer, of Manchester, was obtained,
and we believe he recommended a portion of the top being
taken down, and the work was consequently commenced,
and continued until the day of its fall, when we believe a
person was up the building; at this time about 28 yards had
been taken off. For some time past a further sinking of the
base has been observed, and greater fears were entertained
for its safety, and a series of stays were being constructed to
place round it. But all the measures were without avail.
It fell on Thursday afternoon across the canal, and extends
for the length of a field beyond it. The passage of boats on
the canal is stopped until it can be cleared, and active mea-
sures are now being carried on for the purpose. We believe
this is the third chimney which has fallen on Mr. Dobbs'
premises.—Manchester Courier.
NEW ROUSES OF PARLIAMENT.—The following
report by Mr. Barry, the architect, appears in the Report of
the Commissioners of Woods and Forests, just issued, show-
ing the state of the works of the New Houses of Parliament
on the 30th of June last :—" The shell or carcase of the river
frcnt portion of the building is completed. The whole of the
north and south flanks are now roofed in, and the carcase of
the building completed, with the exception of a
The smallNTietpoorira-
tion of the cresting on the ridges of the roofs.
tower is 70 feet in height, and the groined roof over the
feet e state
73
entrance within it is in hand. The clock tower is
high, and is now above the adjacent roofs. The central
tower is Irons 55 to 60 feet high, and the corridor portions of
the building to north, south, and east of it, as well as a por-
tion of St. Stephen's Hall. are at the same height. The
whole of the low roofs over the corridor, and rooms surround-
ing the various courts, are completed. The Royal gallery is
roofed in, the windows glazed, and the wood ceiling is nearly
completed. The roof of the House of Commons is being fixed,
and the New Palace-yard portion of the building is ready
for its roof, which will be fixed forthwith. The brick arches
forming all the floors in this part of the building have been
completed. The various brick arches forming the floors in
other portions of the building are completed, and the stone
groins and vaults required in various parts of the building
are far advanced. The work at the crypt of St. Stephen's
Chapel, and contiguous portions of the building, and also the
vaults under the central hall, are at a stand, owing to diffi-
culties in respect of warming and ventilatinp• arrangements.
The decorations of the walls and ceiling s:f the House of
Lords are completed. In the House of Lords, and in the ad-
joining lobbies and corridors, the carpenters and joiners are
proceeding with the fixing of the oak finishings. The
joiners' work of the libraries, committee rooms, refreshment
rcoms, and corridors of access thereto, of the Houses of Lords
and Commons, are for the most part prepared; but the fix-
ing of those finishings, and the preparations of the joiners'
works for other portions of the building, cannot with pro-
priety ro-
priety be proceeded with, until a decision is come to inre •
spect of difficulties connected with warming and ventilating arrangements. There are 1,186 men engaged on the works,-
of which number 774 are employed at the building, 83 at the
quarries, 202 at the Government workshops, at Thames
Bank, upon the joiners' works, and 127 men upon miscella-
neous works connected with the new Palace, both at the
building and elsewhere."

A heavy barge arrived from Rouen two days ago,
atehe wharf of St. Nicolas du Louvre, with the last part of
th r.ritiquitic f:Gin of 99 Llwlts, sonte
weighing as much t.t6 I_toils each. The whole C,irgo
..mounts weit4lit, to 270 two. 1),-4,4ftitions are being
made for their being lauded and transported to the Louvre.
—Paris Paper.

LITERATURE.
THE WESTMINSTER AND FOREIGN
QUARTERLY REVIEW. No. XCL
Already in another portion of The Sun we have
shown the fallacy of the political article in this Review
relating to the Spanish marriages. We have shown
that the writer has based his reasoning upon a misinter-
pretation or rather upon a misconception of the course
pursued by the English Government in reference to the
nefarions proceedings of the French cabinet in the
Peninsula. Any .further refutation of the arguments
contained in that contribution would consequently be
us uppoenr
faucotus sw. h
cthwserree ,n
ow moreover,notorio uusr n eacme
es sl
yay
,rt h
et od
eivni soius
st
and ungenerous policy of King Louis Philippe in award-
husbandsfi
an
ngea
Louisa, t:hoe Queenu
rltseaobwe I l
jau
gagnldi
gh eprr
as
ci stti es
er
dt haet
the
interview ip the Chateau d'Eu, the bold and admirable
conduct of Mr. Bulwer the British Minister at Madrid,
the decisive remonstrances given to M. Guisot by the
Marquis of Normanby, the British Minister at Paris,
and the shuffling explanation tendered in documents by
the former to the Chamber of DepUties. As a key to
the distinct and candid behaviour of England in this
transaction, it must never be forgotten that the policy
of Lord Palmerston has therein been identical with the
policy of his predecessor the Earl of Aberdeen. In a
clever and sagacious article styled " Revelations
of the Telescope," the recent discoveries in
astronomy and especially the discoveries effected through
the colossal telescope of Lord posse are admirably com-
memorated. And the excellence of this very beautiful
paper is not merely restricted to an enumeration of the
achievements of modern astronomers—it takes a corn
prehensive and succinct view of the origin, progress,
and development of that most sublime science. The
writer glances back even as remotely as the Chaldeans,
the Egyptians, the Chinese, and the Indians. He re
lates the establishment of the philosophical doctrines of
Aristotle, to the effect that the heavens were an incor-
ruptible concave. He records the appearance of the
great theory of Pythagoras, that the earth was a vagrant
orb revolving round the sun, and the appearance of
Ptolemy, whereby the mind of man retrograded to the
old blundering notion that the earth was motionless.
The resuscitation of the Pythagorean scheme of the
celestial world by Copernicus, in the sixth century, is
then mentioned, and also the opposition given to the
Copernican hypothesis by Tycho Brahe. We are glad
to observe the enthusiasm with which the illustrious
philosopher Kepler is afterwards named, but we are
amazed to see the revival of the foolish fable of the
persecutions of the Inquisition when alluding to the
advent and deeds of Galileo. Does the reviewer, while
speaking of " the ignorant bigotry" of those times, forget
that the great work of Copernicus De Revolutionibus
was published under the patronage of Pope Paul 111.,
and that the expenses of its publication were liquidated
by the Bishop of Eremeland ? In commemorating the
intellectual victories obtained by our glorious country-
man, Sir Isaac Newton, the writer evinces his capability
of appreciating the benefits conferred upon mankind by
that extraordinary man, and the vast additions which
his one mind made to the accumulating treasures of
human knowledge. Since the remarkable career of
Herschell, no such startling step has been taken for the
fathoming of the infinite depths of creation as the con-
struction of the great telescope in Ireland, under the
direction of Lord posse—a nobleman whom the reviewer
elegantly styles an emulator of Tycho Brahe. From the
astonishing circumstances connected with the discovery
of the new planet by M. Le Verrier—" not the result
of chance or of a fortunate supposition, or of the in-
creased power of our telescopes, but of the unaided
power of profound thought, and of abstract mathema-
tical reasoning"—we transcribe the following brief but
sufficient memorial from the pages of the Westminster
Review :

" The irregularities of the orbit of Uranus having been for
a long period a difficulty to astronomers, induced M. Le Ver-
rier to a more close examination of that planet's motions, and
he found, that of the whole amount of irregularity in its
path, or of its perturbations, only a comparatively small part
could be accounted for by the attraction of any known forces.
Upon examining, too, tables which had been constructed of
the orbit of Uranus, he found that they in no way agreed
with the latest observations. These discrepancies he con-
ceived might be either due to want of precision in theory, or
want of exactness in observations; or Uranus might be sub-
ject to other attractions than those of the sun, Jupiter, and
Saturn; and he resolved to endeavour to determine the
cause of these perturbations. Finding so much inaccuracy
in the data and calculations on which the previous tables of
the planet's orbit were founded, he set himself to the laborious
task of investigating and calculating everything afresh, with ,
the utmost rigour, and, after much perseverance, he deter-
mined with great nicety the amount of perturbation in the
orbit of Uranus due to the attraction of Jupiter and Saturn.
With these corrected data before him, he proceeded to com-
pare the calculated path of the planet with its actually ob-
served positions; and he came to the conclusion, not merely
that there was difficulty and discrepancy in the comparison,
but that, on grounds of the strictest geometrical reasoning,
none of those known forces were adequate to produce the
observed irregularities of the planet's course. Several ways
had been already suggested of getting rid of the difficulty--
the resistance of the ether—a vast satellite of Uranus—some
variation in the law of gravity at that enormous distance
from the sun—the shock of a comet, or lastly, an unknown
planet. But M. Le Verrier showed that all these suppositions,
except the last, were inadmissible, and that, if the disturbing
force proceeded from an unknown planet, the stranger trust
be, not within the orbit of Uranus, because, if a large body,
it would disturb Saturn's orbit ; if a small one, it would not
be adequate to produce the actual amount of disturbance in
that of Uranus : nor, for the same reasons, near on the out-
side of the orbit of Uranus; but far enough without the
orbit of Uranus to act upon it, without acting upon that of
Saturn, and large enough to act upon Uranus for long and
continuous periods of time. According to Bode's law of
planetary distances which we have already enunciated,
namely, that the planets double on one another in their dis-
tances from the sun as they are more remote in the system,
this new planet ought to be twice as far from the sun as
Uranus. And this probability became almost a certainty;
for, as its distance cannot be much less, so it cannot be greater,
e. g., treble the distance of Uranus; because, as in that case
it must be of enormous mass, it must act upon Saturn as well
as Uranus, and its great distance from both planets would
make its influence on each comparable; whereas, there is no
trace of any such influence on the orbit of Saturn. Further,
such a bouy, acting on the orbit of Uranus,
must be, with-
ere,
Aofeawdhoictnhy
out doubt, in much the same plane as thatplanet ; i. c., must
rea."dishbeefopraept h owf e Sciences h ye
n
be loolsed for nearly in the ecliptic.
aodne tthe
s laebt s
ot rf a
June in
Vat present year; and in a second paper (' C ornptes Rendus,'
August 31, 1846), Le 'terrier proceeded to fix still more ex-
actly the place, size, and distance of the yet unseen planet.
(To this paper we must refer the reader who may be desirous
of acquainting himself with the elements given by Le Fer-
rier. They are too abstruse and too technical for an article
general in its Mature.) His idea was, that it was a body
many times the size of the earth, and not much less than
Saturn, taking more than two centuries to revolve about the
sun, at a distance 33 times greater than the Earth. Within
one month after M. Le Verrier had thus minutely fixed, be-
forehand, the place of this mysterious body, it was actually
seen. On the 23d o f September, Dr. Galle, of the observa-
tory at Berlin, received a letter from Le Ferrier, urging him
to look out sharply for the new star, which possibly might
be recognised by its disc. That very evening, Galle, on com-
paring Bremiker's excellent map with the heavens, ob-
terved, near the place fixed by Le Verrier, a star not marked
by Bremiker. It was compared three times that night with
a known ixed star, and a planetary motion was suspected;
the following night it was again observed, and its motion
was confirmed, and agreed perfectly with its discoverer's an-
nouncement ; and, on the third night, September 25th, Galle
observed it five times, and Encke ten, and the place of the
planet had again changed, and, as Encke observed ' the
place of the planet agrees within one degree.' This slight
difference between the calculation as to the position of the
new planet by the theory of Le Verrier, and the actual ob-
servation by Galls and Eneke, is perhaps the most striking
fact connected with the discovery. In a note by M. Le Fer-
rier to the Academy, on this point, he observes t—
"' My error in calculation will be found exceedingly small,
when the slight nature of the perturbations upon which I
determined the position of the new planet, is taken into con-
sideration. This success must inspire a hope, that after 30 or
40 years' observations of the new planet, astronomers may
use it in its turn as a means of discovering the next that
follows in the order of distance from the sun. They will,
unfortunately, soon arrive at stars invisible on account of
their immense distance from the sun, but whose orbits may
be correctly ascertained by theory.'
" Since this discovery, the planet has been frequently ob-
served, both in our own country and in many parts of the
continent. Its present distance, expressed in common mea-
sure, is about 3,200,000,000 English miles from the sun, and
about 3,100,000,000 from the earth. Its distance from Ura-
nus, whose motions it disturbs, is about 140,000,000 of miles.
Its diameter is estimated at 50,000 miles, that of Uranus
being 35,000, of Jupiter 86,000, of Saturn 79,000, of the
earth 8,000, while the diameters of the other planets are less
than that of the earth. Thus, with the exception of Jupiter
and Saturn, the new planet is the largest in our system. Its
cubic is to that of the earth as 250 to 1. Considering that
Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus are each attended by a train of
satellites, it appears extremely probable that the new planet
will have a similar accompaniment. Indeed, a subsequent
observer, Mr. Lassell, of Liverpool, has stated hia belief that
he has discovered not only one accompanying satellite, but
also the existence of a ring round the planet. ' With respect
to the existence of the ring,' observes Mr. Lassell, ' I am
not able absolutely to declare it, but I received so many im-
pressions of it, always in the same form and d• •
irections, and
with all the different magnifying powers, that I feel a very
strong impression that nothing but a finer state of atmo-
sphere is necessary to enable me to verify the discovery.
Of the existence of the star, having every aspect of a sa.
tellite, there is not the shadow of a doubt.' These matters,
however, cannot be determined until the observations of the
planet have been continued for a longer period."
The claims of Mr. Adams to a share in the credit of
the discovery are traced with much candour and im-
partiality. But without detracting in any manner from
the credit of that gentleman, it cannot be denied that
the name of M. le Verrier deserves to be associated
pre-eminently with the mighty orb which his genius has
divulged, and which will perpetuate that name to the
remotest posterity with the names of Galileo, of Kepler,
of Newton, and of Herschel!. No more marvellous
evidence of the power of the human intellect has ever
been given than that afforded by the mathematical indi-
cation of an astronomical phenomenon by this illustrious
Frenchman. The reviewer next asks the question whe-
ther the planets are inhabited, and conceives the proba•
bility of their being so from a variety of facts proving
s from
to this earth, among other
their analagous condition
mars.
ofice at the poles of
the periodical accumulations
extraordinary cavities and
He then comments upon the .
being sixty miles in
fissures in the moan, one cavern . .
length,
150 miles in
diameter, and one crack extending .
• t From the discoveries effected
as straight as a railway .
by Lord Rosse's telescope, and proclaimed by Dr.
Nichol, it would seem that the renowned theory of
Laplace as to the birth of the solar system,
and the
nebular hypothesis of Herechell are virtuallyexploded.
The article altogether is of remarkable interest.
follows, A
strange review of " Grote's History of Greece,
he
in which the arguments of Bulwer and others as to the
individuality of Homer aro feebly attempted to be dis-
proved. Besides these there aro papers upon the history
of •' British Ferns," (illustrated with wood engravings,)
I
, the " Camp and Barrack Room," " Bankruptcy and In-
! solvency," and " Travels in Lycia." Upon the collec-
-1 tion of tho lott,rs aid ,i-3;t:l,k-,1, of t)livur ertsllllscll, i)).
Iliorm.s o,erlylo, tli.;re. is an excellvni, critical contribu
Lion. With a large quantity of minor criticisms and
notices of foreign literature the WM/flinger and Foreign

Quarterly Review is completed for the January quarter.
The combination of these two eminent publications pro-
mises to effect a brilliant innovation upon the ordinary
style of periodicals.

WIT AND HUMOUR. By Leigh Hunt.
After the fashion of the ancient trilogies, a very beau-
tiful notion of a literary character has been recently
conceived by Leigh Hunt. As our comparison will
imply, this notion, branches off in three directions.
Imagination and Fancy, the first ; Wit and Humour, the
second ; Action and Passion, the third. As every mind
that feeds upon the fruits of modern literature is already
aware, the first portion of this exquisite series has been
some time published. The second portion is now await-
ing the scrutiny of the critic, and the exploration of the
reader. The third portion is as yet prospective ; may
be it is now developing itself under the industrious pen
of its originator. It must be acknowledged by every
one who has examined the two volumes lately written
by the Poet of Rimini, that the plan upon which they
have been penned is as admirable as their influence is
calculated to be beneficial, and as their manner of com-
position is fascinating. While each acts as a cicerone to
the curiosities and riches stored up in different depart-
ments of English poetry, each acts likewise as an
incitement to the intellect of its reader. As thus :
While the glories of the imaginations and fancies of our
bards are divulged to us, our own imaginations and
fancies are simultaneously ripened and enlarged by the
very contemplation. And, again :—ln analysing to us
the characteristic wit and humour of our various poets,
the writer has thereby endeavoured to enhance our
capacities of appreciation in regard to wit and humour
generally, and has done good service, moreover, for the
eradication of that passion for spurious wit and
burlesque humour, which, in latter years, has so sadly
deteriorated the pleasantness of society and the advan
tages of the drama. No one was more peculiarly suited
for the carrying out of this excellent scheme than Leigh
Hunt. He has enough poetry in his own nature, to love
the charms of his predecessors in the divine art. He
has enough drollery to detect the veriest scintillation of
wit, and the merest glimpse of humour, in his prede-
cessors. He has enough aptitude for criticism, to pass
sentence upon his brethren of the lyre. He has enough
knowledge of the foibles and failings of this generation,
to discover where they exist and whence they arise ;
and above all, ho has enough acumen to discern the
properest means of correcting those foibles, and eradi-
cating those failings. In proof of this, witness his
most charming " Story of Rimini," his shorter poems,
his critical papers in the Ezantiner and elsewhere, his
picturesque romance, Sir Ralph Esher, his Indicator,
and his Miscellaneous Essays. Talk, as many do,
about Hunt regarding Nature through the atmosphere of
London, it is undeniable that his compositions
are flawed with Cockneyisms, just as Keats's
Endymion was injured by its jejune imagi-
naries, and as the majority of Wordsworth's
verses are tarnished with puerilities. Blackwood, to a
certain extent, judged rightly of Hunt, the Quarterly of
Keats, and Byron of Wordsworth. But that " certain
extent" only. embraces the naked fact of Cockneyism in
the one, jejuneness in the other, and puerility
in the last. With all his conventional marks as a
dweller in Cockaigne, how beautiful is the poetry
cf Leigh Hunt even in certain passages
of the despised " Feast," and especially in his apostro-
phies to the months and seasons 1 With all his imma-
turity, how exquisite are the works of Keats, how fanciful
his " Lamia,' how touching the " Pot of Basil," how
impassioned his " Ode to the Nightingale," how sublime
his fragment of " Hyperion 1" With all his indisputable
puerilities, how truly and majestically is the poet of nature
visible in the productions of William Wordsworth !
Throughout the whole of the writings of Leigh Hunt there
have been some with comparative blemishes, though always
accompanied by excellencies which had immeasurably
the preponderance. It is, therefore, to our thinking,
the most striking characteristic of the present serial
that it affords no similar opportunities for the
cavilling of the stupidest curmudgeon of a hyper-
critic. The nature of the work, indeed, renders failure
with sueh a man as Mr. Hunt little short of an impos-
sibility. To employ a trite but expressive metaphor,
each book is a string of literary pearls : the pearls
ho has selected from the most eminent of the
bards of England, the string alone is his own. In
the previous volume we had the choicest jewels of imagi-
nation and fancy threaded together. In the present we
have those of wit and humour. In the one which is to
come, ohave those actionhas
prefacedandpassitohne.
Leigh
volume under notice with an illustrative essay on
might
beexpected, o
f wit and humour, in which he has, like Cowley, and
Hunt, we
are
as
Locke, and Addison, and Barrow, and Hszlitt, and
Campbell, and Beattie, and a thousand others, endea-
voured to define the line of demarcation between those
two subtle and most assimilative phenomena of the
human mind. Mr. Hunt differs in a measure from
all his predecessors, and he condenses his theory
into a single sentence :—" Wit is the arbi-
trary jaxtaposition of dissimilar ideas, for some
lively purpose of assimilation or contrast, generally of
both." So far the definition is good, but it is merely a
repetition of one very recently advanced elsewhere, to
the effect that "Wit is the lustre resultirg from the
quick elucidation of one subject by a just
and unexpected arrangement of it with another
subject." We give the preference to the latter defini-
tion, as being, at one and the same time, more con-
densed and comprekensive. Leigh Hunt very happily
terms humour " a tendency of the mind to run
in particular directions of thought or feeling, more
amusing than accountable." Of itself, however,
this felicitous explanation of the meaning of
humour is insufficient. Tho definition might
apply to eccentric insolence, entlinsiasm, eloquence, or
in fact, to anything almost as well as to humour. Ile
subsequently gives us a catalogue of what he calls the
metaphor ; 3d,
the leap to a con-
elusion, the omission of intermediaetfe p
"princpal forms of wit :—lsts the direct simile ; 2d, the
A thought
in order to bring the two ends
or saying one
Irony, Burlesque or pure'
thing and meaning another ; sth,
or circumstance together ; 4th,
kind of
Extravagance in general ; 7tb, A
pleyassnt effect,
juxtaposition of ideas, having
ath, Cross pur-
down to those depending on soune. ;
mockery ; 6th, Exaggeration, Ultra C.onntinuity, and
istaken by their
Unconscious ab-
Entertainers for Identical Ones ; 9th,
surdity in a man's character apart '
from
; mere circum-
llth,
stances ; loth, Conscious humours indulgednumours of
mere temperament ; 13th, Moral and Intellectual poses, or contradictory intentions m
Humours of Nations and Classes • 12th,
incon-
gruities; 14th, Genial Contradictions of the Conventional
"
In drawing out this vocabulary of "forms, we con-
ceive that Mr. Hunt has straggled very widely from his
original definitions of wit, and has
sped it across
the barrier which should have dividedmerge
humour. In this catalogue wit and humour
into each other, and become almost inextricably
blended together. We cannot regard that as
a
just and accurate lists of the " forms 'of the
former,
which embraces burlesque, nonsense verses, and every
from
description of pun. We can perceive wit, for example,
in that verse by Tom Hood, descriptive of the death
and funeral of a sailor :
" His death which happened in his berth,
At forty odd bid,
They went and told the sexton,
And the sexton tolled the bell:'
We can see wit, moreover, in that remark_.
in
Nickleby," where Dickens says, " -
wrung her hands with grief, and rung the bell for her hus-
hand, andfell into a chair and a fainting fit simultaneously."
Neither of these specimens of wit have
been inserted by
Mr. Hunt in his volume, but we can see
positive wit in
years of the most
them, whereas it would take a million yea "Nicholas
Aladame Itlantalini
unheard of logic to convince us that
Rorum, scorum,
Supt divorum,
Hamm scarum dive;
Hie
hoc 11°111114 genitive
'
is wit. Humourous nonsense it may
be, and is in short,
quoted as
but wit it certainly is not. Yet it is f!e tuallying, mor©•
by Leigh Hunt in page 51.
It is amusing,
doctrine in
over,and bat -band,
Tag-rag, merrv-derry, perriwig
to hear him propounding as
literature, that Lawrence Sterne ,
Cervantes, Moliere,
that ever lived 1 With Shakospdeerte
abelais in his recol-
lection Addison, and glorious
Sterne was the greatest
; he says that Lawrenee
was, vetthout question
wit ! A first-rate w,•it Sterneed
proof of that—but cer-
tainly
it is a
Tristram Shandy" is afirgst.
We is
theamazedgreatetosthwealtr
Lawrence Sterne, and yet make no
emphatically about
ensp
whatever of a much
greater wit Ch
ar-es
mention
Notwithstandingthese inconsistencies, how-
Dickens. .htexcellent;delightful
tsaoindlyiscrbiemivnaastinn:t a critic as Mr. Hunt speak thus
ever,
and humourous passages from Chaucer,
culling of witty
0, Beaumont and Fletcher, Ran,
Shakspere, Ben Jonso
• Brome, Marvel, Butler, Dryden,
Ran-
dolph, Suckling,
Siv rt Green, Goldsmith, and Wolcotti
Philips, Pope, -I but felicitous commentaries
accompanied with brief la),
Leigh Hunt himself._
-,.----- -
the volume is rig

Royal
groundsi
igoyh
aear.is
es
adjacent
ennactne
at;
enjoyed
attendednfs therj:eoladeyteantdengattended
Castle,dh ateenhbwalked
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annizi:sinde
a i
Prince
ClRCULAR.nHighnessesce Albert,thercicanonemeapobafanatlipstevedonsauld,
sec:,
COURT
TUESDAY.--Her Majesty
WINDSOR,
corningpanied
accustomed walk'
cessand TheirthAel
ilcß'erei
)nt,coaeloskisi
exercise.
byinthZ
His Royal Highness
or
Count Alexander Me 9
to the Que
cshe Alfred
eeLaeootriddn
gPEcaatagrhmlei
sito)y morning.andu
seteatCha so Colonel
hn
eevl Seymour,
ray
atm o.nh ue
waiting
C,
and Captain theßobert Boyle has succe „Jed
Colonel Berkeley Drunanaond as the Groom in .‘„,
,T siting
to her Majesty.
Theh Royal
hd dinner plitsrttyLaiftethGeoCaarsdtsle this even*ta will
include her Royal Highness the Du chess K
Count Alexander Mensdorf, the Lady wait:a3 Itent.
cue,
haens(si o
thef the
ef ABbearrdoeneens.s de spe! g of th
dinner ; her Majesty's private band after-wards
in the Castle.

The Duke of Cambridge visited her Royal high ries,
the
House Duchess of Gloucester yesterday at ni
..x.ouc4 liter.
Mr. Roebuck had an
terday at the Colonterview with Earl Grey mss_
al-office.
Mr. Wickham, Chairman of the Stamps and T
had an interview with the Chancellor of the Exeb axes,
equer
esterday, at his official residence in Downing-. street.
Mr. John Wood, Chairman of the Excise, had al interview with the Right lion. Baronet yesterday. ,:•so an
Mr. M`Chriatie had an interview yesterday with Earl
Grey. Mr, Ch:irltF F.;.7( hft3 tin intel view with the 7
Ea Ord Strut( yestc,,r+tcy th,, sight
missioners of Railways in Great lieorge-street.
Despatches were sent off yesterday evening fr( ,p the
Colonial-office for the Goverpor 9f Weft Anatrali

REPRESENTATION OF SALIS-
BURY.

SALISBURY, JAN. 25.—The election of a Member for this
city, in the room of Mr. Ambrose Hussey, took place this
day, Mr. W. J. Chaplin, the chairman of the South-Western
Railway Company, having been returned without opposition.
An active canvass had during the last six months been car-
ried on by Mr. Martin, of Kingston House, near Dorchester,
who stood on the Protectionist interest, but from the 18th
inst., the day on which it was first announced that Mr.
Chaplin had consented to be put in nomination, it became
evident that the all but unanimous sense of the constituency
was in his favour; his having the power to confer essential
benefits upon the city proving to be a more weighty conside-
ration than the mere triumph of any particular political
party. There were, therefore, to be seen among Mr. Chap-
lin's friends a very large number of the leaders or active
supporters of the various political parties in the city, and
the effect of this union was, that Mr. Martin abandoned all
idea of continuing his canvass, and publicly announced his
retirement. The nomination was fixed for twelve o'clock,
and about that hour a numerous procession reached the hus-
tings, which were erected in the Corn Market. The usual
preliminaries having been gone through, the mayor, Mr.
George Telford, called upon the electors to proceed to the
election.

Mr. iticitAan lIETLEY then came forward, and said—l
very much regret the cause which has compelled us to as-
semble here this day. The ill-health of our late Member,
Mr. Ambrose Hussey, has for some time since prevented him
from attending to his Parliamentary duties, and he has been
unwillingly compelled to return into your hands the trust
which you reposed in him. I have much pleasure in intro-
ducing to your notice Mr. Chaplin, the chairman of the
South-Western /1: ailway Company, a man whose well-known
practical experience, constant habits of business, and
energy of mind, particularly qualify him to represent you in
Parliament.—(Cheers.) He has not before appeared in
public as a political character, and he will, therefore, go un-
biassed and perfectly independent, and, I am well satisfied,
will exercise a sound judgment and discretion upon all mat-
ters which shall be brought before him. lie has always
,evinced a great talent, and has filled not only a high situa-
tion in the new era of the railway world, but has also been
the sheriff of London. In the former po3ition he will be
enabled to benefit this city, and it is on that account that I
have cordially co-operated in bringing him before you as a
candidate for your suffrages.—(Cheers.) Whilst he held the
honourable office of sheriff of London he paid great atten-
tion to, and spent much of his time in, the consideration of
measures for educating and improving the social condition of
the people. He will do so now, and I believe him to be
both able and willing materially to improve the interests of
your town. I therefore, with the greatest pleasure, beg to
propose him as a representative for this city in the Com-
mons' House of Parliament.

Mr. W. FAwCarr appeared to second the nomination, and
said—l have the greatest pleasure in seconding the nomina-
tion of Mr. Chaplin, and in doing so I beg to congratulate
the city on the happy union of parties for the public good.
The subject of free trade, which on former occasions cause!d a
division amongst us, is now finally settled. The battle-field
on which we fought is now swept from ender us, and I hope
that all parties will unite in fulcra to promote the best in-
terests of our city.—(Loud cheers.) Mr. Chaplin is a man
of great commercial enterprise, and from his position, and
his, connexion with those great public works completed and
in progress, possesses the means, and, from the reception he
has met with, he has the inclination also, to benefit this city
and its locality to a greater extent thaa any other man we
could have fixed upon. lie can extensively employ the
poor, and will at all times be ready to assist us in promoting
the general good. With such assistance I think I can see iu
the future (to use a railway phrase) a " long train" of pros-
perity approaching our ancient city. In the hope that these
anticipations may be frilly realised, I have the greatest pos-
sible pleasure in seconding the nomination of Mr. Chaplin, as
a gentleman in every way qualified to represent this
city and our interests in the House of Commons.—(Cheers.)
Mr. CHAPLIN, on coming forward, was greeted with the
most enthusiastic cheers, and it was some time before the
plaudits had subsided sufficiently for him to address the
meeting. He said—Before I proceed to make the few re-
marks which it will be my duty to address to you, I must
return my sincere thanks to my excellent and worthy
friends for the manner in which they have introduced my
name to your notice.—(Hear, hear.) lam deeply sensible
how mach I owe to their kindness, and am quite conscious,
I assure you, of the responsibility, which I incur in offering
myself as your representative. Ido not appear here as the
nominee of any political party.—(Cheers.) My present posi-
tion is not of my own seeking, nor should I have attempted
to place myself before you had I not received the most
unequivocal assurance that most parties would unite to
secure my election ; in fact, that the watchword of party
had been lost in the determination to make common cause
for the city of Salisbury; and that so far from creating
angry feelings and hostilities, I should be looked upon in
the enviable light of a peacemaker.—(Cheers.) And now,
my friends, having said thus much by way of introduction,
you will naturally expect from me on this occasion
some more explicit expression of my sentiments than
could be embraced within the limits of my, address.
Gentlemen, my first principles are to fear God and honour
my Sovereign, and believe me I shall ever be found a firm
advocate for upholding our civil and religious institutions,
and that I value most highly the liberty and privileges of
the people.—(Cheers.) The subiect of free trade was fully
discussed last session, and since issuing my address the last
fragment of protection duty on corn has been abandoned.—
(Loud cheers.) It is my earnest desire to see the principles
of free trade fully and fairly tested, believing, as I do, that
if successful, they will lead to an extension of our intercourse
with all nations of the earth, and thus will be the greatest se-
curity for the continuance of peace.—(Cheers.) With re-
ference to religious subjects, my address will have shown you
my attachment to the Established Church. I consider it not
only supported by Scripture but strengthened by time, and it
is moreover the church of the majority of the people. It may,
very probably, be felt that there are particular points upon
which, from the hitherto active nature of my pursuits, I may
not be considered the most fitting person to comment ; but it
has been a source of delight to me to find, in the course of
my canvass, many intelligent and excellent ministers of
various denominations. I, therefore, propose upon any im-
portant measure, affecting the Established Church, to seek
counsel from its clergy among my constituents; and where
the interests of those not conforming to the Established
Church are likely to be afected, I shall feel equal pleasure
in consulting the ministers and leaders of those bodies; so
that while I respect your independence by reserving my
independent vote, I hope so to mature my Judgment by
reflection, as to approximate to the truth, and to record my
vote to your satisfaction.—(Cheers.) Much may be said on
the important subject of the poor- laws. The old system was
andoubtedlv bad, and the new one may not be perfect.—
(Load cheers.) I do not, however, desire to dwell on their
details, for I fancy I have a plan, simple yet practical, which
is likely, I think, so far as this neighbourhood hi concerned,
to prove effectual.—(Cheers.) Gentlemen, looking to the
question of agriculture in its relation to
the prosperity of
this city, I feel strongly that their interests are mutual, and
I therefore regard with much pleasure the progressive
de-
velopment of the railway system as a mean..! of benefiting
both.—(Cheers.) I clearly see a participation in the advan•
tage of the import and export at the coast; I see the im-
portance of direct communication with the country, the cities
and seaports in the west, and of a closer connexion with the
manufacturing districts in the north. I know the nomfort,
the convenience, and the economy of rapid and uninterrupted
communication with every part of the kingdom, and I feel
sensible, I assure you, of the blessings attendant more espe-
cially to the poor upon being plentifully supplied with cheap
fuel. Enjoying all these, Salisbury cannot fail to advance
is the general march of improvernent.—(Loud cheers.) But
to refer especially to Salisbury itself, although my ac-
quaintance with the city
.may be slight, let me assure you
many ways occur to me in which I may be useful, and, if
elected, would ask you at all times freely to suggest to me
such matters as may appear to you, my friends, either in-
dividually or collectively likely to be beneficial.—(Cheers.)
Already it has been suggested to me that a pitched market
would be desirable, and, doubtless, many other means of im-
provement will occur to you ; if so, I need hardly say how
happy I shall at all times feel to co-operate with you in
carrying the out.—(Loud cheers) And now, eleetore of
Salisbury, it is for you to do your duty, but this I must
:my,
that neither man, woman, or child has asked of me either
fee, favour, or pledge.—(Cheers.) If you send me to Parlia—
nient, I go there as a perfectly independent man, a fact as
honourable to you as it is flattering and honourable t o
(Cheers.) But believe me that the manner in which I have
been introduced amongst you, and the hearty goodwill' I
have experienced at your hands, cannot fail to command
mygr.atitude, and will ever leave a lasting impression on my
mind.—(Long-continued cheering.)
No other candidate having been proposed, the MAria, de-
clared W. J. Chaplin, Esq., to be duly elected.
Mr. CHAPLIN then proposed, and Mr. FIETLEX seconded
a vote of thanks to the Mayor, after which Mr. Chaplin,
attended by a band, gaily decorated banners, and a nu-
merous party of electors and friends, perambulated the city.
Not the slightest disturbance arose to mar the general Liar-
many of the proceedings. A public dinner took place in the
evening at the Council Chamber, of which nearly 200 geno
tlemen partook.

MONOPOLY.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
Sut,—The readers of your valuable journal of Monday last
read with great delight a paragraph congratulating the
public on the fall of the price of bread in almost all the metro-
politan districts.
But, Sir, I am not at a loss to know what conclusion your
intelligent readers vt ill arrive at when I inform you the
daring, unjust, and monopolizing bakers of Pimlico and Chel-
sea, instead of following the laudable example of honest
bakers of other metropolitan districts, of reducing the price of
bread to a fair remunerating profit, actually combined and
advanced the price of bread one halfpenny the 41b. loaf.
You, Sir, cannot but think this advance in the price of
bread in this district a gross act of cruelty and injustice, and
altogether uncalled for, more particularly as the day
ar-
rived that triumph and justice are treading upon the nb,ck of
the most unjust and fallen corn-laws. has
It is reported that a meeting will shortly be convened by
the mechanics and others of this district to adopt measures
with a determination to deal only with those bakers who sell
bread at a fair remunerating price.
I remain, Sir, Sc.,
Pimlico, January 27. GULIE LM
[The sooner the people meet the better. Promptitude is
half the battle.—ED. Sun.]
P-- Mat P • •