The Sun.
London, England, 1847-09-09 00:00:00

this employment he passed the next six years, during
which time he carried on assiduously the work of self-
education, and mastered a tolerably extensive range of
learning, which enabled him, within a short time, to
enter on the ministry of the Gospel, and to issue forth as
a teacher of the people. Some time after he separated
from the religious body among whom he had been bred,
the Calvinistic Independents, and became the pastor of an
Unitarian congregation at Chichester, whence he re-
moved to London in 1817, and has from that time
remained in the metropolis connected with Finsbury
Chapel. He has been an occasional contributor to the
Westminster Moiety, and was the writer of the numerous
letters in the League newspaper, signed ' A Norwich
Weaver Boy.' The other leader of the Chartists in the
new Parliament, Mr. Feargus O'Connor, is by birth an
Irishman of respectable descent, and inherited a small
patrimonial estate in the county of Cork. His uncle.
the celebrated Arthur O'Connor, was heir-at-law to the
late Lord Longueville, but his Lordship not approving of
the line of politics adopted by Mr. O'Connor, bequeathed
his property to more distant relations—eventually
Arthur O'Connor entered the French service, and attain-
ing high military rank was well known as General Con-
dorcet O'Connor. Mr. Feargus O'Connor has long been
before the public as editor of the Northern Star, and
suffered incarceration a few years since in York gaol for
sedition."

THE MONTHLY RAILWAY RECORD.
In addition to the usual record of railway proceed-
ings, we find in this number an article on the results
of the general election in relation to railway interests,
from which it will be seen that that interest is deter-
mined to make itself felt as an interest in the House
of Commons, and that Lord Brougham was not far
wrong in designating the Parliament of 1847 as the
Railway Parliament. After speaking of the breaking
up of the parties, the writer asks— •
" What section of men will there be in the House of
Commons who have a common object—a common inte-
rest—a bond of sympathy, arising from similarity of
wishes, of pursuits, of policy ? We look in vain for it
out of the circle of gentlemen who have been sent in
expressly to represent the rights of railway proprietors.
This body consists of individuals belonging, or supposed
to belong, to every variety of political opinion that
floats at large amongst the general mass of Members.
It consists of men who, however divided on such matters
as corn-laws, sugar-
laws, vote by ballot, and extended
suffrage, have nothing to prevent them from acting in
most fraternal concert whenever the cynosure of their
union is assailed. In this peculiarity lies one source of
the strength of the railway cause. It is not bound up
with any party, but it is associated in sympathy with
every one of them. Let the war of faction rage with a
violence, rising, as it always does, in proportion to the
real insignificance of the object in dispute; let parties
tear each other to pieces, and every Oppositionist ac-
cuse every Ministerialist (et vice versa) of meditating
the national annihilation of old England. We do not
object to Mr. Chaplin and Mr. Glyn saying everything
that devotion to Liberalism may dictate, in remonstrance
against the Conservative conduct of Messrs. Hudson and
Waddington; but this kind of conventional controversy,
need not, and we are sure will not, prevent the intelli-
gent gentlemen named, and the host of other persons
who have similar interests with them—it need not pre-
clude them from the most close alliance—from an entente
cordiale more sincere than that between the Tuileries
and St. James's—when the rights of property have to be
defended, or the designs of confiscation, intrusion, and
faithless intermeddling repelled.
" Viewing passing circumstances, therefore, in the
cool and manly temper that would take advantage of
favourable points, and not shrinking in dismay from un-
favourable symptoms, we cannot but think that the dis-
ruption or distraction of party may be made conducive
to the benefit, and not to the injury, of railway property.
When a large assembly is divided in itself, a few indi-
viduals, firmly united for one or two tangible objects, and
pressing forward towards them amid the din of surround-
ing conflict, may accomplish results which would be im-
possible in an atmosphere of cold, proud, inaccessible
consciousness of strength on the part of a narrow-
minded Minister.
" Even a few active and intelligent men could do a
great deal in such circumstances; but the railway repre-
sentatives in Parliament are not few. The catalogue
which we insert at the end of this article exhibits an
amount of mere numerical power about three times as
great as that which enabled the late Mr. O'Connell to
hold in his hands, for many years, almost absolute con-
trol over one department of Governmental policy. Di-
vide these railway Members into two classes—say that
one moiety favours the Liberal and the other the Con-
servative caste of opinions—there still remains, as an
organ of direct influence and pressure on any Ministry
that can possibly be in office, a body considerably more
numerous than that with which Mr. O'Connell obtained
such excellent terms for himself and his friends.
" With such a force at our back, will there exist the
slightest necessity (supposing the existence of a faithful
understanding in the railway body)—will there exist the
slightest
for submitting to such unfairness as
necessity
that to which, at several of the half-yearly meetings, the
most eminent chairmen and managers ascribed so much
of the peculiar difficulties that have beset their affairs
during the last year?"

THE MIRROR.
The tale of " Paul Pevensey" is continued, and
promises to be of great interest. The author has
excellent materials, and it is evident that he under-
stands well how to use them. The notice of Mr.
Macgregor's recently-published work is exceed-
ingly valuable, as is the review of Lord
PalrAerston's " Speech at Tiverton." This last
paper is the production of one who is evi-
dently thoroughly well acquainted with all
matters relating to the foreign policy of this
country. The " Notes of the Alonth" contain some
clever sketches of Egyptian manners and scenery,
and Sir Alexander Johnstone furnishes a highly
interesting account of Madura and its Ilindoo Col-
lege. Percy St John continues his tale of the
French Revolution, " Cecilia Armand," from which
we extract the following picture of Marat, in his den :
" In the street known as the Rue des Cordeliers was
an apartment of somewhat large dimensions, but pre-
senting an appearance of dirt and poverty, which was
the more disgusting that it was wholly unneeesiary. A
bed, the sheets of which were dingy, and soiled, as much
by long use as ink, occupied one side of the room. Near
at hand was a table covered with pro ,f sheets, half
written pages, files of newspapers, half a dozen pens,
and numerous letters ; beside this was a board, which
served as a book- shelf, on which lay a strange assembly
of books, amongst which Raynal and Montesquieu were
the most thumbed, if we except the Bible, of which the
occupant of this dwelling was used to say, The Revolu-
tion is in this book. Nowhere is the people's cause so
eloquently pleaded ; nowhere are the rich and powerful
of the earth so severely handled. Jesus Christ is our
master!'
" Man's heart is truly an abyss, and how far this was
hypocrisy, how far sincerity—and, then, the man was
mad—but one power can judge.
" A man sat at the table writing, as if he had just sat
down when about to go out.
" With a dirty jacket, the sleeves of which were tucked
up like those of a workman at work; with velvet breeches
spotted with ink, blue worstcd stockings, shoes tied on
the instep with whip-cord, a
dirty shirt open at the
breast, hair smoothed on the temples, and tied in a bunch
behind by a leathern thong, with a broad brimmed hat
falling on his shoulders : his costume was that of a
thorough Sans Culotte. his head was large, the more
remarkable that he was short, not being more than five
feet high, and leant upon the left shoulder. Ile was
strongly built, though neither stout nor fat. His
shoulders were round, his arms powerful; a short neck
gave him the more hideous appearance. His visage was
bony, his nose aquiline, broad at the bridge and flattened,
the end preminent ; his lips were thin,
his forehead large;
his eyes were a grey yellow, quick, piercing—at times
gentle and tender ; his eyebrows were scarcely per-
ceptible, his beard was black, his hair brown.
Such was Jean Paul Marat."
,t-

WEST LONDON RAILWAY.
The ordinary twenty-third half-yearly meeting of
this company was held yesterday at the London Tavern,
at one o clock ; H. 11. Ground, Eig. in the chair.
The advertisement convening the meeting having
been read,

Mr. TilomF-soN, the Secretary, read the following
report :

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