The Sun.
London, England, 1841-02-01 00:00:00

MONTHLY CHRONICLE.

The subject of a " French and English At,
Hance," which was started in the last number of
this periodical, is resumed in the present. The
article is penned in a sensible and liberal spirit,
and repudiates the notion that France is anxious
for a war with this country. " War," we are as-
sured, "is not the wish of France ; it is the wish
of scattered parties who are at war with each
other. We have no right to attribute hostile
views to the nation from the blusterings of such
—no right to feel less friendly to her alliance—
no right to allow of ourselves being irritated be-
cause the press of her capital is so, Paris is
France, but France is not Paris. Admitting her
centralising system, admitting her intellectual
and moral monopoly, admitting the influence she
exerts throughout the country, we are to recol-
lect what this country has now become; we are
to recollect that it is to material rather than
moral industry her great mass is indebted, and
that it is to that mass we must look, and ask, are
they inclined for war ?" ‘‘ Illustrations of Dart-
moor". is a poem from the pen of Mr. Reade.
It is languid as a whole, but the versification in
places is not amiss. " New Zealand" is a glance
at the history of the colonisation of these remote
islands, arid at the present period will be read
with interest. In the " Sketches of Spanish
Generals" we have an entertaining memoir of the
Carlist Chief Gomez. " Sanson" is an account
of a visit paid to the famous executioner of that
name, who ,guillotined the Royal Family of
France, and the majority of the Girond's ts,
during the notorious Reign of Terror. From an
interesting document entitled " Inedited Facts
respecting the French Revolution of 1789," we
quote the subjoined singular anecdote
" Politics and cupidity were not the only evil passions
which sent their victims to the revolutionary scaffold. All
the baser feelings of human nature furnished their con-
tingent, ' envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness,'
jealousy, sensuality, and even the wounded pride of bad
poets and wretched actors. The following anecdote is
related by Heron, private secretary of Fonquier Tinville,
the public accuser. On the sixth or seventh Thermidor
(two or three days before the fall of Robespierre) one of
Heron's friends called upon him at the bar of the tribunal,
for Fonquier had scarcely ant), other domicile, taking his
meals and his rest at the bar, so urgent was the work of

_ _
clestructi,r, ; and his secretary seas compelled to shop do
much rufvity xs himself. Ills college friend, then, cat's
t^ Heron, rubbing his hands, and a chuckting $m:01
on his lips. Bravo 1 cit:7,,,n Heron !' said be, bt spit
the work goes bravely on ; fifty-four to-clq ! Eh! ,
hgve you as many for tomorrow ?'...• Not cluitc'-
plied Heron, but nearly.' Is your list complete? tell
me, is it signed be citizen Fonquier Nor.t.
hy do you ns1;? have You any aristocrat,
fanatic, or my other to denounce? ... • Unfortuutitell:
no ; but I have a small favour to ask of you, IDY.frieDbf
for you are try friend, are 3ou not? Oblige me.dil,
vut.ting my wife's name on the list.' Your wile! II
ie
culous 1 you are j king 1' Upon my honour, I ii,nl
earnest ; and I assure you, it will be doing me a sigb%
service' r,juined Heron ; why* it was deal
last Duodi we dined together, and you then seemed
lighted with the citoyenne Never mind; my °Pin.°
of her is altered.' ' But she is an excellent i4O;
culotte ?' ' Not et all,' replied the husband, ',he is
arittccrat, and I can prove it.' ' You are wall' )".
Heron ; 'she is a good wife, and you would quickly All
pent it.' ... ' Not at all ; listrn to me; once, twice, if!a
federsh:
you gu Ilutine my wife for MC Certainly not,' ssii
Heron ;"I'll have nothing to do with it.' ... Tho it,'
to place any r,liance upon college friends,' exclaimed too
visitor as be withdrew, as an ,r with Heron as if ftbi
latter had refused to lend him bayn asi nut for a A,
francs, or to sign a certificate of his sjvisrn. The- cr"'
of
the story
gether for thirty'
•
is, that they continued to live lovingly to
}ears; and that the wife never enter
tained the slightest suspicion of her husband's 004
attempt to get rid of her."

TAI I'S MAGAZINE.
Tait is somewhat tam oath
this al t
e and heavy
with the single exception of his opening article
entitled " Burschen Melodies," wherein lie er
hibits both spirit and liveliness. In this arty /,
we find some curious details respecting the drat
in associations of the Germans, which, We set
told, " are held from time to time in houses
..0 d
apart specially for that purpose ; and in the P
ceedings of which none but students are alloir
' e
to participate. Beer on these occasions is drub
right methodically ; and woe be to him virh° g 1
ot
the least indication here that he is not a
-toper; his thirst will be quenched for nalllo-/,tl
day, for the watch-word is, " drink and stmt
and whoso on these points cannot approve .
.0
self well appointed, is despised as a iveakilitti
'We must confess we have no great sYlliefthe
with these young German beer-guzzlers,
or
beverage—provided at least it resembled
common English beer—is an but enliven
ing; indeed, it is provocative
rather of sulleMloe
than vivacity, and subdues rather than invig°lo
the fancy. It must be a very coarse, antall
sort of nature that can sit for hours contea•the
guzzling swipes. In a letter addressed te° the
editor by Mr. Cobden, on the subject c'ttsit
" Eastern Question," the writer d•aws a Ptior
of the late Sultan Mahmoud, which, thong" the
flattering, is, we suspect, more correct thaneeo
generality of the characters that have bgr,
given of him. " The Sultan," says ost
Cobden " was amusing himself with the tniag
childish pursuits, while the world was etile
him credit for beso wing all his thoughts 00.00..
improvement of his country. He was passii,eo
ately addicted to the bottle ; and his Ewe,
I saw him, bore the usual evidences of deeP
tations. Yet when violating, in this partil to
the precepts of his religion, he lent liiinsei the •
the most rigid enforcement of its forms upon the
people. When was at Constantinople,
00
populace were actually driven to thera°s4,
live times a day by the police with whips/ Pure
suant to an order just before obtained *woos
Sultan by the ministers of religion."' ,1
" Feats and Fortunes of Richard the. Reiver',ol
of the ordinary tone of magazine -stories/0f
defers to one of the freaks of James the Fill"
Scotland, who was very fond, as is well kilP,l3,
itty-
of traversing the country in disonise, from 1„10.
tives of gallantry and adventure. " Auttot
graphy of an English Opium-Eater" is deficlK
in point of interest ; moreover, it is negli(relii
and verbosely written. " Oliver Cromwell, Ise
au able and dispassionate notice of a late PoPutbit
romance, which appeared four or five men
ago. We select for quotation, some sensible re
marks by the Editor on Tee-Totalisin tia
drinking songs:—
is
" A Reverend and a tee-totaller expresses great --t
ti,fection with our melodious efforts for the amnseeleleg the public ; accusing us, in plain phrase, of corruPt-rr,
the manners of the age ;' and warns us that, if we Per
fell -0
ceed in our wicked courses, we shall certainly
der the condemnation of Jack Sheppard.' To this ellesratt
our answer may be very short : we advocate drinking,' tge.
sing drinking songs; but we say nothing about the,."„islO
that shall be drunk. Banish beer, banish wines US-te&
Crambambuli (of which anon), and say coffee, c0e0e,,41
water, and the sons will remain as good as ever. exceiao
rhyme here and there, which it is your duty to einutegeal
are dissatisfied. It is not wine that we sing, but t""ieoe
of'joy and jovialty incarnated in wine ; and if the no,
totaller shall succeed in incarnating that soul more 11.
fectly (for Vishnu has many Araters) in coffee or foil
water, and convincing the world to that effect--the"„ef
web which Pentagrueliaing fancy weaves. will shne'd-ber
pictures, and the language of convivial, poetry 0".
changed But the poet cannot dictate in these matter
he receives and enjoys. For himself, the present wt.'
confesses that be loves a glass of good wino, both on i•P;
own account, and as a clear mirror wherein truth from 1_1;
face of a friend hat" again and again revealed itself i'';
umphantly—to the utter rout and prostration of thl/
minced propriety are] laced dignity which has how unl
pily become part of the habitude of social etiquette in tw-s.
country. Avd as for Tee-totalism no doubt it is so ti;
mirable thing, acco'ding to that icripture, If thine Y,t•
offend thee, pluck it out;' whereby, however, it let
said, that what is expedient or necessary for ono
obligatory on all. But let abstinence flourish by slimeTi
rather than drunkenness; and if a man loves water, 4
him rejoice in it—as wine-drinkers rejoice iu wine.
the same time it must be remarked, that never. was thew
greater mistake than to suppose that drinking-songs ole
drunkenness. They do so certainly in a fashiou, as I°o
may create lust, and religion superstition.; but is it 110
i,
somewhat more common to find that lust bums love to •
cinder, and that superstition chokes and strangles religioli;
Let a man look about among his friends, and note tb.Q
who are most given to mere physical excess at the
Certainly not those is ho make the banquet , wlth
,4
floods of melodious glee. They who give so much sae
from the soul, cannot be taking in to the body; for
human being can p tfurm only one function
grandij.
and 0
the same time. A black ben lays a white egg ;
gers of drinking-songs are generally very temperao
persons."

UNITED SERVICE JOURNAL. .
The fir.zt article, on " Fortifications of Parl4
is of great length,• and embodies the argurnetio
and opinions of the most celebrated commander
and engineers as to the expediency of an Lindell,
taking whidi now occupies universally the atte,
tion o the French people, and to a certain e4_,
tent the attention of Europe. It is needless'
0-t- •
give even a summary of them, as they are be, •
a conflicting character, and the Nubjeci for tile
last ten days has been so fay discussed in t
newspapers. We shall content ourselves, there" f
fore, with quoting the conclusions come to bic
the writer of the article on the priatV
of fortifying Paris, which are briefly these
Ist. That French legislators far overvalue the
importance of the Parisian fortifications, whoa
they attribute any serious moral influence 0%
Europe to their construction, or when they WI
upon them as calculated to avert war, or to arrie:t
the progress of counter-aggression. 2dly. Ta" •
if these fortifications can be Serviceable in entlif
trolling the population of Paris, all Europe Is,'“
unite in applauding their establishment. acliti
That the .enormous expense to the nation, nr•
positive vexation and loss to the citizens cht,:lol
peace, do not appear to promise any e v.;
benefits in the event of war. 4thly. Thp_t unle'4
Paris be defended at a distance, by tier
active
armies, she never can be renderert sufficient ii
strong to defend herself, through
the agencY
her citizen garrison. And, lastl,/, if the fortune'
of war should turn against fire
French artnie*
as it did in 1814 and ISIS, and should
tlje
Allies, after a succession of victories, arrivi
within gun-shot of the detached fbrts that
would be an act of cruel heroism, °jl ,0
the part of commanders and citizens, to
great
attempt resistance, and thus to expose their-
great city to all the penalties of attacr
" The Navy and Army of the United States in
1840" will be read with interest. The Navy C°11;
ag
sists at present of seven ships of the line, (Sl
frigate of 51 guns ,fourteen of 44 guns, two of °LA'
guns, twenty-one sloops of from 20 to 16 guns, al'
a few smaller vessels, with five war steam-59)s'
The Army, altogether, including infantry, (ILI;
goons, artillery, &c., amounts to only 12,,P1
men. These returns are furnished by the secre'
taries of the Navy and of War; and certai-01),:
appear not very formidable,—not
.equallinth;
naval and military forces of even a third-rata
power in Europe.