The Sun.
London, England, 1870-06-24 00:00:00

METROPOLITAN GOSSIP

THURSDAY.
I am very glad to see that Dean Stanley has determined
to publish his sermon on Charles Dickens. Hearing it was
exceedingly painful. The Dean was suffering from
hoarseness so severe that he could hardly articulate, and
he si ewed more pluck than judgment in mounting
the pulpit. Three-fourths of the immense con-
gregation could not have heard a word, and to the other
fourth the Dean's effort was distressing. He would have
done wisely to call upon one of those powerful-voiced
junior canons or precentors to have read the sermon. As
it was he was compelled to omit a considerable portion of
it. No doubt the preacher's admiration of the subject of
his discourse made him persevere. It was but a very
little while ago that Dr. Stanley asked Mr. Frederick
Locker (who married Lady Augusta Stanley's sister,
and who is the brother of the editor of the Graphic)
to introduce him to Dickens. The Dean and the
Novelist met at Mr. Locker's house, and the first
subsequently described the second as the most delightful
man he ever met. Dickens's popularity was enormous.
We shall soon have another great extension of tele-
graphic communication. Mr. Cyrus Field, who was over
here not many months ago, reaping the fruits of his vic-
tory in the East, is now projecting a line in the West,
between California and China. It seems strange to talk
of China being in the West, but the world is round, and
there is an old saying " too far east is west."
It is expected that the line will take less than
five years to construct. It will pass from California
to the Sandwich Islands, thence to Japan, andthence to
China ; the tariff will vary with the distance, and for the
whole length will be 30 dols. in gold. A committee of the
United States Senate recommends an annual subsidy of
300,000 dols. in gold for twenty years. One would have
thought that this help was scarcely needed.
It is rather unsatisfactory to know that the whole ques-
tion of guns and projectiles is likely to be reopened very
shortly. The Woolwich gull has not turned out the success
anticipated by the authorities, and tog for the chilled shot
for which Major Palliser has received first and last over
£22,000 from a grateful nation, I have reason to know
that they will in great part be given up in consequence of
their tendency to break. Engineers have always been
astonished that so large a sum should be paid
for the adaptation to shot of a process
which was known in the profession years before.
It would seem that not only did we pay our money for
that which was not new, but also for that which does not
prove true. Sir Joseph Whitworth is pressing his gun
upon the Government, and the Times has latterly been
supporting him, Sir William Armstrong's day being over
for the present, so far as great guns for this country are
concerned. He has not, however, by any means passed
away from the public view, and this week he
has been one of the highly favoured at Oxford
who have been endowed with the honorary degree of D. C. L.
It is worthy of notice that among the other D.C.L.'s
of the year are the editors of the Whig Edinburgh and the Tory
Quarterly reviews. Mr. Henry Reeve, who belongs to the
Privy Council Office, as well as to the Edinburgh, is not
known much to the public, for he writes anonymously,
but he is, of course, a notability in London literary circles.
Dr. William Smith is known everywhere by his diction-
aries. Much surprise was felt when he undertook the
editorship of the Quarterly, for he had always
been considered a Liberal and a Dissenter. He
has now received honour at the hands of his
fellow reviewer and merciless critic of Mr. Disraeli, the
most nol4le the Marquis of Salisbury, Chancellor of the
University of Oxford. •
Referring to the wretched epicene case for a minute,
can state that Sergeant Ballantine is convinced of the
innocence of his clients. It is to be hoped that his con-
viction may prove well founded. Independently of the
miserable nature of the alleged crime, the accused belong
to families of more or less distinction. Lord Arthur
Clinton, as all the world knows, was the son of the Duke
of Newcastle ; another of the accused, who has fled the
country, has for his father one of the best-known London
Dissenting ministers ; another is the son of a highly re-
spected legal official, and the grandson of one still more
distinguished ; others are well-known in society.
A few days ago Miss Burdett Coutts gave a very plea-
sant private concert at her house in Stratton-street, Picca-
dilly. More strictly speaking the concert was given at Miss
Coutts's by Mr. Charles Fowler, of Torquay. Two years
ago the practice of allowing musical artists to use the
private rooms of wealthy persons for the purpose of
giving concerts was strongly objected to by the proprietor
of St. James's Hall and other similar places, on the
ground that as they had to pay heavy licence duties for
their rooms, it was not fair that the Upper Ten should
lend their rooms for concerts to which the ad-
mission was by payment. The Earl of Dudley,
who was the chief offender in this respect,
persisted, and I suppose the hall proprietors thought it
best not to quarrel with such powerful patrons, and so the
opposition died away. Mr. Fowler's recent concert was
the eighth he has given in Stratton-street, and it was
very successful. Among the attractions of the afternoon
were several duetts, played by himself on the piano and
M. Lemmens on the Mustel organ, an instrument greatly
resembling a harmonium. M. Lemmens performed
also on a new and as yet unnamed instru-
ment, which combines the tones of the piano
and the musical snuff-box. Among the vocalists
was Miss Alice Ryall, formerly of Plymouth, who is likely
to make considerable reputation in London. She sang
Haydn's " My mother bids me bind my hair," with such
perfect feeling and grace that we all regretted she was not
to sing again. The other vocalists were Madame
Lemmens-Sherrington, Madame Patey, Mr. W. H.
Cummings, and Mr. Patey. They sang together
a quartett from Verdi's " Rigoletto," and the
The honour of an encore was reserved for a very
charming new song, " Love comes to all." rite
famous prayer from the " Mosd " of Rossini.
authorship is at present a secret. After the concert we
had an opportunity of studying the many fine pictures
which Miss Coutts possesses. Among them is the famous
portrait of the Duchess of St. Albans, Sir Charles East-
lake's Christ Blessing the Children, a very fine Stanfield,
and portraits of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the
late Bishop of Exeter, by Mr. Sydney Hodges.
Visitors to the Royal Academy should before going in
there cross to the opposite side of Piccadilly, and see in
the Egyptian Hall five very fine works by the Roman
artist, the Cavaliere Vertunni. The private view was on
Wednesday, and I was well rewarded by taking
advantage of it. The largest picture, " A View of the
Campagna," and " A Sea-piece on the Coast near Gaeta,"
are particularly fine. The set shew great versatility as
well as remarkable power. These works are for sale, and
vary from 300 to 500 guineas. At the same exhibition are
some admirable medallion marble busts by Miss Foley of
Rome.
In literature I have not much to say to-day. Mrs.
Davies's novel, "Arthur," is just out, and is decidedly
clever. Mr. Nicholas Michell, the Cornish poet, author
of " The Immortals," will have an elegy on Dickens in
the coming number of the New Monthly, and Mr. Edward
Spender an article on Land Tenure in the new number of
;he London Quarterly Review.

AN ENTERPRISING P ÜBLIC AN.—The story of
Dick Turpin and Tom King has been so profitably
utilised by novelists that it is amusing to know that it has
been made available within the last day or two for
swelling the coffers of a Whitechapel victualler, duly
licensed according to the law. How this fell out may
be briefly told. The other morning, while some work-
men in the employ of the Chartered Gas Works were dig-
ging in the High-street, Whitechapel, near certain cross-
roads in that locality, they discovered beneath the surface
a skeleton. On the left side of the skeleton's skull,
and immediately behind the ear, was a small hole, which
had apparently been caused by a bullet. The skull was
immediately carried to a public house in the neighbour-
hood, which about a hundred years ago was frequented by
Dick Turpin and his companions. It was placed by the
landlord underneath a glass case, and exhibited to his cus-
tomers. He issued large placards at once declaring the
discovery. Dick Turpin, it appears, was discovered in this
house a short time before his death by a Bow-street
officer. He instantly ran out into the street, whither he
was followed by the officer. King then came from the
public-house, and the officer attempted to take him. While
King and the-constable were struggling, King shouted out
to Turpin, " Fire at him." Turpin did so, and acciden-
tally shot King instead of the officer. It is now stated.
that King was afterwards buried as a felon in the cross-
roads near where he was shot ; and the obvious inference
is that a Whitechapel publican is exhibiting his skull.