The Sun.
London, England, 1846-07-30 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

hut n,
t AG until something more Is sought than to have
outlandish dressed dandies for noble ladies' bail-rooms.
rsnecertaioly think that the people of England are very
f uindebted to the Rev. Mr. Trimmer, vicar of H ounslow,
It
allino•
It is b a coroner's inquest on the late melancholy case-
_ .0 use having men of education er gentlemanly man-
it:
II: the ranks if they are to be treated as poor
*11,3, was. If the black cats were not used this time,
tn.. the exeeutidta was so very severe, for what, purr
r does Colonel Whyte keep them ? Or what right
as h
sort ?e to keep any other than one sort—the regulation
ratti This is evidently a connivance with his farrier.
who brings them in his bag, and gives to furrier
whi'ttil the one he is to use. One man is flogged with
T e eat% and goes next day to his duty in good health.
.others are ill, and one dies, because they are beaten
ihtpl black cats, which are heavier and create internal
tlesry And Dr. Warren says, "it is unnecessary in
British
army to feel the victim's pulse ;" and yet
ferreril, the only way to ascertain the state of the sut-
ttik','ete convulsions" (as Dr. Warren says) do not
•
on the contrary, the patient sinks grade-
-417 until he faints, and is thenceforward insensible of
pain or suffering until recalled to life: that is to
felt:the man may die under the lash if his pulse is not
doet ntlt it should be. And other Colonels ask the
repeatedly how the man is, awl if the punish •
eltil be continued? Yes, every time the execu-
b," or the cat are changed should it be ascertained in
orZt state the victim is ; a good surgeon will do so as
tskil" he thinks necessary, especially if the patients
eipsi°l. water. All wounded men ask for water, prin-
k. warren
when the wounds are internal. But no doubt
tsill warren did not think it at all necessary to accer-
tes„ to what state this man was, because he, the stir-
tilt;' must have known beforehand that a weak-bodied
sen„' given to drink, was a weak-chested man, and con-
ii`le4tlY not a fit subject for corporal punishment.
ter:ll humble opinion, the assertions of the "Eighteen
the :,311tu,” in the Times, are without foundation ; but
ItivZitt State of the case is as I have had the honour to
It fore the editor of The Sun.
(14' our cavalry officers knew anything of out-post
tt ):A4- Sir 11. liardinge would not have been surprised
ligh, oodkQe, but have received timely notice from his
I"hlavalry officers. The fighting is beyond all praise
010i,a- But there, as elsewhere, in all other matters,
ktis,,'grtt cavalry officers have shown that they do not
the real duties of a light dragoon.
404-6-teeri-years' old boys are unfit for officers, and yet
04; but those between that age and eighteen may
low,!eolumissions Twenty-one years should be the
age for admittance. A noble lord becomes an
ilsu at sixteen in the foot guards, and at eighteen he
the .eaPtain in the foot guards and lieutenant• colonel in
ferre-allnY; and then his grace has his hopeful son trans-
lotl-17.t. an Hungarian imitation regiment, and there
of
e. 'ye a lieutenant-colonel commanding a regiment
eret,-/;917, who is not responsible in a want, or
betCrauv his numerous debts, and who for of a
roust wear imitation mustachoes and whiskers.
Il
ph- bleat seem an • extreme case, but it is quite
of t in practice, and will often occur after the Duke
Of York
control is lost, as it did before the Duke
1) came.
seidaY after day any one can see in her Majesty's House
Cavalry little fellows commanding six-feet euiras-
lb:r-heavy cavalry officers unable to wear anything
-4 imitation armour made of tin.
dae
ig frvilege on one side, and flogging i
,o n
&c., the other—that
real state of the case.—l br,
A CONSTANT READER.

M. VIDOCQ.—De mortius nil nisi bonum is an adage
)0 Qleh it would have been well for the gerant of the Demo-
Pacifigue to have borne in mind, when on the occasion
t! the. rumoured death of Vidocq, who it was alleged had
,Trarp poverty is Brussels, he thought proper to publish
facetious lc eon th.e übject. Our readers will remember the
letter in which M. Vidocq fissured us that he was
41 alive, and having" read the article in question in the
te:,_rjatte Pacifigue, which be considered reflected on his
,„„ea ter at once proceeded to France, and instituted pro-
tjZ;
,gs against the gerant. The cause came on for trial on
fed" July. The defendant suffered judgment to go by de-
and DI. Vidocq, having declared that he had no desire
I,),lrsenal damages, the Court sentenced the defendant to
diffesentl° of 50 francs, and to advertise the sentence in the
*ore se journals. The plaintiff, says the Constitutionnel,
rsost:7o superb diamond breast pins, and appeared in the
liorou state of health.
30th ; Royal Family of France are to set out on the
am or Ett. They will return by the 15th of next month,
vese Proceed to take up their residence at St. Cloud. The
be els composing
the ee,, the royal squadron at Treport are to
leeine Amelie yacht, the Gomer steam frigate, the
ett°lThe Colombe steamer, and Passe Partout cutter.
kiinSPERATE ATTEMPT AT HIGHWAY ROBBERY AND
C't kr Jonathan Robinson. a post-boy in the employ
return Waterhouse, of Burton, Westmoreland, was on his
and twit,olne from Laneaster, alone in a gig, between eleven
Pan tive o'clock on Saturday week, he observed on a lonely
appear the road, known as Carnforth Level, four men, who
the hecet, In the garb of railway labourers, standing under
040,i, 4e, two on each side of the road. On coming nearly
pore;, :e to them, one of the party made a rush to seize the
e'rre,", head, but' not succeeding, was thrown upon the
,with„,"; Another of them immediately fired a pistol, but
horse "t;ts taking effect. Robinson immediately lashed the
'n, hiew"ich started off at full gallop, at the same time throw-
tutrt"'self into the bottom of the gig, and when he bad gone
leem.e, forty yards another shot was fired, happily with
(4-success. It robbery was their object, they had,
eaee b t, mistaken their man ; but it appears they must
quite _e e!1 very 'desperate and reckless characters, as it is
eetrd_eveent they would not have hesitated at committing
doer t o accomplish their purpose.— Westmoreland Gazette.
Litio:rFECIINIC INSTITUTION.—This intellectual e
se. " continues o
t be crowdcd by eager inquirers after
entific
then knowledge. During the past week, too, a more
eft usual treat has been provided, in the eloquent lectures
tri,•°etor Bachhoffner, on the application of the
life" to purposes connected with the economy of every-day
stejo use the Learned Doctor's own words, That strange
de,;"' Which dances in the Aurora Borealis, and sear- and
reo-,roYs in the lightning's flash, may be employed in its
spit't modified form to move machinery, to transfer through
Rh et the most rapid conversation, to explode masses of
le--411t1)°wder, and even- to print a lady's dress." In his excel-
th,,,and practical mode the Doctor then proceeded to illus..
each of these truths by practical experiments, giving
Ort"°e, lecture an epitome of all that has been done and said
this mighty subject during the last twenty years.
48TRIXTIVE FIRE AND NARROW ESCAPE OF SE-
Irt.v tPEßsoNs.—This morning, between twelve and one, a
tis , alarming fire broke out in the premises belonging to Mr.
et it,ard Hodson, grocer and tea dealer, carrying on business
the „„',P, Snow's-fields, Bermondsey. It, appears that whilst
Police-constable on the beat was going his rounds, he
alkteed smoke in dense bodies issuing through the window-
teeti7,kre- Without loss of time he raised an alarm which
NO Sergeant Gravestock and a strong muster of con-
k erns4 ru. the spot. After considerable trouble they succeeded
beeeleulg Mr. Hodson from his sleep. At that time there
104„:Leur or five children and the servants sleeping in the
teC„r Portion of the house, and it was with the greatest diffi-
the, that they were made sensible of the danger to which
tag were exposed. Scarcely had the residents effected a
the retreat from the building, when the flames shot through
for Windows and out of the different apertures, and
to lime time the most disastrous consequences to the sur-
the Lneg property were feared. Fortunately, intelligence of
eopifttenlity had been previously forwarded to the different
.e''eestations of the tire brigade and West of England
tapa
nY., The Tooley-street engine, with Harnbleton, the
tile Veer, quickly arrived, and was instantly set to work. Mr.
Lon ((liners°, and Mr. Connorton, the chief officers of the
eoeih"rt Establishment and West of England Insurance
eeerriaoY, followed soon afterwards, and by the strenuous
trot Cells of the brigade the fire was extinguished,. but
ki,e.efore it had passed through every room in the pt.!.
leo:, destroying in its course the whole of the stock in
fixtures and other effects in the shop, as well as
Of th °C the furniture, &c., in the upper rooms. The cause
let tiei Outbreak could not be ascertained. Had it not been
the e °Peo7tune discovery made by the police, several of
tie iTkates must have perished in the flames. Mr. Hod-
tnsured to theamount of 3001. in the Sun Fire-office.
Ulan t"tTS MISTAKE.—On Tuesday morning a gentle-
Churwas observed waiting by the new gates of St. Pancras
ilree in Euston square, who inquired of a person passing,
11,,..0ug it would be before the three o'clock train started.
wastold •
It It was then half-past tem, when he exclaimed,
take verY odd they don't open the gates!" He bad mis-
ter: the portico of the church for the Birmingham Railway,
hiori.lnip, and was there left waiting impatiently for admis-
ere liow not informed long it was before he discovered his mistake we
MEL ACCIDENT—THREE PERSONS DROWNED.
e;n Saturday evening last; St. Boswell s fair-day, a melairl-
'Y accident occurred, by which three persons lost thetr
lihv,,"
in the Tweed, at the Burnfoot, behind the village of
I.,':Btlldden—viz., James Scott, blacksmith, Bemersyde, his
istte and daughter, about 14 years of age. It is supposed
thati,on returning from the fair they had attempted to wade
river, which was running rather full at the time, and
hadbeen carried off their feet down the water.—Caledonian.
-e,cury.
FEAT.—On Wednesday morning, at
.four
I:lTek, a large number of persons assembled on BlAckfnars-
k:ge, to witness an attempt to be made by one of the cora-
r,t'itcrs of the Morning Advertiser to swim across the Thames,
t'ell„the steps of the bridge on the Surrey side to those on
ke"°Posite shore; the wager to be commenced an hour and
14,1 f before high water, the tide running up strong at that
The conditions of the undertaking were, that no rest
he a", be allowed, and, in the event of the current taking
hip i,
through
, the bridge, the stakes to be claimed by
awns '',,l'unents. Precisely at the hour appointed the task
!Rale-tettomenced, the swimmer at first making his way
-,it.aelle The tide towards Southwark-bridge, but having
.4,4eihnout half the distance towards it, an unexpected
fr'itts! Presented itself, which nealy prove fatal to his
°u arriving opposite the gasr-works at d Bankside, an
ee -eitl°od of gas-tar was discharged into t strarc,
CtlraL, a 8 nearly choked with the effluvia. however, his
'MI we snitained him, and having got elear of this, he made
"Mpf,Y to the opposite side, and iu thirty-three minutes ac-
eetigrthed his arduous undertaking, amidst the cheers and
kis illations of the spectators.
h
delig4B %, arli-eau as just finished the building of a
*Parguet.lkll residence in the lake district.—Cumberland
POot.
" ALAN'S GUARDIAN SOCIETY.—Yesterday even-
cirso:tehr_Yacrowded and influential meeting of the inhabitants
rk to promote the cause of and to form an aux-
rarY tow.,
'".l)ight. the Poor Man's Guardian Society, was held at
tsq,, i°11:8 Assembly Rooms, Blackfriars-road. Stevens,
keetin" taking the chair and opening the business. of the
Lions F, called upon Mr. John Savage to detail the opera-
eornlZ 9aeseciety. That gentleman (who was the society's
eltiern;_s_loner to Andover) complied with the request of the
teei:inaand went into a lengthened statement of hispro-
,r, elkeL t Andover, and at Marlborough-house, Peckham.
gttvie 'wall, Mr. Charles Aliright, and other gentlemen
brek4 addressed *the meeting at considerable length, it
to the "el;_ sliortly before twelve o'clock, after voting thanks
4tecTtinnun.
korki...._lls,NT
THE BRITISH MUSEUM.—YeSterdlty
ateett "g between the hours of seven and eight o'clock, an
W "a of a fearful. description happened to a man named
„, llatem
ielseem, arn a bricklayer. He was engaged at the British
"34, and having ascended a scaffold a distance of about
grunt et, he missed his footing, and was precipitated to the
atter m ,On being picked up he appeared. quite dead ; but
ce • --e tepee of
fellitlble, he
'Y Tnetilated
was a few moments, animation becoming.
removedper-
full with all possible speed, in a tright-
fie remains
condition, to the King's College Hospital.
r very precarious. state.
74arten Peart, sister-in-law to the editor of the
etiarch-n:m lc! has been admitted into the Reinert Catho-
Jaowden r endow and family of the late John William
.„hea serol horn the second volume of Mr. maleeAeuulti et Is was inscribed, have entered the pof the
"rell --.Cantbridge Advertiser, July 29.

Ti IR GINIE. Tragedie, en cinq actes, par M. Latour
(de Saint Ybars). Representeepour la premiere fois a Paris,
sur le Thetitre Francais, par les comediens ordinaires du
Roi, le 5 Avril, 1845, et au Thecitre Francais de Londres
(St. James's Theatre), le 24 Juillet, 1846.

- The story. of Virginia has been a favourite subject
with the dr.amatists of England and France from the
earliest times. The earliest extant English dramatic Pio--
duction publicly represented (" Ferrex and Porrex" was
only represented at Court), the plot of which is derived
from history, is entitled "Appius and Virginia," and it was
publicly acted in all probability as early as the year 1563.
This curious production, which holds a middle station
between the old moralities and the historical plays, and
in which the vice of the old morality is introduced under
the name of Haphazard, was printed in 1575. We know
not whether the story was as early dramatised by the
French dramatic authors, but certain it is that every
century since that time has seen its Virginius or its
Virginia in both countries; and that, with the exception
of the Virginius of Mr. Sheridan Knowles in England,
and the Virginie of M. Latour in France, all these pro-
ductions have fallen into deserved oblivion. It might at
first sight appear that the present was an excellent
opportunity for instituting a comparison between the
works of the English and of the French dramatists, but
nothing can well be more different than the manner in
which they have treated the subject. We have none of
those large-hearted (we know no word that will so well
express our meaning), exquisitely beautiful domestic
scenes, which form the charm of Sheridan Knowles's
play, in the Virginie of M. Latour, but on the other hand
Sheridan Knowles gives us nothing like the in-
tensely impassioned scenes between Appius and
Virginia by which the work of M. Latour
is distinguished. Virginius is the great character of the
play of Sheridan Knowles, and Virginia interests us
passively rather than actively. We pity and love the
young, innocent, simple-minded girl of fifteen, exposed,
in the absence of her natural protectors, to diabolical
machinations, the object of which she comprehends but
indistinctly—we pity, we feel for her ;we love her as the
innocent victim rather than as the heroine. Not so with
the Virginie of M. Latour. She perfectly understands
the nature and the object of the pursuit of Appius
Claudius. She spurns him from her presence with a
withering sarcasm, mingled with a warmth otindignation,
which savours rather of the woman of five-and-twenty
than of the girl of fifteen—rather of the -Lucretia than
of the Virginia. In this respect the Virginie of M.
Latour, although more dramatic than the Virginia
of Sheridan Knowles, is not so true to history, but we
could readily, nay, thankfully, pardon a graver anachro-
nism-for the sake of the exquisite poetry of M. Latour
and the sublime acting of Mdlle. Rachel, for wtom the
character was written. The first act is rather heavy; it is
devoted to the preparations for the marriage of Virginia
with Icilius, and concludes with the departure of Vir-
ginius to the army, after a long conversation with Fa-
bius on state affairs, for the introduction of which M.
Latour may plead the authority of Corneille and the
custom of the French stage, albeit it is a custom which,

in our opinion,
"Is more honoured in the breach than in the observance."
In the second act we have the first interview between
Claudius and Virginia, and this is one of the most
powerfully-written scenes in the drama. During the
absence of Virginius and Icilius the Decemvir has sent
presents to Virginia, which she has rejected. He then,
in an interview, personally urges his suit, and the scene
thus proceeds :

CLAUDIUS.
Virginie !...Et ces dons, et ces vceux empressi.a
Qu'on a du vous offrir !...

VIRGINIE.
Je les ai repousi‘s.
CLAUDIUS.
Repousser les pi eients d'un homme qui vous crime
Est-ca m6pris pour moi

VIRGINIE.
C'est respect pour moi-meme.
Et d'ailleurs, qu'on me dice oa je dois deposer
Le prix du de.honneur qu'on me vient proposer.
Irai-je le suspendre avec cette couronne,
Qui rapproche des Dieux ceux auxquels on la donne
Pourrai-je le placer sans crime sur I'autel
I)es reoates gardiens du foyer paternel ?
Faut it le renfermer dans la chambre oa ma tare
A cache les tresors d'une conduite austere ?
Dites, dites-le-moi ?...Le culte des aieux
Deja depuis long-temps a consacre ces lieux ;
Leur ame y vit toujours, et leur puissant exemple
A déjà transforms cette demeure en temple ;
Its sont ici presents, et tout ce qae j'y vois,
Pour m'inspirer rhonneur, semble prendre une voix.
Adieu !

The conclusion of this speech is poetry of the very
highest order. Sublime is the idea that a succession of
virtuous ancestors consecrates the family abode, consti-
tuting it a temple to virtue, into which it is a sacrilege
to let any impure thing enter. Worked up to a pitch
of desperation by her repeated refusals of his suit,
Appius Claudius at length offers to make her his wife:—

CLAUDIVS.
Pardonne, apaise-toi...Quelle est done ta puissance,
Et quel charme supreme est dans ton innocence ?
Explique-moi comment tes declains, ta fierte,
Sans exciter ma haine, augmentent ta beaute ?
Dispose demon sort : je Vaime, je t'epouse.