The Sun.
London, England, 1870-06-07 00:00:00

METRO P LITAN GOSSIP.

There seems now little doubt but that we we shall have
a warm controversy about the Education Bill. Therefore
as soon as Parliament reassembles after the Whitsun recess,
we must look out for storms. The Dissenters have decided
not to accept Mr. Forster's amendments. Mr. Forster
was a little while ago resolved that he would not
concede the point which the Dissenters demand, compul-
sory non-religious teaching in rate-supported schools. It
remains to be seen if the Vice-President of the Council
will remain firm. Of course there is a sufficiently strong
ection among the Liberals to enable Ministers to pass
their measure in its present shape with the aid of the
Conservatives ; but to do that would involve a serious
schism in the Liberal party, which no Liberal leaders can
contemplate without alarm. According to present
appearances, we are on the eve of critical events, and the
latter half of the session is likely to be as lively as the
former half has been dull.

A gentleman once well known at Westminster as one
of the most loquacious M. P.'s who ever sat in the House
of Commons, Colonel Samuel Aucmuty Glover, has just
died. He was in the Dragoons, and sat for Limerick
county during the Parliament of 1859-65.
An amusing joke is told at one of the Clubs. The
Secretary having received many scolding letters from
various members, started a book with the word "com-
plaints" conspicuouslywrittenthereon. A member opening
the book and seeing its pages still unsullied by ink wrote
down his name with the word " bronchitis " appended.
The example thus set was quickly followed, and the com-
plaint register soon became as full of the ills to which
flesh is heir as is the case-book of a doctor inlarge practice.
It is stated that Lord Russell's seat near Stroud, Rod-
borough Manor, is to be sold by auction this month. The
reason of the sale I have not heard. The property has
long been in Lord Russell's possession, and it was the
influence conferred by it that enabled him to get in for
Stroud, when rejected by the electors of South Devon
some thirty-five years ago. Latterly Lord Amberley
has resided at Rodborough, and it will be remembered
that a few days ago Lady Amberley gave a lecture at
Stroud on women's rights.

The • Liberation " movement inside the English Church
is assuming formidable proportions. Mr. Body, with
questionable taste, (remembering how strongly Dean
Stanley has written and spoken for the maintenance of
a State Church), urged a separation in his sermon deli-
vered on Sunday week evening at Westminster
Abbey. Mr. Orby Shipley has been much more em-
phatic. Last Sunday he concluded a series of
sermons at St. Alban's Church directed against
a State Church. These sermons, which are of portentous
length, are just about to be published by Longman
under the title of " The Four Cardinal Virtues in Relation
to the Public and Private Life of Catholics ; Six Sermons
for the Day." The sermons are an attempt to reconcile
the Church Catechism and Aristotle, and " to make evi-
dent to Churchmen the utterly anomalous, unjust,
and indefensible relations which exist at present
between Church and State in England, and
how the increase of the cardinal virtues may be made to
bear upon the point." It is shewn that the Union hag
been " systematically violated by the State," and that
there is a practical dissolution of the Union, though its
provisions are " tyranically " adhered to. Churchmen are
told that it is their duty " to do all that in them lies to
relieve the Church of the guilt of these violations."
Finally it is shewn that this can be effected only " by the
dissolution of the union between Church and State."

It is amusing to see how the art critics differ. The Art
Journal for the present month has (besides three admirable
steel engravings) a long notice of the Royal Academy
Exhibition, in which the pictures of Mr. Peter Graham
are commended very highly. Turn to the Atheneum of a
week or two ago, and you will find a criticism
absolutely savage in its ferocity and injustice.
As Mr. Graham always receives the same
treatment in this quarter every year, there
would seem to be some personal hostility on the part of
the critic. Fortunately, criticism of this kind does not
hurt, it is too manifestly unjudicial to produce much im-
pression. By the world generally this artist is regarded
as one of the most rising landscape painters of the day,
and as quite the chief of what is called the Scotch
school. The Art Journal condemns with some' severity
the conduct of the committee of selection in rejecting a
large number of very clever pictures. There is ample
room for a hundred more pictures, and yet many most
meritorious pictures have been refused a place ; among
them is one by a painter who not long ago obtained the
gold medaL Fortunately for him, the picture has been
sold none the less for its exclusion.

A FASHIONABLE GATHERING AT EMS.
A letter from Ems, quoted in the North German Cor-
respondent, states that among the illustrious visitors t 9
that watering-place, there are at present, besides the Czar
and the Grand Duke Vladimir and Nicolas, the Duchess
of Osgothland, the Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar, Prince
Alexander of Hesse, and from the far South the Duke
and Duchess of Ossuna. The Emperor has been entered
on the list of strangers under the name of Count Borodinsky.
He appears every morning regularly at the springs, and
in the afternoon on the promenade ; he rides out about
six in the evening., and sometimes after his return visits
the Kursaal. He dresses simply and still wears mourn-
ing. A child who sells flowers to visitors is happy to
have obtained his Majesty for a customer; she brings
him every morning a little bouquet of lily of
the valley, and is generously recompensed for
this litrle attention. As may be supposed, Ems is ex-
tremely fulL Concerts, balls, and fetes are of daily
occurrence and the French theatre was to open on the Ist
instant. Though gaming is not carried on in Ems to the
same extent as at Homburg and Wiesbaden, there are
generally a good many people around the tapis veil; and
the Grand Duke Vladimir may be often seen risking a
piece or two at rouge et noir.

TEE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, JUNE 7, 1870

THE REVISION OF THE AUTHORIZED
VERSION.

1 MISS HICKSON AND ,THE "PEARL NECK-

LACE " PIECE.

The Bishop of Gloucester and Bristol writes to say that
replies have been received from all the scholars and divines
invited to join the committee of Convocation in the
revision of the Bible except Canon Cook, Archdeacon
Harrison. and Dr. Kennedy. Five have declined—Dr.
Pusey, Canon Payne Smith, Dr. Wright, Dr. Newrnan,
and Dr. Tregelles (the last from illness). With the excep-
tions named above, all the Nonconformists who were in-
vited to join have promised to do o.

The case of Cameron v. Leslie was argued in the Court
of Common Pleas on Monday. This was an action tried
at the last sittings in Middlesex, when a verdict was
returned for the plaintiff to the amount of £4O. The facts
of the case are these. In the beginning of the year
1867 the plaintiff who is a lady well known in theatrical
circles, engaged the defendant, who is a dramatic author
and actor, to write a piece to be called " The Pearl
Necklace," the skeleton plot of which, together with the
scenarum, she gave him, and it was agreeed between them
that he should receive £4O for providing it, and five
shillings per night when it was acted. The lady had at
that time an engagement with Mr. Knowles, at Man-
chester, and it gave her a certain status if she took
a fresh piece down with her. The play was
sent to the plaintiff, to be paid £25 on reading it,
she disapproved of it, and sent it back instructing the
author to make certain alterations. He returned it to the
plaintiff leading her to believe that he had altered it, and
she paid him the remainder of the £4O. Mrs. Knowles
did not approve of the piece, and she took it with her to
Ireland, and when there • discovered that it had not been
altered. It was sent back to Mr. Leslie who said he would
alter it at once. The piece, however, was not returned ;
and Miss Hickson got Mr. Webster to write to the defen-
dant informing him that the lady was likely to lose a good
engagement through not getting the piece, and also saying
that as so long a period had elapsed the proprietary ought
to begin at that date. In reply to this Mr. Leslie said
that he would return the M.S. in a week, and that
the lady's proprietary should commence at that
date ; but he did not do so, and the con-
sequence was that Miss Hickson brought this
action and recovered £4O damages. At tb^ beginning of
term Mr. Joyce moved and obtained a rule nisi fora new trial.
On Monday Mr. Powell, Q.C., (with him Mr. Potchett),
showed cause against the rule, and contended that there
had been a decided breach of contract on defendant's
part by withholding the price. The Lord Chief Justice
in delivering judgment said he thought there ought to be
a new trial because the damages were excessive. The
rule was then made absolute.