The Sun.
London, England, 1846-11-12 00:00:00

THE SUIC___LONDON, THITRSDAY MORNING, NOVEMBER 12, 18 6.

MAGAZINES-(CONTINTTUD).
LIVES OF THE QUEENS OF ENGLAND.'

Vol IX. By Agnes Stricldand.
As this voluminous and laborious work progresses
towards its completion, the promise which had been
afforded by its commencement is being very happily
verified. Amidst all her wearisome researches, and
amidst all her tedious collation Of manuscripts, some-
times spurious and frequently almost illegible, Miss
Strickland must feel herself sustained and even in-
cited to still greater exertions by the reflection that
she is contributing. to the literature of her country an
historical production which must preserve her name
in perpetual remembrance. It was a graceful and
ambitious project, in the reign of her Most Excellent
Majesty, our Sovereign Lady Victoria, that of writing
a series of biographies of the Queens consort and
regnant of these realms • and admirably is that graceful
and ambitious project being realised by our authoress.
Miss Strickland takes no superficial view of the oc-
currences she has undertaken to narrate ; she
gives us no mere second-hand information ;
she is not contented, as are some modern
historiographers (so called), with weaving together
the threads of a variety of narratives already pub-
lished, and then of embroidering them with pictu-
resque language and personal conceits. Lofty and
beautiful as is this latter species of composition, it
has not a sufficient attraction for the lady who has
penned these nine goodly volumes. She is ambitious
of producing something possessing more novelty.
Even on her title. pages she divulges the inquisitive
and industrious cast of her intellect, by quoting that
couplet of Beaumont
" The treasures of antiquity laid up
In old historic rolls, I opened."
So peculiarly is this manifested in the single volume
now submitted to our examination, that upwards of
two hundred autograph letters and original and perti-
nent documents, never published before, are here
either transcribed in extenso, or are epitomized by the
writer. Under the auspices of the late Secretary
for the Home Department, and of the present
Prm Minister of France, in the Archives au
Royaume de France ; and the State Paper-office
at Duke-street; from diaries written in the
cloisters of Chaillot, and from the sprawling charac-
ters formed by the ancient burgesses of Edinburgh ;
have Miss Strickland and her congenial sister been
taking transcripts with the zeal of literary devotees,
and the discriminating sagacity of alumni. It would
be almost impossible after the expenditure of so much
intelligence and inquiry, that such an undertaking
could he in any essential particular a failure. But
when, after having accumulated so many and such
valuable materials, the writer was endowed with a
capacity for reproducing those materials in limpid
diction, for narrating events with consecutive clear-
ness, and for estimating a character in its entirety, suc-
cess became matter of absolute necessity. Among
the many illustrious personages who have shared the
thrones of our British monarchs, not one is invested
with so pathetic and attractive a celebrity as the
subject of the preseet volume—the beautiful and un-
rortunate Mary Beatrice of Modena, spouse of King
James 11. In comparison with the virtues of that brave
and most gentle lady, those of Catharine of Arragon
seem of a lesser lustre. Beside the desolate romance
of her misfortunes, the magnificent glories of Eliza-
beth are scarcely endued with an aspect of fascina-
tion. With maternal affections equally intense with
those of Margaret of Anjou, Mary of Modena had
less of that great Queen's masculine and almost un-
queenly resolution. Her history is fraught with the
most moving and solemn catastrophes, while it is
coloured throughout by the jaundice of melancholy.
That history had never been written until it was
undertaken by Miss Strickland, and beautifully has
Miss Strickland told of the loveliness, of the virgin
purity, of the- transitory splendour and subsequent
sorrows, of the heart-moving pilgrimage and broeding
widowhood of that noble heroine. Even in the classic
loveliness of her appearance, Mary Beatrice has a
claim upon our admiration. The portraits of
her by Lely and Kneller, assure us that her
countenance was admirable, and the pensive
expression of her features of itself' indicates
the melancholy nature of her story. Born on
the sth October, 1658, in the palace at Modena—thenative city of Tasso and Corregio—the future Queen
of England was fortunate in the possession of a
mother eminently qualified to tutor her mind with
those precepts of morality and philosophy which are the
surest bucklers against misfortune. United to James
the Second, then Duke of York, Mary of Modena was
introduced at the tender age of fifteen to the most
profligate court this country, or possibly any other,
ever knew. In the midst of all its brazen debauchery,
however, the young Duchess of York preserved not
merely an ufi'sullied character, but was conspicuous
for a dignity and self-respect worthy of a princess.
The events with which this splendid pattern of a
woman was afterwards so intimately associated, and
the tryinc,
nature of which only tended the more to
the develr7pinent of new virtues in her disposition, are
too familiar to every English reader to render a
merely casual reference to them less than an imper-
tinence. Her courage under an accumulation of
terrors and difficulties; her maternal tenderness in
moments of personal jeopardy ; her untiring and pas-
sionate fondness for the generous but unfortunate
sovereign to whom she was united; her con-
stant and romantic devotion to his memory after
his decease, and while she was sustaining the
d?solation of her widowhood in the nunnery
of Chaillot are qualities which must ever demand
the unqualified panegyrics of the historian. It
is impressed with these considerations that the
Hon. ,George Sydney Smythe has pictured two
ladies seated together in a chamber at Versailles, tell-
ing each other of their sufferings and denials during
life; and. that he closes that description with these
agfecting, words :—" And their hope is, that when the
spouse of Christ shall have summoned her glad array
to meet the bridegroom, among the humblest of her
handmaidens may be numbered the names of
Francois de Msintenon and Marie of Modena
and England." Beyond all these gentler
characteristics, however, the latter evinced others
of an heroic and even chivalrous daring.
As the Girondists were wont to assemble in the
saloons of Madame Roland, and to receive from her
lips additional incitements towards the development
of the great revolution and the political regeneration
of France, so did the Jacobite party derive new stimu-
lous to enterprise, and receive fresh inducements to
persevere, from be courageous wife of James, and
the mother of the so-called Pretender. We must,
nevertheless, afford our rea las a specimen of the na-
tural and yet poetic style of Miss Strickland's narra-
tive; and we could not adduce a more appropriate
passage than the following description o f the flight
of Queen Mary Beatrice from Whitehall, in comphny
with the infant Prince.
" The following day, December 9th,
was appointed for
the departure of the Queen and Prince ; it was a Sun-
day, but no Sabbath stillness hallowed it in the turbu-
lent metropolis. The morning was ushered in with
tumults—hureing of Catholic chapels and houses ; tid-
ings of evil import arrived from all parts of the kingdom.
When the evening approached, the Queen implored her
husband to permit her to remain and share his perils ;
he
urreplied, ' that it was his intention to follow her in
,o
and twenty hours, and that
t
suspicion, their majesties ireted
was
ir ry
sake of their
child, that she should precede him.' To
avoid •
ntoecbesesda,a,sfuosruthale,
journey.
at ten o'clock. About an
Queen commenced her hour after, they rose, and the
Ahoourtamsiedonight, St. Victor, dressed in the
secret staircase to the
_ preparations for her sorrowful
man, and armed, ascended by a
coarse habit
with him some part of apartmentthe of the King, bringing
to be prepared for the Queen,
disguise which he had caused
ready for their Majesty's and told the King all was
departure. I then,' pursues
he, 'retired into another room, where the count de Lauzun
had, meantime, confided heren swesrertetaodyL.ady
and I waited till the
Strickland,
who was in waiting that
attired, we
nthigehlta.dyAots'
stohoenbeads
tchheamgbneer,enHer Majesty
the chamber. The Count de Lawns
in case of accidents,
entered
.opposed to it; but
although their Majestieswere at first
some of the jee els on our
I had secured
their generous hearts were only occpred in cares for the
safety and comfort of their royal infant.ll
answeringAt two o'clock,
to that from
descendedeabinbeyt, another stair,
tsotatihre,
apartmenten of Madame
thewe kings
Labadie, where the prince had carried secretly
some time before. There all the persons
were to attend on the Queen and the Prince,assembled who
namely,
the Count de Lauzun, the two nurses, and
myself.'
" The King, turning to Lauzun, said, with deep
rn eo-
tion, I confide my Queen and son to your ca; all
must be hazarded to convey them with the utmostre
to France.' Lauzun, after expressing his high seise! I:1
ofd
the honour that was conferred on him, presented his
hand to the Queen to lead her away. She turned a
parting look on the King—an eloquent but mute fare-
well, and followed by the two nurses with her sleeping
infant, crossed the great gallery in silence, stole down
the backstairs, preceded by St. Victor, who had the
keys, and passing through a postern door into the privy
gardens, (pitted Whitehall for ever. A coach was wait-
ing at the gate, which St. Victor had borrowed of his
friend Signor Ferichi, the Florentine resident, as if it
bad been for his own use. 'On our way,' pursues he,
we had to pass six sentinels, who all, according to
custom, cried out, " Who goes there?" I replied with-
out hesitation, A friend ;* and when they saw that I
had the master-key of the gates, they allowed me to pass
without opposition. The Queen, with the Prince, his
two nurses, and the Count de Lauzun, got into the coach,
but
to make all sure, I placed myself 'by the coachman
on the box to direct him. We drove to Westminster,
and arrived safely at the place called the Horseferry,
where I had engaged a boat to wait for me. To prevent
suspicion, I had accustomed the boatmen to row me
across the river of a night, under pretence of
expedition, taking cold provisions and a rifle with me, t
give it a better colour.' That pretext, however, could
scarcely be expected to pass current on the inclement
night, when he ventured the passage of those wintry
waters with the fugitive Queen and her babe. It was
then,
nan,t
evidently a else of lrfe and death, and the boatmen
lave Levu paid a-eordingly, for they incurred tome
a.nger t honaselve- Til

It was wet and stormy, and
S') r: Sr. i-hat v..11,:n into
the boat we could not see each other, though we were
cliterally losely seated, for the boat was very small.' Ihus with
only one frail plank between her and eternity,'

did th,) Queen of Great Britain cross the swollen waters
of the Thames, with her tender infant of six months old
in her arms, with no better attendance than his nurses,
no other escort than the Count de Lauzun, and the writer
of this narrative, who confesses, that he felt an extreme
terror at the peril to which he saw personages of their
importance exposed, and that his only reliance was in
the mercy of God, by whose especial providence,' he
says, we were preserved, and arrived at our desti-

" A curious print cf the times represents the boat in
danger, and the two gentlemen assisting the rowers, who
are labouring against wind and tide. The Queen is
seated by the steersman, enveloped in a large cloak, with
a hood drawn over her head; her attitude is expressive of
melancholy, and she appears anxious to conceal the little
Prince who is asleep on her bosom, partially shrouded
among the ample folds of her draperies. The other two
females betray alarm. The engraving is rudely executed,
and it is printed on coarse paper; but the design is net
without merit, being bold and original in conception and
full of passion. It was probably intended as an appeal to
the sympathies of the humbler classes on behalf of the
royal fugitive.
" Our passage,' says the conductor of the enterprise,
' was rendered very difficult and dangerous by the vio-
lence of the wind, and the heavy and incessant rain.
When we reached the opposite bank of the Thames, I
called aloud by name on Monsieur Dusions, the page of
the backstairs, who ought to have been there waiting
with a coach and six, which had been engaged by
Count de Lauzin. The page answered promptly, but
told them that the coach was still at the inn. Thither
St. Victor ran to hasten it, leaving Lauzun to protect
the Queen. Her Majesty, meantime, withdrew herself
and her little company, under the-walls of the old church
at Lambeth, without any other shelter from the wind
and bitter col, or any other consolation than that the
rain had ceased.'

" On that spot, which has been rendered a site of
historic interest, by this affecting incident, the beauti-
ful and unfortunate consort of the last of our Stuart
kings remained standing, with her infant son fondly
clasped to her bosom, during the agonising interval of
suspense caused by the delay of the coach, dreading
every moment that he would awake and betray them by
his cries. Her apprehension was unfounded. He had
slept sweetly, while they carried him in the dead of
night from his palace nursery to the water side; neither
wind nor rain had disturbed him, he had felt none of
the perils or difficulties of the stormy passage, and he
cantinued wrapt in the same profound repose during this
anxious pause, alike unconscious of his own reverse of
fortune, and ds mother's woe.

" Mary Beatrice is said to have looked back with
streaming eyes towards the royal home where her be-
loved consort remained, lonely and surrounded with
perils; and that she vainly endeavoured to trace out the
lights of Whitehall, among those that were reflected
from the opposite shore, along the dark rolling river.
The historians of that period declare, that the Queen
remained an hour under the walls of the old church with
her babe, waiting for the coach, which through some
mistake never came, and that a hackney coach was, at
last, procured with difficulty. This was not the case,
for St. Victor foun4 the coach and six all ready at the
inn, which was within sight of the river: the delay,
therefore, must have been comparatively brief, but when
time is measured by the exigency of circumstances, mi-
nutes are lengthened into hours.
" The haste and Agitation in which St. Victor ap-
peared, when he came to inquire after the coach, com-
bined with his foreign accent and idiom, excited ob-
servation, meantime, in the inn-yard, where a man
with a lantern was on the watch, and when he saw the
coach and six ready to start, ran out to reconnoitre,and
made directly towards the spot where the queen was
standing. I went,' says St. Victor, ' with all speed
on the other side of the way, fearing that he would re-
cognise the party on the bank. When I saw that he
aas actually approaching them, I made as if I a ished to
pass him, and put myself full in his path, so that we
came in contact with each other, fell, and rolled in the
mud together. We made mutual apologies for the acci-
dent. He went back without his light, which was ex-
tingui,hed by the fall, to dry himself, and I hastened to
the carriage which was now near, and joined her Ma-
jesty, who got into the coach as before. The page was
to have returned, not having been intrusted with the
secret ; but having recognised the Queen, his mistress,
he wished to follow her. As we left the toivn,"we en-
countered various of the guards. One of them eaid,
Come and see, there is certainly a coach full of papists.'
But God willed it so, that they changed their purpose,
for no one came near us. We had scarcely gone three
miles, when we were overtaken by the Sieur Leyburn,
one of the Queen's Equerries, on horseback, he had
brought another horse and boots for me, which the
King had, with inexpressible goodness, sent to enable
me to perform my journey. I descended from the car-
riage, put on my boots, and mounted my horse in evil
plight, what with my fall, my wet clothes, and the wind,
which never ceased.'"
Until the arrival of the royal fugitives in Calais, on
Tuesday, December 11, at nine o'clock in the
morning, the unfortunate Queen supported her
afflictions with the same magnanimity, although
subjected to privations even more distressing than
the foregoing. Here, however, is a contrast most
charmingly introduced by the authoress, in her ac-
count of the subsequent flight of King James. It is
while crossing the channel to France that the sub•
joined incident occurs :

" The tragedy of real life is sometimes strangely
mingled with circumstances of a comic character, which
appear th-s more ridiculous perhaps from the revulsion of
feeling they are apt to produce on persons labouring
under the excitement of excessive grief. King James,
in the midst of his distress during this melancholy
voyage, felt his mirth irresistibly excited, when he saw
the brave captain Trevanion attempting to fry some
bacon for his refection in a frying-pan that had a hole in
it, which that gallant officer was compelled to stop with
a pitched rag ; at the sight of this expedient the king
gave way to immoderate laughter, which was renewed
when the captain proceeded to tie a cord round an old
cracked can, to make it in a condition to hold the drink
they had prep ►red for him. A keen perception of the
ludicrous is often a happy provision of nature to pre-
serve an overcharged heart from breaking under the
pressure of mortal sorrow. It was well for the fallen
majesty of England that he could laugh at things,
which were melancholy indications of his calamitous
reverse of fortune. The laughter, however, was medi-
cinal, for he ate and drank heartily of the coarse fare
that was set before him, and always declared that he
never enjoyed a meal more in his life."

In the tenth and forthcoming volume of the " Lives
of the Queens of England," the close of this interest-
ing history is promised—the close, not of the reign,
for that has long ended, but of the life of Mary of
Modena. Before we conclude these observations, we
would express our regret at a circumstance which
transpired almost immediately after the publication
of this ninth volume. We do so with reluctance,
but we feel compelled to the utterance in all honesty
and simplicity. For the purpose of correcting a
blunder (for it would be monstrous to designate it
otherwise) in the work of a contemporary historian,
the authoress endeavoured, by a letter in a public
newspaper, to direct the finger of scorn at one of our
most distinguished legislators. We regret this rash
and ungentle proceeding. While Miss Strickland's
" Lives of the Queens of England" will constitute a
noble offering to the historical literature of this coun-
try, Lord Campbell's "Lives of the Lord Chancellors
of England," vs ill not the less be a magnificent tribute
to the genius of our, jurisprudence. This biography
of Mary Beatrice of Modena forms an admirable corn.
panion volume to the " History of King James the
Second," by the Right Hon. Charles James Fox.

THE MILITARY MAGAZINE.
This is the first number of a new periodical devoted
to the instruction and amusement of the soldier. " We
design it," says the editor, in his preliminary observa-
tions, "for not only generals but corporals—not only
commi=sioned, but the non-commissioned ranks. The
ir ntk
youthful cornet or ensign, we trust, will find some-
thing in it to charm his attention, while the veteran
Field Marshal, it is hoped, will be able to say that he
approves its spirit and maxims. We design it also
fur a barracks' resource—so, when the weary sergeant
or raw recruit shall require relaxation from, or direc-
tion in his duty, that, in the Military Magazine, he
may glean either an hour's repose or a half-hour's
food for salutary reflection. To the military in- all
p of
,the world are our labours dedicated." The
want of a periodical devoted to military matters, and
whiiiieshusplipolyuldthbeedseufiictieedney.tothe barrack-room, has long
been s
felt, and, judgingprobabl
efrtohmatthe Military Magazine
will the present
tha
w

COLBURN'S UNITED SERVICE.
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take
ibarhael
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for
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nh se
dn tti
this
sbe
number.
History
yh
eawnn dicl
lotmhb ee.
published in a separate form. The opening palerof:
this number, entitled " The present War in ~r
land," is from the pen of a writer who has contri-
buted on former occasions much valuable information
on the subject of the Cape colony to the pages of this
magazine. We have also a highly interesting narra-
tive of an " Expedition into the Interior of New Zea-
land, in June, 1845 ;" and Colonel Firebrace, we are
glad to find, is again in the field, smashing the "Grand
Job—Purchase in the Army." The following are a
ftw of the reasons adduced by Colonel Firebace for at
once doing away with this iniquitous absurdity :
" In any profession or trade, in which people were
allowed to purchase their situations' and sell them
whenever they liked, or only forfeit them for same dis-
honest or immoral act; does it not follow as the natural
effect, that men would generally shuffle over their duties
in the most careless and inefficient manner ? Is there
any reason why there should be any particular deviation
from this natural cause in the case of the army ? When
a young man comes into the service by purchase, to fill
up his idle time until he can be placed on the staff,
until he comes of age, or his grandmother dies, from
whom he expects a fortune, what particular benefit to
him 'to study a profession he never intends to follow up ;
still less, what possible interest can he take in the wel-
fare of the soldiers, on whom he never looks but as a set
of working tools ? Would you have this fine gentleman
go into a barrack-room to inquire if the men were well
satisfied or comfortable, or could he condescend to learn
the names, still less the dispositions of those under his
command ?

carries all before it in England, does
lo it,ila-swe army ; the y4,in4- :nen
have little or nothing beside their pay, and to whom the
Profession is their existence, in place of furnishing an
example to these gilded Interlopers, become worshippers

of mammon, yield up their better judgment, and follow
im
itate
their lead of the men who jump over their heads,
their cold .hearted indifference, and separate themselves
as much as possible from the men under their commanfl,
whom they learn to look upon more as mere instruments
formed for their benefit than in the light of fellow sol-
diers deserving their sympathy; I appeal 'o all those
who have experience in the army to say whether I have
exaggerated the case. Look at the household troops,
where the commissions, except those of adjutant and
quarter-master, are all by purchase ; we see here the
unfairness of giving men promotion by purchase en-
hanced to a great degree, for a captain of the Foot Guards
raited to that rank by money, leaps over all the majors
of the army, and may exchange with a lieutenant-colonel
of infantry, and thus obtain the command of a regiment,
about which he cannot possibly know much ; indepen-
dent of this injustice to the army in general, it is unfair
to the body they belong to, for what possible reason can
be assigned why a captain of the Foot Guards becomes
a lieutenant-colonel, and that no such advantage attends
the captains of the cavalry of the household ?"

THE COMIC HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
Mr. A'Beckett, in the present number, runs laugh-
ing through the reigns of Edward 1., " whose legs were
too long i❑ proportion to his body, which gained him
the nickname of Longshanks, though it would have
been more respectful to have called him Daddy
Long-Legs, in allusion to his being the father of his
people," Edward IL, and begins that of Edward 111.
This is a capital number of this right merrie history,
and is capitally illustrated by Leech.

THE PA7RICIAN.
In the present number we have a propos to the
recent royal marriages, the genealogy of the royal
house of Spain, and a short account of the Counts
and Dukes of Montpensier. Under the head " A Cata-
logue of Noble Authors," in continuation of Walpole,
we find, short but well-written sketches of the lives
and works of the late Lord Holland, the present Lord
Strangford, the late Lord Dover, and the late Narl of
Dudley. The account of the murder of Mr. Thynne,
whose monument is well known to all the frequenters
of Westminster Abbey, is one of the most interesting
tales of adventure we have ever read, and is an addi-
tional illustration of the truth of the adage, "that
truth is stronger than fiction." We have besides
some good papers on the fine arts, several well-
written notices of new books, and a variety of articles
interesting to the archeeologist.

OLD ENGLAND'S TVOE7 RIES. Part X.
This admirable series of engravings and biographies
is as costly in its character as it is moderate in price.
Kings, philosophers, poets, statesmen, and divines are
variously introduced ; and the present, among others,
numbers William 111.,-Locke, Dryden, Lord Somers,
and Ray. The fund of knowledge condensed into
these pages i 3 altogether a marvel.

THE PICTORIAL GALLERY OF ARTS.
Part XXII.

But that some of the wood-cuts introduced in this
periodical have already appeared in other publications,
the richness of ilustration would be wholly incom-
prehensible. The treasures of antiquity, in the shape
of busts, statues, bas-reliefs, medallions, fragments of
architecture, groups of sculpture, Scc., are here re-
presented in profusion.

THE ALMANACK OF THE MONTH.
November, foggy as it has been, is incapable of
infecting Gilbert A'Beckett with congenial gloom, or
of diminishing his good spirits one jot. The " Al-
manack for the Month" is to the full as witty and
sparkling as ever.

CHRISTOPHER TADPOLE. Part 111.
The adventures of " Christopher Tadpole" are con •
tinued in this number with unflagging spirit. The
benevolent individual into whose hands Christopher
had fallen on his escape from the salt mine, turns out
to be an itinerant professor of conjuring and tum-
bling, and Christopher is regularly received as a
member of his corps, and instructed in the art and
mystery of tumbling. The description of the country
fair is admirable. In the meantime the adventures of
the London portion pf the dramatis persona are not
neglected, and we have the conclusion of the party at
Sir Frederick Arden's, in which Mrs. Gudge's vul-
garity comes out in grand style. The return home
and the adventure of the ginger beer cart are capital
bits of fun. All who enjoy a hearty laugh should read
the history of the return of Sir Frederick Arden's
guests.

SIMMONDS' COLONIAL.

The opening article of this number on the Fish-
eries of New Brunswick, should be read by all our
statesmen as a warning. We see in this how many
of our most valuable privileges have been frittered
away by the want of skill, and knowledge, :and
spirit on the part of our diplomatists; how they
have been bamboozled into giving to France and the
United States nurseries for their navies, by per-
mitting them to fish on the coasts of our trans-
Atlantic possessions, (we wonder they have never
asked to have the privilege of digging coal in North-
umberland ? Some of our Laissez faire statesmen,
would, for the sake of preserving peace, on the entente
cordiale, have suffered them to do it) ; and how
they have, by gradual encroachments, turned this
permission into an exclusive right, and have actually
prevented British subjects from fishing on their own
shores. A small squadron of gun-brigs and cutters
could not be better employed than in defending our
colonial fishermen against encroachments. There are
several other excellent articles in this number of
Simmonds.

BANKERS' MAGAZINE.
In addition to the usual professional contents of
the Bankers' Magazine, we have in the present num-
ber a well written memoir of the life and labours of
Mr. Thomas Joplin, the father of the system of
Joint-stock Banking in England. To this memoir is
prefixed the following Note by the Editor :
" Mr. Thomas Joplin is no doubt well known to many
of our readers as one of the early advocates and origin-
ators of the existing system of joint-stock Banking in
England and Ireland. We think that the following me-
moir of his services, which has been drawn up by a
friend acquainted with the extent of his usefulness, will
therefore be interesting ; and we may add, that we trust
it will be of some service to Mr. Joplin himself, whose
pecuniary resources have not increased in the same pro-.
portion as those of the institutions which he assisted in
establishing.
" Without entering into any discussion of the claims
of Mr. Joplin on the successful Joint-stock Banks, we
may be allowed to express a hope that, after having ex-
erted himself energetically and actively in their behalf,
athteairtihmaendws,hemna,kheis
an
nxeaprtipoenasl were undoubtedly useful,
he will not, now that he requires some assistance at
to
apathy. health, was listened to with apthy.eir liberality in vain.
We shoulfi much regret to find that such an appeal now,
when he is in the decline of years, and afflicted with bad
We hope that the
reproach which attaches itself to the leading men of the
Railway Interest, for neglecting one of the earliest ad-
vocates of their own system, Mr. Thomas Gray, will
never be applicable to the Joint-stock Banking Interest;
and that Mr. Joplin will receive a satisfactory proof
that it can and will repay with liberality any public ex-
ertions which have been made on its behalf.

RAIL WAY REGISTER.
This number is illustrated by numerous plans and
sections, showing the working of Captain Powell's
patent sectional carriages to avoid break of guage,
and illuitrative of Clarke and Varley's improvement
in obtaining motive power. The article on the Pro-
cess of Investment in Railways, by the Editor, is a
complete answer to the arguments of the Croakers.
The Portfolio, which is now incorporated with the
Register,, contains a history, complete, as far as it
goes, of the formation of the South-Western Rail-
way Company. We have, in the present number,
copies of the original prospectuses and reports, show-
ing the alterations that were from time to time made
in the plans of the original projectors of the railway.

THE FOOD OF ANIMALS. By Robert D dun czs
Thomson, M.D.

Dhimself a worthy disciple
of thre. Thomson provingu!Liebi
g. The little volume here
afford much profitable in-
pdisted evidences in every page the effects of the cul-
ture derived from the mind of that extraordinary man.
acceptable.
itivill
while its remarks upon
S,eedg that the work is entirely descriptive of ex-
perimental researches on the food of animals and the
11 render it generally
ft
hremafoodfatteningono of fo:battle,tahne
well
agriculturist;i
Every one who has the misfortune to be of a hypo-
condnacal temperament will nourish their conjectures
as to their internal arrangement by studying the dis-
closures made by this book ; but, as it may likewise
tend to dissipate many of their apprehensions, we
conceive its perusal would be very advisable. • To
those who are the victims of dyspepsia, Dr. Thomson's
work will afford divers consolations. Even to the
housewife his production will prove advantageous, as,
for example, in his strictures upon the fabrication of
various kinds of wholesome and nutritious bread.
The explanation of the phenomenon of digestion and
the description of the different digestive organs with
which the volume co
minces would of themselves
render it peculiarly value.
-

GLENNY'S GARDEN ALMANAC for 1847.
A copious almanac of seasonable intelligence for
gtheeniloloursticeunlgturarvisitn,gsil, andlus arrangedtratedwith a profusion of in-
with
an eye to
facility of reference. Among other advantages, there
are an extraordinary list of provincial florists, ex-
planations for grafting, directions for the cultivation of
the more delicate roots, and instructions for the
proper management of orchards. Every nurseryman,
seedsman, and florist will find infinite use in
gardener,
little publication.

THE BILLOW AND THE ROCK. By Hart Zr.
Martineau, Knight's Monthly Volume.— F.
AnDtlier of those simple and delightful tales which
no one knows how to pen better than Miss Martineau.
What we have already admired in her " Game-law

Tales" we admire again in this pleasant little fiction.
The style is unaffected and most effective. The ob-
ject is highly benevolent, the principles inculcated
those of the soundest morality, the narrative peculiarly
domestic, and the characters and incidents singularly
natural. Besi3es this, the stories of Miss Martineau
have an effect upon the reader more enduring than
that produced by the majority of similar compositions.
They leave behind them a sediment of generosity and
brotherly luve which becomes in time part of the dis-
position itself. The character of Lady Carse is drawn
with considerable energy, and it would have been
manifest lew largely the authoress had pillaged from
the historPbe Lady Grange, even supposing the foot-
note in whiet that fact is intimated had been alto-
gether omitted. The " Billow and the Rock" will
wile away the time whenever it hangs heavily, and
impart a noble lesson simultaneously.

FRENCH ACADEMY of SCIENCES.
SITTING OF NOVEMBER 2.
Most of this day's sitting was occupied with commu-
nications on the recent discovery of the mode of render-
ing cotton explosive. Oar readers are aware, that since
the first announcement of this discovery having been
made by M. Schonbein, M. Otto, of Brunswick, and at
least :a dozen other persons, have declared that they
have done the same thing, and some of them have even
published the process by which they render cotton ex-
plosive. The truth is, that there was nothing so very
wonderful in the mere announcement of the discovery,
for it has long been known to chemists that any vege-
table matter would acquire explosive properties when
treated by nitric acid; and a French chemist long ago
announced that, by operating upon starch with nitric
acid, he produced a fulminating power of great force.
The wonder lay in the perfection to which M. Schon-
bein was said to have brought his preparation, the
secret of which he still keeps to himself as regards the
modus operandi. If we are to believe the statements
that have been made by persons of high respect-
ability, the explosive cotton of M. Schonbein is a per-
fect substitute for gunpowder, possessing weight for
weight, much more strength than that article, and, at
the same time, being free from the many serious objec-
tions which attend the manufacture of gunpowder. On
the other hand, it does not appear that any of at) spe-
cimens of other discoverers have given fully satisfactory
results, that is to say, they are by no means of so de-
structive a property as the cotton of M. Schonbeir.
Many charges of illiberality have been brought againsi.
that gentleman for not making his process known, and
endeavouring to make a good speculation of it for his
own interest, under the protection of patents. We do
not join in this outcry. If M. Schonbein, who is re
ported, we know not how truly, to have disposed of
his patent right in England for 40,0001., could make a
million sterling o'f his different patents, we should not
think him too highly rewarded, if it be true that his
cotton is so much more powerful than that of his com-
petitors, as his friends represent it to be. The man
who invents the most rapid and the most effectual
means of destruction as regards war, is the greatest
friend to the interests of humanity. Before gunpowder
was invented war was a very favourite pastime of the
rulers of nations, for it served to gratify their bad
passions without presenting the chances of utter ruin to
them. By risking a portion of the money derived from
the labour of their subjects, and as xificing a few hun
dred lives, they were able to play at the game of ambi-
tion, and, having always the hope of success before them
they had a constant excitement to violence and outrage.
Nor did the pastime cease with the Invention of gun-
powder. The scale on which it was carried on was
greater ; but in a few years, when military tactics had
been improved, and tire arms had been made on surer
principles, the game became too hot for the gamesters,
and they were glad to retreat at length from the struggle
of vain glory. The bow and arrow work of the ancients
was nothing more than child's play to the fields of Aus-
terlitz and Waterloo, and when once a suspension of hos-
tilities had taken place, Government began to reflect
that the game was too costly. Thirty years of peace
have served to give birth to better ideas ; but there is
every now and then an indication of a desire to in-
volve nations in warfare. We are quite sure,
however, that if any man could invent a
means of destruction, by which two nations
ruing to war with each other would see large armies
destroyed and immense treasures wasted on both sides
in a single campaign, they would both hesitate at enter-
ing upon another. We repeat, therefore, that in this
sense the greatest destructor is the greatest philanthro-
pist ; and, supposing what is said of M. Schonbein's in-
vention be true, we think that all Governments will, in
the event of differences, try all possible means of conces-
sion and conciliation before coming to a trial of strength,
in which the strong as well as the comparatively weak
must be such great losers. We must return, however,
from this digression to the question before the Academy.
M. Otto, of Brunswick, has stated that he produces ex-
plosive cotton by immersing it in very pure and strongly
concentrated acid for half a minute, and then washing
it thoroughly and drying it. This is a very simple
process ; but we can assert from experiment that it
does not produce a cotton which could be used as a
perfect substitute for gunpowder. Explosive it certainly
is, but by no means to the extent described in the
account of the experiments with the Schonbein
cotton. Dr. Knopp, of Leipsic, states that he pro-
duces a very powerful article by the following pro-
cess :—Take equal parts of English sulphuric acid of
commerce and strong nitric acid of commerce ; mix
them in a porcelain vessel, and then plunge into V •
mixture as much cotton as the liquid will cover. Hav-
ing done this, cover the vessel with a ground glass lid,
so as to prevent all evaporation, or the entrance of air.
After having left this preparation in a state of repose
for a few minutes, take out the cotton, and wash it
thoroughly, carefully separating the cotton, and using
sufficient water to remove the whole of the acid. The
cotton being then pressed and dried in warm air will be
very energetic. If this cotton be carefully prepared,
and thoroughly washed and dried, it null have nearly
the same appearance as it had before the operation.
With 12 grains of this preparation, says Dr. Knopp, a
musket, which would for an ordinary charge require 28
grains of gunpowder, sent a ball through two planks,
one of deal, the other of oak, and each two inches in
thickness. The distance from the mark at which the
gun was fired is not stated, but we presume it was
at the ordinary ball range. Dr. Bley, of Bern-
burg, announces that he has made experiments with
a view of replacing cotton by cheaper substances.
He prepared shavings and sawdust in the same
manner, and found them equally powerful.
After these communications had been read to the Aca-
demy, M. Pelouze, one of the members, made the follow-
ing observations. He said—" Although M. Schonbein
has not published the nature or mode of preparation of
his cotton, it is evident that the properties which he as-
signs to it can only apply to xyloidine. M. Dumas, as
well as myself, made this remark in the origin of the
first communications of M. Schonbein. Reasoning on
the hypothesis that the poudre coton is nothing else than
xyloidine, I may be permitted to say a few words with
respect to its history, and of some of its properties.
Xyloidine was discovered in 1833 by A. Braconnot, of
Nancy. He prepared it by dissolving starch and some
other organic substances in nitric acid, and precipitating
these solutions in water. In a note inserted in the
" Comptes Rendus de l'Academie des Sciences in 1838," I
showed that the xyloidine resulted from the union of the
elements of the nitric acid with those of the starch, and ex-
plained by this composition the excessive combustibility of
the substance produced. I ascertained—and this I think is
a very important result in the history of the applications
of xyloidine—that instead of preparing it by dissolving
the cellulose, it might be obtained with infinitely greater
facility and economy by simply impregnating with con-
centrated nitric acid, paper, cotton, and hemp, and that
these organic matters thus treated took fire at 180 de-
grees, and burned almost without residuum, and with
excessive energy ; but I think it right to add, that I
never for an instant had an idea of their use as a substi-
tute for gunpowder. The merit of this application be-
longs entirely to M. Schonbein. Eight years ago, how-
ever, I prepared an inflammable paper, by plunging it
into concentrated nitric acid. After leaving it for twenty
minutes, I washed it in a large quaarrof ayater, and
dried it in a gentle heat. I have recently Pied this
paper in a pistol, and with about three grains pierced a
plank two centimetres in thickness (about three-fourths
of an inch) at a distance of twenty-five metres."
After these observations, made by M. Pelouze, MM.
Piobert and Morin addressed the Academy. They stated
that several experiments had been made by engineers of
the artillery with explosive cotton, and that the result
was not satisfactory. It was found to leave behind a re-
siduum of charcoal and water, and that it frequently
escaped by the touchole from the cannon, without dis-
placing the ball. They added that cotton prepared with
an equal mixture of sulphuric and nitric acid was the
most powerful, as it exploded at a temperature of seventy-
five degrees. Some, even, exploded spontaneously at one
hundred. The conclusion appears to have been, how-
ever, that none of the preparations tried appear to be
fit substitutes for gunpowder. We do not place implicit
faith in this opinion. Sir Humphrey Davy, the greatest
chemist of the day, said it was wild to suppose that coal
gas could be used for general lighting, and another great
man whom we will not name, for he is still living, said,
in his younger days, that a man must be mad to suppose
that steam could be used in Transatlantic navigation.
Other communications and observations were made on
the same subject, but they did not appear to us to possess
striking interest.
Dr. Dheran submitte I to the Academy a new ear-
trumpet, of a peculiar construction, which appeared to
excite much interest. It was stated that by this instru-
ment words uttered in a low tone may be heard at a
longer distance by two-thirds than by any other ear.
trumpets.
A communication was received from M. Jobard, re-
commending the use of a bandage over the base of the
thorax, so as to prevent the movement of the mass of
intestines upon the upper part of the abdomen. The idea
is not very new, and we much doubt its efficacy.
The communications to the Academy on other sub•
jects in this sitting were not of importance.

WELLS, SOMERSET, Nov. 10.—The office of Chief
Magistrate has been conferred on J. B. Plowman, Esq.,
for the ensuing year, having filled that office on a prior
occasion to the satisfaction of his fellow-citizens, and we
are not without hope that at the close of the mayoralty
of J. B. Plowman, Esq., we shall again be enabled,
without any sacrifice of truth, to congratulate him on
his impartial conduct.—From a Correspondent.
GREAT RUNNING MATCH FOR 50/.—Yesterday
the running match between Brookson, of London, atuad
Matthews, of Birmingham, came off in the presence
large assemblage of spectators, near the Plough Inn,o
at
Wandsworth. The distance was half a mile, and the
stakes 251. aside. In betting Brookson was the favourite.
Brookson has defeated several first-rate men, and his
opponent has acquired equal celebrity. Both men went
away at a flying pace. Brookson first got the. lead, but
was soon overtaken by his opponent, and a very spirited
race ensued. The men struggled hard for the goal,
which Matthews succeeded in gaining first, and was
declared the winner. The half-mile was run in two
minutes and two seconds, and large sums of money
changed ownership on the cccasion.
PRIZE FIGHT.—On Monday the fight between
"Slasher" (Slack), of Mansfield, and " Slender" (Burton),
of Sutton-in-Ashfield, both in Nottinghamshire, took
place on Elmton-common, Derbyshire, half-way between
Chesterfield and Worksop. It was a game fight of an
hour and twenty -five minutes duration, when Slack, from
the effect of a heavy blow beneath one of his ears (which
produced a gush of blood) could not answer the call of
time."

IMPORTATION OF GUANO.—A vessel, just arrivec
in :he River from Ghert (Belgium), has brought, in ad
' oak bark, the production o

dition to 27 tons wc

Belgium, GIG bags of guano. The arrivals of this newly-
discovered description of manure have. we believe, hi-
therto been confined to the islands in the Southern and
South Atlantic Ocean, and other places in those distant
regions in which it abounds and has been collected.