The Sun.
London, England, 1846-02-02 00:00:00

MAGAZINE DAY.

LI., CKVi 0 0 !).

We have never seen the great Seer of the North in
such a sleepy mood as at the present interesting crisis.
For anything that appears in this number we might
believe that the Tory guide of Scotland had abdicated
the throne, and handed over his domain to a successor
who knew not which way to turn. Blackwood has long
been remarkable, not so much for criticism on the pub-
lications of the day as for original papers, and, above all,
for animated dissertations on passing events; and though
we differ in general from the spirit displayed in the
work, we nevertheless always find somethinginteresting,
amusing, or curiously extravagant in his views, which
makes us the more regret the total absence of all poli_
tieal comments on events more remarkable than any
which have occurred for the last sixteen or seventeen
years. There is no excuse for this silence, either on the
score of time or information. In the last number, the
resignation of Sir Robert Peel and the advent of
Lord John Russell were made subjects of discussion,
and the discussion was broken off merely because the
"crisis " was still involved in mystery. That, however,
has been fully cleared up—the Conservative leader has
been reinstated—he has opened his budget of secrets,
and made a display' sufficient to shake the mouldering
bones of every old Tory. We allude not to his speech
on Tuesday, but to the disclosures made on the first night
of the session both in the Queen's speech and in the
communications read by Lord John Russell. These left
no doubt whatever of his intentions. They proclaimed
distictly that the days of " protection" were numbered ;
that the corn-laws were doomed ; that Peel and Russell
had embarked in the same boat, and that the Tories
were without a leader. Yet at this eventful era, Old
North, the faithful watcher on the towers of the Scottish
capital, the guardian of his Tory countrymen, the elo-
quent advocate of aristocratic doctrines, one of the main
pillars of the Church and State, and the most vigorous
championof a badcause, remains silent as the grave; and
incurs the reproach of being a " dumb dog that cannot
bark, sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber." We regret
the result, however, only on the ground of amusement;
for in other respects this dismal silence is very ominous
for the bigoted class who have so long obstructed every
great national improvement, and adds another proof that
the monopolists are "done for." The only allusions, in
fact, made to the stirring events of the day, is in some
doggrel verses, headed " A Peep into the Whig Penny
Post Bag," of which the subjoined extract is a specimen :
"On the part I have played in this luckless transaction,
I confess I look back with unmix'd satisfaction.
From the first I said this—•end 'tis pleasant to feel
Thus at ease with one's self—' I'm for total repeal:

Stick to that, my Lord John, and all scruples I stifle:
Any office or none is to me a mere trifle;'
(Though of course, my dear Mac, for the purest of ends,
I was willing to help both myself and my friends).
Any office I'll take that can give you relief—
From the Whip of the House to Commander-in-Chief.'
Oh ! If all of the party had acted as I did,
In how noble a band would Lord John have presided!
But—"tis best as it is :' we may grieve, yet we shouldn't :
Peel can carry the measure —'tis certain we couldn't :
Though we hoped, if our reign was once fairly begun,
It might last till—we did what was not to be done.
I think (though thus leaving old views in the lurch),
We shonld not have establish'd the Catholic Church.

To speak for my colleagues in me would ba vanity :
They might differ; but I should have thought it insanity.
In the hope that our friends in Auld Reeky are brawly,'
I remain yours, in confidence, T. B. Mac—y."
the third article, on Marlborough, is like the rest, full
of interest, and among other achievements of that illus-
trious commander, gives an excellent description of the
battle of Oudenarde. Bonaparte owed to him the plan
of disregarding strong fortresses, and marching direct to
the main point on which the fate of the campaign turned.
After this decided battle Marlborough urged upon the
allied council of war the propriety of relinquishing all
lesser objects, passing the fortified towns on the frontier,
and advancing straight towards the French capital; and
had he, like Bonaparte, been solo master, he would in
two weeks have encamped his army in the Bois de
Bologne. We find nothing in the other articles that re-
quire notice.

strike every classical reader, for Abd-el-Kader is only a
modern Jugurtha:—
The tactics of Jugurtha are precisely those of Abd-el-
Kader. One might suppose them to have studied the art of
war in the same academy. Thus Sallust writes of the
former: He now presented himself before Metellus, occa-
sionally betore Marius ; he attacked the rear in their march,
and instantly retreated to the hills; he now threatened this
quarter, now that; he would neither hazard a battle, nor
allow them any repose;' and the German lieutenant recopis
of the troops belonging to the Arab, that, without offering
ar.v resistance to the head of the column, they hovered
round it all day, with wild yells of Lu,/u /' They gallop
without any order, and singly, to within eighty. or
.a hundred
speed The
of the
horse
sharpshootersthenturnansdofdishcihsarogwne thaeeicrolrteasnadt fullthe
rider loads his piece as he retreats; and this is repeated
again and again all day long. The Bedouins never wait for
a close encounter hand-to-hand ; when charged by the
cavalry, they disperse in all directions, but instantly return.
Another peculiarity of the Numidian warfare is noticed in
the fact, that the royal guards only followed the King in
case of flight ; the rest of the army broke up in every
direction. Thus it happened to Jugurtha after his defeat by
the consul. Now we think that something like this may be
traced in the present day in Algeria. The real army of
Abd-el-Kader consists of 250 horsemen and 500 foot-soldiers,
whom he pays and clothes ; and, with the select force, he is
said to drive all the neighbourinsr tribes to battle. Of course,
after a defeat, they disperse •like the Numidians, and find
their way home to their tent or village in the best way they
can. Again, every now and then the public ear is surprised
with intelligence of the cowardism and flight of the Sultan,
who is represented to have abandoned his soldiers in the
most disgraceful manner. But here, too, he is only reviving
Jugurtha, who, when Sylla had routed his army near Cirta,
being surrounded on every side by the Roman cavalry, and
seeing all his men falling by his side, rushed singly through
the darts of the enemy and escaped.' So we continually
hear of Abd-el-Kader's re-appearance after every discom-
fiture; and Jugurtha, crippled and stripped by Metellus,
only retired into forests and places defended by nature, to
collect an army more numerous than the former."
The character of Sir James Graham is drawn with great
impartiality, and is, perhaps, the best of those which
have yet appeared in the series. Though, perhaps, the
thickness of his skin may be a little exaggerated, the
following picture is substantially correct :—" A hard-
ness and impassability of temperament, which is to cen-
sure or obloquy as adamant or rhinoceros-hide, joined to
a wonderful knowledge of human nature, great talents,
clear perception, readiness, determination of purpose, and
a steady resolution to seize all opportunities and yield
none, give him great advantage in an assembly where
the average of ability is not above mediocrity, and where
there are so few who have the courage, or feel the incli-
nation, to stand forth as champions." And he adds at
the close—" Such steady self-possession, joined to such
talents and information, and to such debating powers as
he has in his former career displayed, though now he
rarely exercises them, are quite sufficient to account for
that influence which we have ascribed to him ; in the
absence of personal respect, which, generally speaking,
he does not command, or of party gratitude, which he
has done little to deserve on the one hand, and much to
forfeit on the other."

struck out of the list at once, and the two great Edwards,
the 5r,,t and thet hird, would only 1.0 entitled to statues as
kings, in coma: or, Ith their imbecile fathers. Notwith-
Ntanding the a.guments of this writer, we should cer-
tainly v.-te for giving Warren Hastings a statue. The
Hindoo Gentleman in England continues his admirable
h tters, and from them we extract tha following amusing
bit of good-humoured satire:—

" The society here is divided into a great number of
different castes, which I find rather difficult to describe
to you. The highest is composed of people of title ; the
next, of persons who possess a carriage and horses, and
several men-servants dressed very curiously • the third,
of those who have the menservants with the curious
dresses, but not the carriage and horses ; and the fourth,
of those who hare neither titles, carriages, horses, nor
men-servants. These again are subdivided into a great
number of other castes :—thus, a family may have
carriages, horses, and servants, and plenty of mo
ney, and yet, unless they can trace their descent a
great many years back, to some man who was a noted
robber, or was beheaded for treason, or was distinguished
in some other way, they are not considered to be of a
high caste. Trade, of all kinds, is looked upon as
giving very low caste ; and though a man gets great
wealth by trade, it does not raise him much as
to caste. Wealth obtained by gambling, however,
which is not an uncommon mode, is considered much
more respectable. But the most honourable way of pos-
sessing wealth is, like caste, to be able to trace it back to
some relation who acquired it by murdering the owner
and taking forcible possession of his estates, or by some
other similar manner. Trade again is dividei into agreat
many different castes of its own, which are so numerous
and incomprehensible that I only as yet understand a
little of the matter. I have found that a man of the
highest caste may sell, without degradation, cabbages
and other vegetables, corn, butter, or bullocks ; but that
coals, cloths, bread, &c., are quite interdicted commodi-
ties for people of any pretensions to high caste to deal
in. Again, a man may sell wine in casks, and yet be
considered a gentleman ; but another man who sells the
same wine in a bottle is looked upon as a very low wreath
indeed." _ .

Amon' the gems of this number is a fac - simile manu-
script sonnet by John Keats. We have also an elaborate
review of Carlyle's book on "Hero Worship," and a
severe, but by no means unfair, critique on Charles
Dickens's Christmas Books. The concluding article is
entitled " The Corn•laws," and, strange to say, it is not
in the least tinctured with party politics. The question
of protection is considered on strictly economical
grounds, and the paper itself might be taken as a text-
book by a professor of political economy lecturing to a
class of university students.

T 1 E SUN, .LONWONT MON DAY EVF,'NING FEBRITAR I 2, 1846.

DR. PUSEY'S SERMON.

OXFORD, FRB. I.—This morning, at an early hour, the
doors of the Cathedral were besieged with hundreds anxious
to hear Dr. Pusey, and on being opened every available place
for hearing within the building was immediately filled. The
Vice-Chancellor, attended by thirteen of the heads of houses
and both the proctors, having, with some difficulty, made
eindcdhc:nhwt to
eht
htoshespe7
their way through the dense crowd, took their seats about
half-past ten o'clock, and Dr. Pusey having ascended the
pulpit, and made the bidding prayer, took the 20th chapter
s
suspension,
uhnTsi
tsohe
he
Then
esh saidebomnraw:
hiJesusal again,mek,veeaorn,fsd asss
ai
nPai
stehajyaceeud bnietoaeuitnnnh:teomftryho, oemyu ;tahra
of St. John, and the 21st to the 23d verse for his text—
y
Father hath sent me so send I you. And when he had said
Receive ye
ee Am
the Holy Ghost : whosoever's sins ye remit are remitted
re-
tained." Dr. Pusey commenced with a slight allusion to his
Al-
mighty for his secret sins. In that sermon he had never in-
tended to speak controversially, but there were those who
thought that when particular mention was made of the chan-
nels of grace that they forgot him who was the means of grace.
He wished rather to have dwelt on those gifts conveyed in the
Eucharist on which they might have all been united. He
dwelt on that sacrament first, as the means by which the
sinful body was made clean ; secondly, as a commemorative
sacrifice—quoting, in support of the latter, Bishop Wilson's
prayer before administering the sacrament, that the minis-
ters may be worthy to offer the sacrifice ; the clergy acting
not instead of, but as ministers of Christ. Dr. Pusey then
arrived at the great subject of his sermon—viz., private
confession and absolution. God alone can forgive sins ; but
would he forgive them less by conveying his forgiveness
through ministers. When, in the words of his text, he said
" Receive ye the Holy Ghost ; whosoever's sins ye remit are
remitted unto them," who honoured him most, those who
observed the command, or those wh9,,,neglected it ? In the
daily prayers of the Church confession and absolution pre-
ceded the Lord's Prayer, and it made them fitter to hear
his Divine word, and join in praise and thanksgiving. In
private absolution the Church spoke words which, if she were
not authorised to use, were nothing less than blasphemy :
"I absolve thee from all thy sins, in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost ;" and in the ser-
vice of the Visitation of the Sick, the Church exhorted
her priests to move sick persons to make confession of their
sins. The Doctor then spoke of the "intense longing"
of the penitent for absolution, and the "thrilling awe"
of the priest, when he used the words, By his authority I
absolve thee," and that in the name of the Trinity. In
speaking of the doctrine of the keys, of the power to loose
and to bind, he alluded to the lost discipline of the Church,
and that the Articles of the Church allowed the power to
bind. The office of the clergy in the present day was not
so much with the power to bind as with the power to loose
to the penitent, to minister to those who want comfort. In
healthful times the power of the key was not doubted, the
submission to the discipline of the Church showed the
acknowledgement of her power of forgiveness. The discip-
line was the token of the power to loose sin. No one then
said by what power or authority do you do these things ?
Do the lame walk ? Do the blind see ? And when asked
how they did them, they might say with St. Peter, " through
faith in his name." The practice of the Church became the
commentary upon the word. For instance, infant baptism
showed the command conveyed in the words "suffer little
children to come unto me." The Church proposes, faith
receives, and the Holy Spirit works. The doctrine of the
keys was authoritatively given three times before the Resur-
rection, to St. Peter, " I give unto thee the keys of Heaven,"
and then to all the apostles, at their solemn inauguration,
"As my Father sent me so send I you." The greatness
of the power thus given to men was indeed sufficient
to make them tremble. What angel in Heaven could
have used such words so comforting to the peni-
tent ? By baptism they were brought into the fold ; by
absolution they were restored who had broken away. All
sins were forgiven, none were excepted, great and small; all
may have pardon who are penitent ; none are excepted
" whose sins ye remit are remitted unto them ;" full, present,
absolute, and universal forgiveness. Many object to the idea,
that power is given to those who may abuse it. Did they
not find the Almighty showing his power in the weakness of
his instrument? As examples, Joshua commanding the sun
to stand still, and the spirit with which Paul answered Felix.
It is not the man who speaks, but our Lord by the Spirit.
Dr. Pusey instanced the incarnation as showing the convey-
' ance of grace by man ; the Passion as bestowing the fruits of
the Spirit through suffering, and love in the relieving of others
who suffer. If any were deluded by the feigned repentance
of others, God was the judge; yet God doth not the less
convey grace through his servants, although some use it
wrongfully. Baptism was not the less the lava of regeneration
because some received it not in faith, nor the Holy Eucharist
less the means of grace because some received it unworthily
to their own damnation. His whole object, in the series of
sermons he had preached, was the comfort of penitents.
The Church allowed private confession, and, quoting the
words of Latimer, " Would to God it had ever been kept in
England." They might, however, be thankful that it
was not compulsory, but that the working in the Church
was now from within. The discipline of the Church did not
constrain the disobedient, but allowed them to bind up the
broken-hearted. They could not bear the sudden restora-
tion of its discipline • let them wait patiently for the Lord's
doing: " The people shall be willing in the day of thy
power." All will be well if man attempts not to outrun God.
Dr. Pusey then alluded to an " Infidel in another land,"
who spoke of the corruption of the power of the key. It de-
pended on the clergy, whether the power they had lifted
nearer Heaven or placed them deeper in Hell ; whether more
blessed or more deadly in its effects. The aid of constant
prayer was necessary. They were not so much in peril when
they feared, as when they feared not. He then spoke of the
unhindered pride and corruption of the tens of thousands
now growing up in the manufacturing and mining districts,
whose hearts were not opened to parent or to priest, but to
Satan. • After some quotations from Bishop Andrews and
others, he spoke of those who being contrite of sin, however
deadly, still, if wishing to be absolved, they were absolved,
and if the individual knew not to whom he could turn, let
him use the daily and the Eucharistic Confession, applying it
to his individual sins, and although he might think the absolu-

tion powerless, it was not really so, but that the repentance was
insufficient, otherwise he might embrace its full effect, the same
as if individual imposition of hands had taken place. The ie-
storation of private confession the preacher spoke of as
being full of difficulty. Blessed as the office Was, still ex •
perience showed it to be full of peril, and only to be sought
with repentance and mortification by those who are seeking
to live to God. Sin was awful to handle, it was difficult to
hear and not be defiled. They must keep jealous watch
over themselves, framing themselves with discipline, taking
care not to be blind leaders of the blind ; hate all sin,
that they may teach others to hate; fervent in prayer, that
others may be fervent; loving much, because much has been
forgiven them, they may show it in their love for
others. The power of the keys was not a new doctrine,
nor had it ever been wholly disused by the Church,
although much overlaid during the last century. Its
revival had originated not in the agency of man,
but in penitents, who had received gifts of grace, not
from man, but from the Lord, through his Holy Sacrament.
If any felt the burden of sin, or of any particular sin, it
might be a blessing to those to know that some who had
been once burdened were now lightened and going on their
way joyfully; formerly the slaves of sin, were now the
servants, who had been struggling with sin, were now striv-
ing joyously for their God. struggling
Pusey then called the atten-
tion of those who were tutors in the colleges to the oppor-
tunities they had, and the duties of their station, acting in
the place of parents and guardians, in the blessings they
might thus confer on their pupils. They needed no new re-
lation between the clergy and the laity, but only to bring
into power the resources of the Church. Nor must they be
disappointed if they did not find instant relief for their sins.
None ever prayed to their Heavenly Father with sincerity
and received a stone. The more their longing the greater
his grace. If penitence on their part was sincere, the resto-
ration to grace on the part of God would be complete. The
Church did not object to penance; she still rehearsed the
examples of Ahab and others in the Old Testament—of fast-
ing and mourning in the New. It was better to repent any-
how than not at all. Evil days, perhaps, were coming upon
them, even the last strife previous to the last day may now
be coming. But if they trusted in God he would save them.
With some, if released from sin and content, they might go
on their way peacefully; with others, brands plucked from
the fire by self-denial and mortification, might be means of
rescuing others, and be chosen to suffer for his namesake in
fasting and in strife, even "in deaths oft," bearing about
with them the dying of the Lord Jesus ; and thus is life
working in them, who, through them, knew him, meeting
with their reward in the last day, when he shall say " Well
done thou good and faithful servant."
The above is a brief outline of the sermon, which occupied
nearly an hour and a half in delivery."

TO MR. WEBSTER OF AMERICA.
Sir,—The question in regard to Oregon has excited so
much discussion on both sides of the Atlantic, that I shall
take my stand, as far as possible, from the main part of it, in
order to view the conflicting parties more dispassionately and
more distinctly. lam confident we shall meet on the subject
with the same equable and unbiassed judgment, as when we
conversed in England on matters of less excitement. It is
evident to me that the better informed part of the Americans
are convinced that their claims are untenable; and that the
worst informed, and worst intentioned are still more firmly
convinced than they. For no honest man will shrink from ar-
bitration. No honest man, who entertains a doubt of any right,
will assert that right from controllable arrogance, or from
imaginary expediency. In my opinion the courtesies and civi-
lities of private life ought to be carried into public, and even
extended. I believe you are capable of deciding even your own
cause with impartiality; but the eye sees with more clearness
what is not too near. Believing that much of the assumption
and insolence of your slave-dealers was encouraged by our
supineness on the aggressions of France, I cannot but express
my surprise that the wisest and most courteous of her
Kings, and most honest and temperate of her Ministers,
should have interfered at all in the affairs of Otaheite ; but
it will be incredible to future historians that, because we had
committed no wrong on the inhabitants, by seizing and
governing the territory—because we had only taught them,
for half a century, the arts of peace, and the duties of reli-
gion, it was allowed them to extinguish both, and to convert
the island into a brothel, under their protectorate. Still, I
am of opinion that a better sentiment than outraged dignity
withheld us from chastising, with renovated vigour and
effect, a restless and reckless nation. The same sentiment is
no less strong, and no lessbecoEnmrsh,on
Physically and morally,
wouldtl sufferpr esenmt occasion.
Physically
the
hostilities with America, but America will suffer greatly the
most. Do you imagine t hat we should be so insane_ indeed
send
an army into Oregon, or even a fleet to the coast ? No, :
but we might, for the first time, attempt to effect by concilia.
tion and flattery what we usually do by force. Suppose a man
of high rank and distinction landed in Hayti, with gifts and de-
corations from a young and lovely Queen : suppose he appealed
to him not merely as sovereign of a rich and fertile island, of a
brave, high-minded, and military nation, but as a universal
defender and protector of all the blacks. Suppose he offered
him five million dollars yearly to enable him to accomplish
his grand plan of emancipating them all, by means of ten or
twelve thousand men debarked on your southern states ; what
think you? The English need only transports, with a small
train of artillery, a few riflemen, and a few troops of dis-
mounted cavalry. Many debarkations might be made, the
slaves in your country being well prepared for them, end
promised the property of their masters, together with the
masters and their families to work for them, during the term
of fourteen years, in Hayti. You could afford to send no
troops into Canada, nor could you conquer the country if you
did. Wait, wait, my good Mr. Webster; that country will,
within fifty years, form five other united provinces. And this
will be, because we never have attempted to introduce our
language, the sacred bond of lasting union. I do not im-
plore the great body of your countrymen to be just and ho-
nest. I am no enthusiast. I am no visionary. I only do
implore them to be quiet, which they can be. Oregon will
be yours ; but not yet. I wish it may be ; but not by force,
not by intimidation ; that will never do. The glory of Eng-
land •ind of America is only to be extended by the commu-
nication of their arts and of their language. Let us contend
which of us does it best and soonest, and there let contention
both begin and end.—Yours, very sincerely,
London. WALTER SAVAGE LANDOR.

The Earl and Countess of Clarendon entertained his
Excellency Count de St. Aulaire, the Marquis of Lansdowne,
and a select party, at dinner on Saturday last, at their house
in Grosvenor-crescent.