The Sun.
London, England, 1870-08-13 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

Sir Richard. ByPHugh Neville. 3 vols. Hurst and

Blackett.

The earlier volumes lead the reader to suppose, that the
history of Sir Richard Merivale and Mary Grey is to
prove the one exception to the accepted rule that " the
course of true love never does run smooth." With these
favoured lovers all is at first couleur de rose. Sir Richard
Merivale, at the close of his minority, finds himself the
independent master of Merivale Court, and twelve thou-
sand a year. He is, of course, handsome and accom-
plished, " of a kindly and generous disposition, ever will-
ing to take the world by the hand and believe it honest ;
slow to do an injury, but quick to avenge one. His was
a passionate, impulsive nature, open frank, generous,
and free." Sir Richard falls in love at first sight with
the fair daughter of his confidential agent and friend,
Mr. Grey. His affection is returned, and " all
goos merry as a marriage bell," notwithstanding
the artful manoeuvres of George Merivale, of Elton Hall,
who wishes to secure the wealthy baronet for his daughter
Charlotte. George Merivale is perhaps the best drawn
character in the story. He is a perfect master of the art
velvet glove in his case, indeed, covers a hand of iron.
Charlotte Merivale, his daughter, is worthy of her
of concealing art, and is remarkable among his friends
and family for the bland courtesy of his demeanor, but the
parentage, and enters with all her heart into her
father's ambitious schemes. The rival heroines are each
peerless in a different way. The dark-eyed Charlotte is
radiant and queenlike, but the fair Mary is " beautiful as
a dream, with more of heaven than earth in her face "
"two living pictures, each perfect hi its different concep-
tion, faultless, the spiritual, and the passionate." As we
have already said, during the first two volumes the
loves of Sir Richard and his betrothed run so
smoothly that the experienced reader is disposed to regard
the story as uneventful, but the third volume dissipates
such an idea. A crowd of incidents and a whole tragedy
of emotion are compressed within its pages. The story,
which had lingered on its way, suddenly developes in
interest and excitement, and reveals an artistic power in
the writer, of which the preceding chapters contained
little indication. Sirßichard Merivale, enriched with every
virtue under the sun, finds them all rendered nugatory by
one malignant fairy. Jealousy takes possession of his
heart, kind friends are at hand to deepen the impression.
The love so lavishly expressed in passionate speech and
tender epistle (of which, in fact, the reader had become
almost weary) is not proof against this enemy. It is a love
apparently without confidence on either side. Iliac ilke
lachrymcs. We must not say more, fair readers must seek
for themselves the issue of the tale, and while they amuse
their leisure with an instructive story may learn a profit-
able lesson from the ambitious Charlotte, the imprudent
Mary, and the over hasty impetuous Sir Richard.

A SUGGESTION.
TO THE EDITOR OP " THE SUN."

SlR,—During the present unfinished state of the Spit-
head forts, and considering the facilities with which an
enemy might make an attack on Portsmouth, I venture
to make the following suggestions; the carrying out of
which would, I think, prove inexpensive, and be immedi-
ately available for defence, from the fact that the site of
the proposed battery is in a measure ready to hand. I
allude to the Esplanade at Southsea, connecting Southsea
Castle with the garrison of Portsmouth. In rear of this
Esplanade let excavations be made for the reception of
twelve guns on the Moncrieff principle ; these excavations
might be made by the garrison of Portsmouth, assisted by
the convicts at that station. The work would not occupy
a month. The guns might be stored in Southsea Castle
or Portsmouth for transmission in a few minutes. In the
absence of regular artillery they might be manned by Volun-
teer artillery. The value of such a line of defence would be
incalculable, a batter a jZotte d'eau parallel to and com-
manding the anchorage of Spithead, the Spit channel, and
the harbour channel; at a few hundred yards distance from
the sea it would be nearly invisible. The covered way or
parapet, ready to hand, would afford a safe communica-
tion from the garrison to Southsea Castle. The same plan
might be adopted to connect Southsea Castle and Eastny
Fort, and that fort, with Fort Cumberland, forming a com-
plete cordon round Portsmouth ; on the Gosport side also
to connect the forts of Blackhouse and Fort Monckton.
The latter would give with the esplanade guns a most de-
structive cross fire. Apologising for trespassing cn your
time, but being well acquainted with the locality, I ven-
ture to offer these suggestions as being economical to exe
cute and efficient for defence.—Yours obediently,

DANIEL MTAY,
Late Captain 55th Foot and Denbigh Militia.
79, Tavistock-crescent, Westbourne-park.

ROYAL 'VICTORIA YACHT CLUB
REGATTA.

The race onFrida,y was for the Vice-Commodore's Cup,
round the Isle of Weight, for which a large fleet was
entered, and amongst them some of the fastest vessels
afloat. At ten precisely the starting gun was fired, the
.course being to the eastward, with a nice fresh breeze
from the north-east, and a young flood tide running to the
westward. The Nab Light was passed as follows :

H. M. S.
9 46 35 Gwen&liue

M. S.

Yleiad and Rose of lone
Devon 9 47 0 Guinevere ..
Oimara

... 9 41 5
... 9 55 5
... 9 45 35

The course from St. Catharine's to the Needles was
against a flood tide, but the Guinevere arrived at the
Needles at one o'clock, the Fiona being second, but here
the wind fell to a calm, and the vessels getting jammed
by the tide, which on rounding the Needles would then
be against them, as it would rim out until after four o'clock.
At the time this report was despatched none of the racing
vessels were in sight.

Speaking of the suspension of specie payments by the
Bank, the Times says that looking at the universal pro-
pensity of the French population for hoarding in
times of disturbance, and the increasing momentum
of the drain from the Bank, the resolution now
adopted can hardly be considered premature.
The war demand, coupled with that on the
part of the people, would, in the course
of a few further days, have caused another heavy
diminution, and the panic, then inevitable, would
probably have swept away the balance. It is better
that it should remain, so far as the exigencies of
the war may permit, in the vaults of the Bank, to
serve as the foundation for a resumption of pay-
ments at the proper time, than that it should be dis-
persed for months or years in hiding-places through-
out the country. The effect of the suspension on other
countries must be to lessen the demand for specie.
The Standard observes that the suspension has long
been regarded as only a question of time. The general
derangement of commerce from that circumstance, as
well as of the extension of time for paying
acceptances, has, however, strengthened the opinion
that English securities will soon be in greater
request by foreigners, as the safest media for in-
vestment, and that mest Continental stocks will be more
or less prejudiced. Renewed operations for a rise have
consequently taken place.

TILE POSITIONS OF THE ARMIES.-111 a letter
from Berlin on Tuesday, the correspondent of the Standard
says :—The German forces are regarded as consisting of
three armies. The first, under General Von Steinmetz, has.
at the present moment its head-quarters at Sulzbach, its;
outport3 at Forbach and Saarbrucken. The second, undue
Prince Frederick Charles, has its head-quarters at
Bliesea-tel, and its outposts at Saargemund. The third*
under e:nnmand of the Crown, Prince has its head...
quare;:. uerth. Of course, a single day suffices irt
such in, as these to make the outposts of the morn-
ing the head-quarters of the evening, but the details I
have given will enable anyone in possession of them to
follow and almost to anticipate the course taken
by ti:ese three co-operating armies in their
march. The following is believed to be the die-
posititn of the corps d'arrnee of the French. On the'
north, forming the extreme left wing, is the 4th- Corp',
under Ladlnirault. This is by Thionville. Frosatti's
corps, the nd, was to the south-east of Forbach, but
must blow be considered to have fallen considerably
further back. Near him, but on his right, is Marsh
Ba,aine, with the Corps. It must be taken tali
be hetween St. Avoid ;old Metz. Near St. Avoid,:
Mc._ wise, is the cave' ;of the reserve. All these corpoi
r.re under the co- ::and of Bazaine. South of them come)
the nth
•wider General de Pally, near to Bitsche
and ~nd it, to the right, the Ist Corps of M`Mahon
-,11 the Ist and the sth, however, being under M`Mahon's
direction. The 6th, 7th, and Bth Corps, commanded by
Canrobert, Douay, and Bourbaki respectively, but all
under the direction of the first of them, compose thd
reserve.

The Tablet says Victor Emmanuel's abdication and
retirement to Turin is currently reported, and an apart-
ment in the Royal Palace there is being prepared for the
Kin's wife, the Contessa Mirafiores and her children, a
circumstance which tends to confirm the rumour. Prince
Humbert, on the other hand, is coming more prominently
before the public, and is preparing to take the supreme
command of the Italian army, three divisions of which
are to be ranged along the Roman frontiers.