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

CHARLOTTE B RONTE.

Hours at Home, for June, has the beginning of a series
of unpublished letters by Charlotte Bronte, which will
give quite an impetus to the circulation of the magazine.
The following letter is a characteristic specimen of the
easy and affectionate style in which the author of "Jane
Eyre" was wont to address her intimates :

" Haworth, Jan. 1, 1833.
" Dear E.,—l believe we agreed to correspond once a
month. That space of time has now elapsed since I
received your last interesting letter, and 1 now therefo
hasten to reply. Accept my congratulations on the
arrival _ of the New Year, every succeeding day
of which will, I trust, find you wiser and
better in the true sense of those much used
words. The first day of January all present
to my mind a train of very solemn and important reflec-
tions, and a question more easily asked than answered
frequently occurs, viz.: How have I improved the past
year, and with what good intentions do I view the dawn
of its successor? These, my dearest E., are weighty con-
siderations, which (young as we are) neither you nor I can
too deeply or too seriously ponder. I am sorry your too
great diffidence, arising, I think, from the want of suffi-
cient confidence in your own capabilities, prevented you
from writing to me in French, as I think the attempt
would have materially contributed to your improvement
in that language. You very kindly caution me against
being tempted by the fondness of my sister to consider
myself of too much importance, and then in a parenthesis
you beg me not to be offended. 0 ! E.,. do you think
I could be offended by any good advice you may
give me ? No, I thank you heartily, and love you, if
possible, better for it, I had a letter about a fortnight
ago from Miss—, in which she tells me of the birth of
Mrs.—'s little boy, and likewise tells me you had not
been at—for upwards of a month, but does not assign
any reason for your absence. I hope it does not arise
from ill health. [I am glad you like " Kenilworth." It
is certainly a splendid production, more resembling a
romance than a novel, and in my opinion one of the most
ihteresting works that ever emanated from the great Sir
Walter's pen. I was exceedingly amused at the cha-
racteristic and naive manner in which you expressed
your detestation of Varney's character, so much
so, indeed, that I could not forbear laughing aloud when
I perused that part of your letter ; he is certainly the
personification of consummate villany, and in the de-
lineation of his dark and profoundly artful mind Scott
exhibits a wonderful knowledge of human nature as well
as surprising skill in embodying his perceptions so as to
enable others to become participators in that knowledge.]
Excuse the want of news in this very barren epistle, for 1
really have none to communicate. Emily and Annie beg
to be kindly remembered to you. Give my love to —,
and as it is very late, permit me to conclude with the
assurance of my unchanged, unchanging, and unchange-
able affection for you.—Adieu, dearest E. I am ever
* *
yours.

PRINCE ALFRED'S IMPRESSIONS OF

INDIA.

The Duke of Edinburgh has written a long letter to
Lord Mayo, surveying retrospectively his tour in India.
The letter was read by Lord Mayo himself at the banquet
given at Lahore in honour of the retiring Lieutenant-
Governor, Sir Donald Macleod. The Duke says that the
anticipations of Oriental magnificence connected in his
mind with the idea of India were more than
realised during his tour. He hopes that his visit
has not been burdensome to he country, but
he fears that the example of magnificence set by
the Viceroy was but too generally followed. The Duke
continues :—"The hurried character of my tour through
the Interior prevented me from obtaining more than a
bird's-eye view of the principal parts of the country, but
I have seen enough to awaken in myself a strong interest
both in its past history and its present condition. I have
seen many evidences of the anxiety which exists, not only
among the British community, but among the more wealthy
and influential of the native-born inhabitants, to
raise and improve the mcral and social condition of the
poorer classes. The importance of the spread of educa-
tion is gradually beingunderstood, and in several instances
I was highly gratified by the manner in which the commu-
nities of some cities desired to commemorate my visit—by
the foundation of scholarships bearing my name, by the
commencement of recreation grounds for the use of the
people, by endowing high schools, and at some of the seaports
by contributing funds for the erection or improvement of
sailors' homes. These laudable objects have been very
materially, in some cases mainly, assisted by the munifi-
cence as well of private individuals as of some of the
Indian princes, whose generosity is so well known to
everyone that it would be superfluous for me to mention
their names here. That my visit has been instrumental
in bringing about results such as these is one of the
happiest reflections with which I shall look back to my
brief stay in India." His Royal Highness goes on to say
that he has never travelled in greater comfort than on the
Indian railways, states that he " enjoyed with all his
heart" the few days he was enabled to devote to field
sports, and expresses the pleasure with which he
made the acquaintance of many officers, of
whose friendship he is proud, and the story of
whose lives is not the least instructive among the lessons
that have been brought to his notice in India. With his
visit to Bombay, the Duke says he was much gratified,
and remarks upon the fact that his arrival there, occurred
almost contemporaneously with three great events, each
of which has a direct bearing upon the city's future
greatness—the completion of the railway communication.
between Eastern and Western India, the opening of
the Suez Canal, and the laying of the Submarine Telegraph
between Suez and Bombay. I trust, the Prince adds,
that the bright hopes for the future which this happy
concurrence of events is calculated to inspire will be
amply realised, and I also hope that my kind friends in
Bombay will sometimes remember that, simultaneously
with the dawn of their good fortune, the son of their
Sovereign came among them to assure them of the lively
sympathy with which her Majesty regards them, and of
the pleasure with which she will learn of their hopeful
prospects. Madras, although heavily weighted in the
race with her sister capitals by local disadvantages, wel-
comed me so warmly, entertained me with so much con-
sideration, and sped me on my way with such kind
wishes, that I am glad it was chosen as the port for my
re-embarkation. My reception there was a most gratify-
ing and flattering culmination to a very interesting tour.
The three months of my stay in India have passed
only too rapidly and pleasantly away. lam laden with a
debt of gratitude—a debt which lam proud to owe, but
whiCh I can never hope to repay. In all that concerns
the welfare of India I shall ever take a deep interest, for
I have learned to regard her people with affection. I am
the glad bearer of a message from them to my mother,
which will give her unbounded satisfaction, for I have to
tell her how enthusiastic has been my reception,
how universal the affectionate loyalty which
greeted me, and how it is for her sake alone that I
have been thus welcomed to India, that my advent has
been thus eagerly seized as an opportunity for expressing
their sentiments of personal devotion to her Majesty, and
of their heartfelt appreciation of the mildness and
beneficence of her rule. I must now bid to the people of
India an affectionate farewell. May God pour down his
choicest blessings on the land."

The Prince Imperial of France has been employed
as an orderly officer or aide-de-camp at a review which has
just taken place in the Bois de Boulogne. He rode like a
centaur, and discharged the duties with which he was en-
trusted to the admiration of all beholders.

Some interesting information is given in a series
of consular reports just published. In Brazil the slaves
are fast dying out, at the rate of about 8,000 deaths in
excess of births per annum. The liberated slave's notion
of freedom is total abstention from anything like labour,
and in a country and climate like Brazil he can almost
enjoy this luxury. The war with Paraguay has deranged
the finances 'of the empire, and its debt is nearly
850,000,000.