The Sun.
London, England, 1846-07-13 00:00:00

Every one who is accustomed to observe the move
ments of the publishing world, and particularly of late
years, must inevitably have remarked the wonderful
facilities which are being afforded for the accumulation
of libraries, at a cost singularly inferior to the intrinsic
and original value of the reprinted works. Publishers,
indeed, have emulated each other in co-operating with
the advancement of enlightenment ; they have competed
with one another (we trust, to their own ulterior advan-
tage, and unquestionably to the advantage of the com-
munity), in producing a superior literature at an infe-
rior price. For this admirable competition, the intel-
lectual Imbursement of the purchaser might be taken as
the maximum, and his pecuniary disbursement as the
minimum. Nevertheless, it cannot possibly have escaped
observation that, whereas the first idea of this literary
movement was excellent to a degree, that idea has been,
during the course of its development, very materially
deteriorated. With a decrease in charge there have
crept in many unwelcome, and, occasionally, many un-
sightly accompaniments—crowded letter-press, inferior
paper, small type, careless printing, and a variety of
similar blemishes. We might indeed, did we wish so to
do, enumerate divers other blemishes of a still more
egregious character, such for example, as the republi-
cation of works very little short of being absolutely
worthless, and others of rather demoralising ten-
dencies. Still, from the actual benefit which has
accrued to the reading public through this enterprising
spirit, we shall abstain from particularising the alloy of
disadvantages which has associated itself with that
benefit. Without appearing invidious, however, it must
be acknowledged that a want has still continued to exist
for the issuing of a periodical collection of literary pro-
ductions, which should comprise as many merits as were
compatible with, or could well be desired in, the present
state of civilisation. That want has been experienced by
all lovers of literature, and that want seems to be satis-
fied by the library of modern literature just commenced
by Mr. Bentley. We are not anticipating a result
merely from the assertions and promises of a prospectus
—we are commenting upon the substantial commence-
ment of the publication. Not only is there intrinsic
beauty in the present collection, but extrinsic beauty
likewise. From the various productions that are already
advertised as forthcoming, we are rejoiced to recognise
that great fastidiousness of selection is combined with a
very agreeable variety. Paris's biography of Sir
Humphrey Davy, is to contrast with Conolly's Overland
Journey to India ; Coxe's Columbia River with Charles
Matthews's Memoirs ; Marryatt's Diary in America
with Murray's Travels in North America. Assuredly
that catalogue alone gives promise of valuable, interest-
ing, and diversified literature ! We are delighted to en-
counter, at the very outset of this enterprise, those most
delightful fragments of gos;ip, the miscellaneous letters
of the renowned Horace Walpole. A book of more
singular fascination could hardly have been chosen, as
the pioneer to the attention of the readers of " Modern
Literature," for those epistles of the hero of Strawberry
Hill sparkle with animation—they are redolent of the
eccentric and not unpleasing mannerisms of their writer;
they are absolutely teeming with anecdotes of memor-
able personages and reminiscences of an eventful epoch.
What Aubrey had previously been in the way of prudery
and simplicity, Walpole proved himself in the way of
elegant flippancy and scholarly ostentation. Both of
them, though after fashions diametrically opposed to
each other, formed the true literary daguerreotypes of
their generation. Never did garrulity display itself to
greater advantage than in the first fragments of Sir
Horace's " Reminiscences ;" there is an air about them
so peculiarly naive as to ensure for them the good-
natured sympathies of the peruser, hoirever churlish his
disposition might naturally be ; and their 'descriptions
are, moreover, so fraught with particularities, as to con-
vince us of their authenticity, while those particularities
are occasionally so unexpected, and occasionally so hu-
mourous, as to render the narrative marvellously piquant
and engaging. How truthful, for example, is that in-
cidental sketch of the personal appearance f George 1.,
when beheld by our virtuoso, in his sixth year : the
rencounter in that anti-chamber at St. James's starts
before us in colouring as vivid as the disentombed
frescoes of Pompeii before Sir William Gell—the inqui-
sitive little child-courtier—the pale, elderly, middle-
sized gentleman, clad from top to toe in sombre brown,
even to his stockings and his tye-wig, and who proves,
after all to be the Anglo-German monarch—every cir-
cumstance of that brief but amusing interview, is de-
lineated with an exceeding vivacity, insomuch that it
almost rises into the dignity of an historical occurrence.
In selecting these pleasant letters by that celebrated
son of a celebrated father, as the introductory
portions of his serial, we conceive that Mr. Bentley has
acted with discrimination. He has presented the public
with a work of historical importance, and, nevertheless,
overflowing with amusement. Such a collection as thi,
" Modern Literature" will be welcomed with avidity by
the world of readers ; rendering standard publications
accessible even to those of very limited incomes, and
yet doing so without either internal or external deterio-
ration of the works. With elegance and distinctness o‘'
typography, good paper, and embellished with admirably
steel-plate engravings, the collection, if persisted in, wil.
tend to the decsration of the choicest libraries. Ac•
cording to the plan traced out by this scheme, the suh•
scribers will periodically p ,ssess themselves of 7 the mas-
ter-pieees in History, Biography, Voyages, Travels,
and Adventures. As likely to disseminate still further
the spirit of true enlightenment, and as likely to divert
the popular attention from frivolous and ephemeral to
substantial and instructive compositions, this series of
Modern Literature" has engaged our most cordial
sympathies.

MURRAY'S HOME AND COLONIAL
LI BI?ARY. No. XXXIV. Sale's Brigade in
Afghanist in. By the Rev. G. R. Gleig.
Now that our gallant Sale is no more, having fallen
gloriously on the banks of the Sutlij, this narrative of
his famous deeds in Afghanistan, and of the defence of
Jell4labad, will be devoured with avidity by every
Englishman worthy of the title. It forms another
chapter in the records of the prowess of British soldiers,
and the heroism of British captains. India has, during
a mis"rably protracted period, been to England what
Algeria is at present to France. May we not hope that
Sobraon will be the last of those sanguinary battles
which have imparted at once so much glory and so much
invidious renown to our dominions over those noble
regions, and that in recurring to the feats of arms in that
quarter of the globe, we may henceforth do so with
feelings of sabdued exultation, or of alleviated regret,
from a knowledge that a peaceful Government has pre-
dominated over brutal violence ? Splendid as have
been the military achievements of Sir Robert Sale, of.
Sir William Nott, and of Sir Harry Smith, in our Asiatic
possessions, it is impossible to peruse the narrative of
those achievements without regret at the woes and
anguish by which alone they have been realised.
Though the laurels of victory have been verdant and
plentiful, they have reeked with "the stench of the
battle field," their leaves have been dabbled with the
blood of man. Still, as these catastrophes and triumphs
are among the bygones, a dispassionate account of them
is of the utmost importance, and such a dispassionate
account of the campaign of Afghanistan is the present,
by Mr. Gleig. By publishing this volume Mr. Murray
has paid an appropriate tribute to the memory of Sir
Robert Sale.

THE CABINET HISTORY OF ENGLAND.
Vol. XVIII. By Charles 111-Farlane.
The struggle between Great Britain and her Ameri-
can possessions—that great struggle which brought to the
former nothing but an increase of national debt and co-
lonial debility, while it conduced to the formation of the
latter into a vast independent empire—is treated upon in
the present volume of this valuable series. Remarkable
for lucidity of narration, it at the same time records
events in a manner singularly dispassionate. .- •

Earl Grey, as principal Secretary of State for the Co-
lonial Department, has anpointed the Hon. Capt. Grey to be
his prina SOCUtaiaotiOtwerver.

The Epoque states, from information received on Thurs-
day, that the number of persons killed was sixteen. The
Gazette des Tribunaux gives the following account of the
accident :
" At a quarter past two the train had passed Arras, and
was approaching the station at Rceux. At this 'place the
road is over an embankment about seven metres (22 feet
English) in height, and is in the midst of the peat grounds
which abound in this part of the country. On each side of
the road are deep marshes, fall of stagnant water. The loco•
motives, followed by their tenders and waggons, passed
freely over, but all at once a sudden shifting of the
rail threw the baggage waggon off the line. The first
carriage was upset, and remained suspended over the
,ank ; the other carriages struck against it, and were falling
one after the other into the water, but one of the chains that
connected the carriages broke, and the remainder of the train
remained on the road. Some of the waggons thrown off the
road disappeared in the water; others that were upset nearer
the bank were half in the water with their wheels in
the air. Amongst the passengers who escaped, all who were
not paralysed with fright hastened to the assistance of
the persons who had fallen into the water. Admirable
traits of courage and devotedness are recounted. M.
Lestiboudois, the Deputyi for Lille, who was in one
of the last carriages of the train, plunged into the
water six times at the peril of his lite, and brought out
one of the passengers who was on the point of perishing. A
man in the service of the company, named Carre, at the sight
of the danger jumped into the water and swain away to avoid
the carriages, which were falling into it; but en hearing the
cries of the sufferers he returned, and plunging several times
saved.five lives. The number of persons killed or drowned
is not yet known, but we are assured that three of the rail-
road carriages, and a messageries diligence called Les Picardes,
had completely disappeared in the water."
The Debats says:—" The private carriages of the Princess
de Ligne, wife of the Belgian Ambassador, of Madame la
Marechalle Lauristan, and of General Oudinot, which were
immediately behind the locomotives, were completely pre-
served. The water on the peat ground,. where the carriages
were thrown over, is several feet in depth, and this caused
the death of some persons by drowning. The Minister of
Public Works immediately sent off to Fampoux 31. Frissard,
inspector of ponts-et-chaussees, and charged with the direc-
tion of the Northern Railroad."
The Patric of Friday evening states that the number of
carriages forced off the rail by the shock was thirteen, and
that eight of them and a luggage waggon were precipated
into the water, which is of considerable depth at this spot,
,he extraction of the peat having been carried down very
low. "At the date of the last account (says this journal)
the Laffitte diligence was still at the bottom with its passen-
gers. The number of dead known was fourteen—viz., the Aide-
de-camp of General Oudinot, Madame Demeldes, of Armen-
tieres; Marie Flamand, of Bouchain; Mademoiselle Leguay,
of Fampoux; Dr. Lecomte, of 'mile ; Bourgeois and De-
nten, soldiers; Tabary and Picard, two boys, one taken up
at Arras, the other at Creil •, a person named Lefevre, of
Roceincourt ; a nun and a child, whose names are unknown,
and two persons whose bodies had been seen in the water, but
had not been taken out." In a subsequent article the Patric
says that it is assured by a person who was in the train,
that the number of killed exceeds thirty-five, amongst
whom were two of the conductors. A correspondent
writes :—" The Procureur-General and the First President
of the Cour Royale of Douai proceeded on Thursday to the
'scene of the accident, and commenced a rigid investigation
into the circumstances. The portion of the road having been
made by the state, the only just complaint that can be
brought against the railroad company, is for not having
.xamined with greater care an embankment made over
ground of such little solidity." In an account given by the
Independance of Brussels of Thursday, we read
" More than three hours elapsed before assistance arrived.
The peasants of the environs looked on with astonishment,
and the wounded passengers could hardly obtain water to
wash their wounds. A sad scene presented itself to the spec-
tators. Young females who had been in their holiday
dresses were taken out bleeding and covered with mud.
Some victims had their heads separated from their bodies ;
others, with broken limbs, were lying by the sides of the
road. An aide-de-camp of GeneralOudinot was on the edge
of the pond, his loins and three ribs broken, and praying for
death. An Englishman, who was travelling with his family,
had an arm broken in three places, but 'notwithstanding his
sufferings he would not confess to his wife that he was
wounded. At the end of the train were nine private car-
riages, in which were the Princess de Ligne and her four
children, the two daughters of the Polish General Skrzynecki,
in the Belgian service, and a Russian lady. The three last
immediately opened their trunks and placed all their linen at
the service of the wounded, at the same time giving to them
their personal aid."
The Northern Railroad Company have published the fol-
lowing report from the sub-inspector who accompanied the
train, dated Fampoux, July 10, five :
" As you have seen, by my short letter of yesterday, the
train ran off the rails on the Bth, at five minutes past three,
at a distance of eight kilometres (two leagues) from Arras,
when going at a very moderate rate, as acknowledged by
several passengers, whose names I have. Of 28 carriages, 13
were precipitated into a deep peat pit, having eight feet of
water. Although the first locomotive did not go off the
rail, and the second so little that the fourgon (baggage
waggon) No. 1,002, which followed, remained on the rails,
the running off commenced with the two next carriages.
These two waggons were first detached from the train, and
fell into the water, where they now lie crushed by the three
diligences which followed them. The weight of these dili-
gences seems to have dragged the other carriages off the rails.
There are, therefore, piled up, and wholly or partially de-
stroyed, eight carriages. The fifteen carriages at the tail of
the train, and the fourgon at the head after the locomotives,
escaped the accident. We have now to deplore thirteen
known deaths. The following are the names that we have
been able to obtain. (Here the report gives the same list
as the Patrie, omitting the aide-de-camp of General
Oudinot) : —Wounded—Madame Picard, of Montalaire,
the shoulder broken, and severe contusions on the head ;
Madame Braine, wife of a notary at Arras, contusions;
the Aide-de-camp of General Oudillon (since dead), M.
Deguay, chef d'escadmn, seriously wounded; an Englishman
and his wife, at the Hotel de Flandre, at Douai, the husband
in the arm, the wife contusions; M. Grapinet, a lace-dealer
of Paris; another Englishman, at the Hotel de Flandre, at
Douai. The Cour Royale of Douai has taken up the affair.
An examtring counsellor and M. Best:he have interrogated
me; he is partly convinced, as far as we can judge, that the
company is perfectly innocent of this unhappy event. In
addition to the two conductors killed, we have no person in
the employment injured. The rest behaved perfectly well,
and one of them named Hocq, saved eight persons by swim-
ming. I have also to praise the excellent co- operation of
M. Haillot. We had in this unfortunate train the Princess
de Ligne and her four children; the Marquise de Lauristau ;
Marshal Salagne (Portuguese); M. Lestiboudoia, Deputy;
and General Oudinot, miraculously saved, for' his carriage
was crushed under the diligence, and bis aid-de-camp has
since died of his wounds. We do not appear to have had
more than four or five persons severely wounded. Eighteen
carriages have been already dispatched to Arras and Douai ;
these have not suffered, but the others are in a deplorable
state."
Another report to the company, from Douai, dated July
10, says:—
" The accident which has just occurred is, in fact, exceed-
ing grave, though not so much so as we feared from what
we heard on the way. The train went off the railsat}
went
off poux, near the station of Rceux. The second waggon
off the rails, no one knows why; the others, to the number
of 13 or 14, followed it, and fell down's high embankment
into the bed of an old peat bog, where there were ten feet of
water. The others remained above. The chain of the
second waggon which had,' gone off the rails, no doubt in
breaking, slightly drew the second locomotive of the train off
the rail; the first remained on the way. There have been
14 victims, two of whom are.conductors • nine persons whose
names are known ; two whom it has beenimpossible as yet
to extricate ,from the interior of a diligence; Guerin, and a
child since dead from its hurts. The greater number were
drowned in a carriage which was submerged. Some were
crushed, and amongst the rest a conductor who bad been at
Massagran. The other passengers escaped by breaking the
glass of the doors. A great number were so much disturbed
in mind that they got out on the bog side, but the most of
them saved themselves or were saved by others. A conduc-
tot named Hocq saved seven or eight persons. The men in
the employment of the company displayed much in-
telligence. M. Haillot and M. Hovelt directed everything;
the latter did not quit his train. The circulation has not
been interrupted. The Cour Royale of Douai has taken the
matter up, and since Yesterday persons have been employed
in inquiring judicially into the matter. The magistrates
who have commenced the investigation have as yet dis-
covered nothing to involve the responsibility of the company.
M. Busche and Barrault are on the spot directing the work-
men with the greatest zeal ; they cannot say anything as to
the cause of the accident."—(The other reports relate the
same facts).
A Douai journal states that M. de Lagrenee, who returned
lately from his embassy in China, was in the train, but
escaped injury. The Princess Czartorisky is also said to have
been a passenger. -The Courrier Francais, of Friday, in a
stop press, dated one in the morning, gives an account of
another accident on this road, and at the same spot, Thurs-
day. It says_.:—
We stop the press to communicate to the public the fol.
lowing lute, the full authenticity of which we gugutee

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