The Sun.
London, England, 1851-04-19 00:00:00

I

trothed to a young peasant natsh club feet ; and on.
Annette being asked whether she did not wish tlnat
Wilhelm had not club feet, she answered, "No; for
then he would not be Wilhelm; and it is Wilhelm
whom I love." Love always makes the loved. one
beautiful whatever his form and colour. Desdeunona
thought the swarthy hue of Othello the beau ideal of
beauty; and as it is with persons, so it is with qa,ali-
ties—we gild those whom we like the best. If we
were as illogical as lovers we should call plainness
beautiful ; that would be such a paradox as a lover
might well deal in; but we take a more consistent
course, and only call plainness lovable.
No doubt our opinion will be disputed by those who
pin their faith upon works of fiction, the authors of
which seem to be under a sort of prescriptive obliga-
tion, imposed upon them by custom from time imme-
morial, to mould their heroes upon the model of the
Apollo, and to compound their heroines out of a mix-
ture of the Venus and the Medonna : and, in addition
to their corporal perfections, to endow them plentifully
with all the genius and all the virtues of humanity
but we place no great relio.nce on such authorities,
potent as they unqueetionably are ; ne regard their
Personages generally as very pretty paintings of what
men and women ought to be, rather than what they
are, or even may be. They are something like card-
board models of impossible edifices, which hold to-
gether by reason of the lightness and flimsiness of
thi,ir material, but which, in
granite, would prove
the power of the law. of gravitation, by fulling down ;
and we should as soon expect to see the remains of
Grecian art start from their venerable repose,
and walking about in all their mjesty, proving
themselves gods and demigods in reality, as to
meet mere mortals exhibiting all that beauty and
virtue so liberally bestowed on fictitious person-
ages. It is strange, too, to notice how inconsistency
will peep out, end, as a natural consequence, how
authors, compelled to conform to natural laws, are
obliged to introduce into their tales some plain people
who, if men, exhibit more intellect and firmness than
the first hero, and, if women, show more self-devotion
and patience than the nominal prima donna, and
who, whether men or women, perform almost all
the greatand noble actions which give interest to the
tale and create its pathos.
Novel readers might do worse than notice this, and
diminish their admiration of beauty and exalt their
notion of plainness, by observing how, in the well-
wrought fable as well as the drama of real life, plain
people really play the most important parts.
In short, we are quite in love with plainness, which
if it cannot boast of beauty often has a charm which
mere beauty can never give. Those who have seen
homely countenances lighted up by intellect or
softened by affection and sympathy, or warmed into
life by heartfelt mirth, will comprehend the beauty
which the mind sheds upon the plainest face, just as
the rich sunset makes the most sterile landscape en-
chanting. And they will understand too, that mere per-
fection of form is not half so attractive as modest
plainness beaming with purity and goodness. There
is a great deal of truth in that vulgar and ungram-
matical old saying " handsome is as handsome dees,"
which at once illustrates our meaning and points out
to our plain friends the true way of becoming as
handsome as they please.

COWES, ISLE OF WIGHT.
(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)
COWES, APRIL 18, 1850.
ARRIVED.—The Franklin steamship, Captain Wet-
ton, in twelve days and a half, from New York, with 103
passengers. The Queen steamer took, of them, out of
her twenty one to land at Southampton. She proceeded
with the rest at 4.15 P.M., for Havre. Wind S.W., fine
summer r eather.

FASHIONABLE INTELLIGENCE. The Marquis of
Lansdowne and suite arrived here on Thursday; after
going over Harnet-lodge and some of the other principal
houses here, his Lordship took carriages to the back of
the island. There has been more inquiries for houses
here for tho coming season than there has been fur
many before, and houses are let from much earlier
periods.
THE GREAT EXHIBITION.—Some enemies of this un-
dertaking have, for the last few days, been circulating
very industriously a report that a quantity of gunpowder
had been found in some maple and other foreign goods
sent over for exhibition; that the intention of those who
sent the beautiful ornamental work in which it was con-
cealed was to destroy the Queen! It is wonderful what
swallows some people have, there seems to be nothing
too ridiculous for them. How could the refugees now
in London possibly benefit their position by destroying
our liberal Queen and our liberal institutions? This is
now rho refuge for the destitute, and such a one as they
cannot find in any other country; then what interest
can they have to destroy it? And, then, the absurdity of
hiding a pound or two of gunpowder in looking-glass
frames and French bedsteads, when it can be openly pur-
cha,ed any ehere any day. These noodles deserve
whipping.

IKELAND.
LONGFORD ELF.CTION.

DUBLIN, FRIDAY.— rho sham canter: for this county
haw vircu,tly t,mrninateci, sith!Jugh, in conformity with
ttlo Av. of Parliament, the bloth,i must be kept open
111)01 SAturti,ly Looming. At the.: cl,kso of the poll yea-
tereay the gross number stool es follows:
O'Perrall ••• ••• ••• ... 622
Sica•or ... ... ... ... ... 29
SALES OF ENCUMBERED ESTAIIiB.,-,•

Contrary to expectation, the Commissioners set yes-
terdny for the purpose of selling tome small estates in
the counties uf Kilkenny, Carlow, Meath, Kildare, and
Tipperary, together with some house property in the
city of Dublin, the latter consisting of a profit rent of
531. 15s. a year, which produced 5051., or about ten
years' purchase. An estate in the county of Carlow was
set up in two lots, one of which, yielding a profit rental
of 631. per annum, sold for 7001. The sale of the
second lot was adjourned. A yearly profit rent of 621.,
arising out of lands situate in the county of Kildare,
realized 820/. The Meath estate of Mr. Arthur Coates,
the gross yearly rental of which was estimated at
445/. 15s. 61, but which, deducting head rent and other
charges, reduced the net profit to 2781. 10s. 4d., *as
knocked down at 3,6251. A net profit rent of 1081. a
year, arising out of lands in the county of Tipperary,
was bought in trust for the petitioner in the cause for
2001., or lest than two years' purchase. There was no
very clear reason assigned fur this apparent sacrifice,
but it was generally understood by those conversant
with the nature of the property that it was disposed of
at its full value. The Kilkenny estate of Mr. Edward
Walpole, yielding an annual profit rental of 230/, pro-
duced 2,310/.

DANGER OF LENDING BOATS TO Boos.--Yester-
day afternoon, a small sailing boat, containing four youths.
was capsized off Coor's-road, Lambeth, arising from the
youths being unskilled in the management, and the e
saved
himself by swimming; and the fourth, John Corringliam,
living in Princes-road, Lambeth, was drowned. His body
was nut recovered.
trains brought down as LO
VISITOR i TO GRAVESENI!.--Yesterday (Good Fri-
day)raasilwtha4 could conveniently convey,
visitors
The steam -boats
The Star Company'sbeing also not-
withstandingin-
that each train consisted of nearly a reble
however, more numerous
number of carriages of thethe three classes.
were equally well filled, . number of thera
visitors were a boats
creased by both
. the companies.
&;
~. t may be rem, irked
Put on for the raster holidays are, how
than those of the Diamond Company.
foreigners, of evidently different continental
considerable numb,!,r of
that amongst the
the preponderance universally was. countries, but
Great preparations for the amusementin favour
.of the Fmnch.
made at the Rosherville Gard of visitors are being
Terrace-pier Gardens. ens, but more especially at the

MONSTER EXCURSION TRAlNS.—Yesterday excur-
sion trains, at reduced fares, were run on all the railways.
A monster train left the Paddington station for Oxford an-
other the South-Western for Wind or; and on the Eastern
Counties, for Cambridge; the Brighton excursion train,
however, conveyed the greatest number, between 800 and 900
individuals going by it. More than 4,000 persons le ft the
metropolis yesterday by these excursion trains; the rate of

travelling averaging three miles for one penny.
A HIGH SHERIFF IN DIFFICULTIES.—SOUIe clays
since, Calcraft, the hangman, received an intimation from
the gaol authorities that his services would be required on
Wednesday morning next, at Ipswich, for the purPo4se of
carrying into execution the last sentence of the. law *upon
Marla Clarke, but on Tuesday morning last a note
•_wa!s re-
ceived from that functionary, stating that bins j)aetfesaional
gataetlYieer sonal in-treercveiiepwt
engagements elsewhere would
messeesndger the t his
Prevent his preler the iPs wick
on Wednesday, as required. Imm:tic:ile
Ica he replied telpaunterh:l4oie
jewfoi
of Calcraft's note, a messenger was dispa an a from Ips- wick
to London, for the purpose of b
Taunton for a like with Calcraft, who was informed
sewl h on Wedn
presence was necessary at Ip .1
ap_ Plible for Cater
Lod for the execution at Ipswich.
the purpose already
lbe could find a substitute. H e re-
already engaged to proscteaetcle
Calcraft to come down to
announcement has caused no plea-
Wednesday, the day
Finding that it was
Ipswich, he was asked.,
plied he could not•
surable feelings to tse who are bound to see that the exe-
appointed. Unless the day
named for tbe execution be altered, or a substitute found in
!craft, the Hi h •
tbe place of Ca
nation takes place thet
.hour
g Sheriff, whose present posi-
tion no one, we thin]:, can envy, will have, in accordance to
went state of the law, to
the p.perform a duty repugnant to
the feelings of thousands. of her Majesty's subjects. We believe
tio application was made on Tuesday last at the Home-
named for the execution of Maria Clarke
to be altered; but we understand that the application was
ethaiacte for the day
not entertained.
We rejoice to be able to inform our readers that
the Protectionist banquet, which is to take place in Edinburgh,
on Tuesday, the 22d iust., promises to be most successful.
The Music Hall in that city, one of the handsomest roans in
th.s kingdom, can accommodate 650 at dinner. The tickets,
which were limited to this number, were all pouorlychtaos d
goon
after x hal l
after they were issued, and there is not °
Sucu is the enthusiasm that prevails that, .;irets isut:,ried coulde are inibrmed,
three or four times the number of tickets issued
easily have been disposed of.— fierald.
A.,CCOII
lII,S have
MANSLAUGHTER OF AN OFFICER.
been received of the melancholy death of a gallant officer,
of the Diadras Artillery. Th
Captain George Symes,
details are as fellows -.
Oci t conduct of two men outside
:—O° the night of the 14th instant he
was disturbed by the
l , abutted upon the road (a public
his house, which close ,the
town of AXIIIiOSter and Lyrae
one leading between
ent to the door and civilly requested.
Regis), and at lengl,l yr_
t on his appearance he was immediately ,
them to " move or fans,
one of whom (by name Garland)
violen
set upon by the rknelt on his chest, and beat him fearfally •
with a stick about the head. From the effects of these in-
threw him down,
juries he nev7 recovered, but remained insensible till death
from his sufferings in four or five hours after.
r 56 ears of age, and has left a wife 'and only
lament their loss. We rejoice to add, the
daughter to . .
raeleeawsosed
obbimoot y .
i oug are in castoas'.