The Sun.
London, England, 1856-03-29 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

Two Summer Cruises with the Baltic Fleet. By the
Rev. R. E. Hughes. Second Edition, revised.
Smith, Elder, and Co.
We have previously noticed the first edition of
this work, which appeared some time ago. The
present edition is revised and corrected, with the
addition of a preface, in which the writer very
justly defends himself from the charge of in-
humanity which has been brought again-t him for
censuring the immunity granted to Russian strong-
' holds. His observations on this subject are most
just and forcible. He upholds that these hesitating
and doubtful measures, which are disguised under
the name of humanity, are the most cruel in
the end, by unnecessarily prolonging the war; and
asks, with reason, what is the suffering caused by
loss of property compared to the sorrow caused by
the bereaved kindred of the soldier, and the
agonies of the wounded ? One who has been a
witness of the pangs of the wounded and of the
distorted forms of the killed can, he says, find but
little sympathy for the woes of private property,
when they remember that it consists mainly of
timber, tar, and ammunition, to compass the de-
struction of our brave troop. We have no right
to be generous at the expense of the lives of our
soldiers. He concludes his remarks by justly ob-
serving, that " bold men and bold measures are
not usually cruel ; it is to the weak, the timid, the
irresolute, that the woes and pains of life are
chiefly due." The readers of " The Log of the
Pet" will, no doubt, coincide in this clear and sen-
sible reasoning.

Sixteenth Annual Report of the Registrar-General
of Births, Deaths, and Marriages.
To this report of the births, deaths, and mar-
riages in England, in 1853, are appended supple-
mental tables, showin., the density of population,
annual mortality, and excess of deaths, over 17 in
1,000 persons living in the counties and districts
of England in the ten years 1841-50, together with
the area, population, and number of deaths—the
density of population, annual mortality, and
deaths in excess of 17 in 1,000 persons living in
the towns, represented approxiniatively by certain
districts and sub-districts, in the same period.
The 'volume further contains a report on the no-
menclature and statistical classification of diseases
for statistical returns, in which will be found the
proposed statistical nesology for the general accept-
a specimen table, and
ance of -European
ntenrantaiotniosnal Statistical Congress,
with other matter interesting to the statist, politi-
cian, and philanthropist.

The Papal Conspiracy Exposed. By Edward
Beecher, D.D., Boston. Edinburgh : James
Nichol.

The object of the writer of this treatise ist
show that the Romish Corporation is dangerous t 6
the political liberty and social interests of man.
With what success it has been pursued may be
gathered from the facts that the Rev. Dr. Bsgg
has contributed a preface to this the British edi-
tion, and the Scottish Reformation Society propose
to give eight prizes to such students in Scotland
as shall, on examination, exhibit the most accurate
knowledge of its contents. It is written is a tho-
roughly earnest spirit, and is characterised by a
good deal of research and controversial skill.

THE RECENT RAILWAY FRAUD IN LIVERPOOL—LIVER.
POOL, Friday.—At the police court this morning Wm.
Parsonage was brought up on remand, before Mr. Mans-
field, stipendiary magistrate, charged with defrauding
the London and North-Western Railway. Mr. Bleu-
kinsopp, for the prosecution (addressing Mr. Mansfield),
said he found it impossible to complete the cases against
the prisoner so as to put them in trai❑ for a trial at the
present assizes, and therefore he would ask for a remand
for another week, which was granted. An application
to admit the prisoner to bail was refuted