The Sun.
London, England, 1851-02-20 00:00:00

" THE THREE ILLIININA.TIONS.

" A few introductory words are needful to draw atten-
tion to the phenomena of these strangely-marked fes-
tivities; each of which was followed by the downfal of a
sovereign.
" In Paris I happened to witness the last Fite du Roi,
May Ist, 1847, OA, seventy-fourth birthday of Louis
Philippe. Everything then looked in profound repose,
the army numerous and well-disciplined, commerce in-
creasing, the city newly encircled with her much-praised
chain of forts, and the King in the flush of triumph of
the Montpensier Marriage. Within a year, that King
had fled; and the angry Parisians bad exiled for ever
from France himself and the children for whose aggran-
dizement he had schemed so lucklessly. Paris was a
scene of riot and bloodshed, and the rifled Tuileries con-
verted into an Hospital fur the wounded citizmp.
" Pending these events, the Carnival at Rome was
dragging out a more than usually stupid course. Men's
minds were pre-occupied, and the interest felt in French
affairs alarmed the already tottering Government of the
Papacy. The fear of a disturbance made it prohibit the
moccoli or tapers with which the gay crowd generally
light out the last day of the merry-making. All strange
reports aet e tile of detected conspiracies meant to have
been exploddd in the hour of rejoicing.
" But such had not well set in ere came from Vienna
the tidings of its insurrection which inflamed the Ro-
mans into a frenzy of sympathy. They concluded the
Austrian Eagle had now received a mortal wcund, and
rushing to the Austrian Embassy they tore down the
insignia of Hapsburg, and tying it to a donkey's tail,
they set on the animal a hunchback, whom they saluted
as Metternich, and in this guise proceeded to the Piazza
del Popolo, where they made a bonfire of the escutcheon,
with music, vivas, and waving of ladies' handkerchiefs.
" That evening, without consulting Popo or Cardinal,
in defiance of it being Lent, they lighted the whole city,
and bore the Moccoli in triumph through the Corso. It
was forbidden to blow out the lights as is usual with
these tapers, and the political nature of the feats was
only too apparent. Above the deep chaunt of Senza
Moccoli, the ordinary reproach to those who neglect to
carry a taper, there rose a perfect storm of vivas, shouts
for Pio Nono, and cries of Death to Metternich.' One
of the vivas for Pio Nono, added, President of the
Italian Republic. Ominous hint for the Supreme Pontiff!
Within a year the same voices which now called him
saviour of Italy, reviled him as its betrayer: he, disguised
in menial dress, was a fugitive, and abandoned by all who
once idolized him.

" Finally, in Florence, I was present at the illumina-
tion in honour of the capture of Pischiera from the
Austrians. Carlo Alberto did not hold it long, only
long enough for the Florentines to burn out their pretty
lamps of oil enclosed in clear round globes of glass,
brighter in consequence than the Roman fashion of en-
closing the light in a tinted lantern of oiled paper.
Florence had lost many of her sons a day or two pre-
viously, but she forgot their equivocal fate in the excite-
ment of a festa, and I saw one palace sparkling whence
an only son had gone to the in that inglorious war.
Within one year, this third illumination was followed by
a third flight of Kings. The gentle but misguided
Prince deserted his capital, and a few wild demagogues
swayed the city of the Medici. Where the gay lustre!
glittered in the windows of the Pitti Palace, a red. cap of
liberty, liberty, emblem of bygone horrors, insulted with
,t,ts
rude presence the desolate home of a homeless ruler.

EASTBURY ; a Tale. By Anne Harriet Drury,
Authoress of "Friends and .Fortune." Pickering.
Last Christmas, we noticed, in terms of cordial
euloglum, Miss Drury's very excellent and delight.
ful tale of "Friends and Fortune ;" and, this year,
we are glad to have occasion to pronounce a rimilar
commendation upon "Eastbury. P ossessing many
of the attractive characteristics of its predecessor,
64 Eastbury" has peculiarities of its own. •
_onfTuhsmoemreou
and the characters introduced
portray
nar-
rative is of a deeper and more enthralling interest,e
are
mvoarle
somewhat peculiar
and more diversified. In the
these characters the authoress evinces
felicity. Some portions of the tale ares a
painful, and some few of the personages somewhat
r
concerning them,
dt hti,seppul
poweral s3i,te' ed,. b us t,nrdhi
en t
btehe
chapterspa tpassagesho pathos
whicho f
the writer are
ere
prefer, how-
ever, are of a more genial kind,
among these is the Seymouarpdfinai
kind, ili, and
composedco'lconspicuous
among othu the
hospitable baronet asfralnakd,y, j
etsheeu gentle,s Julia,
shrewd grandmother, and the
whosc. presence is as life-diffusing as a sunbeam.
Contrasted with Julia arc her widely-differing
friends, the quiet, plain J
ever k one 13ernard, the curate 5
dolor
i way and ever doiag.good, sad iiett-

trice Eustace, the beautiful and most unhappy
heiress of the Hall. With these such a multitude of
, minor but not uninteresting characters crowd upon
I us, that we dismiss them without ennumeration,
always excepting the hero, Lionel Revis, a
more heroic character than heroes always are.
How shall we give an inkling of the mysterious in-
tscaest of the tale, without revealing too much ?
Rather than commit such an indiscretion, we leave it
undisturbed, referring the curious to the pages of
" Eastbury," where they will infallibly reap pleasure
as well as profit. The very tone of the narrative has,
moreover, a charm about it. Every page evinces the
general sympathy and cheerful Christianity of the
writer. Many of the most beautiful passages are
evidently heart-spoken, and, as such, are possessed of
an especial fascination. Miss Drury promises to
prove one of our most valuable domestic novelists, if
she be careful not to abandon for artificial conven-
tionalities La. charming simplicity of style and sen-
timent.

COURT CIRCULAR,
His Royal Highness Prince Albert rode out on horse-
back yesterday morning, attended by Lieut.-Colonel the
Hon. Alexander Gordon.
The Royal Family took their usual exercise yesterday.
Her Majesty and Prince Albert visited her Royal
Highness the Duchess of Gloucester yesterday evening,
at Gloucester-house. Her Majesty and his Royal High-
Less were attended by the Countess cf Edgcumbe, Lord
Charles Fitzroy, and Lieut.-Colonel the Hon. Alexander
Gordon.

Their Royal Highnesses the Duchess of Cambridge
and the Princess Mary visited her Royal Highness the
Duchess of Kent yesterday at Clarence-house, St.
James's.

A deputation on the causes of the seamen's strike,
consisting of Mr. Hume and Mr. Wawn, accompanied
by the following delegates:—John Smith. from South
Shields; Thomas White, from North Shields; John
Chalk, from Sunderland; and Robert Holman, from
Hartlepool, had an interview with the Right Hon. Henry
Labouchere yesterday at the Board of Trade.
Colonel Phipps, of Dilton Court, Wilts, accompanied
by Mr. James Wilson, M.P., had an interview with Sir
George Grey yesterday at the Home-office, to present
an address to her Majesty on the subject of the Papal
aggression from a public meeting of the inhabitants of
Warminster and the neighbourhood.
A deputation from the Grand Junction and Regent's
Canal Companies, on the subject of the London Coal
Duties Bill, consisting of Sir John Yarde Buller, M.P.,
the Hon. Richard Cavendish, Mr. De Salis, Mr. Parker,
Mr. Lyon, and Mr. Rogers, had an interview with Mr.
Labouchere at the Board of Trade yesterday.
The Transatlantic Packet Station Commission met
yesterday at the Board of Trade. Present—Earl Gran-
ville (Chairman), the Hon. William Cowper, M.P., Sir
James Gordon, K.C.8., Sir John F. Burgoyne, K.C.8.,
and Captain Stephenson Ellerby. Lord Hobart (Secre-
tary) also attended.

Sir. French, M.P., bad an interview with Lord John
Russell yesterday, at his official residence in Downing-
street.

Mr. John Wood, Chairman of the Board of Inland
Revenue, had an interview with the Chancellor of the
Exchequer yesterday at his official residence in Down-
ing-street.

The Cambridge University Commission met yesterday
at the official residence of the First Lord of the Trea-
sury, Downing-street. Present—the Bishop of Chester,
the Dean of Ely, the Rev. Professor Sedgwick, and the
Rev. W. H. Bateson (Secretary).
Lieutenant-Colonel Eyres had an interview Iwith Sir
George Grey yesterday at the Home-office, to report on
the staje of the Cosford Union-house.
Sir Thcmas Fremantle, Chairman of the Board of
Customs, had an interview with the Chancellor of the
Exchequer yesterday.
The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council sat yes-
terday; present—the Master of the Rolls, Baron Parke,
the Chancellor of the Duchy of Cornwall, the Judge of
the Admiralty Court, and Sir Edward Ryan. " Lamb
v. Singh" (Bengal), " Newton v. Ricketts" (Prerogative
Court, part-heard) concluded, and " Austin's Exten-
sion of Patent," were disposed of. " Baboo Sheodasa
Narain v. Mussumat Kawalbas Kooer" (Bengal) was
part-heard.