The Sun.
London, England, 1856-04-17 00:00:00

, . ,

THE.FrNy-LOWDOlkrtitunsrlA FVENTNGLAPRTL 1,1.- lase:

LINES LEASED AT YIXED wENTALEL

LITERATURE.

those who were.unahle to resist its temptations are oer
tainly unfitted for their present occupation.
" itegaroing the ladie4 who went out various opinions
have beeu entertained. P,:rhaps in this case their own
view of their position may be the best, as they learnt thei
knowledge by experience, and most of them agreed that
though in the great emergency thathad.called them forth
their efforts had been ble,Sed. to the relief of much suffer-
in,. the system was baeled On no 'permiinent footing. To
raise the occupation of a nurse to a h:glaer standard, to
farm- a body who will both nurse in our home hospitals as
well as be ready to atten,i. the sick in the army and navy,
other means are required."

aArGYFLYet

Leasiu.
Ce=pans

Cilqsia.! P11,:/*
this dE.,.

this .lej,

Rank and B-eaNty ; or, the Young Baroness. 3
_ vols. Aunt and Blaokett.

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(London &I
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This story contains the adventures of a young
lady who was-at-. the swim-lit of the social scale.
Her numerous gifts of fortune and endowments of
n-4ure, however, did not shield her from danger;
ou the contrary, she was exposed ,to all sorts of
annoyances and vexations. Her father was a kind
and devoted parent, but he had not sufficient
judgment to enable him to be of much service to
his daughter. Considering the perilous position
in which she was placed, the' Baronefis Umfraville
was singularly fortunate in her general-, fate, al-
though' in .some particular instances, when, her
name was circulated abroad with ridiculous ru-
mours attached to it, she might have exclaimed,
"Then, happy low, lie down." Many different
characters appear in the several scenes of social life
to which we are introduced, and some of them are
described with great vigour. Sir Luttrell Wycher-
ley is a most disagreeable person--one `particularly
suited to poison the atmosphere of, the circle in
which he moved ; his talents were considerable
enough to give him an advantage,, of which he
availed himself unscrupulously to tyrannise over
others. He was meats and selfish to an inordi-
nate excess, and vain -to .-an extravagant degree.
Be was the bane of Lsdy Umfraville's existence ;
she found him alike incapable of taking hints or
receiving refusals ; nothing daunted him, and when
at last she repulsed him decidedly, he plotted un-
ceasing,iy to annoy her and avenge himself. His
final discomfiture and disgrace are .pleasing illus-
trations of retributive jus-.ice. He whose slander
had desolated so many homes was himself homeless ;
and he who had caused so many hearts to ache,
was himself a prey to tormenting reminiscences
and gnawing remorse. It is with pleasure that the
reader turns from him to the contemplation of the
character of the noble-minded Lord Rupert
Conway. H 9 does not appear very frequently on
the scene, but whatever is known of him is of that
genuine na4uie that stamps its possessor as a hero
of the highest order. He was worthy of being the
ideal of Lady Umfraville's thoughts amid the reali
ties she met with. The description of the tour-
nament is very exciting and interesting, and pre-
sents a decided novelty to the romance-reading
community. Lady Barnstaple is a very admirable
sketch of a fine lady, with her - airs and graces.
Evelyn Umfraville appears to advantage in the
striking contrast she presented to the vain 'woman
of the world, who asserted her claim to honours she
should have relinquished to those younger and
fairer than herself. Lady Umfraville gracefully gave
up her right, and acted as attendant where she
should have reigned as queen. Not that she was
the loser, as all appreciated her forbearance and
amiability, while- they , recognised her rival's as-
sumption and vanity. The hook is entirely de-
dicate(' to the chronicles of high life, and there are
many gay and sparkling scenes pictured before us,
enlivened by amusing conversations, and diversified
by romantic adventures. Lady Umfraville cared
for other things besides those brilliant reunions
inseparable from her station ; she valued rank at
its true ea.iniate, and prized beauty at its real
worth. She was an instance of how the highest
rank can be made subservient to the benefit of the
lowest who were connected with her, and an ex-
ample of the brightest beauty preferring to grace
the retirement of home, than to enter the fascina-
tions of the charmed circle who eagerly welconied
her with their homage and applause. It is satin-
' factory to find at the termination that Lady
Umfraville was united to Lord Rupert Conway, one
who was likely to' her mind upwards—from
the glitter and glamour that surrounded her state,
to the consideration of the intellectual, the noble,
and the exalted concerns that engrossed his
thoughts for ever. Althauli there are not many
events recorded in these pages, those who take an
interest in the study of character, and are pleased
with conversational novels, will find ample enter-
tainment for their fancy, and exercise for their
thouv,lits, in the perusal of the records of "Rank
and Beauty."

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94- -

11 --.13

Ot.Nrti,n.
E. Count.
Caldoniun.

4i ... 5

"Many who will read these pages have perhaps never
pasJed.within hospital walls, many tnore, if they have
done so, have paid their visit at appointed times when all
looked its best. But others as well as myself have learnt
our experience of hospital- work how more authentic
sources. We have lived in hospital wards, going there for
the parpose of prepariuc, ourselves—first, to undertake the
nursing of the poor at home, and again when about to pro-
ceed to the lki.st. - '

Do
Gt. Restn
Yk. New.
& Berw.
Y. &NM
Do

1104 - 106

Do
EARtOTT
Do

121 ifl
lfo —• lis

instructionsplaeciourseflrvoems utnhdemer,tahnettostphintaßlbneiunrgseps,oarseecseiseva-
ing" We
our
of no authority over them, were admitted behind the
scenes of hospital life; and what we saw theie—of dis-
obedience to medical orders and cruelty to patients—would
fill pages, and make them who read them shudder I shud-
der as we often have done when we saw some little innocent
child, who from some terrible accident had been brought
into the 'hospital, exposed to that a,mosphere of evil.
More evil was heard in one hour in a London hospital tkan
would meet one's ears during months passed in a militaty
one.

Peto & Co.

Norfolk
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'Raton k
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ifidld.Bra if.l
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Do. 6 tier et.
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Sluvws.&Her,
S. Staffordsh.
Wear Valleygr
6 per cent.,
Do
Wilt,OteAr.urst

92 - 94
--
56 -Fg

En. Conn.
E. Count.
Do

"One word must be said for the' bursas. Their work is
no light one. The founder of the Sisters of Charity deemed
that the attendance on all the loathsome diseases of man-
kind should exempt his daughters ftiiin practising any of
those austerities which are enforced on religious commu-
nities. It is no,easy task to b,ar with patience the end-
less fretfulness of hundreds of sicir, to listen to long com-
plaints with real sympathy, and speak soothing words whey
body and mina are alike worn. To stand by the sufferer
when about to undergo some fearful operation, to maintain
a cheerful spirit when the familiar sounds are those of
moans, of sufferings, or sharp cries of agony, while the
very atmosphere is impregnated with-disease. To be firm
in carrying out the doctor's couimaids when they are a
torture to the patients, and yet gentle and self-sacrificing
in all that concerns themselves. While watchful care
must be taken that familiarity with th,i sight and sound
of suffering does not bring that hardening to it which is
apt to creep over even a naturally tender nati,v, and which
is one great cause of the cruelty and neglect practised by
hospital nurses. No, a good nurse must receive every, new
case of affliction as though it were her first. Yet all this
and far more would be the portion of an hospital num.
Can any believe that the love of gain or Isere kindliness
of heart can accomplish this ? Generous impulses, enthu-
siasm, and benevolence, were called forth, by stirring so-
counts of the sufferings of our country's heroes, and bore
many forth to struggle through a time which, like that of
all passing distress, was one of great excitement ; but, the
spirit that can relinquish the fair things of this world to
attend upon the grievously afflicted —must be the one of
love springing from the sole desire to follow His steps, who
came not to be ministered unto, Lut to minister.'"

L.&N.NV.

45 - .47

I Gt Nerthn'
Lancash &
Yorkeh.
T. Brassey
M.MCloan
Stoat. &
Darlingt
Do

134 - 136

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3t 2P

31i 32}

lUtWestn.

We earnestly trust that this important question
will meet with speedy and careful consideration.
Meanwhile, to those who desire a simple and
plainly written record of what some of the Eng-
lish nurses saw and accomplished in the Eastern
hospitals, we comniet,id-these volumes, certain that
they will excite interest and Mind gratification,
less from their style than their subject, less from
the importance of the events narrated than from
their showing that the heroism of the battle-field
is not forgotten on the bed of suffering, and that
England has also hei Sisters of Charity, iu spirit,
if not in name.

Bechstein's Handbook of (thadnber and Gage Birds.
.•

Elited by H. G. Alains. Ward and -Loch.
To all thuse who keep feathered prisoners, this
little volume is an indispensable auxiliary. It is
edited by the author of many works on birds and
flowers, and is translated from the German of
Bechstein, " the greatest of authorities upon the
Natural History and Tieatm‘,mt of Cage Birds."
Every variety of songster appears to find a place in
these pages, which include those which are kept in
aviaries ; also parrots, macaws, and cockatoos.
Useful practical directions are given for their food
and treatment, and the owners of feathered favou-
rites cannot provide themselves with a more con-
venient and elegant manual.

The Westminster Review.
Mr. Motley's " IVie of the Dutch Republic," in
which the events of that memorable period during
which the United Provinces won their indepen-
dence, are, for the first time, fully and faithfully
recorded, is the sul ject of a highly eulogistic notice
in the present number. Tois s more than can 1 e
said of "The English L.i,vr of avorce," which is
dissected with a keen and merciless sca'pel, and its
injustice laid bare to public reprobation. "Scan-
dinavia, Past and Present," is the subjeCt of au
able historical review. Tne concluding paragraphs
are so apropos to present time that -we make
no apology for introducing them to our readers :
" Utiey who flatter theuiselves that by the present war
we have put a stop to.the aggressive career of Russia
can have read little of her history. She pauses now be-
o use she is playing a losing game, and foresees that
another campaign must make that game ruinous. She
pauses because she wants railways, and she frankly
avows it, that she may he able to bring her troops across
her vast surface to any point in a few days, and that,
during the p,ace which shall follow, be it longer r
shorter, she may fortify every part of her coasts with
tenfold strength. We hear what she is doing at this
moment at Cronstadt—putting do vn a triple row of
piles entirely across the Gulf of Finland, six miles from
Cronstadt, and twelve miles in length. At this work
she has 30,000 men employed, and hopes, if the ice
last, to finish it this year. Few openings are to be left
in the row of piles, and these can be closed at will, and
thus she hoasts that there her steam navy, already con-
sisting of 13 ships of the line and frigates, 14 corvettes,
and 70 gun-boats, shall ride in defiance of the world's
navies. These are such ominous prospects for Sweden
that she is also preparing to fortify the pert of Stock-
bolm.

Eastern Hospitals and English Nurses. By a
Lady Volunteer. 2 vols. Hurst and Blackett.
The subject of tliese volumes is one of almost
universal interest, and the fact of the writer having
been for twelve months a witness and partaker of
the scenes and labours she describes, will at once
arouse the attention and excite the sympathy of
the reader. SLie was one of the earliest bands of
nurses, one of those who went through all the
worst time of suffering, who was an attendant in
the hospital through those terrible months when
confusion and mismanagement reigned pre-emi-:
nent. The public are already acquainted with the
i main facts of this part of the narrative, how rou-
tine and reeulatious served only-to add to the dif-
ficulties, how ;things that were wanted were not
obtainable, how some mysterious obstacle generally
presented itself to convert abundance into scarcity,
how bales of goods containing necessaries most ear-
nestly desired were lost on their way, and all the
thousand methods in which the criminal neglect
and mismanagement of officials at home and abroad,
affected the comfort of the sick and suffering. To
those who wish to obtain a more accurate know-
ledge of what the little hand of nurses effected, the
difficulties they had to conteed with, and the pri-
vations and fatigues they had to undergo, and more
especially to the friends of those engaged in that
truly charitable work, these volumes will be highly
interesting. Notwithstanding all drawbackS, want
of experience, or strength sufficient for the fatigue,
want of sufficient assistance or authority, it is
fearful to think what would have been the condi-
tion of the hospitals, what the amount of neglected
suffering, without _tile presence of that self-devoted
baud. The universal' feeling of gratitude and
affection throughout the army towards them suffi-
ciently testifies to the success of their exertions.
The writer constantly alludes to the difficul-
ties occasioned by the misconduct of the hired
nurses, half of their number having to he
sent home in disgrace. The best of the re=
mainder, with one exception, required constant
watching, and could never be trusted to perform
any important service without the supervision of
one of the lady volunteers, or a Sister of Mercy.
Of these &sure de la Chlrite, as the French call
them, the author speaks most, highly, rendering
the strongest testiinnuy to their utririug patience,
energy, and devotion to their patients. . To the
patience and endurance of the sufferers also the
writer awards the highest praise :
" People have often spoken of the patience, courage, and
endurance of the sick in English hospitals. bat they have
only pain to endure, and doctors are busy to alleviate this,
and careful to give them all necessary comforts. It was in
the Eastern hospitals that the true heroism of patient
courage was pre-eminently displayed. We have attended
many hundreds of the ,-ick of the British army suffering
under every form of disease—the weary wasting of low
typhus fever or ciysentry, or the agony of frost biti—and
they were surrounded by every accumulation of misery.
For the fevered lips was there no cooling drink ; for the
sinking frame no strengthening food • for the sore limb no
soft pillow ; for many no watchful hands to help ; but
never did we hear a murmur pass those lips. We have
seen the brave and strong man laid low,- have seen him
watch death coming, and meet it calmly, for he died in
doing his duty. Oh ! that they who speak harshly of the
British soldier had been with those whose privilege it was
to nurse hitn—h.al'witriessed that wonderful spectacle of
the woe of the winter of 1854 and '55--had seen the
obedience to order, the respectful gratitude, the noble
qualities there aisplayed !"
" Sickness is sad at all times—sad is it to languish and
suffer on our soft English beds, with skilful physicians full
of anxiety, with tender nurses and loving friends, with
every comfort earth can give ; but only those who saw can
enter into the dreariness of those sick beds. It was so sad
to see them die one after another—we learned to love them
so—ever ringing in our ears seemed the anxious hopes and
I prayers of the fond hearts in England. The mother's only
I stay was there, r the loved husband or brother, and they
I were dying, not in the glory of the battle-field, but in these
dreary corri.lors. They who had fought so bravely suf-.
I ferea so nobly; they who, if they had lived, would have
been honoured by a nation's gratitude—they were passing
1 away by hundreds—no name would mark their graves, and
they would, save in the loving hearts of home, be soon
forgotten.
" No, not forgotten either. Surely when the tale of
that memorable winter shall be told, when future genera.
tions shall hear how they stormed at Alma, charged at
Baluklava, arid held their ground at Inkerman ; how they
resolutely waited before the walls of Sebastopol, till at
length the gallantly defended city yielded to her dauntless
foes—England will not forget those who shed their blood
for her sake, though no glory hovered round their death-
bed, save a ray from flis glory who first taught us to be
' obedient unto death.'"
Many are the interesting incidents and anecdotes
recorded, the little details of the laborious daily
lives of the attendants at the hopitals. It was at
Koulali that the chief part of the writer's duties
were performed. She, however, met and conversed
with Miss Nightingale, of whom she speaks in the
usual terms of respect and admiration. Some of the
Sisters of Mercy', and some of the lady nurses fell
victims to the severity of their labours and the in-
salubrity of the climate. Very touching is it to
read the record of the last hours of these, dying
far away from home and friends, with only strait
, gers near them, and of their hurried interment the
next day iu that distant country—
" But we cannot lament, their blessing is sure,
Who fought the good fight of the feeble and poor."
The writer's opinions on the question of hospital
nursing, both military and general, petkiess some
claims to attention. In the first place, she has
the important qualification of experience ; and
secondly, there is much truth and sense in her ob-
i servAtions, whiCh the reader will readily per-

" Let Rus43, then, complete her railways. Let her
be able to brill; down In a few days her countless hordes
from Tartary, Siberia, awl the very borders of China ;
let her once possess Drminark, command Hamburg,
Lubeck, and Brennen, the Eyder, the Weser, and the
Elbe, backed w,d supported, by sympathising Prussia, and
lesser German Sates ; and Europe will be prostrate at
her feet."

" Sunday in Great Britain" deals with the Sun-
day question in 'a ccanpreheusive and effective man-
ner. Tile writer intimates, as we have done, that
Luther's well-known sentence may come to be
deemed sound advice as well as doctrine if the
struggle is prolonged. "If anywhere," says that
sturdy reformer, 6. the day is male holy for the
mere day's sake ; if any one set up its observance
as a Jewish foundation, then I order you to work
on it, to ride on, it, to feast on it, to do anything that
shall remove the encroachment on Christian liberty."
Justin Martyr, iu the second century, and Calvin
and Crannier, as well as Luther, iu more modern
times, were opposed to Sabbatism. " The Con-
gress of Vienna," its members, objects, controver-
sies, compromises, 415 c., are all vividly presented
in a nervous and graphic article. " General Wil
hams and the Fall of Kars" is chiefly noticeable
for the insinuation it throws out that Lord Pan-
mure and the French Government are the parties
to whom the fall of Kars is really 'to be attributed.
The head of the War office, it is said, " should be
a soldier who bad directed great military opera-
tions in the field." Mr. Headlam's Bill is severely
handled in a slashing article, headed "Medical
Despotism." Tnesemainder of the number is de,
voted to minor notices of contemporary literature.
In a brief review of Macaulay's History an opinion
is hazarded with respect to the secret of his extra-
ordinary popularity. It is this : he possesses, as
SAM Slick would say, the art of " soft sawdering"
to perfection, and contrives to put his readers in
good terms with themselves and him, by impres-
sing the conviction on their minds of the vast
superiority of the present day (and, of course,
generation) over the past.

ST. MARTIN'S HALL.—A new oratorio, entitled
"Jephtha and his Daughter," was produced last even-
ing under the auspices of Mr. Hellah, who conducted
its performance. It is by Herr Cart Reinthaler, cf
Cologne, who has now visited. England for the first
time. Its announcement excited great .interest, and
drew a very crowded audience, including a host of our
musical notabilities, English and foreign. Mr. Hullah
bad evidentlV bestowed great care on its production,
and One execution on the whole was excellent. The
two principal part-,, Jephtha, and Miriam Ins daughter,
were sung by Mr Thomas and Madame Clara Novello ;
the subordinate solo parts were well sustained, and the
ocbestra and chorus were good and effective. The suc-
cess of tha T ertorrnance was complete. Many of the
airs and ea ruses were warmly applauded ; and the
composer, having been loudly called for, was brought
forward by Mr. Hullah, and greeted with repeated
cheers. A work of this character is not to be hastily
criticised on a silltgle hearing ; but its favourable recep-
tion will insure its repetition, and enable us to become
better acquainted with its merits. In the meantime we
may say that Herr Reinthaler is a composer of unques-
tionable genius, who has produced a work of no small
power and beauty. _

THE RIGHT OF MEN TO BEAT THEIR WIVES. —A
meeting of a somewhat extraordinary character was held
in the Town.hal, Leicester, on Monday night. The
handbills conveiimg it stated that di-. object was to con-
sider the laws relatve to the iirk,ection of women, acrd
that no men would be admitted, "excepting, of course,
gentlemen of the prete." At seven o'clock, the hour
narked in the b;".s, very few had assembled, but sub-
sequently the meeting numbered about 200. The Mae
jority were females of middle age, of the operatic-
claa, but iq general respectably attired. A Mrs. Wood-
ford was voted to the chair, and the principal sFellier
was .a Mrs. Wigfield, who made some really clever
speeches: The injustice of the existing laws, by which a
,woman is deprived of a'l control over her own earnings
and offspring, was vehemently denounced, and it was
unanimously resolved to support the motion of Sir E.
Perry for a revision of the marriage laws. A petition
to the House of Ctinmons, praying that it might be
adopted, was unanimously agreed to, and the proceed-
ings, which were conducted with great order and pro-
priety, terminated soon after nine 0 clock, by the singing
•of the national anthem. It was agreed, with one dis-
sentient, not to support Mr. Dillwyu's measure for in-
troducing flogging as a punishment for wife-beaters.

: ceivo :-
1
' " Attention bag been drawn towards the class of women
whose task- it is to nurse the of England. These pages
will in some degree show how unfitted they are for that
responsible office. For though'a military hospital was the
worst imaginable position in which to place them, yet