The Sun.
London, England, 1869-09-06 00:00:00

ART AND LITERARY GOSSIP,

Messrs. Cassell, Petter, and Galpin, are about to
publish a new serial work, entitled " Cassell's House boll
Guide." It will embrace every department of domestic
and social economy.—During a stay in Normandy
Miss Neilson has given readings from the Eng-
lish poetsin Dieppe and iu Etretat. Tennyson's " Charge
of the Light Brigade " caused a profound sensation.—
A new comic paper will shortly be published, conducted
by Mr. Robert Abraham, late editor of Judy, who will be
assisted by some of the principal members of the last-
named journal.—Messrs. Moxon and Co. are publishing
a uniform edition of the works of Thomas Hood. It will
consist of thirty-six monthly parts at ls., and eight
quarterly vols., at ss. each.—lt is not often that a school
can boast of a more brilliant list of scholars than the follow.
ing individuals, who were the late Dean Waddington's con-
temporaries at the Charterhouse in 180 S-11 :—Sir C. Cres-
well, Sir C. G. Young (Garter King-at-Arms),Archdeacon
Hale, Archdeacon Hare, the two Havelocks (Colonel
William and Sir Henry), Mr. George Grote, and Bishop
Thirlwall.—A new operatic burlesque by Mr. Alfred
Thompson—the plot being that of " Linda di Cha-
mounix "—will shortlybe produced at the Gaiety Theatre.
—The publication of Now-a-Days, a journal which
numbers some able contributors, and is devoted to the
interests of women, is deferred till the Ist of December.
The magazine will then be enlarged.--'the Broadway and
the North British Review have changed their editors.
—The tenor, M. Michet, goes to New Orleans
for six months, in return for 72,000 francs.—
Mr. Jefferson's "Rip Van Winkle " has so delighted his
countrymen that he is asked to build a theatre of his own,
and go on acting Rip for thirty years. The Lydia
Thomson troupe of "blonde burlesquers" cleared 75,000
dole. in forty-five representations in New York. The
grave Philadelphians do not like their coming.
—Workmen have succeeded in effacing the black
stains on M. Carpeaux's group of statuary in Paris.—
Miss Cushman, the great tragedienne, is lying dangerously
ill at Edinburgh. Sir James Simpson and Professor
Spence are in constant attendance.—Mr. W. S. Gilbert
is writing a burlesque for the Gaiety Theatre.— The
Musical Standard says :—Miss Minnie Hauck has
entered into an engagement with M. Merelli to sins
at Moscow.— Mr. S. B. Mills, an American composer,
has just finished a grand oratorio in four parts.—Rubin-
stein has just composed a grand cantata, entitled "The
Tower of Babel," which will be executed for the first time
at Konigsburg. At Vienna during next winter one of
his oratorios, " Paradise Lost," will be performed.—
Apropos of Mrs. Beecher Stowe's fantasies about Byron,
it may be mentioned that the Countess Ratazzi (Princess
de Sohuss) is occupied in writing the words and music
of au opera, entitled " Byron," describing the career of
the great poet.

Mr. Murphy is creating great excitement at Market
Ilarborough just now. There have been slight riots; he
himself has been mobbed.

The Sheffield papers give great prominence to tit,
statement that the Duke of Norfolk has given £l,OOO to lb,.
Sheffield Infirmary.

The number of volunteers who have already
announced their intention of being present at the
Belgian f6tes exceeds 1,000. The time for closing the
lists has been extended to Saturday next.

On Saturday afternoon the skiff race for £2O,
between Stephen Renforth, brother to the champion, and
Hugh Minnigan, both of Newcastle, took place on the
Tyne, from the High Level Bridge to the Meadows
House, and resulted in Minnigan winning easily by five
lengths.

It is just made public that Lord Stanley has bee!.
a. member of the Financial Reform Association. He has just
been applied b for his subscription, however, and seems to
have forgotten all al out his connection with it. He i eplies t' ,:t
ho will pay up; tut th,,y must take his tame off immod'-
ately, as he does not agreo with the policy which the society
advocates.

There is happily a prospect that the Cott:lies,
d'Alteyrac's scandal will to set at rest by an arranceinew
between tho countess and her creditors. The countess ha:
offered to compromise with her creditorz, and is iu a position
to make a composit'on. An early elhy lea been appintut!
for a meeting of the parties interested. Jt is thought
them will be a unanimity of opinion as to the accoptal)ilit:,
of the tot mi.

Money is being subscribed in the county of Gal
way for the defence of the prisoner Barrett, who is to b
tried at a special commission for firing at Captain Lambert.
A "Barrett defence fund" has been started, and a public•
concert given in Galway by a temperance society in its
aid, Barrett's solicitor, according to a local paper, protests
against this method of raising funds, and recommends the
prisoner to apply to the Government for the aid of counsel.
A feast of fat men has been held at Norwalk,
Connecticut. One hundred and forty of the greatest men
of New England and the adjoining States, assembled for
running, jumping, and wrestling matches, and trials of
strength. All the 140 weighed over 200 pounds, and
several of them more than 300 pound. They were all
weighed, and Mr. John A. P. Fisk, of New York,
attained the glory of being the heaviest, weighing 358
pounds, and was, consequently, elected president for the
ensuing year. Mr. Lincoln, of Springfield, came next with
329 pounds, and was elected vice president.

A CORONER'S JURY'S VERDlCT.—Although "trial
by jury" is looked upon as one of the most valuable
safe guards of public liberty, the verdicts given by
jurors are frequently calculated to bring the " institu-
tion" into contempt. In this class will probably be
reckoned the verdict of a jury on Friday at Colney-
hatch on a lunatic who was found self-strangled
and dead in the asylum at that place, viz., "Death
from fatty degeneration of the heart, accelerated by the
deceased having strangled herself
The Advertiser and Times, Oswego, N.Y., says
"We saw a novel experiment involving the explosive
power of gas. In the new tank excavation, now in a
forward state, at the gas works in this city, an old well
had been pumped out and then filled up, after leaving an
aperture benc.th. Into this space a limited quantity of
gas was introdiced from the gas pipe, sufficient to form
an explosive co.npound with the air in the covered well.
A match trigg( r touched off the mine, when a general
upheaving of th surrounding earth took place, loosening-
up the soil and waking easier digging."
FAGGOT VOTES IN SCOTLAND.—Notwithstanding
the discussion in last session of Parliament it would appear
that the practice of creating faggot voters is not yet dis-
continued. In tho roll for the county of Edinburgh, just
compiled, nine new names appear as "joint proprietors" of
one place in WestiVynd, Dalkeith, and three as j ointproprie
tors!of another small house in Plummer's close. Of these the
majority are resid( nt in Edinburgh. Other non-resident joint
proprietors and lif e-renters have been enrolled on properties
iu Dalkeith, South Leith, Duddingstone, &c., the whole
number thus enr)llect being upwards of twenty. The in-
troduction of such a class of nominal proprietors, on
whichever side it,is practised, cannot be too strongly repro-
bated, and we are much surprised to find that any further
creations of this kind have been attempted. The creation
of these new voters cannot fail to attract notice in next
session of Parliament, and will, we trust, resultin measures
being taken to render their continuance impossible.—
London Scotsman.

AN EARL ON PATRONAGE AND TIIE IRISH
CHURCH.—The Earl of Mountcashcll has addressed a
letter to the Daily Express on the subject of Church
patronage, apropos of the Duke of St. Albans' letter to
the parishioners of Redbourne. Lord Mountcashell
saye',that several years ago, when the vicarage of
Kirconriola, better known as Ballymena, became
vacant, he
.adopted a course similar to that just
adopted by the s Duke of St. Albans. "Having studied
Church history,' the noble lord adds, "I, more than
forty years ago, came ici‘flio conclusion that the patrons
of benefices in the Church, no matter by what means they
name to he such, are nothing more or less than trustees for
the religious welfare of the parishioners." He believes
:hat in the early centuries of Christianity the sale of
,ivings, and " the disposal, for filthy lucre, to unscrupu-
lous aspirants of the spiritual care of parishes and congre-
gations," would have been stigmatised as simony. He
believeithat the practice had its origin in the Italian Church
of Rome,. and that at the time of the Reformation
.zircumstances occured to prevent its being abolished.
by a very natural transition Lord Mounteashel proceeds
consider the claims of those lay patrons who are to re-
ceive compensation for the loss of patronage inflicted by
the Irish Church Act. How far they have a right to ap-
propriate these moneys to their private use ho leaves to
the decision of their own consciences, but he suggests that
the whole ought to be devoted " towards making up for
the heavy losses to the Church and clergy" which the
political and religious enemies" of Irish Churehmeti havo
AIWA.