The Sun.
London, England, 1869-10-22 00:00:00

" Write me as one that loved his fellow-men."

Mr. S. C.

Hall, Mr. Townshend Mayer, and Mr. 011ier, have been
most energetic in getting up the memorial, and the last of
these is about to edit a cheap volume selected from
Leigh Hunt's works, and called "A Tale for the Chimney
Corner, and other Essays." Mr. Hotten is to be the pub-
lishe r. Hunt rests in the same burial ground as Thackeray,
Leech, and Hood.

Yesterday I paid a brief visit to the United Kingdom
Union Bazaar at the Agricultural Hall, Islington. The
pecuniary results of the undertaking are likely to satisfy
the most sanguine of its promoters. Over £2OO was taken
on the first day. The bazaar was to have been inaugurated
by the Earl of Shaftesbury. The public, however, lost the
advantage of a speech from the Earl, for he was unable to
fnlfil his engagement, but they were treated to one from
Mrs. Balfour, with which they appeared to be quite satis-
fied. Last night there was a concert at the hall, in which
1,000 of the children of the Band of Hope Union took
part.

Letters from India tell me that the agitation about the
Duke of Edinburgh's visit has greatly subsided. This is
well, for exaggerated expectations are certain to be disap-
pointed. The great durbar at Agra is abandoned for
financial reasons. There has been another season of
scarcity caused by the drought, and cholera has been raging
violently. There will, in all probability, be a serious deficit
in Indian finance, and it is thought that this is
not the time for spending the public money in costly fes-
tivities. For the same reason Sir Donald Macleod, Lieu-
tenant-Governor of the Punjab, has, I believe, given up his
intended journey into Cashmere. His term of office is fast
drawing to a close, and it is probable that he will be suc-
ceeded by Sir Richard Temple.

Perhaps the most interesting literary event of the day is
the appearance of tho North British Quarterly Review
under the editorship of no less a person than Sir John
Acton. This review was started twenty-five years ago by
Dr. Chalmers, as the organ of the Free Church of Scot-
land. Yet he would not confine himself to the members
of that communion, but sought the aid of Mr. Carlyle, Mr.
Morell, and other distinguished writers. After his death
men as different as Mr. W. R Greg, Canon Kingsley, Dean
Mansel, Mr. De Morgan, Mr. Herbert Spencer, Principal
Tulloch, Mr. Nassau Senior, and Mr. Isaac Taylor, wrote for
it. The last-named gentleman gave great offence to the Free
Churchmen, and they drove out him and other of the
principal writers. The Review was made thoroughly
sectarian, and consequently nearly expired. It was pur-
chased by Messrs. Edmonstone and Douglas, who engaged
the assistance of Dean Stanley, Mr. Mark Pattison (one
of the writers of "Essays and Reviews "), Mr. James Han-
nay, Mr. Grant Duff, Dr. Brown, author of "Rab and his
Friends," and Professor Shairp, whose admirable article
on Keble attracted so much attention. The editor, until
lately, was a gentleman not much known outside the circle
of his own friends. He now gives place to Sir John
Acton, the well-known Liberal Roman Catholic, whose
Home and Foreign Review and whose Chronicle called down
the wrath of the Vatican. Another interesting incident
is the approaching publication of a second letter to Arch-
bishop Manning by Mr. Edmund Ffoulkes. A third is the
republication of Alban Butler's " Lives of the Saints," by
Mr. Hotten. It is to be splendidly illuminated, and will
contain fifty full-page miniatures. The book is to be
published at seven guineas. Another work of great
impc rtance, too kng delayed, is now, I believe, actually
in type, and will, I hope, shortly see the light. I refer to
the Speaker's Commentary on the Bible, whereof Canon
Cook is the editor. Sir Charles Dilke, whose visit to
Russia I have already mentioned, is writing on the eman-
cipation of the serf. As I mentioned before, his work will
not be ready for several months, and it is probable that he
will pay another visit to Russia next autumn. Sir Edward
Creasy has been to Ceylon, and is about to publish a novel.
Dr. Moberly has just published a volume of " Brightstone
Sermons." Dr. F. G. Lee's work on the validity of English
orders has just been published, and contains 330 pages. The
Countess Guiccioli is writing the life of her eccentric
husband, the Marquis de Boissy, the Anglophobist. The
brother of the late Sir George Lewis is editing the letters
of that statesman. A new comic paper, Punch and Judy,
has been issued, and is illustrated by the graphotype pro-
cess ; and Messrs. Shrimpton of Oxford announce for the
26th the first number of a shilling magazine, The Oxford
University Magazine and Review, which is to advocate no
political or religious party. The first edition of Mr.
Murray's new paper, the Academy, amounted to no fewer
than 16,000 copies ; a second edition has been published.
The statement that Mrs. Stowe's reply on the Byron con-
troversy will appear in the next number of Macmillan's
Magazine is untrue. It will not be published for some time.
The statement that Dr. George Macdonald has become
editor of Good Words is also erroneous. It is Good Words
for the Young that he is managing. Dr. Macdonald is pecu-
liarly fitted for his now post, as everyone who knows his
faculty for telling stories to his large family of young
children will acknowledge. Dr. Deutsch is the author of
the article on Islamism in the new number of the Quar-
terly. Yesterday a new Church paper, the Church Herald,
was published. It is to be the organ of Conservative
Churchmen. Mr. Russell, formerly editor of the Morning
Star, has gone to the Liverpool Post, and gets £l,OOO a year,
and £l,OOO down should the engagement be terminated by
Mr. IVhitty's (the proprietor's) death.

While I write Lord Derby is still living, though Lon-
doners, with their rage for betting on every conceivable
matter, from crawling maggots to a dying statesman, are
laying odds that he will not see to-morrow. The Weekly
Despatch of last Sunday said that in all probability the
Earl would be dead before the paper was printed, so his
biography was given, and he was spoken of in the past
tense. The Times announced the ex-Premier's death in its
"stop-press" edition.
I have just seen a letter from the illustrious Count
Blontalembert, in which he says that his " sad state makes
no improvement." He is too weak to do more than sign
the letter.

MISCELLANEOUS NEWS.

REFUSAL OF THE GOVERNMENT TO RELEASE TILE

FENIAN PRISONERS.

The question of letting loose the incarcerated
patriots may now be considered as settled. Mr. Glad-
stone has addressed a letter to the Secretary of the
Limerick Amnesty Association, which seems to
express the final intention of the Ministry. The
Premier states that the Government have carefully
considered the various memorials for the release of
the Fenian prisoners, and it is their decided conclu-
sion that to advise the release of the prisoners would
be contrary to their duty as guardians of the public
security and peace. This decision will give intense
disappointment to the Irish, who have agitated
for the release of the Fenians with a fervour
surpassing oven the demonstrations in favour
of tenant right. The tens of thousands
who crowded to the meetings in all parts of Ireland
undoubtedly represented a large section of the Irish
people. They miglit jultly claim to be heard ; but
the suppression of Fenianiau is an Imperial, not an
Irish question. The friends of the imprisoned men
must remember that even if they can claim the
majority in Ireland, they arc in a great minority in
the whole kingdom.