The Sun.
London, England, 1869-07-17 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY' EVENING, JULY 17, 1E69.

Trl2';3 QLDT,ST

Dog's Tar-----othsrwise known as Taringa Tfuri—ig, or
at any rats Wag §0 recently as February 15439, a landed
gentleman of New Zealand, residing at a village within
twenty miles of Wellington, When Eir (burp Bowen
visited him in the whiter, "ho was extremely feeble, but,
in common with his people, he exprested much gratifica,
tion at the visit." Why do we call attention to the elderly
New Zealander! Simply because we delight to recognise
in Dog's Ear that phenomenon which " we very often talk
about but very seldom see," the Oldest Inhabitant. The
whole modern history of New Zealand has transacted
itself within the compass of the worthy old gentleman's
life. To say that, when the first regular colonists landed
they found Dog's Ear ready to receive them, and that
Dog's Ear was even then a hoary patriarch, is to say
nothing. Living a healthy and active life in one of the
most beautiful climates on the globe, and fortunately
managing to escape being killed and eaten by his neigh-
bours, the aboriginal elder was one of those—it seems
incredible, but it is true--who had actually seen
Captain Cook ! Dog's Ear must have been a very
juvenile savage at that period ; but, after all,
Cook's last visit to New Zealand was in 1777,
only ninety-two years ego, so that if we assume
our friend to be now a hundred—be is said to be con-
siderably more—he must hate been a boy of 8 when he
saw the greatest of our discoverers. If we will but take
the trouble, then, to reflect that a man is still living who
knew the islands when there was not a single white upon
them, not even a solitary deserter from a whaler—if we
will only remember that in the lifetime of one native the
whole system of New Zealand has been turned upside
down, and the aborigines in great part dispossessed of
their land—it w:11 scarcely seem strange that there should
still be some trilling difficulties in that portion of her
Majesty's dominions.—Telegraph.

THE QUARTERLIES.

---.~ --

" The History of the English Bible," the title of the
first article in the London Quarterly Review, would be a
most interesting subject purely from the literary point of
view. Much more is it interesting when we remember the
relation in which this book stands to the religious educa-
tion of the world. A volume, whereof the newest portion
is nearly 1,800, and the oldest over 3,000, years old, may
well afford room for antiquarian research far greater than
has yet been bestowed upon it. "Methodism in Sweden"
opens up what is new ground. Sweden has always
taken a somewhat eccentric part in religious matters.
Strongly Erastian, the Swedish Church has been
intolerant to the last degree of Catholicism, but
tolerant of all diversities within the compass of
Protestantism. Thus it came to pass that the
Swedish Wesley, Rosenius, and his friend the English
Methodist Scott were, on the whole, well treated in Sweden,
even by the high dignitaries of the Church. Rosenius died
less than eighteen months ago, a little over 50 years of age.
" Robert Browning and the Epic of Psychology" is a
careful criticism of Browning's works generally, but more
particularly of " The Ring and the Book." The reviewer
places Browning on a higher level than Tennyson, because
the Psychological is a higher form of poetry than the
Idyllic. He considers Browning to be essentially a
dramatic poet, even though none of his pieces may be
thought fit for the stage by theatre managers or theatre-
goers. Of Browning's latest poem he says that Pompilia
will take rank among the highest of the great
women of art. " Cosmogony" is the title of a very able
article, in which it is shown how the Mosaic account of
the creation of the world may be perfectly compatible
with the discoveries of modern science. The writer
upholds the theory that the earth was once, as the moon
is now, a confused chaotic mass on one side. Before the
Mosaic creatiokthe earth was stationary, and was divisible
into two parts, one of which was desert and dry, the
other a deep with darkness resting upon it ; that deep
was stored with life, and the globe received in rapid suc-
cession its present rotation, atmospheric condition, distri-
bution of land and water, the commencement of its new
flora, the signs of the firmament, and the commencement
of its new fauna. The Reports of the Registrar-General
gave an opportunity for a protest against the practical
Darwinism which would decline to mitigate infant mor-
tality lest a feeble race should be preserved to beget one
still feebler. The books by Mr. Stern, Mr. Rassam, Mr.
Markham, and Mr. Acton afford an opportunity for a
consecutive and condensed narrative of the Abyssinian
expedition. "Modern Judaism and Christianity" is the
title of an article upon two books written by Jews—
Rodrigues, of Paris, and Dr. Adler, of London—in order
to controvert Christianity. To those persons who care to
know what modern Jews think of our religion, this article
will be full of interest. The article on Norway describes
the physical features of the country, the social condition
of the people, the laws, the institutions, and the history of
Norway, and also the mode of travelling in that country.
The following passage describes the most prominent
physical features :
" We have spoken of Norway as the land of the Fjord,
the Foss, and the Fjeld. These are its most striking
•• physical features. They are, moreover, intimately con-
nected together. They are successive steles in the
world's great altar-stairs," that lead' not indeed
' through darkness,' but through beauty, `up to God.'
The traveller makes his first acquaintance with Norway
as he threads the mazes of the Fjord. Perchance it will
happen to him, as it happened to the writer, to enter one
of these mazes when the crimson-dyed horizon was glowing
into burnished gold, when the intense brilliance of the
twilight, that was neither wholly sunset nor wholly dawn,
but partook of the beauty of both, flooded the whole
northern and western sky, while, far away, in the south-
east the tull-orbed moon shone with metallic lustre ; when
the gentle breeze of summer came borne with a sigh from
this enchanted-seeming land, and laden with the sweet
fragrance of its dark pine forests ; when the very idea of
sleep seemed a sin, and every sense was aroused into new
and quickened life by the magnificent apotheosis of
colour, so infinitely beyond the power of imagination to
conceive. Should it be one of the principal fjords, the
traveller will have to pass the greater part of the day
before he comes to the head of it. Arrived there, perhaps
a hundred miles from the entrance, he will find a river
roaring and tumbling into the fjord over great boulders of
rocks. A mile or two farther on he will reach the shores
of a wide fresh-water lake, a Yand,' shut in by lofty
mountains. The vand is some hundreds of feet above the
fjord, which is of course on the level of the sea. But
beyond the vand there is usually a very rapid ascent. It
f is, nevertheless, a long as well as a steep climb to the
mountain tops. Arrived there, after, it may be, more
than a day's journey, the traveller finds himself, not on a
peak or a ridge, but a wide waste of gently undulating
moorland ; this is the fjeld, the reservoir of all those
streams which he saw pouring down the mountain side as
he journeyed up the fjord. Wittich has aptly contrasted
Norway with Switzerland. The mountains in the latter
country he compares to a ridge and furrow roof ; the
mountains in the former to the embrasures of a parapet.
The chief difference between them lies in the enormous
• snow fields of Norway. There is no parallel in Switzer-
land to the Folgefond. These extensive table-lands,
whether on the lower level of the fjelds, or on the higher
level of the snow fields, will not, however, compare for
beauty with the views even from the minor elevations of
Switzerland. There is not in all Norway a mountain
, view to be compared with that from the Itighi, still less
with that from the zEg,gischhorn, least of all with that from
any of the mountain peaks in the Monte Rosa district.
lii another particular Switzerland carries off the palm ;
the clnilet is infinitely more pictures tie than the sitter.
The sister can lie compared only with the Irish cabin as it
used to be in the worst days before the exodus. Yet here
in this rude but of earth and stone, with no furniture but
one three-leEged stool and a box, which, being lined with
hay, is called a bed. the peasant girls pass the brief Nor-
; wegian summer, and spend their time to such good pur-
pese, that when the first frosts come with the departure
of August, they have laid up a store of butter and cheese
that would move the envy of the dairy woman in the
fertile vale of Taunton."

PARLI.XIIENTARY SKETCHES.

lIOUSE Or COMMON, THURSDAY NIGHT.

In spite of the heat which prevailed this afternoon, the
summonses issued early in the week by the Whips of both
parties were answered with commendable alacrity by hon.
members. By a quarter-past four o'clock—the time
at which the usual baiting of Ministers now commences—
not only every seat on the floor of the House, but
also the spacious galleries above, were crowded with
members anxious to slew their continued interest in the
bill for the disestablishment of the Irish Church.
Although we had arrived at the middle of July—when, as
i% rule, our legislators are preparing to pack up and rush
out of London—no signof languor was visible on the coun-
tenances of members. Indeed it was quite refreshing, after
the dulness of the recent debates on the Bankruptcy Bill
and the Contagious Diseases Bill, to see them come
up to the scratch in such a business-like condition. White
hats and vests were all the rage, whilst a flower in the
coat button-hole appears to become more popular every
year. The Peers' Gallery was not so full as on
March 1, when Mr. Gladstone first introduced
the bill to the notice of the 11)050. Prince
Christian occupied a seat immediately over the clock, and
stayed until the first division was taken. Earl Granville,
the Duke of Argyll, and Lord Penzance were also wit-
nesses of the scene below, but neither of these noble lords
thought it worth while to linger long after the Premier
had stated the intentions of the Government.

Mr. Gladstone entered the House in his usual manner,
by slipping in behind the Speaker's chair; but he was
speedily observed by the members who crowded the
Liberal benches, and a ringing cheer proclaimed the
unabated confidence of the party in their leader. At
five minutes to five the Prime Minister rose amidst
another hearty outburst of applause, which lasted several
seconds. This speedily gave way to laughter when it was
noticed that Mr. Hadfield wished to present a petition
from She field against the Lords' amendments. The venerable
member, who always takes his seat on the back bench
immediately behind Ministers, began to read the
terms of the petition amid signs of impatience from the
Opposition, followed by ironical cheering from some
Liberals. This scene, however, was soon ended, and
then Mr. Gladstone rose for the second time
to state the views of the Ministry. Much to
the surprise of everybody, the right lion. gentleman did
not trouble the House but a few minutes, and his speech
may be summed up in three words—short, sharp, and
decisive. Nothing could be more effective than the terse
manner in which he announced his disagreement to the
majority of the amendments passed by the Upper House
—the cheering which followed each declaration sheaving
most conclusively that he could with confidence rely on his
monster majority to back him up in the conflict then being
commenced with the Lords.

When Mr. Gladstone sat down, Mr. Disraeli rose amid
a spontaneous cheer from the Opposition benches. But
the right honourable gentleman was evidently ill at
ease, and floundered more than usual in his efforts
to criticise the policy of the GJvernment. Once or
twice his remarks were treated with absolute derision by
the Liberal members, and after the first cheer he
could not work up the feelings of his own followers
to any degree of enthusiasm whatever. The coldness
evinced towards him seemed to have had the effect of
considerably shortening the length of his effusion ;
for he sat down with a certain degree of abruptness. The
Premier once more appeared on the scene, and moved the
rejection of the Lords' amendment to the preamble. lie
occupied three-quarters of an hour in stating his reasons
for this course ; at the same time he took the opportunity
of explainin away certain objections to the proposed dis-
posal of the surplus. The majority of the members wished
to divide the house when Mr. Gladstone sat down, but
amid a shout of " 'Vide ! 'Vide !" Mr. Newdegate persisted
in hoisting the flag of mutiny against the speech of his
leader. Mr. Cross—Mr. Gladstone's victorious opponent
in South-west Lancashire—confessed himself in a dilemma
as to how he should vote, but he was extricated from
his difficulty by Sir George Grey, who boldly announced
himself in favour of concurrent endowment. Dr. Ball's
pointed allusion to Mr. Bright's letter written seventeen
years ago, brought up the President of the Board of
Trade, a.nd in a speech delivered in his usual bold.style, he

declared that he was bound to give way to puTYI:c
which had been so energetically expressed against the
scheme he suggested in 1852.
After the speech of Mr. Bright, the House appeared to
be determined to take a division, and the tumult doting
the time that Mr. Cawley attempted to speak was
such as to indicate that it would be useless
for any other speaker to rise. When he sat
down, the roars of " 'Vide!" "'Vide!" "'Vide!„
were deafening, but suddenly the storm was hushed to a
perfect calm. Had the Speaker risen to put the ques-
tion? No ; but a member, not on, but behind, the
Government bench, quietly rose, and, without the least
ostentation, made known his desire to address the House.
No other member would have been regarded at that moment
but Sir Roundel' Palmer. It was felt that he had earned
his right to unusual respect by an unusual sacrifice
of place to principle. For the next ten minutes
not a sound was heard but the clear tones of
Sir Roundell's voice. It was one of the most
striking and spontaneous expressions of general respect
ever manifested in the House of Commons. When the
hands of the clock were nearing eight, it was certainly a
stretch of the imagination on Mr. Staveley Hill's part to
think that the House would patiently listen to his pro-
tests. He was howled down on all aides, and it was only
through respect for his honest convictions that Mr.
Gathorne Hardy was allowed to say a few words in reply
to Mr. Newdegate.

The division was then called, the House being so full
that it took twenty-five minutes from the time the
Speaker put the question until Mr. Glyn announced the
numbers. The Liberals appeared gratified at having the
swinging majority of 124 pronounced in their favour, but
they took their victory with a certain degree of
moderation. Many members then rushed off to dinner,
having been kept an hour and a half after their usual
time. After a passage of arms between Mr. Gathorne
Hardy and the Speaker on a point of order, and a boast
on the part of Mr. Fawcett that he was the only Liberal
member who objected to the Ministerial plan of disposing of
the surplus, another division was called shewing a majority
of 82 against the amendment of Lord Cairns. Mr. Charley
afterwards diversified the proceedings by a violent per-
sonalattackonMr. Wadstone, which drew down upon him a
severe rebuke from the Speaker. Throughout the evening
the Liberal Whips held their forces well in hand, and as
each division was taken the majorities in favour of
Ministers were so overwhelming that it vs as felt by many
Conservative members a waste of time to challenge the
decisions of the Government.

MISCELLANEOUS NEWS.

THE PROTEST OF THE PEERS.

Forty-seven peers have signed a protest against
the third reading of the Irish Church Bill. Eigh'
reasons are given, but two of the peers, the Duke of
Marlborough and Lord Cairns, do not agree with the
sixth reason, which is the impossibility of forming a
disestablished and disendowed Church in Ireland
that will be able to cope with the Church of Rome.
Only two of the bishops, Dr. Selwyn, of Lichfield,
and Dr. Bernard, of Tuam, are to be found among
the 47. •

The Times, writing on this protest, vdvises the
Peers to be content with protesting, and to pass the
bill. Otherwise they will place themselves in a posi-
tion which will in a serious collision between
the two Houses. In other words, the Times is
s lying to-day exactly what was said by its contem-
poraries a fortnight ago.

- The Adren'iser thinks that the Lords cannot ac-
cept the bill as it will be sent back to them, without
sini:ing in the estimation of the country to a depth
so IoW that there could be no lower depth. It
believes that the bill will not pass this sesion. What
the Lords are to do next sersion our contemporary
does not explain. The Daily News sounds a note of
warning, and tells the Peers that the country is very
seriously considering their position, and is rapidly
coming to the conviction that the maintenance of
the Upper House in its present form is impossible.