The Sun.
London, England, 1860-02-16 00:00:00

.a ble quantity is shipped annually to Rolland (a portion of ft 1 vision till near the end of his life. In decision he was quick
probably in transit to Belgium and Germany) ; Australia 1 and unhesitating, as was needful in one the success of whose
is an increasing consumer; the -United States take a yearly enterprises was liable to be affected by circumstances often
supply ; Singhalese coffee has been sent to South America ; changing with every hour : in his opinions somewhat posi-
Calcutta and Madras received it from Colombo, and even bye and peremptory, as was not strange in a commander
the Arabian and Persian races have, in recent years, been of 100,000 men ; if he was occasionally hasty in exprei-
transferring their taste from the berry of Mocha, to that of sion it was pardonable in ono loaded with so naany cares
Malabar and Ceylon. and annoyed by so many blunders; yet in the moments
An agreeable variety is presented in the reccollec-
of his sharpest irritation, and even on occasions of settled
tions of the travels in the Northern Forests to the displeasure,utt he was ev,eransious as far as possible to avoid
hu
rting the feelingseveryallowance
o f those
time passed in the South ; and this division, if not it; maketoong wforasll
faults
whichmisconduct h had
proceeded excited
perhaps containing such striking sketches as some from any source but a deliberate contempt for the rules and
of the others, possesses, nevertheless, undoubted discipline of the service; and ever ingenious in finding rea-
merits of its own, particularly in the details of the sons for blaming himself rather than others. Exercising a
wel-ordered mostt constant and liberal hospitality, at
Veddahs, who are the aborigines of Ceylon, whoetynahtTooursewn unwaifftehetheidsfroainlic_eressshoef
de.be-
have withdrawn into the wilds to avoid their in- suchuiishe d timesa
ll o
constrainti'rl private
vaders, and they present a living instance of the meanour, naturally indeed loading the conversation, but
state of the islanders as described in the Mahe- more because ho was the ablest and best informed man at
wanso. The civil service of Ceylon has been orga-
his table than because he was the commander ; sharing
nised on the model of that of India, but it freely in all the jokes and mirth of ball, banquet, or hunt-
ing-field, yet at the
same time preserving always that dig-
it not successful, as is here remarked :—" Like nity of character that
the miniature oaks which the Chinese can with him."
raise in a flower-pot, the dwarfed plant As an instance of his well-known coolness and
had every characteristic of the great tree except courage the following anecdote is interesting. It
its strength and solidity." Tho civil servants relates to the rare circumstance of his being struck
present but few specimens of great ability, and by a musket ball at the battle of Orthes, when he
this was owing in some measure to the perni- was knocked from his horse insensible, and Gene-
cious system of " promotion by mere seniority." ral Alava thought he was killed :
The Earl of Derby, in 1845, "impressed with the "A minute or two Mere ho and General Alava had met
necessity for a remedy, directed merit instead of a Portuguese soldier returning from the front, who gave as
seniority to be the basis for promotion." It is his excuse that he was ' offendido,' slightly hurt. The
said that there is no reason to doubt the ulti- Duke, to whom the expression was now, was laughing at
mate success of this experiment; and the recent it when he fell; and when h© recovered, and saw his
Spanish friend standing over him in a state of evident
revision of salaries has also ameliorated the pro- anxiety and alarm, ho reassured him, saying, ' only
spects of the servants of the civil service. In offendido.'"
concluding an excellent resume of Modern His- The second volume records the important, but
tory, the author makes the following observations less successful career of the great warrior as a
on the English policy in Ceylon : statesman. It was natural enough that he
When the English landed in Ceylon in 1796, there was who had so long been the almost despotic
not in the whole island a single practicable.road, and troops,
ruler of such vast bodies of men, conscious
on their toilsome marches between the fortresses on the
coast, dragged their cannon through deep sands along the of his own superiority to all around him,
shore. Before Sir Edward Barnes resigned his govern- and of the full possession of the confidence of the
ment, every town of importance was approached by a car- country, should be totally unfitted for the position
riage road; and the leng desired highway from sea to sea, of civil minister in the constitutional Government
to connect Colombo and Trincomalie, was commenced.
of a free people. But his present biographer is
Civil organisation has since been matured with equal suc-
cess domestic slavery has been abolished, religious die- equally unfitted to be an impartial chronicler of
qualifications removed, compulsory labour abandoned, a that stormy time. He evidently shares a great part
charter of justice promulgated, a legislative council esta- of his hero's prejudices. The Reform agitation he
blished, trading monopolies extinguished, commerce encour-
aged in its utmost freedom, and the mountain forests felled speaks
to make way for plantations of coffee, whose exuberant pro- which few even of its strenuous opponents of that
duce is already more than sufficient for the consumption of day would now coincide in. The part which the
the British empire. great Duke of Wellington took on this question is,
By the Singhalese of the maritime provinces, long familiar unfortunately, familiar to most of us, as is also the
with the energy and enterpriso of Europeans, these results shameful manner in which the national services of
are regarded with satisfaction. But the Kandyans, brought the
general were forgotten by the crowd in the
into more recent contact with civilisation, look on with un-
easy surprise at the effect it is producing. The silence of errors of the statesman. But it is absurd for the
their mountain solitudes has been broken by the din of in- author to endeavour to carry out the Duke's direful
dustry, and the seclusion of their villages invaded by bands prophecies and gloomy anticipations as to the passing
of hired labourers from the Indian coast. Their ancient of the measure. He says, after treating of this
habits have been interrupted and their prejudices startled ; subiect
and a generation may pass away before the people become ~ , that "the quarter of a century which has
familiar or their headmen reconciled to the change. But elapsed since the enactment of the Reform Bill has
the blessings of peaceful order, the mild influence o educa- seen no less than eleven different Administrations,
tion, and the gradual influx of wealth, will not fail to pro- six of which have been in office during the last
duce their accustomed results; and the mountaineers of seven years," forgetting that a few chapters before,
Ceylon will, at no distant day, share with the lowlanders in
he had said, in defence of the repeal of the Test
the consciousness of repose and prosperity under the pro-
tection of the British Crown. and Corporation Acts, that the Ministers were
For comprehensiveness in design and completeness bound to retain their places, if possibl©, as the last
in execution this work may challenge competition twelvemonths " had seen four Administrations."
with 'any of the erudite and elaborate volumes on There is every allowance to be made for the pre-
foreign countries that have appeared for a long judices of one who had seen so much of continen.
time ; and its numerous details, interesting anec- tal revolutions ; but to attempt to prove his theo-
dotes, and instructive passages, will not fail to be ries in every respect right, is altogether unsuited to
appreciated by those who have perused the dry the temper of the present time. But the author
accounts of tedious and unsatisfactory writers on can scarcely bring himself to censure any act
their sojourns abroad. Nothing can be more satis- or opinion of the Duke's, even praising the capabi-
lities of the Duke of York as Commander-in-Chief,
factory to the mind of the traveller to remote
regions, than to return laden with the treasures of
and sanctioning what every admirer of Welling-
knowledge wherewith to enrich the stores of his ton must sincerely regret—his non-interference
4
country's literature, in the compilation of these in behalf of his gallant opponent, Marshal NIT.
brilliant volumes, Sir Emerson 1 ennent has pro-
Mr. Yonge had better refer to the opinions of
d.
bably engraved an enduring record of his reel-
brillant ornament of his own party, as expressed
dente i
on
sgi
tt
ioonn," i
n writhe ,
,essy
13ti1,,, pit; ehsreoneto
hl eta dteor
theof thepost opoi
donee in Ceylon, as there is no doubt, from its in ono of his works. "The Duke of Wel-
intrinsic excellence, and favourable rece tion, that
it will become a standard work of research and re-
ference in the libraries of literati. first minister immortal fame ; his decision relieved
the sovereign, his prejudices pleased the nobles,
and his achievements dazzled the multitude. He
possessed administrative talents of the highest
order." After discussing his many qualifications
for the position, he goes on to ask, " How comes it
then that so great a man in so great a position
should have so signally failed ?" and the answer is
given in Bishop Burnet's explanation of the won•
derful influence of Lord Shaftesbury. " His
strength lay in his knowledge of England. Now,
that is exactly the kind of knowledge which the
Duke of Wellington never possessed. But when
the political passions and prejudices of the day
have passed away into history, the people of Eng-
land will still cherish his name as among the
greatest of her warriors. It is on this unshaken
foundation that his fame rests, and there his ad-
mirers should be content to leave it. Mr. Yonge's
book is full and comprehensive in its
m
character, replete with information, clear and sen-
sibleost
simple.
ini its
sstyle ; which is, however, best when
sentences, though always strictly correct in con-
struction, he becomes somewhat involved. His
work, which has necessarily been an arduous one.
reflects much credit on him, and, making allowance
for the prejudice of a partisan, is authentio and
able. It will form a valuable addition to our libra•
ries, and pays another tribute to the national adsii-
rution of him whose errors as a statesman, to use
the words of one of his ablest opponents in the
Commons, can never make us forget " those memo-
rable services in the field, which have made for him,-
as a soldier, a general, and a conqueror, a great, a
brilliant, and an imperishable renown."

The Life of Field-Marshal, Arthur Duke of
Wellington. By Charles Duke Yonge, author of
" A History of England," Sec. 2 vols. Chap-
man and Hall.
To write a life of the Duke of 'Wellington is no
easy task. To do so requires a thorough know-
ledge of the military and political history of the last
century, an acquaintance not only with the outlines
of campaigns or the forms of treaties, but with the
political and social difficulties of the twenty years
that followed 'Waterloo, and a familiarity with the
qualifications and successes of rival statesmen as
well as of opposing generals. One who was emi-
nent in the field and in the Cabinet, who, to use
the words of oar author, " was before the eyes of
the world for a longer period than has yet been
granted to any other public man," is no light sub-
ject for a superficial memoir or epitomised bio-
graphy. The various lives of the Duke of Wel-
lington which have recently been brought before
the public have all been more or less voluminous,
and certainly the present work forms no exception
to the rule. Yet the two imposing volumes,
though copious in their information, cannot be
said to be diffuse. The career of Wellington,
from his command at Mysore, to his death at
Weimer Castle, involves so wide a circle of interests
and events of such magnitude and importance, that
a fair treatment of it must be a full one. Mr.
Yonge, already favourably known to the public by
works of labour and historical research, is evidently
a warm admirer of the lamented Duke. His tone
is generally calm and moderate, but we must
admit he is lass to be trusted in the political than
in the military portion of his work. The first
volume is, of course, entirely occupied with the
details of campaigns, retreats, and sieges. The
allusions to the private history of the Duke are few
and far between, and indeed would be unneces-
sary. After a few brief particulars of his educa-
tion and early life, we fins him enrolled as a
member of that profession of which he was subse-
quently so distinguished an ornament. The author,
as an encouragement to perseverance, takes occa•
sion to cite Wellesley's application to Lord Camden
for a situation in the Revenue Office, as he was
disgusted with the military profession from hie
brief experience of it under the Duke of York in
Holland. Fortunately the request could not be
granted, and two years later saw the future con-
queror of Assaye, on his way to the East Indies.
In remarking on his conduct at Vellore, Mr. Yonge
observes that, even at this early period, we find
the same qualities evincing themselves which dis-
tinguished his subsequent career, " we find the same
minute attention to every detail which could contri-
bute to success ; the same diligence to acquire all
possible information ; the same careful adaptation of
the means to the end; and the same surefooted judg-
ment which never aimed at an end too great to be
attained by the means employed." After a clear
and succinct narrative of his brief and brilliant
career in India, Mr. Yonge proceeds to the more
important part of his narrative. He describes the
movements of the Peninsular war with ability and
equity, losing no opportunity for commending
his hero, though, at the same time, he accords a fair
share of praise to others. Of Sir John Moore he
speaks with deserved respect ; and many others
who subsequently earned distinction under the
command of Wellington himself are warmly com-
mended. The two general officers who superseded
the far more able Wellesley at the commencement
of the Peninsular war are less favourably
spoken of. In allusion to gir Harry Burrard's refu-
sal to adopt Wellasley's suggestion to seize Lisbon
yt
e not ehdi s;
after the battle of Vimeira, he compares it to a
similar refusal on the poi of Hotham to follow
Nelson's projeQittlflopruwrsausi,t,.,.‘‘llyeomthualmt
b'serceopnl
more @II (34VtiC
we have done very well." (i Now," said Nelson, in
telling the story, " if we had taken ten sail, and
allowed the eleventh to escape when it had been
rd were men of the same stamp, as
pas,il)lo to have got at her, I never could have
called
a7ne
andll d done.'
and well
were Nelson and Wellesley. The elder
withacuainted with their
officers were men
of unquestioned courage,
profession lath they were eontontsmall successes,
uovvously afraid of reverses, devoted to
the cold rules of
b
strict prudence, and not rebuked because unable
to comprehend, the audacious dec. • isive genius of their
subordinates. The ethers were the founders of a new
school, as intimately acquainted with the rules and
requirements of professional caution, and as alive to their
advantages as their superiors, but gifted also with that
genius which knew when to di
with that eenereata ambition
with
with them; inspired
that lofty daring which
thinks nothing done while aught remains to do ; and ready
to encounter, not only personal
disregarded, but oven the danger, which both equally
risk of failure and consequent
peril to their repu
their tati,4l
for the sake cluing ie none over held more dear,
utmost duty to their country."
Of his qualifications
there can scarcely be a
- question The lone. line of
brilliant successes from Talavera to Toulouse
would •
a\•e stamped him as a military genius of the
first eider, even without the crowning triumph of
Waterloo, with the •
magic of Napoleon's name and
the t •
esources of his marvellous generalship opposed
to him, His present biographer, however,
goes further than some of his partisans and
claims for him a kindly feeling for the
soldiers under his care, and many benevo-
lent and holland qualities, the possession of
which has been sometimes denied to him. His in-
flexible justice and rigid sense of duty none have
been found to dispute, and a more gentle and softer
nature could scarcely have filled the part he
played, with five separate armies of the first mili-
tary nation in the world confronting him, in
different parts of the Peninsula, and the
supplies and supteoet he received from his lawn
country wavering and uncertain. The following
portrait of him is taken from, the account of a com-
panion in 1813 :
" In height ho was raiVitor above than under the middle
size, slightly but strongly built, with a very neat figure, a
high forehead, a prominent and sharply-arched nose, and a
blue eye of great brilliancy, which preserved its keenness of

THE INCOME-TAX FOR EVER.

(2'ro?n Punth.)

You struggling traders who subsist on small uncertain gain,
And you who live from hand to mouth by art, or toil of brain,
Prepare for more extortion; for the pressure of the screw
Of Income-tax untempered, to be put again on you.
You wretches, who for feeble age a pittance fain would save,
To ease your downward passage as you totter to the grave,
Prepare to have your earnings wrung from year to year away,
Whilst merely on the fruit of woalth the rich not more will

pay.
•
Prepare for this or that mischance, to see your pittance atop;
From broken health, or brain o'erworkscl, or failure of the
shop ;
Then hey for workhouse or for gaol I since now the means

are gone,
h esrterub yg, gilfe ds aovne .d through time of need you might ban
The Income-tax will take them ; will prevent the little hoard
Which should against the evil day in health and strength
be stored;
And you will thirst and hunger,
of your pay and work
bereft,
Because the State has taxed your all, and you havo nothing
left.
But then your jolly neighbour there will eat and drink his
fill;•
He'll not have lost his income • no, he'll live in clover still.
No need had he for saving aught—a man of land and rents,
his name is written in the Bank—the Book of Three- per-
Cents.
He pays the tax that you do now ; as much ; no more not
less ;
And he will be in comfort then, whilst you are in distress :
And then your consolation will—as fiscal sages say—
Be, now that 3 ou are ruined, you'll have no moro tax to psq•
Meanwhile, at such a prospect lest your heart, perchanch
should sink,
To give you consolation you'll have cheap Bordeaux to drink,
And with that acid draught you may wash down your
bitter pill,
And so spend all the Income-tax will spare you, if you will.
Now are not these good tidings, far too pleasant to be told
In the harsh, croaking raven's voice of one who has a cold
And was it not worth while to wait until, in accents clear,
A sweet financial singer could discourse them to the ear P
They whom the sods love die young—by them of old 'twee
said b •
Than outlive health and strength, they thought, 'twaa

- - -
better to be dead ;
Heaven for an early tomb you now have greater cause to

thank ;
The Income-tax will let you put no money in the bank.
Thus loft without provision since you'll be in life's (kaiser
Come, let us fill the bowl, and quaff a draught of cheap
French wine.
Hurrah for short and merry lives ; hurrah for Schedule D ;
And when we're in the Union, oh how happy we shall be I

We understand that the funeral of General Sit
William Napier will take place on Friday, at the Cematerfo
Norwood, at 12 o'clock.

The increase of the Infantry, which we have
already announced, will, we believe, consist of the augmen-
tation of each of the regiments at home to 1,200 rank and
file.—Army and Navy Gazette.
MEETING OF -HOP FACTORS.—At a meeting of
hop factors, held at the Bridge-house Hotel, London-
bridge, yesterday, Sir Charles Napier said he did not this 3
it very likely that he should conform to the terms of the
resolution. It was, in fact, quite impossible for him to
obey the order of the meeting to assist in throwing the
Budget mit altogether. As regarded the question of hop*
although he was unacquainted with the trade, the state'
ments which had been made satisfied him that it Wei'
to say the least, rather sharp practice on the part of the
Government only to reduce the duty on British hops 151.
while that on foreign was diminished by 31s.
VOLUNTEER SERVICE DINNER.—Wo understand
that the arrangements aro nearly completed for the Volta'.
teer Service Dinner to be held on the 7th March, in 11013°,131;
of her Majesty's reception on that day of the officers of t4`;
Volunteer service. The dinner will include, besides oille,e,,r,
who have attended the levee, members of the respectL„'ci
committees of the "National Rifle Association' ""/
" Volunteer Service Club." It is by a joint•counnitteed°.
these two bodies that the arrangements are being 11',6 „ea
We understand that the dinner ticket is to be one giun-r
and a half ; and that suitable accommodation, after dinner
will be provided for ladies who may wish to be preselit.,,v,
DESTRUCTIVE FlRE.—About two o'clock yes'!'
day morning a fire was discovered raring in a vesselr 2,111,006
oft Prince's Dock, Fore-street, Lambeth.6 The cal_';"adols
under the command of Captain Brazer, and w !.12,.
of
with coke. The accident arose from the over-1204","%he
the cabin stove, whiok set in flames the after part 00' f the
deck as well as the sails and rigging. Tho engines
London Brigade from the Waterloo-road and So .t lona
bridge-road stations were soon in age idance, and thes 1,, the
were confined, principally owing to the exertion th •
police, to the burning of the after part oflllweildeete:'r
sails and rigging. It could not be atlcertain—
owners of the vessel were insured.