The Sun.
London, England, 1869-02-02 00:00:00

VALENTLNES.

As the windows of all " fancy " shops sufficiently
attest, the day sacred to St. Valentine is approaching.
Each time the day conies round the cry arises louder
"Stand up and tell us what you're good for ? " Tho
shops are full of the time-honoured lace paper,
decorated in a variety of ways. What are they good
for ? In these utilitarian days we don't suffer things
to exist that cannot be proved to be good for some-
thing. And it is admitted that there is one thing
very bad about this display in the shop window's.
The fourteenth of February is no longer devoted
to love missives merely. There are an immense
number of painted pictures sold which seem to be
designed to sAtisfy every kind of vulgar spite. And
the attraction which others offer is their indecency—
" gross, open. palpeblc." But if these are sup-
pressed, should the sending of the innocent but
useless bits of cardboard and trimmings bi
tolerated ? Some of our contemporaries say No,
and are agitating for sensible presents to b 5
sent on Valentine's Day. But the Daily Nem
declares it is impossible to estimate the socia!
value of the custom. "It often tends to pro-
mote reconciliations of the most romantic kind; it
frequently inaugurates relationships which are
destined to furnish items of intelligence in the
corners of the newspapers interesting to most men
and women. The valentine ought to be favoured by
heads of families. It gives no encouragement to
Platonic compromises. It constantly has the parson
in view, even when heathen accessories before the
fact are indispensable to the allegory."

FOREIGN NOTES•
TURKEY IND GREECE.
Greece is to be allowed eight days to decide whether the
declaration of the Conference is to be accepted. Accord-
ing to the Pattie, the Powers have determined not to
tolerate any lengthened silence on the part of the Athens
Government, and if the answer does not arrive within this
limit, silence in this instance will be held to imply a
refusal. But the general belief is that the reply will come
before the expiration of the time, and, according to some
journals, it has already arrived. In case King George's
Government accept the declaration. some Ministerial
modifications will he indispensable.
The measure for confiscating the property of the ex-
Elector of Hesse has passed the Prussian Chambers.
According to the Independance Bclge, the deposed sove-
I reign did not find a single defender., Count Bismarck
made a speech in which he said that a short time ago,
' owing to the Ministerial crisis in the Danubian Principa-
lities and other events, peace seemed in jeopardy. But
it had since been discovered that this danger arose only
from the calumnies and intrigues against the Prussian
Government. Abroad speculations were founded—and
unhappily not without reason—on the want of a complete
union of German patriotism. The use that was to be made
if of the Elector's property—espionage—was highly neces-
sary, albeit disagreeable. Count Bismarck was not care-
r fill in his choice of words. lie once employed the term
" reptiles " in a sense which must be held to include both
the ex-King of Hanover and the ex-Elector of Hesse.
QUEEN ISABELLA.
The ex-Queen of Spain paid a visit a day or two ago to
the Tuileries. She went alone, and had a conversation of
some length with the Vmperor Napoleon, during which he
urged that her abdication in favour of her son, the Prince
of the Astoria; was the last chance of regaining Spain to
her family. With much difficulty the fallen sovereign
was induced to give way. Her formal abdication is now
given as an incontestable fact. It comes too late. Before
Alcolea it might have been of some service ; but it is dif-
ficult to imagine that it can effect anything now.
INDIA.
The Earl of Mayo, now Viceroy and Governor-General
of India met with a brilliant reception at Madras. The
Anglo-Indians of the East Coast were resolved not to lose
their ruler, as their brethren of Bombay did, on his first
arrival. The local papers, indeed, worked themselves up
to a wondrous pitch of enthusiasm. One of them
announces that boughs and evergreens were largely
used as decorations along the streets, " both to
afford expression of welcome to Lord Mayo and to hide
the filthy ditches." Another has this pretty story:—
" Just as Lord Mayo passed the splendid statue of Sir
Thomas Munro, a glorious rainbow shot across the sky,
and formed a triumphal arch across the head of the
Viceroy elect, which far outshone the paltry demonstrations
of welcome which had taxed the ingenuity and tested
the enthusiastic devotion of Madras and her municipality."
Of much more practical import than this omen is the
general belief in Bombay that Lord Mayo had telegraphed
home to Mr. Gladstone, asking whether his appointment
was agreeable to the new Ministry. The general impres-
sion was that an affirmative answer had been returned.
The local and central Governments have taken warning •
by the lesson of Orissa, and are acting with energy and
promptitude at this famine crisis. But starvation does
not fail to make way in spite of these efforts. The dis-
trict assailed by dearth grows wider and the distress more •
intense ; and whilst human beings suffer greatly for the
want of food, nothing of course can be done for the cattle,
which die by thousands through want of fodder and water.
In one district 30,000 have perished.
• The Indian Government has taken the commendable
resolution of keeping the journals well supplied with news, '
especially the publication of official documents. " The 1
Governor-General in Council is of opinion that this
course will be of . service both to the Government
and the public." Amongst the minor items of news is the
removal of Lieut. Goold from the army. Ile is under-
going imprisonment for forgery. Meer Hadjee, condemned
for the murder of Captain Douglas and other Europeans
in 1837, has been banged at Delhi on the scene of his
crime. The murders were barbarous ; but a capital sen-
tence carried out twelve years after the crime will appear
to the natives more like revenge than retribution.