The Sun.
London, England, 1869-09-24 00:00:00

METROPOLITAN GOS3IP-7hursclay.

Dull as the season still continues to be, there are signs
that with the departure of the astronomical summer we are
about to awake from our political hybernation. Already
M.P.'s are returned from Swiss mountains and German
baths, and there are speeches here and there, in which the Irish
land question is discussed. Some of our influential jour-
nals, likewise, are beginning to admit this topic into their
leading columns, from whence it was rigorously banished
during the hot weather. There is likely to be no lack of
life during the long nights now before us. Just at present,
however, it is ecclesiastics rather than politicians who are
most on the alert. The vacant bishoprics fill them
with the keenest anxiety. Their eyes are lifted
to the hills—the Scotch hills—where Mr. Gladstone
is closeted with the Queen, and they look with daily in-
creasing eagerness for some announcement respecting the
new rulers of the Church. If to-day's leader in the Times
is in any way " inspired," that announcement will not be
forthcoming for some time to come, but there will be an
extensive rearrangement of dioceses. With reference
to this subject, cDmplaints are very rife that
there should be so much delay in the filling up
of vacancies. This delay is due not so much
to the Premier as to other persons. For instance, the
Bishop of Salisbury died early in August ; his successor
was mentioned within
,a week of his death, and yet the
consecration does not take place until the end of October.
Some persons are unkind enough to insinuate that this
tardiness is not surprising seeing that it conduces to the
payment of fees to certain officials, and likewise gives the
Crown the opportunity of presenting to all the livings
which fall vacant during the episcopal interregnum. It was
in this way that the living of Stoke Newington, probably
the most valuable in the gift of the Bishop of London, fell
to the Crown last year.

There is only too great reason to fear that Lord Justice
Clerk Patton has met with an untimely death. The event
is the more tragical inasmuch as it was but a few weeks
ago that his brother was accidentally shot, and the report
was at first spread abroad that it was Mr. George Patton
who had been killed. The late judge—for I fear he must
be spoken of in the past tense was exceedingly
popular in Scotland when Lord Advocate, and even the
Liberal papers admitted that he shone by comparison with
the gentleman who was both his predecessor and successor
It is the more lamentable, therefore, that his death should
take place at a time when the Bridgwater disclo-
sures will lead to the most melancholy inferences.
It is generally supposed that Mr. Moncreiff will succeed
Mr. Patton in the post now become vacant, and that this
promotion will load to important changes, including the
appointment of a Secretary of State for Scotland. Popular
opinion points to Mr. Baxter, the present Secretary to the
Admiralty, as the person for that post.

I have recently hoard an incident re3pecting Mr. Bright,
which redounds so much to his credit, and so completely
clears up- one fact in his career, that I think all your
readers who love truth better than political prejudices will
like to hear it. They will remember that during the cottcn
famine Mr. Bright was severely censured for not contri-
buting to the Relief Fund, and that his niggardliness was
contrasted with the munificent gift of £lO,OOO made by
Lord Derby. All that time Mr. Bright was keeling
on Lis wcrkmen cn three-quarters' time wages, and
was sinking thousands upon thousands week after
week, 3 ear after year, until by the time that
the war came to a'r end he had I aid away a total
sum compared with which Lord Derby's gift was a mere
bagatelle. During all this time, while he was seeing the
avingq of a lifetime disappear, ho said nothing to all the

taunts that were uttered against him, At last, Mr.
Garth, a lawyer, who was then a candidate for Guild-
ford, made a charge against Mr. Bright so sweeping
and so false that the member for Birmingham was
bound to take notice of it, and to correct his
calumniator in no very mild language. Even then
he did not refer to what he bad done for the men
whom he was accused of oppressing. But a friend, un-
known, T believe, to him, went to Lord Derby, laid
before him the facts, and asked if, after this, he thought
the organs of the Conservative party ought to continue
their attacks upon Mr. Bright. "Good God ! and he said
nothing !" was Lord Derby's reply. Thenceforth the attacks
ceased.

Thoso who are well acquainted with telegraphic matters
assure me that Atlantic tcic,giaphy is being overdone
and that the lower rate will not pay. It is all very well,
they say, to point to the fact that for the greater part of the
day the cables are doing nothing, and that it is only for the
companies to reduce their rates still more and make larger
use of their cables, in order to increase their revenue; the
fact is that there is not the business to be done. It is not
everyone who wants to telegraph to America. It is for
the most part only business men, and they would have
used the cable as much at £3 10s. as at L'.l 10s.

Some time ago an advertisement appeared in the papers
stating that a gentleman was willing to give £5O for the
best essay on longevity in man and the lo;ver animals, and
the best means of lengthening life. The writer refused to
let his name be known, and the essays were to be adjudi-
cated upon by Professor Rolleston, of Oxford. Fourteen were
sent in, and the prize has just been awarded to Mr. Lankester
son of Dr. Laiikester, the well-known London coroner.
The strangest part of this incident has yet to be told. It
is usual when a prize essay is written for the donor of the
prize to see that the essay is published. But in this case
the manuscript has been returned to the writer without
any conditions. I believe, however, that the essay will see
the light before long.

All the papers have referred to the death of Mr. Watts,
of the British Museum. They have not, however, spoken
sufficiently highly of his remarkable abilities. He almost
vied with Cardinal Mezzofanti in his knowledge of
languages. When the Japanese ambassadors were over
here, he was the only person who could converse with them
in their own tongue. He was an accomplished Hungarian
scholar, and knew well some of the most out-of-the-way
languages in the world. His knowledge of books was
equally extraordinary. If you wished to learn what
had been written upon a special subject, no matter how
recondite, he would bring you, in a short time, a list of
books, with edition, chapter, and page carefully noted.
He had risen quite from the ranks, and will be much
missed by the readers at the British Museum. Another
gentleman, to whom they are much indebted is Mr.
Ralston, the, translator of " Kriloff's Fables," and the
brother of the notorious Miss Shedden.

My literary budget is very scanty this week. Mr. Hep-
worth Dixon is still in Russia travelling with a well-known
St. Petersburg professor, who has paid no fewer than
thirteen visits to England. Mr. Hannay is, I believe the
author of the articles on Barcelona and other
Spanish towns, which have been appearing in
the Cornhill Magazine, and he is himself
British Consul at Barcelona. Mr. Dymond is
following the example of his former colleague of the
Morning Star, Mr. Macarthy, by migrating to the United
States. Mr. Rosenberg, of Bath, a well-known exhibitor
to the London Water-colour Galleries, has, I regret to say,
just died at a comparatively early age. His sister, Mrs.
Duffy, the flower painter, who is perhaps even better known
than himself, survives him. The " Church of Progress "
means to recommence its "Sunday Evenings for the
People" on October 3, at St. George's Hall, Langham Place.
Another great insurance smash has occurred, and, if
rumour be true, we have not got to the end of these
calamities. There are ugly reports about two other officer.
I believe that the Government will, early next session, in-
troduce a bill for compelling the inspection and publication
of insurance office accounts, similar to the measure which
Mr. Stephen Cave introduced without success last session.