The Sun.
London, England, 1860-01-31 00:00:00

Charles J. Skeet.

It is a great pity wiles an author writes upon a
subject of which he knows nothing that he does
not chose the wilds of Siberia, or any other out-
landish part of the globe about which the general
public know little and care less, rather than one of
our oldest institutions with which most educated
men are directly or indirectly connected. The author
of " Liberty Hall" lays himself open either to this
charge or to the graver accusation of misrepresen-
tation. Let any Univerrity man say whether the
following extract is a fair representation of the
undergraduates of Oxford:—
He had about twenty guests, all pretty much of the same
cast. Handsome, well-dressed young fellows, distinguished
chiefly by their snow-wall collars, their protruding wrist-
bands, their bunches of dangling watch-chain bijouteries ;
their attention to appearance, displayed in their hair po-
maded to dazzle:a-tent, their handkerchiefs perfumed to satu-
ration, their young whiskers overwhelmed with assiduity,
and on their cravats, the patience, if net the talent of a
Brummell. Their veneration-for fashion might be dis-
cerned in the uniform cut of their dress, changed every
month at the dictation of the leading tailors, and which 'has
so often lifted the eyebrows of Belgravia. Their conversa-
tion ran on• the stage of which they knew nothing, of ;the
world in which they had no experience, and of their own
street-dirt of which they knew too much. They ch4ed
up the interstices of their talk with oaths, and daubed over
their ignorance of English with a profusion of slang. They
had no particular vices except a very great one : that of
spending money wl:ich was not their own, that of ruining
their families, robbing their tradesmen, disgracing, im-
poverishing themselves.
After the foregoing it is unnecessary to dwell upon
the description given of " college dons ;" but we
advise Mr. W. lteade in his future publications to
adhere more to common sense, aid not in his at-
tempts to reach the sublime to fall into the ridicu-
lous. In the following passage, we think, he shows
his talent for the latter :

Come with me to a part where one of the green plots is
girdled by a ring of buildings turretted and imposing. The
April sun that is warm without heat, and gleams, without
dazzling, flickers merrily on the smiling grass, and loses
itself in the repulsive shadows of the court.
We beg to suggest that warmth cannot exist with-
out heat, that grass does not smile, and that the
sun cAnnot lose itself in a " repulsive shadow." True
love, however sincere and disinterested, may be car-
ried beyond the bounds of reason ami good piste,.
and we do not think that the hero of the tale would
raise himself in the estimation of his beloved, unless
she were as devoid of common seese as himself;-by
the subjoined conduct :
" When her form had melted from my sight, I returned
with a throbbing brain to the spot on which she had been
resting.. I covered it with fierce kisses, and even with nay
tears. In the soft black earth, the marks of her feet were
imprinted : I kissed these also, and believed that I was
embracing the feet of Margaret. 1 reclined upon that bank,
and as the shadows fell round me, I fancied that Margaret
was also there. When the night warned me I should go,
rising heavily, I perceived a little flower upon the dull sod
by my side. It was the flower that had seemed to smile in
the hands of Margaret ; it was the flower she had carried
in her breast ; it was faded and withered, for the warmth
of her bosom had dried up the dew within its leaves.. I
pressed it to my lips without ceasing, as I went slowly back
towards the town, and I dreamt that the lips of Margaret
Adie were burning beneath my own."
The tale, setting aside its misrepresentation of facts
and absurd diction, is amusing, and those who are
not particular on these little points may find in its
perusal some entertainment.

MANCHESTER UNITY OF ODD

FELLOWS.

Last night the sixteenth anniversary of the
British Oak Lodge was celebrated at the Gate
House Tavern, Highgate. About 80 sat down to a
capital feast, provided by Host Crane • and P.G.s
Chapman and Hughes filled the chairs with great
credit. The usual loyal and patriotic toasts
(including " The Volunteers"), being disposed of,
the Chairman proposed 6' The Manchester Unity,
its Directors, and the North London Officers,"
which was responded to by G. M. Rough, who said
the order now numbered about 300,000 members,
North London having 7,500 of them, an annual in-
come of about £B,OOO, and surplus capital invested,
£50,000. The " Widow and Orphan Fund," we.ftso"
plied to by Secretary Cumpston, who explain•
eckit
was an adjunct to the district, and that in 22 years
£21,500 had been distributed to widows and chil-
dren, and and there was now in hand £9;t500.
" Continued prosperity to the British Oak Lodge
and the health of Mr. Broadbent," having been
drunk, that gentleman, as one of the founders of this
branch, returned thankg. He gave as an instance
the experience of this lodge L--one of 3,000—t0 sjiow
the good that must be effected by the order..- '145
members had been initiated since the opening,
six had died, and allowing for secessions and
those removing, they had now 41 good mem.
p rl ei
saisn
al: . 4ea
bers. About £215 had been paid. avay for_
sick relief, and the surplus funds were £427.
nso littleual us°nembnt
ate, responda
vas
s "The Huccaahui nsa
caused
favourable
a, i
vsaobi
Visitors, expressing
:irmeee
xrseiepdprgeoenersittsi
i;tanaltengm,eini gh. g
lug forMr
.
~
tatogether
Announcing their intention to become
The musical department was d — "464.
by Mr. E. G. Alford, who himself
mirabll;`-r 4,Ui
,-9.cted
lent song, by his father, extolling itiself sang Ni,,gzetii-
the fine old Assembly-room the Nipliu-4And
V Mr. Baggs. At was tastefully decokated
a very late houe. ther'prOcbed-
trigs of a long and
autly closed. pleasant evening- Wee reltiet-

: •

EMPEROR
AND THE POPE.—About three
months ago,
says ;the Xew York Herald, Senator Seward,
ho was making a tour of Europe, called on the Emperor,
who happened to be at CompK,gne. The senator was shown
into an antechamber, and Napoleon soon made his appear-
ance. After the usual salutation, and taking his positior,
standing with his back to the fire, he offered the senator a
cigar. and commew'cd smoking another himself. He askAl
him all about New York and Col. Webb, and then ~bed
Lim. about his visii t,, Europe, and whew:dui what he .saw.
Seward, ameog other objects ,:f intcre,:t.' said he had
the Pope. "Oh. v < the Pope," respoodod N'apoleou
• • 101 l roe Al about hint. What do you think of the Pope ?"
The New York senator hesitated a moment, but, notwith-
standing his characteristic caution, the Emperor wormed
out his Opinion, and Seward said, " I confess I think
hire
much more of a priest than statesman." " Precisely so,"
rejoined the Emperor, " you have just hit the nail on the
head. That, too, is my opinion." This anecdote, which we
have on excellent authority, shows that the manifesto (Le
Pape ct le Conire,9 wkiph, is now, given to, the public, weiP
then working u his brain.