The Sun.
London, England, 1860-07-27 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, JULY 27, 1880.

over, both of them, as you will—and prove, if
that be possible, that they do not confer freedom of
voting, that they do not interpose obstacles to all
classes of corruption, that they do not tend to
order and quiet on the day of polling ; that they
do not compel the candidates to appeal to the electors'
understanding instead of tampering with his fears
or avarice ; that they do not tend to make can-
vassing, in the objectionable sense, dangerous
rather than otherwise, to those who would inter-
fere with the liberty conferred by the law. But
if these things cannot be proved—rather if the
reverse be true—then, in the name of liberty, of
morality, we might add of religion, we call on the
House of Commons to vote clause' by clause, on
Tuesday next, the best Reform Bill which it has
ever read a second time since 1832—the bill intro-
duced by Mr. JAMES WILD.

We are glad to see that the benevolent efforts in
behalf of the family of the late Mr. ROBERT
BROUGH which have been made by the members of
the literary and dramatic professions, are not yet

abandoned. Mr. and Mrs. GERMAN REED and Mr.
JOHN PARRY have, with characteristic liberality,
announced their intention of giving an ex-
tra performance of their popular enter-
tainments to-morrow evening, the entire pro-
ceeds of which are to be devoted to the fund now
being raised. The claim which the members of a
fluctuating and arduous profession have upon the
public who have profited by their labours, is
more generally felt than openly recognised

in this country. It is the one department
in which our free and popular system of Govern-
ment seems to fail. Men of science, art, and
literature, cannot among us obtain a public reward
commensurate with the services of the pioneers of
human progress. The gifts of the State are
doled out to them rather as eleemosynary
assistance than as a national tribute to those
who have reflected credit and honour on
their nation. In this, as in so many other cases,
private enterprise and private benevolence must
step in to assist the tardy offers of Governmental
aid.

In a case like the present, where
a writer of promise is suddenly cut off
in the prime of life, before he had had time to
make due provision for those dependent on him,
the case especially demands our sympathy and
assistance. The usual sneers at the improvidence
of the literary craft must be silenced by the
premature termination of the author's labours.
Few dying at his age could leave an independence
for their families. It is fortunate for the worldly
prospects of the survivors that they possess an un-
deniable claim upon the public sympathy and
kindliness—a claim which has been so readily
and cordially acknowledged by his brethren of art
and literature, and to which,.we are confident, the
British public will not be slow to respond.

S_E'BASTOPOL.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

Sir,—As news from Sebastopol is still read with
interest, I send you extracts from a letter I have
this morning received from Mr. Gowen, the gentle-
man engaged in raising the sunken fleet there,
and whose exertions in repairing and protecting
the graves of our fallen countrymen cannot, I
think be too highly praised.
I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
J. ALFRED LOCKWOOD.
2, Wigmore-street, Cavendish-square, July 26.

" Sebastopol, July 10.
. . " Yesterday I raised and brought alongside
the wharf the 60-gun frigate Koolefchi, the frigate
the large masts of which stood upright in the centre
of the harbour. She was very heavy, weighing, I
think, 4,500 tons. This is, I believe, the first
frigate that was ever raised whole, and she is in
good condition.
" Since you left I have raised some 12 vessels,
among them four wooden and one iron war
steamers, of 260-horse power each. The steamer
Vladimir, of 400-horse power, will be the next one;
and after her some line-of-battle ships.
" . . Since you were here I have paid great
attention to the reparation of the cemetries where
your brave countrymen are buried, and have orna-
mented the cemetries where they repose ; for you
are aware of their barren state, being entirely des-
titute of trees, and, in fact, all kinds of herbage.
Therefore, I thought that it would be pleasing for
me to reflect upon at some future time that I had
performed one act during my residence in the
Crimea that might reflect favourably, as the pil.
Brims resorted to the graves of their friends, and
found that the stranger's hand had made the ground
under which they reposed more pleasing and in-
viting, that their ashes could commingle with their
mother earth, as their friends would desire, under
the shade of the stately but mournful cypress trees,
which should cast their ample arms over and above
their abode. They were loved and respected by
their friends in life ; let the stranger's hand add to
their shelter and repose in death.
"I have also caused extensive repairs to be made
to the graves of the French and Sardinians who
were killed during the war, and in some cases I
have covered with concrete the graves of your
Generals, such as Estcourt, where I excavated to
a depth of three feet over a space of 9 by 13 feet,
and filled in entirely with solid concrete, and
placed the tablet on a raised bed of the same
material. _ _

" I am thoroughly convinced that the Russian
Government and authorities have the greatest re-
gard and respect for the graves of all, and, could
they for one instant detect any person who dese-
crated any of the graves, they would punish him
even more severely than would be done in England
under the circumstances. Yet, I think that some
person should be appointed to look after the graves,
for it can hardly be expected that the Russian Go-
vernment could watch over 300 graveyards, cover-
ing ever 20 square miles of territory."