The Sun.
London, England, 1867-12-02 00:00:00

to begin characterising things such as we,
find practised in the paragraph concerning the
Universities ; their revenues are styled " lar
which is hardly a fair way of treating the m. a:ter
before those who may not be so familiar with -the
thing as the House of Lords will be, and it in iy be
shortly stated that if the revenues are large y hey
are not too large for their purpose. On the wb ole,
there does not seem a very good chance for this reb eme
of Earl RUSSELL'S meeting with the favour -a the
House of Lords, and this is the less to be refit e t,ted,
because, as we said before, there is no occasid .1 for
him to come forward upon the occasion, and be is
thereby interfering with the work of the ( koN ern-
ment. The proper course to have pursueL -would
have been to have waited, and to have se, m what
they bad to propose, and if that was unsui to ble or
inadequate to have suggested something bet'co: him-
self. The method he has chosen of seeking-. to out-
wit his opponents is not one to be admired. :and in
all probability he will meet with an answer ao in the
House that will not encourage him to try the same
game again, and it is not one that can be :;heated
with much credit.

were doomed. King ARCHIBONG, of Duke
Town, Old Calabar River, is at the head of
these systematic murders, and the Europeans
have often succeeded in getting his victims out of
his hands. In September they rescued six ; in
October, as we have seen, four, though twenty-four
victims, many cf them very young, were killed in
hat month, and their heads sent to King ARCIII-
His MAJESTY was very indignant at the
escape of the four saved, and sent a letter demand-
ing to have them back. The Europeans held a
meeting and resolved not to give them up, and
accordingly an answer was sent ARCIIIBONG, assur-
ing him that if he did not give up his barbarous
customs the Europeans would take the strongest
measures to compel him to do so. The Alandingo
gave the four persons— a man, woman, and two chil-
dren a safe and free passage to Fernando Po. Such
bold and vigorous interferences with the savage and
brutal customs which disgrace humanity deserves all
praise. If the traders incurred any risk they were
fully justified in doing so, and their firm and manly
protest may be the means of saving many lives.
But to court danger unnecessarily, and to provoke
hostilities which might be avoided, is an unwise
course, and one which the representatives of English
authority, be they political, ecclesiastical, or military,
cannot too carefully avoid.

BONG.

The news from the seat of war in South America
must be received with considerable reserve. The
accounts which we publish to-day from Rio de
Janeiro, via Lisbon, state that a cavalry engage-
ment has taken place, in which the Brazilians assert
that the Paraguayans lost 1,000 killed and 200 pri-
soners, while their own loss was only 80. It is
admitted that this is a Brazilian account, a fact
which, without that admission, would have been
easily detected. We have previously bad specimens
of the veracity and moderation of Brazilian ac-
counts of their own prowess and success, but
not unfrequently the success has presented
a very questionable aspect on the receipt
of more reliable and less partial news. We
were told a short time since that the allies had

gained an important position, and were preparing
to push on their advantage with vigour. When the
truth came out it appeared that on land and water
the invaders were caught in a double trap ; that
the much-vaunted Brazilian fleet was hemmed in
between two unconquerable ports of the enemy,
and that serious differences had arisen between the
rival commanders. Further, it appeared that the
population of the Argentine Republic was growing
extremely dissatisfied with the prolongation of the
war, and impatient of the burdens which
it imposed upon them, and a change of
Ministry in Buenos Ayres indicated a change of
policy. Now the Brazilians would have us believe
that a complete change has taken place, that an
engagenient has been fought, and that the Para-
guayans, who had the advantage of position, have
lost twelve times as many men as themselves, be-
sides a long list of prisoners. The Paraguayans are
remarkable not only for their martial spirit, but fur
the firmness and unity with which they have
throughout maintained the war. Their indepen-
dence is as dear to them as it was to Chili, when
,a year or two since she defied the power of Spain.
These gallant little Republics ou the other side of
the Atlantic deserve the sympathy of Englishmen.
They are backward in the race of freedom and pro-
gress, no doubt ; but they have fairly entered on
the course, and have already achieved a good deal.
Their national history is short, but it is memorable ;
and both in administrative and in military and naval
talent they have shown that their people are capable
of great things. They possess in a high degree the
faculty of self-government. In time of national
danger or alarm they lay aside all minor differences
ito rally boldly and resolutely round their
chosen leader, and unhesitatingly sacrifice
itheir private interests to the public require-
! ments of the State. It is this spirit which
has already carried them through many perils, and

which will, if they continue to maintain it, eventu

ally crown them with success. They have collec-
tively and individually taught them a lesson wLich,
in her present disturbed and impoverished state, she
cannot afford to forget. Their next great danger
comes from Brazil, their powerful and unscrupulous
neighbour, who, not content with her own over-
grown possessions, wishes to cast her shadow over
the whole Southern Continent. What she cannot
do by force of arms she will endeavour to effect by
strategy, and by sowing disunion and jealousy
between the several smaller States. This she has
already partly done, but we hope her object will be
eventually frustrated, and we shall be able to con-
gratulate the gallant Paraguayans on the final
triumph of their cause.

Jurt as we are all watching with keen interest
for the news from Abyssinia comes startling and
painful intelligence from another part of the
African Continent. The news from the Niger,

brought by the steamer Mandiugo, relates a most
tragic occurrence, which has resulted in the death 01

the British Consul, and the temporary capture o

the Bishop of Sierra Leone. It seems that early in
October Bishop CROWTHER went on a visitation up
the river Niger, and arrived at a pl tee named Tola,
where he proposed to stay a short time. The na-
tives of the village, on ascertaining who he was, re-

solved to detain him until they obtained a ransom.
The chief of the natives sent word to the British
Consul; at the confluence of the Niger that the
value of 1,000 slaves must be delivered to them before
the bishop could be set at liberty. The Consul being
absent, the Vice-Consul, Mr. FELL, and some of the
European traders went down the Niger to the spot
to demand the release of the captive. This the
chief refused, and a squabble took place, in the
course of which the Bishop succeeded in making his
escape to the shore, and was taken on board the
steamer. The rest of the party succeeded in getting
down to the beach, when, unfortunately, one of the
arrows which the natives were showering upon them
pierced Mr. FELL to the heart, and caused instant
death. The captain of the steamer, seeing the state
of affairs, came close to the shore and fired some shots
among the nativeg, which dispersed them, and the
steamer returned safely to the Niger. It is a melan-
choly incident, and has cost a useful life ; but, under
the circumstances, we may be glad that there was
no further mishap.

The story is not without its moral, and it is one I
which deserves to be borne in mind by all whose
duties or whose business bring them into contact
with uncivilised nations. Zeal should be tempered
with discretion, courage with prudence. What is
the use of a bishop making visitations among
people who have evidently got to learn not only the
rudiments of Christianity, but the commonest
principles of civilised intercourse? There is work
enough for humbler labourers to do down the Niger
becore any of the usual forms of ccclesistical cere-
monial be adopted. The bishop must have gone with

some sort of dignity and attendance, or the natives
would hardly have thought it worth their vv hile to
detain him, and to demand a heavy ransom. Who-
ever sets out on the attempt to Christianise the
population of Ida must, it is plain, go in the sim-
plest manner, so that it may not be thought that
his person is a greater prize than his teaching.
There is much to be done, no doubt, in this locality,
and we are glad to find that the European traders
of the West Coast are acting with vigour and
humanity, and have succeeded in rescuing several
human victims item the slaughter to which they

IHE LON 10A, MONDAY EVELNINO, DECEAIBER 2, 1807.

LITERATURE.

great lady wrote the following letter to the then Pre-
sident of the Assembly :—" Citizen President,--I
am a handsome woman of 27. lam five feet eight
inches high (about six feet English), and I weigh
200 kilogrammes. I request to be allowed to per-
sonify Liberty in the national fete which is about to
take place. I believe that nobody could figure with
greater advantage than myself in that solemnity."

I am not aware whether the lady's request was
granted. If not, perhaps it ought to have been, for
an allegorical personage of such a cilibre must have
added weight to any ceremonial, and, tall as she
was, she must have excited high interest.

After a very calm, pleasant day yesterday, the
wind came on with fearful violence at night. It has
completed the work of stripping the trees of their
leaves, and, indeed, branches have been torn from
many of them. The weather is now stormy and
wintry, but not cold for the Ist of December.

Guild Court. By George MacDonald, M.A. 3
Vols. Hurst and Blackett.
It is always pleasant to listen to George
MacDonald. His narratives are interesting, and his
style is agreeable ; but, more than that, his books
are always full of thought and feeling. A poet at
heart, his simplest stories are, as it were, the out-
pourings of his own overflowing sympathy, and the
vehicle for the expression of his own original.
thoughts. In the story of " Guild Court" these two
characteristics are especially discernible, while, as
a study of character, it is quite remarkable in its
way. As Professor Owen, pondering over dry
bones, discovers the mechanism of an actual
animal in what had appeared to be an im-
possible monster, so George MacDonald, in
his spiritual anatomy, takes special interest in
laying bare the sabtlest workings of the heart, and
classifies the varies p'eculiarities of different orders
of intellect and intelligence. Thomas Worboise,
the hero (and very reluctant is the reader to regard
him as such) is singularly uninteresting. " Unstable
as water," he can, necessarily, excel in nothing.
" But half a villain and but half a knight," he
excites in our mind no strong emotion, not even the
shadow of a " sensation," unless it be one of dislike,
but even that is too strong a term to describe the in-
difference with which we regard him. The author is
conscious of this, for, towards the close of the second
volume, he observes, parenthetically, " I flatter
myself that my reader is not very much interested
in Thomas. I confess, however, that I am now
girding up my loins with the express intention of
beginning to interest him if I can ;" and, then, he
very truly adds, as a justification for such
an expectation, " When a worthless fellow
begins to meet with his deserts, then we begin
to be aware that, after all, he is our own
flesh and blood. Our human heart begins to
feel just the least possible yearning towards him.
We hope he will be well trounced, but we become
capable of hoping that it may not be lost upon him ;"
and, notwithstanding the incredulity with which at
first we disclaim the possibility,' the reader does
become interested even in Thomas Worboise. The
two characters, however, which are the particular
objects of the author's attention are two children—
Mattie and Poppie ; two children as unlike each other
as it is possible for children to be, and each also
unlike the generality of children. Mattie is
clever and " old-fashioned," as the saying is, she is
the motherless daughter of a bookseller, and, left
much to herself with books for companions, she
indulges in mystical theories and speculations. She
is self-conscious and self-opinionated, argumenta-
tive and self-willed; in short, we should say a most
disagreeable child. Bred up in London, Mattis is
not only ignorant of the existence of country
attractions, but even dislikes flowers as
being , useless and perishable. How Mattie,
being sent to the sea for her health, learns
by the side of the great ocean a better wisdom than
can be taught by books, the knowledge of her own
ignorance and insignificance is very forcibly and
beautifully described. Different from Mattie,
Poppie is a little neglected child of the streets—a
London Topsy, in fact, without home or parents.
The wild, furtive, untameable character of this
English savage, is (alas ! that it should be so) drawn
to the life. We must not dwell longer upon the
characters of Guild Court, but, before taking leave
of it, let us quote a passage.which happily illustrates
the truthful thoughts which characterise the writings
of George MacDonald. The words are put into the
mouth of Mr. Fuller, a clergyman, who is evi-
dently himself the exponent of the thoughts and
feelings of the author. •
THE CALLING OF THE CLERGYMAN.
"What is the priest ?" he askod, going on with the
same catechism. "Just a man to be among men what the
Sunday is among the work &Lys of the week—a man to
remind you that there is a life within this life, or beyond
and about it, if you like that mode better—for extremes
meet in the truest figures—that care is not of 'God, that
faith and confidence are truer, simpler, more of common
sense than balances at bankers or preference shares. He
is a protest agairst the money-heaping tendencies of men,
against the desire of rank or estimation or any kind of
social distinction. With him all men are equal, fks in the
Church all have equal rights, and rank ceases on the
threshold of the same, overpowered by the presence of the
Son of Mary, who was married to a carpenter—over.-
powered by the presence of the God of the whole eartb,
who wrote the music for the great organ of the spheres,
after ho had created them to play the same."
In pursuing this train of thought, Mr. Fuller goes,
on to question " Why the churches are closed on
week days, to the exclusion of the passers-by, and
open on the Sunday to the weariness of those who
enter. Might there not," he asks, "be too much
of a good thing on the Sunday and too little of it
on a week day ?" From such inquiries it will be seen
that the author of " Guild Court" is not only a deep
thinker, but is quite outspoken in the utterance of
his opinions.

The Lord of All. A Novel. Two Vols.
Chapman and Hall.
The title of this novel has an appearance of
irreverence, which the author is far from in-
tending. • The motto on the title-page ex-
plains the title, "For love shall still be lord of
The locality of the story is Rome, and the
chief actors are the English visitors in the
Holy City. The writer is evidently familiar
with the scenes which he describes. The
background of the picture is filled up
with Italian figures, some vivid and natural.
The English visitors are the principal objects of
our interest, and, it is hardly necessary to say that
although " living at Rome," they are far from "doing
as Rome does." Three heroes and three heroines play
their part to illustrate the truthfulness of the motto on
the title-page, and their various fortunes and misfor-
tunes are set before us in a very lively and animated
manner. The author of this novel would, we should
say, be likely to make a good dramatist. The
various incidents of the story are full of
scenic effect, although in one or two
instances, such as the mock carrying off of Miss
Hanley and Geraldine's concealment in the studio,
they are extravagant and improbable in the ex-
treme. The character of Guy 132resford is
very well drawn, and so is that of Olinto
Andreini, the Italian teacher, eager to gain money
from politicians of both parties, and afraid to speak
out even before his own children. If he is intended
to be a type of the liberal Italian, be does not reflect
much credit upon his cause. Mrs. Linde and her
elder daughters, the mother and sisters of Geral-
dine, are selfish and spiteful enough to rival the
mother and sisters of Cinderella. In order to de-
prive them of the satisfaction of being connected with
the Peerage, the author, by a very unfair stretch of
poetical justice, visits poor Leicester Hohndale with
a very unnecessary calamity. However, we must
not spoil the story by revealing all its mysteries. It
cannot fail to interest and amuse many readers.

CHRISTMAS GIFT BOOKS.

Golden Thoughts from Golden FoUntains.
trated. Warne & Co.

lllus

Very gorgeous in appearance is this beautiful
book, exquisitely bound in crimson and gold, and
adorned with innumerable illustrations, engraved
by the Brothers Daiziel. Poetry and prose
are judiciously intermingled. Old friends, such
as Mrs. Hemans' " Better Land," James Mont-
gomery's " What is Prayer ?" Oliver Gold-
smith's cc Village Pastor," St. Bernard's "hymn