The Sun.
London, England, 1867-08-07 00:00:00

FRANCE.

The French Government (says the Echo Agricole)
4.11,v.x. to two swkalrin rtuk.w..2.A.xci riamokazacs 0
in the department of the Loire-Inferieure. The fair
of Sainte-Anne, which i. 3 held at Pont-Rousseau, is
usually considered, and rightly so, as one of the
best, if not the very best, of the department, espe-
cially for Brittany mares. For two or three days
beforehand considerable transactions take place
between the dealers ; the stables are full, and, in
fact, there is a three days' fair. On the present
occasion all was much changed, as there were not
more than fifty or sixty mares in the market. Two
causes chiefly led to that circumstance—the scarcity
of horses generally, and the requisitions of the
Government addressed to those who could nrocure
remounts for it, principally for the Artillery, the
I.llilitary Train, and the Cavalry of the Line. The
dealers made every effort to meet those demands
by collecting the animals from the breeders where-
ever they could ; and consequently the latter have
had no occasion to bring their stock to market.
The wheat harvest has commenced in some fa-
voured localities around Brussels. The grain is
described as magnificent, and the ears well filled.

A rather serious conflict took place a few nights
back at Zurich, between the students on one side
and the citizens on the other. Several of the former,
who caused the tumult, were arrested.

An explosion of fire damp has just taken place in
a mine at Wittkowitz, in Austria, belonging to
Baron de Rothschild. Up to noon of the following
day 32 dead bodies had been recovered, but 10 or 12
other men were missing. About 30 workmen were
got out alive, and although insensible for the moment
afterwards recovered. The disaster is believed to
have been caused by the use of blasting powder,
contrary to the regulations.

it M. Mulaton," says the Journal de Villafranche,
6, a wealthy proprietor in the commune of Lier-
put an end to his life. He had been for
gUCS, has
some time under ideas of suicide, in consequence of
the failure of his vine crop. He was only 23 years
of age and married."

The railway from Vendome to Tours has just been
opened to the public.
The shooting season is fixed to open on the 17th
August in the departments of the Haute-Garonne,
the Herault, the Aude, and the Var ; and on the
18th in the Gironde.

'IONS.

The art of book-illustration is just now passing
,hrough a curious phase. When George Cruik-

shank or liablot Brown, two artists whose names
are here associated solely for chronological reasons,
had to make the illustrations to a work of fiction,

it would seem to have been their practice to select as
subjects all the most dramatic situations, whether of a
comic or tragic sort, which were treated of in the
narrative. On the one hand, violent encounters,
terrible accidents, exciting adventures, crises
through which the characters described in the
book were compe:led to pass ; on the other,
situations characterised by their extreme absur-
dity, in which the persons represented were
shown in a ridiculous light, or exhibited under
laughable circumstances—these were almost in-
variably the themes chosen for illustration. Their
ambition appears to have been to put the more
remarkable scenes described by the author before the
reader's eyes rather than to display their own artistic
powers. But this principle has got to be now regarded
as antiquated and obsolete. Our modern men appear
to occupy themselves less with the thing to be done
than:with the manner of doing it. Their ambition
seems to be confined to the desire of producing a
beautiful work of art. The modern illustrator,
when a book is put into his hands, proposes to him-
self—judging by results—rather to produce a set
of drawings which shall redound to his own credit
than to help the author, whose works ho illustrates,
to make himself understood. The consequence
is, that he ordinarily chooses those situations
which are the tamest and least dramatic, because
they fetter him less, and lend themselves more
readily to his purpose of producing a complete and
agreeable picture than those more stirring situations
which both the author and the public would have liked
to see illustrated. A large proportion of the drawings
with which such works are embellished represent
scones wholly devoid of action or stir. Two or three
people seated round a table, partaking of a meal, a
couple of young fellows chatting over their wine ; a
lady showing a picture-book to her little girl ; lovers
in pairs, without end ; single figures, also without
end ; young ladies reading love-letters, or over-
whelmed with some piece of ill news just received.
Dickens's " All the Year Round."

4 rqso
tart

HER MAJESTY, &c•

OSBORNE, Tuesday.

The Queen, accompanied by the Princess of
Leiningen, drove out yesterday afternoon ; and her
Majesty and Princess Louise rode on ponies in the
grounds this morning.
The Royal family walked in the grounds yester-
day afternoon.

To• day is the birthday of his Royal Highness the
Duke of Edinburgh.
The Rev. George and Mrs. Protheroe had the
honour of dining with the Queen and the Royal
family yesterday.

The Prince of Wales, attended by Captain
Ellis, left Marlborough House yesterday afternoon for
Osborne, on a visit to the Queen.

The Duke and Duchess of Sutherland have left
Stafford House, St. James's, for Lilleshall, Shropshire.

The Duke and Duchess of Roxhurghe have left
;he Clarendon Hotel for Floors Castle.

The Marquis and Marchioness of Bristol and
Lady Mary Hervey have loft their residence in St. James's-
square for Milton Park, near Peterborough, on a visit to
the Hon. George and Mrs. Fitzwilliam.
The Earl and Countess Manvers have left town
for Thoresby, Notts, for the season.
The Earl and Countess of Dartrey left their
residence in Curzon-street, Mayfair, on Monday, for
Wiesbaden.

The Earl and Countess Spencer have left Spencer
House, St. James's, for Althorp Hall, Northampton, for
the season.
The Marquis of Bath has arrived at the Hotel
Westminster, Paris, from Vienna, on his way to London.
The Earl and Countess of Gainsborough and
family will leave town to-day for their seat, Exton Park,
Rutland. The Dowager Countess of Gainsborough is in
waiting upon her Majesty, not the Countess of Gains-
borough, as was erroneously stated.