The Sun.
London, England, 1858-06-14 00:00:00

1 8.-5 8.

________,..............,4.........
attractive Because ief the which they present to
the dull routine of • actual life; ' ' -
.
1 ' "In this manner, perhaps More than in any other, the
Society of Friends have erred in judgment, while most
correct and scrupulous in aim. Afraid' of the evil with-
out, they have neglected to provide against that within;
and, acting too much upon the negative system, have
taken it for granted, that a condition of apparent empti-
ness and nothingness, must necessarily be one of in: ea eerier', purity, and peace. The. positive culture of al
the human faculties as the natural inheritance of man
received from the hand of pod, and the direction of
such faculties into channels of healthy and wholesome
exercise, even when they have no relation to the claims
of trade or commerce, would seem, in former times,
never to have constituted any portion of the philosophy
of this otherwise shrewd and intelligent • Society.
Music being to them a forbidden indulgetice, and until
very recently the arts of design being rather discouraged
than otherwise, there was nothing but reading left avail-
able to them in their leisure hours ; - and that resource
was often so limited in its range, as to afford but little
attraction to the youthful miod, ltence there has probably
never yet been in any society such greedy and indis-
criminate devourers of novels as occasionally might be
found amongst the Friends ; so that the most vehement,
spasmodic, and highly-wrought productions of the poet,
the dramatist, and the navel' writer, hive been seized
upon, perhaps by stealth, and read with an avidity sel-
dom. known to those who are accustomed to occasional
indalgencies of this kind under the careful-supervision of
some judicious parent or friend.
"Of course, these remarks refer more to the past than
the present—to a time when music was Ito rare a thing
to the members of this society, that in 'cases where an
ear for music was a natural gift, the desire for music
amounted to an absolute passion, not unfrequently in-
dulged in stolen opportunitiee, and at the cost of much
family disunion and grief.
" Whether from similar causes, it is, difficult to say,
but whilst placing the average morale of the Friends
decidedly high, it must be confessed that in the midst
of the peaceful calm of their outward lives, there have oc-
casionally arisen solitary instances of the most terrific
disruption of the laws of propriety and order, and the
grossest deviation from the line of right. That such in-
stances have occurred chiefly where there has been no
real spiritual earnestness for their children's good on the
part of the parents, it is but fair to suppose—chiefly
where there has been a mere outward or nominal
restraint with, perhaps, excessive eagerness in the pur-
suit of money ; and consequently a very defective exem-
plification of the Christian character in those who held
the reins of government."
As is usually the case with republics and demo-
crats the Friends submit to a , species of social
tyranny among themselves, which many people
would find perfectly intolerable. Thus several
marriages are broken off in this work because
"unsuitable." The elders are "consulted" on
domestic matters, and the authoress speaks of
" the strange and almost inconceivable power
which is exercised by the Society of Friends over
the minds and actions of the different members of
their own body." It is true that .no personal in
terference would be allowed but by those-appointed
by the general body for the maintenance of rule,
order, and precedent. The style of the work is
good and the story pleasing, but the chief interest
is derived from the faithful picture of this remark-
able people, so full, doubtless, of sincerity and
donifstic virtue, yet so sadly overlooking the
charity that " thinketh no evil." The dangers of
too great repression of the pure and natural tastes
of human nature are strongly d,velt upon, but
there are other dangers no less fearful be-
cause lots apparent. If youth debarred from
its natural wishes, breaks the blards of moral law
as well as tho,e of pharisaical restraint, will not
mi idle age, ti:d down to business and routine,
become wrapped up in love of g Ild and selfish
accumulation I Will not those whom age or
iincapacity shut out from active employmen r, take
refuge in creature comforts arid boastful deprecia
tion of otl.er'. S -ciel philosophers are but slowly
awaking to the fact that it isnot by crushing down
and hemming in the desire for roc: ea ion and Po
eiety that dangers are to be avoided, but by giving
it a wholesome outlet, and that a love, of veriety is
sometimesless dangerous than a sob rand quiet rou-
tine exi,tenv. Those who have not considered this
question miy learn something from Mrs. Ellis's
ph assist pages, and while the "F: iends" themselves
hive liege cause to complain of the colours in
which they are Depicted, hoe volumes may enlighten
some others th it " Jeutralitints," and bread-brimmed
hats do not indicate a disregard of outward things,
and the use of thee and thou, although desirable,
does not necessarily accompany the attainment of
all the virtues.

lact form.

Sir-F. gin Ith .. .
Col.Gilpin.....
Mr. Robertson.
Mr.J. Hamilton

va's, from the far north to the extreme Reath of Europe,
these small, flourishing, and well-ordered states, offer a
spectacle as full of hope and encouragement to all lover,
of con-,titutional liberty, as it must necessarily be offens
sive to the despotic governments of the groat continental
monarchies, on whose threshholds the altars of freedom,
'newly lighted, have burnt with so steady and pure flame. They may serve as beacon-lights to European
populations gasping for that political regeneration, the
hour of which will assuredly come, and may not be far
distant"
"All enlightened Sanks with whom we conversed
unite with Signor Sala, who has devoted several sections
of his work to the subject, in representing the abuses
pervading the administration of justice in Sardinia u
lyingready
at the root of its greatest social evil. It is 'the sxouse for rude justice, for private revenge, for the
tsotrosniyg
administered..hand, that the
Therelasve
la. are ia m
assertion of the rights of persons or of things by the
inoperative,
reason itnaiqbeni:
u
sto Hove that this has been the normal state of Sardinia
under all its rulers for ages past. And when tth
same time we find the natural iostinct a e
s of the people to
be turbulent and lawless, and prone to the ftby a
robbery, and consider the facilities afforded an
d
wild, mountainous, and densely wooded countr
for the commission of crimes of violence, the admire"
of bloodshed and rapine by which it has be
desolated, are not to be wondered at. In the absencee ofn a vigorous justice, and a sufficient military or police for
the protection of property, a voluntary association
sprung up, consisting of armed men, under the name of
Barancelli, who, for a sort of black mail paid by the
peasants, undertook to recover their stolen cattle, or ins
demnify them for the loss. They fell, however, into dis-
repute, and I believe have been disbanded. Banditissu
has been finally and effectually extinguished in Corsica,
as rata' ed in a former part of this work, by a total dis-
armament of the population, without respect of person's,
or of the purposes for which firearms may be properly
required. So stern a measure is neither suited to the
genius of the Sardes or their rulers. With a numerous
resident gentry, who, with their retainers, and the great
mass of the population, are passionately fond of the
chase, and with wastes so stocked with destructive wild
animal 4, the total prohibition of firearms must be bath
unpopular and impolitic. The law, however, requires
that no one shall carry them without a license. But it
is not, or cannot be, enforced, for we saw them in every
one's hands."
One great drawback to the commerciaLprogresa of
the island is the want of a mercantile marine.
"One subject of special interest in connection with
Sardinian progress has been reserved for a more par-
ticular notice than we have been able to afford most
others, both on account of its importance, and its hav-
ing much engaged the atteution of the master-mind
most conversant with the situation of affairs. At the
outsct of our rambles in Sardinia, it was observed that
the Sardes are averse to --maritime occupations ; the
Dies() of La Madelena, who are so employed to
some extent, being adistinct race. Sardinia has
no mercantile marine. Signor Sala states that
there are only four or five vessels belonging to
natives, and, of these, two are the property of the same
rich owner. Considering the advantages of her position,
and the products the island is capable of supplying for
an active commerce, he considers the want of a mercan-
tile marine one of Sardinia's greatest misfortunes, and
treats with much good sense of the means calculated to
promote its estal)lishment.
"General La Msrmora drew attention to the subject
in a pamphlet publiobed at Cagliari in 1850, under the
title of Questions marital-fa sficttazti all' isola di Sar-
degna; and resumed the subject in 1856, in another
work, which he was so obliging as to give me, when at
Cagliari, in 1857. It originated in the expected com-
pletion of the line of Electric Telegraph between Algeria,
Sardinia, Corsica, and the continent cf Europe ; its con-
nexion with which, and its bearings on commerce, I may
have to refer to on a future occation. The General com-
ments on the ex raordinary fact, that, in an island 800
miles in circumference, there only exist four sea-portly,
properly so c 11-d These are Cagliari, on the south
coa;t, Terranova, on the cast, Pcrto-TorreP, on the
north, and Alghtro on the west. All the other villages
and tor,ns on the coast stand snore or less distantly from
it, and cannot be coiled maritime. Ha considers th's
dppopelLtion of the coast as the deplorable consequence
of the devastations of the Saracen corsairs, and the con-
tinuel piracy which was carried on to a late period, and
only ceased on the conquest of Algeria by the French." •
It may not be generally known that Corsica was at
one time under British protection, though but for
a short period. Another curion, episode in its
annals is the reign of the adventurer King Theo-
dore, who ended his days in the Fleet Prison. All
such anecdotes and incidents are told in these plea-
sant pages, which ate further enlivened by village
tales and conversations, tendinc, to give the reader
an insight into the customs and characters of the
inhabitants. The sensible and practical views of
the author on questions of a w:der interest are testi-
fied by the extracts given above. We must not
o nit to mention the illustrations, which are one of
the chief attractions of the volume, and ren-
der it suitable for a handsome gift-book,
as well as a work of reference. The large
col')ured views are very t raceful, while great
numbers of woodcuts are scattered throvgli the
Pao—
illustrating the descriptions. It is for
something more than an elegant volume for a
leisure hour, however, that the work is intended.
It aims at showing us the characters and fami-
liarising us with the localities of the islands and
their inhabitants, and the author has entered on
a new and nearly untravelled road, wishing to be
the pioneer and guide of many more. The wild
and chivalric nature of the people give the charm
of novelty to his records, and we have no doubt,
from the fre:huess of the subject, and the pleasant
and unpretending style of the writer, that the
work will be immediately popular among a large
class of readers.

The New Zealand Emigrant's Bradshaw. A
Guide to the Britain of the South. Stanford,
Charing-cross.
This very excellent and practical little work is
designed for intending emigrants, for whom it pre-
sents an attractive and sensible description of
" the youngest and fairest colony of our empire."
The managers of the New Zealand Emigration-
rooms, inform us in the preface, that from the
greatly increasing number of inquirers who apply
to them fur information, they conjecture that
the supply of works on the subject is un-
equal to the demand. Those that are pub-
lisbed are seldom sufficiently practical and
simple in their character, and moderate in
their puce to suit the intending emigrant
of the working-class. The little volume before us
is not open to any of these objections, but adapted
to all classes, " from the capitalist to the !forking-
man." It is also brief and concis• in its informa•
tion, telling the reader the history geography,
government, agriculture, statistics, land regula-
tions, &c., and all useful information of a similar
character, in a clear and direct manner, without
any circumlocution or complica'ion of terms.
A very useful chapter is entitled "New Zealand
Investments," and treats of the various individuals
and professions most likely to find an opening there,
and the most advisable method of proceeding to
obtain satisfactory employment. A little coloured
map is prefixed, and a most attractive account of
the position of the colony is given, as the early
settlers have reduced it to order, while the disputes
with the natives and home Government imme-
diately after its first colonisation drove so many of
the pioneer settlers away that the country is left
clear for later adventurers. All who are about to
seek their fortune in another country should con-
sult this little guide.

Tales from Blackwood. Vol. I. Blackwood and

Son.
These pleasant stories, which are published in
monthly numbers, are now offered in a more com-

The first volume includes three num-

bars, and the character and variety oftfie:47ries
will ensure a large circle of readers, while the quality
of the type and binding leave notiang.to be desired.
They are admirably adapted for railway reading,
for which purpose they are especially intended.

PAIRS ON GOVERANENT OF INDIA BILL.

HOUSE OF tOll
For Government. Against
Mr. J. wynne ..Mr. Wyvill
General Ha 11.... Gen. Codrington
Sir J. Carnac —Mr. H. Villiers
Mr. G. Dundas • . Mr. H. A. Bruce
Sir E. Rerrlson..Mr.D.Fortue
Mr. Noel ...... Mr. What eacan
Mr. Ker Seymer3fr.W.Cavendish
Sir C. Conte .... Mr. Luce
Mr. 11. sheridaii.3lr. North
Mr. Cayley ....Mr. Gilpin
"" - -

• .
rmoNS, JUNE U.
For Government. ':Against.
Mr. R. 11111 ....Sir (Norge Gray
Sir A. Ramsay.. Mr. Bland
Sir J. Bailey..•.. Sir G. Peohell
Gen. Arbuthnot Men. Buckley
Mr. Cobbold ....Mr. W. 0 Fester
Sir W. Gallwey..Mr. Dillwyn
Mr. Miles ......Sir J. Trelawny
Lord Bective.. • • Col. Forgueon
Mr. Paull ......Capt. Berkeley
Mr. Palmer ....Mr. F. Bouvorls
Sir J. Walsh .... Mr. Harcourt
Mr Mainwaring.Mr. Collier
Lord Eltnley ...Col. Biddulph
Col. Maxwe'l .. Mr. H. Berkeley
Mr. Trchisis ....Mr. Willyams
Sir W. Wynn, ...Lord Lincoln
Major Sibthorp.. Sir M. Choi-
momkeley
Mr. Clark ...... Lord Raynham
Sir B. Bridges .• Mr. Ba;ishaw
Mr. Hudson ....Mi: Bass

.Mr. Jos. Locke
. Mr. D. O'Connell
.Sir I. Matheson
I.Mr. Shafto