The Sun.
London, England, 1858-03-23 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

Recollections of the Last Four Popes, and of Rome
in their Times. By Cardinal Wiseman. Hurst
and Blackett.
Cardinal Wiseman, whose name has long been
eminent among those of his own faith for his lite-
rary as well as his theological attainments, is not
unknown as an 'author to a wider circle. His
charming romance of the catacombs, "Fabiola,"
was an universal favourite, and the volume before
us is by no means restricted iu its interest to those
of the same creed. Though of course maintaining
the spiritual and temporal authority of the Pope,
and tinged throughout with the author's peculiar
opinions, the work is written in a tone of modera-
tion, and freedom from asperity that prevents it
from offending the feelings and prejudices of bis
opponents. There are not many persons who can
boast of having seen five successive rulers, and
those who have must have witnessed changes in
nations and manners which must interest all classes
of cultivated readers. An observer of the taste and
abilities of Cardinal Wiseman cannot fail to find a
congenial subject in the artistic remains of the
Eternal City. His first introduction to it was in
early youth, when, in company with five others, he
was sent to colonise the English college in that city,
which had long been desolate and deserted. He
gives an amusing list of the misadventures of the
journey, then a formidable one. He tells us how
the embarkation took place on the second of Octo-
ber, and the arrival late in December ; how a fort-
night was spent in the passage from Savona to
Genoa, how a dog went mad for want of water, how
the ship went on fire, how a sudden squall nearly
destroyed them, and how, at length, they heard
the joyful sound "Ecco Rama." Pius the Seventh
was the Pope who then wore the tiara, who bad
witnessed the convulsions of Europe, who had seen
the fall of the Emperor who dethroned him, and who
had been restored to power by the course of events.
In his long life of more than eighty years what
vicissitudes had that old man seen and experienced,
what thrones and dynasties swept away before the
march of the conqueror, or crushed by the Im-
perial tread to lift their heads again when he had
passed by. The Cardinal thus describes his senti-
ments on his first interview :
The feelings- of any one permitted to 'approach that
most venerable man had necessarily a colour and vivid-
ness beyond those inspired by his dignity and office. •
His history had been mixed up with that of the world,
and its very anecdotes were fresh in memory. To the
young especially, who remembered him only in a posi-
tion so different from his natural one, as a captive and a
persecuted Pontiff, who had almost learnt to disjoin the
idea of the supreme rule of the Church from all the pomp
and even power of worldly state, and to associate it with
prisons and bonds, as in the early stages, there was the
halo of the Confessor round the tiara of Pius, that
eclipsed all gold and jewels. His portrait had been fa-
miliar to us, but it was that not of a high priest, clad in
"the vesture of holiness," but of an aged man bending
over the crucifix in search of its consolations, and speak
ing those words which had been made sacred by his con-
stant utterance—" May the holy and adorable will of
God be ever done!" Then had come the news of his
wonderful triumphs, his humble victory, scarcely less
astonishing than that of arms. He had been rescued
fram his durance not by the power of man, not by the
armies that almost hemmed in his prison, but by that
higher will that keeps in its own hands the hearts of
kings, and turns them at pleasure. The same stern com-
mand which had torn him from his palace and borne him
away, had set him free, or rather ordered his restoration.
To this, indeed, had succeeded another danger and tem-
porary retreat; so that the final settlement of the Holy
Pontiff in his dominion., and their restoration in their
integrity, had only occurred three years before, and bore
the character of recent events. As yet, indeed, one
might almost have said that the triumphal arches and
garlands of his joyful entry into Rome had scarcely
faded, and that the echoes of the welcome cries that
greeted him still lingered among the seven hills. For the
people all spoke GE them as things of yesterday.
He gives an interesting account of the Pope's
endeavours to restore and embellish the artistic
marvels of Rome, a task that was carried on with
energy by his second successor, Pius the Eighth.
To the library Pius made considerable additions, not
,only of manuscripts, but of many thousands of printed
volumes. Among these was a magnificent collection of
bibles, and biblical works. The Pantheon had long
been to Rome what Santa Croce was to Florence, and
Westminster Abbey used once to be to us ; the mauso-
leum of great men. The busts of distinguished Italians
were arranged round its walls, and gave a profane ap-
pearance to the church. By order of the Sovereign
Pontiff a new gallery was prepared in the Capitol, under
the name of Protometheca ; and iu one night of 1820,
the whole of the busts were removed from the Pantheon,
and carried thither.
It is, however, one even greater glory of Pius's reign,
that he commenced that series of excavations round an-
cient monuments which have been continued till the
present day, and have done more for solid antiquarian
learning than any previous study. Former excavations
had been carried on mainly to obtain works of art, and
were filled up again as fact as made. But, in 1807, the
Arch of Septiraus Several, which, as may be seen in
Piranesi's. pints (not here the lying Piranesi," as For-
. syth calls him), bad been more than half buried in the
ground, was cleared of all rubbish, and an open space
lrfc quite round it. Au immense spur, too, was added
to the Colosseum, to prevent a large portion of its out.
ward wall failing. The excavations and restorations of
ancient monuments were continued I,y the Freuch au-
thorities under the Empire, and often with a bolder
hand, for churches were destroyed or desecrated to dis-
cover or restore heathen edifices. But after the restora-
tion the work was resumed with greater vigour.
A tichseologists were wonderfully disappointed when on
excavating round a column in the centre of the Forum,
which bad been the very pivot of systems, it displayed on
its pedestal an inscription of Phocas a monarch totally
out of the pale of classicalsociety. Besides, however, other
interesting restorations, that of the arch of, Titus reflects
the greatest credit on the commission appointed by Pius
for the preservation of ancient edifices. This, not only
beautiful, but precious monument bad been made the
nucleus of a hideous castellated fort, by the Frangipani
family. Its masonry, however, embraced and held to-
gether, as well as crushed, the marble arch ; so that on
treeing it from its rude buttresses, there was fear of its
collapsing, and it had first to be well bound together by
props and bracing beams, a process in which Roman
t architects are unrivalled. It was in this condition that
I first remember the arch of Titus. The seven-branch
candlestick, the table, trumpets, and other spoils of the
temple which Roland has so well illustrated in a
learned little treatise, as collateral and monumental evi-
dences of Scripture truth, were invisible in great mea•
sure behind the Wooden framework, which also corn-
pletely hid from view the beautiful relief of the,apothe-
. xis in the key stone. The simple expedient was
adopted by the architect Stern of completing the arch in
stone ; for its sides had been removed. Thus encased in
a solid structure, which continued all the architectural
lines, and renewed its proportions to the mutilated centre,
the arch was both completely secured and almost restored
• to its pristine elegance.
The Cardinal's first view of Leo the Twelfth was
on the imposing occasion of his coronation. He
thus describes the gorgeous spectacle :
For the first time I witnessed pontifical high mass in
St. Peter's. All was new—the ceremony, the circum-
stances, the person. As has been before observed, the
infirmities of Pius VII. had prevented him from officiat-
ing solemnly ; so that many of us who had already passed
several years in Rome had not witnessed the grandest of
pontifical functions. But, strange to say, though some
of our body had shortly before received holy orders from
his hands in his private oratory, as I bad not enjoyed
that privilege, the countenance, hem wh.ch later I had
to receive so many benign looks, was all but new to me.
And the peculiar moment in which he stands painted,
clear as an old picture, in my memory, was one which
can only be once passed in each pontificate. As
the procession was slowly advancing towaids the high
altar of the Vatican basilica, it suddenly paused, and I
was but a few feet from the chair of stare, on which, for
the first time, the Pontiff was borne. No other court
could present so grand and so overpowering a spectacle.
In the very centre of the sublimest building on earth there
stood around a circle of officers, nobles, princes, and am-
ba-sadore in their dazz ing cos; umee ; and within them
the highest dignitaries of religion on earth, bishops and
patriarchs of the western and of the eastern Church,
with the sacred college in their embroidered robes,
crowned by heals which an artist might have rejoiced
to study, and which claimed reverence from every be-
holder. But rising on his throne, above them, was he
whom they had raised there, in spite of tears and remon-
strances. Surely, if a life of revere discipline, t f con-
stant suffering, and of long seclusion had not sufficed to
extinguish ambition in his brea,t, his present position
was calcult.ted naturally to arouse it. If ever in his
life there could be an instant of fierce temptation to
• self-applause, this might be considered the one.
And wherefore this pause in the triumphant proces-
sion towards the altar over the Apostles-' tomb, and to
the throne beyond it ? It is to check the rising of any
such feeling, if it present itself, and to secure an anti-
dote to any sweet draught which humanity may offer;
that so the altar may be approached in humility, and the
throne occupied in meekness. A clerk cf the papal
chapel holds right before him a reed, surmotitted by a
handful of flax. This is lighted : it flashes up for a mo-
ment, dies out at once, and its thin ashes fall at the
Pontiff's feet, as the chaplain, in a bold sonorious voice,
chaunts aloud," Pater Sancte, sic transit gloria mundi."
"Holy Father, thus passeth away the world's glory I"
Three times is this impressive rite performed in that
procession, as though to counteract the earthly influences
of a triple crown.
The character and policy of Leo he describes at
length, as well as his reforms and alterations which
were doub,less actuated by a sincere desire of re-
formation and improvement. Tue brief pont,ficate
of Pius the Eighth did not affuid scope for many
remarkable events. He was distinguished, as we
remarked above, by his love of arts and learning.
He was succeeded in 1831 by Gregory the Sixteenth,
the civil and domestic questions of whose time arc
beyond the scope of this volume of pleasant infor-
mation and agreeable personal recollections. The
artistic associations of his reign are, however, above
the stormy elements of political strife,' and they
thus are alluded to
:
Let us begin with these higher proofs of genius. The f
Roman galleries were rich till his time, in masterpieces

of Greek and Roman art. Indeed, one only wonders
how so much that is beautiful remains there after Rome •

has enriched the rest of the world. Unfortunately, in
ancient times, many of the sculptures excavated, when
the soil was for the first time upturned, were placed in
the palaces or villas belonging to the family of the reign-
ing Pope, and thereby became appropriated to its own
use. Thus, the Medici Villa received those matchless
statues and groups which make the Tribuna at Florence
a temple of highest art, though adorned only with spoils
secretly conveyed from Rome. Thus also, whatever in
the Museum of Naples bears the name of Farnesian, as
the Hercules and Dirce, came from the gigantic palace
of that family in Rome. Let us imagine these two col-
lections poured back into their original source, and what
would the Vatican he now I Then add to the sum of
Roman artistic wealth the innumerable pieces of sculp-
ture collected or scattered in other places' and even in
other parts of the city, in the villas and palaces of Rome,
in the Louvre, at Munich, in London,-and it well may
be said that the Eternal City has not only heaped up
artistic treasures for herself, but that she has enriched
with them the entire world.
With this inexhaustible mine of wealth, she had not
thought of going beyond her own soil to increase her
store. She watches indeed more jealously over it, and
over every new discovery, and does not allow the stran-
ger so easily as formerly to be a vainer by her own losses.
The consequence has been most beneficial. Unable any
longer to look to Italy for the accumulation of master-
pieces, we have turned to the original fields where she
reaped her golden harvests, to Greece and Asia, to Lycia
and Halicarnassus. It was Gregory XVI. who first en-
larged the boundaries of artistic collection in Rome, and
brought into near connection the monuments of earlier
schools, those from which it had always been supposed
that the more elegant and sublime productions of Grecian
taste and genius had received their first inspirations.
The discovery of Assyrian monuments has indeed
materially modified these theories. Egypt can no longer
claim to be the cradle of artistic Greece ; no lawgiver of
her future code of taste ever lurked in the bulrushes of
the Zile. And Etruscan art is no antecedent preparer
or modifier of Grecian grace, it is a portion finished and
refined of it, though corresponding with it in progres-
sive development, from rigid archaism to unzoned
luxuriancy.

Gregory added to the Vatican, but kept unblended
with its chaster treasures, most valuable collections of
these two classes of monuments. He began nearest
home. Mention has already been made of the Etruscan
discoveries commenced a few years earlier in the Papal
territory. Campaigns had long supplied Europe
with what are still called Etruscan vases, probably
the same objects of commerce as figure in our
customs list under the designation of " Magna
Gracia ware." The Museum at Naples was rich in its
collection of them ; and most other countries possessed
a few specimens. North of Rome, most Etrurian cities
contained local museums, in which were deposited curi-
osities, as they are called, picked up in the neighbour-
hood. Chiusi, Volferra, Cortona, and other successors
of old Etruscan towns, treasured up with chre the re-
mains and evidences of their ancient taste and splen-
dour. Sometimes an antiquarian academy or society
occupied itself with resea:cues and discussions on the
spot, rod published learned and useful transactiong.
Such are those of the academy of Cartons, which extend
to many volumes, full of interesting matter.
Among the eminent characters whom the author
met in Rome was Cardinal Mezzofanti, His ac-
count of this remarkable linguist though brief is
full of interest.

The name of this eminent mun is too well known
throughout Europe, for it to require any eulogium here.
Moreover, a most accurate and full life of him has been
compiled by one who has spared no pains or research to
make the biography complete. I allude to the Very
Rev. Dr. Russell, President of St. Patrick's college,
Maynooth, to whom I have transferred wy little stock of
anecdotes and information concerning my good and gifted
friend. Having made this sacrifice to the desire of an-
other, whom I may describe by the very same terms, I
will not anticipate -here what will be adorned by the
graceful pen of his biographer. I will but say that I
can attest his perfect utterance and expression in the
few languages with which I happen to be acquainted,
and that I nave heard natives of almost every country
in Europe and Asia, not to mention California, who have
borne witness in my presence to his perfection in accent
and phrase, when speaking their various languages. The
general observation used to be, that they would easily
have taken him for a native each of his own country.
This magnificent gift of universal speech was not
thrown away in any sense. It was habitually employed
in good, is instructing and assisting spiritually many
who, without him, might have remained ignorant or
helpless. Though it was natural that he should be fond
of conversing in his many languages, I should doubt if
ever it was done from love of display, for he was humble
and shrinking on every occasion. Indeed he knell! his
powers to be a gift rather than an acquisition. His I.qs-
p aaranoe certainly did not bear the seal of tu• high in-
tellectual mark ; for his learning on all subjects was
accurate, extensive, and solid. The
countenance, which
was the dial to the busy and complicated works above it,
was not ample or noble in its traits. His brow was
a problem to phrenologists : though his eyes were
-
heavily pressed outwards by what they may have con
sidered lingual faculties. Oae of this order once told
him gravely that he had great facility in learning lan-
gua‘es. "But then," Mezzofantt archly added in telling
me this wise discovery, "he knew that I was already
acquainted with fifty." Most amiable too he was, simple
and childlike, charitable to excess, and ready to help any
one with head or hand.

With Pope Gregory's death the record closes,
having embraced a period of twenty-eight years.
The length of the.tivae, the various subjects of the
memoirs, the character and position of the writer,
the exciting events that have him taken place,
all combine to render this volume attractive alike
to thou who sympathise, with the Cardinal in his
reverence for the Pontificate, and to those who are
desirous of extending their acquaintance with the
thief characters as well as the artistic records of
the City or the Seven Hills.

ACCIDENT ON TIM NORTH- WESTBEN

RAILWAY.

A correspondent of a contemporary this morning
writes as follows :—Yesterday I got into the 8.15
a.m. express train at Rugby for London ; when
we arrived at Wolverton, where the tickets were
collected, the train proceeded for London at the
rate of from 40 to 45 miles per hour. The train
passed Watford station, and, on looking out of the
window, I saw we were on the Watford embank-
ment, which is at least from 50 to 60 feet high. All
on a sudden the carriage seemed to sink under us,
and then followed a series of the most violent oscil-
lations and bumping of the carriage for a period of
10 or 15 seconds, the speed of the carriage became
less and lees, and all at once it turned' over flat
on its side, myself undermost, and the Whole
of the passengers on me. While all was in
eonfusion some laersous made their appearance
on the topside of the carriage, and drew us out
one by one ; the first inquiry naturally wa% "Is
anybody killed or hurt ?" and we were pleased to
find, beyond a few scratches with glass, and a few
shakes, no personal damage was done. On looking
at the train and the line it presented a perfect
wreck. The train, which consisted of an engine and
seven carriages, was divided or broken up into
three parts, and lay scattered as follows :—The
engine was about 100 yards in advance of the train,
imbedded axle deep in the sand ; the guard's
van, which was next to the engine while the train
was in.motion, was lying on its side on the edge of
the embankment; it has broke down the, tele-
graph pcist ; opposite to the van were two carriages
coupled together, with the two ends sticking up,
while at the place where they were coupled they
were axle-deep in the ground. A few yards fur-
ther on was the carriage in which I was, lying
Sat on its side. The remainder of the carriages
were in various positions, axle-deep iu the sand or
ballast. The carriages were all more or less da-
maged, the axles bent, and the windows smashed.
Looking back at the ground over which we had
passed, the sleepers were dashed to atoms, the
rails were bent, the chairs were broken, and broken
axle and grease boxes lay about in all directions.
I was the first paqsgnger who ran back to look at
the road, when the cause of the accident was at
once apparent. A gang of men were employed in
repairing the permanent way, putting now
sleepers, and doing general repairs. On looking at
the work only one chair out of every two was
spiked to the sleeper, and those which were fas-
tened were, fastened with wooden pegs about one
inch in diameter. In one place no chair bad been
placed on the sleeper to support the rail, but
tee rail was left to a distance of 6 feet 6 in. without
any support whatever. The result was, as soon as
the train came on the unsupported part of the rail
the rail bended outwards, the chair on the next
sleeper broke in two, and at the second sleeper the
engine ran off the rails. From the impression of the
wheel made on tha rail it was quite evident the
engine commenced to leave the rails at the spot
where the rail gave way for want of a chair to
support it. When the engine got off the rails it
ploughed up the road for 50 or 70 yards, dash-
ing everything to atoms.
When I arrived at the spot where the roalwl
broken up, the fist question I asked was,
did you not signal to the engine driver tosjecTkhene
his speed ? Where are your signal flags,=,v ‘,INO
men replied, "We have no signal flags•
was the
signal flags ?" I repeated. "No Sir,"
theref "butwrdy;a:ford w themow Thee state
signalso were
f the
estation."told
station 1 am unable to say.
The chief cause of our preservation undoubtedly
was the sand ballast which was put fresh on the
road, and which checked the force of the tram as it
ploughed through the sand after the engine and
,
roaatdtht
train got off the rails. The next cause which pre-
vented us from being hurled over the embankment
was,train happened to be
bankment
for
three lines of rails, and_
was, the company
our
are widening their road 1
on the middle line.

The invitations for the new Indian loan of 8,000,0001.
are expected to be issued to-morrow. According to
some reports it is to be raised on 4 per cent. debentures
redeemable in woven years.