The Sun.
London, England, 1866-01-22 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, JANUARY " 22, 1866.

Emperor NAPOLEON did when, by force of French
arms, he installed MAXIMILIAN on the Mexican
throne. The Americans may naturally resent the
insult to themselves, and the recollection that the
now empire arose in the midst of their difficulties.
Had the Federal Government been as assured in its
position then as now, neither France nor Austria
would have thought the Imperial Crown of Mexico
a very enviable possession. But the fairest and
simplest way of settling a question which is now
rapidly assuming very formidable dimensions is
for both lookers-on to retire and leave the
Mexicans to settle the matter for them-
selves. If they are not strong or united enough
to be able to gain their independence should they
really desire it, they will not be able to maintain it
when given to them. If MAXI3IILIAN, on the other
hand, cannot keep his throne without the support
of French bayonets, his empire is worth very little.
Let France and America content themselves for the
time with an armed neutrality, which will affect the
interests and honour of neither.

The public will hear with satisfaction that the
police are to undertake the task of inspecting the
workhouses and the casual wards. This arrange-
ment is in every way so good a one that it seems
strange that it should not have been made before
this. The introduction of this plan will prove an
effectual check to those who have taken advantage
of recent legislative enactments in order to carry
out their own views, and to cause riots and disturb-
ance, thus militating against the objects desired, and
preventing the maintenance of order. It must be
stated, to the credit of the Poor-law Board, that they
some time ago recommended the adoption of this
course, and had the guardians paid due attention to
the advice no doubt many of the evils recently
complained of would have been avoided. So long
ago as December, 1863, the Board alluded to that
plan, and in their circular to the guardians the
following January advised them to secure the valu-
able services of the police force. In the Poplar
Union the experiment has been made with great
success, and it is to be hoped that the guar-
dians in other places will see the advan-
tages of the scheme, and consent to avail
themselves of the resources afforded to them.
As a rule the police are far better judges than the
officials of workhouses have generally shown them-
selves to be ; and, besides the advantages that
will ensue from their detection of impostors,
they will serve the desirable end of keeping
the authorities themselves in check, or, at any
rate, of being of some service to the helpless and
really destitute, who, left to the tender mercies of
the officials at unions, too often suffer great
privations. The most satisfactory information
has been furnished by the Clerk of the Poplar
Union as to the results which have followed from
the visits of the police. The decrease of the num-
ber of vagrants since the police were employed is,
for one month, 1,241 persons, or 68.1 per cent. Sir
RICHARD MAYNE has consented to the police under-
taking the duty as desired by the Poor-Law Board,
so that it is to be hoped that the recurrence of such
disgraceful scenes as were recently reported may
not again be possible, and, at any rate, we have the
satisfaction of knowing that the best and wisest
means have been adopted for their suppression.

The meeting of masters and persons employed in
making painted paper for rooms, to which I alluded,
has not been attended with a good result. The mas-
ters having refused to make some concessions upon
which the men insisted, the latter are now "on
strike."

The weather to-day has again been so remark
able and so beautiful as to deserve a word o

mention. All day the sun has bean shining so
vividly that in localities exposed to its beams it was
necessary to draw down the blinds, just as is the
case in the height of summer. In the early part of
the morning'the wind was rather violent and some-
what cool, but now (6 p.m.) there is every pros-
pect of weather unprecedentedly mild and beautiful
at this season.

Charles Dickens and His Writings,

Charles Dickens writes for the world to read
—in print ; but it is only behind the scenes, in
he printing-office, says the Press News, No. 1
just published), that his genuine MS. is seen. It
was our lot to make one in the " Pickwick " comp-
ship, and to indulge in the irresistible Sam Wel-
lerisms long before they reached the public eye.
The only way possible to proceed with " Pick-
wick " copy was to adopt the plan of having it
read through by the clicker to the compship
collectively, before giving it out, in order that
they might proceed with it uninterruptedly. " Pick-
wick" MS. was all very well—when you got used to
it. Sometimes its inspired author was in a hurry ;
or he wrote in a bad light ; or the pen, perhaps, got
turned the wrong way up, or something else, and
then-- ! His mode of interlining was always
considered to be very ingenious—especially when
written small, with a very soft pen, which did not
always keep between the lines, but sometimes--like
our present railway trains—got on the wrong one,
and thus produced a conglomeration, if not a colli-
sion ! But though this highly popular author
was at times troublesome, he was always tho-
roughly practical and business-like in his work.
" Pickwick" was done in a sheet of 32 pages, and
such a thing as a page being over-set was never
known ; for Mr. Dickens is one of those men who
can write to a line. his copy being always written
on the same size 4to. post paper, he could easily cal-
culate what each leaf would make ; and he was
generally very punctual. Tn hi., rnrr,,,f;,„„ -
vt uttiu liTice to a word, and no matter how long the
insertion was it would be sure to cause no over-
running.
After the fame of " Pickwick" had established
the reputation of Mr. Dickens, there used to be the
most extreme caution exercised at the Whitefriars
printing-office to prevent a chance of the nature or
title of a new work of his coming out before its
time. This was all owing to the piracy of his name
as " Bos" by a certain publisher, who always issued
a penny spurious edition of something, with a title
resembling the great original, as soon after its issue
as he possibly could. To prevent this, the care and
secrecy previously alluded to were observed. No
compositor was allowed to have more than a leaf of
copy at a time ; and its consecutive order was
destroyed by having it scattered into several
rooms, with the overseer walking patrol to see
that there was no contraband communication.
In fact, so strictly were these rules carried out,
that the compositors, in a joke used to say, that
it was against the law for them even to read their
copy ! As each leaf was set up, it was given to the
overseer, who stood by to see it made up ; received
the only proof that was pulled, and then did not
leave the scene of operations till the former was
literally locked up, and padlocked besides, so that
no one could take a proof of it. As soon as the
work progressed, and the secret got into the keep-
ing of some 200 people, it was found impossible to
keep it, and long before the first sheet was at the
machine a penny edition was announced by the in-
corrigible " Bos," which it is unnecessary to say,
was miserable trash, and could only have found a
sale amongst the wretchedly ignorant. Most of our
readers will of course remember the unsuccessful
application for an injunction to restrain the sale of
the " Penny Pickwick," which at the time had a
great sale. By a certain agreeable perfume which
pervaded Mr. Dickens's MS. (evidently the odour
of best cigars) it used to be naturally inferred that
his ink and his ideas flowed freely as he smoked,
and that whenever he made a blot he had nothing
more to do but to shake the powdery end of his
cigar over it, and go on afresh like steam.
Inexperienced compositors were nowhere with
Mr. Dickens's MS., which, as I have said before

was pretty well " when you were used to it ;" but
at first sight a leaf of it presented exactly the same
appearance as a sheet of cream-laid would after it

had been crawled over by half-a-dozen blue-bottles

who had just escaped from the ink !

The sale of Mr. Dickens's last work, " Our Mutual
Friend," is unprecedeutedly large in New York.
Of Dr. Marigold's " Prescriptions" upwards of
200,000 doses have been dispensed to the public, who will
no doubt be greatly benefited when the ingredients are well
digested.

An American critic, speaking of the Cheap Jack
in Dickens's recent Christmas number, "Dr. Marigold's
Prescriptions," is pleased to say :—"lt is a Shaksporian
power which plucks ono true-hearted vagabond out of tho
crowd which fill England, and makes him typical and im-
mortal."

PLEASURES OF EDITORSIIIP.—Southey, the mur-
derer, is reported to have been very vain of his ima-
ginary literary abilities, and used to annoy Charles
Dickens very much. Ho was in the habit of sending MSS.
to the office of "All the Year Round." These contribu-
tions, being utterly worthless, were declined, and on re-
ceiving notice to this effect Southey wrote a series of in-
solent personal letters to Mr. Charles Dickens, informing
him, among other things, that as the articles were sup-
pressed through jealousy, he (Southey) would mako a
public exposure of Mr. Dickens's conduct in the transaction
in a published letter, to be addressed to "David Copper-
fiold, Esq., Murderers' Den, Rottenborough

The recent articles in the Pall Mall Gazette, en-
titled " A Night in a Workhouse," are said to be from the
pen of Mr. Anthony Trollops.
THE ENGLISH GOVERNESS IN EGYPT !—Upon
the title of this book, recently published by Bentley,
tho Saturday Review remarks :—" The notion of an Eng-
lish governess living in a harem seems fearful and won-
derful. It fills a rightly- constituted mind with as much
amazement as if Mr. Whalley were to turn chamberlain
to the Pope, or Mr. Tupper were to compose an unseemly
song."

millions to 120 millions. Speculators at the Bourse
are often carried away by impulse. It may be well,
therefore, to recall to mind that no modification of
the statutes of an anonymous society can be
carried into effect without the sanction of the
Council of State. Such demand must be sanctioned
also by the vote of a general meeting of share-
holders. Bat there must at all events be some
delay.
The Journal des Debats confirms my statement
as to the entire cessation of cholera in Paris. The
first case manifested itself on the 15th of September,
and the disease existed five months, more or less in
intensity. The deaths from cholera during that
period, within the limits of Paris, amounted to
6,400. In the civil hospitals of Paris the number
of deaths was 1840, but in the military hospitals of
Val-da-Grac and Gros Caillon the deaths were but
160. In the suburban communes the deaths were
550. The above total is completed by 3,890
deaths in the 20 arrondissements of Paris. In round
numbers the deaths in the whole department of La
Seine were at the rate of 52 a day. In the 20 ar-
rondissements of Paris the deaths were 32. The total
population of the 20 arrondissements of Paris being
1,800,000 inhabitants, it results that the number of
deaths was rather more than at the rate of two persons
a-day out of 100,000 persons. The highest rate of
mortality was on the 14th of October, when the
number of deaths was 230. The suburbs which
suffered the most were Batignolles (400 deaths),
(370) Popincourt (350), Buties Chaumont (240),
Gobelins (240), Jardin des Plantes (225). The
arrondissements which suffered the least were Passy,
Vangirard, Opera, Elysee, Banque. The cholera
of 1863-4 lasted 13 months, when 7,600 persons fell
victims in Paris. It existed also in 70 departments.
In 1849, 11,000 persons died from cholera, which
lasted seven months and ten days. In 1832 the
number of persons who died from cholera was
16,600. I was in Paris at that time, and I knew of
many instances of death from cholera in from four
to six hours.

LA TEST INTELLIGENCE.

(REUTER'S TELEGRAMS.)

THE MILITARY REVOLT IN SPAIN.
RETREAT OF PRIM INTO PORTUGAL.
MADRID, JAN. 22.
Official confirmation has been received of the in-
telligence that General Prim entered Portugal on
Saturday last.

LEGIIORN, JAN. 22.
A submarine telegraph cable was successfully
laid yesterday between this port and the island of

Corsica.