The Sun.
London, England, 1859-05-30 00:00:00

SUN, LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, MAY 30, 1859.

—.....-----------A---
which they appear determined to
staila on the i those at
defensive, and which the allies will have to storm 1
before they can make further progre..`43- It is 131
no means probable that so large a body
this
of troops would be 'Withdrawn at
critical period, more especially when it
i 8
known that Louis NAPOLEON is chafing at the
delays imposed on him by the advice of more pru-
dent and experienced counsellors. Should there be
any truth in the statement, it will prove the i-
mation in which GARIBALDI is held by his oppo-
nents, and their opinion of the effect of a possible
rising in their rear.
There is also the prospect of French troops from
Leghorn, who nit,,v be enabled to co-oera
rearpte with
the Italian volunteero, and thus get to the of
the formidable fortre,:ises which Austria has
taken so much trouble ond expended so much
money to establish, and on )v
hich she prided her-
self so greatly. It is, tberrfore, manifest that
oungEmperor is
'
1
the situation of the y
one of no ordinary difficulty, that t will require
the best possible advice to enable him ~o extricate
him:cielf, and to save even a portion of his dunini°ns
from bile invading army. That they will con,
to excite tiile people, and avail themselves of evei:v
possible ad.vaintage, is certain, and so long as they
„.vrying the war into Germany, there
abstain from c
will be no pretext for Prussian interference, or that
of the minor States. Venice, too, may be attacked
by sea, and the inhabf!-ants will be just as ready to
declare for Italian independence as those of Lom-
ose her Italian domi-
bardy. Austria will thus '1
nions, and she will have ample cause for rejoicing,
if her losses be i,..
mited thereto.

f
A young man o museteen, feeling himself a _
resater man than he will 40 perhaps at forty, is
pointed to a pretty little lass f nine, romping with
,:iother wicked
her doll on the grassplat, and
fellow with a cigar in his mouth NU:lges him on
the elbow--" FREDERIC—WILHELMINA t1:1 ere is to
be your wife." The man of nineteen blushes de..l)lY'
half with the sensations peculiar to juvem. e
bachelorship, and half with anger and contempt
that he of twenty-one should talk of " such a
baby for his future wife." Years, however, roll
on, and, through Malthusian prudence or cir-
cumstances interfering with matrimonial projects,
nineteen becomes nine-and-twenty, and is still
unmarried. Meantime the contemned little lass
has become a full-grown lady ; the doll which
amused her has been dropped for the arts and
accomplishments which amuse him ; the charms
of nineteen need hardly be mentioned ; and then
there is the mere accident that he being short of
ready cash, and his expectations not equal to his
family name, she has a handsome dowry in her
own right. Of course a happy and very prudent
match is the result, and, by the help of CUPID
and FLUTE'S, the prize is secured. At first the
blushing damsel is all obedience to her lord in law,
and senior in years ; but, we put it to the expe-
rience of every Paterfamilias to answer the ques-
tion, how long Mr. of nine-and-twenty could refuse
a demand of Mrs. of nineteen. Possibly a year's
tolerable sovereignty might be enjoyed; but after
receiving fro& his fair spouse the usual present
which is to perpetuate his name to coming genera-
tions, he has learned assuredly one lesson ; that
whereas a " command" from Her MAJESTY is equi-
valent to a request from a fellow subject, so a request
from a wife is equivalent to a command from law-
ful authority. At first we are restive, " Oh—it
can't 'be, it really can't—out of the question"—no
more is said for the moment ; we are masters. Not
so soon, however, is the matter settled. Wives
have long known by instinct all the arts of Mr.
RAREY. We are approached in fifty ways, as if
nothing were intended, and every Benedict, after a
fews years' training, knqws the result. He no
longer disputes ; he yields at once. He has been
disciplined to the knowledge that he must give in
at last ; so he makes the best of it, and does, with
a good grace, what he knows he must do sooner or
later. The little lass of nine, by the time both are
ten years older, is like AUGUSTUS and the Roman
Senate, the master of her master, under the forms
of "love, honour, and obedience."
Now, we will not affirm that our similitude quite
" runs on all fours ;" yet we venture to commend it
to the attention of the ARCHDEACON of LONDON ;
for, his church not requiring celibacy of her Clergy,
he will fully comprehend it. There was, as he well
knows, a party in England, prior to Lord JOHN
RUSSELL'S glorious date of 1688, which took the same
liberty in regard to the Church, by law established,
as that Church did with the Church of Rome—the
liberty of "private judgment in matters of faith."
For long years the older Church of private judg-
ment boxed the ears of the younger church of the
same creed, and behaved to the rampant juvenile
pretty much as she pleased. But both grew older ;
and the younger one acquired, if not attractions, at
least importance ; till, under the last STUART King,
the Monarch and the senior church both wooed the
damsel most ardently ; both professed themselves
smitten with the charms of the Religious Liberty
which she illustrated, and each promised that those
charms should be heightened and developed, if the
lady would but honour either with her choice. The
junior church of private judgment listened to the
offer of the senior one ; Popery was left 4o its celi-
bacy ; the nuptials between Dissent and the Esta-
blished Church were celebrated by the Protestant
monarch WILLIAM 111., and the " Toleration Act"
was the first fruit of the union.
Now from that time the older Church should
have known that all was over. The " Dissenters'
rights question" has not indeed been mooted in
England as the " Women's rights question" in Ame-
rica, but it has been making itself felt ever since.
Once permit a junior Church of private judgment
as a helpmeet to the senior Church of private
judgment, and the main point is settled. Popery
needs no helpmeet. It looks round on all other
Christian Churches as Adam did on the brutes in
Paradise ; it may give them names, but they are
heretics, and have no claims' to toleration. The
Church of England, however, found herself com-
pelled by circumstances to acknowledge that the
Protestantism taken from her side was bone of her
bone and flesh of her flesh, and in fear of the
STUARTS and Popery to consummate the union
which no man can put asunder. And, whether
Archdeacons and High Churchmen like it or not,
the fact is undeniable that the difference between
the helpmeet Church and the dominant Church is,
in point of numbers, at least scarcely perceptible.
Dissenters, few 'at first, and meeting in barns or
conventicles, carefully secluded from public obser-
vation, now in the census of religious worship are
on a level with the Establishment, while their
splendid chapels confront us in every street, and at
this moment the largest place of worship in the
United Kingdom is in course of erection for a young
Dissenting minister. Dissent is now become a
matron ; law, in truth, gives it an establishment,
though with privileges inferior to the older one,
but as a consequence with infinitely more freedom ;
and it is in the nature of things that the free and
half privileged establishment should unceasingly
seek equality with the more favoured one. The
Church of WILLIAM M. will not be content that
the Church of HENRY VIII. should rule
over it ; and much more as our notions
conform to those of the latter monarch than

---• ____
_ae former, on Religious Liberty, it
seenr_,
pretty certain that at no distant period Re-
--
Ligious Equality will altogether supplant the idea
of Religious Lib erty, or that the former will be
regarded as the only true interpretation of the
latter.
Taking as we do, and as all the England of daily
life now does, those broad views of this whole
matter, it becomes really amusing to read a charge
like that delivered by the Archdeacon of LONDON to
his clergy last Friday.. It had but one fault, that
of being wholly out of date. A Reverend of con-
siderable official eminence addresses a large num-
ber of the London clergy ; and, so far as we might
gather from his " charge," SATAI4 has been cast out
of all the possessed of London, and has entered into
the House of Commons. To ordinary lay percep-
tions, the scenes visible in hundreds of the back
streets of their parishes, with the more respectable
sins of our better streets might furnish topics suf-
ficient for an archdeacon and clergy intent upon
bringing the power of Christianity to bear upon
the works of the evil one. But no—A far graver
evil than all is the large majorities of the House of
Commons against Church-rates. The clergy were
summoned together, not to be instructed how they
,:ould make their parishioners better men, but how
they
could save Church-rates. Arguments were
put into
their months not against Atheism, Infi-
or Vice, but against Abolition of
delay, Soci::.118m,
Church
_rata. jt was of more consequence to re-
tain the power of .: queezing a Dissenter than to
gt,•inst ignorance and crime.
rouse to a crusade a
The Braintree decision was deeply lamented, and
it was told us how the terrors of interdict and ex-
communication might still be employed, only
nobody cared for the rusty old -weapons, or nobody
could use them. We were told, in the face of the
last census, that the faith of the Church of England
was the faith of five-sixths of the nation. If he had
said of five-sixths of its wealth, that might
have been nearer the truth, but that would
have been an awkward argument against abolishing
Church-rates.
In fact we had, at this time of day', a dissertation
on Lhe beauties of the Act of Uniformity; on the
es of a national faith, which more than half
advanta:
the worship, reject—unless, indeed, we gene-
ralise the faith to the Christianity common to them
0e of a form of prayer prescribed
all ; on the adva:ltit,,•
by law ; on our being constituted a Christian nation
esceciall by ALFRED'S
by the Anglo-Saxons', Y
0
having the lavish Ten .. •ornmandments made the
law of the land, and the JeOisil: .provision of tithes
adopted for the clergy ; on the' ho::.nden duty of
parishioners to repair the church, wh,..,:her they
of the
would or not, because it was the church
parish—an argument which would go a long
waY
in support of Mr. T. DUNCOMBE'S proposal las,*
session to vest the freehold of the church and
church-yard in the parish, and not in the parson,
who, as he now gets all the pecuniary benefits of
them, ought, one would think, to keep them in
repair. We were also told that Dissenters ought
not to feel Church-rates a grievance, the Archdeacon
forgetting to tell us whether he should feel it a
grievance to pay a conventicle rate. He is also
sadly alarmed about another scheme of the Evil
One in the House of Commons. Very recently a
judge decided that in the deeds of grammar schools
the word " religion" meant Church of England
religion ; that godly men meant godly according
to the Church of England formularies, and hence
at ilminster some Dissenting trustees were actually
turned out of office. A bill has been introduced
with the infidel object of declaring that where the
trust deedo did not mention any special form of the
Christian religion, the trustees and teachers might
profess any Christian creed. Well might our
terrified Archdeacon conclude, and there we will
finish with him—" In former times it was said,
'No Bishop no King;' was thef,e not too much
truth in the anticipation, 'No .Y,STABLISHED
CHURCH NO THRONE.' ''

LOUIS KOSSUTH AND THE " TigES."

TO THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES.
Sir,—ln your impression of yesterday (Friday)
I find a leading article directed against my speech
at Manchester on non-intervention.
In that article you give a long passage, included
'between inverted commas, as a sign of quotation
from my speech.
The passage begins with " You ask to stand
apart," and ends with " Even should Russia and
France be dividing Europe, stay at home in your
own seagirt realm, and trust to non-intervention
to carry you through."
This and what there is between that beginning
and that end you not only give between inverted
commas ; you explicitly state that I said so.
Now, sir, you are perfectly welcome to comment
in as hostile a spirit as your heart may delight in
on what I may say or do, but I have a right to
demand that you should not give to your readers
the produce of your for a fct of mine.
Journalists have some duties, and truth in the
report of facts is one of them.
I never spoke the words which you put in my
mouth, and you know that I did not speak them ;
your own report of my speech published the day
before convinces you of this.
More yet. I never said anything the meaning
of which could be distorted to what you attribute
to me. You gave but an extract of my speech
after the Manchester Guardian, and there is not
one word justifying your imputation, but the Man-
chester Examiner and Times had a full and correct
report of my speech. To that I appeal as a con-
vincing testimony that what I said was exactly
the contrary of what you charge me to have said.
The purport of my argument is this:—" If Eng-
land abstains from taking a part in this war, the
war will remain restricted to the Austrian do-
minions and to the Italian peninsula ; if, on the
contrary, England interferes, the war will become
a general European one, because Germany will not
plunge into the war if told that she will not be
supported by England ; and in this case Russia, too,
will remain neutral ; but if England should either
directly support Austria or assist Germany in sup-
porting her, then Russia, too, will step in, but on
the opposite side—she will support France. So
that if the present war assumes general European
proportions, it will be entirely the work of Eng-
land's intervention."
This is just the reverse of what you put in my
mouth.
I trust you will feel that in requesting you to
rectify the mis-statement by publishing this, my
letter, I only ask for that fairplay which gentlemen
used to consider as an incumbent duty.
I enclose my card, and remain, sir, your obedien
servant,

LOUIS KOSSUTH.
32, Upper Gowcr•strcet, London, May 28.

LATV INTELLIGENCE.-(THIS .DAY.

COURT OF BANKRUPTCY.
Before Mr. Commissioner Goulburn.)
The case:, in the list were few and unimportant, being for
choice of ass' gnees, &c., and private examination.

IN RE TALLERMAN.
This bank. upt was described a 4 of Houndsditch, out•
fitters, &c., ai d to-day was appointed for his last exarnina

tion.
The accounts are in course of preparation by Mr. S. T.
Cooper, and the hearing was adjourned with the view of
an arr4.ugentent to obtain a supersedeas to supersede the

LATEST NEWS.

THE WAR IN ITALY.

The following telegrams have been received at
Mr. Reuter's office :

TURIN, MAY 28.

A telegram sent by General Garibaldi, dated
Como, May 28, 10 a.m., states :—" We attacked
and defeated the enemy yesterday evening, and
entered Como at ten o'clock the same night. The
Austrians were completely routed, and fled in the
direction of Monzo." This news was received at
head-quarters.
The King sent in reply a telegram to Garibaldi
eulogising that general.
It is announced from the Lago Maggiore that
the Austrian war steamers Benedek and Radetzki
cannonaded Canobbio during three hours, which
town was admirably defended. No loss occurred
on our side, while several of the enemy were
wounded.

On the eastern bank of the Sesia facing Vercelli
a trifling engagement took place, in which the
Austrians were repulsed.

MAY 29.

Como has decidedly declared her adhesion to the
Government of the King of Sardinia. The tele-
graphic connection between Turin and Como is re-
established. Advices received state that the popu-
lation of the surrounding country is hastening to
place itself under the flag of General Garibaldi.
Other reinforcements have also joined his corps.
The inhabitants near the Lago Maggiore are pre-
paring a fierce resistance to any eventual attack of
the Augtrians.

BERNE, Mar 29,

Garibaldi has left Como, having repulsed the
Austrians from Camerlata. The telegraphic con-
nection between Como and Piedmont is re-esta-
blished. The Generals Garibaldi and Niel are
expecting the Austrian corps d'armee commanded
by General Urban.

MAY. 28

Advices have been received from Lugano dated
28th, noon. The Austrians, pursued by General
Garibaldi, are withdrawing towards Milan.
General Garibaldi occupies Camerlata and Lecco.
Insurrectionary movements have taken place in the
Valteline, and 800 Valteline insurgents are now on
board the Austrian steamers.
Yesterday evening General Garibaldi entered
Como amid bell-ringing, and a general illumination
of the town. All the steamer's on the Lake of
Como are in Garibaldi's possession. The Austrians
are in rapid retreat.
The following advices have been received from
Luo.-Ino to-day :
yesorday evening, after a furious fight which
lasted five to eight o'clock, Garibaldi entered
Como. fro
Thei.
n.ombat was renewed at Camerlata, and
theov A u gave way and retreated. The
t
gaßilluminated, and all the steamers
Nn of s t
Comorian s 14'
ain w
hands of the patriots.
T
strian war steamer on the
on the lakem morning
in are in
tu the
Lago Maggiore kept up a three hours' cannonade
effect.
upon the town of CanobbiLl, but without much

VIENNA, MAY 29.
The Emperor has taken his departure for Italy
to-day, at 11 o'clock a.m., by the Southern Railway.
Crowds of people were assembled on his way cheer-
ing his Majesty enthusiastically.

TURIN, MAY 29.
Yesterday the Austrians occupied Bobbio in
considerable force.
The King went to-day to Vercelli.
The Emperor of Austria has left Vienna to-day,
accompanied by Generals Hess and Kellner. This
evening he was to sleep at Gratz.

BERLIN, MAY 28,

According to advices from Florence of to-day,
Kussia, Prussia, England, and Turkey are said not
to th;ve recognised the Provisional Government of
Tuscan;', and the representatives of those countries
are also sail to have withdrawn their flags.

VIENNA, MAY 26.

The municipality of Venice has requested a re-
duction of the loan. The fyesident and Vice-Presi-
dent of the Chamber of Com-i2erce have resigned

their official positions.
Yesterday a cannonade was direcOd from the
Lida Forts against the French squadron.

TRIESTE, MAY 29.

An English war steamer arrived yesterday at
Venice. An English steam frigate-of-war has also
put into Ancona. The Master of the Ordnance,
Schlik, is now here, and the Archduke Leopold has
arrived at Nabresina. A deputation is going to-
night to Nabresina to receive the Emperor.

PARIS, MAY 28.

The semi-official Pays of this evening contains
the following telegram :—" The Austrians, 50,000
in number, quitted Piacenza yesterday and re-
entered Lombardy." The same journal also states
that England is willing to renew deplomatic rela-
tions with Naples, but only on condition that
France will simultaneously do ,the same. The
announcement of Sir James Hudson's departure for
Naples was premature.

PARIS, MAY 30.
The Moniteur of to-day publishes the following

telegram :
.ALESSANDRIA, May 29th.—The Emperor enjoys
perfect health. We have but few sick. The
weather is beautiful and the heat moderate ; the
harvest has begun.
The army is abundantly supplied with every-

;hints.
The soldiers continue full of confidence and high

spirits.

TURIN, MAY 30.
Garibaldi has received reinforcements of troops

at Como.
The artillery has been organised and a National
Guard mobilized.
Volunteers are hastening to increase the militia.
The national movement is spreading, and the
town of Lecco is free.
The A istrians in con3idcrable force have occu-
pied Bobblo.

MAY 29.
The Moniteur of to-day publishes the following

telegrams :

ALESSANDRIA, MAY 28.

The Emperor, wishing to diminish as much
as possible the evils of war, has decided upon re-
turning to the enemy all wounded prisoners with-
out asking for exchange.
Garibaldi has entered Como. The town was
illuminated and the inhabitants have joined Gari-
baldi's standard.

LUGANO, MAY 29.
Garibaldi's troops occupy Camerlata, and are

preparing to pursue the Austriaus, who are re-
treating towards Mariano.

The Aloniteur also says that up to the present
the French Government has not regarded coals as
contraband of war, but pending the present war
they will be regarded in that light.

General Garibaldi, on entering Lombardy, pub-
.
lished the following proclamati©n :
" Lombards !—You are called to new life, and
you must respond to its appeal as your fathers
did at Ponsida and at Legnano. The enemy is
still the same—atrocious assassins, pitiless, and
pillaging. Your brethren in all the provinces
have sworn to conquer or to die with you. It is
for us to avenge the insults, the outrages, and the
servitude of 20 generations ; it is for us to
leave to our children a patrimony, pure from the
contamination of foreign domination. Victor Em-
manuel, whom the national will has chosen,for our.
supreme head, sends me amongst you to organise
you in patriotic battles. lam deeply moved at the
sacred mission confided to me, and feel proud to
command you. To arms, then ! for servitude must
cease. He who can lay hold of a weapon, and does
not do so is a traitor! Italy, with her children
united, and free from foreign domination, will
know how to reconquer the rank which Providence
has assigned to her among nations."

FRANCE.

PARIS, SUNDAY.

BOURSE, May 28.—The opening of the market
has been dull to-day, but prices have not materi-
ally varied. Threes have been done at 61f. 45c.
and are now at 611. 60c. ; Mobilier varied from
582 f. 50c. to 590 f. ; Orleans, 1,177 f. 50c. to I,lBof. ;
Lyons,,7B2f. 50c. to 785 f. ; Northern, 881 f. 25c. to
883 f. 75c.; Southern 597 f. 50c. to 600 f. ; Southern
442 f. 50c, to 445 f.
The last prices were somewhat former, but very
little business was transacted. The following are
the'last quotations :-
41 per Cents. .... 89 75 Credit Fonder 625
Do. end month .. Belgian 44 —
3 per Cents 6l 65 Piedmontese (5) .. 77 75
Do. end month 6l 65 Roman Bl 50
Bank Shares...... 2725 Austrian
Credit Mobilier 592 50 Spanish Threes
Do. Account ..... 590 Home Debt

RAILWAYS.

Cash. Account.
Orleans
Northern BB2 50 .. 882 50
New ditto. — .. 750
Lyons and Mediterranean 787 50 ..
4787 50
Genev
Seutha
ern
Western 5OO .. 495
Eastern
S
ardan - .. 345
Austrian 363 75 .. 365
Austrian
Exchange on London, at sight, paper, 25f. 60. - money,
25f. ; three months, paper, 24f. 85c. ; money, 24f. 871 e.

LITERATURE.

Memoirs of Robert _Houdin. Written by himseA
Two vols. Chapman and Hall.
The memoirs of an " ambassador, author, and
conjuror," as the subject of these memoirs is desig-
nated in the title page, are sufficiently remarkable
to attract the attention of a large class of readers.
It is but fair, however, to the lively autobiographer
to say that these high sounding appellations are
not of his own selection, but are bestowed upon
him by his translator. All visitors to his enchanted
regions will bear a vivid remembrance of the
astonishing magician, and will most probably feel
-desirous of renewing his acquaintance in another
form. Their agreeable anticipations will not be
disappointed. The book is animated, varied, and
interesting ; thoroughly French in style, with all
the pathetic sentiment befitting an heroic career,
and all the solemn sense of his high calling to be
expected from a great artist. M. Houdin's sense
of the serious importance of his profession and his
comfortable conviction of his own talents and suc-
cess may cause the reader to smile, but they will
not shake his opinion of his real ability. His
natural capacities are evidenced by his abilities as
a mechanician, in which science we will hope he is
yet destined to render his countrymen substantial
benefits. His lively and pleasant memoirs will
afford much entertainment to his readers, as they
abound with anecdote, incident, and description.
A few extracts will give the reader the best idea
of his style. Here is the account of his first per-
formance when he was but a youth and an amateur.
It was undertaken for the benefit of an invalid
friend who had taught him the necromantic art.
An accident that happened during the performance sin-
gularly lessened the joy I felt in mftriuMph. I had bor-
rowed a hat to make an omelette in. Those who have seen
this trick are aware that it is chiefly intended to produce
laugh, and that the object borrowed runs no risk. I had
got through the first part excellently, consisting in breaking
the eggs, beating them, throwing in the salt and pepper,
and pourino• it all into the hat. After this. I had to feign
the frying of the omelette ; I placed a candle on the ground,
then, holding the hat sufficiently high above it
hile to
escape the flame, I began turning it gently round, w
making some of he stereotyped jokes adapted to the trick.
Tho public laughed so heartily and loudly that I could
scarce hear myself speak, but I could not suspect the cause
of their hilarity. Unfortunately, I detected it only too
soon. A strong scent of burninc, made me turn my eyes
on the candle ; it had gone out. I then looked at the hat ;
the crown was quite burned and stained. I bad kept on
turning the hat round unsuspectingly, until I at length
put it on the top of the candle,and covered it with grease.
Quite dazed by this sight,l stopped, not knowing how
to escape. Fortunately for me, ray alarm, tough so truth-
ful, was regarded as a well-played farce ; though supposed
this was only a heightened effect, and this confidence in
my skill was an additional torture, for my supernatural
power could not repair a hat. My only chance was to
time : so I continued the trick, with a tolerably easy air,
and produced to the pblic a splendidly
with a few jokes. cooked omelette,
which I had enough courage left to season
Still, that quarter of an hour of -which Rabelais speak
had arrived. I must restore the hat, and publicly con-
s
fess myself a clumsy blockhead. I had resign.ed myself
to this, and was going to do so with all the dignity I could
-ouster, when I heard Antonio call me fromthe side. His
vetc: restored my courage, for I felt assured he had pre-
pared way for my escape. I went up to him, and
pared ;me way, for my escape. I went up to him, and
found him z;!anding with a hat in his hand.
"Look here"
he said, exchanging it for the one I held,
" it's yours ; but nt;.m?tter, keep a good face : rub it as if
you were removing t.,;,e stains, and, on handing it to the
owner, ask him, gently, tc; read what is at the bottom."
I did as he told me ; and the owner of the burnt hat, after
receiving mine, was going to betray me, when I pointed to
the note fastened in the crown. It ran as follows :
"An act of carelessness caused oie to commit a fault,
which I will repair. To-morrow I will do myself the
honour of asking your hatter's addrs ace: in the meanwhile,
be kind enough to act as my accompli"
My request was granted, for my
_secrete was honest]
kept, and my professional honour saved. Th success of thiys
performance induced me to give several others : the re-
ceipts were excellent, and we realised a very fair sum.
Here is an account of an interview with Comte, a
rival performer :
The celebrated ventriloquist paidme a visit at the Palais
Royal, and .I accompanied 'him to the foot of the stairs on
his departure. Comte walked down before me, still talking,
so that the pockets of his coat were at my mercy. The op-
portunity was too good to neglect the chance of playing a
trick on my talented confrere, so I filched his handkerchief
and a handsome gold snuff-box ; and I took care to turn
the pocket inside out, as a proof that my performance had
been properly executed.
I was laughing at the comic result my trick must have
when I returned Comte his property ; but it was "diamond
cut diamond ;" for, while I was thus violating the laws of
hospital yed thit, Comte was scheming against me.- I- had scarce
conceale handkerchief and box, when I hearda strange
voice on the first floor landing.
" Monsieur Robert-Houdin, will you be kind enough to
step up to the box-office ; I wish to speak to you."
My readers will guess that the ventriloquist had played
me a trick; indeed, on reaching the office, I only found the
clerk, who could not understand what I was talking about.
I perceived, too late, that I was victimised, and I heard
Comte celebrating his victory by shouts of laughter. For
a moment, I confess I felt vexed at having been taken in,
but I soon regained my equanimity on thinking I might
have the best of it yet. So I went down stairs very
calmly.
"What did that person want?" Comto asked with• ill-
repressed delight.
Can't you guess ?"
" I ?—no."
cc It as a penitent thief, who begged me to return you
the articles ho had filched from you.gg Here they are, my
master !" pocket
" I prefer it to end so 1" Comte said, retu
hope we shall
to its place. "We are now quits, and Ihis
always be good friends."
His account of the tricks ad. by Comte on
very amusing. On
unsuspecting strangers
apr o tpeisgt
one occasion the ventrlciiot
market
which was being
e na tnadl
against the price pudtrietvrtne:ter. The o horrorineid
amazement of the bys
gh the volumes, afford, a
narratives, seatterec,l
we have a detailed account
_, leasant variety-. 1
uh
the automaton chess player and'the adventures of rou
of
din also gives descriptions of
ou
igpep
of
loftyi s
superiority.ther ri a ls,
Woronsky. 1-1
tin
the performanceslight
though with a
His visit to this country he speaks of with enthu-
Everything appears to have been couleur
lie pays a well-merited tribute to Mr.
de rose.
Mitchell's courtesy and managerial ability. The
following incident, which occurred at the St. James's
Theatre, testifies our conjuror's presence of mind:—
Thus one day, I happened to break the glass of a watch
lent me, for a trick. My position was awkward, for it is a
very clumsy termination to a trick to return an object lent
you in any way injured.
I quietly walked up to the gentleman who had lent me
the watch, and offered it to him, while being very careful
to keep the face downwards • but, at the moment he was
going to take it, I drew it back.
"This is "our watch.'" I said, confidently.
"Yes, sir; it is."
"Well, I merely wished to prove the fact will you, sir,"