The Sun.
London, England, 1859-12-31 00:00:00

ST. STEPHEN'S.

THE NEW POEM IN " BLACKWOOD'S MAGAZINE."
There is but one hand in England that could
have traced the following masterly portraitures.
They are selected from the first part of a poem (to
be completed in Three Parts) inaugurating the
new number of Maga for January, 1860—a
Poem entitled as above, and designed (we are told
through the explanatory note prefixed) "to give
succinct sketches of our principal Parliamentary
Orators, commencing with the origin of Parliamen-
tary oratory (in the Civil Wars) and closing with
the late Sir Robert Peel." The anonymous writer's
view, obviously, throughout, and very often too
his achievement, combines the terseness of Pope,
the wit of Cowley, and the harmonious resonance
of Dryden. There are single lines here, and frag-
mentary passages—some of which we have itali-
cised—destined, in time, we are certain, to become
" familiar as household words " in the mouths of
lettered Englishmen. Take the subjoined inimit•
able outline sketch of PYM, as one of the first—
" Founders of England's slow -built eloquence--
Truth's last adornment as her first defence—
Pass—but as shadows ! Nevermore again
May the land need, yet reel beneath such win I

Mark in the front, fit leader of the van,
lon large, imperfect, necessary flan;
With all the zeal a cause conflicting needs,
And all the craft by which the cause succeeds ;
Iron as Ludlow, yet as Villiers trim,
'Twat saint and sinner—Atlas-shoulder'd PYM."
Or take the following page, where—
" Great HAMPDEN fills the eye !
Oh, wise as Strafford, and as Vane sincere,
Warm without frenzy, wary without fear,
Freedom's calm champion, while in peace her trust,
Freedom's first martyr while her war was just.
Hadst thou but lived thine own designs to crown !
No ! at its brightest let thy sun go down !
If Heaven in thee had viewed the later guide,
From Heaven's elected death had turned aside.
Thrice happy one! thy white name is not seen
In the red list of Bradshaw' s jurymen;
Thy manhood smote not the grey crownless head—
Thy faith forsook not the good cause it led—
Thy cheek flush'd not at the usurper's scoff,
When pikemen bore a people's bauble off ;
Hid from thy sight the loved Republic's doom,
In courticro crowding Crorkiwcaris onto-roam,
Am/ Gideon-Saints, the nicim of Marston Moor,
Drill'd into sentries at the _Brewer's door,
So pass, 0 pure Ideal of the free,
True fitsr to steer by, wheresoe'er the sea,
Linking the cause that gives the world its breath—
With Cromwell's triumph ? No ; with Hampden's
death."

Better than all, however, the exquisite limning
here in verse of the form, the features, the genius,
and the oratory of—

BOLINGBROKE.

" What voice now swells from Anne's Augustan
days ?
What form of beauty glows upon the gaze ?
Bright as the Greek to whom all toil was ease,
Flash'd forth the English Alcibiades.
He for whom Swift had not one cynic sneer,
Whom hardiest Walpole honoured with his fear,
Whose lost harangues a Pitt could more deplore
Than all the gaps in Greek and Roman lore,
Appalling, charming, haunting ST. JOHN shone,
And stirr'd that age as Byron thrill'd our own;
Sighing for ease, yet ever keen for strife,
Zeno's his creed, yet Aretin's his life;
With Protean grace through every change he sports,
Now awing senates, now perplexing courts ;
A soul of flame, though both a brand and torch,
Firing the camp or dazzling from the porch.
Beheld him now, not in his autumn day,
But the fall flowering of his dainty May ;
Not Pope's sad friend, and soul-deceiving guide,
But the State's darling and the Church's pride.
How the fair aspect, ere a sound is heard,
Prepares the path for the melodious word ;
Mark in its gesture force with ease allied,
And manly passion with patrician pride ;
And oh, that style ! so stately, sweet, and strong,
Which, tamely read, has all the charm of song,
What must its power o'er beating hearts have been,
The geniis speaking while the man was seen!
Judge it by this—behold a later time,
His party shattered, and its cause a crime;
His white name blotted, his young vigour spent,
A lone grey man comes back from banishment.
Fear seized the Council; England seemed too weak
Against that tongue, if once allowed to speak;
Law ransacks all the expedients at its choice,
Restores the peer, and then proscribes his voice.
So the grand orator, his field denied,
Shrunk to a small philosopher, and died."
We are sorely tempted to give next the portraits of
Harley and Walpole, but we are precluded from
doing so by the length already run by our quotations.
Enough if we end these as the first part of this
remarkable effusion of genius itself closes very
admirably—i.e., with this noblest portraiture of
all, displaying to us the historic and heroic form
of—

THE GREAT EARL OF CHATHAM.
" Pass by the lesser, not inglorious host ;
Awed, they shrink back", arise, majestic ghost I
Lo, the great Arts' unrivalled master one,
The mightier rather 6f the mighty Son!
Like hero myths before the Homeric time,
Looms the vast form—if vague, the more sublime ;
That pomp of speech but such memorial leaves,
As the gone storm with which the wave still heaves ;
Or as, on hills remote, the cloudy wreath,
Flush'd with the giant sun that sank beneath.
Yet it is not by words that critics praise,
Nor yet by deeds which after-judgment weighs
With ounce and scruple in impartial scales,
That a great soul, like a great truth, prevails.
Apart from what is said and what is done,
There is a force by which the world is won,
Born in men's destined ruler !—Reason halts
To gauge the merits or assess the faults,
While forth nnguess'd magnetic influence flows,
Attracts the followers, or unnerves the foes.
Our fathers tell us what their fathers told
How from those lips the glorious cataract roll'd;
And while its scorn all barrier swept away,
Each wave the roughest still flash'd back the day.
The effect sublime ; the cause why fritter down ?
Did stare-craft teach the mode to wear the crown?
Learn'dhe from Roscius in what folds to bring
The imperial purple ?—was he less the king ?
4'Actor' you call him ; yes, with enborn ease
What labour made divine Demosthenes ;
Tones with the might of music at their choice,
'rho front august, the eye itself a voice,
These Nature gave ; did care the rest impart,
Nature herself were chaos without art.
Was it a fault, if cowering Senates shook,
Thrill'd by a whisper, spellbound by a look ?
Or could the gesture dazzle and control,
Save as it launch'd sonic lightning of the soul
( titers take force front judgment, fancy, thought,
CHATHAM from passion; for its voiee he sought
Sounds rolling large as waves of stormy song,
By pride mad stately, but by anger strong;
To colder lips he left the words that teach;
He awed and crush'd—the .4Eschylus of speech."

FUNERAL OF MR. WEIGHT, TIIE COMEDIAN.—
The burial of the mortal remains of this popular favourite
took place this day at Brompton Cemetery. A large num-
ber of the profession attended on the mournful occasion.
TIIE CHIEF COMIIpSIONERSIIIP OF WORKS.—
Speculation at the west end is busying itself with the manner
in which the Chief Coramissicnership of Works, vacant by
the death of the Right Hon. H. Fitzroy, is to be tilled up.
The rumour circulated last evening was that the office had
been offered to Sir John Itamedcu, whose acceptance would
render necessary a new election for the WQ$.l
TOwili gives the vacant (19341111*W to the Right
Wm. NV. V. 400.YPel'x to NOW pimovi duties at the Board
Tratio LON 1)Q Wily 44d Ripon would succeedA


LATEST NEWS.

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

MADRID, DEC. 30.

Yesterday the Spanish squadron burnt and blew
up the forts at the mouth of the river of Tetuan.
The troops are in perfect readiness to continue the
military operations.

Two tribes not wishing to continue the war have
withdrawn to their mountains.

TURIN, DEC. 30.

The Marquis de Villamarina having refused the
post offered to him of Governor of Milan, Count
Gallena, Senator, has been raised to that dignity.
M. de Villamarina has been appointed Minister
Plenipotentiary to Naples.

BERLIN, DEC. 30.

The New Prussian Gazette (Kreuz Zeitung)
says :—"According to current reports Prince Ho-
henzollern Sigmaringen intends shortly to give up
the Presidency of the Council of Ministers and to
assume the command of the 7th corps d'armee."

MADRID, DEC. 29.
The squadron left Algesiras yesterday. Its desti-
natiou is not known.

PARIS, DEC. 30.

There is at this moment, between the Cabinets
of Paris, Vienna, and Rome, an active exchange
of despatches, easily explained under existing cir-
cumstances.

All that is said of the unfavourable disposition
of the Court of Rome is false. Monsignors Sacconi
awaits instructions.

There is every ground for believing that the
reunion at Fontainebleau of the Emperor, Prince
Metternich, and M. Walewski, will have the effect
of smoothing down many difficulties, and of hasten-
ing the meeting of the Congress.

FRANCE.

PARIS, FRIDAY.

It is said that the Alinister of War is occupied
with the organization of a corps of reserve for China,
which is to be despatched by Suez in case of neces-

city.

Experiments were made yesterday at Vincennes
with cannon of a new model for the naval service,
in presence of commissioners specially appointed by
the Minister of Marine, Greaf precautions were
adopted to prevent accidents, and fortunately none
took place. The experiments appeared to have com-
pletely succeeded.
The Forfait, the second steam corvette built for
account of the French Government by M. Nor-
mand, of Havre, was launched with complete sue-'
cess on Wednesday last, notwithstanding the heavy
sea running and the violent south-west wind.
Every necessary precaution was adopted, and at
1 o'clock the Forfait took her rapid course into the
sea. Two steamers towed her into the port, having,
as an additional precaution, been supplied with a
provisional rudder.. She will be immediately pro-
vided with machinery.
A letter from Algesiras of the 18th inst. informs
us that the French fleet under the orders of Vice-
Admiral Remain Desfosses has received a stock of
provisions and clothing for seamen, which leads the
writer of the letter to believe that the French fleet
will remain for some months longer on the coast of
Spain.

PARIS BOURSE.--The market was rather more
buoyant at the opening, and for a time prices kept
up. Later in the day stock again became offered,
and prices receded. Threes, after having been done
68f. 90c., improved to 69f. 85c., and are now at
69f.; Mobilier varied from 815 to 800 f. ; Lyons
920 to 912 f. 50c ; Orleans, 1,400 to 1,395f.i
Southern, 517 f. 50e. to 515 f.; Lombard, 565 f.
562 f. 50e. The following were the last quotations
4l per Cents. .... 95 75 ; erfclit Fonder 720
Do. end month .. 95 751 Belgian 41
3 per Cents 69 30 Piedmontese (5) .. 85
Do. end month 69 21 Roman B4
Bank Shares 2830 Austrian
Crklit Mobilier 815 Spanish Threes
Do. Account ..... 808 75 Home Debt 43