The Sun.
London, England, 1866-03-26 00:00:00

THE NE ER DO-WELL.

The elderly gentleman bent over towards the chairman,
and whispered something in his ear. Mr. Hurst shook his
head, and gave sign for the prisoner to be removed.

4, I ax yer pardon, cur," said Broddick, turning to the
bench as he was about to leave the dock, " but I 'ope you'll
make it less. I'll take my oath, I hadn't intended to get
into trouble ; fur—fur you see, when my wife lay a doyin',
last winter, your young lairdy (I ax yer pardon, cur), like
as made me promise as how I wouldn't goo out with my
gun ony more ; but, ye see, I airn't bed no work but chance
jobs since frost set in, and the bairns was well nigh clam-
med, and so, ye see—"
" Taking all these matters into consideration," inter-
rupted Mr. Hurst, highly scandalised at the introduction
of his granddaughter's name into this low business, "I see
no reason whatever for altering the sentence just passed.
I sit here to administer the laws of the land, and by those
laws---"

" Then damn the laws o' the land, say I !" exclaimed
Broddick, striking his fist on the rail before him. " I didn't
expect much mercy fro' you, Measter Hurst, and ain't got
it. Y'aro a hard-hearted old chap, and allus was." And
the man broke out into an abusive strain that quickly
caused any sympathy his case had excited amongst the
hearers to vanish, and quite took away all the poetry from
his position. He was a vulgar offender enough, in truth,
this rough, heavy-brewed clodhopper. All the eloquence
of the bar could not have flung an air of romance over him
and his offence.

" For you gross behaviour and contempt of court, 'shall
sentence you to two months' further imprisonment, making
six months in all," said Mr. Hurst ; " and I hope that at
the expiration of that time you will return to society im-
proved by the lesson now taught you."
Which showed Mr. Hurst to be of a. hopeful turn of
mind.

" Six months Iv it, then," cried the man ; "and if yar
be livin', Parson Hurst, this time six months, yar shall see
me ages, and hear a bit more o' my mind, as sure as yar
sit there. If owt goes wrong wi' my bairns, it's at yar
hands I'll seek them, so help me God !"
He raised his fist and shook it threateningly at the bench.
" Remove the prisoner instantly," said Mr. Hurst to the
constable, boiling with anger.
At the end of six months Broddick more than keeps
his word, This one hasty decision on the part of the

magistrate is the main occasion of the downfall of
his life-long ambition. Without giving any more
examples of the earnest manlier and animated style
in which this book is written, we have said enough
to assure our readers they will find abundant mat-
ter of interest in " Gilbert Rugge," nor will the
time spent on its perusal be thrown away.

A Casual Acquaintance. A Novel founded on Fact.
By Mrs. Duffus Hardy, author of " The Two
Catherines." Two Vols. Sampson Low, Son,
and Marston.

If a young heiress is imprudent enough to accept
a casual acquaintance as her affianced husband, of
course it is only reasonable to expect that she may
be deceived. If, again, a clever romance writer is
kind enough to undertake to amaze us with a highly
sensational novel, it is only reasonable to allow that
her story, even if " founded on fact," should par-
take of the nature of that truth which is " stranger
than fiction." Both these very reasonable supposi-
tions are to the very letter fulfilled in
the novelette now before us. Maude Ver-
non, the young, beautiful, fascinating heiress,
refusing a crowd of mercenary suitors, turning from
the devoted Arnold Elmore, the companion of her
youth, deaf to the advice and protestations of her
maternal counsellor, engages herself to Raoul St.
Pierre, a clever intriguer, a man of many aliases
and more crimes. The wonderful skill with which
M. St. Pierre, under the pseudonym of Dr. La
Belle, contrives to get rid at once of an unnecessary
wife and an obnoxious rival, by murdering
the one and laying the guilt on the
other, is a contrivance which does infinite
credit to the dexterity of the actor and the inge-
nuity of the author. "It is as well to be hung for
a sheep as a lamb," is an old saying, and hence if
we are to have something sensational, it is as
well to have it sufficiently strong. The authoress
of "A Casual Acquaintance" has distinguished her-
self among her literary compeers by the clever
audacity of her railway murder. The whole details
are very skilfully arranged. The great resemblance
between the twin sisters (which. reminds us a little
of the Woman in White and her half sister, Lady
Glyde) is quite within the limits of probability, but
it is too much in the same book to have a case of mis-
taken identity occurring in consequence of the great
resemblance of Dr. La Belle and Raoul St. Pierre.
What, however, has probability to do with a sensa-
tional novel ? For a work of that class it is enough to
say that " A Casual Acquaintance" is cleverly con-
trived and sufficiently interesting.

The White Favour. A Novel, in Three Volumes.
By Henry Holl, Author of the " The King's
Mail." Sampson Low, Son, and Marston.
The romance of history is always most enthralling.
From childhood upwards, the stories

" Beloved as Fable and Believed as Truth,"
are ever the most attractive. The author of " The
White Favour," however, at the outset of his nar-
rative repulses our historical sympathies. He
tells us that his work has " no pretension to histori-
cal accuracy," he has only endeavoured "to surround
the story by an atmosphere of the period, without too
great an adherence to historical detail." With this
we might be contented, but in the very next sentence
he goes on to say, " The presumed separation of
Ratcliffe from his wife, and his supposed residence
in England, are, of course, at variance with
acknowledged facts !" If so, why introduce them ?
" These points, if conceded," he adds, " the book
may be found sufficiently correct to answer the pur-
pose of a work of fiction." In a work of fiction it
matters little what is " correct," and it is not essen-
tial to novels, historical or otherwise, that real per-
sonages should fill their pages ; but if history be
introduced it should not be falsified, and avowedly
"at variance with acknowledged facts." This is a
mistake on the part of Mr. Holl. He is quite suffi-
ciently ingenious in arranging a plot or in
describing a character, to introduce incidents
of his own invention, without interfer-
ing with the accuracy of real events. Apart from
this blemish, he has given us a very interesting
novel. The melancholy death of the proud Countess
of Newburgh, in a miserable lodging, in the begin-
+.~.-~, s -anav as vv TIJILLUIC, urea cv
in the tragic fate, in the end of the third volume, of
her ill-fated husband, Charles Ratcliffe, the would-
be Earl of Derwentwater. The characters of Rat-
cliffe and his staunch friend, worthy Richard Hor-
ton, are well drawn and attractive throughout. The
vicissitudes which befall the lonely heroine are roman-
tic, but the details of her dangerous imprisonment are
almost revolting. Her escape and her flight are
full of interest, and it is a relief to the reader when
the hopeless fugitive is discovered and protected by
one all-conscious of the holy right he has to protect
her. Some of the minor characters, such as Luke
Basset and his clever, unscrupulous wife, are well
described. The period relates to the momentous
struggles of the " White Horse" and the gallant
Pretender. But the main actors in the strife do not
appear upon the stage. As Pope was said to have
published " a pretty Poem—a very pretty Poem, but
not Homer —so the author of the " White
Favour" has given us an interesting tale—a very
interesting tale—but, avowedly by his own showing,
not History.

Runnymede and Lincoln Fair; a Story of the Great
Charter. By J. G. Edgar. Illustrated by Robert
Dudley. One vol., pp. 328. S. 0. Beeton.

This is one of Mr. Edgar's spirited historical
romances, and it is elegantly got up and profusely
illustrated. Almost every chapter is embellished
by some spirited sketch, and by heraldic headings
and tail-pieces by H. W. Rogers. The frontispiece
is a beautifully-coloured picture of King John,
surrounded by his barons signing Magna Charta.

Miss Crosby's Matchmaking. A Novel. Edited by

Maine O'Hara. One vol. S. 0. Beeton.

A very pleasant, lively record of worthy Miss
Fanny Crosby's matchmaking machinations, which,
unlike such manosuvres in general, tend to the satis-
faction of herself and all parties concerned, so that
the last chapter is triumphantly headed " And if
they don't live happy, that you and I may."

THE NORTHUMBERLAND.

-- -a-

Not the slightest change has taken place in the
position of this vessel since the notice which ap-
peared in The Sun of last Monday. During low
water careful levels have been taken of the ways on
which the ship is fixed, and the deflection is stated
to be so trifling as to be scarcely more than the eighth
of an inch—a deviation which in such a length of way
is literally not worth considering as regards the
safety of the vessel. Nothing whatever can be done
to launch her till Saturday next, when all the efforts
then to be made will be assisted by the high spring
tides. It cannot, however, be concealed that the
operation will be one of difficulty, and even possibly
of danger. The stern, as the vessel at present lies,
is not waterborne, while the bows are high and dry.
Fortunately, the ship remains straight upon the
ways, and the cradles, which are of immense
solidity, keep her firm. In addition to this, how-
ever, she has been shored up on both sides to avoid
the chance of accident. It is intended on Saturday
to endeavour to float her by means of large lighters,
which will be secured by chains on either side of the
stern before the high spring tides, and which by their
buoyancy may lift her off when the flood is highest.
Three powerful hydraulic presses are being fixed at
her bows to start her from the position in which she
so unfortunately stopped. llawsers are also to be
taken across the river to powerful capstans, which
will be amply manned, and, in addition to all, the
services of many powerful steamtugs are secured to
bring this great ironclad safely into the water. The
only great risk of the operation is that in lifting the
stern the Northumberland may twist across the
ways, in which case the consequences may be dis-
astrous, not only to the vessel, but to any who are
too near her. The operation of lifting her will
undoubtedly be most interesting in a mechanical
point of view, and we most earnestly hope that it
will be successful.

LIFEBOAT SERVICE. —REDCAR, YORKSHIRE, Satur-
day, 10 a.m.--(By Telegraph.)—John Coulson,
Esq., the agent for Lloyd's, reports that the Gipsy, of
Wisbeach, has mono on the Redcar rocks and become a
total wreck. Fortunately the Crossley lifeboat, of the
National Lifeboat Institution, was the means of saving
those on board the vessel, namely, four men and a woman•

. _
313.4
! /A •
tundar

HER MAJESTY•

AVINDsoR, March 25.

The Queen, accompanied by their Royal High-
nesses Princess Helena, Princess Louise, Princess
Beatrice, Prince Leopold, and her Grand Ducal
Highness the Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenbourg,
arrived at the Castle yesterday, at a quarter before
2 o'clock, attended by Lady Waterpark, Lady in
Waiting, the Hon. Mrs. Bruce, the Hon. Lucy
Kerr, the Hon. Mary Lascelles, and the Equerries
in Waiting.

The intelligence of the unexpected death of the
venerable and highly-esteemed Queen Marie Amelia,
who expired at Claremont yesterday, was received
by the Queen and the Royal Family, with whom
she was connected by so many ties of relationship,
as well as of the sincerest friendship, with deep
regret.

Her Majesty, accompanied by the Princess
Helena and Princess Louise, and attended by the
Hon. Mrs. Bruce, Major-General F. H. Seymour,
and Colonel H. Ponsonby, Equerries in Waiting,
drove to Claremont this afternoon, and paid a visit
of condolence to the afflicted family of the late
Queen.

The Gale.

HOLYHEAD.

During Friday and Saturday this bay has been
visited by a severe storm from various quarters.
On Friday afternoon and on Saturday it blew heavy
squalls, which amoanted to a hurricane. The wind
veered round from S.W, to N.W. (when our parcel
was despatched at 10 p.m. Saturday), and a large
number of vessels and steamers have sought shelter
either within the harbour of refuge or in the roads.
The former are, fortunately, out of danger, which
cannot be said of all those in the roads, as several of
them are dragging their anchors to leeward. The
following are the chief casualties which have oc-
curred during the past 36 hours. The schooner
Leader, 107 tons burden, Davies, master, of
Port Talbot, from Harre for Liverpool, witha cargo
of flour, making for Holyhead, could not fetch,
and was driven by a tremendous squall and sea to
leeward inside Clipera Rocks. The flag being hoisted
union down at 4 p.m., on Friday, the Holyhead
lifeboat was immediately manned and rowed to her.
One man was put on board to assist, and shortly
afterwards the steamtug Retriever, of Liverpool,
came to the assistance of the vessel, and towed her
into the Holyhead old harbour. The schooner
Queen of the Isles, of Penzance, from Falmouth
for Liverpool, with a cargo of granite, was, while
endeavouring to make for the harbour of refuge,
driven against the end of the breakwater, where
the master and crew succeeded in landing. The
vessel thumped heavily, and soon went down. The
Portuguese bark Paquette de Rio Grande, from
Liverpool for Oporto, with a cargo of rice and coal,
was driven against the breakwater, when she re-
ceived considerable damage. Two anchors were put
down, but from the report of the captain these did
not prevent the vessel from drifting. The master
and crew being foreigners, no doubt they were con-
siderably frightened at their position, and thought
it more dangerous than it really was. Believing
that the vessel had six feet of water in the hold, the
master and the crew left her, taking with them all
their chests, baggage, and instruments, and by the
aid of Burnel, the driver of a locomotive, and Mr.
William Williams, Tan-y-Bryn, their effects were
placed on one of Messrs. Rigby's (the harbour con-
tractors) waggons. As the crew were preparing to
leave, Mr. Rowe, chief officer of Coastguards, with
a number of his men, and Mr. Hamilton Dobson
(son of Mr. C. E. Dobson, Government engineer),
Porthyfelin, boarded the vessel, and made signals
for a steamtug, having first ascertained that she
had but three or four inches of water in her hold.
cantnin B. Rs Jones ioined them, and they resolved
themselves into a crew. When the steamtug made
her appearance the vessel's crew returned, and she
was tugged to the old harbour, where she lies con-
siderably damaged at her hull. Too much praise can-
not be given to Mr. Howe for his bravery, to Air.
Hamilton Dobson, who nobly joined with Mr. Rowe,
and to Lloyd's agent, Capt. R. R. Jones, for the
energy and promptness by which they saved a fine
valuable bark from a fate that befell the Queen of
the Isles. Mr. O. Parry, Spanish and Portuguese
Consul, received the vessel from Mr. Rowe's hands
and exerted himself in a truly kind manner to the
foreigners who manned her. The wind and sea are
still very high (11 p.m. Saturday), and a
stormy
night is anticipated.

LIVERPOOL.
On Friday afternoon a heavy storm of wind and
rain arose from the south south-east, and meeting
the rising tide in the Mersey caused a remarkably
heavy swell. At half-past 6 o'clock the wind regis-
ter at the Liverpool Observatory recorded a pres-
sure of 231 b. on the square foot, and it continued,
with slowly-moderating violence, throughout the
night. At midnight the barometer reading was
28.90. The storm in the river was so severe that
many of the ferry-boats were compelled to cease
running. When the storm was at its height three
large sailing ships, lying in the river opposite Bir-
kenhead, parted from their moorings almost at the
same moment, and drifted down the river. Fortu-
nately there were steamtugs at hand, which took
them in tow, and prevented them drifting
The steamer Robert Bruce was abandoned when n
a sinking state in the Crossby Channel, near Tar
lor's Bank. ashore.
i

DOVER.
In the fearful gale at 10 o'clock on Friday night
the bark Eastward, of London, from the Coast of
Africa from Hamburg, struck on the Ridge. Capt.
Barnett and 12 men took to the boats, as the vessel
was sinking, and after pulling about in a heavy sea
for two hours were picked up by the smack Comet,
of Dover, at which port they were landed at 5 30 on
Saturday morning, and taken in a very exhausted
condition to the Sailors' Home. Some of the crew
who were asleep at the time the bark struck Were
nearly destitute of clothing, and nothing was saved
but what the others stood up in. They will be clothed
out of the stock at the Sailors' Home, and by the
Shipwrecked Mariners' Society.

AN EVENING CONCERT, in aid of the building
fund of the Battersea Christchurch National Schools,
is about to be given at the Assembly Rooms, Wandsworth.
It is fixed, we believe, for Tuesday, April 24, and will 10
under the immediate patronage of the Lord Bigler' of
Winchester, and, among others, of General Sir George
Pollock, G.C.8., K. 5.1., Major-General A. J. Lawrence,
C. 8., and the Vicar of Battersea. It is announced,
moreover, that " The Wandering Minstrels," under
the direction of their conductor, the Hon. Seymour
Egerton—a company of amateur instrumentalists who
have, during the last few years, very considerably im-
proved in their performances—have kindly consented to
give their assistance upon the occasion of this charitable
entertainment.
THE FATAL ACCIDENT IN THE CITY-ROAD.A/1
inquest was held on Saturday on the body of Frederici,
Long, who was killed on Thursday last at Freemen
stone-wharf, City-road, under the circumstances already
published. The evidence went to show that the accident
was caused by the sudden snappipg of the iron tension
rod of the crane on which the deceased and two other awn
were at work. Long was killed by the fall, and the other
mon were badly hurt. A verdict of accidental death wa'
returned.
THE LATE DR. SPURGIN.—Dr. Lankester held an
inquiry on Saturday, at the Duke of Cumberland,
Bryanston-street, Hyde-park, respecting the death of Dr.
John Spurgin, who, as was alleged, died from the effects
of injuries consequent on a murderous attack upon him by
a gang of thieves in High-street, Bishopsgate, in Septeut
-
ber last. The evidence of Mr. Walter Spurgin, son of the
deceased gentleman, was to the effect that his father 'vas
69 years of age, and that he met with a serious injury in
September last. He told witness that at 12 o'clock on the
night of the outrage he was stopped and robbed by thieves
in High-street, Bishopsgate. Witness saw that his arm
and knees were much bruised. Ire was attended by ps*
Owen Rees, but ho did not keep his bed. Witness coal-
plainecl to the police, and a man was apprehended on en;
bu
picion of being concerned in the attack and robbery;
dually
watch deceased could not swear to his identity.
watch nor chain was found. The deceased got graduallY
worse after the robbery. Dr. Owen Rees —I attended pr.
Spurgin from the tune he received his injuries to his death.
I am of opinion that his death resulted from those injurtes'
He gradually sank from the shock to his system. Verdict,
" Manslaughter against some person or persons unknor'n•