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

THR SUN, LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, JAUARY 22, 1866

LONDON, MONDAY, JAN. 22, 1866.

Slowly, but surely and steadily, the opposition to,
the machinations and manceuvres of the faction is
progressing, and by the time that Parliament meets
no doubt it will have greatly increased in strength
and importance. One of the last movements in the
affair is a memorial forwarded to Earl RUSSELL,
signed by 803 inhabitants of Bath, in which the
subject of the Jamaica insurrection is treated in a
proper manner. The memorialists state that they
desire to place upon record that they have no sym-
pathy with the outcry which has been raised against
Governor EYRE, and that they " utterly disavow"
any in reference to the recent outbreak in Jamaica;
and furthermore, they state emphatically that they
consider the outcry to have " been dictated in a
spirit at once un-English and unprincipled." It is
quite refreshing to meet with so outspoken a decla-
ration emanating from a large number of persons;
and the remarks have all the more force on account
of the time which has elap3ed since the occurrences
alluded to took place. No one can say that these
opinions have been hastily formed, and that the ex-
pressions alluded to have been used on the spur of
the moment are not the result of calm deliberation
and mature judgment. Those whose opinions
are really worth having, and whose influ-
ence becomes of paramount importance in the
eventual settlement of matters of moment, are
always the most calm in their language and the
most deliberate in giving their judgment. Thus it
happens generally, as it has occurred in a marked
manner in this Jamaica affair, that the most noisy
had their say first, and by their vehemence and per-
sistency contrived to overawe some and bewilder
others, and make altogether a very fair show. In
the end, however, these schemers defeated them-
selves in their arduous efforts to monopolise atten-
tion and to have everything their own way. Even
those who at the outset were tempted to go part of
the way with them, now draw back, and cannot
satisfactorily account for their refusal to listen to
any reasons which do not coincide with their own
views. Facts are discredited, and no heed whatever
is paid to those whose position in the island at the
time of the outbreak renders them particularly
worthy of attention and regard.

How true is that passage in this memorial which
refers to the want of evidence that exists on the side
of the persecutors of the Governor and the coloured
euthori ties. They state that they are not aware of
made public " which tends in
any evidence being
any way to shake the truthfulness of Governor
EYRE'S despatch in relation to the existence of a
widespread rebellion in Jamaica ; whereas the
acquiescence shown in the means he adopted to sup-
press it, by all her Majesty's loyal subjects in that
colony, of whatever colour, creed, or condition,
tends on the contrary to confirm the confidence
hitherto placed in him as a public servant." A
better exposition could not have been given of the
state of the case than that which is presented to us
in these earnest and expressive words. The natural
sequence to such reflections is that regret is felt that
her Majesty's Government should have proceeded to
such lengths as to have superseded the authority of
the Governor, which act certainly implied the exist- ;

ence of a doubt on their part as to whether he had
conducted himself in a suitable manner, and
efficiently discharged the du. j.les of his position
before any opportunity had been given to
him of " furnishing such fuller information on the
subject of his despatch as her MAJESTY'S Govern-
ment may deem requisite." The last paragraph of
this memorial very forcibly declares that it is to
be hoped that no further step will be taken which
can at all tend to place the Governor in the position
of an accused person, and that no " interference of
an unofficial character be permitted pending the
inquiry now instituted."
This last intimation is rendered very necessary in
consequence of the extraordinary and unwarrant-
able conduct of certain parties, who, not content with
the strange subserviency of the Government *to
their views, declare that they must act for them-
selves. This memorial from Bath is very welcome
at the present time, and as time goes on we shall
meet with many similar ones, while the searching
inquiries that are said to be made in the matter
when the House meets; will not be very easy to
answer. It is long since Ministers met Parliament
with so awkward an affair pending over them, and
it is very doubtful if they will be able to extricate
themselves from the difficulty with anything like
credit to themselves, or satisfaction to the House
and country.

The intelligence brought by the steamer Aus-
tralasian from New York is of very grave import-
ance. It refers almost exclusively to the Mexican
question which, after long increasing murmurs, has
assumed a position which throws every other topic,
foreign or domestic, into the shade. Since the
sudden and unexpected termination of the great
Civil War there have been plenty of exciting sub-
jects of political debate and internal division.
There have been debates and discussions respecting
the position of the Confederates, the claims for the
destruction effected by the Southern privateers,
the negro suffrage, the question of the civil or
military government of the South, and, very re-
cently, the admission or exclusion of the Southern
representatives to Congress. All these matters,
though they are severally full of importance and
interest, have been for the time put aside, and the
great question of the day is now the state of affairs
in Mexico. No sooner had Congress re-assembled
after the holidays than active steps were taken to
convince the Executive of the strength and unani-
mity of the public feeling on this point. The
diplomatic correspondence concerning it has now
been submitted to Congress, and we have the
summary of the contents in the Australasian
news. It seems that the great object of both
the French and Mexican Emperors has been
to obtain the recognition of the new Empire
by the Government at Washington, and
in this they have hitherto totally failed. In
July last the agent of MAXIMILIAN attempted to
obtain the much-coveted Federal recognition
through M. DE MONTHOLON. It was so late as last
November that the recent correspondence was opened
by Mr. SEWARD, who wrote on the 16th to Mr.
BIGELOW, representing that the presence of the
French army in Mexico caused serious concern to
the United States. In this communication Mr.
SEWARD does not restrict himself to objecting to
the mere fact of the French troops being in Mexico,
but took care to show that it was the authority
which they were assisting to maintain, which was
"in direct antagonism to the policy of the Federal
Government and to the principles upon which it is
founded." He reminds Mr. BIGELOW that the United
States Government regard the attempt to establish
permanently a foreign Imperial Government in
Mexico as disallowable and impracticable, and asserts
that they are not prepared to recognise any politi-
cal institutions in Mexico in opposition to that form
of Republican Government with which they have
long maintained amicable relations. In conclusion,
Mr. SEWARD significantly observes that he has dwelt
so strongly on this subject because it has superseded
other considerations in the minds of the American
people. Mr. BIGELOW writes, in answer, that M.
DROUYN DE comment upon this remon-
strance is, that it gives him neither pleasure nor
satisfaction. Mr. SEWARD, however, does not rest
here, and on the 16th of December, a month after
his first epistle, he writes again to Mr. BIGELOW,
insisting upon two points ; first, that the United
States are anxious to preserve their friendship with
France ; secondly, that it will be difficult to do so
unless the latter abandons armed intervention in
Mexico ; and, in conclusion, Mr. SEWARD boldly
states that his Government will not recog-
nise MAXIMILIAN, even if the French troops
are withdrawn. A confidential letter from M.
DROUYN DE LHUYS to M. MONTHOLON had pre-
viously been received in Washington, of which the
substance is that the French Government wants
from the United States an assurance that it will not
interfere with the Mexican Empire. Mr. SEWARD,
in reply, laconically states that he regrets that the
condition which NAPOLEON presents is impractic-
I able.

Matters are thus in a very anxious and unsettled
condition, and there is no great wonder that com-
mercial considerations have, as Mr. SEWARD states,
fallen into comparative insignificance. There can
be no doubt of the depth and earnestness of the
feeling of the American people. All their
political sympathies and convictions are on the side
of republicanism, and although they are often in-
consistent enough in their propositions and their
practice, the attempt to establish an Imperial
form of government by the aid of European
arms in a neighbouring Republic is certainly
not of a nature calculated to win their suffrages.
The Mexican Government was undoubtedly bad
enough before the advent of MAximimax, and the
whole condition of the State unsettled and unsatis-
factory. Still it was a nominal republic, and as
such the Government of Washington regarded it.
In addition to the jealousy with which any change
in their favourite form of government would in any
case be regarded by the Americans, there is the
tenacity with which the people of the United States
cling to the Monroe doctrine. So far as America
herself is concerned she has a perfect right to
insist upon them fighting out their own quarrels and
arranging their internal affairs in any manner most
acceptable to the great body of the people, but the
new fashion of applying the MONROE doctrine to
every part of the Great Western Continent is extra-
vagant and untenable. If it were followed out to the
extent now advocated by American statesmen, it
would be only another form of the tyranny they so
greatly disapprove. If we follow the Monroe doc-
trine, and to its full extent, we may ask what has
become of the rights of the Red Indian ? We ap-
prehend that, where American interests are con-
cerned, the favourite theory will shrink into a very
small space, and we have already had proof of the
determination of the majority of 'the American
people to uphold their power and authority at
any cost of loss or suffering inflicted on
those who refuse to acknowledge it. All
efforts to enforce a form of government on a large
body of people who deliberately reject it must end
in tyranny, no matter by what name they are called,
and the Government of Washington have shown no
more real love for constitutional liberty in crushing
down the independence of the South than the

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
new 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 MAXIMILIAN, 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.

CORRESPONDENCE FROM PARIS.

-

(FROM OUP. OWN CORRESPONDENT.)
PARIS, Sunday Evening.

The Moniteur has no private accounts from Spain
to-day, but it gives a report of the discussion in the
Senate, the result of which, as I have already in-
formed you, was the adoption of the resolution to
prosecute General Prim for sedition by a majority
of 141. Indeed there was only one vote, that of
M. Campuzano, against the proposal. It appears
from the various official despatches of the Spanish
authorities to the Government that General Prim
and his troops had arrived at Hava, and had left for
the frontiers of Portugal. The Governor of Tarra-
gona writes to the Minister of War as follows :
" A man, named Escoda, with 200 men, is scouring
the country in the environs of Priorato. The mani-
festation of this fool is more ridiculous than serious,
and does not merit the attention of the Govern-
ment."

The Monitcur publishes a circular addressed to
the Corps Legislatif by the President, stating that
the Session will commence to-morrow (Monday),
and requesting the attendance of the members of
the Grande Salle of the Palace of the Louvre, at 1
o'clock precisely. The session will be opened by
the Emperor in person.
The Emperor, who extends his solicitude to what-
ever can possibly affect the health or comfort of
the inhabitants of Paris, is almost übiquitous. Yes-
terday he presided at a Council of Ministers, after
which he proceeded with Baron Haussman, the
Prefect of the Seine, and the leading engineers of
the capital to inspect some important drainage
works near the Place du Chatelat. The Emperor
descended and made a careful survey of the opera-
tions, with which he made himself perfectly
acquainted by minute inspection and frequent ques-
tions to the chief engineer.
The Siecle has but a brief commentary to-day
upon the position of affairs in Spain. After stating
that General Prim was on the 19th at Fugenal,
between Andalusia and Portugal, it asks, " But is
it towards a foreign land, or in a contrary direction,
that this insurgent is proceeding, whose position the
Monde, which is not always so happy in its appre-
ciations, thus defines--' General Prim is always in
flight. It does not appear that the troops who have
orders to pursue him are also ordered to reach
him. "

The police of Toulouse are still actively engaged
im their inquiries respecting the murder and muti-
lation of the girl Marie Guilhomet. The proprietor
of the wine shop, M. Aspe, persists in saying he is
innocent, but facts discovered strengthen presump-
tions against him. A truck, or hand-cart, has been
found which was seen at the door about the time of
the murder, and with which it is supposed he took
away the mutilated body. Blood has been found
on the bed, and also on one of Aspe's shirts. The
girl, it appears, had saved some money, to obtain
which was probably the motive for the crime.
Dr. Lamouroux, a distinguished French botanist,
has just died at Paris.
A satirical journal has just appeared with the
title of Prison for Debt—journal of prisoners—the
object of which is chiefly to enlist sympathy for the
principle of the abolition of imprisonment for debt.
Some of the supposed advertisements are not bad.
Here is a speeiemen :—" Marriage—A good-looking
young man wishes to get married in order to pay
his debts. Address, M. X. aux Petits Carmes "
(Petits Carmes is what is called the debt quarter of
the city). " To be sold, an importunate creditor.
Great facility will be given for payment." While
speaking of satire I may allude to a very prevalent
expression, ".Rien est sacre pour un Sapeur." It
would appear also that nothing is sacred for a
French newspaper writer. The author of a notice
of Poncet, the murderer in " Figaro," says—" I was
not pleased with his deportment in Court. There
was nothing sensational about it. He was so stoical
that it is utterly impossible to find for him the
general excuse that his emotion was inseparable
from the anxiety always felt by an individual when
he made his debut in any character."
News has been received in Paris of the serious
illness of Prince Odon, third son of the King of
Italy. The Prince is at Genoa, and is suffering
from a virulent scrofulous affection. King Victor
Emmanuel and an aide-de-camp of Prince Napoleon
are about to proceed to Genoa.
The financial operations of the week were seriously
affected towards its close by a report that the Credit
Mobilier has decided to endeavour to procure an
important modification in its statutes. Its object
I is to double its capital by increasing it from 60

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 tall events be some
delay.
The Journal des Debuts 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.

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 of
mention. All day the sun has been 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 df 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
the 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. In his corrections* he
would write to a word, and no matter how long the
insertion was it would be sure to cause no over-

running.

After the famA 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
we lsecd a sheete over
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
of
by cream-laidh a lf-ad oz
ewno
blue-bottles
ude
-after t
ei
st
wha beenPandpoearahad
just
n ceraa s a
p
d from the ink !

The sale of Mr. Dickens's last work, " Our Mutual
Friend," is unprecedentedly large in New. York.
Of Dr. Marigold's " Prescriptions" upwards of
200,000 doses have been dispensed to the public, who will
no doubt bo greatly benefited when the ingredients are w
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 Shaksperian
power which plucks one true-hearted vagabond out of the
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. He 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 make a
public exposure of Mr. Dickens's conduct in the transaction
in a published letter, to be addressed to "David Copper-
field, Esq., Murderers' Den, Rottenborough

The recent articles in the Pall Mall Gazelle, en-
titled "A Night in a Workhouse," are said to be from the
pen of Mr. Anthony Trollope. _
THE ENGLISH GOVERNESS IN EGYPT !—Upon
the title of this book, recently published by Bentley,
the 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 au unseemly
flog."

LA TEST INTELLIGENCE. 1

(REUTER'S TELEGRAMS.)

THE MILITARY REVOLT IN SPAIN.
RETREAT OP 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.