The Sun.
London, England, 1866-12-27 00:00:00

A LETTER FROM THACKERAY,

The following letter has just appeared in a Phila-
delphia paper :
" Neufchatel, Switzerland, July 21, 1853.

"My dear Reed,—Though I am rather slow in
paying the tailor, I always pay him. And as with
tailors so with men ; I pay my debts to my friends,
only at rather a long day. Thank you for writing
to me so kindly, you who have so much to do. I
have only begun to work ten days since, and now,
in consequence, have a little leisure. Before, since
my return from the West, it was flying from
London to Paris, and vice versa—dinners right and
left—parties every night. If I had been in Phila-
delphia, I could scarcely have been more feasted.
Oh, you unhappy Reed ! I see you (after that
little supper with M'Michael) on Sunday, at your
own table, when we had that good Sherry
Madeira, turning a-side from the wine-cup with
your pale face ! That cup has gone down this
well so often that I wonder the cup isn't broken and
the well is as well as it is. Three weeks of London
were more than enough for me, and I feel as if I
had had enough of it and plesuure. Then I re-
mained a month with my parents ; then I brought
my girls on a little pleasuring tour. We spent ten
days in Baden, when I set intrepidly to work again;
and have been five days in Switzerland now—not
bent on going up mountains, but on taking things
easily. How beautiful it is.. How great and affable,
too, the lAdscape is. It is delightful to be in the
midst of such scenes; the idea gets generous reflec-
tions from them. I don't mean to say my thoughts
grow mountainous and enormous like the Alpine
chain yonder; but, in fine, it is good to be in the
presence of this noble nature. It is keeping good,
keeping away mean thoughts. I see in the papers
now and again accounts of fine parties in London.
Bon Dieu! Is it possible any one ever wanted
to go to fine London parties, and are there
people now sweating in Mayfair routs ? The
European Continent swarms with your peo-
ple. They are not at all as polished as
Chesterfield. I wish some of them spoke
French a little better. I saw five of them at supper
at Basle the other night, with their knives down their
throats. It was awful. My daughter saw it, and
I was obliged to say, 'My dear, your great-great-
grandmother, one of the finest ladies of the old
school I ever saw, always applied cold steel to her
victuals. It's no crime to eat with a knife,' which
is all very well, but I wish five of 'em at a time
wouldn't. Will you, please, beg M'Michael, when
Miss Glyn, the English tragic actress, comes to
read Shakespere in your city, to call on her— do the
act of kindness to her, and help her with his
valuable editorial aid? I wish we were going to
have another night soon, and that I was going this
very evening to set you up with a headache against
to-morrow morning. By Jove, how kind you all
were to me ! How I like your people, and want to
see 'em again. You are more tender-hearted, ro-
mantic, sentmental than we are. I keep on telling
this to our fine people here and have so belaboured
your [ Here the paper was t u rued and
the sketch revealed. At the top is written, " Par-
don this rubbishing picture ; but I didn't see, an d
can't afford to write page 3 over again."]—country
with praise in private, that I sometimes think I go
too far. I keep back some of the truth ; but the
great point to try and ding into the ears of the
great, stupid, virtue-proud English public is that
there are folks as good as they in America. That's
where Mrs. Stowe's book has done harm, by in-
flaming us with au idea of our own superior virtue
iu freeing our blacks, whereas you keep yours.
Comparisons are always odorous, Mrs. Malaprop
says. lam about a new. story, but don't know as
yet if it will be any good. It seems to me lam
too old for story-telling ; but I want money, and
shall get $20,000 for. this, of which (v.v.) I'll keep
15. I wish this rubbish [the sketch] were away ;
I might put written rubbish in its stead. Not that
I have anything to say, but that I always remember
you and yours, and honest Mac, and Wharton, and
Lewis, and kind fellows who have been kind to me,
and I hope will be kind to me again. Good-bye,
my dear Reed, and believe me, ever sincerely yours,
" W. M. THACKERAY."

IRELAND.

DUBLIN, Dec. 26.

The nomination for Waterford county tookplace
this morning. A special telegram in the Freeman
states that after the writ was read each side called
on the other to proceed first. The discussion was
terminated by two supporters of Mr. De La Poer—
namely Mr. Shea and Mr. Antho—•proposing and
seconding Captain Talbot. Sir Richard Musgrave
proposed, and Mr. John Bagwell, M.P., seconded,
Mr. De La Poer. Captain Talbot could not get a
hearing. Mr. De La Poer got an enthusiastic re-
ception. The Court-house was densely crowded,
and nearly all hands were held up for Mr. De La
Poer. The polling is fixed for Saturday.
Charges of bribery were made in the Court-house
against tha Conservatives by Sir R. Musgrave and
others.

James Mulligan and Anthony Qarroll were
brought up before the police magistrates to-day for
using seditious language.
Thomas Kavanagh, the carpenter, at whose resi-
dence, on West-road, arms and a large quantity of
ammunition were seized on Monday last, was
charged to-day, and after evidence was given he was
remanded.

SINGULAR AND FATAL ACCIDENT TO A CHILD.—
Or, Monday an inquest was held at Henley on the body of
Sarah Milton, aged five years. The deceased ran against
a young man carrying a heavy cheese, which fell on her
and fractured the base of the skull, killing her the spot.
Thcrjury rottutted`o, maid of accidental death,