The Sun.
London, England, 1866-01-20 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

SIII,—The recent letter of Dr. Donovan, pub-
ished in your journal, is interesting, and Southey's
case further tends to confirm the opinion of Dr.
Spurzheim, that persons with a large amount of
self-esteem and love of praise, without a due pro-
portion of the reasoning faculties to balance such
qualities, are rarely satisfied with the existing,
state of society, or with their particular posi-
tion in the social scale. But Southey seems to
hate had a dash of philosophy in his compo-
sition, which, under more favourable circum-
stances, might have been sufficient to prevent
him from ending his days upon the scaffold at least.
He was the only criminal, according to my belief,
who desired to have a post mortem examination of
his cerebral furniture. Generally criminals fear this
process as much as they feared dissection or the
selling of their clothes. The fact of itself removes
Southey from the usual circle of criminals, such as
Greenacre, Rush, and Co. They may have all
deserved the mark of Cain, the first murderer ; but
Southey's title to it seems to have been based upon
particular documents not of an ordinary character.
According to the astral theory, as explained by
me, the brain is influenced by the position of the
heavenly bodies before and at the time of a person's
birth. I regret to observe, after my 14 yearc4costly
attempt to pave the way for the legality and social
position of our old friend, Sidrophel, that he still finds
it a dangerous pastime in Britain" to dance by the light
of the moon," as the following extract from the
letter to me of an able and respectable member of
the craft too truly testifies. He writes, on the 10th
inst., thus :—" I feel interested by the remarks in
your letter, and agree with you that before men of
ability in general can and will afford the necessary
time for the investigation of the science, it must be
unshackled by the law and not as it is at present.
But how this is to be brought about by no means
seems clear to me, as it seems to me that professors
are not so bold now as they were several years
ago, but they have to hide their heads more
and more. The day for its practice openly and
legally seems to me as distant as ever, though there
is great truth in the leading principles of the
Sciences, which cannot be gainsayed." On the eve
of the new Parliament these remarks seem worthy
of particular notice, especially by liberal legislators.
—I am, Sir, yours obediently, CIIR. COOKE.
London, Jan. 19, 1866.

WONDERFUL RESCUE OF A CABIN BOY.—The
Union of Saint-Servan, Ille-et-Vilaine, France, re-
lates the singular recovery of a cabin boy, supposed to
have been drowned at sea. The Admiral Magon, of that
port, loft Swansea for Lisbon, a month back, with a cargo
of coal, but the following night, during a thick fog, was
run into by an English ship, and the damage to the Ad-
miral Magon being considerable, the crew hastened on
board the other vessel, leaving behind them, in their pre-
cipitation, a boy named St. Julien. The two vessels im-
mediately separated, and were soon invisible to each other,
and the French captain supposed that his ship had foun-
dered, and that the lad had gone down with her. A letter
from the boy, however, has just been received at Saint-Ser-
van. He remained on the wreck for three days, when he
was rescued by a vessel bound for America. The latter
was, however, driven back to Wales by stress of weather,
and the lad was put ashore at Milford. He is now on his
way home, with three cats and a dog, which he had saved
from the wreck. He relates that on finding himself alone
he sat down and cried for some time, but then recovering
courage, he got up, hoisted a light, and finding that water
was increasing in the hold he passed the night alternately
pumping and tolling a bell to attract the attention of a
passing ship if possible. The next day he displayed a
signal of distress, breakfasted and fed his animils, and then
returned to the pump. The three days passed in that
manner until 141 oignal was seen and the lad rescuod. ,

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61141 /Al•
4

HER MAJESTY.

OSBORNE, Friday.
Her Majesty drove out yesterday morning with
her Royal Highness Princess Helena.
Her Grand Ducal Highness Princess Leiningea
gave birth to a prince yesterday afternoon at
Osborne.

Her Majesty was with her niece when the event
took place.

The Prince and Princess of Wales.

SANDRINGIIAM, Friday.
The visit of the Prince of Wales to the pheasant
shooting box of General Hall at Six Mile Bottom,
near Newmarket, has afforded his royal highness,
and the noblemen and gentlemen invited to meet the
prince, the most complete gratification, the sport
being of the highest order. Both in point of
scenery as well as sport the general's estate is not
excelled in the county of Cambridge.
The sport on Tuesday, the first day, on the Lark's
Hall Farm was excellent, as the statistics of the bag
obtained will show :—Pheasants, 386 ; partridges,
14 ; hares, 201; rabbits, 338 ; woodcock, 1—
total, 940 head.

OnWednesday the sportsmen comprised his Royal
Highness the Prince of Wales, the Marquis of Bow-
mont, Lord Colville, the Hon. T. de G?ey, M.P.,
Major G. H. Grey, General Hall, Lord George
Manners, Lord Elcho, and Major Hall. The shoot-
ing consisted of partridge driving, the shooters
being stationed on the Newmarket and Chesterton
road. The weather during the earlier part of the
day was wet and uncomfortable, but cleared in the
afternoon ; still the wind was extremely high and
the birds were very wild, which of course told against
the bag, which was of the following proportions :
Partridges, 201; hares, 82 ; pheasants, 2 ; rabbits,
3—total, 288.

On Thursday the royal and distinguished party
had another day's shooting (partridge driving) over
some excellent drives. About 400 head were ob-
tained.

His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, attended
by Major Grey, and accompanied by the Marquis
of Bowmont and the Hon. de Grey, M.P., left
General Hall's in the evening, proceeding to Wol-
ferton by special train.

Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess
of Wales and family will leave Sandringham Hall on the
28th inst. for Marlborough House.
His Excellency the Prussian Ambassador and
the Countess Bernstorff are invited to join the company
selected to assemble at Burghley House on a visit to the
Marquis and Marchioness of Exeter next week.
The Marquis and Marchioness of Bristol have
returned to Ickworth Park, Suffolk, from visiting the
Marquis and Marchioness of Exeter at Burghley House,
near Stamford.

The Earl and Countess of Clarendon and Lady
Emily Villiers come to town next week from The Grove
near Watford, for the season.

Viscount and Viscountess Sydney, accompanied
by the Ladies Montagu, have returned to Frognal, Foot's
Cray, from visiting the Duke and Duchess of Richmond at
Goodwood.

Her Majesty the Queen has most graciously sig-
nified her intention to be Sponsor for the infant daughter
of Sir Robert and Lady Emily Peel.

Lady Charlotte Elizabeth Oshorn, fourth daughter
of Charlotte, the late Countess of Antrim, by Vice-Admiral
Lord Mark R. Kerr, died on the 17th inst. This much-
respected lady married, Aug. 29, 1835, Sir George Robert
Osborn, Bart.

DEATH OF MR. JOHN GIBSON, R.A. —We have
received intelligence of the death of Mr. John Gibson, the
eminent sculptor, who expired on Sunday last, at Rome,
after a short but severe illness. Since the death of Canova
and Thorwaldsen Mr. Gibson may be considered the most
justly celebrated sculptor of the present day. He was' a
native of Liverpool, which boasts of Gladstone, Cardwell,
Wensleydale, Austin, Hemans, and Roscoe among the
most eminent of its children.

A Cabinet Council was held yesterday at the offi
cial residence of the First Lord of the Treasury in
Downing-street. The Ministers present were :—Earl Rus-
sell, the Lord Chancellor, Earl Granville, the Duke of
Argyll, Sir G. Grey, the Earl of Clarendon, tho Bight
Hon. Edward Cardwell, Earl de Grey, Sir C. Wood, the
Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Duke of Somerset, the
Right Hon. T. Milner Gibson, Lord Stanley of Alderley,
and the Right Hon. C. P. Villiers.