The Sun.
London, England, 1861-06-27 00:00:00

7HE N'E►W LORD CHANCELLOR.

The ceremony of swearing in the new Lord
Chancellor took place this morning in the Court of
Chancery, Lincoln's-inn-Fields.
For some time previous to the opening of the
court a largo number of persons assembled in front
of the doors, on the opening of which for the admis-
sion of the public a "rush" took place similar
in all respects to that experienced on en-
tering; the pit of a theatre on the even-
ing of some extraordinary performance. But
the success that invariably attends the playgoer,
with respect to the choice of seat, did not crown the
efforts of the anxious visitors to the Court of Chan-
cery. After submitting to the crush for some time,
and by dint of hard struggling obtaining admission
to the court, it was only to discover that some
backstair influence had been at work, for the whole
of the positions from which a view of the ceremony
could be obtained were found to be fully occupied
by those who possessed " friends in court."
At a quarter past ten the Lord Chancellor, Lords
Justices Knight Bruce and Turner, the Master of
the Rolls, Sir John Romilly, Vice-Chancellor Sir
Richard Kindersley, Vice-Chancellor Sir William
Page Wood, and other officials, entered the court,
and the Chancellor having taken his place on the
bench, _ . .

The Clerk of the Crown administered the oath
to the noble and learned lord, which he repeated
with great distinctness. The oath:set forth that jus-
tice should be administered to the utmost, that her
Majesty should be defended against all conspiracies
or other proceedings touching the safety and dignity
of her crown.

The motion that the oath just taken be recorded
having been ordered,

The Lord Chancellor then made the declaration
that he would exercise the duties of his office to the
best of his ability, that he would do nothing to in-
jure the Protestant Church as by law established,
or disturb the bishops in the exercise of those
rights and privileges which the law of the land had
entrusted them with.

This closed the ceremony, which did not occupy
above seven or eight minutes.
The Lord Chancellor appeared to be in the best
of spirits, and, as a silk gownsman in the crowd
observed, looked like a man who was not at all dis-
pleased with his position.

It is said in the Chancery Courts that Mr. Justice
Hill will retire from the Court of Queen's Bench,
and that Sir William Atherton will be elevated to
the Bench.
The two offices of Attorney and Solicitor, vacant
by such an arrangement, will, it is most likely, be
conferred upon Mr. Roundell Palmer and Mr.
Collier,

LiTE.RATURE.

The Step Sisters. By the author of " Heather-
brae," &c. 3 role. Booth, Regent-street.

This is a complicated story, which contains a
great many characters, and furnishes the reader
with an abundance of interesting excitement and
amusement. Some of the personages introduced
are very ably described, and in particular Mr.
Ferrars. There is something very striking in this.
gentleman's whole demeanour, and the real kind-
ness of his nature contrasts curiously with the
sternness of his manners and the abruptness of
his style. The two sisters are very attractive in
their different ways. Gertrude, the younger, was
by far the most pleasing; but the many chances
and changes through which Mabel passed in the
course of her career, that is here chronicled be-
fore us, combined to soften her; and, before our
last glimpse of her, she is almost transformed
from the wild and imperious heiress at first
brought before us. The incident of Ernest Douglas
proving the son of Mr. Ferrars is very ingeniously
arranged, and the circumstances of the trial insti-
tuted by the claimant of the Douglas property dis-
tracts the attention from the real finale to the affair,
and for once the oft-told tale of an enfant trouve
appears in an original form. The engagement
of Gertrude to Harold Grenville is one of
those mistaken actions which are occasion-
ally committed with the best intentions.
Fortunately Gertrude was prevented from fulfilling
the melancholy sacrifice she had proposed to make
by the death of Harold, his long sufferings could
only have known that release, and it would not
have been any gain for him to have survived a few
years and drag on a lingering life of misery, thus
darkening the opening of Gertrude's bright young
days. Sir Charles Vernon presents an apt sketch
of a weak man, who, having plunged himself into
difficulties, has neither the prudence to extricate
himself nor patience to hear the advice of others;
hence the 'ruin which might have been averted soon
overwhelms him. As is often the case, Sir Charles
could not abide the suffering he had occasioned, and
he soon sank under the blow. Of a very different
class is the Earl of Sunbury ; he is one of those
crafty, calculating men who stop at nothing which
they think can advance their interests, and set at
nought the dictates of honour and the suggestions
of generosity or any of the finer feelings of
humanity. The manner in which he behaved after
the news came that Mabel was no longer an heiress
was most disgraceful, and it was well that his son,
whom he had endeavoured to impress with less
worldly motives, did not share them. Lord
Clarence Emerton improved greatly during
his intercourse with Mabel and her friends
and relatives. The more he studied their
unworldly natures, the more did he deplore his
father's mercenary views and contracted ideas of
honour. He refused to relinquish Mabel because
she had lost her fortune, and he at last succeeded
in his efforts to arrange matters. On the whole
there is a good deal to attract notice in this book,
and it represents some important phases of exist-
ence. We meet with some of those individuals
who, by their skill, or through their opportunities,
exercise a powerful influence on the affairs of so-
ciety. " The Step-Sisters" is a novel that may
please by its interesting sketches of domestic life,
while it presents matters of grave import to en-
gage the attention of those who would see below
the surface and trace events to their causes, in
order to study the motives of men and the springs
of actions. The author may be satisfied with the
result of these pages, as they certainly form an
agreeable fiction for the perusal of the many
readers of that class.

Agony Point : or, The Groans of "Gentility." By
the Rev. J. Pycroft, author of " Twenty Years in
the Church," &c. 2 vols. Booth.
Mr. Pycroft's former works have already ob-
tained for him a high reputation, which the
work before us, with its sound sense, animated
style, and keen perception of the follies and falla-
cies of our social existence will probably consider-
ably increase. There is nothing absolutely original
in its prevailing topic ; many a voyager has passed
"Agony Point," and many more have found it
impassable, but it is something new to find
the candid and open expression of the truth which
must be secretly admitted by many of the weary
and careworn victims to " Gentility." "Agony
Point " is the name which the Rector of the parish,
a shrewd and observant man, bestows upon the
situation in which he sees many of his chief
parishioners ; the wretched state in which
every nerve is strained to keep up an imaginary
position, to Vi 9 with those far wealthier in a
ruinous competition of extravagance, spending
almost every pound on outside show, while every
penny is begrudged to substantial and unpretend-
is comforts. In fact, it is the mania which, of
late years, nas Latilaappily oprofta we% ~;:acsay anions
our middle classes, which has brought so many to
ruin, tempted some into fraud, and forced thou-
sands to lead anxious lives of deception and
discomfort, from the continual striving to appear
richer than they are. By an ingenious inversion of
rational logic the luxuries and superfluities of life
become the first necessities with such persons. They
would rather want absolute essentials for domestic
comfort, provided such deficiency remained un-
known, than forego the possession of needless
trifles which are "expected in their position."
They deny themselves simple pleasures to which
their means really entitle them, to minister to their
idol, and are guilty of a series of petty meannesses
in secret to be able to maintain " the family sub-
scriptions" openly. This is the weakness and the
folly which Mr. Pycroft unsparingly exposes, but
' which he presents in a more excusable form than the
one in which we often seeit. However blameable the
conduct of a landed proprietor, with a large sum
of money at command, in getting involved through
mismanagement and weakness, the reckless o,ten-
tation of families with limited or fluctuating in-
comes, dependent perhaps on one life, and with
little or no future provision, is certainly far more
culpable. Yet how often is this sten, and how
large a share has it had in many of the great com-
mercial frauds which have disgraced this genera-
tion. The cruelty of bringing up children in
snch ways, of educating them in luxury
and idleness, while all they can really anticipate is
a life of labour and difficulty, is also strongly dwelt
upon. In the life of Willie Langley, the eldest
son of the hero, and the idol of his mother, Mr.
Pycroft shows us the startling transition which, in
too many cases, would prove a lasting change. The
hero and heroine of the tale, Tom and Minnie
Langley, are both very attractive characters and
good dispositions, frank, generous, and affectionate.
They are both, however, unsophisticated and inex-
perienced. Tom, whose career of idle pleasure was
early terminated by his marriage, always thought
his means would be commensurate with his wishes,
and was too fond of his wife and family to refuse
any desire. Minnie, whose natural good sense
might have prevented mischief, shrunk from
touching on money topics from a painful personal
reason. Her parents, who also lived at " Agony
Point," had engaged, on her marriage, to allow
her £2OO a-year to match the settlement which
fortunately they exacted from Tom. This promise
they knew very well 'would not be fulfilled, and
accordingly, after a very few quarters, their in-
I solvency was announced. Poor Minnie, grieved
I and mortified, never liked to speak to her husband
about money matters, knowing how far her family
had fallen short of their engagements. Tom
Langley, too, committed the great mistake of never
facing his difficulties and ascertaining the extent of
them, and he shrank from enlightening his wife.
Added to these causes, both shared in the mania of
keeping up appearances, of doing all that " the
Langleys of Langley Hall " had done for gene-
rations, and, in consequence, that ancestral abode
became known among spiteful neighbours by the
sobriquet of " Hard-up Hall." Tom tried farming
his own land, and was robbed by his agent and
cheated by his labourers. Minnie tried managing cr
her dairy, which attempt was presently abandoned.
At length, after repeated demands on their capital,
bitter experience and the advice of friends were in-
ducing them to pause, when the railway mania
began. Of course, the reader guesses the result.
A friend of Tom's bachelor days, who has been long
wishing to draw him into speculation, comes for-
ward, and total discomfiture is the consequence,
which would have been more natural and no less
certain without the introduction of such a gigantic
fraud on the part of Sir E. Alex. Fortu-
nately, Minnie's settlement and other resources
provide them with a small income, and they find
more peace and comfort in their retirement than
they had ever done in " Hard-up Hall." In two
points the moral might, we think, hayseevbeereen
ainmd-
proved. One is, that after the writer'sof
;just denunciation of the idle life of mtesn
pleasure,immediately
he makes all Tom's embarrassments
and settlement
follow and result from his marriage it is hinted at
on his estate. Secondly, althoughenient legacy of
the close falls to the lot of
all through the story, to say the least,
Mill
words
ther ds os story otrh e
Minnie's relative at t
better fortune than generally
ji and in If l'' y ac
les
1 e- nue colours.
its own lesson very fore,
iii the
I
ruined victims to gen:ihtbvii.:l°:
leo
The moral is summed up
is describing the state of those
ae
lawyer
wind and tide at
are striving Agony Point:
generosity on short
Audrey, whaog
~ After putting
'genteel,'
commons,
dies
a natural death, and
appearing still very grand and
against
S 3 they
shiamopgleonjustice
but all the tune most mean and miserable."

Ifarst and Blackett's Standard Library.
The seventeenth volume of this valuable series is
Nothing New," by the author of " John Halifax,"
sic, All thy produotiona of thin writer have been

favourably received, and therefore their re-appear-
ance in a cheap form is sure to be generally
attractive and popular. Some of these sketches are
very interesting, especially the " Water Cure." We
meet with some of those elevated views of life in
its solemn duties, and in its lofty aspirations that
particularly distinguish the compositions of this
author. " Mr. Anastasius" is a most peculiar tale,
being a ghost story of a very original description.
The strange feature in it being that the apparition
is visible to the bystanders, but not to those whom
it pursues. " A Low Marriage" is a useful sort
of narrative, as it demonstrates how in
many cases of this sort a moderation and
mutual forbearance can do much to smooth
difficulties and make things generally more agree-
able. " The Double House" is a very painful
sketch; it refers to the most dreadful infliction that
can befall humanity, and the point of the story
turns on the prevalent ideas connected with in-
sanity that existed last century. " Alwyn's First
Wife" is a domestic tale, pleasing, though melan-
choly. There are some others to be met with that
are entertaining and interesting, and this is a most
readable volume for anyone to take up.

In-door Plants and How to Grow Vim By E.

A. Maling. Smith, Elder, and Co.
This is a very useful little book, and it will prove
very welcome to that large class of Londoners who
are fond of having flowers about them, but are
hopeless of attempting their cultivation without gar-
dens and greenhouses, country breezes and sunshine.
The short and simple manual before us removes all
difficulties and gives very plain instructions " how
to attain at small expense a constant supply of
flowers." The work is evidently intended for the
use of ladies in deference to their general love of
" the stars of earth," and regarding probably their
more abundant leisure ; but it is of course suitable
for any amateur gardener. The addresses where
the various requisites may be obtained and the list
of prices greatly enhance its utility. As, of course,
the suggestions need not be followed to their full
extent, the cost of cultivation, both in time and
money, might be still further reduced if desired,
and we do not doubt that many who have not hitherto
indulged their taste for the floral world will be
encouraged by this little volume to endeavour to
realise its charming frontispiece.

LOSS OF THE STEAMER BALTIC OF
BULL.

Information has been received in Hull of the
total loss of this splendid screw-steamer, belonging
to Messrs. T. Wilson, Sons, and Company, ship-
owners, of Hull. She has been wrecked on Veck-
mansground, near Dagoe, a short distance from the
Gulf of Finland. The Baltic was between 700 and
800 tons burthen, and she was one of the finest
steamers sailing out of the port of Hull. Her
trade was principally to St. Petersburg and other
Russian ports in the Baltic. On her last voyage
to Cronstadt (the one in which she was wreck-
ed) she was under the command of Captain
Buchanan and a crew of twenty-one men, and
had three or four passengers. Her cargo consisted
of bales of cotton and machinery. She had proceed-
ed beyond Elsinore Sound, on her voyage out, and
had she kept her proper course she must have passed
Dagoe and gone into the Gulf of Finland. The
island of Dagoe, however, is noted for its powerful
magnetic attractiveness, and several Hull vessels
have been lately wrecked in its vicinity from n®
other cause but the derangement of the vessels' com-
passes. A few months ago, a Hull sailing vessel was
wrecked there, and the influence upon the compass
of an iron steamer is of course greater. In the pre-
sent case it is presumed that the compass of the
Baltic having become disarranged without Captain
Buchanan being aware of the fact, he has un-
knowingly run his vessel on the Veckmansground,
where she has been wrecked. According to a tele-
gram received in Hull yesterday the crew had been
saved. The vessel, with its cargo, it is expected, wilt
be totally lost. We understand the owners are in-
sured. This is the fourth large vessel which this firm
has had the misfortune to lose sine/October last. Of
the Bothnia and the Kingston, two of the vessels
wrecked, nothing has ever been heard of the
crews.