The Sun.
London, England, 1861-03-15 00:00:00

ADELPHI, NEW THEATRE-ROYAL.
sole Proprietor and Manager, Mr. Benj. Webster.
THIS EVENING, AN UGLY CUSTOMER. Messrs. J.
Toole, C. Selby, and Warde ; Miss K. Kelly, and Miss E.
whorne.
Alter which, THE COLLEEN BAWN. D. Boucicault, D.
Fisher, Billington, Falconer, Stephenson, C. J. Smith, Romer.
Miss Agnes Robertson, Miss Woolgar, Mrs. Billing-ton, and
Chatterley.
To conclude with a new Burlesque Extravaganza, entitled
SLUE BEARD FROM A NEW POINT OF HUE.
Messrs. J. L. Toole, P. Bedford, C. J. Smith ; Miss Woolgar,
H. Kelly, Laidlaw, and E. Thorne.
Doors open at half past 6—Commence at 7.
Box-office open from 10 till 5.
No charge for booking.
Private boxes, £2 2s. ; Family Boxes, El.
Orchestra Stalls, ss. ; Balcony, 4s. ; Front Circle Stalls, Is.;
Pit Stalls, 25.; Pit, ls. 6d. ; Amphitheatre, Is ; Gallery, 6d.
Acting Manager—Mr. Wm. Smith.

CANTERBURY-HALL CONCERTS!
Westminster-road.
Proprietor ........C. Morton.
A Grand Selection from Verdi's new Opera,
IL CORSARO,

This opera has never been produced in this or any other
country, except at these Concerts), having met with that de-
cided success which charactise4 the most popular werks of
this great Master, will be performed EVERY EVENING ;
together with a Selection from LA FIGLIA DEL REGGI-
MENTO, by Donizetti,

—Principal Artistes—Miss Russell, Madame Maria, Miss
Tyrrell, Mr. H. Herbert, Signor Tivoli, 11. Drummond, and
C. W. Bernard. Director, Mr. F. Jonghmans.
The Comic Department comprises Messrs. E. Marshall, A.
B. Hollingsworth, J. Blanchard, F. Bell, W. H. Welland, and
the Brothers Conrad.

John Martin's Three celebrated Pictures will remain on
view a short time longer in the Fine Arts Gallery of the
Establishment.

HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE.
Txte DAY.—Morning, 4h. 10m.—Afternoon, 4h. 24m,
To-hion:low.-Morning, 4h. 34m.—Afternoon, 4h. 50m

THE WEATHER...43IIN OFFICE, MARCH 15, 1861,
THERMOMETER, IN THE SHADE.
52—highest since noon yesterday.
43—lowest this morning and during the night.
51—this day at noon. •

BAROMETER--30.13.
WlND—South-Westerly in the morning; now North,
Westerly—light; with fine weather. Rain in the night.

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THE SUN.

LONDON, FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 1861.

TUE ESSAYS and REVIEWS have been elevated
to such notoriety by Archbishois, Bishops, Convo-
cation, and an army of clergy, that it seems hardly
possible for a journalist to be silent respecting
them. Like all the rest of the world, we have
read them, and we have read them carefully too
—how could we help doing so after they had been
honoured with an Episcopal salute from the whole
Bench. True, like other salutes, it was but burn-
ing powder; not a shot of argument was fired from
any of the six-and-twenty pieces; still, the mere
explosion of fifteen, ten, five, and two thousand
pounders in such numbers could not fail to compel
attention, and we attended. Others seem to have
done the same. The publishers cannot supply
editions fast enough. Mr. MunlE has, it is said,
4,000 copies in circulation, and still has to send
away customers with the answer that all arc out.
If the authors desire a pecuniary solatium for any
censures they have incurred, that they assuredly
have received, and will yet receive. It would seem
indeed, that if any book, newspaper, or periodical,
desired to increase its circulation tenfold, it could
not do better than compel the whole Episcopate
to give it a broadside. Now the honeymoon is
over, that happy, united pair, The Star and Dial,
may thank us for the hint.
Our readers will not expect us to enter into the
theological controversy, hardly even to state our
impressions of this remarkable work. We may,
however, observe that it is one in point of style,
taste, scholarship, and general ability every way
creditable to the authors, who, with one exception,
are clergymen. When seven gentlemen make up
by their contributions a single volume, with the
distinct avowal that each is responsible only for
the part to which ha puts his name, diversity of
thought and of, literary merits is of course to be
looked for ; but we are bound to say that whether
the intelligent reader concurs with any of the
writers or differs from him, there is not one of the
Essays which he will not read with pleasure ; and,
what is more, there is not one from which, unless
theology be his profession, he will not gain some
valuable hints. It surely is not necessary that we
should be ever reading or hearing in theology
any more than in Art, Science, Literature,
or politics, precisely our own views. So far as
Religion is a matter of the understanding, it can
never be intelligently realized, except through the
same process which clears and strengthens our
notions and convictions on other subjects. We
must confess that these seven Essays are more cal-
culated to stimulate religious thought amongst
fairly educated persons than seventy times seven
sermons, such as we hear from the Bishops who
denounce, them, or from the great mass of gentle
men who believe themselves changed from simple
laymen into successors of the Apostles by the touch
'Episcopal. We intend, in saying this, no disre-
spect to the useful labourers, who do their best for
th'many, and who feel it to be their duty not to
tax on the first day of the week the brains of those
who, after six days' manual labour, or worry of
the counter or counting-house, want some-
thing as easy as the catechism. But the thought-
ful aral intellectual
have their claims also;
and if they are rarely indeed satisfied in a sermon,
it is not fair to grudge them satisfaction in a book.
If we may be judges of waatintelligent persons,
lake no pretensions to more than ordinary
knowlonge of theology, require, it is just such a
,I; as A book, which written throughout
yen) religious, and Christian spirit, yet
conventionalism of the Steeple-House
alike, and tells us the thoughts of
- no human authority—.not even

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