The Sun.
London, England, 1861-08-26 00:00:00

A GRACEFUL TRIBUTE.

(From the Brighton Observer.)
[Written after hearing " A. Series of Discourses on the
Religion of Every-day Life," delivered by the Rev.
Robert Ainslie, Christ Church, New-road, Brighton.]
My seeking soul could asver yet incline
To pompous rhetoric, nor saintly whine.
I've yawned beneath the smooth and courtly rote ;
I've shrunk from noise that left the ranting throat—
Unfed—l've found, like starved and frozen birds;
Nought but a leafless wilderness of words :
And asked—are these the delegates to give
The unction that shall fit to die—or live ?
Are these the Shepherds of the Human flock
Who fold their lambs upon a barren rock ?
Are these the ones who hold the keys of heaven,
Without whose sanction Sin is ne'er forgiven ?
If so—l'd rather tremble and believe
'Neath thunder-tongues, that awe, but ne'er deceive ;
If so, I'd rather hear the winds rejoice,
For then I know I hear my Maker's voice.

It is but now I've listened to the speech
That gives the lessons Christ himself would teach ;
Telling in plain, sincere, ungarbled tone,
That " Charity" is God's crown jewel-stone;
That varied creed, opinion, sect, or race,
Will hide no creature from the Father's face ;
If the warm.spirit of immortal birth
Lay claim to heaven by serving well on earth.
AINSLIE has uttered, and my soul has felt
Language that flowed to strengthen, and to melt.
No m easured music leaves his lip nor pen,
To please weak women and unthinking men.
He tests " profession" by its "practice" work ;
Withdraws the screen where hypocrites would lurk ;
Strips the grim skeleton which Cant has drest
And shows the hollow bones beneath the vest ;
Proving—while " Convocation" idly raves—
The " Church," like " Commerce," has its mart of knaves,

He holds the wine-cup which we need net fear ;
Filled from Life's fountain-stream ; pure, strong, and clear
He dares to say, " Whate'er your creed may be,
The Truth—the Truth alone, will make ye free."
No martyr-fires may beacon where he leads ;
He preaches " Faith," but Faith with goodly " deeds."
He preaches Mercy, Hope, and Love for all;
Respects the Heathen-block and cloister-wall.
Denounces not the blindfold sons of clay,
Who, born in darkness, may have lost their way ;
But prays that Knowledge, like the sun, may rise,
And shed, o'er every heart, meridian skies;
Till battle, " in the name of God," shall cease,
And holy brotherhood bring joy and peace—
Till Christ's own " Sermon on the Mount" shall find
A congregation, compassing mankind.
Error and Frailty may to him belong—
The strongest of us are not always strong;
But he to Frailty and to Error deals,
The trust in "pardon," Christ himself reveals :
He cheers the timid, and upholds the weak ;
Rebukes the bold—encourages the meek :
He strives to sow the sinful, desert spot,
With seed to bloom in "Prayer's" " Forget me not."
He bids us servo at the Eternal Throne,
Till something of God's nature marks our own;
He walks erect—and calmly puts aside
The Prelate's power and the Pontiff's pride :
He stands—defying priestly " bar and ban,"
A toiling, earnest, brave, lie-scorning man.
May blissful health allow his honoured name
To dwell with ripened years and spreading fame :
May his broad tenets—grandly, simply true,
Long teach us how to thhak, and what to do ;
And when, at last, he frDnts the judgment bar—
Where none are what we seem, but what we are,
May his Lord's voice thus greet him—drawing near—
" Thou good and faithful servant, welcome here.
1 gave thee talents' of rare worth to hold,
Which thou hast multiplied in Christian gold ;
Sit at my right hand—there thy place will be :
u teaching truth to mine thou'st worshipped Me."
ELIZA COOK

Part of of the army in Algeria is about to return
to France, and is to be replaced by regiments from
the garrisons in the South.
The Bucks Advertiser says :—" The once-famed
house of Stowe is about to be again restored to the list of
the great houses of England, and be rescued from its fallen
state—as steps are to be taken to re-furnish suites of rooms
for the Dowager Duchess of Buckingham, and the present
Duke and Duchess."

PAPER-DUTY DRAWBACK.—EXPORTATION AND
RE • IMPORTATION OF BOOKSELLERS' STOCKS.—Mr. Black,

M.P., lately wrote to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in-
quiring if he considered it would be justifiable in publishers
who hold quantities of printed stock in sheet to export it,
with the view of getting the drawback on the paper, and
reimporting it after the duty was repealed, and he has just
received the following Witmer :

"Liverpool, Aug. 17, 1861
(c My dear Sir,—Being desirous to send an answer as
clear and full as possible to your letter of the sth August,
I referred the subject of it to the Board of Inland Revenue,
and I have this day received a reply. You are aware that
neither the Board nor I have any authority to interpret the
law, but, while disclaitting such authority, it is often the
duty of a Minister of finance or of a revenue department
to give the best information in his or its power. On this
occasion we are advised that books exported for the pur-
pose of claiming the drawback of excise thereon, and with
a view to reimportation after the date when the paper duty
ceases, are not exported as merchandise within the Act 2d
and 3d Vict., c. 23, and that consequently there is no title
to drawback upon them We are further advised I hat any
person having obtained the drawback under such circum-
stances might be compelled, by information in the Court
of Exchequer, to refit(' it. I have only to add that I
highly appreciate the Votive which prompted your letter,
and that you are at full liberty to make any use of this
reply which you may think proper.—l remain, my dear
Sir, very faithfully yours,
(Siped)
" A. Black, Esq., Mis."
THE WOOLWICH MURDER.—Peter Masterson
the private in the Roy 4 Artillery, who was convicted on
Thursday of the murder of his sergeant, by fracturing his
skull with an iron crowbar, in the guard-room of the Royal
Arsenal at Woolwich, las removed the same evening by
the six o'clock train to Maidstone, in the charge of two
warders of Newgate. During the whole time the prisoner
has been in custody he has exhibited the same recklessness
and indifference that he evinced at the trial, and all that he
appears to have stated urn the subject of his crime appears
to be, that he knows notliing about it, as he was so drunk.

"W. GLADSTONE.

The evidence, however, it will bo recollected, positive:y
negatived this statement, as it was proved that he exhibited
only slight indications cf intoxication, and that he spoke
quite rationally and eifilly to all the other persons who
were in the guard-room except the deceased, to whom he
owed a grudge, for having proved an assault against him,
for which he was sentenced to three months' hard labour.

The prisoner seems to hive borne a very indifferent charac-
ter in the regiment, and he has been several times in cus-
tody for different offences. The jury recommended the pri-
soner to mercy on the ground that he was excited by
liquor at the time the act was committed, and this recom-
mendation will, of courm, be forwarded to the Home-office,
but from the serious nature of the offence it is not expected
that a recommendation of such a character will be thought
sufficient to justify the executive in recommending the pri-
soner to the merciful consideration of the Crown. The rea-
son for the removal of the prisoner to Maidstone is, that as
the offence was committed in the county of Kent, the act of
Parliament requires that the sentence shall be carried out
in the same county, and the execution will probably take
place on Thursday, Sept, 5.
THE ROYAL FAMILY IN SCOTLAND.—OR Friday,
during their stay at Holyrood, the younger members of
the Royal family paid a visit to several of the public exhi-
bitions in Edinburgh, and made purchases at some of the
principal shops and bazaars. Prince Arthur, attended by
the Hon. Colonel De Ros and Major Elphinstone, visited
the National Gallery in the forenoon, while Princess Louise
and Prince Leopold, attended by Lady Caroline Barrington,
visited the Botanic Garden. In the afternoon the two
Princes and Princess Louise drove out to Craigmillar Castle
and to Roslin Chapel and Castle, returning to the Palace
shortly before seven. 7:he Princess Beatrice did not leave
the Palace that day. On Saturday morning the young
Princes and Princesses) eft Holyrood at half- past eight, and
St. Margaret's station, Queen's-park, at a quarter before
nine, by spacial train for Aboyne, en route to Balmoral.
The Royal party Were accompanied to the platform by
Sheriff Gordon, the Lord Provost, Mr. Peter Blackburn,
M.P., chairman of the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway,
and other railway officials.
THE BARON D
VlDlL.—Previous to the Revo-
lution of 1830 Alphonse Vidil, the father of Alfred de
Vidil, carried on the business of a glove manufacturer in
the Rue Richelieu, Paris, while his son fulfilled the duties
of coznnzis voyageur to the establishment. In this capacity
the latter made frequent visits to England, and became
known to the princi
Psis of several commercial houses in
London. Having secured the patronage of Marshal Soult
by some important service rendered to a member of his
family, ho was appointed by that Minister Attache to
the French Embassy at Vienna. Subsequently, on the
Marshal's appointment as Ambassador Extraordinary to
England, on her Majesty's Coronation, Alfred Louis Pons
de Vidil, having teen previously ennobled by Louis
Philippe, accompanied his patron as Attache, and from
that period has resided alternately in London and Paris, a
recognised member of the distinguished circles of both
opitAble