The Sun.
London, England, 1861-01-28 00:00:00

From.

LITERATURE.

Memoirs ofthe Court, and Cabinets of William
and Victoria. From Original Family Docu-
ments. By the Duke of Buckingham and
Chandos, K.G. Two vols. Hurst and Blackett.
These volumes bring to a conclusion the interest-
ing series of memoirs which have been published
under the auspices of the Duke of Buckingham
during the last few years. Founded on the 'tradi-
tions of a family whose members have long pos-
sessed the entrée into the charmed circle of cour-
tiers and politicians, and enriched by copious
extracts from the private and confidential letters
of the great men of the time, these works possess
a peculiar interest which is not always the attribute
of State memoirs. They lift the veil of mystery with
which the agents of Court influence and Cabinet
intrigues shroud their actions from the eyes of the
public ; and show us in some measure the motives
which actuated our statesmen, and the degree in
which the private expression of their views coin-
cided with the public declaration of their senti-
ments. The great question running all through
these volumes is of course that of Reform,
which was, in truth, the great event of
King William's reign. With the Duke of
Buckingham's views on the subject, of course, we
entirely disagree, and the prejudice and intoler-
ance of his sentiments interferes greatly with
the general character of the work. We should
scarcely have supposed that at the present day such
extreme opinions would have been so gravely and
consistently maintained. The Duke does not take
the modern view and raise an objection that might
have weight by complaining that the Reform was
one-sided, and still left a large share of corrupt influ-
ence in the hands of the Whigs. He follows the
Duke of Wellington's opinion that all reform was
dangerous and uncalled for. He talks satirically
of the boasted success of the measure, and of its un-
satisfactory results, as proved by the recent clamour
for a fresh Reform Bill—forgetting that such a
fact is no proof that the original measure was not
needed, but rather an additional evidence that it
was so, The demand for increased reform does not
argue that the first reformers went too far,
but that they did not go far enough. However, a
faithful transcript of the opinions of the Opposition
of that day is not without value. Much of the corres-
pondence in these volumes is from the pen of the great
Duke whose hatred to the popular measure is well
known. In a letter to the Duke of Buckingham,
dated March, 1831, after the first reading of the
obnoxious bill, he writes as follows :
" My dear Duke,—The vote of Tuesday is certainly a
very serious affair. A majority of the H. of Commons,
consisting of three hundred and two persons, have voted
for the principle of a measure of revolution. I agree with
you that this measure cannot be modified. But the vote of
Tuesday affords time for the country to come to its senses ;
and it is most probable that this measure will be thrown
out. But I cannot think otherwise than that the country
has received a severe shock, from which it will not easily
recover. There is no course open to me excepting to per-
severe in my opposition to this bill. I can see no reform,
however moderate, that will not violate some principle ; end
I cannot for the life of me see that any reform is necessary,
excepting for the gratification of certain individuals. In
my opinion, the fault of which those have been guilty who
oppose the measure, is the admission that any reform is
necessary; which, iithey will examine their opinions, they
will find to be inconsistent with the truth, and to be an
admission which leads to all the consequences of the mea-
sure now under discussion."
In another letter written about the same time he
says :—" I am convinced that there is but one safe
course about reform, and that is to oppose the
Government upon every question that may occur
in the further discussion of the bill ; with a view
to reject it altogether, if possible. lam opposed
to all reform; and can without personal or indeed
public inconvenience avow my opinion. Indeed, I
believe that some advantage is gained by the
knowledge which the public,have of my opinion on
this subject. But others may not entertain the
same opinion, or may not be in a situa-
tion to think that they ought to avow
it ; or they may think that a better mode of get-
ting rid of the bill is to break it down by:some vote
in the committee short of rejecting the first clause."
The extremity of the Duke of Wellington's views
on this subject appear, however, less extraordinary
when we consider the mistaken idea he entertained
of the principles of our Constitution, as displayed
in the following sentences extracted from his cor-
respondence:—" 'I he truth is, that all government
in this country is impossible under existing circum-
stances. I don't care whether it is called monarchy,
oligarchy, aristocracy, democracy, or what they
please, the government of the country, the protec-
tion of the lives, privileges, and properties of its
subjects,'and the regulation of the thousand matters
which require regulation in our advanced and
artificial state of society, are impracticable as long
as such a deliberative assembly exists as the House
of Commons, with all the powers and privileges
which it has amassed in the course of the last two
hundred years." The principles of Parliamentary
government, so long considered the proudest
boast of the Constitution and the bulwark of our
national liberty, was thus in the;eyes of the great
military commander an unmitigated evil. He
looked on Parliamentary deliberation and organised
opposition as he would have done a discussion
among his officers and a mutiny in his troops.
The Duke of Buckingham, however " plus Arabe
que l'Arabie," censures the liberality which the
Duke of Wellington did exhibit, and attributes
the distresses of Ireland to the removal of the
Catholic Disabilities. More in accordance with
the spirit of the present, and more in unison
with the experience gathered from the past,
is the eloquent appeal of the great orator and histo-
rian so lately passed from among us, which is cited
in these pages :
"Sir C. E. Smith and Lord Althorp defended the mea-
sure, and Mr. Horace Twiss and Lord Francis Leveson
Gower opposed it. Their speeches completed the first day's
debate.
" The second took place on the following day. Messrs.
O'Connell, Hume, and Hunt strongly commended the
Ministerial plan of reform. The most effective speech was
made on behalf of the Government by Mr., subsequently
Lord, Macaulay, who congratulated reformers on their
unanimity. The conclusion may be regarded as a fair
specimen of his style of oratory. Turn where we may,'
he said, ' within—around—the voice of great events is pro-
claiming to us, Reform I that ye may preserve I Now,
therefore, while everything at home and abroad forebodes
ruin to those who persist in a hopeless struggle against the
spirit of the age ; now, while the crash of the proudest
throne of the continent is still resounding in our ears—
now, while the roof of a British palace affords an ignomini-
ous shelter to the exiled heir of 40 kings—now, while we
see on every side ancient institutions subverted, and great
societies dissolved—now, while the heart ‘of England is
still sound—now, while the old feelings and the old asso-
ciations retain a power and a charm which may too soon
pass away—now, in this your accepted time—now, in this
year of your salvation, take counsel, not of prejudice, not
of party spirit, not of the ignominious pride of fatal con-
sistency, but of history, of reason, of the ages which are
past, of the signs of this portentous time.'
"He added—' Renew the youth of the State. Save pro-
perty divided against itself. Save the multitude, endan-
gered by their own ungovernable passions. Save the aris-
tocracy, endangered by its own unpopular power. Save the
greatest, fairest, and most highly civilised communitythat
ever existed from calamities that may in a few days sweep
away the rich heritage of so many ages of wisdom and glory.
The danger is terrible,' he said, the time short. If this
bill should be rejected, I pray to God that none of those
who concur in rejecting it may ever remember their votes
with unavailing regret, amidst the wreck of lands, the con-
fusion of ranks, the spoliation of property, and the dissolu-
tion of social order.'
In the second volume, when this vexed question is
settled, we have an interesting account of the early
years of the rule of our present Sovereign. A mere
summary of more recent events is given—the years
from 1840 to 1860 being included in one chapter.
Though the correspondence is less voluminous than
in the precedingvolumes, there is a sufficient num-
ber of original documents to invest the work with
a fresh and authentic interest. As a summary of the
political occurences of a stormy and eventful period
these Memoirs will be useful as a work of reference ;
and as forming the conclusion of a valuable and
important series they should find a place on the
shelves of every library.

The Laboratory of Chemical Works. By G. W.
Septimus Piesse. Longman.
In the present Go-a-head Age every body is ex-
pected to possess some chemical knowledge.
People nowadays take a great deal more interest
in cause and effect than heretofore : and people
ignorant on any subject, instead of saying, as
one would have done a hundred years ago,
" I am not a philosopher," or " Pooh ! it's all non-
sense, the individual of the present day will enterr
upon a discussion with his neighbour, at a
edriostinbe _
party, on electricity, galvanism, or any
ject, and answer no, and yes, at randomwreoarttkhhewr thaneld
admit his ignorance. The present_
provetended
vears
enters u
ffi particu-
larly
e it
t oeveryday life of
yanusienfudluctotivsuecwhoprekrtssfooron fs ,
the fo
yr oa
ul tnhgo u
igtilcoinn--
tains information on subjects
are ignorant. It is
which many of their seniors
Subjects of ordinary life, many
say that nearly
many
im p o
s intosib le
'a
andl
I th
aeinlldd
mechanical matters, are
ee
th i s to oo r
k
chemical, and
ed. As the work is only introduc-
briefly
ryfotiainh ioeeiinag i'Ti
notices are short, and supeificial, but
cont
to
nevertheless much valuable information.
The
extracts, taken at random, speak for
the character of the work :

In consequence of the numerous applications of iron to
the arts in our period, the present is frequently termed the
I: Iron Age." It is sometimes too, very properly called the
Ago of Steam," and at other's the " Age of Electricity."
With equal propriety it may be termed the " India-rubber
Age." The applications of this substance to the arts and
manufactures are so numerous that we cannot think of
giving a list of them here; nevertheless, we will mention
a few facts relative to this material. When we were at
school India-rubber was looked upon only as " a curious
specimen of a vegetable gum, which had the singular
4 quality of removing pencil-marks from paper." Now this
is some 30 fil,Wagnerspasti and during that short period India-

rubber has been employed for shoes, coats, hats, carriegl
wheels, pipes, joints, Sec., in endless variety. Every day
we find out some new application for it to some useful pur-
pose. This is not to be wondered at when its extraordinary
qualities are considered. It is now, we perceive, made
into combs, superseding expensive tortoiseshell and the
brittle horn. When India-rubber is mixed and kneaded
with a portion of sulphur, and passed through heated
toilers to thoroughly incorporate the sulphur, it is then
called "vulcanised." Now if the vulcanised rubber be
expesed for a few hours in a vessel to the action of high
pressure steam, say of 300 degs. centigrade heat, it
acquires new properties. From being soft it becomes hard,
though very difficult to break. In this state its texture
very much resembles tortoiseshell, and eau be beautifully
polished. Comb-makers cut -and work it like shell. It
can be carved, and designs of any form can be made ; and,
from its strength, it is well suited for delicate work in
instances where other materials would be liable to fracture.
Thus the milky juice of a tree (Siphonia elastica and
Ficus elastieus) is made by the art of man into a walking-
cane, a picture-frame, a top coat, a slipper, or a comb.

__ , •
AN EGG AND ITS COMPOSITION.
A hen's egg consists of three parts—the shell, the
white, and the yolk. The overage weight of an egg is
a thousand grains, or nearly two ounces; the white
weighs six hundred grains, the yolk three hundred
grains, and the shell one hundred grains. The shelf
consists of carbonate and phosphate of lime, and it thus
partakes of the nature of bone. The shell is very
porous, its whole surface being covered with pilule°
holes or pores, through which the air enters, and is thus
conveyed to the chick during the process of hatching.
A good egg is like a perfect seed—it is alive I when
placed under fit circumstances of temperature it grows,
and becomes a chicken. The chick, in the first instance,
is nourished at the expence of the white, and then by the
littleykwhich i
bird. Thes absorbed
shel
prior
into t
ot
hteh eh a intestinestehin g
of t
ho theef
bird,
ir lode,
becomes thinner than usual, part being dissolved, as
required, in the formation of the bones. If the air cells
of the shell be filled up with grease, as is sometimes
recommended for "preserving eggs," life is soon extin-
guished, and the egg becomes "rotten." If by any
other circumstance the vital principle of the egg be de-
stroyed, the same result happens. If, however, eggs, are
purposely killed by boilinginwater, and are then immersed
in grease, they may be preserved for an indefinite period,
and are thus convenient food for long voyages. The white,'
or albumen, as the chemists term it, resembles in its com-
position one of the portions of human blood; hence its
nutritive quality. When, however, it is boiled :hard, it is
not quite so digestible as in the semi-fluielestate. Thet'
white is remarkable as being totally destitute- of any fatty
matter, and if eaten alone is on this account *fry constipat-
ing. Some portion of fat eaten with it isnecessary for its
perfect assimilation in the human stomach. " Instinct,"
says Dr. Johnston, " has therefore induced us to associate
'eggs with bacon' as a savoury meal.. The yolk contains
a good deal of oil, which, with the yellow colouring matter
can be dissolved with spirits of wine. What remains,
when thus treated, is very nearly of the same composition.
as the white. The yolk is remarkable as containing a sub-
stance called emulsive, which has the ploperty of causing
fat or oil to mix with water ; hence we trace its uses in the
culinary art, independently of its nutritive properties. For
instance, in making a "salad mixture" the oil is first
mixed with the yolk of an egg, and they the other ingre-
dients are added; by so doing a perfect homogeneous ereant
is produced, which does not taste greasy, as a salad always
does that is made without egg. Sulphur, phosphorus, and
other things are contained in an egg; but the proportions
.of these are so small that they only possess chemical inte-
rest. In our village we purchase eggs by weight, a custom
which, if generally adopted, would be found decidedly ad-
vantageous to the purchaser.
Works of a scientific character are becoming daily
more and more popular. The simpler the language
used the more they are appreciated by the general
reader. Long Latin names may be very satisfac-
tory to the botanist and chemist, but they only
confuse Jones or Robinson. The " Laboratory of
Chemical Wonders" is, however, intelligible to all,
and will doubtless meet with every success,

LONDON, BRIGHTON, AND SOUTR
COAST RAILWAY.

HALF-YEARLY MEETING (THIS DAY).
The thirtieth ordinary meeting of the proprietors of this
company was held this day at the London Tavern, Bishops-
gate-street.

Leo Schuster, Esq., Chairman of the Board of Directors,
presided.

The report, which has already appeared in The Sun,
having been taken as read,
The CHAIRMAN said he had great pleasure in meeting
the shareholders, and be was glad that he should not have
to detain them for any considerable time, as the report
entered very fully into the whole transactions of the
company since they last met. It was satisfactory
to find the capital account had increasbd, and
it was also s pleasure to inform them that the company
had no new scheme to lay before them—(ch eers)—neither
had the company a single bill in Parliament. (Cheers.)
This latter circumstance was particularly gratifying in a
double sense, because it showed that they were on friendly
terms with all parties, and also that the company was not
involved in expensive Parliamentary contests. He knew
of many things that were expensive to railway companies,
but, without exception, the most costly article was a bill
in Parliament. (Hear, hear, and laughter.) With respect
to their traffic, it had increased in all branches. The
company had, as the shareholders well knew, reduced the
fares, and improved the carriages for third-class passengers,
which the public had largely availed themselves of. It
had been thought that one of the results of such improve-
ments would be the reduction of the number of passengers
using second-class carriages, but such was not the case.
The number of third-class passengers using their line was,
speaking in round numbers, in 1859, 4,800,000; in 1860,
5,500,000. (Hear.) The number of second-class passen-
gers was in the same two years 2,100,000 and 2,400,000, and
first-class had similarly benefited to about 200,000.
(Cheers.) He could not deny that their expenses had been
very heavy, but that was mainly owing to the
increase of taxation ; but he had se frequently
spoken of the injustice with which railways were
treated, that ho could not detain theta with any lengthened
observations that day; but he did hope that some gentle-
men younger than himself would put their shoulders
to the wheel, and try to get some more equitable
arrangement with respect to railway property. The com-
pany had, he was happy to say, done everything to conduce
to the safety of the public, and the shareholders might rest
perfectly satisfied that the directors had obtained security
for the travelling public, (Cheers.) They had heard of
late of many unfortunate railway accidents ; but owing to
the great precautions taken on their line, notwithstanding
the enormous number of passengers carried, no accident of
any importance had occurred. He should not detain them
further, but resume his seat by moving the adoption of
the report, at the same time intimating that he should
feel happy to answer any questions that might be put to
him.
The motion having been seconded,

Mr. HEREPATR said he could not allow the report to
pass without expressing his approbation of the manner in.
which their affairs were conducted. He did not know a
company that was in such admirable order as the Brigh-
ton. The permanent way was in excellent order, their car-
riages in the best condition, and the whole management
was unexceptionable. (Cheers.)
A PROPRIETOR said the word " glad" mentioned in the
report, with the directors having no bill in Parliament,
but very poorly, he thought, expressed their satisfaction
at such an event, ought, he thought, to have been at least
"delighted," in fact " extatic." (Laughter.)
The report was adopted unanimously, and a dividend at
the rate of 7 per cent. per annum declared. The dividend
warrants would be payable on the 7th of February,

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE.

SCRATCHINGS.

Chester Cup—Newcastle, Pagoda, Rupee, Juno, Sweet-
sauce, Waterford, Donner and Blitz, The Bushman, Silver-
hair, Stockade, Morella, Bumble Bee, Bally Edmond, The
Monk, Croagh Patrick, Volatile, and Princess Royal.
Northamptonshire Stakes—Newcastle, Pagoda, Rupee,
and Mouravieff.

City and Suburban—Ellerton, Isthmian, Imaus, Stockade,
Donner wad Blitz, and Sage.
Metropolitan—Mouravieff and Pagoda.
Grand National Steeplechase—Confederate, Jerusalem'
Johnny, Marmion, Harry, Evelyn, The
Puddler, and
Penarth.

ARMSTRONG GuNs.—Orders have
with three Arm.
ni
been issued to
supply every large class ship in
the
e surto consist of one of
strong guns as a part of their armament,
the largest description, 100-pound 'and two 40-pounders.
—United Service Gazette.
IMPOSITION ON T,B POOR BOX FUND,--A
dissipated looking wen"' .-
morning, for seven days, for an attempt
to im _n named Little, was sent to prison
by Mr. Selfe, this . .
upon him, as a magistrate, to obtain a contribu-
tion from the Poor•box.
The rectory' of St. Mary-le-Strand, London, has
be
owe vacant by the death of the Rev. Joshua Frederick
Denham,
M.A. The benefice, which is worth £315 a year,
is in the gift of the Lord Chancellor. Mr. Denham was a
fellow of the Royal Society, and the author of many
educational works.

ATTEMPTED MURDER. Yesterday (Sunday)
afternoon an attempt to murder was made in the neighbour..
hood of the Wandsworth-road. A. man named George
Parsons, a labourer, living at No. 7, Portland-street,
Wandsworth-road, had been drinking with another man,
named John Price, a bricklayer, living at No. 3, Horace-
street, South Lambeth, at the Surrey Arms beerbhop,
Spring-place, Wandsworth-road, when a quarrel arose
from some unexplained cause, and a challenge to fight
ensued. The men -scent out of the beershop, and while
going down the street to a vacant piece of ground the man
Parsons was observed to take a large clasp knife out or his
pocket and open it. The man who saw Parsons by en the
knife called out to Price to warn him not to fight, when
Parsons rushed towards Price and stabbed him twice in the
back, just between the hip and the ribs, on the right hand
side. Tho unfortunate man Price immediately sank to the
ground, weltering in blood, and two of the bystanders
seized the perpetrator of the crime. Information having
been sent to the police-station, New-street, Inspector
Bushnell promptly despatched Jones, 246 V, who at once
took the man Parsons into custody on arriving at the spot.
In the meanwhile the injured man had been conveyed to
his residence, and Dr. Jones, with another medical gentle-
man, attended, and found rrico i 4 a most precariolla
COnclitiOUt