The Sun.
London, England, 1850-09-20 00:00:00

rising ground behind, and the boats and steamers
formed a semicircle at a considerable distance off,
giving the cliff a very wide berth. We cannot un-
dertake, from the extent and diversified character of
the ground, to say how many thousands were
assembled, but as far as the eye could reach
along the beach on either side of the cliff, and on
every height and point of 'vantage which com-
manded a view of the operations, vast numbers were
congregated. As the hour approached the scene be-
came intensely exciting. So many conjectures were
hazarded as to the nature and extent of the explosion
that was about to take place, that many of those in
the front ranks involuntarily drew back, and even
those at a remote distance were speculating upon the
probability of a shower of rocks falling in the midst
of them. At three o'clock the flags were again
heisted, and every breath was hushed—an unnatural
stillness fell upon the vast multitude, broken only
by the long heavy roll of the sea, as it swept over
the shingle. Five minutes of anxious and almost
painful expectation passed, and then the murmur went
round that the wires had failed from some defect or
breach of continuity, and this surmise became strength-
ened in the course of the next five minutes. When
all were preparing themselves for a disappointment of
their high raised expectations, about twelve minutes
after three a low rumbling sound was heard, like the
muttering of distant thunder, or the appalling rumble
of an approaching earthquake. Simultaneously with
this the earth trembled beneath the feet of those who
were nearest the cliff, although fully a quarter of a
mile off. The whole face of the cliff moved outward,
as if impelled by some invisible agency. The upper
part at the same time toppling over, the immense
mass fell with a roaring, crashing, deafening sound
upon the beach below, crumbling into fragments
and rolling far out into the sea, which it drove
before it in a high wave, the shock of which
was felt by the boats stationed far out in
the offing. From the surface of the mass a

thick white cloud of finely-pulverised particles
flew out before it, like the smoke that follows the dis-
charge of a piece of ordnance, and the whole atmos-
phere was at the same instant filled with a cloud of
white dust, which, mixed with the stench of the gun-
powder, almost choked the spectators. The moment
the mass of rock reached the beach a loud and hearty
cheer burst from the spectators, which was taken up
and repeated along the cliffs. It is impossible to esti-
mate with anything like accuracy the quantity of
rock that has been dislodged, but it presents a vast
mound, at least 100 in height, and twice as broad,
running out to a point about 300 feet from the base
of the cliff. During the afternoon several additional
masses were detached from the cliff, but this did
not prevent many hundreds of persons from climbing
to the top of the mound and examining the nature and
extent of the breach that had been effected. An in-

spection of the summit of the cliff, after the explosion
had taken place, furnished most satisfactory evidence
of the accuracy with which the calculation of the en-

gineering officers had been made. The space defined
by the trench bad been completely swept away by
the force of the explosion, and deep fissures extended
a considerable way back, one of them not many yards
from the hut in which the batteries were placed. All
the wires were carried over and buried in the soil,
and some considerable masses of rock will probably
fall in the course of the next few days. The result is
highly creditable to the engineering skill of the
officers employed upon this service, although it re-
mains yet to be seen whether the action of the waves
will not in the course of a few years carry off the
greater portion of the chalk thrown down, unless some
additional means are resorted to to protect it from
the sea.

The inhabitants of the town of Seaford were re-
commended to throw open their doors and windows
to prevent any injury from the explosion. They took
the advice literally, and every house in Seaford was

an open one during- - the day, the number of visitors,
and the obstruction they offered to each other in their

eagerness, rendering the supplying of their wants
still more difficult. The difficulty of procuring a
supply of the creature comforts was trifling compared
with the difficulty of getting away. Although the
whole beach in front of the town was covered with

vehicles, not a tithe of those desirous of getting
away could be accommodated, and at Newhaven
. .

fresh difficulties arose.

As fast as the trains

drew up they were filled to overflowing; but,
as in all such cases, everybody got into the wrong
train, and to do the few officials justice, they were
still more bewildered by their overflow of good luck
than the impatient visitors. It was a complete em-
barras des richesses, and On most cases being
honestly ignorant of the destinations of the various
trains, they left the travellers to find it out at the end

of their journey. These, however, were only the usual
desagremens of an influx of business, which it was
impossible at so short a notice to provide for effectively.
All, or the greater part, were in good humour with
the gigantic operations they had witnessed, the fine

vveaiher, and the delightful scenery ; and we trust, i

even some li'tle delay took place, ih.at all found their
way ultimately to their respective destinations.

ANOTHER ACCOUNT.

About two o'clock the top of the cliff was cleared

for a considerable space round the ground to be ex-
ploded, and also the beach at and mar the front of
that portion of the cliff. This latter (the beach) was
the place selected by most of the spectators for wit-
nessing the explosion ; and it being low water an ex-
cellent view was there to be obtained. A consider
able number of people declined to come anything like
so near the scene of operations as the line marked out
by the authorities; many stood a mile off, and not a
few still further. The beach, in fact, was more or
less peopled all along the bay. It is almost impos-
sible to tell the number of spectators scattered in such
various directions ; it has been estimated that there
were 10,000 persons looking upon the operation which
was this day performed, and it is very likely that
there were.

As the appointed hour drew near, every eye was
fixed upon the place where the explosion was to be,
marked out as it was by a flag upon its highest point.
Just before three o'clock, apparently upon a signal or
instruction from the top of the cliff, the men who
" kept the ground " upon the beach, moved their
boundary flags some fifty yards further away from
the spot which was " the observed of all observers,"
and required the spectators to remove to a distance
which must have been above 300 yards, if not a quarter
of a mile, from the cliff to be blasted. This proceed-
ing seemed to create some timidity here and there,
probably from its being taken to indicate that the
best judges did not feel quite confident as to the di-
rection or effect of the explosion. With the mass,
however, curiosity overcame every other feeling, and
there was not a little reluctance to retire further back.
Some ladies were among the last to be induced to
keep at a greater distance, and give the gunpowder a
wider berth.

The next few minutes were passed in impatient
expectation. It was not until twelve minutes past
three o'clock that suddenly the whole cliff, along a
width or frontage of some 120 feet, bent towards the
sea, cracked in every direction, crumbled into pieces,
and fell upon the beach in front of it, forming a
bank, down which large portions of the falling mass
glided slowly into the sea for several yards like a
stream of lava flowing into the water. The whole
multitude upon the beach seemed for a few moments
paralyzed and awe-struck by the strange move-
ment, and the slightly trembling ground ;
every one sought to know with a glance that
the mass had not force enough to come
near him, and that the cliff under which he
stood was safe. There was no eery loud report; the
rumbling noise was probably not heard a mile
off, and was, perhaps, caused by the splitting of the
cliff and fall of fragments. There seemed to be (no
smoke, but there was a tremendous shower of dust.
Those who were in boats a little way out state that
they felt a slight shock. It was much stronger on
the top of the cliff. Persons standing there felt stag-
gered by the shaking of the ground, and one of the
batteries was thrown down by it. In Seaford, too,
three-quarters of a mile off, glasses upon the table
were shaken, and one chimney fell. At Newhaven,
a distance of three miles, the shock was sensibly felt.
In a few minutes after the cliff had fallen the crowd
upon the beach rushed forward to it. A second fall
of chalk,.when they got about half way, checked
them for an instant, and but for an instant.
They rushed up the mound which the ex-
ploded chalk had formed. Although it is a
mass of large rough stones for the most part,
difficult in many places to climb except by using
one's bands as well as feet, yet ladies eagerly clam-
bered up it, and one gentleman managed to get his
horse up. It will, probably, like the cliff still stand-
ing, be rather unsafe for a time, as there is reason to
believe that further falls will follow, considerable
masses which have not yet fallen being evidently
loosened. The mass which came down to-day is
larger than was expected; it forms an irregular heap,
apparently about 300 feet broad, of a height varying
from 40 to 100 feet, and extending 200 or 250 feet
or more seas ard, which is considerubly beyond low-
water mark. It is thought that it comprises nearly
300,000 tons. The operation is considered to have
been decidedly successful.
The work was under the direction of Sir J. Bur-
goyne, Inspector-General of Fortifications, but the
immediate direction was taken by Captain From° ;
Lieutenant Ward, 1t E., had charge of the voltaic
batteries. Colonel Lewis, Lieutenant Greatorex, and
Lieutenant Crossman assisted in the operetiOns. Sir
J. Rennie and a number of civil engineers were on
the ground. Sir C. Pasley was present, and, as we
understood, the Duke of Beaufort and Lord F. Fitz-
clarence ; so also was Mr. Wright, C.E. who con-
ducted the operations at the blasting of Rounddown
Cliff, near Dover; and Colonel Sandham, Sir H.
Shiffner, and other gentlemen of eminence.

The cliff thrown down, and the place whence it
came, were objects of much interest for some little
time After the explosion; but the ground soon began

to clear, and the principal inn became a scene of no
little excitement. When the throng had obtained
there what they could, the general movement was to
the railway station ; and, by means of extra trains
sent out as fast as they could be got ready, a host of
people were dispatched to their homes well satisfied
apparently with their day.

ANOTHER ACCOUNT—AT SEA.
In addition to the foregoing we give the following
account of the explosion as it appeared at sea :
That enterprising officer Captain Bullock, so
well and deaervedly appreciated for his
eminent services in surveying various parts
of the coast, left Newhaven Harbour, in her
Majesty's steam-vessel the Widgeon, about mid-day,
and bore to in the bay of Seaford for the Earl of Shef-
field, and other distinguished parties expected to come
to have a sight of the grand explosion from the sea.
At about two o'clock several arrived, and the Wid
geon steamed on to about a quarter of a mile
from the devoted part of the cliff, where
she anchored in an excellent position. The
ground so ju liciously taken up by Captain
Bullock served as a guide for the various yachts
and other craft to take up their position also, and that
part of the bay was speedily filled with a multifarious
variety of flotilla, crowded with gay and expec-
tant visitors, who half trembled, yet dared
to enjoy the grandeur of the risk ! The
sea was smooth, with a running swell which rathei
unsettled the fairer portion of the company, who did
not exactly comprehend the beauty of the scene in its
full splendour with the same certainty of being quite
safe, as if they were on terra firma.
As the hour of terror drew near, anxiety and curio-
sity seemed to struggle for relief among the crowd
of water-gazing people. Here and there a sensible
commotion occurred, as
the doubt of whether
they would or would not yield to the idea
of sea-sickness prevailed ; hut, . altogether, a
fine delicate sense of decency seemed to weather the
storm, and curiosity triumphed. Meantime the
decks of the Widgeon were boarded on all sides
from boats crowded with distinguished people :
The Duke of Beaufort, General Sir James Mac-
donald (the bravest at the battle of Waterloo), Sir
Frederick Fitzclarence, commanding at Portsmouth;
Captain Fanshawe, Captain Mends, Count Nessel-
rode, T. Lamie Murray, Esq., Mrs. and Miss
Murray, H. A. Cowper, Consul at Pernambuco ;
Mrs. Cowper, Miss Bland, P. A. Mahoney, jun.,
Esq., Sir H. Shiffoer, &c., &c., who a 1 waited the
coming event with breathless expectancy.
About three o'clock suspense was at its utmost,
when we could clearly see men running from the
voltaic battery to the edge of the cliff, as if adjust
ing the wires, and running back again. Then " a

was right!" But no! Another man ran back
again, and doubt was the order of the
hour. Presently he returned, and then a
long and uneasy pause ensued : people began to rub
their eyes, doubtful if they really saw the cliff, so in-
tense was their determination to have " a regular
good view of it !" Hush !—it is going " No, it
won't go at all" when presently, as people
began to get tired of. their own wonderment,

—out bulged the centre of the cliff with a quiet majesty,
pressed by an invisible agency, like the bellowing
sail of a man-of-war filled by the breezes of
heaven, and down went the cliff to its base,
with the top following in quiet succession,
and filling up the vacuum left behind with as
much order as if a company on parade wheeled round
and took the place of the one who had just passed
off. Then came the crumbling—the dust—and
the rush into the sea l It was but a moment—the
eye gazed on in doubt if all was over or not
—when a surging wave rushed on into the
sea, bearing a white foam on its curling head, on-
ward and onward, as "the bore" rushes up to Calcutta

with "still-impending threat"—and all was still,

save and except the returning wave from
the deep heaving back the foam and chalk which had
been carried seaward at the first impulse.
Then the excitement ceased, and all wondered

if all was over. Comment in all variety of opinion
poured forth—but one feeling pervaded the mass, that

great as it was, it might have been " better !"—So
difficult is ignorance to be sati,fied !
The best informed, however, agreed that " the
thing" was done wonderfully well, and reflected great
credit on the skill and efficiency of the engineering
officers who had charge of the affair—in which we
most cordially concur.

The work being now done, there is great doubt if
the matter thrown out will prevent the shingle from
passing eastward. Our own opinion is that it
will not, unless piles be driven and other

accessories be resorted to to make a com-
pact bulwalk—and even then we have our

doubts, for a storm from the south-west, with a spring
tide, will demolish the whole mound in one tide—
certainly in two—leaving the flint separated from the
chalk, which will be all washed away•

ORIGIN OF THE NAMES OF THE
STATES OF AMERICA.
1. Maine was so called as early as 1638, from
Maine in France, of which Henrietta Maria, Queen
of England, was at that time proprietor.
2. New Hampshire was the name given to the ter-
ritory conveyed by the Plymouth Company to Capt.
John Mason, by patent, Nov. 7,
to the patentee, who was governor of Portsmouth, in
Hampshire, England. 1639, with reference
3. Vermont was so called by the inhabitants in
their declaration of independence, Jan. 16, 1777, from
the French verd, green, and mord, mountain.
4. Massachusetts derived its name from a tribe of
Indians in the neighbourhood of Boston. The tribe
is supposed to have derived its name from the Blue
hills of Milton. "I have learned," says Roger
Williams, " that the 11Iassachusetts. were so called
from the Blue Hills."

5. Rhode Island was so called in 1644, in reference
to the bland of Rhodes, in the Mediterranean.
6. Connecticut was so called from the Indian name
of its principal river.

7. New York (originally
called Now Netherlands)
was so called in reference to the Duke of York and
Albany, to whom this territory was granted.
8. New Jersey (originally called New Sweden)
was so named in 1644, in compliment to Sir George
Carteret, one of its original proprietors, who had de-
fended the island of Jersey against the Long Parlia-
ment during the civil war of England.
9. Pennsylvania was so called in 1681, after William
Penn, the founder of Philadelphia.
10. Delaware was so called in 1703 from Delaware
Bay, on which it lies, and which received its name
from Lord De la Warr, who died in this bay.
11. Maryland was so called in honour of Henrietta
Maria, Queen of Charles 1., in his patent to Lord
Baltimore, June 30, 1632.

12. Virginia was so called in 1584, after Eliza-
beth, the virgin Queen of England.
13 and 14. Carolina (North and South) was so
called in 1564, by the French, in honour of Charles
IX. of France. .

15. Georgia was so called in 1772, in honour of
George 11.
16. Alabama was so called in 1817, from its prin-
cipal river.
wels7te.rnMbisosuisnsdipapryi . Mississippi is said to denote the
whole river; that is, the river formed by the union of
many. wassocalled in 1790, from its
18. Louisiana was so called in honour of Louis
XVI. of France.
19. Tennessee was so called in 1796, from its prin-
cipal river. The word Tennessee is said to signify a
curved spoon.
20. Kentucky was so called in 1782, from its prin-
cipal river.
21. Illinois was so called in 1809, from its princi-
palriver. The word is said to signify the river of
men.
22. Indiana was so called in 1802, from the Ame-
rican Indians.

23. Ohio was so called in 1802, from its southern
boundary.
24. Missouri was so called in 1821, from its prin-
cipal river.
25; Michigan was so called in 1805, from the lake
on its borders.
2G. Arkansas was so called in 1819, from its prin-
cipal river.
27. Florida was SO called by Juan Ponce de Leon,
in 1562, because it was discovered on Easter Sunday,
in Spanish, Pascua Florida.
28. Texas was so called by the Spaniards in 1690,
wo that year dro
themselves drove out
atut a
colony French who had
established Matagorda,
and made their
first permanent settlement.
29. Wisconsin was so named hi 1836, from the
river of the same name, when a territorial government
was formed.

30. lowa was so called in 1838, after a tribe of
Indians of the same name, and a separate territorial
government formed.

The foundation new church was laid at
Weymouth on Wednesday.
The search after Dewar, the bank defaulter at
Glasgow, has proyocl usoucceufal.

JUNIUS.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
SlR,—The question, Who wrote Junius ? reminds
one of the old solecism, Qui fit Ilfcecenas? who made
Mausnas ? Ut nemo? what, no one ? Quam sibi
sortem! what a lucky fellow ! So much has been
said, and well said, about Sir P. Francis, that it has
the air of a plagiarism to pursue the subject • but
some of those statements read more like plead-
ings than arguments : the "grandson," one would
think, had memorialized Mr. Wade :—" You are a
literary artizan : set the controversy at rest, and ob-
tain for my grandmama the honour of having been
the faithful consort of the advanced years of the
author of the Letters of Junius,' and your memo-
rialist, as in duty bound, will ever pray." Happily,
none of Sir Philip's representatives have a particle of
vanity, or this contingent, metonyonic amaranth,
would sorely tantalise them.
Alder° 6 I'aitro de' suoi propij fregj
Flu the dell' op the i pass-ti I_4 o.
Much has also been said and forgotten of Burke
as the real author. The main question was,
Who could have written the letters ? A consensus
of eminent persons in those times decided—
none but Burke. That Francis edited the let-
ters is as clear as that Burke wrote them ; and it is
barely possible the editor may not have known who
the mysterious contributor was ! save by that rag-
marolt, or " twilight of the god=,", which sufficed to
show thinking men it could only be Burke. Probably,
if in the hurry of printing any interpolation or
charge had been necessary, Francis was the last to
do it without discovery, from the idiosyncrasies of
his mind. The arguments from similarity of
style are fallacious : whoever wrote the Let-
ters nullum fore scribendi genus non attigit, nul-
lum quad tetigit non ornasit. Burke had already
imitated Bolingbroke (awful name), so as to deceive
every one : the Sublime and Beautiful appeared ano-
nymously. We have still among us an illustrious
Irishman who affects the style coupe. Burke's versa-
tility enabled him to write Philo-Junius, Veteran,
Miles, and what not? Lord G. Germaine, Fran-
cis, alcraft, Rosenhagen—hoc genus omne, could not
write more unlike Burke than himself when he pleased.
Burke was facile princeps—Francis, ultimus
Romanorum: one was the author, the other, to use
his own pirate, " managed the conveyancing depart-
ment :" for Francis to have written one of the let-
ters was morally as impossible as it was physically so
for Burke to undertake the conveyancing. The
Junius firm extended to several persons
who collected materials, threw them into
the "Lion's mouth" of a tremendous inquisition,
and frequently wrote on their own account. Were
they formally iniated ? No, they guessed the author,
as Wilkes, Horne Tooke, and even Lord Grenville,
who once said in a large company, " I know who
Junius was, and will never reveal it." Horne Tooke
crossed his knife and fork, and said solemnly, " I do."
All this would be absurd if Francis had been the
author, and his own solemn silence still more absurd,
for what, in the name of nonsense, would be the
consequence if, in after times, Junius were ascer-
tained to be Francis ? But, if Burke wrote the
letters he was a conspicuous mark, and " could not
survive the discovery three days." To save his life,
" to spare the meek usurper's holy head," was the
object of his many friends. In Burke's com-
pany they mentioned gravely " the im-
penetrable mystery of Junius," and it was
understood that no one must deny being the author.
In fact, Burke was the only person who ever denied
it. Johnson said, that if Burke had been asked he
would have been completely justified in denying,
but that he had heard him deny it without being
asked. He might have had the very same
question put to him ten minutes before ! and
this delicate casuistry shows Johnson to have
been very sensible of his danger. No one can now
read the Letters and wisb, all things considered, to
have written them : it was humiliation as well as
danger. Burke had no choice but disgrace or perpe-
tual exile like that of Byron, and Mathias, author of
the Pursuits of Literature.
In Francis the duty of shielding Burke coincided
with selt congratulation at baying shared the peril
and been almost as essential to the plot as himself:
therefore he actively mystified every one. The an-
cient hieroglyph for the world is scarabs, or blind
beetle, and some men, it has been observed, find more
pleasure in deceiving that world than even in making
money. Francis did both. Burke extolled Francis
beyond measure, which is natural in persons who
have risked their lives together. Burke's society
elevated the genius and character of Francis in com-
mon with all other politicians. For a long time they
were "inseparables ;" at the very least, Francis was
a tried, able, and faithful friend.

A conviction that Francis could not be the sole
author must have led Mr. Taylor to what Mr. Wade
calls his first fix on Dr. Francis, translator of Horace.
I had the same conviction, and drew the same infer-
encP, till after reading a collection of Dr. Francis's
anonymous pamphlets, and finding them much infe-
rior to those of his son. The real Junius was as if
a "long 32," or gun a la Paixhans, had cut sheer
through both sides of a ship, oak and iron, deep into
the granite, and the shot were attributed to a
four-pounder, then and there in battery, or else the
four-pounder went off at the same time, and was not
heard. Sir P. Francis was the best pamphleteer of
his time—a maser of writing, who would also have
made an excellent writing-master; which exemplifies
Gcethe's remark that a good handwriting is as im-
portant as a good style, or may lead to one. All this
makes it more probable, to use a phrase of the
Examiner, that " he often held the pen for others."
In 1816, when he had just published a letter
missive to Lord Holland, Sir Philip was precisely
"The fine old English Gentleman" frontispiece to the
melody so called. You felt he was a clear-headed,
stout-hearted, open-handed Englishman, sensitive, ir-
ritable, very feeling and humane, passionately just,
that is, generous ; nay he had, what is rare, the
talent of justice the prnser juste, the droiture of
mind. He considered music a species of athletic,
calisthenic exercise, and when singing, modulated
unconsciously at three or four extraneous keys.
A boy of fourteen years old being present, he
shouted to him repeatedly, " Young man, don't
betray your country !" The young man dared not
laugh, and never forgot his advice. So voracious
was his love of fame, that when difficulties were made
about the Order of the Bath his violence was extreme ;
he threatened to Junius the Ministry, or, strictly
speaking, to burhe them if-they refused him a riband.
The short human span, the rapid succession of
births, deaths, and marriages, divide history into
small personal squares, as an engraver reduces a pic-
ture, and if any obj, ct is not in its proper comp irt-
went the design is incorrect. Here the dates are as
conclusive as the reasons. The correspondence began,
some time before the signature of Junius was adopted,
in 1767. In 1766 Lord Rockingham went out ;
Burke was his private secretary, more or less
unemployed, well informed, disappointed, and 37 years
old, the precise age of Napoleon at Austerlitz. Francis
was ten years younger. Now, could a fiery
young man of tvventy•seven, much given to pleasure,
have organiz- d a conspiracy which throws Catiline's
into the shade ? Remembering always that the whole
case turns on one point, Who was capable
Who was the canorus ales, the hyperborean
literary swan with pride and ample pinion? And
not at all, \N hat could Sir Philip have meant when
he presented the lady with a vellum copy of the Iden-
tified At the same time he had no qualities—not
even that of patience, to justify the phrase " little
provender," applied to him by Mr. Wade and as-
sistants, in speaking of his remunerative price.
O'Connell felt perfectly certain without a shadow
of doubt that Junius was an Irishman, which nar-
rows the question considerably, and excludes Francis,
who was born in England, and whose father though
an Irishman was a denizen of England. Still more
was he certain that Burke wrote the letters.
No one could sift evidence or appreciate
the weight of testimony letter than O'Connell, nor
judge more wisely of eloquence, whether spoken or
written, nor trace the career of an Irishman obtaining
the highest distinction in England and Europe. One
of his reasons was, that Junius somewhere speaks of
Dublin Castle as " the Castle," and that whoever did
so must be an Irishman.
I have the honour to be, Sir, &c.,
H. C.

The citizens of Worcester have declined, on the
lea of expense, to appoint a medical officer under the
'ublic Health Act.

Yesterday the Lord Mayor and Sheriffs, Messrs.
Lawrence and Nicoll, gave a most sumptuous entertainment
to the Judges and others, at the Sessions-house, Old
Covers were laid for fifty. Amongst the distinguished
guests we noticed—The French Ambassador, the American
Minister, Mr. Justice Williams, Mr. Justice Talf,urd, Alder-
men Kelly, Gibbs, Hooper, limiter, Moon, Challis, and
Finnis. The Common Sergeant, Mr. Commissioner Gurney,
Q.C., Sir J. J. Ilansler, Mr. Under-Sheriff' Millard, Mr.
Under-Sheriff Wire, Colonel Rotch, U.S., Mr. Philip, Mr.
Rose, of the United States tar, Professor Davis, U.S.,
Messrs. W. Lawrence, Pawson, James Lawrence, Alfred
Dale, Campbell, 11. J. Nicoll, G. Smith, Dr. Davison,
chaplain to Mr. Sheriff Lawrence, the Ordinary, &c.
The expense to the corporation of Edinburgh t7r
ringing bells upon the occasion of her Majesty's late visit
was just 11. 17s. 6d. The ringers tugged at the ropes for
exactly two hours, and each man received half-a-crown.
The resident magistrates of Portsburgh expended 31. 6s. in
renewing their batons on the same occasion.
When the work; now in progress are completed
FAnburgh will be supplied with 1,376 gallons c f water per
minute. In 18:12 the supply from all sources was only 560
gallons per minute, so that it has been, or will be nearly
trebled.

The compliments of the world are seldom more
sincere than those of the undertaker, who wishes the dying
person may be better.—Eliza Cook's Journal.
There are now on the stocks in New York
eighteen man steamers of the aggregate tonnage of 24,6C0
tons. Most of them are intended for California, in addition
to which sailing ships are building for the India trade.
- - -

The Head Mastership of the proprietary school of
Bishops Stortford has been conferred on the Rev. George
Emu Simpcm, A.A.

S E P.T E BE R 20, 1850

LITERATURE.
ANDERSON'S GUIDE to the HIGHLANDS.
Under this modest title the Messrs. George and
Peter Anderson, of Inverness, have compiled a work
of very extraordinary merit and completeness. Al-
though professing to accomplish little, the book is a
guide to the Islands and Lowlands as well as to the
Highlands, in fact to eve ry portion of Scotland without
exception, so that its utility must extend itself to
every stranger visiting the various and picturesque
counties of Caledonia. Many will doubtless
remember the volume as it appeared origi-
nally, being reminded of it nevertheless more
by the name of its authors than by its intrinsic
resemblance. We say this in consequence of the
remarkable improvements perceptible throughout, im-
provements which render the present edition immea •
surably superior to its predecessor. Besides append-
ing a condensed sketch of the Lowlands, and thereby
completing the labour so admirably commenced, the
writers have materially enhanced the value of the
Guide to all strangers travelling to the Highlands by
commencing the routes not at Inverness, as formerly,
but at a central point between Inverness and the
South. Besides this new districts have been person-
ally visited by the Messrs. Anderson, who have
thereby enabled themselves to infuse an additional
truthfulness and vraisernblance into their descriptions.
As to the bulk of the volume, it appears to have un-
dergone a thorough and searching revision. The
letter-press is adorned throughout with a variety of
illustrative wood-cuts. A clearly engraved and
authentic map of the country renders the whole more
comprehensive than it could otherwise have been if
devoid of that most useful embellishment. Of the
routes depicted there are no less than four : the first
being from Glasgow to Oban, Fort William, and In-
verness ; the second from Perth to Inverness, across
the Grampians by the highland road, through Athole,
Badenoch, Strathspey, and Strathdearn ; the
third from Aberdeen to Inverness by sea, and
through the counties of Aberdeen, Banff, Elgin,
and Nairn ; the fourth from Inverness to Tain, Gol-
spie, Wick, Thurso, and John O'Uroat's. One sec-
tion is devoted entirely to the town of Inverness ;
another sketches the Western Islands and Cantyre ;
another the Orkney Islands and Zetland ; the Lowlands
being described in a compact but comprehensive ap-
pendix. No:guide-book could by possibility afford
greater facilities for reference, the volume being
furnished not only with a copious index, but also with
an inestimable table of distances. Added to all this a
chapter consisting of general observations on the
Highlands and Islands of Scotland, and an
account of all the principal approaches to the High-
lands, of the Highland roads, of the inns, coaches,
and steam navigation, arid it must be sufficiently ap-
parent that the book is replete with information.
Besides all the advantages which we have already
particularised as characterising the " Guide Book"
of the Messrs. Anderson, it should be borne in mind
that theirs is no dry and tedious narrative, but one
illuminated throughout with the most charming
prose and poetical quotations, adding to the useful
ness of a cicerone the interest of an educated and in
telligent companion.

BLACK'S IRON HIGHWAY.
Like all the other similar publications of the
Messrs. Adam and Charles Black, of Edinburgh,
the present brochure is one of a value proportioned to
its authenticity. It furnishes an exact account of the
railway lines conducting from London to Edinburgh
and Glasgow, passing through Birmingham, Staf-
ford, Preston, Lancaster, Carlisle, and Gretna, ac-
companied with charts, exhibiting the continuous
lines and their branches, as well as a large extent of
the adjacent country. Some of the hints to railway
travellers, prefixed to this descriptive guide-book, we
regard as so peculiarly excellent that we gladly
accord the following the benefit of our circulation :

" Pack up your luggage in such order that you can
readily carry with you the small matters you may want
on your journey, or immediately on your arrival ; let
the rest be put in such trunks, cases, boxes, or other
packages as will either effectually protect it, or show at
first sight that it must be handled carefully; remember-
ing that, at railway stations a great deal of business
must be done in a little time, and therefore lug-
gage, which seems able to bear it, sometimes gets rough
usage.

" Let your name and destination appear legibly on
your luggage ; and if you wish to be safe against all
chances of loss, put your name and address inside also
of each package. Picture to yourself your trunk lying
on the road, left in the corner of an office, or sent out to
a wrong direction, and imagine what you would then
wish should be on or in it, that it might be correctly
and speedily sent to you. What you would then wish
you had done, do before you start. Let the label be of
a strong material, and firmly attached to the package.
" P.e at the station some minutes before the time; if
you do not resolve to be so, expect to see the train on
its way without you.
" Get your ticket (by paying your fare), and be
careful to understand exactly how far that ticket frees
ou. On some railways you keep that ticket to the end
of }our journey, on others you are called on for it at
starting. In either case be ready with it, remembering
that, if you cannot produce it, you may be calved upon
to psy your fare again.
See where your luggage is placed on the carriage,
and prefer that it should be on that in which you are to
be seated, if practicable ; see also that the company's
ticket or luggbg' number be affixed to each package, or
you msy by called on to pay the carriage for it.
" Expect to pay for the carriage of all your luggage
above fifty-six pounds' weight.
" T+.lte the best care you can to prevent the necessity
of your leaving the carriage before you reach tho re-
freshment station a: the end of your journey.
" Take your seats as soon as you have made all
needful arrangements; you may have with you a carpet-
bag, hat-box, or other luggage, it it be not so bulky as
to annoy your fellow-passergers."
In all essential respects the work is little short o+
being beyond the reach of improvement.
MU-

TRAY'S HAND-BOOKS for SCOTLAND.
Outlines of Scottish History. Part I.
Messrs. Alexander Murray and Co., of Edinburgh,
have commenced the publication of a series of hand-
books of Scotland, and, as introductory to them, we
have this the first part of Outlines of Scottish History.
It is a condensed but spirited narrative of the history
of Scotland from the time of the Romans down to the
death of David Bruce. As a favourable specimen of
the author's style we give the following account of the
slaughter of the Red Corny n :
"In their rapid progress northward, the party of
Bruce encountered a horseman, whom they recognised
as a retainer of the Red' Comyn, the rival of their
master. The emissary of Comyn was stopped, searched,
and slain. Papers were found upon his person which
confirmed the worst suspicions of Bruce, who pressed
forward to his castle at Loehr:ashen, met his brother Ed-
ward, and told him cf the perils which threatened their
family. It was in the month of February, 1305, when
Bruce thus hastily returned home; the assizes appointed
by Edward to be hell at Dumfries were approaching,
and Bruce and Comyn, being both vassals of the crown,
met there, when waiting upon the justiciaries of England,
" Bruce sought a meeting with his rival, Comyn, sur-
named the Red,' from his complexion. The conference
took place at Dumfries, in the convent church of the
Minorite Friars, the sacred character of the place being
the supposed warrant of personal safety. Young Bruce
and young Comyn net in this church alone, their atten-
dants remaining without. What passed can only be
conjectured; but before these fierce rivals bad reached
the high altar, their dispute became warm, and when
Comyn was taxed by Bruce with treachery, he gave him
the lie,' and instantly received in his bosom Bruce's
dagger. Bruce, hastening from the sanctuary, ordered
his attendants to horse; but Lindsay of Crawford, and
Kirkpatrick of Closeburn, observing the disorder of their
chief, and the blood reeking upon his weapon, eagerly
inquired the cause. ' I doubt,' said Bruce, I have slain
the Red Comyn." Do you trust that to doubt,' exclaimed
Kirkpatrick, I mak siccar (sure);' and rushing into the
church, Comyn was dispatched, and his uncle, Sir
Robert Comyn, who had hastened to his rescue, was also
slain. I mak siccar,' has, since this bloody deed, been
the motto upon the arms of the knights of Kirkpatrick
of Closeburn."

The River and the Firth of Clyde; with the Lochs,
Towns, and Sea-Bathing Resorts, the Island of
Arran and Ailsa Craig, the Falls of Clyde and
Clydesdale.
This admirable little hand-book gives a condensed
account of the history and topography of Glasgow
and its vicinity, and of Clydesdale and the shores and
islands of the Firth, and is illustrated by two neatly-
engraved maps. The description of Ailsa Craig will
be found most interesting by the naturalist, while the
antiquarian will turn with delight to the account of
the far-famed Bothwell Brig.

The Deeside Highlands,Castle and
Deer Forest of Balmoral.
Every tourist about to travel in the Deeside High-
lands, every loyal subject anxious to learn the topo•
graphy of her Majesty's " Highland home," should
peruse this little work. It is the best account of
Balmoral and its neighbourhood that has yet been
published.

Lochlomond, Benlomond, Glenfalloch, Strathfillan,
King's• house, Glencoe.
This most usetut little work is a complete guide to
Lochlomond and the Highlands of Argyleshire, and
is illustrated by a well-engraved map. The melan-
choly history of the Glencoe atrocity is admirably
narrated.

COUNTY COURTS AND THE BAR.—The Chester
courant announces that the County Courts in that neigh-
bourhood will be regularly attended by the bar in full cos-
tume, as our contemporary expresses it, " candidates for bu-
siness." It is added, that the bar will not " claim exclusive
audience; and the cost of the barrister's fee viii only be
allowed as taxation when the barrister is instructed by an
attorney. As both branches of the profession will be entitled
to fees, we have no doubt they will work comfortably to-
gether."

The Priory Park, Chichester, concerning which
the people of Chichester have so long felt a desire, will shortly
become the property of the worthy citizens for a term of
years. The Duke of Richmond has consented to let it on
lease, and a committee has been appointed to act on behalf of
the city, with power to raise oulacriptions.