The Sun.
London, England, 1850-04-26 00:00:00

_..,
)
. . ,
C.. ,-.
7.-___
V ---,
..
(
1_,,,_ ,
~,i,_ 7i,,,_
\ • • -..__ ~.
z .. • k_
,
r ~ ' ,
r ' - r " ,c
?' 1-; 1 '
. t-• . ~
- --
'
~.....,....,„ -..-
4 ...,
Ip. ' ,
4141,riP 0, ' a
,P22'; • ,
I /: , • -.Y"
i 0 ,4. T. ,•,,,
_,—
, ~,,,-_- .i,_._____ ..... ,i4;, _l: t ~vit'',.-tqL4; 4".."‘ -0-".-----''..""4 4 —'''' i; itn-i\-T '{P.'s 'it't,s- - \ 14'. 1 + i
..,,,,,' ::: i
.1:
.. :k: ,
•
ki.,,,,,.. ii 4
, ......_ ~.. • ..5.,, .w
V -
- - .
titAta4v.,_ LIE ,'o*,-Tr...-,:i',,, -tombit-t4:" ..-14 -------- '

r

[PRICE 6D.


•
LITERATURE.
IFLE RANGERS; or, Adventures of an
in Southern Mexico. By Captain Mayne

must admit that we were at first but little pre-
possessed in favour of a work recording the military
doings of America in Southern Mexico, but the
author won our good feeling by his modest preface,
and retained it by his free and easy manner through-
out a work which he has invested with much real
interest, first, because we find in it internal evidence
of the truth of most of the points which connect it
with history; secondly, because he has contrived to
give the whole narrative just so much of the spirit of
romance as to carry us with him, and make us almost
forget that he himself is the hero of his own tale.
Commencing his story with a rather curious tidven-
ture, highly illustrative of the manners of America,
he at once makes himself known to the reader, and,
stealing (honestly) a leaf out of many a previous
"life and adventures," he contrives at once to make
his debut in the war, and to secure a kind of fidus
.Achates in humble life, between whom and himself
tacit understanding and solid attachment spring up,
like a certain kind of love at first sight, and proves
eminently useful to them while they are no less
interesting to the reader who is fond of sentiment;
and away they go in search of adventures, which fail
not to be forthcoming, and occasionally threaten to
bring their history and the progress of the work to
an untimely end ; and, moreover, to secure to him-
self compound interest with his friends and admirers,
the hero, besides his fidus Achates, has secured the
services of an antithetical character, in the shape of
a rival and competitor, whom he turns into a deadly
enemy, and thus provided with the alternate feelings
of friendship deep and trustworthy, and bitter, rank-
ling animosity, both exerted to the utmost towards
him, be needs but one thing more to become the
object of our deep-felt interest, and that thing will
not be wanted long. Ere we proceed many pages on,
we find him drinking deep of the waters of love, and
our anxiety for him is now fairly doubled. We pass
over a couple of amusing anecdotes, one of which
had well nigh induced us to fear that we were to be
introduced to a real ghost or two, leaving us in some
doubt on the subject ; and the other is a capital one,
proving that the new world has as many and as great
adepts in the art of raising the wind as the old;
we enter upon the real hard work of the hero, upon
his actual and positive campaigning, and wish him
joy of his many hair-breadth escapes. But of all
the adventures of our hero, that in which he deter-
mines to enter Vera Cruz must alone insure him the
admiration of all readers, particularly of that portion
of them we call " fair," were it only from its utter
want of all reasonableness. We confess we tremble
on reading this, not so much because we valued the
hero's life, which, like all heroes, is only worth a mo-
ment's purchase, as because we could not conceive
what he could have to say in a second volume, unless
he came as a ghost and "unfolded a tale." But we,
in indulging such a fancy, reckoned without our
hero's luck, for we had a rich store of incidents, ad-
ventures, critical moments, unexpected rescues, pro-
vidential escapes, &c., lying in wait for us, the fol-
lowing of which, as well as of all the history of the
" Rifle Rangers," is, to say the least of it, an agree-
able pastime.

CONCERT AT THE BRITISII AMBASSADOR'S, BER-
LIN, ON THE 19th INST.—At this reunion, a work of which
several pieces were executed was a mass of Lord West-
morland's. A " Gloria" and " Landamus" was sung by
Signora Penco and Dogliotti, and Signori Pardini, Bianchi,
and chorus; an air, " Gratias Aginus," sung by Signora
Penco, and a "Sanctus" and "13enedictus," sung by Signori
Fiocentini, Signori Pardini and Delle-Sante, displayed the
freshness and ease of expression familiar to the works of this
highly respected dilettanti, and which rise to a beautiful
rhythm. The effect produced was worthy of the classical
writings of this composer.

THE CONSTELLATION OF THE SOUTHERN CROSS.--
The lower regions of the air were loaded with vapour for
some days. We saw distinctly,, for the first time, the cross
of the south, only in the night of the 4th and sth of July,
in the 16th degree of latitude. It was strongly inclined, and
appeared from time to time between the clouds, the centre of
which, furrowed by uncondeused lightnings, reflected a silver
light. The pleasure felt on discovering the southern cross
was warmly shared by such of the crew has had lived in the
colonies. In the solitude of the seas we hail a star as a
friend from whom we have been long separated. Among the
Portuguese and the Spaniards peculiar motives seem to in-
crease this feeling; a religious sentiment attaches them to a
constellation the form of which recalls the sign of the faith
planted by their ancestors in the deserts of the New Worid.
The two great stars which mark the summit and the foot of
the cross hating nearly the same right ascension, it follows
that the constellation is almost vertical at the moment when
it passes the meridian. This circumstance is known to every
nation that lives beyond the tropics, or in the southern
hemisphere. It is known at what hour of the night in dif-
ferent seasons the southern cross is erect or inclined. It is
a timepiece that advances very regularly nearly four minutes
a day, and no other group of stars exhibits to the naked eye
an observation of time so easily made. How often have we
heard our guides exclaim, in the savannahs of Venezuela, or
in the desert extending from Lirna to Truxillo, " Midnight
is past; the cross begins to bend !" How often these words
reminded us of that affecting scene where Paul and Virginia,
seated near the sources of the river of Lataniers, conversed
together for the last time; and when the old man, at the
sight of the southern cross, warns them that it is time to
separate I—liumbohit.

SINGULAR WAGER.—LEEDS, APRIL 24.—A very
singular affair came off at Lecis this day. Mr. Baker, the
attitudinarian of Cooke's Circus, at present in this town, un-
dertook for a wager of ten pounds to compress himself in a
basket two feet seven inches in length, one foot seven inches
in width, and the same in depth; and in this manner to be
conveyed on a car to the railway station, to be dispatched to
Bradford at half-past two, at luggage price, and to return to
Leeds before half-past six. Mr. Baker is fivefeet ten inches
in height. At the appointed time he made his appearance in
front of the circus, wearing a crimson skin dress. He placed
his great coat at the bottom of the basket, then got in him-
self; taking with him a bottle of brandy and a few oranges.
The basket was closed, and in this state was Mr. Baker con-
veyed to Bradford, and deposited at the Bermondsey Hotel.
Here he remained for a considerable time, when he was re-
conveyed to the station, and dispatched to Leeds, where he
arrived a little before half past six, thus winning his singular
wager. He was brought from the railway on a coach, and
in the presence of a great crowd was liberated from his con-
finement in front of the circus.

THE GREAT SOUTHERN AND WESTERN RAILWAY.
—Having always expressed a strong confidence in the
success of this railway we were not a little gratified to per-
ceive_ by the last returns a great increase in its traffic. The
receipts for the week before last had risen from less than
4,000/., the sum to which they amounted a short time since,
to over 6,0001., a point not touched before, and at which,
according to the authority of Sir Edward M'Donnell, the
revenue would be sufficient to yield a dividend of four-and-a-
half per cent. Even this amount is no criterion of the future
proceeds of the undertaking. The increase gives us especial
satisfaction, as following close upon the adoption of a system
of greater accommodation, which we frequently advocated,
not less for the interests of the company than those of the
public.— Calk Examiner.

AN ARTFUL TaicK.—A man, having the appear-
ance of a countryman, and laden with a bundle of hay, ma-
naged cne day last week to fall through a pane of glass,
value 301., which adorned the establishment of a large mercer
in the Edgeware-road, London. The shopkeeper quickly
seized upon the fellow, who protested he had no money, and
pleaded the weight of his load tbr an excuse. Two gentle-
men, lookers on, testified to their having watched the
" stupid clown," and just before remarked that his gross care-
lessness would lead to some mischief ; and they suggested
that the " booby" should be searched. This was promptly
done, and the production of a 501. note was the result.
Vainly did the countryman, with tears in his eyes, proclaim
the note to be his " maester's," the proceeds of his journey to
market. The mercer paid himself the 301. by giving the
boor gOl. in Bank of England notes, and retaining possession
of the one found upon him. The wight said he would go
and fetch a policeman, that he might " have the law" upon
the shopkeeper, and left the premises; and the two gentle-
men blandly took their leave, after congratulating the
was
forgery,course theand
the
edwer whole
the
tradesman on the fortunate result which had attended their
upshot—tibtnheofsoaL notesearch.
O a f
ing a trick. e proceed..

HIGHLAND DRESS.—When the kilt, as now worn,
was invented, is unknown ; that it is a comparatively recent
arrangement is certain. In the authentic pertraits of royal
and noble personages of Scotland, and also the painting of
the surrender of Mary Queen of Scotts at Carberry-hill, no
distinction of dress appears, which could not have been the
case, had there been a national habit at that time in Scot-
land ; nor would Prince Charles have invariably assumed
the trews had the kilt been the only orthodox costume of the
country. Glides describes the Picts and Scots of his time
as being naked savages, with only a piece of clothing tied
around their loins; and in one of the earliest representations
of a Highlander, found on Speed's map of Scotland, it is a
figure with merely a checkered mantle thrown over its
shoulders. Such scanty clothing seems characteristic of
barbarous tribes all the world over, and also among nations
whose names alone are handed down to us. But it appears
I particularly strange that in civilized Brdesiatarienootflifeemeidlnienlangtreetihgtahnnes
•that a portion of her army should in their dress e
teach us a lesson
' South sea Islanders. Even these savag
f civilization
of propriety ; for no sooner doer. the dawn
their perceptions to a more refined st_a
,Be it also kept in
they seek to cover their naked fornis.a
p o's
snowed to
on
theth the cutting
rn u nd,
mind these savages rejoice under thexr sof a tropical sun,
whilst our poor Highland soldier is s
winds of a northern latitude, probably-
the biting blast searches
hu i MGtness.
tn es s.
to and fro on the one space,
INTERNATIONAL
and not at thisawe time a free agent, but compelled ground,
oewvealryk
part
o ofp Eh:
Is
Nhoa I
of -rc I
INSTITUTIONSA d f ram e. —Edi a
DURING
oeurstl
yp
0%1 aecneesd, gardens
this
grand
aZno-d
EXIIMITION.—Our great public buildings—such as the whole
Houses of parluiment, the metropolitan cathe-
drals, of the Hous
adligrY'atTuoiw"t
Glorious saturnalia of science might evi-
dence to the world the advance of arts and the unthought
nhoeaelidonb,enuontrhe.sat
One a
to the gardens, some slight damages were done
wealth of this great country. On the first admission of John
with their value
tßoulsibsrufabras family
flowers—till acquaintance
taught even the " snob" to appreciate and respect beauty in
nature; familiarization with beauty in art would follow as
essentially, and the result be the same. No act of the excel-
lent Prince to whom is due the origination of the coming
National Exhibition, can more illustrate his fame or more
endear him to the country, than the study to which he has
devoted his fine intellect, namely, to connect the name of
England and the annals of his era with supereminence in
1 art. The eulogium of an ancient historian (Quintus Curtius),
on the character of Philip of Macedon, seems to me to be
apposite to the merits of Prince Albert, in the instance of the
approaching exhibition, and to have escaped notice, for in
that early and rude age the consequences of an aggregation
of arts and manufactures are there demonstrated. In the
present epoch of philosophic research, and perfection in me-
chanism, what may not be anticipated ! Let England, then,
the mistress in arts, be the foremost in munificence: let her
open her repositories of hoarded wonders to convince the
stranger of her supremacy, and to assure her own native chil-
dren of toil that the issues of their industryxre existent and
concealed from the artitlcer,—•
indestructible, although long
Bui/der.