The Sun.
London, England, 1844-03-11 00:00:00

AN ENGLISH DINNER,

The following amusing thoroughly " French"
description of an English dinner' is given in the
Constitntionotel, the Parisian organ of M. 'niers I—
" Madeira wine has been out of -fashion in Engla,nd for
sometime. Sherry and Port (to which are occaskisay
added Bordeaux and Champagne, Rhenish wines, and
Hermitage) are now the only wines to be seen on the tables
of the rich. As for beer (the nationald'rink), it only makes
its appearance at a banquet for remembrance sake, and
in a very small quantity. Portivine is held in especial '
favour by the English, becauSe, whilst it is more im-
pregnated with alcohol than any other, it is .04 the
same time the least kr:rating, and fasilitates more rthan
all the rest the important operations of the digestive
organs. In order, however, to be pOssessed i all
the requisite qualities, it must not only bttf
the finest growth, or hare been eight or nine years in
the cellar, but the regular connoisseurs insist that
it must cross the line several times in order to be first-
rate. Five or six servants, with powdered wigs, in silk
stockings and knee-breeches, hover about the table. The
covers are always changed at every successive course, and
there is no fear of eating off the dirty plate of one's
neighbour, or using his knife and fork, the sideboard
being laden with piles of plates and conveniences of every
description. After fish, which always constitutes the first
course, the host invites one of his guests to drink a glass
of wine with him, desiring him to help himself to that
which he likes best. You take that which is offered
you. Your host then pours out a glass for himself, and
sends you the bottle by a servant. You fill your glass,
you raise it to your lips with a half-bow, and drink as
much of it as you feel inclined. The same ceremony is
repeated amongst the other guests. It should be men-
tioned that if you ask a lady to take wine, you always
fill her glass before your own; but if you invite
a gentleman so to do, you never fail to help your-
self first. This custom was formerly very inconve-
nient to strangers, it being then absolutely necessary to
empty one's glass ; at present you need only drink a
portion, and ladies may satisfy the rules of etiquette by
merely moistening their lips. After fish, come roast
meats, boiled vegetables, and various delicate
sauces, with which you make your cuisine upon your
own plate ; puddings and game of all sorts follow, amongst
which there is always, to begin with, one dish espe-
cially appropriate to the season. It is to the former
article of diet (puddings) that English children are in-
debted, it is said, for their excellent health and their
magnificent rosy complexions. The cloth is at length
removed, and the mahogany table shines forth in all
its splendour. Dessert follows, consisting of few
sweetmeats or confitures, but abounding in fruits
from all the five parts of the world, and the
produce of all the four seasons, and including superb
pineapples, Portugal grapes, almonds, red nuts of a
delicious flavour, dates, figs, rich juicy oranges, &c., &c.
The wine is brought on in glass decanters, ticketed and
placed in silver stands. These stands glide along the
shining table, which is as smooth as ice, in the midst of
crystal or silver vases filled with fruit, &c. The host,
after helping himself to wine, pushes about the
whole battery' of decanters, which going the round
of the table, soon regain their original situation. '
A quarter of an hour elapses, when the mistress of the
house rises and retires, followed by all the ladies. It is
then that the since de via begins. The subject of con-
versation soon changes, and political questions are
discussed. The conversation, without getting stormy,
acquires that degree of warmth and animation which
a good dialler, when one is blessed with a strong head
and a good digestion, generally inspires. Hard
drinking, however, has generally speaking, fallen
into desuetude. It is only foxhunters and country
gentlemen who remain faithful now-a-days to that
ignoble custom. A gentleman who has any self-respect
never so far forgets himself as to get tipsy, for he
would certainly be looked upon with an evil eye by the
company, if he were to enter the drawing-room with an
indistinct articulation and with trembling 'legs. Dinner
is over about half-past nine. The gentlemen then rejoin,
the ladies to take tea and coffee, and the conversation
turns as before upon the news of the day."

MR. PAKENHAM AND THE
OREGON QUESTION.

(From a New York paper.)
A reproachful expression uttered by
.a scurrilous
paper in this city, to the effect that the Pakenham
family might find. another New Orleans in the Oregon
question, has created universal disgust among all the
respectable portion of the community, and meets
with approbation nowhere. Even if it were true that
Major-General Pakenham, who commanded at New
Orleans, had tarnished the honourable name which he
bore, it would be the most ungentlemanly meanness to
quote that fact in connexion with the name of the
Right Hon. Richard Pakenham, the newly-arrived Mi-
nister from England. The doctrine that one man is re-
sponsible for the sins of another, merely because he
bears the same name, or is connected with the same
family, is at least not a republican doctrine. But, so far
as we know, the only reproach which rests upon the
memory of Major-General Pakenham is, that he bravely
fell in an unsuccessful conflict, while in the discharge
of his duty to his country. So did General Montgomery
at Quebec. Yet we rank Montgomery among our list of
herois, and his memory is embalmed in the hearts of his
countrymen.
It is some comfort to be able to say, that the editor
who put forth the disgraceful taunt above alluded to is
not an American, and shares little in the feelings 01
the American people. In every point of view, Mr.
Richard Pakenham is entitled to the highest considera-
tion and respect. To say nothing of his private vir-
tues, or his personal merits, he is the representative of
the most powerful nation on earth, and conies on an em-
bassy of peace. He comes in the hope of effecting the
adjustment of the only question between his country
and our own which is liable in any way to inter-
rupt our friendly relations. It is at least as desirable
to us as to England that this question should be settled
without delay. In sending her minister here for the
purpose, she has manifested a generous confidence,
as well as a disposition to preserve the good under-
standing which now happily exists. We trust the
overture will be met in the spirit which prompted it.
The question is surrounded with difficulties, and it is not
easy to see how it is to be adjusted to mutual satisfaction.
One party or the other, or more probably both, must
make large concessions before they can meet. We claim
to the 54th degree of latitude ; England to the 49th
and how much further we know not perhaps to the
Columbia river. We take it for granted, now that the
negotiation is, or is soon to be, commenced, that the
subject will be dropped on the floor of Congress. That
it ought to be, is in effect admitted by the Washington
Globe, which a few days since remarked as follows:
" Mr. Pakenham, we hear, is expected daily from Eng-
land, and it is supposed that he will bring with him
powers to treat on this subject. After his arrival, and
pending an actual negotiation, it might be considered
indecorous to the Power with whom we were in treaty
to interfere by debate or otherwise. But now, before
any negotiation is commenced, while we are still un-
committed, it is most desirable that we should have
some expression of public sentiment, especially from the
popular branch, in regard to a matter so vitally im-
portant as the question whether or not we shall cede, by
treaty, to a nation noted for her encroaching spirit, a
district of territory containing not millions only, but
hundreds of millions of acres. We have already offered,
during the negotiation of 1826, to cede to Great Britain
upwards of 100,000,000 acres, the northern portion of
the territory of Oregon, and even. that far too liberal
concession Great Britain refused. Before we make
offers still further comprising the national honour, still
further curtailing the national territory, we wish to hear
the representatives of the people speak out."

RETIRED SCOTCH JUDGES.
The two most notorious cases on this list are those
of Mr. Moneypenny and Sir Archibald Campbell.
We know not on what pretext the former retired ; but
our Contemporary, the Scotsman, aptly remarks,—
" It was certainly not mental decay ; for in 1838,
eight years after he found himself unfit for the labours
of the bench, he wrote a pamphlet in favour of Church
Extension, which manifests all the dexterity and
acumen of a lawyer."
Sir Archibald Campbell was attacked with a con-
venient disorder in his eyes some twenty years ago,
and Sir R. Peel, who was at that period Home Se-
cretary, allowed him to retire on pension of 1,9501.
per annum. Notwithstanding this unhappy in-
firmity, which incapacitated him from poring over
dull law papers, Sir Archibald is understood to be
a capital shot, and no one, to look upon him, would
for a moment imagine that his pension had been
granted on the score of blindness. Whatever may
have been the pretext, we have heard the permission
to Sir Archibald Campbell to retire, defended as a
truly economical act on the part of the Tory Govern-
ment of 1824—0 n the ground that, however serious a
matter it might be to pay the ex judge's pension, it
has, after all, cost the country less than the expense
of reversing his decisions would have amounted to.

As an illustration of the sort of person Sir Archi-
bald Campbell is, we may relate an anecdote which is
well-known in Glasgow. A public dinner of the
friends of the Fine Arts took place a few months ago
in this city, and to Sir Archibald was assigned the
task of proposing the memory of Sir David
Wilkie. Those who have heard the Baronet of
Succouth speak are well aware that at no time is his
eloquence of the most enlivening description, but, on
this particular evening, he was even more than
usually prosy. The audience endured the infliction
for a considerable time, with a patience which did
them the utmost credit, hut, at length, as it began to
appear probable that the speech would endure till
midnight, a shuffling of feet and other marks of im-
patience commenced. On, however, went Sir
Archibald, regardless of every reasonable hint of
this description; but, by and by, the storm increased
to such a height that he was obliged to come to a
premature conclusion. On resuming his seat, Sir
Archibald, with the most unruffled self-complacency
beaming on his countenance, turned to a gentle-
man sitting near him, and said, " Well, I had
no idea that Wilkie was so unpopular !" It
never occurred to the poor man that another name,
not that of Wilkie, was at fault. After this, how-
ever much we may blame the Tories for placing
Sir Archibald Campbell on the bench, we can
scarcely think them far wrong in getting rid of him
as speedily as possible.