The Sun.
London, England, 1850-09-21 00:00:00

THE ELECTOR OF HESSE.

Imagine a portly, square-built man, on the other
side of 40, with regular features, a sinister counte-
nance, and a bearing which completely accords with
his usual dress—a general's uniform—and you have
the Elector before you. The moral aspect of this
man it is difficult to present, for his actions are a long
succession of contradictions, which are only referable
to two common categories—boundless egotism, and
an equally unlimited contempt of his fellow-men.
He believes in no truth or honesty under the sun.
In his subjects he sees so many presumptuous subjects,
.whom he must make feel his power' upon every
opportunity, in order to hold them in check. Ile
hates the democrats, since they will not admit that
such a sovereign as he can really rule by the "grace
of God ;" he hates the constitutionalists because they
would limit his princely prerogative ; he bates the
orthodox in church and state, because he regards the
former as hypocrites, and the latter require payment
for their servile patriotism. Formerly the military,
life was his hobby, and still he finds his highest grati-
fication in the pomp of the parade ground ; but, since
he has convinced himself. that whenever the alternative
is presented to the army to overturn either him or the
constitution, the soldiers will declare to the last min for
the constitution, he has mistrusted his troops, and
lost no opportunity of showing his hatred to the
officers who do not understand that their commissions
pledge them to become the blind instruments of his
arbitrary -power. His most venerable example is
the Emperor Nicholas, who banished to Siberia a
cavalry officer whose spur fell off on parade.
Thanks to Providence, the sphere of the Elector's
power is very circumscribed, but within it he
omits no opportunity of acting out a despotic
nature. Take an example:—Colonel von B—, an
officer universally respected, had erected an elegant
summer residence near to one of the gates
of Cassel, and was accustomed to spend an hour or
two each day in his flower garden. One day he was
carefully watering a bed of favourite plants, when he
was surprised by the Elector, who was riding out for
an airing. The latter reined up his horse, and called
the Colonel. " What do I see, Sir ; does such an em-
ployment become an officer of the staff ? A watering
can, indeed ! You would do well, Sir, to hold your
uniform in more honour for the future." Thus stuttered
his most gracious Majesty, with a voice anything but
agreeable ; and eight days afterwards Colonel von B.
was removed far from his house and flowers, with
one consolation, however, that he was also far from
his petty oppressor. Similar was the case of another
officer high in the civil service, who had just built a
house, and when about to move into it, was ordered
to leave Cassel, for no other reason than that it was
known he had counted much upon enjoying his in-
tended new residence. Since these occurrences
it has become a bye-word among the officers of
h ith services, "If you would be removed from
Cassel, build a house, and furnish it comfortably."
Several officers have removed from Cassel, because
they were too intimate with some of the liberals
there ; others, however, for a very different reason—
for the sacrifices they had made fur their sovereign in
try ing moments ; fur it is one of the characteristics of
the Elector that he holds it to be degrading to acknow-
ledge a debt of gratitude to any one. As he will be
influenced by nu one, he will entrust to no man his
confidence. Even those officials who are LaAi-ding
life and honour in his service stand not an inch nearer
to his heart than the rest of the world. It would, for
example, be a mistake to imagine that such persons
as Ilassenpflug and his associates are trusted by
the Prince. tie upholds them because they are
his most ready instruments, and are willing to do
anything for a consideration. lle knows well
enough that llassenpflug's patriotism and fidelity do
not transcend the value of the salary he draws ; he
knows that that man would be the first to betray
him :in the hour of extremity ; but he finds a
charm in dealing with men whose virtue nothing
can revolt. lle treats Ilassenpflug with the same
superciliousness which the latter exhibits to those be-
neath him; but the more dislike the puople manifest
towards the minister, the more dues his master de-
light to heap outward honours upon him.—Cologne
Gazette.

BANK OF ENGLAND.
(From last night's Gazette.)
An Account, pursuant to the Act 7th and Bth of Victoria, cap. 32, for
the Week ending on Saturday, the 14th day of September, 1850.
MC& DEPAETM&NT.

.Totes issued•....... 30,189,110

X.
Government debt .. 11,015,100
Other securities •• • • 2,984,900
Gold coin and bullion 15,964,182
Silver bullion —— • • 221,958

£30,189, 110

£ 30,189,1 40
M. MARSHALL, Chief Caattier.
Dated the 19th day of September, 1850.

MANKIND DErAETMENT.
X.
Proprietors'capltal.. 11,553,000
Et.3st • - ...• ••• • • • 3,5:56,028
lublic deposits (in-
cluding Exchequer,
Commissioners of
National Debt, Sav-
ings-bank a, and Di-
vidend accounts).. 9,483,907
Other deposits ...... 9,032,865
Seven day and other
1,264,518

'Government Beene-

ties (including Dead
Weight Annuity)" 14,483,230
Other securities .. •• 11,90,4,694
votes •• • • •••• • • • 10,9 t 7,130
Gold and silver coin.. 608,961

£37,895,318

I /37,895,318
M. MARSHALL, Chief Cashier.
er, 1850.

Dated the 19th day of Septcml

SINGULAR DEATH OF THE QUEEN OF TRUMPS IN
A RAILWAY TRAIN.—Mr. Ilornby has written to inform
us that his mare Queen of Trumps was destroyed in the
horse-box coming up from Wallingford station, on
Thursday night. A cart horse had been put into the
next compartment of the box and not properly secured,
and on the arrival of the train at the Paddington station
yesterday morning, on opening the horse-box, it was
found that the horse had by some means got into the
mare's compartment and was standing on her body, the
poor animal being quite dead.
NOVEL. EXPERIMENT.-0a Saturday morning last
a mare in foal, belonging to William Chambers, jun., Esq.
was electrified at the S9utt. Wales Pottery, Llanelly. Not
being able to put the animal in the room where the machine
was placed for operating upon her, she was placed outside,
near the doorway, and was brought int') contact with the in-
strument by means of long and remarkably slight brass chains.
The chains being fastened round the fetlocks of the fore-legs,
the fie
brtsri tinniseghisnonegakphpwei
her to
then given, but so slightly as not to be
strong en,ugh to have killed a mouse, but it startled the
mare so that she fell completely back on her haunches, at the
gtothethsemadlelocrhaaignesiein, pthieeceps.esAitictmers raising
theising
chains were altered, being so placed that the electric currents
mLtheiagythdtethnpejaastrirs ssdwt hadiaegreontrailelyd through her, and the second shock
proceeded much better
than the first. It was quite evident
frightenedreadhe foraera,daof h
wtheennu Tth the charges
diseas
e
the
sawherwhich
f
poorave p
performed
rcreaturefe rvae d
i so
am;
Fri_
h
better since she was electrified, as we ori Monday
herself,r after a fine colt; a feat she could
note h day evening la t, for till that time she could not, by get up if she once dropped.-- Cambrian.
SALE OF RAILWAY MATERIALS.—The whole of
the immense apparatus and surplus of material used for the
construction of the Britannia Bridge is about to be brought
under the hammer, and the sale, like the structure itself, will
be unprecedented in extent.
A FACT FOR PROTECTIONISTS.—No bad indication
of prosperity is the shop of the butcher : abundance of meat
en unmistaktheablee
gs igpao
poufl
atthioens, eta:re ity f
these
forcchalaaanshtsgheiiesn the
hanging
gral nho
asut greathandr: at
dhesonceduring
turn intoe
last co n
week, s u
nearlya b e s the
hmoneyeasts paid
were
killed in Lincoln alone for city consumption, and on Saturday
night the butchers' shops were, as the knights of the cleaver
bneeo,nnesotdmeleigrehtthteon s2eoe
het hmemts,
wcleeraereeldauoguhtterSedomine
few years marrow-
si
Lincoln weekly.—Stamford Mercury.— [Lincoln is, it should
be recollected, the capital of a county more exclusively agri-
cultural thaw any cylaer cmgy ilz Lngituld.—LD, Sun.]