The Sun.
London, England, 1857-07-09 00:00:00

LLOYD'S SHIPPING.---(This Day.)

LoismoN, July 9.—Wind this day at noon, W.N.W.;
light breeze, and fine.
PORTSMOUTH, July B.—Wind .N.N.W. to W.N.W.—
Sailed—Copenhagen, for Melbourne.
PLYMOUTH, July 8.--Wind N.N.E.—Sailed—Lady
Ann, Adelaide, S.A.
FALMOUTH, July B.—Wind N.—Arrived—lphegenia,
from Rio Janeiro.

(PER ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH•)
LIVERPOOL, Thursday Morning.

Wind N.W.
Arrived—Alexander, from Quebec ; Teneriffe, screw
steamer, Palermo ; Caman, Callao ; Adelaide, St. John's.
N.B. ; Inez, Charleston ; Glenroy, Smyrna ; Magician,
Hamburgh ; Dart, oAend.

(BY SUBMARINE AND BRITISH TELEGRAPH.)
GRAVESEND, Thursday, 9.30 a.m.
Wind W.N.W. ; tide low water ; fine.
Arrived, July B—Douglas, from Guernsey; Gauline,
Ncusadt; Minerva, Riga ; Thomas Hughes, Honduras;
Eliza, Guernsey.
Propitious,
01l
o Arrived,ek, Julyuebee 9; —BCrietnitnanuira,, fromst.
sßtieop Oh
ernasu d;Margaret
P;i
Cherbourg ; Medway, Militello ; Concordia, Rotterdam.
Sailed, 9th—Sylph, for Bordeaux.
DEAL, Thursday morning, 9 a.m.
Wind W.N.W. ; light.
Passed, July B—Ellide, from Bergen, to Frankray ; Franz
and Ernst, Cardiff, Lubeck ; Rowallon, Aux Cayes, Rot-
terdam.
Passed, 9th—Elizabeth, brig, from eastward, to west-
ward.

The French Government is in possession of informa•
tion which proves that the late revolutionary,movement
in Italy bad its active correspondent. in /ranee. If
the mad attempts in 'he Peninsula had for a time suc-
ceeded similar demonstrations would have taken place
in Parie.
It was reported yesterday, at the headquarters of the
Chatham division of Royal Marines, that it is
theinten-
tion of the Government to send out immediately 4,000
Marines to China, to relieve the regiments of the line, so
that they may be forthwith sent to India.
—On Sunday
THUNDER STORM AND Loss OF LIFE.-
afternoon, about two o'clock,
a severe thunderstorm
broke over the village of Hylton, about four miles from
Sunderland ; and during the storm a little boy, named
Ge rge Haddock, son of Robert Haddock, sawyer, was
killed upon the spot by the electric fluid. The storm,
which is described as having been very violent, was not
observed in Newcastle, Shields, or the neighbouring
towns.—Manchester Guardian,.
PUBLIC PETITIONS.—ACCOrdiII to the last report of
the Select Committeo of the Commons' House, there
were 14 petitions against the abolition of church-rates,
signed by 445 persons ; 101 against the Divorce Bill,
signed by 26,793 persons ; 87 for the removal of Jewish
disabilities, signed by 14.572 persons ; 137 against the
Oaths Bill, signed by 5,623 persons ; 17 for an altera-
tion of the Oaths Bill, signed by 17,934 persons ; 97.
for a repeal of the paper duty, signed by 2,902 persons;
39 for equalizing poor-rates in the metropolis, signed by
4,366 persons; and 21 for the ballot, signed by 3,498
persons.
ROYAL HUMANE SOCIETY.—At the half-yearly meet-
ing of this society, held yesterday, Mr. B. B. Cabbell
in the chair, honorary silver medals were unanimously
eaed 60, at Menai-
bridge,lBss ; Henry
im
awarded to the following persons, who had been recom•
mended as being very deserving of the prize :—Mr. John
oth
Ay, wnghioest.y,
aved2CBaththeorfinNe Joovetimesbr, , g
Bonner, licensed victualler, who saved William W. Gil-
liatt at Boston haven, Lincolnshire, 24th of November,
Timothy,
1856 ; Geo. Griffin, steward, her Majesty's ship Opos-
sum, who saved a seaman of her Majesty's ship High-
flyer, at sea, 21 of November, 18. 56 ; Lieut. Augustus
Bullock, R.N., her Majesty's ship Centurion, assisted
by other seamen, who saved a...seaman of the same vessel
etf Lisbon, 9th October, 1856 ; Mr. Edw. Wm. May,
officer, Royal Mail Steam Packet Company's steamer
Conway, who saved a seaman of the steamer La Plata,
in the Bay of Biscay, sth of December, 1856 ; Lieut. J.
C. Wilson, R.N., her Majer.dy's ship Spiteful, who saved
a Greek boatman in the Pi eaus on the Ist of January,
1857; Francis Bould, plater, who saved four women
and tried to save another at Hatherton Lake, Walsall, on
the 30th of January, 1857 ; George Moody, seaman,
her Majesty's ship Raleigh, who,saved Private Thomas
Beezley, R. M., of her Majes!y R ship Raleigh, at sea,
on the 231 of December, 1856 ; Lieutenant Henry
Christian, R.N., her Majesty's ship Rifleman, who saved
Ed ward May, a boy of the same vessel, in the River
Parana, South America, on the 10th of February, 1857 ;
Mr. Erasmus Wilson, who saved a Woman aged 60. in
the Regent's Canal, Regent's-park, on the 22d of April,
1857 ; William Balls, seaman, her Majesty's ship Mon-
arch, who raved Richard Smith, A. 8., at Esquimalt
Harbour, Vancouver's Island on the 3d of September,
1856 ; and William Dustin, A. 8., at Caldera, South
America, on the 27th of March, 1857, both belonging to
her Majesty's ship Monarch.

LITERATURE.

The Autobiography of Elizabeth Davis, a Balaclava
Nurse. Edited by Jane Williams, author of " A
Memoir of the Rev. T. Price," Jac. 2 vols.
Hurst and Black< tt.
These volumes contain the history of a very re-
markable woman, who has visited many countries',
and seen much of life, who has met with some sin-
gular adventures, and always shown herself equal
to the emergency. She was the daughter of Dafydd
Cadwaladyr, a well known Welsh dissenting mini-
ster, and from an early age manifested an unusual
independence of spirit and decided temper. She
was anxious to see the world, so left home and
entered service, and filled various places of trust
for many years, visiting the East and West Indies,
China, and Australia. She hal numerous offers
of marriage from inhabitants of all parts of the
world, but having lost her first love by death, she
refused all others. She saved a large sum of money
which was lost in an unfortunate speculation, and
having had much experience of sickness she applied
to join the band of military nurses who went to the
East. This part of her experiences, though it gives
the title to the book, only occupies part of the se-
cond volume, and it is with this art that some
fault may justly be found. Doubtless Rizabctli
Davis is in many respects an admirable women,
and the testimonials.to her services in the Crimea
given in the appendix are quite sufficient testi-
mony to the value of her services ; but the
tone of prejudice which throughout pervades
her tone in speakirg of the management of
the nurses, and especially in all that concerns Miss
nightingale, is much to ba regretted. Mrs. Davis
evidentiy took a prejudice against that lady before
she saw her, and therefore everything that was mis-
managed in hospital affairs, the stores that were
lost when men were dying of need, the illness that
was aggravated by the want of proper remedies,
are all set down to her account. It would be folly
to suppose that Miss Nightingale's arrangements
were perfect, that she male no errors or mistakes
in such a trying position, rendered still more per-
plexing from official mismanagement. But to speak
aid write of her as Mrs. Davis and her editor have
done is neither just nor reasonable. Mrs. Davis
plainly hints that she made herself comfort thle
while neglecting others. If such had been her ob-
ject, it would have been more easily attained nearer
home. Profit there was none, and even Mrs. Davis
cannot accuse her of seekine•'' fame or popularity.
The extreme retirement she has kept in since her
return effectually precludes such a suggestion. The
readers of this book, much as they may admire
Mrs. Davis's unflinching honesty and indefatigable
spirit, will find quite enough in the earlier record
of her life to guard them as to their judgment on
the latter portion. With an undoubting truthful-
ness, she did not hesitate to "speak her mind," in
true Welsh fashion, to master, mistress, or the
Great Mogul himself if she met him. She confesses
she always " cherished a very high opinion of
my own goodness, and I was more especially proud
of my honesty and truth." She never owned her-
self in the wrong ' • and on one occasion, when her
mistress had offended her, refused to stay in her
service unless she begged her pardon on her knees.
It will be easy to understand that such a temper as
this did not bend very easily to military discipline,
and was more inclined to command than to
obey. Doubtless such a character was most
valuable in the Crimea. There an energetic spirit
and disregard of rules was only too scarce ; but it
is plainly seen that if the plans recommended in
the appendix had been adopted, of differenta ranks
of nurses, Mrs. Davis would not have put up with
a second rank. She was established as cook in the
kitchen at Balaklava, and proved herself most
valuable by her unwearied personal exertion. It
is with regret that we learn that she is left at pre-
sent unprovided for. An address is furnished, and
doubtless many will gladly give a tribute to her ser-
vices. The earlier portion of the work is the most
agreable. It is full of entertainment. People and
places are described in a manner so quaint and on
ginal, that it would give zest to less exciting in-
cidents. The following is an account of a narrow
escape at sea, in which the heroine's courage was
especially useful :
" We bad stormy weather in crossing the Bay of Biscay,
and afterwards, when we came to the place where the four.
seas meet, the waves, and wind, and thunder, and lighten-
ing, were awful. It was the dead of night, and dreadfully
dark, the glaring blue lightning flashed incessantly across
the ship ; she was going at a rapid rate, all sails set, when
she was taken aback and went under water as far as the
mainmast. The surgeon rushed down the cabin stairs
crying out, " We are sinking." The people, men, women,
and children, rushed from their berths with horrible shrieks,
and crowded the quarter-deck in their night-clothes. Mr,
Pringle, a passenger, took the helm, in his shirt. The
screaming still rings in my ears of those two hundred people
in despair. The captain stood upon the cuddy, until the
water washed him off. Ha bade me take the passengers
from the quarter-deck. They were standing half-naked in
the water. Tho hatches had been opened, and the sea
poured in ; there was no leak, the waves came over the
ship. We got the passengers into the cuddy, crowding
one over the other in the utmost confusion.
" The foremast and foresail wore set on fire by the
lightning. The captain had ordered all hands aloft to take
in the sails; there was great difficulty :in doing it, and
several tif the sailors were struck blind by the lightning.
One man called !from aloft in a desperate manner for a
certain rope to be let go; I did not know one rope from
another, but rushed about the deck, up to my neck in
water in some places, and let go every rope that I could
get hold of. Down came rushing heavily, all the sails at
once, bringing many sailors with them like lead upon the
deck, while the crush of the canvas and the violent rain
put out the flames.
" The ship righted instantly, and Captain Foreman ex-
claimed, ' Thank God ! the Denmark Hill is saved !' "
All readers of " Childs Harold" will remember
the passage which refers to the following scene :
" We came a second time, after several months elapsed,
back to Brussels, and arrived there about two o'clock in the
morning : we were delayed for a draw-bridge to be let
down before we could get to the Queen's Hotel. On the
night of that day there was a ball, and Sir George and
Lady had tickets, and attended. Their servants, also
had tickets for the gallery to view the scene. The room
was the largest I ever saw in my life. About midnight
orders came for the 10th Hussar officers to march. At that
moment, the dancers were forming all bands round. There
was much confusion, and the party broke up.
"We returned to the Queen's Hotel, and were very dull
and anxious until we heard of the battle of Waterloo.
Five days after it had been fought, we left Brussels on an
excursion to visit the field. It was thickly strewn with
dead bodies. Soldiers were carrying them into corners,
and laying them together. Many persons were there
searching among the killed for their friends. Broken bayo-
nets, and otheAhings, were scattered about."
On one occasion she was living as housekeeper to a
lawyer in the city, and an amusing incident oc-
curred :
" One day, when an important cause was comitbes on, a
parcel of papers had been sent from Mr. G-'s office to
Lord Brougham, but one was forgotten, and Mr. G-,
hastily recollecting it, bade me run with it instantly, and
deliver it very carefully. •
" I went, and was shown into a room where I saw a per-
son whom I took to be a clerk. I gave the packet into
his hen', and told him to be sure to give it to his master.
"He nodded his head, and said quietly, I dare say I
shall.'
" I was provoked at his taking it so easy, and said to
him, You sulky old fellow, I'll tell your master. Look
at the paper. It is of great consequence, Mr. G- says,
and you must look at it.' I would not rest until he did
so,. and then I went away.
Mr. told me afterwards that itwas Lord
Brougham himself ; who was so pleased with my faithful-
ness about the paper, that be gave Mr. G- half a sove-
reign to give me for my impudence.'"
The following is a sample of her abrupt manner of
settling affairs of moment
:
"As to my proposed marriage, it ended as my former
engagement bad done.
" One day II- asked me whether I had told my sister
Bridget that I had consented to marry him. She was then
living in London, in a place which I had procured for her.
I answered, No.' We had a dispute about it, and quar-
relled, and broke off the match.
"He wrote to me afterwards, and sent a Mend to try
and make it up again ; but I refused to have anything
more to do with him.
" I left Mrs. R-- on a Thursday, and went that same
evenine•. to Queen's Terrace, Brompton ; and there, at the
hoese of a French count, I agreed with his sister-in-lac,
Mrs. S-, to enter her service, and to wait upon her and
her child to the West Indies and back.
"On Friday, Mrs. R-- sent after me ; and, although
my rate of wages bad reached thirty pounds a year, she
said she would not hesitate to give as much more as I
chose to ask, if I would only return to her.
" This it was no longer in my power to do."
She was instrumental in capturing several thieves,
and was accustomed to much exertion. She had
the health and strength, as well as the vigour of
character so oft en met in hardy mountaineers. She
filled the place of nurse at Guy's Hospital
for some time, and afterwards nursed private
patients, but not liking this so well as service,
'she took another place and lived next door to
Lord Raglan. Here is an account of her first re-
solve to go to the East.
"I had from my early childhood a dislike to soldiers ;
and this dislike was aggravated by the cruel conduct of
the sentries in India who prevented the young widow's
escape from the suttee.
"After having been abroad, I always liked to know
what was going on the world, and this curiosity made me
an eager reader of the newspapers. Sitting one evening
with my sister, I road in one of them an account of the
battle of the Alma.
" !' said I, if I had wings, would not I go ?'
" What,' answered Bridget, go to be a soldier ? Well,
I can believe anything, if you have changed your mind
about them.'
"I did not want to be a soldier, but to see what was
going on, and to take care of the wounded.
" Then again I read ofMiss Nightingale
preparing totake out nurses. I did not like the name of Nightingale.
When I first hear a name, I am very apt to know by my
feeling whether I shall like the person who bears it.'
She kept to this irnpressionand refused to like any-
thing connected with her, though she appears to
have met with a fair share of consideration and
kindness. - She was not much disposed toL.submit
to superintendence.
" One day about twelve o'clock, which was the dinner
time, Miss, Nightingale and her maid came iu from the

Castle. I was busy sending out the extras for the patients
on half diet.

"I was irritated at being interrupted, and said, ' You
must please to walk out. I don't wantoetticoats here.'
"There wet e perhaps as many as thirty orderlies in the
kitchen, and I was cutting fowls and putting things ready
for them to carry away.
" Seeing the necessity of the case, she went away ; and
when the hurry was over, she came back again, and said,
You were in a had humour, Mrs. Davis.'

" I denied it, for 1 did not consider just displeasure as
bad humour.

" She said, thought you were. You spoke very
sharply.'
" I told her that I was very busy, and thought that she
would not like to be there among the common men. So
she went away again."
• • - -

Nightingale, however, appreciated her ser-
vices, and her invincible integrity and sobriety
among so many of a different characters, and when
her health at hest,, filed from her unremitting exer-
tions, she orfered to send her where the doctor re-
I 1, at her own expense. Mrs. Davis, how-
ever, refused all the places selected, Malta, Smyrna;
and the South of Fr.mice, for she wished to come
home; which she (lid, and is at present resting after
her rani, d wit entures. The editress's appendix
has little to recommend it ; she has taken her ideas
from kir heroine, without making due allowance
for a prejudiced mind, and invinc'ble obstinacy,
and she has taken up the cause of hospital nurses,
maintaining they have been very unjustly treated
and disparaged. It would be indeed satisfactory to
think that the class was equal to her assertions,
but it is prepo.terous to infer that all are like Mrs.
Davis, who, with all her narrow-mindedne,s aid
self-satisfaction, is a women whose strength of cha-
racter and presence of mind, whose bon-sty and
truthfulness, are rare in any station. Unf rtu-
nately, it is too well known that the sijit of
habitual suffering l:at•deas the heart, as d it
has been recently prove I that some hospital
nurses are almost devoid of feeling. No doubt
some are worthy women and gentle "nurses ;
it is always unjust to condemn a class, but if the
editress will turn to the book she frequently quotes,
"Eastern Ho pitals and Englith Nurses," she will
find a differ t o; inion.
It is an originA and in'erating work, giving a
sketch of a varied aad adventurous life, and show-
ing the outline og an uncommon ( h iracter. Had
the editress contented herself with publishing it as
the biography of a remarkable woman, who had
even strange sights and visited many places, it
would have been more satisfactory than adopting
the opinion of a prejudiced witness, who perhaps
had not always the opportunity of judging, to at-
tack, on very insufficient foundations, the services
of Florence Nightingale. But setting aside this
drawback, it is full of entertainment for the curiow,
and will Letter serve to amuse a leisure hour than
many works of fiction.

Amusing Poetry. Edited by Shirley Brookes.
Lambert and Co.: London.

This cheap volume presents us with a collection
of all sorts of poetry, and all sorts of authors, includ ;
ing, among others, Longfellow, Tennyson, Thomas
Hood, and the Editor himself. Old ballads and
new songs are mingled in pleasant confusion, anal
form an agreeable book. Perhaps an objection
may be fairly urged against the " cutting and
maiming" abridgment of many of the poems, as it
has tended to deteriorate the character and quality
of some of our ancient and modern favourites.

The Bell-Founder, and Other Poems. By D.
Florence MacCarthy. Bogue : Fleet-street.
_ _

Mr. MacCarthy possesses strong metrical talent,
and pours for,h harmonious rhymes very fluently,
in which delicate grace and pleasing sentiment are
abundantly scattered. Gems of deeper thought
occasionally enrich the volumes, but musical sweet-
ness appears to be the author's forte. We admire
especially " Spirit Voices." It is an elegant and
charming I.ttle poem. "Sweet May," " Alice and
Una," and many others are among the best. The
lyric of " Tne Pilgrims" conveys a very pretty
poetic notion, but in it the author gives us " sweet-
scented hawthorn," and laburnum's golden hair,
contemporaneously with "fields of fresh-mown
hay," which, we think, is a mistake. A writer of
Mr. MacCarthy's taste must surely study his land-
scape before he mixes his colours.