The Sun.
London, England, 1868-09-01 00:00:00

3IAG AZINE DAY.

BLACKWOOD.—The second number of the sketch
of the Right Hon. Benjamin Disraeli is met with,
and the same conciseness of style and general know-
ledge are displayed that were apparent on the
previous occasion. At the conclusion of these
pages we meet with an important extract on the
subject of Reform, taken from a speech delivered
twenty years ago. Mr. Hume had brought for-
ward a motion, in which he laid great stress on the
claims of property, and in criticising it Mr.
Disraeli declared that no plan could be more hard
and unsatisfactory to the great body of the people
than one which recognised property alone as its
the measure of 1832.
ffiincer with the Abyssinian
b“ a sLi
es
t,
ttehr as t
frombeing
s failingta ffo
Expedition" are brought to a conclusion, and they
will be found to convey a very fair idea of the state
of things and the fortunes of the venture. Speak-
ing of the Abyssinians it is said that they are a
brave and hardy race, but their vanity and love of
boasting may be called a mania.” One thing
mentioned here is worthy of notice, which is that
the assertion has been contradicted that the
British soldier is not so well adapted for the vicissi-
tudes of " campaigning" as the Indian one. Cor-
nelius O'Dowd continues his disquisitions on public
matters and social questions with more or less
pungency and force, and chooses several subjects to
discuss in this portion. " Madame Aurelia" is the
first part of a new story, which promises well so far
and is well described. It brings in a good many
characters, and seems likely to be entertaining as
itpassage is that in which
the
retof
f
isss ive
described, and great stress
is laid upon the way in which the personal character
of a man makes itself felt in the " voice." It is
" more than half the secret of the orator, and more
than half the secret of the secret itself lies in what
musicians would call its timbre, the after-ring of its
vibration." An interesting article is that on " Bun-
sen," and it truly says that he was fortunate in
personal advancement. "Blessings fell on him like
dew wherever he went ; honour and love attended
his steps." In some points he met with failure, it
is true, but Madame Bunsen has presented to the
world the image and reflection of an honourable
career and an enviable life, and he has
left to his country a noble possession, the
" tradition of a spotless, honourable, and pious
life—inspired from beginning to end with the
truest devotion to the Fatherland." In this the
sixth part of " Historical Sketches of the Reign
of George the Second " we meet with the
" Young Chevalier." An effective description is
given of one of the most " extraordinary, splendid,
and hopeless expeditions ever recorded in history."
It had been better for his fame had the "Young
Chevalier" been all we ever knew of this hero, and
if he had not survived to see his latter days as they
were. Still painful memories and pitying thoughts
attend the spot where Charles Edward, " with all
the Cae3ars, has slept for nearly a century, and
his daring exploits flash with meteor rays across
the dark horizon of history." It is said here that
had he died after quitting Scotian i it would have
made the story complete—" an epic beyond all
competition of poetry, but death unler such cir-
cumstances must be a crown too splendid for the
exigencies of common humanity. It does not
come when its presence would complete and perfect
the round of life." One of the most pleasing remi
niscences of his career is that, with a price of thirty
thousand pounds on his bead, he went safely from
cabin to cabin, and from guide to guide.
FRASER.—Fraser this month is not peculiarly
interesting, but rather the reverse. Its main sub-
jects are weighty, and there is little or no attempt
to relieve them. It opens with a lengthened article
in favour of Teetotalism, which it is unhappily never
difficult to support by illustrations from the facts
around us. Those who advocate the supprcksion of
the liquor traffic, homer, would And if it Were

possible to carry their views into effect that the
evil lies deeper than the surface, and that there is
much that needs amendment in our social condi-
tions before temperance among the masses is even
possible. " School and University System in Scot-
land" is another subject treated at some length, and
we have besides an astronomical and a physi-
ological essay, while theological and political
disputes supply the remainder of the con-
tents, varied only by a further instalment
of the somewhat tedious tale of " Captain Ord's
Return."

COLBURN'S UNITED SERVICE for the partridge
month opens with a severe, but, we must suppose,
a just article on " Military Education," which,
with all the benefits of competitive examination,
does not come up to the " better" standard cf old
times in the opinion of the writer; and perhaps he
is right, if we may judge by the experience of the
Crimea and some other backward operations. Cer-
tain it
.is that, next to the far-famed Admiralty
system of do-little but circumlocution, with "a will
of my own," nothing can surpass the stiff etiquette
of our army administration of the Royal Horse
Guards and the R:ght Ilonmirable Secre •
taryship of War. Take any department of
that multifarious division, not of labour,
but of no-come-at-able sort of responsibility,
and everything seems to rival its neighbour for
inertness and unreadiness at the moment the service
requires the business to be done. Witness our
commissariat at home, and the marching of our
devoted soldiers to death, in the face of a burning
sun and cholera, gasping for water. And this
comes of military education, and heedless disregard
of all but over strict discipline. " The Old 79th
Regiment," and the capture of Manilla in the last
century, forms an interesting digression, and lead;
to a description of the island of Ormuz and Bander
Abbas, by Lieutenant C. R. Low, who is well
versed in the navigation of the East and its devious
coasts. The island of Ormuz is celebrated in
" Paradise Lost," where Satan luxuriates :

" High on a throne of regal state, which far
Outshone the wealth of Ormuz or of Ind ;
Or where the gorgeous East, with richest hand,
Showers on her kings barbaric pearl and gold."
It would seem, by Mr. Low's account, that our
transactions with the Persian Government in olden
times were not of a favourable character, for the
Persians delighted in treachery and bad faith, which
they continue to practise to the present day—a pro-
minent feature in the conduct of Eastern transac-
tions. " The Big Guns of All Nations" forms an
interesting article, and what appears to be the ques-
tion of the hour at eur Shoeburyness exhibitions,
where we practise with unrelenting assiduity in
firing the best guns to death, in order to test how
long they would last if fair play were given them in
war in downright earnest. At the same time, we
must admit that it is safer to test the best sort of
weapon while no enemy is looking on than to fail
on trial when he is near at hand, ever too ready to
teach us our duty. The writer is of opinion that
extreme size does not always constitute strength, for
like other desirable matters we may have too much of
a good thing, and he instances that as far back
as the 17th century the famous gun of Bejapoor,
" Malek e Meidan," or " Lord of the Slain," twenty
inches in the bore, and firing off 1,6001b5. weight.
Science now, however, steps in and shows that we
can throw a heavy shot with a low velocity by
simply increasing the length of the projectile and
decreasing the charge. We agree with the writer
that on land as well as on water rapidity of motion
will decide battles, and that with the heaviest
ordnance compatible with the service we shall need
the fastest ships and the utmost skill in handling
both. This has always been our opinion, and time
will prove it in the next terrible tug of war, which
will set all idle speculation on the subject at rest.
TEMPLE BAR.—" Kitty" is continued at some
length, and is very exciting in this instalment. It
refers to the change of Laura's position, her father
having left her with her new associates, whom she
miscalls friends. Percy is naturally sketched as
ever intent upon the amusement of the hour, no
matter who may be taken in or deceived by the
transaction. The manner in which the heroine goes
on is certainly most barefaced, but she is a good
delineator of one who is wrapt up in self-interest,
and thinks nothing of so much consequence as the
attainment of her cherished schemes. She has cast
off Myra in the expectation that she will find a
more useful friend in the invalid lady she met in
travelling. It remains to be seen how this shabby
conduct will answer in the long run, and Kitty
is not without some doubts herself on the matter.
" Captain
,Tinderbox" is a humorous sketch i❑
verse, is entertaining in its style, and very sensa-
tional in its conclusion. The spirited hero was
worthy of a more sincere lady-love, but he contrived
to effect quite a coup d'etat in his mysterious disap-
pearance and astonishing resurrection from the
waves. " The Career and Character of Rajah
Brooke" is the title of an article that is interesting,
and ample justice is rendered to the extraordinary
character of the man. " Heaven, or chance, or
fate, or what power you will, selected the Rajah at
his birth, and fitted him for the work he undertook.
As a hero he lived, as a Christian philosopher he
died." " A haunted Garden" is a most extraordi-
nary tale, in which the reader is initiated into the
dangers of sowing horse-radish, the luckless owner
of the haunted garden having embittered some of
the best years in his life. Seldom has an impru-
dence in gardening cost more dear, and involved
such awkward consequences to many as this ill-
starred exploit of the horse-radish hero. " Vera"
is continued, and the melancholy maiden has become
more lively in this Fart of the adventures. Same
of the descriptions are good in this tale, and the
foreign scenery is a change to home stories. A
good deal of variety is met with in this number, and
the several stories are diversified in style and pur-
port. " A Night Adventure" is a sketch of Indian
life, which is told in a bold and decisive manner.
" What's he to do?" is a lively sketch of the troubles
a not very wise individual got into. " Sweet Nelly
Huntingdon" is a romantic story, that ends happily
for all parties. " Hatherton Hall" is the name of
some lively stanzas which tell of the delights of a
country excursion, Some readers may be pleased
to meet with a translation of the documents printed
in Germany relating to the inauguration of the
Luther Memorial.
MACMILLAN'S.—The table of contents in this
month's number of Macmillan is brief but interest-
ing. It opens with an essay on " Women Physi-
cians," which commends itself to the reader by its
temperate and reasonable tone. The writer does
not plead for a hasty or wholesale change, but is
especially anxious that some means should be de-
vised which shall enable women students, if they
study medicine at all, to do so thoroughly. Into
the arguments brought forward on their behalf we
.need not now enter, but they are stated with a can-
dour and fairnsss which considerably enhance their
value. Following this essay comes the month's in-
stalment of " Realmah," always welcome to the
reader, and this month bringing under our notice
a public question of considerable importance, which
is like all other questions, little and great, that come
under discussion, ably debated by thesCouucil of
Friends. Ellesmere is more than usually brilliant
and versatile, while Milverton is thoughtful, en-
lightened, and even in advance of his age. We are
glad to find Professor Huxley's admirable lecture
" On a Piece of Chalk," recently delivered to the
working men of Norwich, reprinted in Macmillan.
Other working men will be glad to learn something
of the nature of that marvellous compound which
carpets the broad plain below the Atlantic, and of
that kindred substance which contains remains of
those strange flying and. swimming reptiles, the
pterodactyl, the ichthyosaurus, and the plesiosaurus
which are found in no later deposits, but abounded
in preceding ages. In the words of Professor
Huxley, " It is by the population of the chalk sea
that the ancient and the modern inhabitants of the
world are most completely connected. The groups
which are dying out flourish, side by side, with the
groups which are now the dominant forms of life."
" The Beust Regime in Austria" forms the subject
of a careful examination into the present position
and prospects of the Austrian Empire. The writer
acknowledges both the merits and the faults of the
Minister; and while admitting that he has since
his accession to power rendered the empire good

service, he believes that by making the Germans
the keystone of his new Austrian edifice Baron
Beust has prepared its certain dissolution. Should
he persist in this mistaken course the time will come
when, his critic believes, the Emperor will have to
choose between his Minister and his empire. Miss
Yonge's interesting romance of " The Chaplet of
Pearls" proceeds with animation. The hapless
young bride and bridegroom are:still far apart, and
are each surrounded with special dangers and diffi-
culties. Mr Dicey busies himself in considering
what sort of candidates for Parliament will be likely
to win the suffrages of the new electors; and Aubrey
de Vere contributes an "Autumnal Ode" containing
many beautiful passages.
THE ST. JAMES'S.—The new series of this maga-
zine has certainly increased its attractions, and
there is plenty of light and varied reading for the
railway traveller or the loiterer by the seaside. The
most prominent feature is naturally the novel by
the accomplished editress,which, although as yet in
its earliest chapters, indicates considerable promise.
The three chapters of " A Life's Assize," now be-
fore us, play, however, an important part in the
story, and the hero, escaping from one great danger,
accepts a false position, which will inevitably bring-
upon him serious evils in the future. "At Home
and Homeless" is a chapter on the little buyers and
sellers that haunt our London thoroughfares with
match-boxes, watch-guards, water-cresses, oranges,
and all the mysterious etceteras of street merchan-
dise. Many of these urchins have no place of de-
finite abode, and sleep under arches or in the pur-
lieus of the markets. Those who want to know
more of their ways of living cannot do better than
turn over this paper. " Chatterings on Fashion,"
have something to say both for and against the
whimsical goddess. The chatterer denounces her
absurdity and dogmatism, but holds that she saves
us a great deal of trouble by deciding for us all
minor points of social life; and he affirms, moreover,
that if each of us had to decide for himself or herself
what should be now eaten, or done in daily life, we
should generally decide badly, besides wasting a
great deal of time over the planning. This is
certainly a new view of the case, and does credit to
the ingenuity of the discoverer. " Silent Sympa-
thy" is a brief but suggestive paper on the feeble-
ness and insufficiency of words in dealing with a
great sorrow. " Speech is silver, silence is golden,"
says the Eastern proverb, and this is especially true
in moments of severe trial. " One Hundred Planets"
is the title of a paper 'for the astronomical student,
and takes an interesting survey of some of the mar-
vellous phenomena of the heavens. " A Modern
Saint George" is discovered in the life and charac-
ter of the late lamented Rajah Brooke, of whose
exploits an able and graphic account is given. Few
Englishmen not immediately connected with the
affair are familiar with the whole story, yet it is
one that well deserves to be known and remembered
as a proof of what an individual can accomplish
even in these days of routine. The last session was
certainly not remarkable for its courtesies of lan-
guage on either side of the house, and an
article on the " Amenities of the Session" reminds
our moribund M.P.'s that if the new Parliament
should justify the fears of critics by its indifference
to forms and precedents appeals to the manners
and habits of the older system will have lost much
of their weight. " Asleep and Awake" is a paper
which gives us some curious statistics respecting
extraordinary somnolence and equally extraordinary
wakefulness.

LONDON SOCIETY.—This serial as usual presents
us with a good stock of amusement, and is just the
book to take up in a railway journey, or when
lingering by the sea side. The paper on the " Pre-
sent State of the Market Matrimonial" offers some
good advice to fast ladies, and deplores the reckless
extravagances of the present day. " How Violet
got a Beau" is a lively sketch of amusing adven-
tures. "The Physiology of the Dance" presents
the reader with illustrations and descriptions of
them in verse, showing how customs change with
passing years. " Newgate Market" gives an account
of that place, which is soon to become a thing of
the past. It is given in a concise manner, and will
interest some to peruse it. " The Piccadilly Papers"
are as entertaining as ever, and " Two Hours in
Gaol" contains a notice of the dreary lives spent by
those hapless sons of crime who are compelled to
keep to a particular line of life. "An American
Watering-place and its Frequenters" presents a
change of style to the other contents, and " Visits
to Country Houses" is an agreeable sketch.

ST. PAULS.—An article on " American Recon-
struction" dwells very strongly on the wrongs in-
flicted on the white men of the Southern States
by the forced elevation of the negro, and still more
on the cruelty of thrusting the latter into a posi-
tion for which he is in every way unfitted. " Oh,"
exclaims the writer, in justifiable indignation,
" that we might imagine the shades of Wilberforce
and Clarkson, of Buxton and Brougham, regard-
ing and realising these new Constitutions, and
contemplating the fate of two million unfortunate
slaves, just liberated from slavery, and desired to
form Governments, and to rule themselves and
their white brethren !" " Who was the first
Printer ?" is a question discussed at some length,
and finally answered by the decision that Koster
was the first printer with moveable types, though
the art was carried to much greater perfection by
his contemporary, Gutenberg ; though it is uncer-
tain whether he derived the first principles of the
art from Koster's works, or discovered them spon-
taneously. " Our Architecture" is the subject of
a not very complimentary discourse ; and, indeed,
it is our national weak point in the arts. " The
Norfolk Broads" disclose a region full of attrac-
tions to the sportsman, and fresh to the tourist.
"A Struggle for Mastery" is a painful domestic
picture, in which we see the interior of a house-
hold blessed by the perpetual presence of two
mothers-in-law. The editor's story of " Phineas
Finn" proceeds in its accustomed easy and life-like
strain.

THE Mosni.—Several topics of interest are
discussed this month. Among them Cottage
Hospitals are an excellent provision for the benefit
of the sick poor. Fr. Secchi, who has lately taken
part in the Norwich scientific gathering, completes
his valuable essay "On the Sun." The two works
of fiction running through the numbers are con-
tinued—" Anne Severin," a story of the present day
in France ; and " Eudoxia," a picture of the sth
century. The " Library Table" is well supplied
with works of all kinds.
THE GENTLEMAN'S MAGAZINE.—The Gentleman's
maintains its improved character, giving us a very
pleasant and readable miscellany. The novel
" Not in Society " possesses some originality, and
is written with animation. "In the Gallery"
takes us into what is certainly not the least impor-
tant portion of the Houses of Parliament, though
the reporters are theoretically ignored by all the
dignitaries of St. Stephen's. No single profession,
observes the writer has, considering its numbers
produced more eminent men in the last forty or
fifty years than that of the reporters; and he forth-
with cites a long list of notabilities, eminent in
poetry, law, science, and literature, beginning with
Coleridge, and ending with Charles Dickens. " The
Autumn Holiday" is a paper on the need of rest
and recreation,which all of us feel at times, and " A
Walk through King's College Hospital" is graphi-
cal!y described. "On Some Lost Papers" is a
sketch worth reading, while Mr. Original' Walker
tells us how to acquire the ?netts sang zn corpore
sano. Among the other topics which crowd on the
reader's attention are a " Kentish Hopyard," " A
Salmon Stream," " The S_lience of Croquet," and
" The Milton Enigma."
The monthly parts of the " Boys of England,"
and its companion, " The Young Men of England,"
are replete with interesting tales and valuable in-
formation. The new tale by W. T. Townshend,
" Frank Frolic," is particularly praiseworthy, as it
incites in the minds of its readers a healthy tone, and
the example it sets before them is bright and good.
The miscellaneous articles are all excellent, and it
is highly satisfactory to find that such excellent
publications are altogether superseding those which
have hitherto exercised such baneful influence upon
the youth of the country.

THE CLIPPER RACE FROJI CIIINA.-111CMS. Shaw,
Lowther, and Maxton yesterday received a telegram from
Falmouth, announcing the arrival off that port of their
ship, the Ariel—the first of the competing clippers from
Clai

CORRESPONDENCE PROM PARIS.
7,,f

• • (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) r
t -
PARIS, MONDAY, AUgilfit 31st
Politics, banished from the deliberations of the Councild'
General, have appeared at several of the banquets given+
according to custom, at the close of the sittings. So far as
I can judge from the specimens already in print, these poll'
tical speeches have been after-dinner effusions of the genuine
type. Eulogy of the Emperor, carried to afi almost ridiculous
degree of extravagance, is all that the orators felt, them'
selves justified in uttering. At Rouen, M. Rouland,
formerly Minister of Public Instruction and now a director
of the Bank of France, declared that the Government of
the Emperor had ensured social order, distributed po!itial
liberty almost to profusion, organised the military
power in accordance with the dignity and the interests
of a great nation, and augmented the national
resources. Of the maintenance of social order, and espe•
cially of the military forces, there can be little doubt ; but
it is simply satire to talk of tho " profusion of politial
liberty" whilst journalists are summoned almost daily
before the sixth chamber, and the inquiry into the discre•
ditable Nimes affair is now going on. But M. Lafon da
Saint Mttr was not satisfied with the bare statement re-
specting the profusion of political liberty ; he W 35
inclined to think that the nation had taken a leap in the
dark. Ile had evidently not been " educated " for a new
press law and right of public meeting. The profusion of
liberty seemed to him to be so great that he was rather
afraid of dangerous consequences. The papers which are
started to be immediately suppressed, and the public
meetings which are "assisted" by the Commissioner of
Police, seemed to M. Lafon to be a step in the direction of
anarchy. At but one of these banquets was the question
of peace touched upon. M. B6hic spoke of the matter in
very guarded terms, taking care, like Marshal Vaillant,
to reserve the contingency of the honour of the country
being involved.

The inquiry at Nimes respecting the invasion Of a
private meeting by the Commissioner of Police is assuming
a serious aspect. Your readers will remember that the
Commissioner was accompanied by armed soldiers, the
audience was forcibly turned out of the room, anda respee'
table citizen, M. Sagnier, severely wounded by a sword Of
bayonet. The father of M. Sagnier was so excited by the
news that he died. In the very bitter controversy that
sprang up in consequence of this affair, the question as to
who wounded M. Sagnier was much disputed. The
Liberal papers maintained that it was the lieutenant in
command of the troops ; the official journals held that it
was a private soldier. So far as the inquiry has proceeded
the evidence is against the lieutenant. Most of those who
were present declare that he gave the wound. Many ei
them bear witness to being personally favoured with bloc's
from the butt-ends of the soldiers' rifles. M. Jules Favre
appears for the originators of the meeting, and is received
every day with an ovation upon the conclusion of the
sitting.
The Emperor, I believe, has decided to pay a visit to
the Maritime Exhibition at Havre. His Majesty leaves
for Chftlons on Wednesday, returning on the evening 0f
the 6th.

It appears that the Minister of Finance, in order
to enable the army to participate in the benefits of the
new loan, sent 15,000 coupons of five francs each to the
camp at Chalons. The sum was readily subscribed. -4
speculator got wind of the proceeding, and by the help
of the soldiers managed to buy up almost the entire
quantity.
A duel took place yesterday between M. de Cassagna°
and M. Lissaragnay. The weapon chosen was the smell
sword. M. Lissaragnay received three or four woundef
one in the side being somewhat serious. This last wound
rendered M. Lissaragnay insensible for several minutes,
and of course- the contest was declared at an end. The
affair was much more serious than is usually the case with
press duels.

Madame Victor Hugo was buried at Villequier on
Saturday. The funeral cort4ge was small, but Victor
Hugo himself was not with it. His exile could not be
relaxed even for the interment of his wife.

THE WEATHER TABLE.-THIS DAY;

lent of
)!itical
ilitary
terestg

ttional
eepe.
; ; but

daily
discre•

fon as
cut re-
e was

in the
9. new

3ion of
rather
.ch are
public
ner of

tion of
testion

tter in

illant,
)untrY

L Of A
uming
at the

isit to
leaves
ing of