The Sun.
London, England, 1845-09-26 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

"The dawn of morning was awaited with impatience. The
enemy's fleet was then discovered, extending from south-
west by south, eight leagues distant from Cape St. Vincent;
and Sir Juha Jervis communicated to his officers his de-
tertninatioa to cut through them. His ships were drawn up
in two lines in close sailing order; and he bore down upon
the Spaniards before they had time to form in regular
order of battle. The gallant Sir Thomas Iltoubridge, in the
Culloden, was ordered to lead the van. Opening his fire on
the Spanish ships to windward, which effectually separated
one-third from the main body, he then tacked, and thus pre-
vented their rejunction. The British admiral readily
formed his two lines into one, to complete the intended move-
ment. As soon as Troubridge had passed through the
enemy's fleet, he gave his starboard broadside to the nearest of
the ships as he threw in his stays; his example was fol-
lowed by the van of our fleet, and the action became general.
It began about noon.
"The Spanish admiral, Don Josef de Cordova, endeavouring
to regain that part of his fleet which had been cut off, Com-
modore Nelson, in the Captain, of seventy-four, which was
the rearmost ship, perceiving his design, stood direct towards
him, and penetrated into the midst of the enemy. Bravely
seconded by Captains Troubridge and Collingwood, he ran
his ship between the Spanish flag-ship, the Santissima Trina-
dada, of 136 guns, and the San Josef, of 112, pouring a tre-
mendous fire into these gigantic antagonists, right and left.
In this manner he continued to engage the San Josef till his
ammunition was nearly expended, when his antagonist fell
on board the San Nicolas, of 84, which now became the com-
modore's opponent, and after a vigorous fire, kept up for
some time, he gave orders to board. He accompanied the
boarding party himself, and, not content with securing one
prize, he again headed the assailants in a similar attack on
the San Josef, shouting, " Westminster Abbey, or glorious
victory!" Nothing could resist such enthusiastic courage;
the Spanish colours were hauled down, and the Captain lay
an absolute wreck beside her two prizes.
" Irt the meantime, Sir John Jervis, in . the Victory, fol-
lowed by Vice-Admiral Waldegrave in the Barfleur, passed
close under the stern of the Salvador del Mundo, which sur-
rendered after a few broadsides. The Santisima Trivadada
wee engaged by many ships in succession, but finally struck
• to the Orion, Sir James Saumarez; who, intent on preserving
?the more effective ships, left her to be taken possession of by
the next English ship astern; but, as this was not done, she
ultimately escaped.
" The action lasted till about five o'clock, when the de-
tached portion of the Spanish fleet rejoined the main body,
and thus formed a force greatly superior to the English
squadron : but they showed no disposition to renew the
tight, and, after a distant cannonade, retteated in the night
towards Cadiz.
" The trophies of this victory were two ships of 112 guns,
and two of 84 and 74. On board these four vesssels alone
there were about 250 men killed and ae many wounded,
while the total loss of the victors amounted to no more than
73 killed and 227 wounded. Nearly one-third of this num-
ber belonged to Nelson's ship, the Captain, alone. The
thanks of both Houses of Parliament were voted to the con-
que,rore ; the commander-in-chief was created Earl St.
Vincent, Vice-Admirals Thompson and Parker, and Captain
Calder, baronets, and Nelson was honoured with the Order
of the Bath. The Spanish commander and jmany of his
officers, en the contrary, were dismissed from the service
with disgrace."
Many persons acquainted with separate histories are
ignorant of their relative position. In this work we
have a concise summary of all contemporary events, so
that one coup d'oeil will show us the bearings of the
whole. It is written in a clear and animated style, in •
terspersed with numerous anecdotes, forming a most
interesting addition to modern history. The author has
maintained the impartiality of an historian in chro-
nicling the actions of friend and foe; yet the work bears
impress of having been written in the period which it
describes. It is hardly possible for " Memoirs of Our
Own Times" to be quite so unbiassed and impartial as
they will be written by posterity. This volume is em-
bellished with an engraving of William Pitt, from the
painting by Gainsborough, and a vignette illustrative of
the assassination of Marat. It contains ample details
of the French Revolution, the war in India, the downfal
of Poland, and the disturbances and mutinies at home.
The following is an account of the disastrous battle when
" Freedom shrieked as Kosciuszko fell :''-
4i
the reeluszke' at the head
of a corps of 20,000 men, crossed
Vistula to meet the advancing Russians and to prevent
their
under
onnPrier Repnin, had reached Grodno, taken that city,
60,000 strongjunction with Suwaroff, whose army was now
The rest of the ian troos in Poland
were under the command of Generals Russ
Derfeldenp and Fersen,
the latter of whom
the siege of Warsa;" "'erasing from the Prussians, when
was raised, crossed the Vistula and fell
back, either foreotvheerptuiripo of uniting with the army of Su-
waroff,
or to
'hordes of the insurgentse Russian frontiers from the roving
Kosciuszko, while
Suwaroff, encountered F on the 10th of October
at Macziejowicze, betweere.
capital. Ile had sent orders toti,,oanad sixty miles from the
troops under his commane, but the
inski to join him with the
messenger, foiled his plane. A
m.
oslttussians, intercepting his
ensued. Warsaw and revenge!' W;aangltitinary engagement
sians ; ' Victory or death !' the answer o.thecrf of the Rus-
hed the latter repulsed their infuriated ass 'oles. Thrice
waroff appeared with a fresh army. Vain
amytearientaii when Su-
Koseiuszko, with his imperfectly armed and celiesfr'epl* of
troops, against so overwhelming a superiority of tried seloldrer
The infantry gave way. Undistinguished by his dress, thse.
general was in the thickest of the danger. Three horses had
been shot under him, when a wound on the shoulder ex-
tended him on the ground. Speedily recovering, he mounted
a fresh horse, and hastened to rally his fleeing cavalry. In
leaping a ditch, the animal fell. Cossacks and carabineers
were upon him; one wounded him in the head, another in
the neck. Completely exhausted, he swooned, prophetically
exela,hning,„‘ finis Fokni te—the end of Poland! Six
inouesta Pores covered the field of battle; three generals,
besides the -commander-in-chief and 3,000 men, together
'vial the camp; baggage, and artillery, fell into the hands of
the victors. The,Tolish hero was sent under an escort of
3,000 men to Peter4burgh, where he languished in close con-
finement tiathe death of the vindictive Catherine, when her
son and euccessoriestored him to liberty, with 12,000 other
Poles immured ilz ilussian prisons."

.i

HISTORY OF OUR OWN TIMES. By the
Author of the " Court and Times of Frederick tie
Great."
This is the second volume of a very interesting work,
referring to one of the most eventful periods in history.
The last fifty or sixty years have witnessed greater
changes than any five or six centuries before them. The
discovery of a new continent, an earthquake, or the fall
of a great empire, are events of sufficient magnitude to
immortalise their
.epoch ; but " our own times" have
witnessed greater things than these. We have had wars,
and conquests, and splendid achievements—we have
had patriots and heroes—but it is not in these that our
glory consists—it is in the great change that has been
effected in the human mind !—not that we have better
statesmen, or poets, or legislators, than of old; we have
not more great men, but man himself is more great. Our
ancestors had men of genius—bright meteors to illu-
mine the darkness; but we have not the darkness itself.
For centuries civilisation has made rapid and unceasing
progress; it was a child passing through the various
stages of youth, but now we have beheld the glorious
change when the child becomes a man—when he casts
aside his fetters, and, spurning all control, exults in the
conscious power of intelligence, and fears neither diffi-
culty nor danger. All things are seen in a new light—
wondrous achievements that dazzled the fancy are now
realities of daily life. Intolerance and oppression,
bigotry and prejudice, thriving in the darkness of igno-
rance, fade away at the approach of reason; the narrow
views of the past give way to
"The power of thought—the magic of the mind."
What would our ancestors have thought of the wonders
of the present day—the difficulties of time and space
annihilated—the land and water traversed—and the
commonest articles produced by a mighty power then
undreamt of—the journeys of weeks performed in a
few hours, and distant countries within a few days'
reach? What would a politician of the last century have
thought of a London newspaper? Could he have com-
pared the Parliamentary reports with his hasty notes
taken in secret, and published under feigned names
months after their date? It was easy to bring back
the costume of a past age to enliven a royal festival,‘but
how impossible were it to restore the manners and cus-
toms of that period Could the strong spirit of inquiry
be bound down, and the people, conscious of their
power, again yield blind obedience—could those who
have enjoyed the privileges of the present day return to
the thraldom of the past? Much has yet to be done, but
we have only to proceed—the great blow has been
struck, and the events of "our own times" have given
the impetus to our future greatness. The history of this
stirring period is given in the work before us. It con-
tains a clear and distinct account of the principal occur-
rences, both at home and abroad, during the last fifty
years—a study more beneficial than the history of
Greece or Rome, and far more interesting. A great
part is devoted to the French Revolution—one of the
most violent remedies ever applied to a social disorder.
At this distance of time the violence is forgotten; while
all must confess the remedy, we may own that it was
terrible to overthrow all the barriers imposed by time
and custom—to set the laws at defiance—to uproot
every long-established landmark. But were these dis-
tinctions only made by justice ? Were the poor not
trampled down, the liberty of all restricted, impediments
placed to improvement, and the rights of the many
forced to yield to the privileges of the few—the substance
to the shadow ? It is true that the peat-up waters burst
forth with violence, and madly pursued a devastating
course ; but the force of the torrent was occasioned by
the obstacles it had surmounted ; it had acquired energy
from its long imprisonment ; the waters themselves were
pure, and when the storm abated, they flowed in newer
and better channels, fertilising the land. The first chap-
ter of this volume describes the effect produced in Eng-
land by the French Revolution, the disputes it occasioned
in the House, the formation of republican clubs, and the
enthusiasm of the people for war. England was the
most constant enemy to the revolution, and yet she bene-
fited most from the example. At first the sympathy of
the people was with the French ; they felt for a great
nation struggling for its rights, and the cry of "Liberty "
found a ready echo in their hearts. Their enthusiasm
was checked by the cruel excesses of the French. Too
far removed to understand the excitement and passion
whiCh alone could palliate such enormities, the peaceful
citizens looked on with horror. Then came the dread of
foreign invasion to arouse their patriotism, their ancient
hatred to the French returned, and they only looked on
them as enemies. This volume brings us to the naval
engagements in 1797. The following is an account of
the battle of St. Vincent:—
"Jervis, an officer of distinguished courage, skill, and ex-
perience, recently appointed commander-in-chief on the
Mediterannean station, had, after the evacuation of Corsica,
in October, 1796, posted himself with his squadron at the
mouth of the Tagus, as it was uncertain whether the prepa-
rations then making at Brest were destined for a landing in
Ireland, or an attack upon Portugal. Early in February, the
movements in the port of Cadiz, indicating an intention on
the part of the Spaniards to come out very soon, he sailed
with the intention of cruizing of the south-east point of
Portugal. A fleet of twenty-seven sail of the line and twelve
frigates actually put to sea, with the design of steering for
Brest, raising the blockade of that harbour, forming a junc-
tion with the Dutch fleet, and sweeping the English out of
the Channel. On the night of the 13th this formidable force
was so near to the British squadron, that its signal guns were
heard, and the British admiral made the signal to prepare for
battle.

MURRAY'S HOME AND COLONIAL LI-
BRARY. No. XXIV. DARWIN'S JOURNAL
OF, A, VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD.
Pat t
This part concludes Mr. Darwin's very interesting
"Journal of his Voyage Round the World, in H.M.S.
Beagle, during the Years 1832-3-4-5-6." It contains
the history of his adventures and discoveries on the
coasts of Chili, Peru—in the Galapagos Archipelago—at
Otaheite and New Zealand, in Australia—at Keeling
Island, the Mauritius, St. Helena, Bahia, and Pernam-
buco, from which last place the Beagle sailed for Eng-
land. and arrived at Falmouth on the 2d of October.
Mr. Darwin, as our readers are aware, is by profession
a naturalist, and his journal is replete with interesting
details regarding the botany, zoology, and geology of
the various districts he visited. In South America it
would appear that his geological researches were occa-
sionally visited with an eye of suspicion. He says—
"My geological examination of the country generally
created a good deal of surprise amongst the Chilenos ; it was
long before they could be convinced that I was not hunting
for mines. This was sometimes troublesome ; I fhund the
most ready way of ' explaining my employment, was to ask
them how it was that they themselves were not curious con-
cerning earthquakes and volcanos ?—why some springs were
hot and others cold ?—why there were mountains in Chile,
and not a hill in La Plata ? These bare questions at once
satisfied and silenced the greater number; some, however
(like a few in England who are a century behindhandl,
thought that all such inquiries were useless and impious ; and
that it was quite sufficient that God had thus made the
mountains."

His account of Galapagos Archipelago is the most
minute and elaborate that has ever appeared. These
islands, which are ten in number, are situated imme-
diately under the Equator, and between 500 and 600
zules west of the coast of America. They are all formed
of vAcanic rocks ; and Mr. Darwin says—" I scarcely
hesitate.' to affirm that there must be in the whole Archi-
pelago at least 2,000 craters." The climate is far from
excessively hOt, and although the lower parts of the
islands are stei:lle,
1,000 feet and up ,7athe upper parts, at the height of
rdg, possess a damp climate and a
luxuriant vegetation. Our author first landed on
Chatham Island—
" Which, like the others, rises NN:;th a tame and rounded out-
line, broken here:and there by scatte:7d hillocks, the remains
of former craters. Nothing could be less inviting than the
first appearance. A broken field of black basaltic lava,
thrown into the most rugged waves, and crossed by great
fissures, is everywhere covered by stunted, sun .burnt .!..Irush'
wood, which shows little signs of life. The dry and parcii`d
surface, being heated by the noon-day sun, gave to the air a
close and sultry feeling, like that from a stove : we fancied
even that the bushes smelt unpleasantly. Although I di-
ligently tried to collect as many plants as possible, I suc-
-1 ceeded in getting very few ; and such wretched-looking little
weeds would have better become an arctic than an equatorial
Flora. The brushwood appears, from a short distance, as
leafless as our trees during winter; and it was some time be-
fore I discovered that not only almost every plant was now in
full leaf, but that the greater number were in flower. The
commonest bush is one of the Euphorbiacese : an acacia and
a great odd-looking cactus are the only trees which afford
any shade. After the season of heavy rains, the islands
are said to appear for a time partially green. The volcanic
island of Fernando Noronha, placed m many respects under
nearly similar conditions, is the only other country where I
have seen a vegetation at all like this of the Galapagos
islands.
" The Beagle sailed round Chatham Island, and anchored
in sevaral bays. One night I slept on shore on a part of the
island, where black truncated cones were extraordinarily
numerous ; from one small eminence I counted sixty ' o
them, all surmounted by craters more or less -perfect. The
greater number consisted merely of a ring of red scorias or
slags, cemented together; and their height above the plain
of lava was not more than from fifty to a hundred feet ; none
had been very lately active. The entire surface of this part
of the island seems to have been permeated, like a sieve, by
the subterranean vapours ; here and there the lava, whilst
soft, has been blown into great bubbles ; and in other parts,
the tops of caverns similarly formed have fallen in, leaving
circular pits with steep sides. From the regular form of the
many craters, they gave to • the country an artificial appear-
ance, which vividly reminded me of those parts of Stafford-
shire, where the great iron• foundries are mostnumerous. The
day was glowing hot, and the scrambling over the rough
surface and through the intricate thickets, was very fatiguing;
but I was well repaid by the strange Cyclopean scene. As I
was walking along I met two large tortoises, each of which
must have weighed at least two hundred pounds ; one was
eating a piece of cactus, and as 1 approached, it stared at me
and slowly stalked away ; the other gave a deep hiss, and
drew in its head. These huge reptiles, surrounded by the
black lava, the leafless shrubs, and large cacti, seemed to my
fancy like some antediluvian animals. The few dull-coloured
birds cared no more for me than they did for the great
tortoises."
The Beagle then proceeded to Charles Island, another
of the group, upon which, within the last few years, a
colony has been established, by persons who have been
banished from the Republic of Quito for political offences:
" The inhabitants, although complaining of poverty, ob-
tain, without much trouble, the means of subsistence. In
the woods there are many wild pigs and goats ; but the staple
article of animal food is supplied by the tortoises. Their
numbers have of course been greatly reduced in this island,
but the people yet count on two days' hunting giving them
food for the rest of the week. It is said that formerly single
vessels have taken away as many as seven hundred, and
that the ship's company of a frigate some years since brought
down in one day two hundred tortoises to the beach."
The Galapagos are most interesting, however. to the
student of natural history, and, as Mr. Darwin well
observes—

" The natural history of these islands is eminently curious,
and well deserves attention. Most of the organic produc-
tions are aboriginal creations, found nowhere else; there is
even a difference between the inhabitants of the different
islands, yet all show a marked relationship with those of
America, though separated from that continent by an
open space of ocean, between 500 and 600 miles in width.
The archipelago is a little world within itself, or rather a
satellite attached to America, whence it has derived a few
stray colonists, and has received the general character of its
indigenous productions. Considering the small size of these
islands. we feel the more astonished at the number of their
aboriginal beings, and at their confined range. Seeing every
height crowned with its crater, and the boundaries of most of
the lava-streams still distinct, we are led to believe that
within a period, geologically recent, the unbroken ocean was
here spread out. Hence, both in space and time, we seem to
be brought somewhat near to that great fact—that mystery
of mysteries—the first appearance of new beings on this
earth."

Of the terrestrial mammals, there is but one that can
be considered indigenous to these islands, and that is a
species of mouse. Of land-birds, Mr. Darwin obtained
twenty-six kinds, all peculiar to the group, and found
nowhere else, with the exception of one lark-like finch,
from North America. But it is the reptiles which give
the most striking character to the zoology of these
Islands. There is one small lizard belonging to a South
American genus, and two species of the Amblyrhynchus,
a genus conined to the Gallapagos. There is one
species of snake, one or more species of sea-turtle, no
toads or frogs, and two or three species of tortoises.
These latter are the wonders of the island. The follow-
ing is Mr. Darwin's description of the appearance and
habits of this gigantic reptile :
" These animals are found, I believe, on all the islands of
the Archipelago ; certainly on the greater number. They
frequent in preference the high damp parts, but they like-
wise live in the lower and arid districts. I have already
shown'- from the numbers which have been caught in a
single day, how very numerous they must be. Some grow
to an immense size ; Mr. Lawson, an Englishman, and Vice-
Governor of the Colony, told us that he had seen several so
large, that it required six or eight men to lift them from the
ground; and that some had afforded as much as two hun-
dred pounds of meat. The old males are the largest, the
females rarely growing to so great a size ; the male can
readily be distinguished from the female by the greater
length of its tail. The tortoises which live on those islands
where there is no water, or in the lower and arid parts of the
others, feed chiefly on the succulent cactus. Those which
frequent the higher and damp regions, eat the leaves of
various trees, a kind of berry (called guayavita) which is
acid and austere, and likewise a pale green filamentous lichen
(U.snera plieata), that hangs in tresses from the boughs of
the trees.
"The tortoise is very fond of water, drinking large quan-
tities, and wallowing in the mud. The larger islands alone
possess springs, and these are always situated towards the
central parts, and at a considerable height. The tortoises,
therefore, which frequent the lower districts, when thirsty.
are obliged to travel from a long distance. Hence broad and
well-beaten paths branch off in every direction from the wells
down to the sea-coast ; and the Spaniards by following them
up, first discovered the watering-places. When I landed at
Chatham Island, I could not imagine what animal travelled
so methodic:illy along well-chosen tracks. Near the springs
it was a curious spectacle to behold many of these huge crea-
tures, one set eagerly travelling on with outstretched necks,
and another set returning, after basing drunk their fill.
When the tortoise arrives at the spring, quite regardless of
any spectator, he buries his head in the water above his eyes,
and greedily swallows great mouthfuls, at the rate of about
ten in 'a minute.' The inhabitants say each animal stays
three or four days in the neighbourhood of the water, and
then returns to the lower country ; but they differed re-
specting the frequency of these visits. The animal probably
regulates them according to the nature of the food on which
it has lived. It is, however, certain, that tortoises can sub-
sist even on those islands, when there is no other water than
what falls durin g a feW rainy days in the year.
" The torts: if :when purposely moving towards any point,
travel by night and day, and arrive at their journey's end
much sooner than would be expected. The inhabitants, from
observing marked individuals, consider that they travel a
distance of about eight miles in two or three days. One
large tortoise, which I watched, walked at the rate of sixty
yards in ten minutes, that is 360 yards in the hour, or
four miles a day,--allowing a little time for it to eat on the
road."

The flesh of this animal is largely used as food, both
fresh and salted, and a fine clear oil is prepared from
the fat. The Ambyrhynchus, too, a species of lizard,
about a yard long, is also used as food by the inhabi-
tants of Galapagos. The account. of the appearance
and habits of this reptile, which is peculiar to these
islands, is very interesting, but it is too long to extract,
and too important to abridge. Of fifteen kinds
ie of sea-
fish procured here all were new specs ; and of ninety
species of sea-shells found on these shores no less than
forty-Fix are unknown elsewhere. The insects are very
few. The botany of the group is as interesting as the
zoology. There are 185 species of flowering plants, and
of these 100 are new species, and probably confined to
the Galapagos. There is another remarkable feature in
the natural history of this Archipelago. The different
islands are, to a considerable extent, inhabited by a dif-
ferent set of beings. The tortoises of the differentislands differ not only in size but in character, and an
islander
IN,,1:11 at once tell from which of the islands a
with tortoise and the ethsaemreepdtiaffeesr,enanced
that we have barely
our authordetained plants.
e astaOwtaghueeiteen and New
"The :Queen is a largeolviiilward woman, without) aarne;
of
exasproest
oeordoeyraloalltteriirbouutme
beauty, grace, or dignity.
a perfect immoveability
stances, and that rather a sullen one."
He speaks of the New Zealanders as a war:lkeobut
dirty race, suinerior in physical strength to the
heitans, but inferior to them in intellectual
and in elegance of personal appearance. Mr. Darwin is
inclined to attribute very beneficial results to the labours
of the missionaries: in both these islands. He next
visited Australia, tb shores of which be says he quitted

without sorrow or regret. He then pioceeded to the
Keeling or Cocos Islands, situated in the Indian Ocean,
about 600-miles from the coast of Sumatra :

"Keeling Island is one of the lagoon islands (or atolls) of coral
formation, similar to those in the Low Archipelago which we
passed near. When the ship was in the channel at the en-
trance, Mr. Liesk, an English resident, came off in his boat.
The history of the inhabitants of this place, in as few words
as possible, is as follows. About nine years ago Mr. Hare
brought from the East Indian Archipelago a number of
Malay slaves, which now, including children, amount to more
than a hundred. Shortly afterwards, Captain Ross, who
had before visited these islands in his merchant ship, arrived
from England, bringing with him his family and goods for
settlement ; along with him came Mr. Liesk, who had been
a mate in his vessel. The Malay slaves soon ran away from
the islet on which Mr. Hare was settled, and joined Captain
Ross's party. Mr. Hare upon this was ultimately obliged to
leave the place.
"The Malays are now nominally in a state of freedom, and
certainly are so, as far as regards their personal treatment ;
but in most other points they are considered as slaves. From
tneir discontented state, from their repeated removals from
islet to islet, and perhaps also from a little mismanagement,
things are not very prosperous. The island has no domes-
tic quadruped, excepting the pig, and the main vegetable
production is the cocoa-nut. The whole prosperity of the
place depends on this tree : the only exports being oil from
she nut, and the nuts themselves, which are taken to Singa-
pore and Mauritius, where they are chiefly used, when
grated, in making curries. On the cocoa-nut, also, the pigs,
which are loaded with fat, almost entirely subsist, as do the
duck. and poultry. Even a huge land-crab is furnished by
nature with the means to open and feed on this most useful
production."
This island is a coral formation, and our author de-
votes some thirty or forty pages to a scientific account
of the theory of the formation of coral groups. He re-
turned to Europe by way of St. llelena and Brazil,
having completely circumnavigated the globe in not
quite five years. In the retrospect with which he con-
cludes, of the advantages and disadvantages, the pains
and the pleasures, attending a circumnavigation of the
globe, he thus speaks of the savage wandering wild in
his native woods :

" Of individual objects, perhaps nothing is more certain
to create astonishment than the first sight in his native haunt
of a barbarian,—of man in his lowest and most savage state.
One's mind hurricai back over past centuries, and then asks,
^ould our progenitors have been men like these ?—men,
whos6 very signs and expressions are leas intelligible to us
than those of the domesticated animals; men, who do not
ct of those animals, nor yet appear to boat
possess the itisCt'
of human reason
t least of arts consequent on that rea-
son. Ido not believe it is or ? .
possible to descrlbo or paint the
difference between savage
civilized man. It is the 43fr
ference between a wild and tanis7 animal : and part of the
e which would lead
interest in beholding a savage, is the sat,:.
every one to desire to see the lion in his dese:.*: the tiger
tearing his prey in the jungle, or the rhinoceros wanderi;::
over the wild plains of Africa."
Yet for even this degraded
being there is hope:—
"From seeing the present state, it is impossible not to look
forward with high expectation to the future progress of
nearly an entire hemisphere. The march of improvement,
consequent on the introduction of Christianity throughout
the South Sea, probably stands by itself in the records of his-
tory. It is the more striking when we remember that only
sixty years since, Cooke, whose excellent judgment none will
dispute, could foresee no prospect of a change. Yet these
changes have now been effected by the philanthropic spirit
of the British nation.

" In the same quarter of the globe Australia is rising, or
indeed may be said to have risen, into a grand centre of
civilization, which, at some not very remote period, will rule
as empress over the southern hemisphere. It is impossible
for an Engiishnian to behold these distant colonies, without a
high pride and satisfaction. To hoist the British flag, seems
to draw with it, as a certain consequence, wealth, prosperity,
and civilization."

Let us hope that it may even be thus—that among
savage nations the British flag may ever be the herald
of wealth, prosperity, and civilization; but, in order that
such should continue to be the case the theory of colo-
nization must be studied as a science, and carried out as
a national enterprise, not as a mere official job.

THUNDER-STOEM.—ROCIIESTEIt, SEPT. 22.—Yes-
terday evening, between 6 and 7 o'clock, this neighbourhood
was visited by a fearful storm, which furtunately was but of
short duration. The vivid flashes of lightning were followed
by thunder claps loud and deep, and accompanied by a heavy
shower of hail and rain, during which a young man, named
Catt, a brickmaker, about twenty years of age, lost his life.
He left Strood at 'about the commencement of the storm, on
his way to Cuxtone, a village on the bank of the Medway,
about three miles above Rochester-bridge, and before he had
proceeded one-third of the distance lost his life. The corpse
was found early this morning by a labouring man in the em-
ploy of Mr. William Manclark, near whose farm the melan-
choly catastrophe occurred. The electric fluid appears to
have struck the unfortunate man on his head,"one side of the
face being much burnt, his hat and clothes rent open, and his
shoes torn into shreds.
ItAILWAY WAR.—On Friday last upwards of
twenty men were engaged in Barnardcastle by the Directors
of the projected York and Carlisle Railway, to be stationed
on the various roads and bye-roads in the vicinity, for four-
teen days, to ascertain the traffic to and from the town. We
understand that strict orders have been issued by his Grace
the Duke of Cleveland and W. Morrett, Esq., of Roxeby, that
the men are by no means to be allowed shelter in the
dwelling-houses, nor even in the barns, on their estates.
Last week, Mr. Storey, of Auckland, was surveying in the
Fatty, near Barnardca.stle, belonging to the Duke, of which
the police being apprised they immediately proceeded
thither, and ordered him to desist, thus further proving the
verity of the paragraph lately going the rounds of the papers,
to the effect of his Grace's entire disapproval of a railway on
his estates.—Tyne Mercury.
EAsT SUFFOLK MILITIA.—Orders were received
at Ipswich, on Thursday, from Government, for the staff of
the East Suffolk• Militia to hold themselves in readiness to
undergo inspection, preparatory to completing their numbers.
Similar orders, we believe, have been issued to the staff of
the West Suffolk Militia, and to the staffs generally through-
out the kingdom. It is expected that these orders are pre-
liminary to the Militia force beim-, embodied and trained in
the ensuing spring; but it is not known at present whether
the necessary complements of men will be raised by ballot
or by beat of drum. The Government will proceed on the
most economical but efficient plan; and we understand it is
not improbable that the East and West Suffolk Regiments
will be consolidated under the command of the Duke of
Grafton.—lpswich JournaL
DUDLEY.—FATAL COLLIERY ACCIDENT.—On Fri-
day last an accident occurred at the Waggon Colliery, by
which three men were severely injured. It appeared that
they had done their day's work, but remained down the pit
after the others had gone up for the purpose of working all
night. They had, however, only begun to work a short time
when a quantity of coal fell upon them. One man was so
much injured that he was taken home in a senseless state,
and died as soon as he was taken up stairs. His name is
Joseph Vanes, and he has left a wife and family. An in-
quest has been held on the body by William Robinson, Esq.,
coroner, and a verdict of " Accidental death" returned. The
other two men, whose names• we did not ascertain, are not
so severely injured, but little hopes are entertained for one of
them.— Worcestershire Chronicle.
POSI,OPFICES.—It. is to be very much regretted
(and a discredit to the patties who are guilty) that it is a
practice, almost general, of posting letters and papers at the
last extremity in commencing making up the mail-bags. It
is also a too common practice of prepaying in cash instead of
the stamp, and thereby rendering an additional inconvenience
to postmasters. The public have the penny-postage boon,
and it is only reasonable and fair that they should not incom-
mode postmasters, but, on the contrary, assist them in their
vastly- increased labours as far as possible. Let those who are
thus careless (some, it is to be feared, purposely inconvenience
postmasters) only consider if they had to go back to the old
postage. The excellent maxim of doing as you would be
done unto ought to be acted upon. The better plan for post-
masters to adopt, in those places where they are inconve-
nienced by late posting of letters and papers, to represent the
fact to the Postmaster-General, and obtain permission to
close the letter-box half-an-hour or an hour earlier, and then
the careless and Me purposely-inconveniencing parties would
be put to the "right-about."

DREADFUL COACH ACCIDENT.—In these days
when railway accidents are made known to the public wall
every minute circumstance detail ed, if not heightened, to
excite the fears of the timid, and when we daily hear the
votaries of the road mourning the departure of the coach and
its sporting steeds, as if a golden era had passed away, it
is only equitable that the casualties connected with the
latter mode of travelling should meet with the same pub-
licity. Those who yield no credence to statistics may thus
have cases in point placed before them, and the railway de-
tractor may be answered by the impartial audi alter-inn
partem. On Friday last, the 19th instant, an accident oc-
curred to the coach running between Margate and Canter-
bury. Half a mile from the latter city the horses broke into
a headlong speed, and in wheeling round a corner the vehicle
was overturned within a yard or two of the Ramsgato coach,
which had scarcely sufficient tifne to get out of the way.
The outsiders were scatterred around in all directions, the
horses fell, and the coach was thrown flat upon its side.
Every person was mme or less injured, and although no loss
of life ensued, several individuals experienced severe contu-
sions. One gentleman outside was raised covered -with
blood and seriously hurt, and an elderly lady inside was
much wounded by the broken glass. The only being that
escaped was an infant, who was rescued unharmed. The
cause of this accident has not yet transpired, so that we are
unable to give further particulars at present.
THE SEAS THE SEA !—We have received tidings
of the tide, which is making what may be termed a tidy
meal of the Cliffs at Cromer. Neptune, if he does not play a
tremendous knife and fork, is somewhat formidable with his
trident; and when he takes it into his head to gulp down a
cliff or two, he sho*S'himself possessed of an awful swallow
If his is not the devburing element, it is not far short of it.
when he makes up bus mind to a feast; and we are told he
has just gulped down twelve acres of cliff at Cromer. He
has bolted it stone and all, as a child does a cherry. We
have heard it said, that " one swallow does not make a sum-
mer," but one such swallow as that described is rather a
summary proceeding, to say the least of it.—Punch.
NORTH UNION RAILWAY.—The negotiations for
leasing this line to the Grand Junction Railway Company
were brought to a close on Monday last, by the directors of
the North Union agreeing to a lease of the line to the Grand
Junction, on the terms of 10 per cent. on stock A, and 7
per cent. on stock B. This agreement is, of course, subject
to the sanction of the shareholders. On dit, that the Liver-
.

pool , and Bury Railway Company (Bolton, Wigan, and
Liverpool), will be amalgamated with the projected Leeds
and Liverpool line.—Bolton Free Press.
MELANCHOLY DEATH OF A GENTLEMAN.—Mr.
Baker resumed and concluded an inquiry yesterday at the Earl Grey
Tavern, Mile-end-road, respecting the death of Mr. James Smith,
aged sixty-one years. Police-constable 334 K stated that the de-
ceased was a gentleman of fortune, and resided at Maunders-terrace,
Lower Mile-end-road. On Friday night last, whist on duty, wit-
ness heard a noise similar to a person snoring. He knocked at
the door, but received no answer. About a quarter to six on
the following morning a man who was going to work on the
premises came to witness and said some person was lying in
the passage either drunk or very ill. Witness then obtained
assistance, and took the- door down from its hingss, when the
deceased was discovered with his head hanging down the staircase

and his feet against the deq. He was insensible and in a state of

paralysis. Mr. William Llewellyn. surgeon. said he was called to

see the deeasedon the morning in question ; he was insensible, but

witness prescribed for him, and he subsequently rallied and made
his will. He became worse on Saturday evening, and died at tour
o'clock on Sunday morning from fracture of the cervical vertebra.

The deceased stated to witness that he had fallen down stairs about
half-past ten on Friday night, which would no doubt account for the

accident. The deceased les‘left about 20,0001., to be equally shared
amongst his relatives. The coroner, after taking other evidence, re-
marked on the extraordinary nature of the case ; after which the
. .

lury returned a verdict of " Accidental death."

HEAVY LUGGAGE.—The papers complain of the
bad state of the roads in Spain. No wonder! Isn't Mon-
sieur Thiers travelling therewith his manuscripts I—Punch.
CIIELTENRAINI REGISTRATION. The result is
highly favourable to the Liberal cause, giving us a total gain
On this year's registry alone of about 90 votes, and enabling
us to look forward to an election, come when it may, with
perfect confidence in the success of the Liberal candidate.--
Cheltenham Examiner.