The Sun.
London, England, 1829-04-20 00:00:00

AUTOGRAPHS.

We have before us a considerable number of au-
tographc, and on a few of these we propose to make
some brief observations.

Here is a long letter of Voltaire. How regular,
how clear, how careful, with how few marks of in-
dividuality of character ! Here is scarcely a trace of
imagination or of feeling; no hurrying earnestness,
scarcely a single letter completely and roundly
formed, and a sort of contemptuous dash or pig tail
at the end of many of his words, full of scorn and
impertinence.

Heyne is in his writing exactly what he was in
reality—firm, upright, formal, with some angularity
and a good deal of eccentricity. Every word looks
as if, in inditing it, he had overcome no less diffi-
culties than those which beset his life.
The next letter is Madame de Stael's. The
writing is hasty and irregular; and its imperfection
seems as if it proceeded from eagerness and care-
lessness, rather than from inability to exhibit hue
mind, or the want of any to exhibit. There is
throughout the penmanship a singular mixture of
weakness and strength ; and he must be a novice in
billet-doux who does not perceive, at a glance, the
warmth, boldness, and decision of her miml.

Then we find a letter by Franklin in his 75th
year. The hand is of a mercantile character, and
as flowing, clerk-like, and complete as possible. All
is regular and formal; and Were are in his dashes,
flourishes, and spaces, abundant tokens of that per-
sonal vanity wherein Franklin was by no means
deficient.

A long letter of Christina of Sweden exhibits a
very characteristic penmanship. The lines are
crooked and irregular, and full of the marks of
haste; the letters large, dashing, angular, imperfect,
and ill-connected. The writing must strike every
one as indicative of pretension, vanity, carelessness,
and passion, and very meagre in feeling.
Here are a few lines from the pen of the yotwg
Pretender, as weak and full of failure as his life.

Next, we have a letter of Robespierre, (a fellow-
townsman of Vidocq, both were born at Arras,) and
a more celebrated rascal than he. In this writing
we see but little attention to details, and yet no
openness or grandeur in the forms. Yet the execu-
tion is freer and better than the conception. There
is no elegance any where, nothing like a flourish ex-
cept at his own name. It would seem that he had
no pleasure in beauty or ornament not connected
directly with his own importance. Nothing can be
conceived more opposite to boldness and exuberance
of mind; and though the letter is very short, and
not a public one, it contains several corrections of
words, which indicate a certain study of effect. One
fancies the writing to be full of cunning and meati-
ness.

A few lines by Calvin are as bold, energetic, and
decided as possible. Many of the letters are ill-
conceived, but they are executed (like Servetus)
with the utmost determination and vigour. It seems
as if he bad thought of nothing but going right on
to the end of his design, and stamping his name on
it when completed ; and the effect, though abund-
antly strong, is rough and hurried. There is no or-
nament whatever.

We have before us a few lines by Raphael, which
are as peculiar and as beautiful in point of penman-
manship as could be expected from him. It is round,
bold, clear, and graceful, and a feeling of the beauti-
ful seems to have been present to him in the forma,
tionof every letter.

Next is a letter of Sir Walter Scott, of which the
hand-writing is chiefly remarkable for its manly and
unpretending character. It bears the impress in
every letter of a strong and well-developed character.
A long letter from Queen Elizabeth to Henry
of France, is as flighty and complex in penmanship
as she was in mind. It displays considerable energy
and great eagerness of character; but much also of
uncertainty, confusion, inconsistency, and ostentat;:on.
We then find a MS. by Fenelon,—first -page of
" Telemaque." Most of our readers mu
with horror those weary words, "
„e
pou-
voit se consoler du depart d'Ulvs„:, r.,t recollect
How often
have they put us in need Consolation ! How
often have we thumbed them; lots, often, alas !
drenched them with tzr:,r sorrows ! We can scarcely
see them even in o:,e hand-writing of Fenelon with-
out a feeling of detestation. The writing, however,
is fair and pleasant; rather feeble, indeed, and
meagre, but clear, regular, and elegant.—Aihenceuin.

Hooping-cough is very prevalent in
brand at present, and has proved fatal in sever-
instances.
:
—Perth Courier.

FRUITS OF EDUCATION,—Amongst the
proofs adduced of the salutary Inoral effects resulting from
early education, it would he difficult to fin I one more
powerful than the gratifying fact stated by Mr. FIELD-
ING, at the annual meeting of the friends of the Lancas
terikm Sohool, on Monday last,—namely, that after the
most rigid inquiry, it was pretty correctly ascertained, that
out of the 14,000 children educated in that Institution,
since its establishment, not more than six had proved de-
linquents, or been confined within the walls of a prison.—
Manchesti* Mercury.

LAUGHTER.—There may be various modes
of weeping, said our leviathan, hut mankind have always
laughed the same way. We deny it. Mankind laughed
in a variety of ways the other night at the new farce._., One man dropped his bead into the bowels of his hands,
and laughed until the seat on which we sit quivered under
hint , another laughed in a little occasional spasm that shot
ever his emaciated features like a paiafid communication
from the stomach ; a third growled under his upper jaw,
as if he would suffocate the joy in his throat ; while a
fourth, ever and anon, heaved backwards and forwards,
wriggling a play-bill in his hand, and uttering tones like
the squeals eia pea-ben. If there were not abundant di-
versities in these expressions of comicality, we need not
refer to a fifth illustration, in the person of a fat man who
got up into a corner to laugh unobserved, and to evade the
too broad effect of the stage humour, which seemed to
glare upon him when he sat in the front seat of the box
this only individual repeatedly wiped his forehead, which
was bald ; giggled like a child, sometimes folded his arms
to rest them, then pressed hisliands on his sides, then dried
Iris eyes, for his tears fell tumultuously, and finally sat down
to take breath. All the philosophy in England could not
harmonise the fat man's laughter to that of any other per-
son ; it would be cruel to demand ,

SPIRIT OF THE LONDON JOURNALS.

(FROM THE rIMES.)

Whoever takes the trouble to examine the pro-
ceedings of the Irish Catholics in Dublin, since the
passing of the Bill for their Relief, will see reason
to applaud the good sense, generosi,y, and manly
dignity which have restrained them from indulging
any ostentatious expressions of triumph on this
consummation or their fondest hopes, and this sig-
nal overthrow of their inveterate and calumnious
adversaries. It is impossible for any line of conduct
to have been drawn with more sagacious judgment,
or followed up in a more kindly and becoming
spirit, than that of the Catholics, on an occasion so
calculated to bring the higher qualities of a suscep-
tible people to the proof. They not only disdained
to illuminate their houses, or to form processions,
or, by any other mode of vulgar demonstration, to
utter the feelings which so deeply moved them ;
but the sound principle on which they abstained—
the noble and even touching consideration which
inspired their forbearance—namely, an unwilling.
ness to wound the self-love, or to prolong the dis-
satisfaction, of those who had for so many years
resisted every measure for their happiness—must,
we are sore, administer to all classes of their fellow-
subjects additional motives for self-congratulation
at having won over such a grateful and devoted race
of men to a perpetual union of hand and heart with
England.
(FROM THE MORNING CHRONICLE.)

Our readers may recollect, that the Committee
on the Police of the Metropolis, in their Report,
recommended a plan of Police, of which they gave

an outline :
" That there shall be constituted an Office of Police,
acting under the immediate directions of the Secretary
of State for the Home Department, upon which shall be
devolved the general controls! over the whole of the esta-
blishments of Police of every denomination, including the
nightly watch. • . . That the Magistrates
att wised to this office should be relieved from the dis-
charge of those ordinary duties -which necessarily occupy so
mitich of the time of the pretient Police Magistrates; and
that they should be the centre of an intimate and constant
communication with the other Police Offices, on all mat-
ters relating to the disturbance of the public peace, and to
the commission of all offences of a serious character. .
. . The Police Magistrate, in a great city, may
be considered as an executive as well as a judicial officer;
and one of the chief advantlges of the establishment of a
Head Office of Pol ce would consist, in the opinion of your
Committee, in its possessing a general superintending au-
thority in matters of Police, which should remedy the in-
convenience that at present results from the independent
and unconnected action of the several Police offices."
We this day publish Mr. Peel's Police Bill,
whiek, it will be seen, is an attempt to give effect
to the recommendations of the Committee. The
Bill serves to clear up several points respecting
which Me. Peel's speech left us in doubt. The
three Justices of the new Police-office are " to
execute the duties of a Justice of the Peace at the
said office, and in all parts of the counties of Mid-
dlesex, Surrey, Hertford, Essex and Kent, together
with such other duties as shall be hereinafter speci-
fied, or as shall be from time to time directed by one
of his Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State for
the more efficient administration of the Police with-
in the limits." These are not to act at General or
Quarter Sessions, nor in any matters out of Sessions,
except for the preservation of the peace, the preven-
tion of crimes, the detection of offenders, &c. We
think it would have been better to have had one
head, and two or three subordinate Magistrates. Re-
sponsibility is always weakened by being divided.—
Where there are several functionaries equal in rank,
any negligence or want of activity cannot be so
easily brought home to any of them. In several of
our large cities there is a head, who has the title of
Superintendent of Police, and from this circum-
stance there is a unity of operations in their Police
matters- A Police force for the whole of the Me-
tropolitan District is to be appointed by the direc-
tions of one of his Majesty's principal Secretaries of
Plate, and to obey the Police Justices. The Jus-
tices may, " from time to time, subject to the ap-
probation of one of his Majesty's principal Secre-
taries of State, frame such orders and regulations as
they shall deem expedient, relative to the general
government of the men to be appointed members
of the Police force under this Act, the places of their
residence, the classification, rank, and particular
service of the several members, their distribution
and inspection, the description of arms, accoutre-
ments, and other necessaries to be furnished to
there, and which of them shall be provided with
horses for the performance of their duty, and all
such other orders and regulations relative to the
said Police force, as the said Justices or any two of
them shall from time to time deem expedient for
preventing neglect or abuse, and for rendering such
force efficient in the discharge of all its duties."—
It is ootorious that, under the existing system of
Police, the officers have an interest in the encou-
ragement of depredation. In the organization
of a Slew Police force, much of its efficiency
will necessarily depend on the success with
which the officers are acted on by interest
and fear. We perceive that 8 discretionary
power is given to one of his Majesty's principal
Secretaries of State, to regulate the salaries, wages,
and allowances; to allow extraordinary expences„
and to give rewards for extraordinary diligence or
exertion, compensation for injuries received in the
performance of their duties, and superannuated al-
lowances. If this part of the plan be well executed
we have great hopes from it. Make the situation
of a deserving officer such as to enable him to live
comfortably, and give him besides the hope that, by
meritorious conduct, he can raise himself, whereas,
by conducting himself negligently or corruptly, he
may be dismissed at a moment's notice, and thereby
forfeit the provision to which lie would be entitled
in his old age, and it will not be difficult to obtain
meritorious officers. The whole of their reward
will be derived from the public purse, a most im-
portant point ; for were police-officers to be selected
from Saints, the allowing individuals to retain and
fee them, would instantly corrupt them. We are
sorry to perceive that the privileges of the city of
London are suffered bete, as in other respects, to
stand in the way of the public service. The great
object in a matter of this kind is, that the Police
Magistrates should have a thorough knowledge of the
whole district. But here a spot is withdrawn from
their jurisdiction, and from the exertions of their
officers, which lies in the very heart of the'r district.
Vteir measures may be in a great measure frustrated
by their ignorance of what may be going on in a
place, which may be a refuge for thieves. Upon
the whole we would fain hope that this measure
will be a great improvement to our present police,
and that the more vulgar descriptions of crime will
be materially checked by it. But there are innu-
merable ways of robbing, extensively resorted to in
this most moral nation, which, however criminal in
reality, can with difficulty be checked by any police.
However, it is a great matter to be able to repress
crimes in the common acceptation of the word.
(FROM THE NEWS.)
" say yon grey is not the morning's eye."

. _
THE FRENCH AND THE ENGLISH MINISTRIES.--.-
The French Minister, M. Martignac, a skilful and
wary politician, from whom much had been expect-
ed, has not only done nothing to redeem the pledges
made in his name, but he has lost both himself and
his colleagues by an attempt at a narrow and ill-
timed system of departmental policy that was not
adapted to the political temper of the day ; in Eng-
land, on the contrary, the Duke of Wellington,froin
whom nothing had been expected, worthy even or
the Ultras to whom it was deemed he incurably be-
longed,—has achieved a bold national measure in
which all his predecessors had failed; and with a
firmness and straightforwardness of manner as rare
in our national Councils as the liberality of the
principle on which it moved. These circumstances,
as regards both France and England,—coincident
in their relative importance,—will throw the march
of things out of the old channel. The Editor of
the Constitutionnel says, that England has " ex•
tended its base ;" while France has contracted her's
in an inverse ratio. Speculative politicians in both