The Sun.
London, England, 1842-01-10 00:00:00

:PUBLIC OPINION.

The object of the principal leading article in the.
Morning Chronicle, is to show that the idea of restricting
manufactures, as alluded to, in a Tory jottrual, of Fri-
day, is 'not only absurd, but absolutely
,imposlihle.; and
that Sir Robert Peel is far too shrewd a man of the world
to dream of countenancing, even for a moment, any such
preposterous and impraet.eabre project. "We are told,"
adds the Chronicle," that Sir R. Peel has a heart, which
is what is always said by vulgar people, when they want
to coax some one into doing something particularly
foolish. We have no doubt that Sir R. Peel has a heart;
and it is even more certain that he has a tongue. But
he has also, indisputably, some brains ; and he has not
quite the heart that would enable him, despite the warn-
ing which his brains would give him, to enter on so stu-
pendous a course of folly and wickedness, as that of li-
miting the use of machinery."
The Times observes, in an article on the subject of
machinery, its moral and economical effects, and capa-
bility of extension, that no Committee can add anything
to our knowledge, beyond a few speculations of selected
individuals ; and adds, " there is no difficulty as to the
facts ; we do not doubt the readiness of the (government
to accept the view taken of them by-the Ten Hours' De-
putation. The difficulty is, how to deal with those facts,
when ascertained." _

The Advertiser, alluding to the returns of Lord Stan-
ley and Sir James Graham from their visit to the Duke
of Buckingham at Stowe, expresses its opinion that they
have found his Grace as dogged and inexorable as ever ;
for, had it been otherwise, the whole town would last
night have rung with the intelligence.
The Post, in an article suggested by Mr. Stevenson's
last note on the question of the Right of Search, states
that this gentleman's proceedings in sending an official
despatch on so important a question, under circumstances
which precluded an immediate reply to it, would fully
justify a departure from established usage, and the pub-
lication of the reply, without waiting for the printing of it.
The Herald contains all article on the Slave- trade,
wherein our Contemporary remarks that we must either
demonstrate to the doubting world that free labour, when
the supply is equal to the demand, in the tropics, is ,
superior to; 'and cheaper than Slave labour, or we must:
in reality abandon all but the immediate object of the
Emancipation Act.
IVIONZY—TRADE-L,COMMERCE. '
Mr. Robert Smith, the tiller of the Glasgow and Ship:
Bank, in that city, has been taken into custody' on a'
charge of embezzlement to upwasdsof 2,000/. ; and with
him also Mr. James Wishart, wine-merchant, who is
supposed to have received from the former, cash to the
.amount of 6,0001. After examination before ,the Ma-
gistrates on Tuesday last, they were both committed to
the North Prison to be further examined.
The forty-second annual meeting of the Commercial
Travellers' Society took place on Thursday, 'when it
appeared from the report, that the Society had relieved
1,150 individuals since its Commencement, and' there, at
present remain on the fund 201 members: .
The Duke of Lucca has granted his assent to the for-
mation of a company for making _a ,railroad 'between
Lucca and Pisa, to be connected with that he,t4teen Pisa
and Leghorn, which is now carrying into execution.

NAVAL AND IVLIMITAXT.-, -
An elegantly mounted sword was on Wedifeidaypre-
sented to Capt. Robert Peel, at Tamwortb,
,by The yoo-
manry of that county, as a mark of their '
LAW AND POLICE, • ,
At Greenwich Police Court, Mr. Serie,' the landlord
of the Freemason's Arms, and 11.1 r. Ward, of the Fish-
ing Smack, both in Old King-Street; Deptford,_ were
summoned by a police serweatit, for 'keeping their
houses open after 12 o'clock on Sunday morning. In
the first case all the customers,' according• to the in-
former, had left the house by. a quarter past'l2.` the
Magistrate, on hearing this, at once dismissed the
charge, and dismissed the other case without:.'hearing
it. These police inspectors and sergeants 'are Very-suc-
cessful in rendering this new force utterly edidirs to
the public.
At Kensington, six boys, between the ages df 11 and
14, were brought before the' Magistrate.' thated with
stealing five sovereiems, the property-of Mr. Tlhodes, of
Newland-street. The prdsecutoi admitted that his ne-
phew had taken the money, but said the'otherprisoners
were also concerned in it. Three of them Were dis-
charged, and: the nephew with the others Were remanded
to the New Prison till Tuesday. The boys',:, of course,
will be greatly itnpoved in character and morals by this
confinement in gaol.
A gentleman applied to the sitting Magistrate at
Marlborough-street on Friday for a summons against
the
pirectors of the Birmingham Rail Way. It appeared
that a hamper of game had been sent from the country
addressed to him, and a clerk of the Company admitted
that it had reached the station, but could not now be
found. As railway carriages did not come within the
operation of the Act of Parliament, relative to carriers,
the complainant was informed that he should apply to
the Court of Conscience.

Samuel Richardson, the incendiary, pleaded guilty on
Tuesday last, to setting fire to Panfield farm, and was
sentenced to fifteen years' transportation.

LITERARY AND SCIENTIFIC.
The magnetic disturbances which Professor Airey
observed at Greenwich on the 25th of September last,
and an account of which then appeared in The Sun,
appear to have been simultaneous on the same day and
the 26th, at Canada, the East Indies,- St. Helena, and the
Cape of Good Hope, at which last' place the disturbance
was greatest.
Amongst recent geological discoveries, the coal of
the island of Borneo is found to be very superior, and
the mineral most abundant. PulC,C'heremin, an island
at the embouchure of the Borneo 'river, presents on its
c9ast a naked surface of coal, and it is from the glisten-
ing appearance occasioned by 'this cause, that it has
obtained its name, which means " Mirror Island."
COURT--FASHIONABLE.
The Dowager Duchess of Bedford, and the Ladies G.
and R. Russell have arrived at Naples for Nice.
The Duke and Duchess of Buceleuch are expected
shortly at Montagu House, in order, to attend the Royal
Christening.
The Earl aria Corititesi of 1-faddinglon 'arrived. at the
Aamiralty•en.Fritittrevbititt fgae.t3pgfiton.
The' Earl of Westmorland il,_-Itoinnderotund,,%ri the
eve of returning to this country froin',Berlin, in order to
settle the affairs of his father.
Among the recent fashionable arrivals at Hastings
are the Earl and Countess of Eg,linton.
The Earl and Countess of Fortescue and Lord Ebring-
ton have returned to Castle Hill, Devon, from Brighton.
MISCELLANEOUS.
A second, or rather a further slip of the preceding,
took place on Friday morning on the Croydon Railway;
the fall of earth was great, and covered the rails on
both sides, to a depth of nine fe.et.
Yesterday was the anniversary of the death of William
du Bellai, Lord of Langei, a French General, in the ser-
vice of Francis I. He was so able a negotiator, that the
Emperor Charles used.to say of him, that " Lanoei's pen
had fought more against him than all the lances of
France."
The death of Colonel Basset, Governor of the Mili-
tary Knights of Windsor, which occurred last Friday,
leaves the office open for the appointment of Sir James
Graham. Captain Cummins is spoken of as his successor.
Sir Samuel Hannay, for many years in the service of
the Emperor of Austria, died in that capital on the
Ist instant.
The Royal twelfth cake sent down to Windsor Castle
was beautifully ornamented with some of the more re-
markable scenes for which Donnybrook Fair has long
been renowned.
At Berlin the chief topic of conversation is the, King
of, Prussia's visit to England. Ile is to depart for this
country on the pith inst.

THE LIVERPOOL CORPORATION SCHOOLS.
—A long, dull, and stormy debate in the Town-Council,
cm WOne§day, wto closed by the
Tories consummating,
in spite of the protests of some of the most intelligent
and respectable of their party, the
long-threatened act
of cruelty and injustice, by voting the exclusion of all
children of varents in Catholic communion from the
Corporation Schools.—Liverpooi Journal.

THE WEATHER —PARIS, WEDNESDAY.—
By M. Chevalier's thermometer, at four o'clock yester-
day morning, the temperature was at four degrees below
zero of the Centigrade scale, 25 degrees of Fahrenheit,
and remained so stationary, that at mid-day it had faller
only seven-tenths of the former, 91- ope-£clixtb of degree
pf the latter;

FINE ARTS.

POLISH GEMS.

Our attention has been drawn to a valuable
Collection of Medallions, amounting to upwards
of twelve hundred, all of them more or less an-
tique, which were for many years in the posses-
sion of the Kings of Poland, who kept gradually

adding to their number during successive reigns
—especially the Prince, Poniatowski, a sovereign

passionately fond ior, the Fihe Arts, who made
such additions to the collection, that at length

he could boast of possessing the most splendid
and extensive cabinet" of Gems in Europe. On
his death, this•cabinet luckily escaping the grasp
of Russia, lbund its way to England, and was
purchased at a great cost, by a gentleman named
Tyrrell; who has now for some time been engaged
in the arduous task of giving proof impressions of
thetii, which preserve with the utmost fidelity

all the delineations and expression of the origi-

nals. A box containing five drawers filled with

these impresssions is HOW lying- on our table;

we have carefully compared them with the Gems
from which they are taken, and have been asto-
nished and delighted with their uncommon accu-
racy, even in matters of the minutest detail.
Nothing but the must unwearied diligence, corn.

bined with the most exquisite delicacy of touch,
could have enabled the artist to convey so per-
fect a transcript of the original Medallions. The
subjects embrace many of the most important
and curious particulars of the Grecian and 14.
man mythology—the achievements and adven-
tures of the celebrated personages recorded in

fabulous and heroic history—and some of the best
episodes in the Iliad, the Odyssey, and the
2Eneid. Thus recommended, we can conceive no

works of art better calculated to make their im-

mediate way with the public ; to inculcate prin-

ciples of purer or more refined taste; Or to im-
part more various entertainment and instruction
to a larger class of the community. To the pain-
ter and sculptor they will afford suggestions of
the highest value ; the explorer of the mytho-

logical traditions of ancient Greece and Rome
will find that they help to throw light upon more

than one doubtful point; and the poet will be

delighted with the inimitable forms of grace and
beauty which they spread out in lavish profusion

before his eyes. Indeed they may be said to

offer such a rare intellectual banquet as none can
turn aside from with indifference, but those who

are dead to all the finer instincts of our nature.

Restricted, as the Medallions ftecessarily are, in

point of dimension, it is singular with what uni-
form correctness the proportions of the human
figure are maintained throughout them. The
most fastidious anatomist can find nothing to ob-
ject to in their treatment of the male and female
form. Symmetrical arrangement is neveg for an
instant lost sight of. The truth of nature is never
once sacrificed to effect. All is in perfect keep-
ing; and as for the grouping in some of the more
crowded Medallions, never have we seen any-
thing to equal its chaste, classic beauty. And
then the forms of female loveliness that are pre-`
seated to our gaze I The bounding wood nymphs

who seem to move with so light and airy a step
as scarcely to crush the flowers whereon they
tread! The incomparable Venus Anadyomene

rising in all the glowing freshness of youth and
health, and bearing evidences of the divinity in
the'Serene and lofty expression of her matchless
countenance! Well may Canova have studied
these Medallions, in order to gather hints for
hiS. delineations of the female form ! He
has turned them to excellent account, but
his imitations are in no one instance
equal to the original designs. We proceed
to notice a few of the more remarkable Gems.

No.. 31, " Ganymede presenting a Cup of Nectar
to the Eagle of Jupiter" merits special praise for
the exquisite manner in which the royal bird of
Jove is finished off. The plumage, in particular,
has all the light, feathery look of nature; without
one particle of hardness or stiffness. No. 44,
" J upiter as a Bull, crossing the
.§ea:With Europa
on his back," is as full of expression as the theme
will admit of. The animal seems proud of his
fair burden, and scours across the wave at a pro-
digious rate, while Europa is, apparently; quite
resigned to his guidance. Her figure teems with
youthful grace and flexibility of limb, and her
face has a true feminine delicacy of outline. No.
151, " Jupiter, in order to obtain the favours of
Ihgina, changes himself into a flame of fire"—in
this Gem the chief beauty consists in the figure of
iEgina, who is running ayray from the embraces
of the combustible Deity, developing, in her
movements, the full, harmonious proportions
of her rounded and agile form. Her half
averted face turned back in alarm on the pur-
suing God, is pourtrayed with consummate talent.
No. 70, " Juno confiding the infant Mars to
Priapus to educate," is a perfect study, so far as
the grouping of the characters is concerned, and
might be consulted with advantage by some of our
more ambitious modern artists,who think that mere
showy, meretricious colouring, unaccompanied
with other requisites, will suffice to constitute the
painter. NO. 75, " The Cyclops presenting the
'Trident to Neptune," is one of the boldest and
most vigorously-executed of the Gems. The at-

itude of the g►ant, who is leaning forward on a

ledge of rocks, is replete with spirit, and even
grandeur; and there is much force and grace in
the figures of the plunging winged horses, who
arc drawing the car of the Ocean-Deity. No.
94, Head of Pluto," has just the stern, inexor-
able, gloomy expression, which the ancient poets
assigned to the countenance of this God. • No.
91, " Pluto carrying off Proserpine in a Qua-
driga," contains a remarkably spirited group of
horses, the variety of whose attitudes will strike
every one who has the slightest relish for the
niceties of design. The subject is conceived in
the most poetic spirit, and the vigour and anima-
tion of life breathe throughout the sketch. No.

11, " Atys changed to a Pine Tree"—this Me-
dallion represents the act of transformation as just
commenced; and the face of the victim, just
peering above the lower branches of the trees,
wears an appropriate look of horror and bewil-
derment. N ear him, with her head resting on
a small detached fragment of a rock, is seen a
slumbering female, whoSe relaxed muscles, and
right arm drooping heavily along her side, show
how profound is her, state of repose. No. 19,