The Sun.
London, England, 1842-11-07 00:00:00

THE S.U'N,AJONDON; MONDAY MORNING. 'NOVEMBER 7, , 1842.

LITERATURE.

NARRATIVE OF THE EXPEDITION TO

CHINA. 2 Vas. CoMuni, Londan, 1842.
The author of this Narrative is Captain Elliot.
Bingham, late First Lieutenant of the -I,lfodeste,
who, a voucher for the uniform accuracy of his
statements, observes, " in many of the incidentS
selected I was myself an actor; where that %vas
not the case, and I am consequently unable to
speak from personal knowledge, I have had re-
course to the most correct and authentic
sources of information." Captain Bingham
need hardly have told us this, for .the internal
evidence of the work is quite sufficient to prove
its authenticity; and, indeed, it may be consi-
sidercd as one of the most lucid, copious, and
satisfactory- publications that hare yet appeared
on the subject of the Chinese- war, whether
we regard the vigour and simplicity of its
style, the fullness of its details, or the evidently
unexaggerated character of its statements. The
au thorcommences his narrative with his departure.
in 1840 from the Cape, when Admiral Elliot was
appointed Commander-in-Chief of the expedi-
tion against the Chinese. Little of interest oc-
curred, until. the Modeste, to which Captain
Bingham was attached, reached- Sincapore, of
which we have a lively, entertaining account.
This town, it seems, owes its origin to the-clear
judgment of the late Sir Stamford Raffles, and is
more remarkable for its. rapid growth, than any
other of the British possessions. Its population in
1819, when it was first taken possession of by the
English, amounted to about 150 persons, pirates
and -fishermen, whose huts were of the most
wretched description; and in. 1840, when a cen-.,
sus was taken, its population had advanced to about
35,000. The settlement, howevermore espe-
cially the town—of Sincapore, lilbours under one
great disadvantage. There is a distressing dearth
Of women, who are the scarcest of all comModi- •
ties there. Only 4,000 females are to be found
in a spot boasting of 40,000 inhabitants, so that
there is actually only one lady to eight and a half
gentlemen—a cruel and most unnatural dispro-
portion ! But if women are scarce, it is
consoling to reflect that turtle is plentiful,
and the author frequently purchased them,
weighing three hunired weight, for one
dollar. On reaching the Chinese _seas, the'
Modeste joined the squadron, under the com-
mand of Captain Elliot, and took an active share
in the hostilities then going forward. The Nar-
rative is here exceedingly amusing, though not a
few of the incidents have already found their way
into print. The gallant author is no admirer of
the Chinese character, but- entertains pretty
nearly the same opinion of it that Lord Macart-
ney and other experienced travellers hive enter-
tained and expressed. In speaking of the opium
question, he expressly states that " opium the
Chinese will have; and experience has proved
that all the obstacles and difficulties thrown
in the way of the trade. have only tended
to increase it and extend it along the whole coast
coast of China." We conclude our brief notice
by a quotation from the first volume, wherein
Captain Biaggi= describes the sufferings that
Mrs. Noble and some other English prisoners
sustained at the hands of the Chinese -- •
No sooner had they been seized, than to prevent
their running away, they were bastinadoed imme-
diately above the knee, or. almost indeed upon it.
They would have treated Mrs. Noble in the same
brutal and still more indecent manner had it not.been
for the spirited conduct of Mr. Douglas, notwith-
standing which she received several blows. Chains
were then put round their - necks, and they were
hurried, or rather dragged to a large city, through
the streets of which they were paraded, subjected to
the hootings and- howlings of the assembled savages.
They were then taken to a joss-house, where one of
the soldiers forcibly wrenched Mrs. Noble's wedding-
ring from her finger. Lieutenant Douglas's hands
were here lashed behind him, and he was in that con-
dition secured to a post. Mrs. Noble, the mate, and
one boy, were then dragged on about twenty miles
further, being exhibited in several towns through
which they passed; and no doubt from what afters
wards appeared, Mrs. Noble was represented as sister
to the queen of the barbarians, who had been taken
prisoner by these marauders, for valiant soldiers I
cannot call them.
At night they stopped at another depot of the gods,
where they were furnished with a -small quantity of
• food and clothes ; the chain Which had' been pqt
lecutakendo
the
gazewn,
round their necks being fastened. to the wall of their
prison. Here they were detained. two days, and
were allowed -to perform their ablutions for the first
time ; their descriptions were
accurately taken
and they themselves constantly
exposedra to
of the rabble. Mrs. Noble was
ie,
they
at by the head mandarin's wife taken to be looked
daughter; and
one would have imagined that the softer• sex would
havealld
4sishtioNevsnse
i
d treated- her with more contumely than her captors
had done. lerstastoet.ne
NcooTpiafSsiitonweirne.._lpiceeri suffering
b
At the expiration of the two days they were led
out into . the court where stood three cages about
three feet high, two feet six inches long,
by fourteen
inches in breadth. The entrance to these cruel
prisons was by a trap-door on the top,, through whieh.
they were forced, the end of their chain being locked
to the cover. A bamboo was then thrust between
the bars, and under the top; and in this painful'
position were they carried by two men from town to
town, to be exhibited, like wild beasts, to the assem-
bled multitudes; but as if all this was not .sufficient
suffering, they were loaded with heavy' irons and
chains on the • legs and arms, Mrs. Noble being
allowed for the present to dispense with the latter
ones. The cages were then at length placed in
.boats,
and after proceeding along a canal fur three nights
and two days, they arrived at Ning-po, never having
been permitted to quit their cages for any purpose
during that period.

WIDOWSBA.Apey,
LW.= T 1 V8E42.8 S. 3 Vols.
The most striking incident in this story, is that
of the murder of one of the chief personages, Sir
which is perpetrated through
unprincipled friend, Lawson,
tHhoera agency
Wentworth,nu of
his
who contrives to make the young Baronet's mo-
ther administer to him a dose of laurel-water,
she of course supposing that it is the medicine
sent by the apothecary. This incident is no
coinage of the author's brain, for the crime was
committed, pretty nearly as is here related,
about the middle of the last century, and the
parties concerned were Sir Theodosius Brough-
ton and Captain Donnellan, the latter of whom
poisoned the former, in the hope, if we remem-
ber rightly., of marrying his widow, and so gain-
ing possession or the estate. The circumstance,
thforgotten, created a wonder-
ful country at. the period of
s occurrence,
l o
eov
alluded to by more than
i toirlrin nearlyaotui
dt
tiisle
one contemporary writer. Mrs. Thompson, the
authoress of the story before us, has introduced
this tragic episode with great Adroitness, and re-
lated
the particulars with impressive force and
earnestness, hut, at the same time, without ex-
gladly turn to -the more -the
ofmorecheerfiilpo.inßtsutw
heer narrative. Her sketch of
the fussy, conceited bachelor clergyman, Mr.
Gadsden, who imagines that every woman who
looks at him is desperately in love with him,- is
cleverly and naturally drawn; Adeline Meadows,
too, the heroine of the tale, iS a delightful por-
trait; and the description of, the manufacturing
town of Northington is so life-like in its minute
touches, that we almost fancy we know the exact
locality. On the whole, "Widows and Widow-
ers"ord of a second-rate
written, • and full
of bustle.
nflaureranttilVye,
order so
of excellence,ansn

NIMROD ABROAD. 2 Vas.
Cothurn, London, 1842.
The majority of the articles contained in these
volumes have, if we mistake not, already made
Numbers of the
on sporting sub-
, theirN appearanceov m ahi y in
mszcaezeisnsei ‘..,e,
They
treat, for
they bring all
Mr. Apperley, has
jteheetsn,totosttphaer discussionifnccxcolitts:vvielileyi:
that ease, grace, and unaffected siutplicity of
observations
longln a manner,
nbeer e,
on steeple-chases are in the best spirit of Huma-
nity; the folly and brutalityof
if:ocrelvelbliicaittetah.e aTuthheme.,ursory
such a sport arc
strenuously insisted on; and we hope Mr. Ap-
perley's remarks will have the effect of bringing
itinto bad odour with the sporting community.

Board of the '
have just com-
pleted i
a plan strongly
parish .ll ij
os
fv. r
su t.
James's,H 1"1T
Westminster, Paving
a total re-painting of all the directions at the
corners of the Streets ; recommended
for the adoption of the other parochial authorities of
the Metropolis.
OPENING OF QuEFIII'S COLLEGE, GLASGOW.—The
formal opening of Queen's College, for the education
of ladiesi took place on Friday, at two o'clock, in the
Assembly-rooms, Sir J. Campbell, Lord Provost in
the chair. The large hail of the Assembly-rooms was
filled to overflowing by a highly respectable company,
almost entirely composed of ladies, the gentlemen pre-
sent chiefly accommodated on the platform. Among
the latter were—the Rev. Dr. Hill, Professor of Theo-
logy in the University ; Rev. Dr. Fleming, College ;
Rev. Dr. King, Grayfriars ; Rev. Dr. Hough, Rev.
Mr. Rose, Rev. Mr. Hunter, Rev. Dr. Symington ;
Professors Penney, Wilson, Easton, &c., of the Ander-
sonian University ; Dr. Weir, Bailie Leadbetter,
Mr. Convenor.
asimpUrseo,n, Aflrro.mAE.dßinabnukrigniei: Mr. J. M'Lellan,
Dr. Gibson, Mr.
W. Church, Mr. J. Loudoun, Messrs. Greig and
Nelson, Western Academy; Mr. D'Orsay, and nume-
rous other gentlemen interested in the cause of edu-
cation. Dr. Penney addressed the meeting on the ad-
vantages and pleasures of knowledge, and the import-
ance of the present Institution.—Seolsman.