The Sun. — 1845-12-09 (London, England)

MSS. Calig. c. ix. f. 433.) And this is fully confirmed by the statement which Nau addressed to Elizabeth from the Tower, in which he stated that Mary had received from Babington an intimation of the design upon Elizabeth's life ; but that she took no notice of it in her reply, because it was a thing she neither desired nor Intended ; though she did not think herself bound to betray the confidence of her friends, by divulging their plans to the Queen." An intimation of the intended assassination was conveyed to Mary ; she did not remonstrate with the conspirators against it. It is absurd to suppose that, in such a case as this, silence is not consent. " She took no notice of it in her reply," and, therefore, upon Mr. Buckingham's own showing, she was accessory before the fact to the crime of murder. But it would seem as though Mr. Buckingham held the creed that in some cases assassination was not only lawful, but meritorious ; for in speaking of the assassination of the Regent Murray, he designates it an " appropriate fate, drawn upon him by his own cruelty and injustice." Now, surely a gentleman who could suffer his feelings so far to get the better of his prudence as to use such language in relation to a deliberately planned murder, is not one on whose judgment any reasoning man would be inclined to place implicit reliance. On Elizabeth he pours out all the vials of his wrath, but in hii anger he forgets that he is affording her the best of all possible apologies for ber conduct, by showing that the existence of Mary was absolutely incompatible with Elizabeth's personal safety, and that, in self-defence, she was obliged to act as she did. He denies the legitimacy of Elizabeth—he denies her right to the throne ; and, speaking of the English Roman Catholics, he says, "their honest indignation could no longer be contained, and they watched with eagerness for an opportunity to defend the rights of the lawful heir against the claim of the sanguinary usurper." Hard words these,i Mr. Leicester Buckingham, but there is one great fact which you have overlooked ; Elizabeth was sovereign de facto. and an unsuccessful attempt to dethrone a sovereign de facto, even although made by, and on behalf of, an individul claiming the sovereignty de jure, is, by the laws of every civilized nation, considered and punished as treason. Mary and Babingten, with a full knowledge of the chances, chose to play a desperate game. They staked their lives and fortunes against the lives and fortunes of Elizabeth and her supporters. No human being has ever yet ventured to express a doubt that, had they won, they would have exacted payment of the stake to the uttermost from their adversaries ; they lost, and they have no right to complain that payment to the uttermost was exacted from them. We have devoted so much space to the examination of Mr. Buckingham's paper, that we can only allude to the remaining contents of this number very cursorily. The " Chapter on Music" is admirable, and should be attentively perused by every one who wishes well to the cause of the progress of musical science in England. " The Manor of Summerdale" is a simple tale, beautiful from its very simplicity ; it might have been written by Wordsworth. " Social England and its Clergy" is a plea for the celibacy of the clergy, written in a truly Catholic and tolerant spirit, and which proves that, however difficult it may be, it is not impossible to write controversial divinity without being polemical. There is not a paper in the present number of Dolman which does not bear upon it the impress of talent.