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The touch about our not being allowed to contradict our own witness is a charming bit of legal quibbling ! In conclusion , and especially in answer to those who complain that we did not approach the « sacred subject in a right spirit , " let us call to mind the fact that we printed the long and admirable letter of W . R ., wherein the Rappites were so placed before the public as to " stagger even the incredulous . That letter Mrs . Hayden referred to with some triumph . We printed it without the alteration of a word . Fair play has always been our object , and we defy any antagonist to say we have shrunk from admitting him to the fullest publicity . But having printed W . R . s
letter , it became imperative on us at once to investigate the case ; otherwise we should have been doing an injustice to our own opinions , and misleading our readers . The reply was written . The writer ' s name was affixed , to prevent idle charges against " anonymous scribblers . " If , as journalists , we have not performed our duty , we wait to learn what that duty is . The questions and answers , indeed the whole of the proceedings of the seance , were written down as they occurred , by us , in the fly leaf of a book , and there they remain unaltered , for any one ' s inspection . By a piquant coincidence that book happens to be a copy of Madame de Girabdin ' s Lady Tartufe !
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The Colonial Polity of Lord John Russell ' s Administration . By Earl Grey . 2 Vols . B . Bentljjr . Life by the Fire Side . -o' x >™* ipv An English Woman ' s Experience in America . By M . Finch . « . lienUey . Bohn ' s Antiquarian Library—Roger Be Soveden s Annals . Vol . I . g- £ £ onn . Bohn ' s Classical Library—Cicero ' * Academics De Fimbuxand Tueculans . il . £ « ohn . Bohn ' s Standard Library-Neander' '« Church History . Vol . III . ^ ^^ JgfgJT ^ Odes ^ fHoLe . Translated into XTnrhymed Metres . By P . W . Newman . Joha Chapman . The Patriot : A Poem .. By J . W . King . Jo ™ i ^ K ^* The Lord ' s May . By E . W . Hengstenberg . W . aroeman . KSSSSf ? tcl ^ in the Un ited States d uring the Visit of the ^ Gve * By Francis a ^ Theresa Puls ky . 3 vols . S ^ pldn , MarsSli and Co ! TlllZllrte ^ ZrTmstory . By Eev J G Wood . g . Routledge and Co . The Great Cities of the Middle Ages By T . A Buckles . & JM ^ ™ J g ° ' The Railway Library—Compulsory Marriage . By Mrs MaUlard . G Eoutledge and Co . The Meditations and Selections from the Principles of Philosophy of ^""" J ^ Mtaid and Knox . ~ r . - * -,, _ . * -n l-i " Whittaker and Co . The Elements of Euclid . W B Kellv The Irish Quarterly Review . . « . " . j-
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ST . JOHN'S HISTORY OF THE INDIAN AKCHIPELAGO . The Indian Archipelago , its History and Present State . By Horace St . John , Author of History of British Conquests in India . 2 Vols . Longman and Co . This is an excellent compilation , executed with careful zeal . It embraces a general survey of the geographical and historical features of thelndian Archipelago , drawn from the published and unpublished writings oi travellers : discusses the origin and spread of the Malay race , till the arrival of the Portuguese colonists , from which period the history ot European adventurers in the Malay Peninsula is narrated with rapidity and yet with abundant detail , including accounts of each important island or group of islands as they fall into the current of . the story , down to the Year 1840 , when the appearance of Sir James Brooke upon the scene gives I new aspect to affairs . A circumstantial history of the Piracy m these seas is interwoven with the narrative , and finally we have an outline of Sir James Brooke ' s romantic and adventurous career . -
,.,,., Every page of this work gives evidence of tlie care with which it has been composed . Inferences to numerous and varied authorities support the statements of every paragraph , so that the aspect of the pages is like that of a German Treatise on Ancient History , with its innumerable living buttresses of erudite support . Marginal readings , and a minutely copious table of contents , render it easy of reference ; and a clear style renders it agreeable reading . Having thus indicated contents and execution , we have performed our task The reader knows " what manner of book" it is , and will seek it or leave it according as his interest or his studies he or do not lie m that direction for the general reader we will make ono extract respecting the
manoeuvres of the Lanun Pirates : — " The economy of this pirate haunt is of the most singular description , . throughout the range of the vast hay there have been constructed a number of ingenious machines or tramways of timber , over which , in ciiho of sudden and hot pursuit , a vessel may Iks hauled across the slip of land into the interior waters . Strong trees of an elastic woort lire driven obliquely into the earth , and their upper ends are securely lushed to others of the same speeien still left to grow . Thus a V-shaped frame is constructed at an angle of 120 ° . The end is carried into deep water with-a gradual inclination while the other leads towards the lauiiehiiig-placo on the lake . Stripped of their bark , these trees arc kept slippery , by the constant and spontaneous exudation of a mucilaginous liquid , which renders them still better adapted makes for
to the purpose they are designed to «« rv « . A Lanun vessel hotly pressed one of them ; escapes . The whole lino of the bay being watched by sentinels ensconced in little houses amid the foliage of lofty trees , an alarm is given to the population on the lake . They immediately crowd to the point which their fugitive confederate are expected to make lor ; the bushes am pushed as . de ; an opening is cleared and the Spanish or Dutch cruizors , unless accustomed to these incident * , aresfartlcd by weeing the chase press i » tein on , for the land ; lift herself by ono Himultuiicous « t , roke of all the oars , upon the slippery way ; fly through the grass , and disappear amid the foliage which closes behind her . A hundred ropes are with amazing celerity , attached to her sides ; n host of men are m an instant yoked to her- mid she is without a pause drugged over the spit of land , and triumphantly
launched upon tho interior waters . , < .,,-« Should her pursuers venture near the shore , to investigate the secret of tins manoeuvre , a Bt . or . n of round and grnpo shot salutes them from tho batteries of heavy brass guns , masked by this dangerous jungle . " The vessels employed by these bold and ingenious marauders in their enterprises of plunder , are formidable , not only to the superior craft , of the natives , but , to Kuropeau trade ( lenenilly they urn built very sharp , wide in the beam , and more than ninety feet in length—long for the breadth , but broad for tho depth of water . A double , tier of oars is worked by a hundred rowers—usually slaves , who never fight uidess an extremity of danger prosttOH , when every man . is culled to
action . The fighting-men of the free and dominant class amount to thirty or forty though prahus of the largest size carry from fifty to eighty . For their use there is a raised deck , above a cabin which occupies about three-fifths of the length and two-thirds of the beam . At the bow it is solidly built out to the whole width , afld fortified with hard wooden baulks , capable of resisting a six-pounder shot . Here a very narrow embrasure admits of a gun—varying in size from a six to a large twenty-rbur pounder , generally of brass . In addition to this , the armament consists of numerous lelahB or swivel pieces , of from one to twenty-four pounds calibre ,
longer in proportion than other cannon , and bell-mouthed . The smaller sizes are habitually used in native prahus , mounted in solid uprights secured about the bu \ , warks , and fought by the chiefs themselves . These , immediately on any prospect of battle , attire themselves in scarlet clothes—a colour which distinguishes the Lanun pirates from the honest tribes of the Archipelago . They wear also armour of steel plate or ring chain , or shirts of mail . Personally , they are accoutred with the kriss and spear , in addition generally to a huge two-handed sword . They also carry muskets , and the vessel is supplied for close engagement * with an abundance of wooden lanees , hardened at the point by fire /'
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LARPENT'S PENINSULAR GOSSIP . The Private Journals ofF . S . Larpent , Judge Advocate-General of the British Forces in the Peninsula . Edited by Sir George larpent . 3 vols . Bentley . These very readable volumes introduce us behind the scenes of the great Peninsular Campaign drama , and may be taken as an attractive specimen of the valet de chambre chronicles of an heroic struggle . They are not history , but they furnish details which a picturesque historian will assurediv make good use of : meanwhile , that mysterious omnivorous animalthe " general reader" will prefer them to more elaborate volumes
, , on the same subject . They are gossip , gossip , gossip . But their gossip is about scenes and people of universal interest . Mr . Larpent was attached to the head quarters of the Great Duke , during the Peninsular campaign ; he does not greatly impress us in these letters ( written to his stepmother ) , but we suppose he was one of those matured mediocrities always found in such situations , where they are not without their uses . Sir George Larpent has " edited" the letters—which means simply striking out certain passages , and sending forth the rest as he found them . Our extracts will , m their variety , indicate the contents . Here is Mr .
Larpent ' s opinion of ENGLISH SOLDIEBS O 3 f A MABCH . "In marching , our men have no chance at all with the French . The latter beat them hollow , and , I believe , principally owing to their bang a more intelligent set of beings , seeing consequences more , and feeling them . This makes them sober and orderly , whenever it becomes material , and on a pinch , thenNexertiom and individual activity are astonishing . Our men get sulky and desperate , drink excessively , and become daily more weak and unable to proceed , principally horn their own conduct . They eat voraciously when opportunity offers , after having had short fare . This brings on fluxes , &c . In every respect , except courage , they are very inferior soldiers to the French an * Germans . When the two divisions , the 4 th and light , passed through TafiaUa the day before yesterday , the more soldierlike appearance and conduct of the foreigners , though in person naturally inferior , was very mortifying . Lord Wellington feels it much , and is much hurt . Those who have not yet tired of the Wellingtoniana , may glut on the anecdotes given in these volumes . Here is one , of theDuke ' a ¦ coolness .
" Lord Avlmer gave me two striking instances of Lord Wellington ' s coolness : one when in a fog in the morning , as he was pursuing the Trench , he found a division of our men , under Sir William Erskine , much expo sed in advance , and nearly separated from the rest of the army , and the French in a village witnm a mile of where he was standing . He could see nothing . But , on some prisoners being brought in , and being asked wha ^ -JBtthch division and how many men were in the village , they to the dismay of every one except Wellington , said that the whole French army were there . All he said was , quite coolly , 'Oh ! they are all aboutthen / Another
there are they ? Well , we must mind a m&Htfihat we are , time ' soon after the battle of Fuentes d ' Onor . c , and when we were waiting in our position near them to risk an attack , to protect the siege of Alroeyda , one morning suddenly and early Lord Aylmer came in to him whilst he was shaving , to tell him , < The French were all off , and the last cavalry mounting to be gone ; the consequence of which movement relieved him entirely , gave him Ahneyda , and preserved Portugal . He only took the razor olf for one moment , and mud , Ay , 1 thought they meant to be off ; very well : ' aiid then another shave , just as before , and not another word till he was dressed . "
Here is another passage , indicating his energy , and showing us , xnoroover , the valet de chambre View of thofotoTO : — I heard a few days since an anecdote about the siege of Rodrigo , which shows tho man . Scarcely any one knew what wua to be doittr ; the great preparations were all made in Almeyda , and most suppoaed , and I believe tho French that everything which arrived there , was for the purpose ofdqtUnce there , not of attack elsewhere On a sudden the army was in front of Itodrigo . A new advanced
work was discovered , which must be taken before any progress could bo made in the siege . To save men and time , an instant attack was resolved upon . ^ Scalingladders were necessary ; the engineers were applied to ; they had none with them , for they were quite ignorant of tho plans—nn inconvenience which has often arisen in different departments from Lord Wellington ' s great secrecy , though the general reflult , assisted by his genius , has been so good . The scaling could not take placo without ladders ; Lord Wellington was informed of this . « Well / nays he , ' you havo brought up your ammunition and stores ; never mind the wagons , cut thorn all up directly , they will make excellent ladders—there , you nee , each side piece is already cut / This was done , and by the help of tliene novel ladders , tho work wan Hcnltid . forthwith .
" At Uadajo' / , he found so little to be hud in the regular Avay for a siege , from want of transport , and ho many difficultieH in consequence from the regular bred artillery gonerulH , &c- > that lie became principal engineer himself , making use of Colonel Diekson , tho acting man , an his hiHtmment . These sieges procured Diokson his minority and lieutenant-eoloneley in consequence ; and thoug h only a Captain in tho Royal Regiment of Artillery , he now conducts the whole department horo , becuuflo ho makes no dilficultioH . " In ono instance Lord Wellington is not like Frederick tho Great . Ho i « romarkably neat , and ino « t particular in his dress , considering his situation . He ia wollmade , know » it , and in willing to Bet off to tho boot what nature has bestowed .
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QRi THE LEADER . [ Sa-sohwa * ,
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), March 19, 1853, page 284, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1978/page/20/
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