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    operate in the field ag-ainst soldiers whose discipline stands proof against the Minie musketry of the Allies in the Crimea ? Certainly not . A campaign in . Bessarabia must be made in one of two ways : either by the allied armies in great force , in conjunction with the Turks , or by the advance of an adequate number of Austrians to co-operate with the Turks . The last contingency is not likely : and Louis Napoleon ' s Russian campaign might therefore fee as disastrous as that of his uncle—unless he improves upon bis uncle ' s policy—by securing friendly nationalities behind him .

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    SWEET-LIVED EVANS . Si I consider our lives are as sweet as the passengers ' , " said James Evans , one of the crew of the Forerunner ; " it is every one for himself , " he added . The opinions thus expressed are new-fangled , as belonging to sailors ; but they are not limited to James Evans . Mr . Stewart , the chief mate , " thought it his duty to save his own . life . " As soon as the danger was apparent , Captain Johnstone ran down into the cabin to save some chronometers and gold . A jury at San Francisco have censured Captain Randell and the crew of the Yankee Blade for

    abandoning the wreck , and leaving the passengers ^ at the mercy of weather and plunderers . Nor are these the first instances of this growing disposition amongst sailors to abandon their charge . Hitherto it has been the custom of sailors to give the first chance to women and children ; that principle was strikingly exemplified at the wreck of the Birkenhead , where the women and children were put into boats , and the soldiers went down , standing in parade order ; not one man of the whole body endeavouring to snatch a chance that the others could not share , or that

    might be filched from some other creature m ore helpless . Did these men owe no ** duty to themselves ? " or , did they not rather fulfil their duty best , when , by their death , they confirmed the grand rule , that wherever there a manly man is , the safety of the helpless is sought for before his own . A contemporary has pointed out the fact that , if that rule were abandoned , sailors would lose , even commercially , since there could never be the same confidence for the landsman as a passenger if he believed that the seaman would selfishly seek his own safety and leave the unskilful passenger to his fate .

    But what we quarrel with chiefly is the philosophy of the principle laid down by Mr . Evans . At that same wreck of the Forerunner there was a Mr . Childs , who exerted himself to save a lady and child , and lost his own life . Now , according to the Evans philosophy , the crew of the Yankee Blade should have received a higher dispensation from Providence than the soldiers on board the Birkenhead ; and James Evans better endowed than Lieutenant Childs , should teach him philosophy . Now we take our stand upon the point blank contradiction of James Evans ' s starting point—that one man ' s life is as sweet to him as another ' s . It is

    quite the reverse . A grave moral was uttered by the alderman who astounded his guests at a private feast by bursting into tears because be saw a poor relation " wasting that blessed appetite on mutton !" There are two essentials to the feast—the food and the palate . The same thing is true of life—it is heaven or hell , or nothing in

    particular , according to tho sense of him that lives . To tasto the sweetness of life tho sense of it must be keen , therefore the ssense must be healthy ; therefore tho sense is deadened when tho man has tho disease of selfishness . There are men who , having exhausted tho grosser enjoyments of oarfch , become what is called blaac—that ia , life to them

    has become insipid—has lost its sweetness . They aTe men whose sense of existence centres in themselves , and all mere appetite palls . To relish life always , and to the full , its highest enjoyment must be derived from those things which are independent of the grosser senses , though the grosser are not independent of the higher . Are we to suppose that any roue of a Cockney Leander knows what love is , as it was known to the true

    Leander of the Hellespont , even in those things which the Cockney would suppose to be common to both ? Byron could not rise above Don Juan , though he did swim where " Leander , Mr . Ekenhead , and he did ; " and he broke down in Childe Harold , because he mistook the " gentish" selfish cunning of Don Juan for a real philosophy . To taste life as Leander tasted it , a man must be so conditioned that its

    sweetness is derived more from others . And we need as little mourn that man who perished in the Forerunner while striving to rescue a woman , as Leander . His life was cut short ; but what of it he had would have been worth more in a market of lives than all that James Evans saved , though he live till ninety . Life only r ealises its full sweetness to him who is prepared to lay it down .

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    There is no learned man but Ttrill confess he hath much profited by reading controversies , his senses awakened , and his judgment sharpened . If , then , it be profitable for lum to read , wnysh . oiulcL . it not , at least , be tolerable for his adversary to write . —Mixton .

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    BABEL . — The editor of tlie ^ Leader ¦ will be glad to receive subscriptions for obtaining the release of Cowell , the Preston delegate . His imprisonment for a , cause ¦ which , right or wrong , was the cause of the working classes , ought not to be permitted by those classes . The sum is under 150 ? . — Let us all trust that Paltnerston , while in Paris , saw Mr . Smith O'Brien , and pledged the Government to a genera l amnesty to the unfortunates of 1848 . The period is appropriate ; there is no longer treason in Ireland ; and England needs the sympathies of Ireland in this war . The Cork Examiner well observes : —

    The law has its triumph and its vindication—how or by what means it ia now unnecessary to say ; but surely tlio hour for a generous exercise of power has arrived ; and the Government could perform no act which would be more gratefully hailed by the people of Ireland than the restoration of Smith O'Brien and hia companions in exile to their country , their home , and all their rights , privileges , and duties aa citizens and freemen . — Tlie following astounding circular has been received at the newspaper offices : —** Philosophy . —

    Sir , —M . Coyteux has the honour to announce that he intends giving Ifoxir Public Lectures , to -which the admission will be gratuitous , upon a new System of Philosophy , of -which he i 3 the author , and -which overthrows all the different Bystems whicli have hitherto been brought before tho public attention . These lectures -will bo delivered in Piench , and be translated during their progress into English . M . Coyteux requests the honour of your company during tho delivery of these Lectures , - which will bo held at tho Royal Marionette Theatre , tho first on Friday next , December 1 , 1854 . "

    — The sanctity of the Sabbath is scarcely xinivcrsal . St . Martin ' s managed a most jovial peal a few Sundays since , because the Ducliesa of Northumberland had a birthday . Ringing bells is undoubtedly hard work , for which decrepit paupers get paid—and yet such a demonstration iu rather obtrusive pn a day on -which Inkerman class of news is arriving . Not worse than some of tho nowpapora though . I read lately that tho Dulce of Somerset was ill—was hotter—had a relapse—und so on , until I hated the sound of hia name . However , it was the first timo I ever heard it . Our great " organs " should lie above * such Morning-Posty plushory . — Tlio exertions for supplying tho army with " comforts" have taken an organised shap e . JNoblemen are plentiful on tho committee , and Mr . J . B . Standi » ln Haly is Hon . Sec . They propose to forward warm clothing and provisions ( including tea and

    coffee ) to Balaklava , to be distributed as gifts to non ~ commissioned officers and privates , and " a supply of articles to be sold at cost price , " for the officers we suppose . Besides this , much is effected without organisation . Arthur Smith ( brother of Albert ) rashly offered to take charge of books and newspapers . He is deluged . Smith and Son , of the Strand , have given 2500 volumes ; Routledge and others have sent large numbers . Fortnum and Mason are giving packing-cases . Private yachts are fitting out ,

    two or three of which will be devoted to the carriage of the Christmas dinner of "William Russell , Times correspondent : a suit of clothes , full-sized , would be acceptable , I dare say , for the last time I heard of him he was dressed in some regimentals , which were terribly " undress . " He is likely to be a popular man on the 25 th , for liis dinner "will comprise every inconceivable luxury that -will lceep , with a good supply of liquids of course . He deserves this kindness , if only on public grounds . His letters are national benefits —literary miracles .

    — There is queer news about town of the only coward that has ever been known in the British army , lie is one of our aristocracy—not one of those thousands who have got seventeen commissions among them , . and . of wliom only one , Sergeant Sullivan , has been mentioned in a despatch . We cannot be libellous : the greater the truth , the greater the libel : let us say , therefore , of the unhappy poltroon , that he is the Lord Knows " Who . — " The Princes" are very unfortunate in this warfare . Prince Napoleon has always been going to

    Constantinople to recover his health . The Duke of Cambridge has fared worse : his mind has been so affected by the horrors of the campaign that he is said to be retiring from active service . At the same time it should be admitted that both behaved gallantly- in the field . At Alma the grand form of Prince Napoleon was as conspicuous as that of Henry at Ivry ; and at InkeTfioan the Duke of Cambridge displayed the hereditary valour of his race . But both went into "the Crimea under protest ; and have had neither the nerve nor patience to sutler with the rest . .

    The Monarchs have been still more unfortunate . The whole failure of the campaign is fairly attributable to the incomplete intellect of Louis Napoleon , The Russian attack at Inkerman was upon a , plan prepared by the Czar himself . These Kaisers ought to see the benefit derived by the English sovereigns in having responsible advisers to take all the blame ! — Will the copyright law ( as affecting foreigners ) ever be understood ? One interpretation is this : r—A foreigner has no copyright here unless he resides in this country . It is a doubtful question whether publishers or managers would not profit by inviting their stars over and keeping them whilst

    they were popular . I am induced to make this observation by the knowledge that Mr . Smith , of Drury Lane , will open his January campaign with UEtoile du Nord , which lias been purchased by G-ye of Covent Garden . Such a burlesque as it will be will not spoil the Covent Garden market , but the fact is strange . Smith wishes Clara Novello to take the part of Catherine , but it is unlikely she will accept . She is more suited for oratorios and serious operas than for the comique , which demands intelligent acting , and , above all , esprit . Gye has engaged some celebrities , and he will require them , without Grisi and Mario . His acquisitions are Madame

    Gassier , the Spanish soprano of the Italian Opera at Paris , and her husband . Gardoni is secured , also Bettini . Msidame Bosio , Lablache , Ronconi , and Tamberlik are like-wise certain . Mitchell is qualified to promise Kttchel for next June and July , before she starts for America . She is "terribly shattered in nerves , " I hear—I wonder why . — Well might the poet say " How happy the soldier , " &c . Everything is done for his comfort that humanity can suggest . Perhaps tho Chronicle has made tho most benevolent of the recent suggestions . The correspondent in the Crimea is evidently a married man . Ho touchingly says— " It is sincerely to be desired that in future no soldiers' - wives bo

    allowed to proceed to tho scene of war . With very few exceptions the characters of tho women that have accompanied the expedition to the Crimea have been anything but meritorious . On Bhoro they have misconducted themselves ; whilst on board ship thoy are a perfect nuisance to tho unfortunate captain of tho transport vessel to whoso charge thoy aro committed . " — What of Porry ? Surely tho possessors of the Fund will nover hand it ovor to him ?

    — If anything can console a man for dying , it is the knowledge that hia absurd-looking monument will bo placed where nobody will see it . The crpyt of St . Paul ' s is not a bad place for British statuea —• but there is a hotter . Tlio London Necropolis Company oflbr to let a boroaved nation bury ( gratis ) her tributes of respect nt Woking—where , from tho size of tho ground , its retired situation , its act of Parliament , and it » ghastly character—the monuments ore not lilcoly to bo dieturbed for centuries . Not likely to bo dluturfced ! I should Bay not .

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    [ IIT THIS DBTABTMEIfr , AS 1 U OPINIONS , HOWEVEB EXTBBBIE , ARK . xixowaa a . n expbessiqk , the editoe hbcbssabily holds himself EESPONSIBLE JFOR HONEJ

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    December 2 , 1854 . ] THE LE A D E R . 1141

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Dec. 2, 1854, page 1141, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2067/page/13/