NEWS- BY THE MAIL.

Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2276, 23 August 1870, Page 2

NEWS- BY THE MAIL.

Chapman, the publisher of Dickens’ works, publishes a statement that one-half of Dickens’ story of “ The Mystery of Edwin Drood ” has been written. The story will be published as fir as written, and no one will be permitted to finish it. Many people, assembled to listen to the sermon of Dean Stanley, of Westminster Abbey, on the late Charles Idckeus. Part of the last will of Dickens was read ; in that he declines a monument, but rests his fame on his published works. He also urges his children to practise Christianity in a broad spirit, not accepting the narrow construction or any man or sect. The Dean closed with a glowing tribute to the illustrious dead. In the death of Lord Arthur Clinton a miserable, profligate, and scandalous life has come to an end. There is scarcely any folly of which this besotted young man was not guilty. He had a fine career before him, but he very soon managed to contract vast pecuniary liabilities, not always in an honorable manner, and then 'he found it easy to swindle his creditors. A seat in Parliament was obtained for him, but it suited his tastp better to dance “ break-downs ” in and music halls than to make his appearance in the House of Commons.. He frequented the most dissolute society lo be found in the British metropolis, and at the time of his death ho was being looked for by the policy on a charge of a most revolting kind. Hp declared his innocence of that accusation, and it is to be hoped with truth. Evil and wrong doing enough had been crowded into his short life. He was a son of the late Duke of Newcastle, and was only in his thirty-fourth year. - ; Miss Glynn (Mrs E. S. Dallas), the renowned tragedienne, is expected in Melbourne in the eatly part.of September, under engagement to Mr Coppin. The Herald says the arranging of the terms of this engagement was one of the last pieces of business transacted by the late Charles Dickens, Gregory’s Circus is expected in- Melbourne from Honolulu iu a few weeks. They have, besides a clever company of gymnasts, some performing dogs and monkeys. Madame Liehhai-t, of Her Majesty’s Opera, London, is abaut to visit Australia on a professional tour. Mr Sefton, at one time connected with the Melbourne and Dunedin stages, is now in London as agent for Mr Southern, who is to appear on an early date in a comedy written by Mr B. L. Farjeou. It is a pity that the real position of our absentees was not discovered a few years sooner, ere they had enabled te ear-wig Mr Cardwell. And now, although a cheek has been placed upon their capacity for political mischief, it is pretty evident that their ignorance and arrogance will create a false impression as to the national characteristics < f Australia. In an unwonted fit of candor, the Anglo-Australian acknowledges that “ their deaipe to be noticed and lionised i# ever so small a way exhibits itself oppres. sively, and bursts out disagreeably under disappointment. Their wives are infected with the same idiosyncrasy, but have the tact and taste to show it. less. Some amongst them are inclined to show t(0 plainly also, that they estimate their fellowbeings pretty much by the size of their respective money bags ; and such expressions as ‘ he has L 7,000 a year at the very lea-t ‘he has made a pretty good pile,’ crop up every five minutes iu their conversation. As a rule, too, they are not reading folks. They have ordinarily been too busy with their material interests to bother themselves much more with intellectual matters.” All this is very cruel, but how tantalisingly true of the wealthy lower orders of Colonial society !