MR. SPURGEON-PREACHER AND AUTHOR.

Colonist, Issue 50, 13 April 1858, Page 4

MR. SPURGEON-PREACHER AND AUTHOR.

llw the last number of ih&JSotithern Spectator, a first class religiousj, magazine published ia Melbquriie,. appears the graphic i sketch of* Mr. Spurgeon, the; .great Land | popular preacher,,' in; that Character an&as ah r aiithbrV tyhich is given by an English correspondent':~ ■■'•."'.''' The next thing I; have to tell you is. that Mn Spurgebn has written: a l^bok: Perhaps in your distant seclusion, you are unable; tb ; appreciate the impo^n^ofthis announcement • butl: assure, you, we who revolve in the .immediate dazzling jays of this pulpit {IheHpmerio'npf the hiriet^eii^H: century are roiised to almdst as eagor aWen.tiph ; as thbugli Tennyson's epic; were, proclaimed.. The other evening (sth pf Nov.) we ™er§'"as usual T^rrijn^ our fibers and rising bur eyesight in honor of the deliverance of'pur English : Solomon; from iOuy Eaw^es^ 'By the way, I suppose thb little of your rising' continent will be too' advanced- and philosophical lor" ; this ."exploding custom. However,.'all I want with:.it at. present- is to obtaih; Ja^ car%^c.Btfhirtoi;;";"i^o^it: is,wbnderfujl wfctat a /flaming display, is created,' an<i.sustairi^d for. wfi .unexpected length! of time,. .by ait' arid' • apparently > sober e^tfcvv^^ep,,' :B;:'-lp#s;; IHse- V a /bit o£ '{'. \^sW- pa^er->',^'twisted^ up, by, /the fingers of.- {airi? idiis ? .idhildi;: I3ut;i:oti|y Ut it[-be'property I'plbtceia, l^et the spark;;be jaj^liei; lariiir^^A "^jwjer pf^ofjr sftdt^ derily" bursts' 1 upon-"the'sight! Stars^agf burning diampmdsTand jets of fire, flung ab?da& L in dazzling profusion, startle the jjayjsnjle. ; bj?hpMe% mdkiepjYi^gdLZeintranee^ J&aeK^a7 We unpret^ndip^ 'tlimg cannot surety^^^ last long I ; "" AX!" it is nearly done,'' theyscry» after, ; a few, rev^HIons; .but'the wheelvaslthQugh insulted by the;;observationrbla^e&Jdpidefiantly,, and brighter than ever! " Again it ;■ is. i canfif; dently - expectedl to expire, and >again does ■ a fresh halo of glory falsify the prediction. \ SoYMiLtWen^it^MT. 'Un- i known,. insignificant, illiterate^ young [ man'; I \Hit, ' When; 'pted' iii; :tM pulpit!\of - New l Parlk-str^|; 7 Ch^l,^lanii"J tofehetT; with'the; fire of ':ey^v!ge\ioi^&4i tlie■^|atest j p (^eac^er i .mp^erri, tiniest /I.'say,vthe 1 gr^,testj pr^acfie^ i fcr what right have ~jon tPjtfilfp | •a pet pa,rsph of your own, whetner^ bejbyejl; for the heart,tor admired for , the hardiness; of his, head^aiM either, ■^jyour^solitafy' vote, or tharjpf a few whb tMrik like you,! place your favorite on that eminence ? "-By.! ftheir-fruits ye [shall know therii." What a | man does, is the best proof,lat least to men, ■ ;what he:is"; and• ori this^rinciple ybii| 'bught to "judge of^i^eaphers/by ■ ffle power; J\n%V^A;t^e^'%^*j^:trti^ tfobear on the'greatest'Multitudes.' Judgifed in this Way,' Mr. Spurgeon lias no competitor in ™c present century,—-perhaps not in any other! iceritury either, unless it be Peter the Her- \ mit. I know that such men as Robert j Hall have done much; but the tens, of J thousands, who inbusinbss-hours will fight i and push and f smash windows and break balustrades in frantic eagerness to catch a J few-deep mellow notes frbrii: that deep:ih-| comparable voice, Have no parallel. Con-' starit hdve been th(B predictibhs'of his failure, ( but they have only seemed like oil,to thsj flati^ of his 'glctfy.;'' It Wai'but bfall reason [ that1 an uneducated youth, whd despses ,the' advantages of learning f should!f long con-- < ijiviae, in so ,ex|;raprdihary; a position- . But He, is higher than ever -now, and treads} .steadiiy on )iis giddy height.- His power; may. be. a ; puzzle, j|ut it is a ;great ; fact for| allthat. As .^Gu cafl iiardlyexpect to:get: his»i living /voice rover:: amongst you/ •y'ouri ibett planj is to order his book, ;viz.:' f fthe Saintiaud his Saviours"'liondoh:^ jsi S^; Jra small Svo.vblume of addressed,

1 suitable to successive stages of Christian 1 experience. I think will acknowledge the power of the writing, and yet you, willfeel a difficulty in accounting for it. It seems to go right into you, and stir up the depths of your soul. It revives the work of God in you, and makes old truths look like new ones. lam greatly mistaken if that book is not the result of many a-fervent prayer. You ntay dislike., the doctrine, you may deprecate the grammar, you may dis--" dam the display that is made of superficial1 rdading, but you will feel, notwith--1 standing all, that there is a wondrous power of life therein.

THE CITY 01? THE MORMONS. (Fiovithe New York Tribune.) The city of the* Saints is fortified with a wall of-onud 12 feet;,' high, "with a broad: deep ditch in frori£'6f it, arid'semi-bastions" at half musket Taripi 'These,are'pierced With loop holes tp afford a front and, flank fire in case of attack.' ,Ifc is pretended that this wall- was1 built a»a,protection against the Indians; but <in"'the''opinion of the author* its design was to,keep,the people busy, and < thus to forestall impertinent, inquiry, and leave no time- for rebellion. i Entering through a gate of the wall .we find the city divided into blocks, often of ten acres each, intersected at, right angles by streets 130 feet wide, running due north and south and east and west, and in wet weather almost impassible. The houses in the suburbs, are scattering, and consist mostly of mud hovels with dirt Toofs and log shanties. The centre of the city is more thickly settled, and "better built. The side walks are of respectable width, often with a stream of water flowing through on which, are planned, cotton-wood and other trees; .o&rapjd growth. Everything Ifears the siinpregs of .industry, and toiL - Improvements , are • visible in all quarters,1 which' no drones could have effected. The' number of mhalnjtants is about fifteen thousands Most of them are English and Scotch, few Americans, many Welsh, and some - Danes." The 'Aniericans, who are principally from the western bor- j ders of the United States, although composing less than a third part of'the population,' possess a complete"monopoly of political power, fill all tlie offices,,ecclesiastical and civil, and receive all the emoluments. Almost without' exception' they are "polygamists, .bitter in their hatred of tfie Gentiles,' and full of .religious zeal for their miserable faith. . . -Arriving- at the-centre of the city we come upon Temple Block and a street full of stores. The premises are favorable to business, and the merchants make enormous profits, often amounting from 150 to 600 per cent. Large stocks of merchandise are yearly imported across the plains in huge waggons drawn by oxen. In this portion of the city reside the principal dignitaries of the Church. Their houses are generally comfortable, though with slight pretension to elegance. You see a large barrack-like house on the corner. This is the residence of Elder Benson and his four wives. Brother Grant, with his five wives, lately occupied the pretty house you see on the east side. The celebrated anchorite, Parley P. Pratt, with his nine wives, lived in more ascetic style, and was content with that mean-looking house you pass on the west. Dr. Richards, with his eleven help meets, lived in that long, dirty row of single rooms, half'hidden by a very beautiful, orchard and garden. Looking toward 'the north we see a whole square covered with Houses, barns, gardens,, and orchards/ Here, in serene domestic bliss, resides the great apostle H. (?. rKimball, with his eighteen or twenty wives, their families and dependents. Here is a pompous edifice, with a fierce lion in repose sculptured on- its front. It can onlybe the dwelling of the < champion of the faithful, the- of/the Lord "' as he is sometimes called, the ■ world-renowned Brigham' Young. Here,'with his seventeen wives', he wsttches b\*er the welfare of his- charming coldny. 'This house was erected at ari expense of over £30,000, in addition to'the" shingling, "which was performed; by all the carpenters in the> city at thecomriiaridS 6f j Brigham, ** in the name of tIW Lord, apd i by the J authority of the holy priesthood. V But we have not-arrived at .the.gtfand1 seraglio of our* Occidental Sultan; ' This is ' a large, shpwyv noble building,- finely plastered, brilliantly whitey Dalco'nied from ground to roof, -an' observatory on the' top, and the whole surmounted by {he Mormon symbol of industry, a bee-hive. • It.cost ; over CSjOOO' cl'ojlars, and' is " the most splendid building in the territory. It is occupied by the senior wife of thepatriarch r an<J her family. - Orchards and gardens lie behind it and ground it.' „ Near by is1 the | Social B[all, devoted to,dramatic representations and td'the "dance. This last is a ' great institution with ' the Mormons', and I Brigham himself does not disdain to initiate the unenlightened. into the mysteries of Terpsichore. He is an accomplished dancing master, as 4 well as an inspired prophet. The J Mormons shew aindiscriminatingjaste in,their choice of dances. They especially affect cotillons, contra-'dances1, and reels, but shew no favor to'th6 polka, mazurka, schottishej arid similar ambiguous performances, being aversei as they say, to seeing their wives and daughters in such close proximity to' other menJ i The tabernacle is an imposing structure on Temple ■ Block, a square consisting .of ten acres, and surrounded with a wall and handsome shade trees. The tabernacle will seat over 2000 persons, and here Brigham and the other leaders give the word of the _Lord every Sabbath to the people. The Mormons love to combine the interests of religion and of the world. Even their theatrical performances are ■ opened .with" prayer;, and the actors are dismissed with a benediction, often while-in a state of pythonic' excitement from1 bad liquor.

The "profits accruing, to- the Corporation, of Manchester from, gas lighting, amount to• nearly £40,000-per annum.-

, Submarine, Tunnel between dnd 'France. —M. A.' Thome ,cle ftamori^Mellj known French, engineer, has' published, a> quarto volume, treating of & project for constructing a tunnel between Englandaftd; France, 'The idea,was fought $$${$$ attention of the Emperor some tittle sincs> and a committee formed to report thereon;' A number of scientific gentlemen "lia've1 lately formed themselves iitfo, a. iclub j& Paris, and M. Thome <de Gamond's.sabroarine tunnel has constituted'tne.first subject, for investigation. Most of'the journals of Paris ihave taken up the curiojus probJemY and thus' created a certain amount of .in-: teresfc in this " beau revel' as the Siede es?claims. It is proposed to cut a tunnel from Cape Grinez, on the French coast, to a point which is about midway b,etw?enilfalkestone' and Dover. A coloured diagram rat th 6 end of the'volume shews the character of the geological deposits of the bed "of (he Channel, and M. Gamond believes &c fras[ ■discovered a stratum which would be admi-. rably suited for piercing. • According to the information obtained,.'the stratum" 'cbn^ 'sists partly of a white, soft stone and.argilr, laceous earths of three different ,agea-T-viz.r,, a zone of1 Oxford clay, a zone of Kimjmeridge clay, "50 metres thick,*ancj a zone' of weald clay, which on js uppermost. Havipg fatisfied himself a&'td the nature of Ahe deposits he would have to cut through, the engineer shews^ ho{v Be' believes the tunnel mignt be successfully constructed; An island occurs, at «the bot-> |torn of the sea called the " Varrie ,Star," and exclusive of thjstiatural advantage.thuv- r teen artificial islands more, are jo, ( bei^acleiii the channel along ,the projected line.. These; 1 islands are'to be composed of rock, cemented ■ with clay, tfye'section of each presensng.£ trapezium^ the, low.er bas& pf i&jafeo|i 220 metres in,length, the altitude ,6£H.> and the upper base 40. Through these islands shafts are to be.sunk .to the level pf the"prof jected tunnel; and thjs done* tha7wois.s excavation may> be commenced,, on tweiityr: eight points at once. The cost of the tunnel is to, be 170,00d,000f.. The, projector's evidently bestowed anjmmense'amount labor on jris calculations • before, Jig sat^ifie.d himself of the possibility' of ( « work-which has formed the dream of so^ many/ejithu!st^ asts, none of whom have^hawever^.brQug^tto > light so > much.. geological information, and none of whom have dared to apply the advanced discoveries ci;ficience.t6,n]ptr^j|nd gigantic, difficulties \Vha.tever,,may.J'l>e the result of M.> de. OamonoVs splendidivisions, he has contributed a most interesting volume to tne'engineering literaturelbf'tihie day. ' "■ l ■■«■_ Anecdote of > the Emperor of Austria.-^-As Joseph 11., Emperor. of I Austria, was driving his one horse cabriolet, dressed in the garb of a private citizen, he met a private soldier,* who, mistaking him for i, man in the middle class, requested'a seat in the vehicle. ' , „ * Willingly,' replied the Emperor, *Jump in, comrade, for I'm in a hurryi' * The soldier was soon seatejd alongside pf the Empero^ and. becamevery. loquacious ' Come comrade/ said > hej slapping the Emperor on the back, *are you \ood at guessing V 1 Perhaps I ani,' said Joseph; f try me,* Well, - then, imy bdy, conjure up'your wits and tell me what I had^or breakfast !* ' Sau,r kraut!' V c Come, none of that, comrade. Try it again,' k Perhaps a Westphalia ham,' replied the Emperor, willing to1 humour fy)s cpmpapiqn, * Better than that,' exclimed' the [soldier. <' Sausages from Bologna, and Hockheimer from the Rhine.' , ' ''! " ' Better than that. D'ye trive,it up ?' 'I do.' * Open your eyes an,df ears, then;' said the soldier bluntly., *|j Itad.'.a. "j^a? 1 santf by Jove, shot in, the Emperor; tToe's park. Ha, ha!- , - . c v 'When the exultation of :the soldier had 1 subsided, Joseph!said, qtii ( etTy— .'.' 1 c r.w.ant ypi; to toy., your skill in guespjng, comrade. See if you can name the rank I hofpV ' f You're a—=ncr itsaig it! you're not smart enough for a,cornet'.' i • Better than that/ * A lieutenant t < letter than that ?' [ ' Better, than that.' \ ■ *>A major?' [. .'S£efte)r than: that.'' j '£ general?'' ' than, that/ ,:- • ». - i •Tlie1 soldier was" n'owr fearfully agitatect.l ,He had doffecf his haV t ahb). J sat bare-* he,ad<3d,. He cOxild scarcely aftieulate. * Parctori mie; Excellency, you are field marshet?^ ~ . ♦Better tnan that,' replied Josepn. 'Mercy; oh me!' cried the ;soldier,> c you're the .Emperor.' ile; threw himself otit of the cabriolet,and knelt for paVdon in" the mudl'^' The .circumstances' were not forgotten by. either ; tne Emperor often ilatigned over it; and the soldier- received si mark of favor which he could not forget. . .