nature. gentle nature without stint. His approach His gentle brought sunny weather; his voice was balm to the angry; he loved the quiet, orderly, becoming way." On the 4th of June the Athenæum is "authorized to announce that Punch has been fortunate enough to find its second editor in Mr. Shirley Brooks, who, although he enters on office at a rather mature period of life, is in the fulness of intellectual vigour, and in every respect worthy to occupy the place so long held by Mr. Mark Lemon." Shirley Brooks suc ceeds him as editor of Punch. Cyrus Redding. Chronicle. The death of "an industrious and versatile man of letters," Mr. Cyrus Redding, is recorded on the same date. He was born at Penryn in 1785, and came to London in 1806, "when, after some experience on the Pilot, he returned The Pilot. to the West, and started the Plymouth Chronicle, The Plymouth of which he was editor and proprietor for several years. From 1815 to 1818 he resided in Paris, as editor of Galignani's Messenger, and in 1820 became co-editor with Thomas Campbell of Colburn's New Monthly Magazine......During the ten years of his connexion with the New Monthly, he rarely had a holiday, his longest absence extending to only nine days......Under the auspices of Sir William Molesworth the Bath The Bath Guardian was commenced, which Mr. Redding edited for two years, and left in 1836 to preside Galignani. Colburn's New Monthly. Guardian. Recollections.' over the Staffordshire Examiner. Mr. Redding was an ardent Whig, and his services to the party were numerous and confidential......His long and multifarious life brought him into contact with many notabilities, and he turned his experience Fifty Years' to account in 1858 in the publication of 'Fifty Years' Recollections, Literary and Personal,' followed by 'Yesterday and To-day,' in 1862, and 'Past Celebrities whom I have Known,' in 1865. Similarly his intimate acquaintance with Campbell supplied material for two volumes of 'Reminiscences and Memoirs' of the poet in 1860......His 'History and Description of Modern Wines,' first published in 1833, has passed through several editions." The The impressed stamp on newspapers was impressed abolished on the 1st of October, and an adverabolished. tisement announces that "copies of the Athenæum stamp from that date, if sent by post, will be subject to a charge of one halfpenny, instead of one penny as heretofore." The King of Burmah, it is noted on the 8th of October, "has had an edition of 300 copies of a Burmese Grammar of Pali printed at his own press, in the palace. To the horror of learned men of the old school, he has determined to Palm-leaf discard the making of palm-leaf books. For the future, no leaf will be taken out of such books, and a leaf will cease to have a literal books dis carded in Burmah. Thus will be suppressed meaning in such case. The obituary of 1870 includes Miss Louisa Stuart Costello, who died at Boulogne on the 24th of April, at the age of seventy-one; Sir James Y. Simpson; Mr. Murdo Young, for many years proprietor of the Sun; Mr. Benjamin Thorpe, the archeologist and antiquary; Mr. B. B. Orridge, the well-known author of several works illustrative of the ancient history of London and its citizens; Mr. Williams, for nearly fifty years proprietor and editor of the Cambrian, published at Swansea, and "the oldest newspaper in Wales, having been started in 1804"; Mr. Joseph Lilly, the well-known bookseller of Garrick Street, looked upon in the trade as the apostle of "first folios," who had probably possessed and sold more copies of this prized edition of Shakspeare's works than any other bookseller who ever lived, and who when a lad was in the then great house of Lackington & Co. in Finsbury Square; and Capt. Chamier, the author of 'Tom Bowline.' The siege of Paris and its bombardment by the Germans formed the all-absorbing topic at the Obituary of 1870. opening of 1871. The march of events, as is well known, had been very rapid. On the morning of the 28th of July in the previous year the French Emperor left St. Cloud for the seat of war, and on the 2nd of August the fighting began with the French attack on Saarbrücken. On the 1st of August the King of Prussia left Berlin for the army, with the proclamation that "all Germany stands united in arms." On the 4th the Crown Prince of Germany crossed the Lauter. On the 6th he defeated Marshal MacMahon at Woerth. Strasburg was invested by the Germans on the 10th. From the 14th to the 18th Marshal Bazaine was defeated in several severe battles before Metz-Courcelles, Vionville or Mars-la-Tour, Gravelotte, and Rezonville-when the French retired under cover of Metz, which surrendered with the army under Marshal Bazaine on the 27th of October. On the 30th of August Marshal MacMahon, retreating northwards, was surprised and defeated by the Germans; and on Friday, September 2nd, rumours reached England of a great battle at Sedan favourable to the French. arms, but at a quarter to five on Saturday morning the intelligence was received of the total defeat of MacMahon between Sedan and Carignan. Later in the day the Times published a third edition, containing a despatch of the King of Prussia, stating that Marshal MacMahon had capitulated. "The Emperor, not having a command, and leaving everything to the Regency in Paris, has surrendered to myself Surrender of Napoleon. 'personally. What a wonderful dispensation of God Almighty!" On the 4th a revolution. broke out in Paris, and on the following day the Republic was proclaimed, with General Trochu as President. On the 18th 400 Uhlans occupied Versailles, and on the same day the railway between Paris and Havre was cut near Conflans by Prussian scouts. On the 19th the regular postal service from Paris was suspended, and on the 21st the Times announced "no post from Paris." A telegram from Berlin of the 28th stated that Paris was completely invested by the armies of the Crown Princes of Prussia and Saxony, and that communications with the Provisional Government at Tours were maintained by balloons and carrier pigeons. On the 9th of October M. Gambetta escaped from Paris in a balloon, and the Times of the 2nd of November published the following proclamation of Gambetta to the army, dated Tours, November Ist: "Letters received from Paris to the 28th ult. state that the vigour and resolution of the defenders of the capital are unabated. Liberal subscriptions are flowing in for the defence, and enough is now subscribed to provide 1,000 cannon. It is calculated that the fresh meat rations |