The Press. — London, England, 1856-12-13 00:00:00

1194 devoted to business are likely to be for the future, and is fairly brought within the boun daries of the great city. The region we allude to is that which lies just on the other side the northern boundary of the above-mentioned tract, rea - thing northward as far as the North London Railway, and lying between the Kings land and Edgewaro Roads on the east and west respectively. This district is entirely now since 1x15; but it has already drained off a great number of the class who were supposed to be indigenous to Bloomsbury, and seems likely to hold the same relative position to Belgravia as the former once held to Mayfair and St. James's-street. Turning towards the west and south, we observe a similar development. Due west of the Edgeware-road fifty years ago were open fields, stretching towards Westbourne-green on the north, and coming down to the Ux bridge-road southwards. Here now is the fashionable region of Bayswater, with its spa cious streets and squares, and its cheerful gardens and terraces. Southwards still lay Holland -house, Kensington - gardens, and Hyde-park, and between these and the river were nothing but the suburbs of Brompton and Chelsea, then little more than villages. Be tween these and Buckingham Palace was an empty space, now covered with the magnifi cent structures of Belgrave and Eaton Squares, and nearer the river with those of Warwick and Eccleston ; while the carpenter and mason are still extending their labours westward, and gradually extirpating all that dingy mass of building which formed the outskirts of Chelsea On the Surrey side of the Thames, though the character of the change is not so promi nent or so extensive, it has probably afforded more additional trouble to the Directory clerks than the corresponding growth of dwellings on this side the water. Battersea, for merly a distant village, but now a connected suburb, has row upon row of neat white cot tage villas, which are often not occupied by the same tenant for more than a year together, not because they are not in themselves ex cellent houses, but because they afford such facilities to persons wishing to get a sub urban residence for the summer months with out the annoyance of lodgings. Here too, as all round the " Surrey side" from Battersea to Bermondsey, will be found a large sprinicling of that numerous class who for various reasons never own an address. Like David's army, the population of Battersea, Lambeth, and Camberwell is composed of very hetero geneous and very loose materials, among which the " Finder-out "—as described by a weekly periodical—from Old Boswell-court is variously suspected of being either a tax gatherer, a bailiff, or aPolish count, with an eye to the great coats. Thus slowly and unnoticed is the great city extending herself. On two sides, certainly, a breadth of nearly two miles has been added to its dimensions within this century, and about half that distance on the third. Not the least curious or interesting result is the altered re lation in which the different parts of town now stand to each other, and the extent to which they promise alteration for the future. What was a central position twenty years ago has already lost much of that character, and in twenty years to come will perhaps have lost it altogether. Thus, for instance, on the ques tion whether Kensington or Trafalgar-square were the most fitting site for the new National Gallery, it has been fisumed that the former is still a suburb, the latter still the centre of London for artists and the middle class. But now that artists have emigrated to Tyburnia and Bayswater, and the majority of their patrons to Belgravia, Kensington is decidedly the more central position of the two. What changes may yet be in store for the shops, theatres, and other public places of the metropolis is a curious subject for contempla tion. Will they have eventually to follow their customers, or will their customers come to them ? The fact of the Houses of Parlia ment and all the public offices standing where they do will always prevent the population of London from drifting westward beyond a certain point. But what that point may he seems very undecided at present. Year by year now streets and squares, each further west, and each combining more and more of A ITHE PRESS. convenience and economy, are rising on our outskirts. A house, too, an Englishman will have,—the system of flats he abominates ; and it is melancholy to see that noble new street between Westminster and Pimlico com paratively deserted, and partly in process of destruction. When the dweller in the heart of London finds that he can have an excellent house in Pimlico or elsewhere for the same o n ey— Quauti nunc tenebras unnm conducit, in annum— is he not certain sooner or later to make the exchange? Business will always, as we have said, detain a certain number of residents east of Pall-mall. The question is. must we not legislate concerning our public buildings, bridges, and improvements generally with an eye to that incessant, though silent, tide of emigration which is ever setting in " toward " the region of the setting sun." BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE. WE have a goodly collection of books for young people before us, very suitabla for presents at the Coming festive season. They are adapted to all tastes, and, for the most part, are marked by the healthy, buoyant spirit which it must be wise to cultivate in the young, we fancy, since it is so natural to their character. Of boys' books we have two, written in the manner which the late Captain Marryat made so popular. Captain Mayne Reid (1), one of our most spirited narrators of adventure, describes with great anima tion the wonders of nature in Southern Africa and the sporting life of the Dutch settlers. His three young yazers are the bush boys whom he has intro• duced to his readers on a former occasion. He has now joined to them three companions, and represents the whole party out on a hunting expedition. These youthful Gordon Cummings often incur great peril, but extricate themselves from danger with great dexterity. The narrative is so managed as to pre sent, as in a panoramt., the most striking natural features of the country. It is a true boy's book ; the young heroes are joyful, daring, and curious. It will help to increase, in good time, the number of our skilful explorers and fearless sportsmen. _ . Mr. Kingston's Salt Water (2) does for the sea what Captain Reid has done for the land. It nar rates the perils, the sports, the wonders, and the adven tures of ocean life. The author is famous for his sea scenes, and he has never written more spirited and truthful sketches than we find in this volume. Niel Darcy, who relates his sea-going experiences, is a true British tar, with the ocean for his heritage, his ship for his wife, and his crew for his children. Both volumes are prettily illustrated, the plates exhibiting scenes of peril enough to captivate every boy who catches a glimpse of them. Lilian's f3olden Hours (3)lis a young lady's book by " Silverpen." It is in striking contrast to the boiste rous characterot the preceding volumes. Here, in place of the wild sports of forest, and prairie, and ocean, all the soft affections and sweet affections of home are pictured. The children have pet lambs, and love to rescue perishing birds from the snow. The story is well sustained, one great merit of the book being its careful portraiture of all natural objects. We doubt, however, whether the tone of the book is healthful in magnifying so highly the luxuries of life, as " stairs and banisters of matchless porcelain," &c. Would it not be a better lesson to show that true content is little dependent on such adventitious things ? We do not much admire that style of fiction which surrounds good little boys and girls with all the pleasures wealth can command. The remark is, perhaps, hypercritical when applied to a tale so thoroughly pleasing and amiable as this. Julia Maitland (4) is an engaging little moral story, showing the injurious effects of pride. It is nearly such a story as Miss Edgeworth might have written on that theme. Two other little books are more of an instructive nature than the preceding. The conversations con veying leading incidents in the history of British India (5) are, we think, somewhat disfigured by too much " good little boy" and "good little girl" kind of talk. Children of an age to comprehend these stories would see through the artifice. Such style of commentary) had better be left to parents and teachers. Pictures frees the Pyrenees (6) is a (1) The Young lagers. By Captain Mayue Reid. Loudon : Bogue. (2) Salt Water: the Sea Life and Adventures of Neil D'Aren. the Midshipman. By W. H. Kingston, Esq. London : Griffith and Ferran. (3) Lilian's Gohienj Hours. By Eliza Meteyard (Silverren). London: Routledge. (4) Julia Maitland; or, Pride goes before a Fall. By Mary and Elizabeth Kirby. London : Griffith and Farran. (3) Our Eastern Empire: Stories front the History of Bri tish India. London: Griffith and Farm). (6) Pictures frost the Pyrenees; or, Agnes' and Kate's Travels. By Caroline Bell. London Grifllth and Farran, SATURDAY, much prettier book. With admirable simplicity of manner it notices the towns, the scenery, the people, the history, and the natural phenomena of this grand mountain region. The plates are charac teristic and free, and the book altogether as charm ing a one as can be placed in an intelligent child's hand. Next come some fairy tales. Granny's Wonderful Chair (7) is very inventive and fanciful. The best of the tales, to our mind, is •' The Chrismas Cuckoo." The moral is cleverly made part of the story without being obtrusive. The Christmas Tree (8) is some stories from the German of a more imaginative cast, and with more elevated and reverent feeling. Among fairy tales we suppose we must class one of the prettiest volumes on our table, Voices from the Greenwood (9) adapted by Lady Wallace. The aim is to personify powers and properties of nature, making them tell their own tales. The Early Dawn (10) is an instructive little book. In the first of the stories Swift's remark would have formed a good motto,—that the world must be circum navigated before a washerwoman could make her breakfast. The tales are well written and calculated to awaken reflection while imparting knowledge. Round the Fire (11) consists of six short sto:ies adapted for quite young children, the words rarely running longer than two syllables. The prattle of the stories contain incident, and sometimes we think of too grave a cast for infantile minds. The Golden ABC Book (12) is the last, and, in some respects, the prettiest book of our list. Each letter of the alphabet commences a sentence from Scripture: and the initial letter, with great purity of design and artistic skill, is composed to form a pic ture illustrating the sentence. The designs aro necessarily small, and for this reason scarcely suit able for young children, but they are exquisitely drawn and engraved, and clear in all their details. It is rather to be regarded as an alphabet of art than a mere " ABC " book. PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED.—Dec. 11. BOOKS. Poetry from Life. C. M. K. Smith and Elder Parliamentary Minutes, respecting Public and Private Bills, Commillees,tc. Waterlow and Son s Sir Edwin Gilderoy. A Ballad. Feltham Burghley. J. Chapman Edith Frankheart ; or, the Baronet's Daughter. Capt. Cur ling. Three 'Vols. Saunders and Otley _ _ England and Mask Natural Al lift. Hamilton and Adam; Gethsemane; and other Pont. Thomas G. Hortnn. Judd and Glass Summer Experiences; or, Borne, Perugia, and Siena. W. Skeffington George Magian!; Adventures of an Emigrant. T. Hodgson Widows and Widowers. Ditto. The English of Shakespeare. George L. Craik. Chapman and Hall Dialogues on Divine Providence. By a Fellow of a College J. W. Parker and Son Clover Cottage; or, I can't get in. A Novelette. Chapman and Hall The Paragreens on a Visit to the Paris Universal Exhibition Hamilton and Adams Dramatic Scenes; and other Poems. Barry Cornwall. Chapman and Hall Smith and Elder Hatchard and Co. Rout ledge Stories for the Young. Memoirs of John Abernethy, F.R.S. Under Green Leaves. Charles Mackay. Modern Manicheism ; and other Poems. J. W. Parker and Son The Old Monaslery. Two Vols. Bentley The Course of Time. A Poem. Illustrated Edition. Blackwoods Agnes Milbourne ; or," Foy Pour Deroir." Two Vols. Skeet The Good Old Tiniee. A Tale of Auvergne. H'all and Virtue Ditto The De of Sunshine. The Sisters Of Saleure. A Tale of the Sixteenth Century. By C. S.W. Nisbit and Co. PAMPHLETS. Ombrological Almanac. Eighteenth Year. Wm. Walker —Evenings with the People. Nos. 111. and IV.—On the Rjhc•acy of Small Doses of Morphia.—The Rise and Progress of British Opium Smuggling. Judd and Glass.—A Treatise of I,tle Assurance Societies and Savings• Banks. C. Mitchell. —Harry Hau kins's H Book. Griffith and Ferran.—The Military Resources of Ireland. Simpkin and Marshall Civil 'Service Superannuulion.—Our Army ; or, Penny Wise and Pound Foolish. Hatehard.— Thick and Thin Seeding. J. Ridgway. PERIODICALS. Corner Cupboard. Holliston and Stoneman.—Routiedge's Shakespeare. Illustrated by John Gilbert. Part I. Rout ledge.—Cambridge Essays. Contributed by Members of the University. J. W. Parker and Son.—London Univer sity Magazine. Hall and Virtue.—Lelis's Diarg for 1857. Letts and Co. (7) Granny's Wonderful Chair, and its Tales of Fairy Times. By Francis Brow'ie. London : Griffithand Ferran. (R) The Christmas Tree. red Other Tales. Adapted from the German by Francis Kemble. London : J. W. Parker and Son. (ti) Voices from the Greenwood. Adapted from the Original by Lady Wallace. London : Bell and Daldy. (10) Early Daun; or, Stories to Think About. By a Country Clergyman. London: Griffith and Farrell. (11) Bound the Fire. Six Stories. London: Smith and Elder. (12) The Golden ABC Book. Designed by G. Kouig. Eu. graved by J. Thaler. Gotha Perthes. London : Triibner.