The Press.
London, England, 1855-12-29 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

Zatidee. A Romance. By Margaret Oliphant.
Three Vols. London : Blackwoods.
THE originality of this tale would alone secure for it
a favorable reception. The reader is fascinated at
the outset by the character of Zaidee, and by the
strange incident which draws forth the latent power
of her nature, and gives motion to the story. The
Grange described in the opening pages is one of the
most peaceful dwellings in the world. All its in-
mates have no weightier business than to discuss
what festivities shall take place on the heir of the
estate, Philip Vivian, attaining his majority. His
mother, his three sisters, and his brother, are all
equally proud of him. The inheritance is a fair one,
the prospects of all are bright, there appears not a
single cloud in view. A shy, petted, capricious
cousin, a girl of fourteen, who can do nothing but
read and write, caressed and spoilt by the whole
family, sits in a corner poring over a book, as her
wont is. Zaidee's mother VMS a Greek, her father a
Vivian, but a younger brother. Both her parents
are dead, but as one of the family she does not feel
her loss. " Grandfather Vivian," it is supposed,
made a will before his death, but it has never been
found, and to Zaidee the question sometimes occurs,
What if this will should be discovered ? What if
Philip should be dispossessed of the estate, and the
family involved in ruin ? She is of a dreamy,
abstracted disposition—scarcely alive to the reality
of things—tall, and slight, and immature—with dark
complexion and unformed features, so that it seems
uncertain whether she will prove very plain or exces-
sively beautiful, but with eyes full of intellect andex-
pression. By accident she lights on the long missing
will—Grandfather Vivian has left all the estate to
Zaidee. She is caught by her cousin Philip with the
instrument in her hand. He will not suffer her to
destroy it ; he will not suffer her to resign in his
favour. The whole family are determined that the
inheritance shall be hers wholly and absolutely.
" Will you marry me?" she asks Philip. He gently
refuses. Then she leaves the house, determined to
die or hide herself. She falls into safe hands, and
succeeds in eluding pursuit. She is first a nursery
governess, sustains some simple trials, and is then
adopted into a family. Seven years pass, and the
awkward girl becomes a lovely and graceful woman.
Her friends are brought into contact with the Vivians,
she sees her cousins without being recognised by them,
and learns from their lips that her sacrifice has been
in vain. This part of the book is the most striking
and dramatic. She communicates with them ; she
determines to force on them the inheritance they
have been nursing for her benefit, though doubtful
whether she is alive or dead. The contest is ended
by her disguise being penetrated, and by the acces-
sion of her cousin Philip to the property of another
branch of the family.
This story is worked out with so much skill, with
such depth of feeling, and emotional eloquence, as
to cause the reader to overlook its improbabilities.
We are inclined to say that the main fault of the
book lies in the character of Zaidee herself, notwith-
standing that the action depends wholly on her
passionate disinterestedness. She always retains
her " dreamy abstracted" nature. We never seem to
know more of her than lies on the surface. She has
but one idea ; that alone makes up her story ; and we
miss those fine shades of character which constitute
"loveable humanity." But the social sketches are
piquantly written, and the personages introduced
nicely discriminated, though the tale is of modern
day, and contains no out-of-the-way adventures apart
from the flight of Zaidee. It is rightly termed a
romance, from the poetic spirit which pervades its
pages. The writing is affected, or at least mannered,
in parts, tending towards what is termed " high-
flown ;" but against this error we have to set much
brilliancy in emotional description, and talent for
dramatic effect. The latter portion of the story is
highly scenic, and so rapid in the action as
thoroughly to engage the mind and rouse the feelings
of the reader. " Zaidee" is by far the happiest
specimen of domestic romance we have lately met
with, and combines qualities which must charm all
lovers of original fiction.

The Birth-day Council; or, How to be Useful. By
Mrs. Alaric A. Watts. Edinburgh Jack.
IT is impossible within our limits to do justice to
this very admirable little book. We fully agree with
the words of the authoress in the preface, that it
would be well if children's minds were generally
directed to " something better than mere make-
" believes "—and we must congratulate her on the
success with which she has accomplished her own
part towards doing so. The heroine of the story,
Miss Joanna Ge-scoigne, a young lady of the mature
age of twelve, becomes possessed with a desire of
being useful, but is disheartened by the considera-
tion that it is impossible for little children to be so.
Hew this notion is dispelled by the practical and
judicious treatment of her mother is not the least
interesting part of the book—the result being that
she assembles her young friends together
,on he

SATURDAY,

birthday, when they all agree to make such sacri-
fices as they can for the relief of the poor children
in their neighbourhood. The tale is interspersed
with pleasing pictures of childish amusements, and
shows an intimate and sympathetic knowledge of the
character and minds of children.

Consumption : its Causes, Prevention, and Cure.
By Thomas Bartlett, M.D. London: Bailliere.
WE must feel grateful to any physician who gives
us his experience on this terrible disease. But
Dr. Bartlett is entitled to our thanks in a two-
fold degree, for he not only expounds to us the
causes and prevention of the malady, but positively
assures us that it is curable :

If the dictates of sound judgment and medical know-
ledge were strictly acted up to, pulmonary consumption
could be eradicated from those classes of society which are
not straitened for pecuniary means. The prevention of
consumption, when undertaken at an early age, and perse-
vered in until every indication of the affection has disap-
peared, is as much a matter of certainty as any thing in me-
dicine. But then, it costs a great deal of money to change
the climate from time to time, and to adopt all the other
means which are required to bring up the system to such,
a point of vigour as to be proof against consumption ; and
this is the reason why this disease, in the nature of things,
will always continue to be attended with a very consider-
able mortal:ty. The wealthy have the power in their own
hands of eradicating the disease from their order, by
judicious marriages, and persistent attention to their
offspring from the day of birth; while poorer persons may
greatly lessen its ravages by taking as many precautions as
their means will permit.
This is, indeed, good news to all classes; and we are
still further instructed in this little volume how the
poorer ones may turn their means to the best
account—what, for instance, are the healthiest
suburbs of London, and the wholesomest kinds of
cheap diet. The doctor is very peremptory on the
subject of dress and exposure to the weather; but
we confess, for our part, nothing pleases us so well
as his denunciation of the fallacy about early
rising. It is time this delusion were done away, and
we hope, if on that account only, Dr. Bartlett's book
may have a wide circle of readers.

PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED.—Dac. 27,
BOOKS.

Poetise. Walter Whitmore Jones. Longmans.
The Shaving of Shagpat. An Arabian Entertainment.
Cr. Meredith. Chapman and Hall.

Alton Locke, Tailor and Poet. Rev. C. Kingsley. Do.
Sermons, Doctrinal and Practical. Rev. W. Archer Butler,
M.A. Edinburgh : Macmillan.
The Heroes, or Greek Fairy Tales for My Children.
Rev. C. Kingsley. Bell and Daldy.
Illustrated Handbouk qj Architecture. James Fergana'',
M.R.1.8.A. Murray.

On the Bonk Charter Act of 1844. Thomas Cooke, F.R.S.
Longman':
Poems. W. Parkinson, M.A. Bell and Daldy.
Princess Ilse. A Legend. Lady Maxwell Wallace. Do.
Memorials of Captain Hedky Vicars, 97th Regiment.
Nisbett.
Paterfamilias's Diary of Everybody's Tou►. Hatchard.
Sayah, or the Courier to the East. Chapman and Hall.
The Almanack of Science and Art. Do.
Mount Sorel. Parlour Library. Hodgson.

The Paths of Parliament. Madden.
The Sunday Morning Service. Rev. James Hildyard, B.U.
Groombridge.
The Trans-Caucasian Provinces. Laurence Oliphant.
Black woods.

Palmerston's last Joke, or th. New Pension Warrants

Considered.

Stanfcrd.

Religion in Common Life. A Sermon. Rev. John Caird,
M.A. Blackwuods.
Hymns for the Church of England. Leslie.

The Irish Quarterly Review.

Simpkin and Marshall.

ENCAMPMENT IN THE DESERT.—This day we added
a new rule to our order of travel—that we should
dismount every evening when we came within sight
of the encampment, then at about an hour's distance
over the plain; and, accordingly, when the white
tents appeared, our village home for the night, we
sent all those with us forward, people and camels,
and han a walk. This last hour was very pleasant,
and the walk a great improvement—a strolling saunter,
during which you picked up odd pebbles and marbles,
and found flowers, very sweet—scented some of
them—or you stopped to admire some bit of scenery,
or to talk over the spot and its associations; and so
you strolled leisurely on to your village. And a
cheerful little village it was when you arrived. The
encampment was generally pitched in the form of an
irregular circle, the two large tents occupying nearly
half of it, the three smaller ones bending round
from either extremity, and the Arabs, with their
camel baggage and camels, bringing round the circle
to the front. When you entered within the circle,
what a busy and welcoming scene it was, after your
long day's ride. The tents all alight with Eastern
lamps, the doors thrown wide all temptingly, the
kitchen fires burning brightly, and sounds, and
scents, and steamy doings on tither hand.—
Lowth's Wanderer in Arabia.

111

DECEMBER 29, 1855.

It mustmt Os, fr.

THE PANTOMIMES.

ADELPHI.

COVENT-GAIIDEN THEATRE.
THE promise of the Great Wizard that " The

Pantomime " of the season should be found inside

the Italian Opera-house, has been but partially ful-
filled, for, while everything else is good, scenery,
tricks, changes, and acting, the dialogue is intolerably
bad from beginning to end. There are no " quips
and cranks " here, no flying hits at the follies of the

.
day, no wit, no fun, nothing but a series of the most
inevitable commonplaces, and one or two indifferent

songs without point: This is much to be regretted,
and we apprehend that the Wizard finds it more

difficult to transform a dull dialogue into a witty one
than he does to turn a policeman in high-lows and
all out of a deal table, or he would have effected the

change after the first rehearsal. The story is
founded on the visit of bluff King Hal to Francis

the First. The embarkation of the King, his voyage
across the Channel, the meeting of the sovereigns,

the grand tournament in honour of the visit, and ibe
intrigues of both Kings to get possession of a pretty
little danseuse, form the incidents of the story.
Throughout all these adventures, an evil gnome is
.tiontinually striving against a fairy, Good Humour, to
breed jealousy and hatred between the two kings, and
thus destroy " Ye belle Alliance " of the two countries.
.This tendency of the gentleman in black and
spangles leads in the commencement to some •ery
pretty and effective dioramic representations of the
then future visits of Napoleon the Third to Windsor,
and of Victoria to the first Napoleon's tomb in the
Invalides. The gnome, however, is in no way con-
-vinced by this practical prophecy of the fairy Good
.Humour, and continues his annoyances throughout
-.the piece.
As soon as King Harry has made up his mind to
pay his visit to Francis, accompanied by Wolsey
and the Queen, be embarks at once on board his big
/ship, and while enjoying himself, and indulging his
.courtiers with a dance on board, the ship is sud-
.dettly,eaught in a heavy squall, which blows over-
board .ere incautious courtier who put up his
xnuhreharte keep the rain off, and inflicts sea-sick-
ness and itllits attendant calamities, without much
respect to persons, upon King, Cardinal, and Court.
At length tCalais is reached in safety, and the
Wield of .the Cloth of Gold is shown, where
aminiarnents and dances have been specially insti-
anted 'by Francis for the amusement of his guests.
,its -soon as these ceremonies are concluded, the
imetereigns retire to their chambers for the night.
Dnt the beauty of a danseuse keeps kings awake at
times, and, despite the charms of their legitimate
queens, Heavy and Francis both take off their boots,
and in the dark seek the abode of the pretty dan-
seuse. Here the evil gnome finds a most fitting
opportunity for creating jealousy, and awakening the
spouses he informs them each of their husband's
absence and errand. The queens arise in haste and
nightcaps, and, searching for their liege lords, arrive
at the spot just as Henry and Francis, having
.climbed the hedge surrounding the cottage of the
.danseuse, fall each into the cucumber-bed and the
pigsty on the opposite side. The denouement is corn-
plete, and a catastrophe would be inevitable did not
the fairy Good Humour kindly come upon the scene,
sand with a wave of her wand transform the cottage
to the Realms of Eternal Starlight, and their kings
sand ,courtiers into Harlequin and his attendants.
ll'hen.oommences the harlequinade, which, with a
little .oesnprersion, will be unexceptionable. The
icidke !au& transformations are clever and original,
and are :admirably managed throughout; nothing
could be better, and if things went a little ruggedly
on the first night, a week's practice will, no doubt,
bring all to perfection. It is impossible in a panto-
mime of such length to particularise each scene and
incident. There are many good points in the pan-
tomime, particularly the scenery, in which the
changes are remarkably skilful and clever, and only
.one bad one, easily corrected—the dull dialogue. If
a little more wit and fun and a few more hits were
thrown into it, and the whole thing compressed, it
-would work admirably, The Clown, ?,Ir. Flexmore,
is one of the cleverest and most amusing we have ;
his imitations of the Opera dancers are perfect, and
his extravagant activity and tun are carried out with
great success.
The house on boxing-night was crowded with an
-audience as ill-tempered as impatient, and little
allowance was made for difficulties, the inevitable
.consequenee of too little time for preparation.
However, the pantomime of Ye Belle Alliance will
well repay a visit, and we have no doubt will achieve
in a marked degree the success it so well deserves.

OUR old friend "Jack," and his wonderful "Bean.
stalk," furnish the material for an exceedingly
lengthy and very tiresome cAmbination of burlesque
and pantomime at this house. Jack at the Adelphi