The Press.
London, England, 1854-05-27 00:00:00

FROM THE LONDON GAZETTE.

Tuesday, May 23.
BANKRUPTS.:—Hrom ELDRID, Witney, Oxfordshire, grocer
—GEonrim SayanEns,Seymour-street, Euston-square—BictiAßD
BOND, Brighton, Sussex, !Milkier—THOMAS HOT BURTON, Win-
chester, cowkeeper—RonEtir BURR, Gosport, Hampshire. boot-
Illaker—THOMAll HOLLAND, Milner-street, Islington, tobacco
broker— Wm. Wiliam, Thelford, Norfolk, butcher —JAMES
HUNT, Lupus•street, Pimlico, builder—JOSEPH BEST, JUR,
Kidderminster, scrivener—Wm. BRADLEY GEOROE, Gloucester,
scrivener—Wm. Jonsisow, Bradford, Yorkshire, butcher—JOHN
JACKSON, Kingston•upon-Hull, commission agent —CH.sabas
FirroN, Newton-lioath, Lancashire, jolter—Tilos. FINCIIETT
and Wit.r.tam FINCHET-r, Chorlton-upon-Atedlock, Lancashire,
brewers.

SCOTCH SEQUESTRATIONS.—JAmna GAY, Falkirk, grocer
—Lawn's MILLZB, Glasgow, general outfitter.

Friday, May 26.
BANKRUPTS.—JOHN CHARLES BRANT, SlloTeditCh, Oil and
colour man—Joni Hol.mEs and RonEwr Hotuts, Sheffield
buiIders—RICHARDSTRINOP:R, Hertield, draper—JAMES Dußois,
Sheffield, tailor—Cnosny LEIGHTON. Lancaster, grocer—JAmEs
NUTTAI.I., JAMES YATES, and CHARLES NUTTALL, Rawtenstall,
Lancaster. cotton manufacturers—Rh-Haar, LATHAM, Bristol,
leather deaIer—SAMUEL CRANE Fox, Liverpool, wine and spirit
merchant—Jon!: BATES, West Bromwich, Stafford, blinder--
WILLIAM ACKLAND, LiSSOR-grove, and FREDERICK MASON
GOODWIN, High-street, Portland-town, linen-drapers—RlCHAßD
CAVE, Bristol, Manchester warehousem an—ROBERT KEMP PHILP
and RICHARD PERKINS APPLEFORD, Fleet-street, booksellers—
SAMUEL tRAACII,Portsea, hardwareman—WlLLlAM Lomo,Lamb's
Conduit-street, baker and grocer—JEßEmiAn BILEINottAu and
JESSIE BILLINOHAW, Cradley-heath, Staffordshire, chain
makers.

SCOTCH SEQUESTRATIONS. WILLIAM LUMADEN
MACALASTER. Paisley, yarn merchant—SAmvEL WOOLFIELP,
Glasgow, goldsmith—TA Los and RonoEsa, Paisley, dyers--
ALEXANDZA anti ALTEANDiR. Olaagow, tea merchants.

MAY 27, 1854.

Nittrahut.

Pelham ; or, the Adventures of a Gentleman.
Cheap Edition. London : Routledge and
Co.
OUR first recollections of Sir Edward Lytton
are derived from Cambridge associations. He
had gone to the University at an earlier age
than is usual, and, though he did not enter
into competition for the regular prizes, he was
well known amongst his associates for leading
the life of a student, neither making a parade
nor a secret of his habits of continuous read
ing. At that time there were many gifted
young men at Cambridge who toiled very hard
to gain the honours of the University, and
raise themselves in life. Young Bulwer (from
habit we often use his early name) was inde
pendent in his position, and not stimulated
by the spur of necessity to bring his name
before the world. Heir to the Lyttona of
Knebworth, there is the more credit due to
him for so laboriously disciplining his mind.
It was after he left the University that the
prize on the poem of " Sculpture " was de-
cided in his favour, and we recollect his going
down to Cambridge to recite it. It gained
him deserved notice at the time.
After leaving Cambridge he sojourned in
London, and
_pleased himself with observing
its society. He did not confine himself to
studying Mayfair, for, unlike some of his Cam-
bridge contemporaries, he did not believe that
the right of entry to Almack's was the one thing
needful to exalt humanity. There were a good
many fops, and some really very clever fribbles,
amongst the Cambridge men of that time, and
we often thought that the subject-matter of
" Pelham " was forced upon the notice of its
author from the sort of life he had seen at the
University. When he published "Pelham" it
was absurdly supposed that he himself was its
hero, an idea truly ridiculous to those who
knew the calm love of study and the quiet
simplicity which marked his residence at Cam-
bridge.
His first step in life was his obtaining a
cornetcy, and if the country had been at war
it is probable that one with his love of adven-
ture, and his extraordinary personal energy,
would have pursued a martial career. The
thrilling words of " Devereux's " address to
his sword reveal a spirit alive to military
glory. But the peace campaigns of a cornet
had nothing to tempt a highly-organised nature
eager for energetic development. He never
actually joined his regiment, and he went to
France, several parts of which he visited, and
resided for many months at Paris. He then
published (anonymously) his first volume,
"Falkland," which indicated such abilities
that its publisher (Colburn) solicited a novel
in three volumes, and then " Pelham " was
composed.
The first opinions of "practical people"
about men of genius are often remarkable for
egregious blunders. "You had better stick
"to your plays. Oratory is not your line,"
said Woodfall after hearing Sheridan. The
Aristarchus of the Edinburgh Review (whoever
he might have been) could see no merit in
Byron's " Hours of Idleness," though Sir Eger
ton Brydges (who had a fine taste for poetry)
at the time recognised the merit of some of
the pieces. " Jane Eyre " was offered to every
publisher in the trade, until the very last firm
that it was placed before accepted it. Mr. Col-
burn's "reader " pronounced a most unfavour
able opinion on "Pelham." The fact is signi-
ficant and strange. How many aspiring hearts
have broken on their sentences depending
upon such sightless judges ! Imagine . a
"reader" disparaging "Pelham," whose merits
from fist to last are faithfully represented by
any of its five consecutive pages. Show a
country bumpkin a casket of diamonds at
Storr and Mortimer's, and he will think them
not half so fine as Miss Fotheringay's glass
brilliants at Sadler's Wells. One might think
that the shopmen from long practice
ought to see at a glance the difference between
paste and precious stones. Experience, how-
ever, shows that they choose the counterfeits,
and, rejecting the real gems, they make
the public pay for pebbles set as pearls.

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