The Press.
London, England, 1854-09-02 00:00:00

PERIODICAL LITERATURE.

MAGAZINES FOR SEPTEMBER.
Blackwood opens with a critique upon the " Jour-
neys through Syria and the Holy Land" by M. Van
de Velde, which it inclines to regard as more really

835

authentic than the amusing work of N. de Saulcy.
Upon the questio vexatd of the sites of Sodom and
Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboim, the reviewer remarks

that
the original idea touching these guilty objects of the
Divine wrath, wrapt in awe and mystery as their fate wu,
arena to have been that the Dead Sea, itself the gloomiest
and most appalling object in creation, had been called into
existence by the same miracle which annihilated the con•
demned cities, and that its deadly waters swept every trace
of them out of sight for ever."

But M. de Saulcy and modern travellers have dis-
pelled much of this superstitions veneration that
encircled the Dead Sea, by assuring us that sweet
fountains spring, and luxuriant plants flourish, within
sight of its waters, which, bearing no evident
trace of deadly qualities, glisten in the sun like those
of a vast lake, reflecting the bright skies and sub-
limely picturesque' mountains that surround it on
every side. The real or alleged discoveries by M. de
Saulcy of those " stupendous ruins " at the foot of the
Mountain of Sodom, and at the edge of the southern-
most portion of the sea, aro strongly disputed by M.
Van de Velde

" As confidently as M. de Saulcy affirms his discovery
of these ruins does M. Van de Velde deny the existence of
any such. No former traveller has lighted upon them ; no
after traveller has confirmed the story. But what shall we
make of the distinct assertion of M. de Saulcy with his
little band of companions, who declared themselves to have
twice visited and examined these extraordinary remains,
and to be perfectly convinced of their authenticity ? Lime-
stone rocks, corrugated and channelled by winter torrents,
and worn into the resemblance of layers of building, ex•
plains M. Van de Velde—stupendous ruins, veritable re-
mains of the Pentapolis, Kays his adversary : both produce
battalions of testimony. Which is right?"
It is difficult to give judgment in such a controversy ;
for, as the reviewer remarks, " it is simply one of
"comparative credibility of testimony." Are these
rocks ruins, or are they not? for both controversial-
ists mutually agree in choosing the southern end of
the lake for the position of the destroyed cities. An
article entitled " The Coming Fortunes of our Colonies
in the Pacific " gives rather a sketch of the past
and present, than any predications of the future, for-
tunes of Australia. Statistics of imports and ex-
ports, and much information upon the subject of steam
communication, by the Panamaroute, with the mother
country, tend to make the article tolerably interesting,
but we cannot agree with some assertions upon the
general state of the colony and the advantages it is
stated to otter to all immigrants. "The flocks and
" herds of the squatters are increasing at the most
" rapid rate, far beyond the consumptive demand of
" the colony." So far from this beit.g the case, stock,
from neglect, scab, and want of shepherds and
stockmen, as well as from the increasing demand for
the carcase to supply the markets, has materially
decreased in proportion to former years, and an
absolute scarcity of mutton and beef is by some
persons apprehended, and justly too, if the rising
price of meat is any criterion. In another page we
are told "that, of the thousand persons that land
" each week in the colony, every one is placed in the
" possession of an income never previously enjoyed."
The manifest incorrectness of such a statement is
undeniable, and needs no further comment. it is
only want of space that precludes our exposing
the many errors of this article. It is much to be
regretted that incorrect assertions should be made
in this influential periodical concerning a country
towards which the eager eyes or so many thou
sands are turned, amidst their privations and
arduous toil, as the land of recompense and
wealth. Such " milk and-honey" versions of a
country do more harm than people in general
suppose : they give rise to delusive hopes that
are never realised, and cause pangs of regret
that are never forgotten. The other articles include
a notice of Mrs. Stowe's "Sunny Memories ;" Part
IV. of "The Secret Of Stcke Manor;' and a letter
from Vidette upon the late Spanish revolution.
Among other particulars the letter gives a clever ac-
count of the fighting in Madtid, and many amusing
details. The 10th of July was the great day, bar-
ricades of prodigious height and strength bad been
thrown up during the night, and
before eight in the morning the firing had began at all
points, and the bullets were singing through the streets
in every direction. quantities of paving-su.nes were taken
up to the roofs and higher floors of the houses, to throw
down upon the enemy. Women and children assisted in
this labour. It was curious to observe the women. Not-
withstanding danger from bullets, they were all at their
doors and windows. Some of them, these were the
younger ones, seemed to think it great fun—some of the
older ones looked ghastly and terrified enough ; while
others, chiefly of quite the lower orders, were fierce
puti-
sans, as much so as their husbands and brothers, who, in
perfect silence but with deadly resolution, were loading
and firing from barricade, window, and housetop. I heard
one sturdy dame, crimson with exertion and excitement,
who bore in her brawny arms a basket of supplies to •
barricade then under fire, express her determination to
shower upon their devoted heads the whole of her kettles
and crockery. When a thrifty housewife comes to such
extremes as this it is evident her blood is up. But the
forced loan imposed by Sartorious had come home to the

886

pockets of the lower classes of taxpayers, and had greatly
exasperated the women."
The letter gives a very good account of the be-
haviour of the people during the ten days that
elapsed between the sending for and the arrival of
Espartero, and a graphic description of the appear-
ance of Madrid under the infliction of two hundred
and eighty barricades "of the first magnitude."
Upon the question of Isabella's abdication, the writer
affirms his belief "that if Isabella were to sign her
" act of abdication to•morrow it would be joyfully
" received by a large portion of the nation, but that
" discord would ensue as to who or what should re-
" place her." Speaking of the chances of several suc-
cessors, Pedro V., King of Portugal (with an English
princess for his wife), appears to have a strong party
of the nation in his favour; but Queen Isabella may
yet live and reign if she takes a lesson from the
manifesto that she signed upon the 26th of July.
Fraser of this month contains many readable
papers. " How to Get On at the Bar " supplies a series
of invariable rules to be followed by inexperienced
juniors, under all possible circumstances, from the
first step of entering at the Temple or Lincoln's-inn
to the quality of the candles that are to be used in
chambers, and the fineness of cambric and linen
to be worn upon circuit. "The Church among
the Tall Chimneys " is an elaborate article upon
the state of church accommodation in the large
town districts as compared with the residue of
England and Wales, and contains some curious
facts relative to the attendance at religious wor-
ship. Beyond all doubt the spiritual apathy of
the poorer classes in the manufacturing districts,
and indeed of other classes as well in the rural dis-
tricts, is a very serious evil, and the problem to be
solved is not so much regarding the number of new
churches to be built as the means to be employed in
successfully overcoming this national torpor. The
present article recommends an increase in the
number of clergy in the large towns, and the better
pay of the curates, but very justly insists upon the
necessity of private individuals not forgetting their
duties as men and Christians. Hafiz, the Persian
poet, gives us a pleasant page or two, with a remark-
able ode of the great poet. " General Bounce"
continues to be amusing in his two chapters of
love and military life. The concluding articles
upon the " Phases of War at St. Petersburg" and
" The Garrisons of the Crimea " afford much sta-
tistical information, conveyed in a lively, readable

style.
The New Monthly presents us with various arti
des, all of more or less interest. The controversy
upon the " Sites of the Doomed Cities" is carefully
sifted in the opening, but no satisfactory conclusion
arrived at, although a belief is expressed that M. de
Saulcy has been too hasty in his obseivations and
somewhat superficial, and that the solid, though un-
scientific, researches of M. Van de Velde are certainly
worthy consideration. The review of " Kingsley's
Edinburgh Lectures" is well written ; and the " Diary
of a First Wintet in Rome " has invested a stale but not
unprofitable subject with a freshness and piquancy
that is quite delightful, although the description of
Verdi's opera of the Novatore is a little tedious.
The " Stray Letters from the East," and a " Flying
Visit to the Seat of War," are both light,
amusing articles. The " Flying Visit" gives not
a bad idea of the camp life at Varna. " Capital
" dinners and jolly evenings, though fourteen men
" smoking at once iu the tent of one is to be avoided
4' when possible!" The correspondent of a leading
journal is here described " as living in a spacious
' Egyptian marquee, giving frequent champagne
• dinners, Ste. tkc.; which fact will probably account
fir the numerous delusions which appear to have
h therto affected the brain of that gentleman in his
lacubrations from the seat of war.

The Hay' Sisters. By Miss Jewsbury. London :
Chapman and Hall.
THE fictions published by this firm in their " Select
Library " have all been of a high character, and " The
Half Sisters" will sustain the reputation of the
series. It is a tale of the heart, written with great
eloquence and feeling, yet showing in many passages
the shrewdness of a penetrating intellect. It is not
wanting in adventure, but its interest mainly arises
from the development of the characters, which are
drawn with great distinctness and reality. So much
romance with so much acuteness are not often corn-
biped in one tale. The conclusion of the story, in
which Mr. Simpson, the theatrical manager, appears
to fitly connect the last with the first scene, has the
artistic finish of the French school, while reflections
like these, with which we enrich our brief notice,
would do credit to the cleverest of our social
satirists :
" In this world men cannot resist the temptation of
making money when they have an opportunity, or turning
aside from a bargain ; but there is t.. great deal of good
nature for all that We all know deal
o we
feel constrained to do a good deed rather beyond our
!strength, our soul is, as it were, haltchoked in the attempt
to swallow it, and, instead of feeling nourished and re-