The Sun.
London, England, 1855-01-18 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

d
;:t; rut; EA) away of and
Ireland. By Leone° de Lavergne. Black wood.
This is a very curious and interesting work, ex-
hibiting the results of great research and practical
study, and particularly suited for the consideration
of those who interest themselves in political eco-
nomy and agriculture. It is translated from the
French, with notes by a Scottish farmer. It is
written in a most impartial spirit, giving the highest
praise to the English perseverance and enterprise
which have produced such beneficial results, and
asserting that, taken as a whole, English agricul-
ture is the first in the world, and in the way of
making further progress. Justly regretting that
his countrymen, with their more fertile soil and
less inclement sky, should not reap the benefit of
their natural advantages, the writer has set him-
self the task of examining the principles of English
agriculture, and explaining the causes of its pro-
sperity. He remarks that when the Great Exhi-
bition attracted to London visitors from all parts
of the world, strangers were prepared for the ex-
tent of the productions of Manchester, Birming-
ham, and Sheffield, and for the sight of the docks
of London and Liverpool ; but what caused surprise
to many was the agricultural development dis-
played. Of this he asserts no idea had been formed.
In France especially the belief had prevailed that
agriculture had been neglected for the sake of
manufacturing and mercantile interests. Interest-
ing comparisons of the relative value of laud,
wages, and produce in the two countries are given.
Some of the details are very curious. It appears
that the animal production of England is far the
most profitable. " England alone feeds as many
pigs as the whole of France ; those of Scotland and
Ireland are over and above. Official statistics
make the annual production of pork in France
two hundred and ninety millions kilogrammes.
This figure must be much under the real amount,
a great numbpr hAin a killed and consumed in
country households without sir
being taken ; but even extending it to four hun-
dred millions, the United Kingdom produces
double." In poultry it appears that France has
the advantage. " The English rear few fowls,
the dampness of their climate being unsuitable for
it. The most to which statistics bring the annual
value is twenty-five millions (one million sterling)
derived from this source, while, in France, the
annual production of eggs alone is estimated at
one hundred millions, and that of all kinds of fowls
at an equal sum." The statistics of the consump-
tion of milk are curious. A litre, it may be pre-
mised, is about a quart
"The consumption of milk under every form is enor-
mous among the English. Their habits in this respect
are those of past ages. Ciesar said of them, long ago,
Lade et came vivunt. They are not in the habit of
preparing their food with fat and oil, like most of the
French, but use butter for all culinary purposes ; cheese,
too, appears at their principal repasts. The quantities
of butter and cheese manufactured throughout the whole
extent of the British Isles exceed all belief. Cheshire
Alone produces cheese to the value of a million sterling,
or twenty-five millions of francs annually. Not con-
ent with what their own dairies give, the English
import butter and cheese from abroad ; and this circum-
stance, showing to what extent the national taste is
carried, explains the reason why it is that the average
price of milk with them is higher than in France.
While our producers obtain at most ten centimes per
litre (Id. per quart) for their milk, the English get
twenty centimes (2d.).

"In fine, the milk produce of English cows may be
reckoned at three milliards (three thousand millions) of
litres, of which one milliard goes to feed the calves, and
two for the consumption of man. This give.; an average
of about ono thousand litres for each cow. The produc-
tion of France is probably at most two milliards, or at
the rate of five hundred litres per head, of which at least
,ne.balf is constuned by the calves.
" Thus, while the French have only one milliard of
'itres to sell for human consumption, the English have
two ; and as, in consequence of their large manufactur-
ing population' they obtain double the price for their
milk that we do, it follows that the dairy produce of
England is worth four times as much as it is in France.
Ile production of the two c.mntties should, then, be re-
?resented by the following figures :
France, 1 milliard of litres at 10 cents, 100 million francs
(4,000,0001.)
British Isles 2 milliard of litres at 20 cents, 400 million
francs (16,000,0001.)"
The superiority of our constitution of agriculture
the author considers to be in two points: " the
almost universal system of leases, which makes
agriculture a special occupation, and the number
of monied men who fearlessly. embark in farming."
The remarks on the national love for a country
life, and the beneficial effects of the residence of
proprietors, are no doubt correct. He traces this
Predilection up to the prlifist ,histors. and consi-
ders it a part of the national Wain:wt..%
mart' cause of the advance of the science of agricul-
ture he traces still deeper :--
"It is perfectly evident, then, that both in France and
England agricultural development has followed in the
train of good government. The rural change which took
place in France between 1760 and 1848, had already
taken place in England between 1650 and 1300 ; the
producing causes in both cases were the same. The
elifference between England under the Stuarts an d
in the time of Pitt, is the same as that of France
under Louis XV. and Louis Philippe. But this does
not apply to France and England alone. In ancient
as well as in modern times, agricultural prosperity came
and went with the mods of government. Republican
Rome cultivated its fields admirably ; enslaved Rome
neglected them. Spain, during the middle ages, did
wonders in cultivation, while the Spaiu of Philip 11.
ceased to work. Switzerland and Holland fertilise
rugged mountains and hopeless marshes ; the Sicilian
starves on the most fertile soil. As Montesquieu re-
' marks, in his Esprit des Lois, 'lt is not fertility, but
liberty, which cultivates a ceuntg.' "
_ _

This volume is a fragment of a course of lectures
prepared for the Agricultural National Institute.
Not having used them in that way the author pub-
lished some extracts in the Revue des Deux Afondes.
The favourable reception they met with in both
countries induced him to collect them in one vo-
lume, to which he intends publishing a sequel. He
is in hopes that some attention is being directed to
agriculture in France, but fears lest the attempt
-should be discouraged, since " it requires especially
patience and perseverance, rare qualities among
us." It is in the hope of inducing some alterations
and improvements in the practice of husbandry
and farming in France that he has presented the
results of his study of the English methods, and
though the general reader may not agree with him
in considering agriculture the most beautiful of
arts, ho will at least admit that he has rendered
the description of it 'interesting.

The Book of the Garden. By Charles M'lntosh.

Vol. 11.

Black-wood.

This is the second volume of this highly instruc-
tive and valuable work, the production of one con-
versant with the subject, and eminently qualified
to give information on it. The first portion of the
work consisted of the structural department, and
related to the formation and laying out of gardens,
the erection and ventilation of 'hot-houses, ierc.
The present volume treats of the Theory and Prac-
tice of Gardening in relation to Culture and Man-
agement. It enters most thoroughly into the sub-
ject, and, from the minuteness of its details, it will
serve as a guide to the most uninitiated—while,
from the completeness of its design and its value as
A work of reforonen, it will prove au at-LI uisltiOn to
the more scientific reader. The method on
which it is arranged is somewhat uncom-
mon. Whereas, in works of a similar de-
scription, it is usual to arrange them in a
calender form ; in the present work the sectional
or separate garden division is adopted. Each sub-
ject is consequently treated per se, and the kitchen
garden, the hardy fruit garden, the forcing garden, '
the flower garden, plant-houses, and pleasure
grounds, aro each taken into consideration sepa-
rately. Every vegetable and fruit is treated of by
itself, its origin, and the best method of en! tiva-
tion, sowing, and planting, and its various Euro-
pean names, which latter piece of information will
prove very useful in the receipt or purchase of
seeds from the continent. At the conc.usion of the
work a glossary of the technical terms employed is
given prefixed to a copious index. Another pecu-
liarity of this work is the attention Which has been
paid to the devastating insects, bectres, and similar
creatures, whose destructive properties interfere so
much with the gardener's prospects. Illustrations
of these insects are given, so that those most igno-
rant of entomology may be enabled to recognise
and destroy their enemies. A sketch of the history
of culinary vegetables is affixed to the more prac-
tical contents, which states the curious fact that
although we have improved in culture, and pro-
duced superior varieties, we have not added much
to the number of species extant in ancient history.
Many of the crops cultivated at the present day were
raised, it is said, soon after the deluge ! The onion,
the cucumber, and the leek were in extensive use
in Egypt long before the departure of the Israelites,
and herbs for seasoning were also in use at an early
date. Soon after the foundation of Rome, " we
find the environs of that city in a state of cultiva-
tion much like what exists round large towns and
cities of our own time—namely, as market gardens,
in which were cultivated many, of the culinary
vegetables such gardens at present produce. One
important difference, however, may be remarked.
The culinary gardens round ancient Rome were
cultivated by the chief men, who were also the
proprietors, and they themselves wrought the
I ground with their own hands ; and hence several
I of the most celebrated families—the Pisonese. the
Cicerones, the Fabii, the Lentuli, &c.—derived
their patronymics from ancestors who had distin-
guished themselves in the cultivation of culinary.
• a vegetbles Thus—Pisuin, a pea ; Cicer, a chick-
pea •
; Faba, a bean ; Lentulus, a lentil, eir,c.” The
globe artichoke is stated by Pliny to have been the

I most esteemed and most expensive of all garden.
herbs. He also states that the commoners of
Rome were prohibited by law from. eating
it. Fennel was largely cultivated at Rome,
but basil, now so extensively used for cooking
purposes, was condemned by Chrysippus 200 years
n.e., as au enemy to the sight and a robber of the
wits. Mint is mentioned by Ovid, who states that
the humbler classes perfumed their tables by rub-
bing mint on them; and Pliny says, " You will
not find a husbandman's board in the country but
all the meats, from one end to the other, are sea-
soned with mint." The endive is cited by Horace,
and the marigold is honoured by the notice of
Virgil, while Catullus alludes to the marjoram.
" From an anecdote related by Herodotus, in con-
nection with the murder of Smerdis by his brother
Cambyses, it is quite evident that lettuces were
served at the royal tables of the Persian Kings
550 years 8.C." Mushrooms are also unfortunately
connected with a murder, since Agrippina made
some of them the vehicle of poison for her hus-
band, Tiberius Claudius. It will be thus seen that
the author brings forward many classical witnesses
to assist him in proving the antiquity of herbs and
vegetables. It is indeed difficult to form an idea
of the completeness of this work, both in the
instructions which itgives and the details into which
it enters. Its great size (867 pages) enables the
author to enter
.thoroughly into his subject, and to
afford the fullest information, from the purchase of
seeds to the management of a camellia house. The
plan of arranging each article under a separate
head, together with the copious index and contents,
greatly facilitates reference. The whole is arranged
is the most careful and elaborate manner, and is
undoubtedly one of the most complete and prac-
tical works which has ever appeared. on the subject.

The Next of Kin. By Mrs. F. F. Hall. 3 vole.
Newby:
This work displays considerable ingenuity in
the construction of the plot, and some amount of
skill in the delineation of character. The story is
one that appears to have become a rayoulice with
novel writers of late—that of an orphan, of un-
known parentage, indebted to the charity of
strangers, being discovered to be the heiress of
great wealth. In this case, however, the tale is
invested with a greater appearance of probability,
from the readers being told at the commencement
who the little wanderer is, and the motives which
influenced the actions of those around her being
revealed and explained. The unprincipled pos-
sessor of her fortune, Mr. Crofton, was certainly
placed in a trying position. He succeeded to the
property of his deceased cousin, Mr. Armitage,
whose son had offended him by a secret marriage.
He had refused to see his wife, but when his son
was soon after killed by an accident, leaving him
in total ignorance of his widow and child, he bit-
terly regretted that his violent anger should have
left him no heir to his estate, and that all his
wealth must go to enrich a comparative stranger,
instead of benefitting his own "next of kin." He
left strict injunctions with his lawyer, if any trace
was ever found of the missing heirs, to see their
rights restored to them. Owing to a previou,s ad-
venture the proofs were then in the lawyer's Lands,
though he was ignorant of it. They sUbsequently
came into the possession of his clerk, who, after
Mr. Armitage's death, carried them to Mr. Crof-
ton, who was thus suddenly exposed to a great
temptation. Unable to reconcile himself to surren-
dering his newly-found wealth to a poor and friend-
less child, he arranged that she should be stolen by
a travelling showman ; and to secure the secresy of
his accomplice, agreed that his eldest son should
marry his daughter after some years had passed.
The little heiress, Flora Armitage, was fortunately
rescued from her miserable position by a variety of
circumstances, which at length left her under the
protection of a Mr. and Mrs. Vallack, who sup-
plied the place of parents to her, and whose name
she adopted. The chain of events led, as might be
expected, in a romance, to her meeting with Guy,
the eldest son of Mr. Crofton, and to their becom-
ing attached to each other. Of course, Mr. Crofton,
little perceivini, in the unknown girl the next of
kin who might one day deprive him of all he pos-
sessed, objected, and added to his contemptuous
refusal, insults and affronts. Guy, meanwhile, who
was not a very elevated character, although far
superior to his father, agreed, after some difficulty,
to marry Miss Haviland, the daughter of the clerk
in whose power his father was. How these com-
plicated affairs are adjusted, how the mystery is
unravelled, and poetical justice duly administered,
and how the story concludes, we leave the reader to
discover. There are a number of miner characters
introduced, which afford a variety. The heroine
herself is a very attractive person. and effectually
secures the interest or the reader, although we
cannot altogether sympathise with her in her admi-
ration for Guy Crofton, who, however, improves as
the tale advances. The episode of the young widows
and her mysterious visit at the commencement,
excite interest, although it is at once evident who
she really is. It will be found a pleasing and enters
taining story, with enough of the pathetic to into.
rest, and enough of the lively to amuse.

Sibyl's Little Daughter. A Sequel to the Gipsy's
Daughter. By A. M. Grey. 2 vols. Newby.
This is an interesting story. It continues the
adventures of the young Zora, who was left at the
close of the former story a mere child in the gipsy's
tent. The whole of the narrative is of her as a
child, but notwithstanding her youth she exhibits
a great deal of decision in her character, and is a
very interesting subject of contemplation, although
occasionally displaying hastiness of temper and im-
, patience of control. This excitability and irrita-
tion is riot unnatural, considering she was of
Spanish and gipsy extraction. Lady Lisle, who
adapted the young orphan, was a remarkably pleas-
ing and graceful woman—one calculated above all
others to be the guide and guardian of Zora. A
stern or hasty disposition would never have been
able to undertake the difficult task, or would have
signally failed in doing so. One mistake was com-
mitted by her ladyship, however--that of engaging
a strict and unsympathising character like Miss
Strickland to be the governess of a child who had
been used to roam the woods in all the freedom of
a gipsy's life. Zora de Casten required guiding as
well as directing ; she should have been led more
than driven. Lily Grosvenor forms a very pleasing
addition to the story. She contrasts in mind as
well as in person with her friend Zora. Her
character is not so brilliant or striking, but it was
gentle and placid, and would increase in interest as
she became older ; while Zora, on the contrary,
was more likely to be attractive as a child. Eve-
lyn Grosvenor is a very different being to Walter,
the gipsy lad, but they are each above the common
standard. Evelyn had been greatly spoilt by over-
indulgence, and Walter by neglect ; but they had
good principles, and gave promise of better things.
Several persons are well sketched in the course of
the book, as, for instance, Mr. Hope, the clergy-
man, and Mrs. Vivian. On the whole, a pleasing
picture of country life is presented, and many
striking scenes are introduced, particularly the
last, when Zora is enticed away from home by the
gipsy, and, after much trouble is experienced, sud-
denly returns. Her better nature told her that she
was wrong in leaving Lady Lisle and yielding to
au unprincipled woman. It is most probable that
those who read this story will be glad to hear that
on a future occasion they are promised a continua-
tion of the history of the heroines Zora and Lily.

Pao. Parley's Tales about Animals. Eleventh
edition. Tegg and Co., Cheapside.
Peter Parley is everywhere known as the most
successful of juvenile instructors. The eleventh
edition of this delightful little work has now ap-
peared in a most attractive form, with nearly 600
woodcuts. Even without these illustrations it is
far more likely to awake an interest in natural
history, and to impress the peculiarities of the dif-
ferent species on the mind than many far more
laborious works. It is arranged in a manner which
is very fascinating to children, the easy style in
which it is told and the intermixture of anecdote
rendering it interesting and fixing the information
on the mind.

The Journal of Agriculture and the Transactions
of the Highland and Agricultural Society of
Scotland.

A long article is given of "the Steam Engine
and its Application to Agriculture," in which
numerous plates appear, with figures numbered to
represent the various points of interest referred to
in the descriptions. Peasant Life at Home
and Abroad" is continued. In the last number
an account was met with of the Tyrol and Switzer-
land. " Turning from these mountain homes of
freedom and gallant hearts, let us now see how the
peasant life goes on in the down-trodden land of
Italy." It is observed that in many parts of Italy
there is no domestic comfort. Poverty induces
the labourers to live out-of-doors, which mode can
be done with little expenditure in a country where
firing is chiefly used for cooking, but the system de-
stroys the domestic habits and virtues in a great
degree. In noticing France, it is said that nearly
two-thirds of the population are dependent for
subsistence on the fruits of the soil. In conclusion,
it is declared that the cottar system of agriculture
supplies the largest amount of rural population ;
and, as hardy peasants have in all ages formed the
strength of conquering armies, it follows no other
pursuit is so well calculated to maintain the mili-
tary strength of an empire ! It is argued that
Franco, where the system prevails, furnishes the
most numerous army in proportion to its popu-
lation, and the masses of the rural classes give the
great importance to the armies of the United States
and Russia.