The Sun.
London, England, 1855-01-19 00:00:00

LITEI?ATURE.

P °ems. By William Stephen Sandes. Longman.
Those little poems aro above the average standard
of verses now offered to the public. They contain
;vated thoughts which are gracefully expressed,
ao d in some instances, as in " Love and Sorrow,"
fel ling and sentiment are embodied in the descrip-
tic .ns. "The Gleaner" possesses some spirited lines,
in which great truths are urged on the attention in
a i Orcible and vigorous manner. The following
egg .mples will testify the high standard which is
fixf )d for the actions, and the lofty tone which
she ,uld influence the aspirations, of mankind :—.
"1 'ortuno's frowns may daunt the feeble, hero hearts will
force her smiles,
En, ergy will riso toconquer hesitation's baffled wiles.
WI so would shrink with craven spirit when the course is
clear to run ?
W. no would own himself defeated ere the struggle has
begun ?
Wl ao that calla his heart a man's heart would not spurn
away the thought,
t the world around about him holds fur his achievement
nought?

1 " T hough the part they play be humble, in th© world they
were design'd
Stir I to labour and do something for the good of human
kind.
; The ugh but little they bring forward, bearing witness to
their toil,
Tito' ugh no virgin-harvests rising from a newly-cultar'd
soil,
k their triumphs and successes, if as gleaners poor and
weak,
They but earnestly will labour, if with single heart they
seek
'Well to find and turn whatever still remains upon the
plain
Into food for human uses, they will not have lived in vain."

March Winds and _April Showers. By " Ache ta"

Lovell Reeve.
The former work of this author, "Episodes o,
Insect Life," will be remembered with pleasure by
all. its readers. The present volume is in much the
same style, displaying the same happy combination
of scientific lore with the graceful fancies of the
writer. his love of nature is very great, and he
argues strongly on the pleasure lost by those who,
either from accident or ignorance, are prevented
from enjoying and appreciating country sights and
sounds. His great aim is to awaken an in.Letoot in
the wonderful irtinictim of nature, to direct the at-
tention of the merely superficial observer to the
marvels contained in a withered leaf, or hidden by
a wayside hedge, or under a mossy stone. The -work
rambles from the flowers of the sea, to the dor-
mouse in its winter bed, and the wonderful con-
structions of the insects of air. It gives the reader
an insight into geology also, in a chapter under the
title of a Rummage in the Stone Cabinet, and
traces the insect remains that have been discovered
up to a surprisingly early period in the formation of
the earth. The chapter headed " Late Awakings,"
ingeniously compares to a dormouse aroused from
his winter slumber the idle or apathetic mind
which is suddenly startled into recognising the op-
portunities it has lost. " The Two Elm Trees" is a
little village tale, which it is to bo hoped will deter
all juvenile readers from the cruel excitement of
bird's-nesting. The illustrations of this delightful
little volume harmonise completely with the
subjects.

Ethel ; or, the Double Error. By Marian James.
J. Hogg.
This Very interesting and well-written tale is
reprinted from the pages of Hogg's Instructor,
where it appeared under the title " Love in Idle-
ness." A spirit of melancholy pervades it, but the
reader is charmed and interested by it. It is writ-
ten in a high and pure spirit, far removed from the
ordinary sentimentalism of love stories, and show-
ing forcibly the wrong of " doing evil that good
should come,:' that dangerous and bewildering
doctrine which has enticed so many into the
crooked ways •f deceit and falsehood. The au-
thoress displays much talent in the conversations,
and if the faults of a young author may be detected,
if some of the characters are not altogether natural,
it is easily forgiven in the grace of the style, the
high moral tone and the pathos of the story. It
shows how a hard and self-confident nature, mis-
led by a false ambition, and devoted to the ex-
altation of self, is softened by tribulation, and
awakened to the sense of his mistakes under the
influence of a sudden and overwhelming affliction.
it also shows how she who suffered herself to act
against her conscience and her heart, misguided by
a short-sighted prudence and mortified affection,
was forced by the subduing touch of Death and
Time, to see how far she had also wandered from
the straightforward path of Right. This is the
Double Error, as exemplified in the careers of
selfish ambition and mistaken self-sacrifice. The
authoress gives much promise of future excellence
in the truly feminine and domestic style of writing,
and we trust her works will continuo to le,o.oNs the
same high-toned principle, unalloyed by exaggera-
tion or sentimentality, which they at present
possess.

Dashwood Priory. By E. J. May. Routledge.
This little book is meant for the young, and may
prove of use to those engaged in school and college
pursuits. It may occur to some that it would have
been better to have omitted the disputes and dif-
ferences of Trevan ion and his sect at the end of the
book, as they can ho of no good to the young to
hoar of, and may tend to bewilder their minds.
With this exception the story is well done. It
belongs to the profitable rather than to the pleas-
ing. The account of Vernon is yery sad, but also
very natural. So many go on like ho did, putting
away all thoughts of the future till too late for
preparation,

"And to the mercies of a moment leave
The vast concerns of an eternal scene."

Louis Mortimer is a very amiable character—rather
too weak and vacillating ; but he rectified that
fault in some degree as he pursued his course.
From the simple style in which it is written, much
may be gleaned from the perusal of this story for
the use of the young in every-day life.

Webster's Royal Red Book.
This useful little volume has now appeared for
the present year. It is a miniature directory, con-
taining, besides the street guide, the list •f the
Houses of Parliament, the bankers, the Govern-
ment offices, the law courts, the post-office, the
hackney carriage fares, the income-tax tables, and
all such kinds of information, for the low price of
3s. 6d. It is a highly-useful work of reference,
while its long-established and well-known character
insures its authenticity.