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

LIT EBATUBE.

The Ra Tat Economy of England, Scotland, and
Irela7 td. By Leonce de Lavergne. Black wood.
This i s a very curious and interesting work, ex-
hibiting the results of great research and practical
study, a lad particularly suited for the consideration
of those who interest themselves in political eco-
nomy aad agriculture. It is translated from the
French, with notes by a Scottish farmer., It is
written i u a most impartial spirit, giving the highest
praise to the English perseverance alid enterprise
which hat 'e 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 fur, Cher progress. Justly regretting that
his country]. nen) 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
oxlelaining the causes of its pro-
sperity. and.
agriculture,
that when the Great Exhi-
He remarks
Exhi-
bition attracted to London visitors from all parts
]f the world, strangers Were prepared for the ex-
t ent of the productions of Manchester, Binning-
h am, and Sheffield, and for the sight of the docks
of ' London and Liverpool ; but what caused surprise
to many was the agricultural development dis-
pl: ayed. Of this he asserts no idea had been formed.
In France especially the belief had prevailed that
, ag riculturo had been neglected for the sake of
ma nufacturing and mercantile interests. Intereat-
iug • comparisons of the relative value of land,
wa, ;-es, and produce in the two countries are given.
Soi ne 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
snake the annual production of pork in France
two hundred and ninety millions kilogrammes.
This figure must be much under the real amount,
a great number being killed and consumed in
country households without any account of them
being taken ; but even extending it to four hun-
dred. millions, the United Kingdom produces
donible." 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 act equal sum." The statistics of the consump-
lion 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 iu this respect
are thooe of past ages. Cesar said of them, long ago,
Lacte et carne vivunt. They are not in the habit of
preparing their food with fat and oil, like most of the
French, lowt use butter for all culinary purposes ; cheese,
too, appear aat their principal repasts. The quantities
of butter and cheese manufactured throughout the whole
extent of the British Isles exceed ail belief. Cheshire
alone produces cheese to the value of a million sterling,
or twenty-five vlillions of francs annually. Not con-
tent 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 gives as average
of about one 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
one-half is consumed by the calves.

" Thus, while the French have only one milliard of
litres 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.
The production of the two countries should, then, be re-
presented by thee,, following figures :
France, 1 milliara of litres at 10 cents, 100 million francs 1
(4,000,0001.)
British Isles, 2 milliard of litres At 20 cents, 400 million
francs (16,000,000/4"
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 slrnaing."
The remarks on the national love for a cotintly
life, and the beneficial effects of the reside ice of

proprietors, are no doubt correct. He traces this
predilection up to the earliest history, and consi-
ders it a part of the national cha-..actar. The pri-
mary 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 irt England between 1650 and 1800 ; the
producing causes in both cases were the sane. The
difference 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 Englaid alone. In ancient
as well as in modern times, agricultural prosperity came
and went with the mode of government. Republican
Rome culkivated its fields admirably ; enslaved Rome
neglected th,9m. Spain, during the middle ages, did
wonders in cultivation, while the Spain of Philip 11.
ceased to wo:ic. Switzerland and Holland fertilise

rugged mountaios 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 country.' "
This volume is a fragment of a course of lectures

prepared fav the Agricultural National Institute.
Not having used them in that way the author pub-
lished some extracts in the Revue des Deux Mondes.
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 Francs, but fears lest the attempt
sho aid 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 g,en,,ral reader may not agree with him
in considering agriculture the most beautiful of
arts, ho Trill at least admit that ho has rendered
the description of it interesting.

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
B. c., as an 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 Herodbtus, 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 f_pr her hus-
band, Tiberius Claudius. It will bathing seen that
the author brings forward many Classital 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 whichitgives and thedetails 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,
togetkez mith the copious index and contents,
greatly facilitates reference. The whole is arranged
in 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.

7heNe.l of Kin. By Mrs. F. F. Hall. 3 vols.
Newby.

Tbis 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 favourite with
novel writers of late —that of an orphan, of un-
known parentage, indebbd 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, lie 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 tra: a
was ever found of the missing heirs, to see their
rights restored to them. Owing to a previous ad-
venture the proofs were then in the lawyer's hands,
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, lie 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 perceiving 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 fee
superior to las father, agreed, after some difficulty,
to marry Miss Haviland,• the daughter of the clerk
in whose power his father wet. 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 van: Sty. The heroine
herself is a very attractive person, and effectually
secures the interest of the reader; although we
cannot altogether sympathise with he: in her admi-
ration for Guy Crofton, who, however, improves as
the tale advances. The episode of the young widow,
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 enter-
taining story, with enough of the pathetic to inte-
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, whG 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 not unnatural, considering she was of
Spanish and gipsy extraction. Lady Lisle, who
adopted 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 hswe 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 43ngaging
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 f re edom of
a gipsy's life. Zora de Casteo required raiding as
well as directing • she should have been led more
than driven. Lily Grosvenor forms a very r pleasint
addition to the story. She contrasts in mind as
well as in person with her friend Zo.ra . lier,
character is not so brilliant or striking, biri ; it w'..s
gentle and placid, and would increase in intt 'rest as
she became older ; while Zora, on the cot itrary,
was more likely to be attractive as a child. Eve-
lyn Grosvenor is a very different being to Falter,
the gipsy lad, but they are each above the C1)1131.11ou
standard. Evelyn had been greatly spOilt by 0 T Per-
indulgence, and Walter by neglect ; but they 'had
good principles, and gave promise of better thii igs.
Several persons are well sketched in the courst ) of
the book, as, for instance, Mr. Hope, the clergy-
man, and Mrs. Vivian. On the whole, a pltaassing
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 retur,ls.
leaHveinrgbeLttaedrynLatiuslree
atzlad. hyeierlicihinatgshtoe
was wronganllnprincipinled 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.

Peter Parley's Tales ajvut Animals. Eleventh

edition. Tegg anc.l Co., Cheapsikle...
Peter Parley is everywhere known as the most
successful of juvenile instructors. The eleventh
edition of this delightful little work has Ilow ap-
peared in a most attractive form, with nearly 500
woodcuts. Even without these illustratio.ns 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
aborious works. It is arranged in a manner aThich
eery fascinating to children, the easy stylks in
which it is told and the intermixture of anecdote
renderthg it interesting and fixing the information
on the mind.

The Journal of Agriculture and the Transactions
of the Highland and Agricultural Society of
A long
Sconal:d.
article is given of " the Steam Engine,
and its Appi:cation to 'Agriculture," in which
appear, with figures numbered to
numerous plates
represent the various points of interest referred to
iv the descriptions. " Peasant Life at Home
and Abroad" is continued. In the last number
an accouirt was met .with of the Tyrol and Switzer-
land. " Turning froLvl these mountain homes of
freedom
gallant liineafttsc; let us now see how the
down-trodden land of
peasant
on
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
1 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 concbision,
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
France, 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
' i And 13,115510,