The Sun.
London, England, 1864-02-04 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 4, 1864.

LITERATURE,

- - -

A Young Artist's Life. Ono Vol., pp. 214.

Hurst and Blackett.

This very charming story is a perfect poem in
prose. Lovingly and tenderly are tire character and
early career of the young artist, Leonard Holme,
depictcd by one who apparently knew and appre-
ciated him well; for the hero, we are told, is taken
from the life. Many will recognise in the biogra-
pher a writer who has on more than one occasion
found favour with the general public, and won
golden opinions from the appreciative few ; but
never has he written more freshly, more charmingly
than in the pages of this brief and pathetic romance
of real life. As a justification of our remarks let
us select, almost at random, some of the bright
thoughts and pleasant fancies scattered in profusion
over these pages. Here, at the commencement, is
a word of—

truth which is after all the one only renovator of
poor human nature, whether in " saint, in savage,
or in sage."

Pure Saddle Horses. By EdwArd Curr. Wilson

and I\l•Kennon.

Although Mr. Curr writes more particularly for
the benefit of the Australian colonies, his book may
be read with much profit by the breeders of horses
in these countries. His views are those of a man
who has had great practical experience of the
animal he treats about in various countries, Euro-
p3an, Asiatic, and African ; and the result of his
observation is given to us in a very agreeable and
well•written narrative. There can be no doubt that
Mr. Curr's estimate of the British saddle horse is a
very correct one. The breed has, unquestionably,
deteriorated of late years; and this deterioration he
attributes, with perfect justice, to the descrip-
tion of sires employed to propagate them;
the early age at which our thorough-bred
horses are put to work ; and the severity of the
training they undergo. Besides all which, the
fact, that speed for the short distances run is the
object sought to be attained, without reference to
the power of staying, ie,
perhaps, the main cause
why the stallions appropriated to the getting of our
saddle horses are mere weeds, worn out even at an
early age by the discipline they have undergone in
the hope of enabling them to struggle successfully
for the great prizes which can only be contested by
horses of under, or not exceeding, three years old.
When a racehorse has distinguished himself in his
early performances, and has figure and form to re•
commend him, he,
as a matter of course, is destined
to breed racers ; and this piece of service alone
effectually prevents hid being otherwise employed,
for it would be preposterous to suppose that any
man would pay fifty Jr a hundred guineas for a
sire, when the utmost price he could expect
to realise for the produce, when at maturity,
would little, if at all, exceed that sum.
There was formerly in Ireland a race of horses bred
to run two and three mile heats, or races of four
miles, carrying much heavier weights than are now
carried over fiat courses, .fhe blood of those horses
was pure, and although they were certainly not as
fast for a short distance as the racer of the present
day, they were by far stouter. And the stakes
which they could win being but of small amount they
were generally put to stud when they made a cha-
racter, the price of these services, though seldom
exceeding five guineas, beirg found to he more re-
munerative than the sum of their winnings, and by
them was produced the Irish hunter, a horse un-
matched in any other country for shape, size, action,
and durability. But the mania for light weights,
and short distances, has quite annihilated the race
of sires which produced the Irish hunter of former
days. And the consequence is, that that justly cele-
brated animal has almost; ceased to exist. The
saddle horse is of far more importance in our Aus-
tralian colonies than he is at home. There, men
travelling over the prairie, or through the forest,
require animals of strength and vigour to carry
them. They cannot use carriages, while with us no
man dreams of making a journey of any length in
the saddle. A ride to cover is the longest taken by
our sporting men, and those who have distant visits
to pay, or business to transact, have recourse to
railways, or to post horses where railways do
not exist. It is therefore not to be wondered at
that the colonists take a far deeper interest in
the breed of their saddle horses than we do, when it
is remembered that their grass-fed animals are
expected to carry men of all weights from 80 to
100 miles for many days consecutively. That Mr.
Curr is right in demanding the infusion of Arab
blood in the breeding of Australian horses does not
admit of a doubt. The climate of his country is
peculiarly adapted for the propagation of that
noble species of his race ; and the food generally
procurable is that on which the Arab hoist) alone
can live and labour. We sincerely trust, therefore,
that his countrymen will profit by the advice of a
traveller wbo has seen and tested the qualities of
the horse in so many different climes, and whose
book evinces a thorough knowledge of the topic he
writes upon, although the subject of which he treats
is not of such importance to us as to his fellow-
colonists. Mr. Curr's volume will amuse and in-
struct its readers; his style is clear, and his descrip-
tion of trapping wild horses is worthy of being
transcribed. A hunter had succeeded in bagging
two lots, numbering 120; bat, not content with his
good luck, he coveted another flock which appeared
in view—

In the meantime, a large herd of 150 wild horses bad been
seen, and the conduCtor of the hunt, too eager for gain,
instead of being satisfied with what he had captured and
taking them to the yard to be subdued by thirst and hunger,
as he had done in the first instance, determined to take
this other lot also with him. Steadying his former
captives and leaving what men he could spare is charge
of them, he moved off with the rest of his party,and was not
long in falling in with and heading down the other 150.
Away they came in the direction of his depot party, each
as hard as he could rattle, in a long string; the stallions
and strong horses leading ; the mares, the old, the lame,
and the foals, stringing out, but following the lead at their
best pace. On their approach, those that had only just
been joined to the crawlers, now well in wind, began to
cock their ears, whinny, and become restless. Their
anxiety communicated itself to the lot first captured, and,
as these feelings of alarm are very contagious amongst gre-
garious animals, even the wretched crawlers began to get
uneasy. In the mean time, the tramp of feet grew louder,
and the 150 drew near, racing over the plain, mad with ex-
citement, their tails streaming in the air and clouds of dust
flying from their hoofs, with a thunder of feet that might
be heard miles off. Such was their impetuosity, that the
quiescent body of half, subdued material was unable to
stop them, and the whole affair became a rout, and every
horse there, to the poorest crawler, joining in the rush was
carried away by the excitement of the moment, Round
went the two lots at meeting, in whirlwinds of dust;
amidst its mantling clouds, the tossing of manes and
streaming of tails, a thousand incidents flash indistinetly
for a moment on the eye of the beholder ; the tall grey that
has run headlong against another in mid career, rear-
ing high above the rest, for an instant his full
height, tumbles backward with his neck broken ;
the vicious old mare, that hates a throng, with head
bowed to the ground, kicking all that come within
reach ; the foal, overthrown, rolling amongst the feet
of the multitude ; the neigh—the savage yell—the scream
of terror—the thunder of hoofs—the rival stallions meet-
ing in the eddy, with outstretched neck, snake-like head,
and ears laid back, true to their nature, springing with fury
on each other, to satisfy
in a moment of mortal terror the
jealousy and hate which never brook postponement of
battle; all had been and disappeared in an instant, for no-
headed. by resolute stallions re-
fusingb to be turned, the whole lot broke from control and
thliinndg
acnoduldderaefsttoradinanger,
them.
Bursting from their captors,
Yells and cannon-like reports
added fuel to the firs. The
os wf
the
t whips
vheirp
st boef
thep lain
p
UrsuTerhse only
whole lot escaped, and were seon out of sight behind the
swells of the plain, the cloud of dense dust floating in the
dry air marking 'the direction cf their flight, the person at
whose expense the hunt had been got up having to return
home with his party, losing the whole of his horses except
those on which bis men were mounted, with the pleasant
reflection that the domesticated horse, once free and joined
with wild ones, is not a whit easier to recapture than the
wildest denizen of the plain.
This volume, we may observe in conclusion, is in-
scribedfeelings of affec-
tion,"the Ron. Miles Gerald
Keon, now Chief Secretary of the Bermudas.
to byhi thes
Old author,
Friend, "with many

The Man of the Hour : A Tale of Real Life. By

Alfred Gladstone. Two Vols. Newby.
As a perfect match to that perfect woman, cele-
brated by the poet as "mistress of herself, though
china fall," Mr. Josiah Allcroft, the " Man of the
Hour," is essentially, in all circumstances,
from the opening
circumstances, master
chapter, ahpinitesre,lfand
a debtor's gaol, " his face full and radiant, his
tongue plausible and soft," to the close of the last
whenw o f e the
find situation,
him sitting complacently in
volume, when the chairman and two directors of a
bank wait upon him, and threaten " to stop him in
businoss," and he retorts, " You make a mistake.
I will stop the bank;" and he does it ! Through
the intricate mazes of the two volumes of this nar-
rative, Mr. Allcroft's (or rather, it should be, All•
crafts) arts and contrivances are a happy satire upon
the faults and frauds of the day. Intermingled
with the history of his machinations is a very inte-
resting and adventurous story--a little too highly
coloured, perhaps, in its descriptions : as, for
example where one of the heroines is thus glowingly
portrayed :—" Watch that soft blue eye, that cheek
emulating the damask rose, the white forehead,
those delicately-chiselled lips, the rounded nostrils
_none of which Venus could have excelled !
Let that eye sparkle, that cheek flush, the
forehead contract, the lips curl, the nostril

' dilate—and Minerva again walks the earth !"
This fair lady is beloved, (and no wonder !) by
a clerk in her father's employ. This gentleman,
with honourable discretion, retires from his post,
and as he is taking a sad farewell of the picture of
his lady-love the damsel herself enters the room.
A scene which loses much of its effect from its
reminding us of that matchless " situation " between
Fanny Trevanion and Pisistratus Caxton, a scene
never to be forgotten by all who have read "The
Caxtons." With blemishes such as we have referred
to, Mr. Alfred Gladstone has given us a very ani-
mated and interesting romance.

The Belle of the Ball. A Novel. By William
Pickersgill, author of " Washington Grange."
Two Vols. Newby.
It is somewhat surprising that this title has not
been already adopted by some novel-writer, the fair
belle of a ball-room being so frequently the heroine
of a three-volumed novel. As it is, Mr. Pickersgill
has the merit of the selection, and a very charming
belle he has depicted in Melita Hastings. How at
this ball, which occurs in the first volume, the hero
and heroine first encounter each other, and how,
according to the famous and always appropriate
quotation on the title-page, " Love took up the
glass of Time and turned it in his glowing hands,"
we will not here further relate. Suffice it to say,
that the hero, who is rejected by a proud family as
being of the Arab tribe of actors, proves, by a strange
combination of chances, to be the head of the very
family that disdains him. A supposed murder, re-
sembling in some of its features the notorious Road
tragedy, is introduced, with, we cannot but think,
an absence of good taste and disCretion.

A " COURT REGISTER OF THE HOUSE OF COM-
MONS" has just now bean commenced under the
supervision of Mr. J. C. Whimper. The first of the
four monthly parts within which it will be com-
pleted has been issued opportunely upon this very
morning of the opening of Parliament by the
Messrs. Trtibner of Paternoster-row. It contains, as
each of the three subsequent instalments will also
contain, upwards of 170 woodcut illustrations—these
illustrations being simply the armorial bearings of
the honourable members. The absence of any
armorial bearing, however, in some irstances, as for
example in those of Mr. Bright, of Mr. Mitchell,
and Mr. Hodgson (probably, like sensible men, they
will care nothing for it, however), appear somehow
to render the publication slightly invidious. So far
as it goes, however, it is likely to be acceptable to
the generality: though we should certainly our-
selves have suggested the publication of the work
not in a quarto size but in a size more compact and
portable!—even if it had, after the manner of the
thumb-bible, dwindled down to a very miniature or
mannikin of a duodecimo for the waistcoat pocket.

MR. BEETON'S PUBLICATIONS still shine forth
conspicuously among the popular periodicals of the
day. They increase and multiply, moreover : for,
while the old favourites continue to flourish, newer
ones are, every now and then, making their appear-
ance from his establishment. Here blooming before
us, for example, is that merry puzzling Christmas
Book (reprinted and clad now in a glowing cover of
blue and red) ycleped.. The Kiddle-a-fink, and
penned or edited by Francis Der wick, one who can
write not only readably bat most amusingly. Again
as—a eompanion bit of fun and frolic, with a
merry fool's cap and bells emblazoned on
its cover—have we not hero Beeton's Book
cg' Anecdote, TVit, and Humour ? Every page
of it, tickling the reader into laughter, or tempting
him at least to a dimpling smile. Here, too, is the
The Boy's Own .111agazine, an old favourite, now in
its tenth year I Illustrated plentifully always, and
crammed full, month after month, with fact, fiction,
history, and adventure. Bmides which, in a cheaper
form, we have The Boy's Monthly Magazine and
The Englishwoman's Domestic Magazine.

CASSELL'S PENNY SHAKSPERE gives every indi-
cation of proving an immense success. It is true
that, as yet, we have enjoyed but a nibble of the
the feast, but with the flavour of that we are more
than satisfied. The illustrations are elegant and
imaginative. The paper, the printing, all the little
at ceteras of publication appear to have been sedu
lously cared for by this most enterprising house of
publishers. In their new undertaking we heartily
wish them success—we feel:sure_they will deserve it
—and we rest confident also that it will be their's.

CHAMBERS'S JOURNAL, now in its fourth and
best series, has evidently taken, in common parlance,
a new lease of life. Part I. of this Fourth Series
reflects the highest honour upon the great Edin-
burgh firm from which it emanates. It is in all
essential respects pretty nearly as good as can
be, as a very model of a cheap periodical. Its
contents are as usual singularly varied. The con •
tributors show, still, that they can instruct as well
as amuse. The principal serial in the journal, as
the public well know by this time, is the clever tale of
" Lost Sir Massingberd." But the marvel of the
publication in its new form, the peculiarity of it, at
least, chiefly arresting our attention in respect to
Part I. of the new series, is—the "getting" of it all
" up." In this particular Chambers's Journal is
more than ever attractive.

THE GALLERY OF GEOGRAPHY, Part IV., is
another of the valuable serials now being issued in
a monthly form from the house of the Messrs. W.
and It. Chambers. It brings the work on, now, to
upwards of two:hundred pages—pages still, like the
preceding ones, beautifully, and here and there pro-
fusely, embellished. A map of Africa is this month
the principal illustration—the letterpress carrying
us far on into the description of our own " loved
native isle."

MARKETS—This Day

MARK-LANE.

IMPERIAL WEEKLY AVERAGES.—Whest, 40s 8d ;
barley, 32s Id ; oats, 18s lld ; rye, 31s 8d ; beans, 33s 3d ;
and peas, 32s 10d.
THE SIR WEEKS' AVERAGES. Wheat, 40s 6d;
barley, 31s lld ; oats, 18s 10d; rye,3os ld ; beans, 33s 9d;
peas, 33s ld.
ENGLISH GRAIN SOLD LAST WEEK.—Wheat, 98,917 ;
barley, 97,305 ; oats, 18,456 ; rye, 23 ; beans, 7,183 ; peas,
2,071 quarters.