The Sun.
London, England, 1852-08-20 00:00:00

L ETE RA T URE.
BENTLEY'S SHILLING SERIES.
Among the cheaper and vet at the same time the
really valuable publications of the day, BentLys Shil-
ling Series has already assumed a very conspicuous
Position. It comprises some of the most delightful
little volumes imaginable—precisely the very books
to amuse 4n(l instruct a traveller. Here, for example,
are " Notes on Noses"—the very thing to tickle the
diaphragm of even the most dvsneptic into laughter—
crammed wi'h conceits that would have been "nuts"
to S:awkenburgius ! Here again is "The Comic
English Grammar," with fifty of Leech's most prepos-
terous
(and by that we mean most delectable) illus.
trationv. Leech, by the way, from his earliest
and symbolical signature—to saw nothing of his fun
"7-must surely be the vary " bottle imp" of caricatu-
rist,! Here are "Turf Characters," including both
officials end subalterns—and interesting to all those
who have ever had a love for "the ring," an anxiety
about Tottenham Corner, or an interest in the colossal
betting
of Davis—of all betters the Leviathan. Here
i 8 good, honest "Martin Toutrone—showing us what
capital drolleries James Morier imagined might in
this great Babel of ours befsl an unlucky wight of an
adventurous Frenchman. Besides these, we have the
„,fakin°us "Nights at Sea," written by the Old Sailor,
""), AS all the (reading) world knows now was no
other than M. H. Barker. Then there is another
l'olutne of the series devoted to the grim
and awful story of the "Loss of the
.Amazon Steam- vessel," at every mention of which
=or a long while to come each gentle heart will
,hel,a,v,e a sigh for poor Eliot Warburton ! Added to
en—comes another volume comprising the " Bor-
der Tales," told by W. H. Maxwell—pathetic in his
Stories
of Waterloo," enthralling in "My Life,
45„1' Captain Blake," and renowned in his history of
ri,""e," Duke of Wellington." Through these " Border
'l"es,"
poor Maxwell recounted, as his readers will
remember, some among the legends of the Cheviots
an,cl the Lammermuir. Again—comes before us,
P 'he 'he Great Western—[not Railway, but]—Re-
Then as described by Colonel Cunynghame
we have Albert Smith's merry little magazine
ttPourri bight his " Comic Tales and Sketches."
admirable
but by no means least in the series of these very
irable and diversified reprints, we meet once more
to Our delight—with Thomas Henry Sealey's
glorious
" Porcelain Tower," consisting of Nine
Stories
_.a —a work famous from its first appearance in
e
ntley's Miscellany. Dismayed as we are to find
4,u
Pleasant punning title—than which nothing could
;.,I,,ve been happier or more appropriate—transformed
~7'
° "Broad Grins from China," we are disposed,
ireveretheless, to welcome the work as heartily as ever,
ebiT oar full and cordial appreciation of its humorous
litY• Who that has once lingered over the narra-
"re of the life of " Hofi of the Yellow Girdle," can
zvil, forget him ? Who can lose a remembrance of
onblai Khan," describing the siege of Kinsai; or
Fashions in Feet," telling us all about
07 beautiful To-To; or of " Hyson and Bohea ;"
t' again, of the " Porcelain Bath," or of
frh: " Feast of Lanterns," comprising letters
stetn Sam- Sing to Weep-Weep, and from
I:6°°•Pin to Pin-Wing, or of the " Emperor
idang-Te " anent the plough and the loom, or of
arriaga in a Mask," introducing us to that
terler,dog the Cunning Shaver Chin ? Who, we
fafi'll') Can ever forget—but who least of all, could
f 0 cherish a recollection of the " Student of
upolltin "—that immortal tale about opium smoking ?
which it is remarked by the author at its con-
,.
tieruly song,' says Pi-Ping, in concluding this tale,
.ethe waters of tense with thine oar and thy sail;
of pt 11 a-es,
,s and ages, and ages to come
pC,:;;f, aw, and Fee-Fee, and Fo-Fo, and Fum-
If for
to these- nothing else in the whole series, the subscribers
v,oul charming volumes published by Mr. Bentley
(Veel grateful for the reprint of Sealey's " Force-
Grin:-;?wer," grotesquely illustrated as the " Broad
from China" by the oddest little fantastic wood-
fane-,:l John Leech. Bentley's Railroad Library, as we
th,: We have tolerably well proved, may—among
ofit"P serials
—be regarded as comparable to the best
8 contemporaries.

3300, -
4) S GUIDES. Vol. V.—Switzerland and
the Savoy.
Celebrated guide-books for travelling in the
edition
lispedht countries of the European Continent, pub-
after
during the last ten or twelve years, edition
8_ . nay of
augßast 'by
Mr. Murray, appears to have at last
$o
oaller form, the ad-
viittb. ed to another enterprising publisher .
producing at a cheaper rate, and in a
other works of a similar character. Mr.
assgulrls has in the present volume afforded additional.f
tecentlf°r
Quid an" of the great intrinsic merit of the. series o
Travellers, upon the issue of which he has
nimo 3' adventured. Within 338 pages duode-
bary is bore compacted together an extraordi-
thriWnl°llnt of information conducting the tourist
Switzg.h
, all the interesting localities in Savoy and
~re
t-riand.
Foremost among the facts introduced
tioo, f°o7+ of course., having reference to the prepare-
Plasport, the journey, in regard to baggage, money,
manner t'n',l_ language. A section is devoted in like
"ides ~,- too inns of Switzerland. Another to the
tinckY.--Zther to the charts—another to the cur-
t—he" ake-: l,be least valuable portion of the work
„., eoP p,-,,.-lating to the relative value of coins in
"511,4oieru ,-"68 traversed. After an allusion to the
44144): to
less interesting than the previous
compile the coins in circulation, the guide-book
sloo- ifladventures at once upon a minute descrip-
tha n°,,- " various routes in Switzerland. In this
thr,,ll--r he conducts the reader through .13asle,
/., -1;4'4 Berne, Thun, Zug, Zurich, llorgen,
Lital-aanuel Freiburg, by Geneva, by Lake
et,7") and by Lake Lucerne. The portable
13,344,,,-40 of this volume is a great recommendation, for
Za.., as formerly, "a great book is a great evil."
1,,;',1:_a Compactness, however, would be of little use
t„,"gollt fulness of information, which is the charac-
gatie of the work. It is no mere guide-book, but
4411 Y a compagnon de voyage, always Able and ready
14,8u,PPly the necessary information. There is the
N,„•':!er advantage of as gold a map of Switzerland as
Wave ever seen—clear, full (but not crowded), and
tiottig Printed on the newly patented transparent linen
th, has the further advantage of being free from
tlEtiMual liability to get torn. No book of this
1)4/11.3 thin a :1"1 freue
fragil nt use should have maps printed upon
qnd e.

-S, ESSAYS, AND OPINIONS. By A. B.
h Richards. Aylot and Jones. .
Tee are . four volumes .
" T"""
" Altrror of the Time," in which they originally
4Peared. Jetts They treat of a great number of sub-
) and some of the verses are pleasing.
Z ,-.,
'2'ORES ON POLITICAL ECONOMY. By
These -P. W. .Newman. John Chapman.
eciii;e
tß'' inse e -P
ctures were recently delivered at the Ladies'
Ver Bedford-square, but some passages
ugesswkitheiechs
4e the omitted are now restored. The
staffladierly somewhat unusual for thes, _
study of
Govern-
an as national debt and poor-law
ite revenue public remedies for our pauperism,
414 tbniltl they 'arewell suited to the general reader,
Villhea deVOted to the study of such subjects they
\Tel,' attractive.
No
Pioi INN THE NORTH-WESTERN
ehap ES OF INDIA. By Charles Rakes.
AA Iltntn and Hall.
tot°r °f 1 MeyrheBting work by the magistrate and collec-
--ela of t-h-P°o, tio, which describes the various
Gus-
toe n
(Marro, 'l,l,ehabitants, which give rise to frequent
show sand Ilaullers. "The attempt of the writer is
, in
civil d • a Po
• a tniniv
.Pular manner, the worktiongwhoicfhohuer
Is attach
4 I,‘ latlnu in that part of India .
~
°bows the 'Y the ties of duty and long service.''
mile-
talieB e urnel'cus evils that arise from trifling i
tottelelau;eirltrit eenta,nadndhtahbeitsdiofflfcutlhteies arisingp from
e
littldbillluB' be a great advantage to thospeeodeseiraosusthoef
7Aat4rtig the details of Indian government,
lit4it„itl,3;lthvseintligoaseresident in that country, must neces-
.tathorit
1. Y to hePispsotrattuentniteileistso.f observation which
44-tpb.,
48.0 Op THE PAINTERS, SC Tied-
fo,4"'' -CV b ARCHITECTS. Trans
tiThe the Italian of Giorgio Vasari.
llea oBP t oluenes contain -V asari's renowned bi.ogra-
'tat tr-; title luost celebrated painters. This is the
PeareOlstation of this immortal work that has IT'
la our language.