The Sun.
London, England, 1852-01-02 00:00:00

THE MAGAZINES.
BLACKWOOD.

Although the political article with which Black-
wood (Tens its number for January is, in arrange-
ment, somewhat serernbling and desultory, it is
vigorous in its tone, and comprehensive in the range
of its observation. Entitled "Political and Monetary,
Prospects," it begins with an allusion to Louis Napo-
leon's coup d'etat of the 21 ultimo, and ends with a
confident prediction (upon one proviso) of the aban.
donment of the free-trade policy. We don't think
the most ardent admirers of that policy would object
to run the risk of the datne her here implied by the
realization of that householdsuffrage " the first effect"
of which, according to the writer in Maga, would,
" in all probability, be the restoration of Protection."
By all means let us at least try the experiment.
After the paper in question, comes a most genial
review of ,psemas by William Smith"—a name
etranger for Plswbus to "chronicle in the rolls of
levee," than even that of Amos Cottle, whatever Lord
Byron might have thought to the contrary. It is
amusing to witness the apologetic attitude assumed by
the critic on presuming to commend a Mr. Smith as a
poet—the generic title lasing as he himself acknow-
ledges the " very incarnation of 'Oesnc." Oddly
enough another Mr. Smith is being just now an-
nounced to the world as a true son of the muses—his
sponsors being the Eclectic Review and Critic—so
that we are likely to be overrun with votaries of that
god of poetry, Apollo, who, among his other names,
oimself rejoiced in the kindred one of Sminthius!
Sooth to say, the critic, in Blackwood, justifies to the
very uttermost the generous warmth of his panegyric
by some really exquisite, and [if we may so speak
in regard to purely intellectual tastes] most appetiz-
ing quotations. Those who read his comments upon
Guidone," upon " Crichton," and upon " Athelwold,"
will be disposed to turn, themselves, to the perusal of
those dramatic compositions. The next composition
is an agreeable chapter, descriptive of a visit to
" Mont Blanc," written by no less lively a narrator
than Albert Smith, the most enterprising of jokers,
the man who, as Dr. Syntax went in search of the
picturesque, has, on his part, gone in search of the
humorous, penetrating, to this end, the solitudes of
the Alps and the streets of Constantinople. After.
wards we are treated to a delightful
paper, recounting to us some of " The Rural
Superstitions of Western France—followed by a
fantastic, but important, article entitled "Husbands,
Wives, Fathers, Mothers." Then comes the cus-
tomary charm and attraction to the pages of Black-
wood—" My Novel ; or, Varieties in English Life"
—the personal pronoun no longer signifying Pisis-
tratus Caxton, but Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton. The
retirement of the Caxton family from any participa-
tion in the course of the serial is formally announced
in the " initial chapter" prefixed to the present (the
ninth) book of the narrative. Henceforth those de-
lightful prefatory gossips, in which the author
establishes an immediate confidence between himself
and the reader, will be restricted to abstract con-
siderations. This time the reflections heralding the
continuance of the story have reference to the sub-
ject of public life. They are especially dedicated to
the consideration of vestrymen and chairmen of
quarter sessions. Riccabocca has removed to the
vicinity of London, where Randal has all but com-
mitted himself to an alliance with Violante, when he
discovers betimes that she is likely to prove to one
such as himself a bride altogether penniless.
Richard Avenel has fallen into the meshes of Baron
Levy. Audley Egerton is on the eve of passing with his
ministerial colleagues from the offices of Govern-
ment. Helen has returned to England, and is now
affianced to her chivalric and gentle guardian, Harley
L'Estrange, noblest and best of all these fictitious
personages. The interview between the Count di
Peschiera and Randal is admirably depicted, the two
villains recognising each other, as it were, instinc-
tively. Poor Frank Hazledean is evidently dropping
into a mesalliance with Madame di Negra—and as
evidently the occupant of the Swiss•like cottage op-
posite Riccabocca's suburban residence, is the writer
of the popular novel, and the writer of the popular
novel is Leonard Fairfield. Among the most charm-

ing characters in the story,Lafterall, is—Jetnima.
The plot of the fiction has now become agreeably en-
tangled. After a magazine tale, called " Struggles
for Fame and Fortune," Blackwood closes with a
hasty but favourable notice of Mr. Disraeli's political
biography of Lord George Bentinck.

MERVYN CLIT.HEROE. No. 11. By W.
_Harrison Ainsworth.
Another portion of ➢ir. Ainsworth's new story only
assures us more forcibly of the correctness with
which we augured well from its commencement. The
interest of the fiction has already become enthralling,
and its readers will watch with eager curiosity for
the destinies awaiting both Mervyn himself and his
evil genius Malpes. Desolation has suddenly fallen
on the hospitable rooftree of Netberscroft in the death
of its mistress. The way in which this incident is
described is beautiful and affecting—the readers
curiosity being excited to a strange intensity of dread
even in the midst of the Twelfth-night merrymaking
in the barn at Farmer Shakeshaft's. The festivity
here mentioned is the feature of the second number,
and Phiz has felt this in his humorous and grotesque
illustration. The interview with the gipsics,
the incidents connected with Sissy, and the
absurd officiousness of Pownall, the barber-surgeon,
help to enliven the tale as it progresses. Before we
close the present instalment we find Mervyn back
again at Cotton borough—first at the Anchorite's
and then among his schoolfellows. Scarcely has he
returned to the latter, when his favourite, John
Brideoake, is seized with a dangerous illness, from
over-application, and the hero finds himself unexpec-
tedly face to face with one we feel sure will prove to
be the heroine—Apphia Brideoake. Throughout all
these homely and domestic events it is impossible not
to recognise an extraordinory verisimilitude to nature
—such as induces us to regard the scenery and many
of the characters as owing their existence rather to
memory than to imagination. From what we have
Already seen of "Mervyn Clitheroe" we are prepared,
fur many reasons, to find in it its author's masterpiece.

EDITS ABOUT MECHANICS' IN-
STITUTES.

The causes of failure we think are not far to seek.
First, they have failed because the working people of
this country have not yet been educated up to the point
at which they can derive any large amount of benefit
from Mechanics' Institute!. Secondly, among that part
of the working class who have the desire for self-culture,
there is a general reluctance manifested to enter a Me-
chanics' Institute, as at present constituted; because they
feel that they are not placed on the same level as the
other meiubers of the Institute. They are excluded
from all interest or share in the management. They
are treated in a patronizing manner; and, generally
speaking, working men do not like to be " patronized."
Hence, they prefer forming themselves into what are
called Mutual Improvement Societies, where they can
meet on the same level, and manage their own affairs
entirely by themselves; and this is the case even in those
towns where some of the most thriving so-called
Mechanics' Institutes are located. A third cause
of failure is to be found in the fact, that the
subjects which, of all others, interest intelligent work-
ing men in these days—namely, questions of political
and sccial well-being—are excluded from Mechanics'
Institutes. Another cause, and by no means an unim-
portant one, is the absence of amusement in Mechanics'
Institutes generally; in place of which, the audience,
not unfrequently, has to listen to a very heavy and un-
profitable lecture—on somebody's poems, or on some-
body else's novels, or on Shakspere's women or
fools, or on cryptogamic plants. Such lectures are very
apt to send a man to sleep, who has been working all
day amid the whirl of machinery and the beating of
hammers. It is really too much to ask an artizan to
come and listen to such things. You must give him
some entertainment that will at least keep him awake,
and amuse if not instruct him. Not that sound infor-
mation should be excluded
.to make room for amusement;
but amusement and. attraction of some kind there must
be, if not, the public-house and the easino will attract
the operative as now, and not the Mechanics' Institute.
-Eliza Cook's Journal,

DISAPPEARANCE OF A YOUNG LADY.—A young
lady, of highly respectable family, who has for some time
past resided in the capacity of governess with. thp family of
Mr. Andrew Duncan, Hatfield-place, near this city (Bath),
is missing under alarming circumstances. The, young lady,
it appears, accompanied one of Mr. Duncan daughters to
church on the morning of Christmas-day, but, befo
service had been concluded, she rose frem her seat o leave
the church, complaining of illness. The pew-opener!t struck
by her strange and excited air, invited her to go into the
vestry ; but the young lady declined to do so, quitted the
church, and has not been heard of since. Some other cir-
cumstances, unhappily, point to the probability that she
has been drowned. We understand that not long after she
had left the church the landlord of the Dolphin Inn, oppo-
site Twerton, observed a young lady answering to the de-
scription-of Mr. Duncan's governess walking along the bank
of the river in a hurried manner, and within a few minutes
after ho had lost sight of her another person saw a female
struggling in the water. He immediately ran to get assist-
ance, but, on returning to the spot, all was quiet, and not a
trace remained of the drowning person. The river has since
hcen dragged, but without success, owing, it may be, to its
being much swollen. There is no absolute certainty that
the missing young lady and the person seen in the water
are the same, though it is very probable, especially as the
young lady had, for some time previously, been suffering
from depression of spirits, to which, we arc informed, she was
constitutionally disposed. Her friends, we need not say, are
suffering great anxiety, being in a dreadful uncertainty
whether she has wandered away, fallen into the river, or
committed suicide.—Bath Chronicle.

OBSCENITIES' FROM CHINA,--A remarkable impor-
tation has recently taken place from China, consisting of a
series of paintings, or, more properly, carvings of an elaborate
character, painted and contained in a kind of frame, each
having hinges inversely so as to close after the manner of a
draught-board in the form of a book. On examination of
this piece of mechanism it was found that each of these
painted carvings formed a slide which discovered another
carving of an equally elaborate description but of a grossly
obscene character, the figures comprising these obscenities
being carvings in ivory representing Chinese characters.
it is believed that on no previous occasion has the skill of
mechanical art been more grossly perverted to an improper
purpose. The articles were, it seems, in transitu for France,
but the authorities have given directions for these obscene
caryips tc, be immediately and eatiroly destroyed.