The Sun.
London, England, 1864-12-07 00:00:00

THE MiN, LONDON, WEDNESDA .EVE 1. DECEMBER 7, 1864.

NEW NOVELS.

The Queen of the County. By the author of " Mar-
garet and her Bridesmaids." Three Vols. Hurst

and Blackett.
The authoress of " Margaret and her Brides-
maids" and " The Valley of a Hundred Fires" is
a favourite with many readere. Her style is sin-
gularly pleasing and vivacious ; and if her charac-
ters are almost too charming for real life, and her
descriptions almost too couleur de rose, the result
is, nevertheless, sufficiently attractive, and the
novel-reader who seeks to he agreeably enter-
tained is not likely 'to be disappointed. " The
Queen of the County" is, in every respect, as
graceful and as charming as her predecessors. The
fair Dulce Mallerdean is the narrator of her own
history, the very opening lines of which remind us
of one peculiarity in " The Valley of a Hundred
Fires." In that novel, if we are not mistaken, the
very excellent hero and heroine become the parents
of some sixteen or eighteen little daughters, and
here this new novel, " The Queen of the County"
commences with this reminiscence of the fair
heroine—" In my father's nursery were born twelve
little girls." A curious coincidence, to say the least
of it, reminding one of the chanson of Beranger—
" sur la nuissance des files." Again, a peculiarity
of this writer is a predeliction for extraordinary
Christian names. In her last work one fair maiden
was called by the Welsh appellation, Nest, and
another was Pearl; and now, the Queen of the
County rejoices in the name of Dulce, and
her favourite sister is called Marblette. We
the more readily comment upon these eccentricities,
because the writer is one who can well afford to
dispense with them. She writes with a facile pen,
and knows how to please many readers. Poor
I)ulce's grief in the dark hour of her affliction is
most vividly and naturally portrayed; but although
we rejoice to find the fair " Queen" living to a good
old age, surrounded by troops of friends, we must
confess that our credulity as to the verisimilitude of
her history is somewhat shaken when we are called
upon to congratulate the aged lady upon her son of
sixty, her grandson of forty, and her great-grandson,
just celebrating his majority ! Dulce Mallerdean is
one of the twelve daughters of a gentleman of mode-
rate means; she marries the heir of a wealthy
house, and finds herself at once in a high and re-
sponsible position—a position which she fills with
grace and ability. On her first appearance at the
County Ball the is thus greeted by one of the note•
bilities, Lord Harpendale :
THE QUEEN OF THE 00UNTY. _ _

We were so anxious to see you. Lady Harpendale said
"For twenty-nine years I have been Queen of the County
—I will look at Peter Mallerdean's wife, and if she is
worthy, I will crown her Queen this very night in my
place."
" Have all counties queens ?"
"I know not—but we have, and we like it."

"And what are her duties ?"
"Sho must be at the head, possibly the inventor and pro •
moter of all the good deeds done in the county; she must
be ready to patronise every public meeting; she must sot
fashions; adjust quarrels, and be the guide and star of the
whole female population."
" The only arduous part of the duties is adjusting the
quarrels."
" Ah, you are sanguine I Don't be so sanguine. It re.
quires some one very superior to be Queen of this County.
We aro not easily pleased. The young peop'e of the present
day aro very fast, my dear Mrs Mallerdean. We must have
a stately Queen of the County to restrain them. They
hurry upon their fathers and mothers so rapidly, that, egad I
they almost trip us up,"
A cloud in the sunny life of the young " Queen" is
the jealousy of her husband's sister, Lady Lanton.
Here is a pleasing sketch of
A NEW BELLE'S STRATAGEM.
We went to Brighton, and I used all the arts I professed
to make Peter forget his melancholy. We had to return to
town all too soon. A court ball was impending, and Peter
was for once rather anxious about my dress and appear-

once.
He was engaged that night rather late at the House of
Commons, but had bid mo dress and go early. I was to
wait for him in the Tabby, so that wo might enter the pre-
sence together.
I was in joyous spirits. My dress pleased me well, and
I diverted myself with thinking how delighted Peter would
be when, throwing off my cloak, I should show myself to
hins, adorned with perfect art.- That elasticity of spirit
which rose upon the least occasion fioatcd me off into a
mood as happy and rapturous as a child's. Though I did
not allow it to myself, our house had to me and.aspect of
home and sunshine, HOW that Lady Lanton was out of it.
Ensconsed behind the pedestal of a statue in the lobby, I
watched the gay company thronging in, and never felt more
gay.
Qn a sudden I perceived Lady Lanton herself approach.
ing, and with her the Countess Hermann. To my astonish•
ment, the latter seemed dressed in the facsimile of my
dress, What first struck me was the coronet of plumes,
that were arranged according to a fancy of my own, in a
sort of sweeping circle, that descended low on one side of
the neck. A little circlet of diamonds was the only other
ornament on my head. The countess had precisely the
same. I immediately scanned her dress. It was the exact
copy of mine—white crape looped up with water lilies,
showing a white satin petticoat, embroidered in silver and
Roman pearls. They did not perceive me as they passed in
earnest conversation.
" Yes, I brought him to town for the best advise,' Lady
Lanton was saying ; " it is the only thing I could do, but
I took care to leave the children at Mallern."
Ah, my dear I3uffy, I was pleased at that de it a
it wont to my
heart to think that the result of all these quarrelings might
be that I shsuld be separated from you,
lhis was my first thought. The second followed quickly.
Peter would never forgive the public exhibition of his wife
and Lady Hermann appearing so exactly dressed alike as
to remarkable.
Elated as I was with my new dress, my appearance in it,
and the sensation I hoped to make, it was all over now. I
must ask for a chair, and get home as speedily as I could,
that I might reach it before Peter left it. Fortunately I
was in time.
W hen I told my tale, he was astonished ; and had the
ball not been a royal one, we should certainly not have at-
tended it, But there was no alternative. Peter had but a
minute to admire my dress, when I had to run and chsnge
it. I think ho felt the disappointment even more than I did,
it was so becoming. I now put on a dress of blue gauze,
which was perfectly new, but wanted the grace and delior
-
cacy of the other. I exchanged my coronal of feathers f
ono long one tipped with blue, which I fastened on to my
head, with the bands of diamonds passing over and over
it.
In less than an hour I was again in the lobby, accom-
panied by my husband, and we passed into the ball-room.
On its very threshold were Lady Lenten and the coun-
tess. It seemed as if they meant to join us, as we passed
on our way to the royal circle, but they were so confused at
the unexpected change in my dress, or the utter disregard
Peter paid to their presence, that they allowed some people
to intervene between us, and we were soon lost in the crowd
that crushed on the Presence Chamber. Having made our
obeisance, we joined the Crams, and one or two people
whom we knew, with whom we went into an inner room,
where a limited number of people were dancing. Hero we
agreed to stay, as we were a select party, and mostly known
to each other. And here I had the great happiness, as it
seemed to me, of dancing for the first and only lime of my
life with Peter.
To a youthful animated spirit dancinoug is like the embed i
merit of the joy of mind, and when y may freely abandon
yourself to the intoxication of it, because your husband is
your partner, nothing can be more perfect. Thus, within
a short space of time, I had experienced as many different
feelings as there are clouds in an April day.
Before taking leave of Queen Dulce, let us quote a
beautiful thought upon
ANNIVERSARIES.
The return year by year of birthdays, marriage-days, and
mourning-days is good for the soul. Few are so hardened
but that tha return of the day of their birth brings with it
the remembrance that there will be a time when a year,will
come in which there is no birthday for them. Are they
prepared for it? Again, in marriage-days, those that love
truly, gladly, repeat their vows again, and love on still
more fondly as each year proves them still more blest in
each other. To those who love not so well, it may be that
these anniversaries soften somehardened place in theal
heir
hearts, and so, opening a spring ha
of kindly feeling,
wounds that might otherwise have festered and mortified to
death. But the mourner t—on such a day mourner was
baptised in sorrow. The ceremony brought her face d
she felt her-
to
face with God. His veil was withdrawn, an
self almost in the invisible world. On each anniversary she
withdrew into this holy sanctuary again, and n
issues there-
from strengthened to perform her work. Do not fear these
anniversaries, Dulce, As time mellows the sharpness of
your sorrow, you will court headthem—t nly link in this
world which connects you with the de.
rhis tender, loving phi;osophy pervades the whole
hw:oe rmki,6
ensd
wi is nihore e than
hinted nn
at,ci
iavnadlenitufsotrigaelfih
l t the e
author's rising popularity.
ae

• _ _
He Ordeal for TVives. By the Author of " The
Morale of Mayfair," &c. Three Vole. Hurst and
Blackett.
There have been before now political discussions,
and severe animadversions upon the rival merits and
demerits of " town" and'` country." In a kindred
spirit the author of the "Ordeal for Wives" is in.

dined to inaugurate a similar controversy in a matri-
monial point of view. We must confess that for
awhile the name of this novel mystified us, but the
meaning is, towards the close, very clearly set forth
in the following oracular announcement, which we
publish for the benefit of all whom it may con?.
cern :

Reader, if you are a man of fortune, and desire the assist-
ance of a young woman in getting rid of that fortune for
you ; if your heart yearns after a companion who shall dress
extravagantly, who shall sit with credit at the head of your
table, who shall make your house generally attractive to
your friends—do as Nlntniduke Scott and as Lord Eltham
did. You need not bo at the trouble of travelling to find
what you require. London, Paris, Bath, Brighton, Chel-
tenham—whet-Ever you may be, you will find the material
ready to your hand.
Reader, if you are a man of edachtion, but no money'
and are so inconceivably single-minded as to wish to pas •
sees a woman who shall be bound to you for life; if you
have visions (God knows how, in this generation, they come
into your head I) of a wife who shall work with and for
you, cook your meat and mend your shirts, be your house-
keeper and the mother of your children, and your own in-
tellectual companion, and truest, tenderest friend—go and
search for your ideal among the Devonshire Moors I You
won't get her in large cities out of the classes from whom
men take their wives.

And, unfortunately, the Devonshire Moors are every day
becoming more enclosed.
Bred tiv in these Devonshire 'more was Esther
Fleming, the
Principal heroine of the tale, Her
teacher and guardian being her cousin, Joan E ogle-
heart, a thorough disciplinarian, and one not tole-
rant of the weaknesses of humanity; witness, for
example, her approved method of getting rid of a
servant's lover—

NO FOLLOWERS ALLOWED.
"Yea, Esther, I got rid of William Tillyer on quite a
new principle, and one that I moan to adopt for the future.
' Show your sweetheart into the kitchen the next evening
ho comes,' 1 said to Patty I like all these things to bo
quite open and above board.' Patty, great fool, did as she
was bid, and I went out and found them together. ' You
are coming after my servant, William Tillyer,' I said; do
you want to marry her ?' Patty signed to him to say Yes,'
and he said it, after hanging his tongue out, and diving in
his rockets for an answer for about five minutes. Very
well,' I remarked, ' then step up to Parson Justin's to..
morrow, and you shall be asked next Sunday. Good night.'
I wish you had seen his face, Esther. He begged and
prayed, and promised he'd never sot foot inside our doors if
I'd only let him off that time, This, of course, was what I
wanted ; and since then Patty has had no more lovers."
Esther, like all paragons, behaves in a manner
that would be considered highly reprehensible in
an ordinary young lady. She engages herself on a
brief acquaintance to the first lover she meets with,
and then, when he is absent, very speedily enshrines
another image in her capricious heart. So much
for the " Ordeal" of the Devonshire Moore I Jane
D..ehwood and her sister Millicent are -ladies of
Bath, and as such are (of course !) only intended to
be worldly and heartless. A very dismal picture
indeed, does the author of " The Morals of Alas fair'
give of modern society in England. The picture is
no doubt exaggerated, and although the delineation
is undoubtedly clever, we cannot say that it affords a
very agreeable object of contemplation.

Macaria, By Augusta J. Evan 9, author of
"Beulah." Three Vols. Saunders and Oiley.
" Macaria ; or Altars of Sacrifice is th© title of a
new American novel, which is written in an
earnest and enthusiastic tone, and is allied with
many extravagances and exaggerations. The
natural results no doubt of the agitated at-
mosphere to which the writer has become sub-
jected. In the opening chapter we find Russell
Aubrey toiling by the midnight lamp over unpa-
latable figures, striving to earn a livelihood for his
widowed mother and his friendless cousin. In the
third voloino:Russell, having by industry and reso
lotion attained prosperity and a position, devotes
himself to the cause of Southern independence. The
follo;iving exordium from his betrothed explains the
meaning of the title of the novel :

manifest in the plot of this story. The stolen
marriage of the youthful heiress of Askerdalo Park
is very cleverly arranged, thanks to the Machia-
vellian ingenuity of the "best man" but not the best
adviser of the bridegroom. The latter personage is
himself somewhat ashamed of the underhand part
he is compelled to enact. Not so his friend
Marston, who rejoices with all the pride of
art in the success of his dextrous combinations. It
.being essential that the secret marriage of the
heiress shall take place in London, and by banns,
Marston causes these banns to be published in no
less than six out of the way parishes, so as to
elude discovery, and when at last, on the third
Sunday, every hour becomes of importance, he
persuades (by very potent arguments) one clergy-
man to perform the marriage ceremony imme-
diately after the banns are, for the last time,
published, while another goes on with the ordinary
service of the day, there being just sufficient
time before twelve o'clock for the momentous matter
to be legally arranged. So much for strategic skill
The after events which befall the hero and heroine
are even more surprising, and partake largely of
the sensational. The story is, however, cleverly
designed and pleasantly told.

Nelly,Deane. A Story of Every-day Life. Two Vole.

Nimmo.

A very charming heroine is little Nelly Deane.
One of those artless, loveable characters whom
Wordsworth has celebrated—
" A creature not too bright and good,
For human nature's daily food ;
For simple pleasures, artless wiles,
Praise, blame, love, kisses, tears, and smiles."
The character is, no doubt, happily for us all, one
of " every-day life ;" but we cannot think that the
story of Nelly Deane, as set forth in these volumes,
is entitled to the definition which appears upon
the title-page. The wicked wiles of Stella
Morton, the foolish confidence of the young heir,
the shipwreck, the mistaken identity, and last of
all, the extraordinary rencontre of the Scotch ser-
vant and the dying sinner, make up altogether a
story of considerable interest, but hardly one of
everyday life! Old Dr Brown is a very delightful
and not an impossible character.

Maggie Bell; or, The Lost Sister. By Warwick
Holme;author of " The Mortona of Bardon." Two

Vole. Maxwell.

The narrator of this story is the tutor of little
Bertie Ainslie, and the lover of Maggie Bell.
Thrtie's mother, the sister of Maggie the
lost sister, who gives the second title to
the book—has miraculously disappeared. When
she is with amazing difficulty discovered, Maggie
has, for the time, vanished away, and become in her
turn the " lost sister." Ultimately they are both
restored to each other, and all ends- well, but the
story appears, to our thinking, to he somewhat akin
to a much ado about nothing.

New Music.

--e- --- -

The March dos Princes, L'Oiseau Moucbo (rondo waltz)
Come back thou happy dream, the Charing Cross Polka,
and the Ali Ben Sou Alle Waltz, Polka, and Quadrille.
Tho above new pianoforte music, just been published by
Mr. Ward, of the Strand, will doubtless find much favour
during the approaching festive season. The first three
pieces are the composition of Ali Ben Sou Alle, the gentle.
man whose performances on the Turkophone produced
such an impression during the late series of promenade
concerts given by Mr Alfred Mellon. L'Oisesu Mouche is
a peculiarly effective and melodious composition, and ono
that cannot fail to become a general favourite. The com-
poser has not confined himself to the production of instru-
mental music, he has also published three very pretty
songs, all of which will be found an agreeable addition to
those already in circulation. The Charing Cross Polka,
by Mr J. C. Kent, is sprightly and telling; and the Ali
Ben Sou Alle Polka, Waltzes, and Quadrille, arranged by
Eugene Dalagarde from the compositions of the gentleman
whose name they bear, are each excellent specimens of
lively dance music.

A Eederal " Ocean-going Monitor "

(Fowl the INTelo York IVoil(1.)

More than three years ago, a contract was made by the
Secretary of the Navy with Captain Ericsson and his asso-
ciates for the construction of the two ironclad ocean moni-
tors, to be called the Puritan and Dictator. The vessels
were guaranteed to steam 15 knots an hour at sea ; and
from time to time Captain Ericsson declared in the papers
that these machines were destined to revolutionise naval
warfare, Last spring, after the Dictator was substantially
finished, but before she was tried, Congress:was applied to
to pay for one of these vessels—the Puritan—a price equal
to what it would cost to build it now, although, in fact,
the actual cost of building it had been about half of what
now would be estimated, the iron and labour having been
contracted for at the prices of three years ago. To this ap-
plication objections were made by most of the public jour-
nals, and by several senators and members, who insisted
that the Dictator should first be tried, and if she proved
good for anything, then it would be time enough to in-
demnify the contractors against loss, perhaps to reward them
bye largo profit. But this did not satisfy the Navy Depart.
ment, who urged the passage of the bill upon Congress,
and a law was enacted giving the contractors about a mil-
lion akd a half of dollars of profit, while the Dictator was
lying ready for steaming, but without having yet been
tried in any respect. Having secured this magnificent do•
nation, given upon the representation by its advocates that
the ship could alone cope with the entire navy of England,
the contractors proceeded to try the Dictator at the dock,
in the North river. Precisely what happened is not known
to the public ; but the effect was that the vessel, instead of
steaming to the navy yard as had been announced, was
towed there by a number of tugs, although the public had
been notified to stand on the battery and see her steam by.
Then the trial trip was announced. in order to show that
the ship was able to go alone, and as a necessary prelimi-
nary to her acceptance by the Government; but after work-
ing the engines at the dock no trip was attempted. Just
then Capt. Fox, assistant secretary of the navy, appeared
and spent a couple of days in looking after his peculiar pet,
the Dictator, and immediately the ship was taken off the
hands of the contractors, and the unfortunate people of this
much.swindled country were saddled with a machine which
had hardly yet shown itself capable of self-motion. Mean-
while an expedition at Fortress Monroe was awaiting the
Dictator to complete its force ; but the Dictator did not move.
Instead of that, however, she wont on a "cruise" to Staten
Island, in tow of three tugs, and for about ten days she has
been performing the duties of a dictator to the oyster boats
about Communipaw. Her history, however, is written by
Captain Ericsson, who informed the public that there was
nothing wrong about the ship, but that some sand had got
into the step of the rudder while lying in the mud of the
navy yard, and so the Dictator was temporarily disabled,
He also assured the public that the engines had been run-
ning at the rate of 69 revolutions a minute with the throttle
valve only ono quarter open; from which we are led to
infer that if the other three quarters were only opened
something terrible would happen, and wo waited for that
result. Our patience is at length rewarded, and it has been
announced that the Dictator had returned from her first
cruise to the lower bay, and had made a speed of 7 knots an
hour with 45 revolutions of her engines. We do not feel
disposed to be very critical, but we cannot help calculating
the speed of the screw of the Dictator, and we find that the
ship was going faster than the screw would drive her when
she went 7 knots an hour with 23 revolutions—but wo
suppose it to be ono of the peculiarities of this sort of ves-
sel that ordinary rules do not apply—a peculiarity parti-
cularly valuable in this ship, because the engines have
demonstrated that they cannot bo made to revolve con-
stantly 20 revolutions a minute-60 being the contract
speed—and therefore, unless the ship can go faster than
the wheel which drives her, she is utterly useless. This
first cruise was mado in commission and fighting trim.
No one has been hurt or wounded—thus showing that the
ironclad is invulnerable, but the ship has gone to the
navy yard for repairs after her difficult and extensive ser-
vice; and the contractors and Capt. Pox are satisfied. If
the taxpayers aro not, they ought to turn contractors,

NEW LIFEBOATS.—Tho National Lifeboat Ineti•
tution has just sent away a fine new lifeboat, 36ft.
long, to be stationed at Pill, Morcombe Bay, Lancashire,
The cost of the lifeboat was collected by the commercial
travellers; Mr W. Bishop, of West-street-road, acting as
treasurer, and Mr R. Affleck, of York-street, Manchester,
performing the duty of secretary. Another lifeboat, of
precisely the same size, will be sent off this day (Wednes-
day) to New Quay, Cardigan Bay. The cost of this last-
named lifeboat was benevolently contributed by the
Ancient Order of Foresters.

A LADY'S SPORTING A DVENTURit.—Last week
Lord Middleton's foxhounds met at iieslerton.
There was a large party, and among them Mr and Miss
Pinder, of Linton House. During the chase, the Derwent,
swollen to the brine by the late heavy rains, had to be
crossed. Miss river boldly took the stream, following her
brother. The force of the current, however, lifted her out
of the saddle, and floated her down the river. A cry of
" Miss Pinder in the river" was raised, and Mr Pinder, who
had crossed, dismounted, followed his sister, and brought
her safely to shore, amid the plaudits of the whole hunt.
After a few moments the lady remounted, and although wet
and uncomfortable, as may be supposed, for three hours
continued the chase with as much ardour as the most veteran
sportsman,—.Eastern Zeics,