The Sun.
London, England, 1864-02-08 00:00:00

TO HER MOST GRACIOUS MAJESTY QUEEN VICTORIA.

Madam,—The honour of dedicating a book to your Ma.
jesty has been sought, for the fist time, by one of those
millions of Orientals over whom you have been declared
the first British Empress, and to whom, by the proclama-
tion last issued under the sanction of your august name, you
have accorded a charter of rights which opens up to them
ne.w careers of usefulness and happiness.
Yet it is not to commemorate events such as these, great
as they undoubtedly are, nor, in verity, is it from being
dazzled by the lofty eminence which your Majesty occupies
as the sovereign of one of the mightiest empires the world
has seen, that I have solicited the distinction of this dedi-
cation; but because it has been my heart's wish to leave
though but a fleeting record of the unbounded admiration
which the many virtues adorning your character have
inspired in the minds of all, both natives of these realms
and foreigners to them; as also, of the brilliant example
your Majesty has set in your own person to indicate, not
only to your successors, but, indeed, to all the magnates of
the earth, that their best title to govern men consists in
their submitting themselves to be governed by the dictates
of piety, morality, and stern and unswerving truth.—Your
Majesty's most obedient servant,

MUM COOMARA SWAMY.
The Eteratnre of the Hindoos, we are told, abounds
in dramatic works; the one herewith presented to
us is from a Tamil or Sanscrit origin. It is thus
described in the preface

Amongst the various historiettes which were recounted
in illustration of the principle they taught, that of Arichan-
dra, the King of Ayodiah, is held to occupy a pre-eminent
place. Its singular beauty in the eyes of the Tamils in-
duced their poets at first, as has been intimated above, to
make a distinct poem of it, and its lasting popularity even-
tually resulted in its affording the incidents of an exciting
tragedy.
Thus the drama, of which this volume attempts to fur-
nish a translation, is purely Tamil, though the germ of the
plot may be traced to a Sanscrit origin. Indeed, the value
of the work, if any, consists in its being a Tamil play; for
though several translations of the Sanscrit drama are to be
found, yet no specimen of the Tamil has been presented in
an European guise. The latter is, nevertheless, more ex-
tensive than even the Sanscrit; for while a learned Sanscrit
professor has counted the number of plays in that language
to be nearly sixty or thereabout, those in Tamil exceed
perhaps a hundred, Of all these, Arichandra is held to be
the most popular. The fate of its hero and heroine has
again and again drawn tears from the crowds who so eagerly
congregate in all ports of Southern India and Tamil-Ceylon
to witness its representation. To have thus attained the
foremost rank, despite its numerous competitors, the work
must have possessed some distinctive merit of its own, or
portrayed those sentiments which were most in unison with
those of the people among whom it found so hearty a re-
ception. Hence its title to be a fitting specimen of the
Tamil drama.

• Besides its great popularity, and its thereby affording
foreigners an excellent key to the peculiarities of the
national tone of thought, its claims to distinction rest also
on the moral which it conveys. The whole gist of this play
may be summed up in the words, " Better die than lie 1"
It may, therefore, be a source of some encouragement to
those who inculcate the desirability of improving the be-
nighted Indians with a better code of morals than that
which their own systems of philosophy teach, that even
amongst them are to he found admirers of such characters
as Arichandra, who, though persecuted for his persistent
adherence to truth and virtue, yet maintains his constancy
to the last, regardless'of consequences, in the midst of the
most excruciating tortures, and in the presence of death
itself. The story of Arichandra may be a myth ; but the
response which its representation meets with in the hearts
of a large section of the Hindus is a fact.

To the general reader Arichondra will possess little
interest, but to the learned few it will be at once a
treasure and a curiosity. The English version does
credit to the translator.

The Gentle Life: Essays in Aid of the Formation
of Character. One Vol., pp. 312. Sa:opson Low,

Son, and Marston.

The term " Gentle" as applied to the Life here
depicted, is understood in a spirit similar to that
in which the same word is employed by Thackeray
in his beautiful Christmas Carol, wherein he speaks
of " Peace on earth to gentle men." The essays here
collected are various in theme, but are for the most
part genial in tone and courtly in style. They will
find favour with many thoughtful readers, and
afford profitable meditation for many a pleasant
hour. Among the subjects treated, first and fore-
most, is the difference between being " gentle" and
" genteel"—the great ambition and the great error
of the present day ; the manners of the man, eti-
quette, disappointments, riches, servants, conversa-
tion, conceit, indolence, men's wives, women's hus-
bands, &c., 8.70. ; and other kindred themes are all
in turn considered by one very well qualified for the
serious and somewhat censorious task he has under-
taken.

The Gentlewoman. By the Author of "Dinners
and Dinner Parties." One Vol., pp. 118. Chap-

man and Hall.

As an evidence that the author of this curious
little volume well appreciates the object of his study
let us, before entering upon the merits of his work,
quote his graceful portraiture of