The Sun.
London, England, 1852-11-25 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

The Comic Almanack for 1853. By George Craik.
shank. David Bogue.
Cruikshank again with his Comic Almanack ! A.
glorious treat coming to us, almost " time out of
mind," with the approach of Christmas. Unfortu.
nately we can no longer look forward to another
facetious " Annual ' from Thomas Hood, to
another grotesque " Legend" from Thomas In-
goldsby, to another merry song from Theodore
Hook, or to another witticism from Sydney Smith.
The perpetual demands upon his attention made
by " Household Words," have even prevented
Charles Dickens from giving us another of those
rosy little books for the winter evenings, which still
glow so warmly in the popular recollection. We
cannot any longer listen for the chirruping of a
new " Cricket on the Hearth," or for the tones of a
new " Carol" sung in the snow-storms of December,
any more than we can expect to hear fresh voices
from "The Chimes," like those familiar to the ears
of Trotty Veck, or hope to see a second " Haunted
Man" such as Redlaw, gliding among the shadows
of his laboratory, or to watch the incidents of ano-
ther miniature " Battle of Life" fought in the
orchard of Dr. Jeddler. We must needs content
ourselves with the monthly instalments of " Bleak
House," or with the additional chapters of the
" History of England," written for the delight and
instruction of little children by a greater than
Oliver Goldsmith. But then, with the recurrence
' of the festive season, there still comes to us
as surely as the raisins, and the candied orange..
peel, and the prize beef, and the show turn
keys, and the biffins, and the sticks of cinna-
mon and the boughs of misletoe, and the branches
of holly, and the crackling chestnuts, and the
flaming snapdragon the Comic Almanack of
George Cruikshank. The Prince of Caricaturists
appears, in truth, to be fairly inexhaustible. Gill.
ray might be "used up "—Rowlandson " worn
out"—Cham exhausted—Gavarni drained of all.
drollery—even Phillipon, with " Poire" and with
" Macaire," brought to a non plus for anything in
the shape of novelty in regard to the ridiculous--
but Cruikshank—never. As welcome to us, there-
fore, as he has been for many years byegone, more
welcome, indeed, for that very reason of the
lapse of time, than ever, is our incomparable
George Cruikshank. It matters not that his pencil
is pre-engaged in illustrating the genius displayed
by Harriet Beecher Stowe, in "Uncle Tom's Cabin'
—that his brush is pre-occupied in depicting the
droll diablerie of Burns, as described in " Tait
O'Shanter"—that his pen is active in writing down.
the Betting-office Humbug, or that his voice is
loud in asserting the advantages of systematic tern.
perance. So certainly, as the new year is drawing
on—there appears the old familiar volumette of the
Comic .Almanack, embellished by the etching-needle
of George Cruikshank. It is true, no doubt,
that Rigdum Film-lidos no longer writes the
letterpress—but then we all remember that
the principal, if not indeed the only, merit of the
publication lay in the humorous embellishments.
And "here they are," still like our dear old friend.
the clown in the pantomime, " making faces" in-
numerable, and telling us, as he never fails to tell.
us; that " somebody 's coming"—and that Soma•
body, the New Year—this time 1853 ! We have
to thank Mrs. Colonel Bloomer and her follower 4
for the idea of the gorgeous frontispiece, showing
" The Rights of Women, or the effects of Female.
Enfranchisement." No wonder " Old Stingy,'
the gentleman's candidate, is altogether eclipsed at
the hustings by " Sir Charles Darling," the ladies'
candidate ! The next illustration is an example of
" Taking care of Number One," revealing to us a
gentleman endeavouring to keep " Number One"
out of " St. Paul's Churchyard." There is a
luscious smack about the old fellow's mouth that is
quite delicious. Another sketch is that entitled
" Will you be our VisA-Vis?"—a sketch that
assuredly nobody could possibly have thought of,
much less drawn, but Cruikshank. Such a
colossal tie, such a lilliputian foot, such an
ineffable smirk in the grinning teeth, and
the goggling eyes, and the turned-up nose—.
never could by any chance have appeared
anywhere but in the " Comic Almanack." "There's
Nothing like Leather " is a good skit at the results
of the emigration mania to the gold-diggings of Aus-
tralia ; as likewise is that other one, showing the
results of a " Scarcity of Servants." But the two
glories of the Almanack for 1853 have not yet been
particularised—the " Pack of Knaves," or a Packed
Meeting of the " Knowing Cards" of the Betting.
Shop interest—and the extraordinary movement in.
China, or " A Change in the Willow Pattern at
Last," both of them sketches in their extravagant
humour, exquisitely Cruikshankian. H. G. Hine
has a swarm of comical little ;wood-cuts scattered
through the letterpress; which latter is edited this
year by Robert B. Brough. Perhaps the best hit
in the literary portion of the "Comic Almanack for
1853," is the Parody on Edgar A. Poe's Raven,"
a trifle very clever as such trifles go ; but then if there
is one thing which more than any other in the way
of facetice that we detest, abhor, loathe, abominate,
scorn, despise,—it is a parody. One remark let us
add. If any one wishes to have a good jovial roar
of laughter, let him turn to the " Comic Alma-
nack for 1853," certain that he will enjoy it to his
heart's content,—thanks to the wood-cuts of H. G.
Hine, to the squibs and jokes of Robert Brough :
but peculiarly and especially by reason of those
seven delightful illustrations from the hand of our
inimitable George Cruikshank.

Revelations of Siberia. By a Banished Lady.
Edited by Colonel Lach Szyrma. 2 vols. Col-
burn.

The authoress of this work was a Polish lady,
who having established schools on her property,
and becoming implicated in some manner with
some emissaries from abroad, was condemned to
pass the remainder of her life in Berezou, a town,
in the farthest north of the desolate region of
Siberia. It is somewhat surprising that in such
melancholy circumstances the authoress should be
capable of writing such lively and varied " Revels-
tions." Her nusfortunes do not appear to have
deprived her of her powers of observation and de.
scnption. She gives an account of the manners
and customs of the people, the appearance of the
towns, the dress of the inhabitants, and joins to
these her own adventures, observations, and senti-
ments. The travels are very entertaining, and the
misfortunes of the writer obtains for her the in-
terest and commiseration of the reader. To all
unacquainted with the country she describes, her
work offers a great variety of information, conveyed,
in an attractive and pleasing form.

Uncle Walter. By Mrs. Trollope. 3 vols. Colburn.
The hero of this tale is an old man of seventy-one,
who, having spent his life in Australia, returns to
his native country in his old age. He is devoted
to scientific pursuits, and, though learned in such
subjects, he is quite ignorant of the manners and
customs of the world, and surprised at the selfish-
ness and avarice he meets with. Though not
equal to Mrs. Trollope's former works, in
brilliancy of style, it is not deficient in interest or
variety. Kate Harrington, Uncle Walter's niece,
forms an agreeable contrast to the worldliness of her
parents, and it is in her fortunes that the reader is
chiefly interested. She has much to endure from
her refusal of a wealthy Peer, of whom her mother
insists her acceptance; but all is finally happily ar-
ranged by the intervention of Uncle Walter, and
the tale concludes in the most satisfactory manner
to all concerned in it. If not presenting any
striking originality, it is pleasing and attractive ;
though the author cannot be commended in her
ridicule of the Church, of which she gives numer-
ous absurd samples, but not one favourable speci-
men. With this exception, the story is agreeable
and the style lively, and likely to attract and fascia
nate her readers.

ALARMING FIRE AND NARROW ESCAPE.—.yesterday
morning at an early hour, a fire, nearly attended with
fatal results to five or six persons, broke out in the pre.
mises of Mr. .T. Lomas, tobacconist and cigar-merchant,
carrying on business at 3.9, Aldersgate-street, a short
distance from the General Post-office. At the time of
the discovery being made, the inmates, consisting of Mr-
Lomas,
andas, hailsadw, iwfeeraendin mthotehirerb,
trouble the residents were arouseedadns, buta asleep.
on
nt
attempting f e r s o servantmt G i
descend the staircase they found the smoke issuing e
n
thet hey
police
Withsu h
tdhe
on se
assistance bodies tohf t woeffirec
enreoanrlythsoubffeaocat,tlde.
inmates were all rescued in safety. The Royal Society's
fire escape and several engines
of the London Brigade,
from Watling-street, Farringdon-street, and Jeffery 4
square stations, together with the West of England.
office, attended, and plenty of water having been pro.
cured, the firemen went to work and extinguished the
fire. Considerable damage was, however, done to the
premises and their contents, which will be covered by
an insurance in the Royal Exchange Fire-office. The
disaster was occasioned by a spark dropping from a
lighted candle amongst some goods in the kitchen on the
first floor. A fire also broke out yesterday afternoon,
in the neighbourhood of Back Church-lane, Whitechapel,
but owing to the timely aid afforded by the firemen the;
damage done was inconsiderable.
THE CONTEST FOR LISBURN.—A meeting of the elec•
tors of Lisburn was held on Monday, at which 65 out of
the 200 electors of which the constituency is composed
were present. The Lord-Advocate, who was the only
candidate in attendance, addressed the meeting at some
length, and proclaimed himself an out-and-out Free.
trader. Mr. Inglis having completed his canvass, re.
turned to Scotland on Monday evening.
THE SR-MILE-BRIDGE AFFAIR.—It is said that the
friends of the peophe killed at Six-Mile-bridge are not
disposed to go on with the prosecution of the soldiers,
but to keep the charge hanging over them as long as the
forms of law will allow.-