The Sun.
London, England, 1864-02-22 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

Peculiar. A Tale of the Great Transition, By
Epes Sargent, Edited by William Howitt. Three
Vols, Hurst and Blackett.
Mr. William Howitt introduces to the English
public an authorised version of this new American
novel, which he tells us is " flashing through the
United States, like a new ' Uncle Tom'—' Peculiar'
here, Peculiar there, Peculiar everywhere."
Mr. Howitt himself is evidently greatly impressed
with the attractive character of the work to which
he stands sponsor. " What a crowd of people" he
says, " What a host of new characters ! How
strangely t hey talk ! If such a thing as a kaleidos-
copical photograph were possible, here it is !
tlemen, and men anything but gentle ; slave-
owners, slave-dealers, slave-markets. Ladies, and
fine women who might be ladies if they had not
been educated into selfish, heartless, worldly clothes,
hursee—negresses, war, polities, spiritualism, ras-
cality in' grass-cloth' and heroes in native black—
what a medley ! Yet how living, how exciting ! I
feel myself drawn deeper and farther into the rushing
in:erest of what I see working through the chaos."
It is Mr. Sargent, of Boston, U.S., the Chambers of
America, who has thus struck forth into a new vein
—that great vein which yet flows only with Ame-
rica's best blood, but which will, for ages, flow with
the thrilling reminiscences and creations of American
genius. The political earthquake has for a time
struck dumb all Transatlantic thinkers—there has
been an awful, but a pregnant silence. Mr. Sargent
Is the first to break it in his " Peculiar" way : and
familiar as are all the States, united and disunited,
with the great and terrible features of this domestic
convulsion, has presented them with a vigour and
freshness that gives a charm even to the appal-
ling. He says to me, continues Mr. Hewitt :
" Here are my corrected sheets to the eighth
edition of a work but a few days old—present them
to your countrymen, and pay over the profits due to
me to the fund for the relief of our wounded soldiers."
The work takes its title from one of its principal
characters, a slave, who is called PECULIAR INSTI-
TUTION, and who generally goes by the name of
Peek. The story is romantic and painful in the
extreme. All the horrors of the slave trade, women
sold by auction, men and women stripped and
flogged, and other inhuman barbarities alternately
shock -nd grieve us, while, in the story of Estelle,
and again in that of Clara, a revolting situation, si-
milar to that of Appius Claudius, and the daughter
of Virginius is introduced. The work is clever, no
doubt, but its perusal can afford no pleasure, and in
this country, at all events, the horrors of slavery
are too vividly recognised and too vehemently
detested to require the additions of fiction to in-
crease their actual enormity. A 4 a specimen of the
American " sensational" novel, " Peculiar" has, of
course, its own peculiar interest, and the curious
may feel indebted to Mr. Howitt for the intro due
tion of a new element of excitement to the almost
" used-up" sensationalists.

Bella Donna, or the Cross before the Name. A
Romance. By Gilbert Dyce. Two Vols
Richard Bentley.
A poor relation, hospitably entertained at the
house of Mr. Franklyn, a country gentleman, and
most affectionately treated by all his family, is the
heroine of this romance. bbe, as we are led to
believe, unwittingly attracts the attentions of the
only son of the house, a young officer at home on
leave of absence from his regiment, and nothing can
apparently be more noble than her conduct, on being
made acquainted with his passion. Aware of the
mischief which must be done to his numerous
sisters, should the heir to a deeply encumbered
estate, marry without fortune, she at once apprises
Mr. Franklyn of his son's proposal, and determines
to quit the house, a resolution which she carries
into effect in opposition to the entreaties
of every member of the family, except the father,
who is naturally enough disconcerted, and displeased
by a discovery which prevents his accomplishing a
scheme of his own, namely, his son's marriage with
the daughter of a rich manufacturer, who would
bring him a fortune sufficient to clear the property
and provide handsomely for his daughters. The
young man storms and vows that he will at once go
back to India, whence he has but j ust returned under
a sick certificate. And as this would bo tantamount
to certain death, Mr. Franklyn consents to his mar-
riage, after frankly explaining to him the state of
his affairs. Jenny Bell, the heroine, for some unex-
plained reason, stops at a railway station on her way
home, where she is overtaken by her lover and one of
his sisters, who announce the father's acquiescence
to their union, but Jenny remains inexorable,
and all they can obtain from her is, a promise that
she will stay for another day where she is. Next
morning old Franklyn himself appears, and at his
earnest solicitation, she is induced to return as the
affianced bride of his son. There is great happiness
for a few days in the household, which is termi-
nated by thejarrival, from a visit, of Charlotte, the
eldest of Mr. Franklyn's daughters. She by a quiet
and clever course of reasoning points out to her
brother Charles the unpleasant consequences of the
step he is about to take, and induces the selfish fel-
low to break off the match : and then it is we get an
insight into the real character of the heroine, whom
we have before considered to be so amiable and so
honourable. She vows revenge against the destroyer
of het happiness, and places an " before her
name, in a small book containing her diary. From
that moment, war to the knife, is carried on be-
tween the ladies. Franklyn, unable to raise money
for this same daughter's fortune, her match with
young Craven, a baronet's son, is broken off, and
the old man commits suicide. The family are driven
from the house, which, with the estate, is to be sold,
and are located in shabby lodgings in London,
where Jenny Bell, now governess i❑ an eminent
lawyer's house, discovers them, and enjoys their
sufferings. The lawyer's wife is bed-ridden, and
he proposes to marry Jenny at her death, but a
letter she has written to young Craven, on whose
heart it would appear she has a design, being
shown by his wife to the barrister, she is at
once expelled from the house, and we learn no-
thing more of her after fate. Meanwhile a rich
uncle intervenes, redeems the Franklyn Estate,
and Charlotte is married to young Craven. The
book is written in that smart, cynical style at pre,
sent so very popular—it interests, but does not
instruct, and depicts only the worst side of human
nature. There is not one faultless character in the
story. Old Franklyn, a weak man, supposed to
have committed forgery, poisons himself. The son,
a heartless egotist, interferes to prevent Jenny's
union with a silly Parson, who would have married
her—then cruelly breaks off the match—and never
afterwards appears amongst the cleanzatis persona.
Sir Craven Welbore, and his wife, are very
worldly, and common-place people, and their
son, although the only person who exhibits con-
stancy, or a feeling of honour, is far from being
perfect—while Charlotte is a clever dissembler, and
Jenny Bell a second Becky Sharp. " Bella Donna"
is a book which may amuse its readers, from the
clever manner in which it is written ; yet we can-
not but regret that Mr. Gilbert Dyce should have
employed his time and unquestionable talents in
depicting the worst passions of our nature, without
introducing the slightest alloy of tenderness or
generosity into his sketches.

Charlie Thornhill ; or; The Dunce of the Family.
By Charles Clarke. Second Edition. Chapman

and Hall.

This is a capital book for reissue in a popular
form. It is interesting as a tale, and it abounds
with lively descriptions and animated adventures.
The frontispiece depicts the fair Edith in that
perilous moment when she is rescued from danger
by the adventurous hero. Charlie is a very
delightful character, and we heartily agree with
Lady Montagu Mastodon in her declaration respect-
ing this dunce of the family, that " a man may
not know the difference between Niger and Nigger,
and yet get through the world remarkably

Uncle Ci•otly's .Relations. By Herbert Glyn,
Author of " The Cotton Lord." Two Vols.
Smith, Eider, and Co.
This is a very interesting, novel of the domestic
class. Charlotto Crombie is n most charming, unas-
suming, loveable licreino. Even when for a time
inveottd, with u " little brief authority" as ti sup.