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

Christopher Tadpole. By Albert Smith. One
Volume, Illustrated. W. Tegg.
In the form of th;s capital reprint of the
work, as a single volume, with all the
famous old comical etchings by John Leech
—Mr. Tegg has here placed within reach of the
general public, Albert Smith's cleverest and
funniest fiction, to wit Christopher Tadpole.
Here they all are—those ridiculous incidents
and fantastic personages—as ridiculous and as
fantastic as any of the scenes and people jumbled
together in the harlequinade of a Christmas pan-
tomime. The drollery is just as broad, as extrava-
gant, as noisy, as riotous, as that familiar to us
in the harlequinade ! Reading Christcpher Tad-
p it is precisely as though we were watching
the absurd doings of that ssapegrace of a clown
with the chalk-whitened and vermillion-coloured
cheeks—aided and abetted as he is by that hoary
old sinner of a pantaloon, who always comes in for
more kicks than halfpence, and for more drubbings
than small change of any kind whatsoever. It is as
if we followed their fortunes anew—now when
greasing the doorstep of an irritable shop-
keeper—now when brandishing a red hot poker in
pursuit of some of those ridiculous people who come
on (generally arm in arm) for the express purpose
of being thus pursued within one inch of their
lives, or otherwise generally maltreated. The
" life" is just es real—the "fun" as fast and furious
—here in Albert Smith's chapters, as there before
the winter footlights. Who that has read our poor
dead and gone Jokemaster's narrative of the Life
and Adventures of Christopher Tadpole—who that
has ever glanced at John Leech's drawings in illus•
tration of that narrative—but remembers (pretty
nearly always upon the broad grin) the sayings and
doings of the Sprouts, of the Gudges, of the black-
guard young baronet, of the good-natured and
philosophic itinerant showman, of Mrs. Gudge's
ascent of Mont Blanc, and of Mr. Gudge's laudable
eagerness, when on the shores of the Adriatic, to
discourse about " th© celebrated Dodge of Venice,"
et cetera! Those who care to read Albert Smith at
his best, can hardly do better than provide them-
selves, to that end, with dais very edition of his
Christopher Tadpole, a story floating conspicuously
among the most radiant bubbles of the like kind cast
up among contemporary specimens of the lightest
of light literature,

Barbara Bonze. By Margaret Blount. 3 vole

Maxwell.

The early chapters of this story induced us to
form favourable expectations, which a further peru•
sal very speedily dispelled, Barbara Home is a
poor girl educated above her station by the mistaken
kindness of a charitable lady. As a first step in
her career of gentility, Barbara gives up a humble
lover, who dies of grief. The scene at his death•
bed is very powerfully sketched, and testifies
the ability of the writer—an ability in this instance
thrown away upon worthless materials. The story
of Barbara possesses the worst characteristics of the
sensational school. It is utterly regardless of pro•
priety and of probability. The scene in which Bar-
bara having been deserted byher faithless" Captain,"
pays a visit to Mrs. Dame, and plotting revenge,
dresses herself with elegance and hums a tune, and
partakes of a luxurious breakfast, is about as
ludicrous and improbable as is the grand poisoning
scene at the finale which ends amid the blue lights
of the melodrama.