The Sun.
London, England, 1864-11-02 00:00:00

THE MAGAZINES.

BLACKWOOD.—" My Latest Vacation Excursion"
is the title of the first article, which will not suit
the admirers of the German nation, for it disposes
unmercifully of the peculiarities and prejudices of
that nation, and discloses some secrets which
doubtless the inhabitants of Fatherland would rather have
had left in a convenient obscurity. Thero is no mincing
the matter here, however, and in plain terms we find some
striking specialities put forth as distinctive specimens of the
style of German management. Four heavy weights, we
are told, press down the population in Germany, and keep
them from attaining to any height in greatness or good-
no' s. These are, " excess in eating, excess in drinking,
excess in smoking, and excess in the inhaling of foul air."
It must be confessed that such a sketch is not a very fl it-
terin g one, and that it is not very creditable to any country
to possess such a reputation ; but the descriptions are very
ingeniously given, and there is little doubt remaining on the
mind of the reader as to his having perused a genuine his-
tory of the manners and customs of the Germans. Great
stress is laid upon the want of fresh air which distinguishes
the country ; and it is said that the German outrages all
sanitary laws, and contrives to do without any of that pure
atmosphere which has been considered by many as essen-
tial to the well-being of the human frame. When we hear
of shopkeepers so afraid of inhaling the outer air that they
shut up their shops and transact business with their cus-
tomers through a hole in the window, it seems difficult to
understand how anyone can exist in comparative health or
strength, A comparison is instituted between the phlegmatic
Germans and the energetic manner in which the people of
this country pursue their way, and it is said with great
truth that "ours is the true development of the race; our
activity does not wear us out; we thrive by it; it confers
the health and strength proper to its own purposes, and,
after a longer lease of life, sends us to our account with a
far longer list of services to our race than the dozing
devotee of laziness and sensual enjoyment can show."
Altogether there is much to win notice in this sketch of
foreign manners, and some may gain an insight into a life
of which they know very little in reality, however much
they may think they do. " Tony Butler" is continued,
and in this number it progresses somewhat, for he joins the
Garibaldian expedition, and we learn that he is heir to a
large fortune, but divers untoward circumstances prevent
his hearing of his good luck. Mrs Trafford is not at all an
attractive character. She gets mixed up in various confu-
sions, from her imprudent mode of proceeding, and one is
really at a loss to divine her intentions and comprehend her
sentiments from her uncertain words and fitful actions,
" Enoch Arden',' is a very interesting article, that does full
justice to the merits of the Poet-Laureate, while it con-
tains just criticism on some of his particularities. It is
truly said that the author would have done better to have
ended the poem with the impressive lines which record the
death of the wanderer, and his touching words, "A sail I
a sail—l am saved I" Of this it is affirmed that " they
tell us that what he preyea for in those long years of banish-
ment to which his mind has Rendered back has comp at
last, the ship to take him to the true haven, and that the
exile has at length been fetched home.!! " The His-
tory of cur Lord" is a thoughtful and reflective paper,
which presents to our consideration the full sublimity
and majesty of the subject, and enters fully into the
requirements of the case. " Cornelius O'Dowd
upon Women, and other Things in General is
continued, and we meet with the racy style and general
analysis of events and persons which have before lent such
vigour and vivacity to the pages of this writer. There is
one treatise on Servants which some will turn to ; the most
unfavourable view is taken of this class of beings, and,
after a humorous sketch of the domestic miseries that they
inflict upon us, the writer pathetically exclaims, " Why can
modern mechanical genius do nothing for us ? Oh for a
steam butler and a self-acting housemaid I Oh, for a cook
that a man could wind up like an eight day clock and never
think of till the end of the week." "Banting on Corpu-
lence" is an article that contains some very wise remarks
upon the mistakes into which people may fall, who start
with the notion that they must get rid of their superfluous
flesh at any cost. These will do well to ponder the
warnings hero addressed to them before they seriously
injure their constitutions, and undermine their health, by
their sudden changes and their wild extremes. Most readers
who have studied the subject will agree in the truth of the
concluding passage, which says that a " mixed diet is the
best : and after all that has been said and written on the sub-
ject temperance is the one thing needful to secure a man
against the evils of inordinate obesity." " The Three Foot
Rule" is a lively song about the dislike of a workman to the
modern innovations that are threa`ened in the way of stan-
dards of measure. " General M' Clellan" is the conclud-
ing subject met with, and of course just now is a very
appropriate sketch ; it still be read with interest
and deservedly so, for the tone of the writer is
fair and impartial, and he brings the complicated caee be-
fore us in a manner that is in every way suitable. It is said
that the General stands out in " honourable distinction"
from those of the North who have been prominently put
forward during the war, and that he has displayed many
qualities which give him a fair title to consideration and a
great claim to respect. It is truly stated that the election
of M'Clellan would go far to retrieve the deep stigma
which now rests upon the North, for his elevation to office
would mean humane and civilised war."

DUBLIN.—" England and her Colonies" is the
first subF,ct met with. It refers to some difficulties
that have arisen lately in respect to our dealings
with our distant possessions; and it is truly said
that at the next general election this question will
be one of the important points to settle between the candi-
dates and their constituents. There is much force in many
of the remarks here made, and especially in the concluding
passages, where it is affirmed that the security of England
in respect to her colonies is that she lets them have their
way, and also that it is the mission of England to plant colo-
nies, and it will be her disgrace if they are not planted
legi-
timately, and governed, as long as their government is in
her hands, wisely, " Uncle Silas and Maud Ruthyn" is
continued at some length : it is a most complicated narra-
tive, and the author'3 powers of depicting the mystic and
describing the marvellous, have full scope in the fitful
scenes put before us. The story is more curious than agree-
able, and the reader is more likely to look upon it as a spe-
cimen of ingenious design and brilliant execution than of
pleasing delineation and attractive recitals, It is not, how-
ever, cf the sensational style, but belongs to the romantic
type of an earlier generation in its exciting and eventful
pages. " Goethe's Faustus," second part, is a sketbh that
attracts attention from the thorough investigation of its
subject, and the light which is brought to bear upon a diffi-
cult study. Dr Anster's translation of this great work ij
highly commended, and it is observed that " the universal

verdict of cultivated criticism has long indicated the firs
portion of the work to be the most complete poetic transla'
Lion in English literature," and that the second part is
worthy of its predecessor. " Veniee, its Interior Life," puts
some pictures before us that are always welcome, as are all
accounts of the whilom, " Queen of the Adriatic." "Fairy
Alice" is a charming sketch of one of those delightful little
creatures, who seem sent as a glimpse of above, and come
awhile to cheer our earth ere they shall grace their native
heaven. Touchingly sad is the record of the little fairy's
sojourn in her home, of which she was the light and glory.
Heaven gives its favourites early death, was true of her as
of many like her, and her last action was a very character-
istic one, for she strove to be a peacemaker and to unite her
parents in the bonds of unity, for they were most uncon-
genial natures, and only agreed in love of her. " George
Anne Bellamy, an Irish Actress," is a retrospect of a cele-
brated career; her end was a very sad one, and it is in con-
clusion that, with all her faults and frailties, she endea.
voured to promote the comforts of others, and never
employed either riches or talents when in affluence or
splendour, to render any one miserable. Reader, hero is a
biography which emphatically tells its moral; ponder over
it, and profit by its lesson." " The Drama, Classic and
Romantic, in Paris" is an interesting account, and it is
satisfactory to find that the tone of the French stage is now
improved under the rules imposed on theatrical perform-
ances. " Browning's Dramatis Persona)" is a suggestive
article that demands attention, and some other sutjects of
interest, such as the " Grand Fair," &c,, combine to com-
plete the contents of this number.
FRASER.--An article on the peasant proprietors
of the Drome opens a very good number of an old
friend and favourite. It examines very thoroughly
into the different systems of proprietorship which
are prevalent in France and in England. The difference
is familiar to most persons, and consists in the different
mode of inheriting the land. In France an estate is usually,
divided equally among the children cf the owner—in Eng-
land it remains the property of the eldest son. The result is,
as the writer puts it, that in Oreatßritain, as a general rule,
the land is the heritage of a few large proprietors, in France
it is shared among the people. Of course there are not
wanting advocates of both systems, and those who would
like to know something more of the working of the French
one will do well to read the article before u 9, which is
written by ono whom a long residence in the country has
made familiar with his subject. Mr Forster's able works
on the reign of Charles I. form the topic of an interesting
and well-written paper. Popular Education is a subject
which has been worn somewhat threadbare ; still there is
no doubt that the question has many sides, and that we
have not yet found the best way of educating our labouring
classes. The story of " Gilbert Rugge" proceeds with
come interest, though the events move somewhat slowly,
We learn from the present chapters that the poor maniac
who is kept secreted in the lonely cottugo is the eldest son
of the Lieutenant. "A Chapter showing How 'We Live
at Awatnutu" gives an interesting account of raill,ary life
in New Z :Mend, which at the present moment will not be
unacceptable to the public. The contributions of A Cam-
paigner at Home and Tho London Recluse are, as usual,
among the best things in the number. The former tells a
graphic story of Scottish love, which unhappily ends in a
tragedy. The latter finds courage to declare what all the
world believes and cots upon, though it thinks proper to
d.ny it—that works of fiction form a very necessary and
valuable part of our intellectual and moral tfaining.
THE UNITED SERVICE keeps up its naval and
military character with true bpirit and increased