The Sun.
London, England, 1837-03-23 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

A SUMMER IN THE PYRENEES.
BY THE HON. JAMES ERSEINE MURRAT.
In 2 Vols. Macrone, London,lB37.
To those who, like ourselves, prefer journeying in
strange lands by proxy, to the excitement of encoun-
tering an emigrant avalanche, or the chance of throw-
ing a somerset over a precipice, after the fashion of
St. Kevin's mistress, these volumes will be quite a
treasure. Indeed since the publication of Strang's ad-
mirable Tour through Germany, in 1831, we do not re-
member to have met with any work combining, in any
equal degree, the interesting with the useful. The Hon.
Mr. Murray is not a mere chronicler of stage-coach
and inn-court gossip. He does not tease, tire, and
torment his readers, after a fashion which has become
unfortunately too prevalent, with witty strictures on
French inns, French cookery, French waiters, and
French wines, preceded, and followed by the worn-out
common-places about " Alpine scenery," " magnificent
scenery," " magnificent prospects," " delightful views,"
and " dishonest guides." Everything is made subser-
vient to the great design of his work which, without
being pompously avowed, is manifestly to make the
British public better acquainted with the manners and
customs of the Pyrenean population, and with the na-
tural and local capabilities and productions of this hi-
therto but partially explored region. From the very
outset the reader finds himself in company with an in-
telligent, unprejudiced, and inquisitive tourist—con-
stitutionally sanguine and physically reckless of fa-
tigue, bad fare, and the knives of French and Spanish
smugglers. There is but one " Diligence" adventure
in the work, but as that happens to be one which we
would much rather read about than witness, we transfer
it at once to our columns :
" My companion, the lady who was going to join her hus-
band at Perpignan, born in the plains of the north, had never
seen hills or mountains in her life before ; and, as some of her
friends in Perpignan had been kind enough to apprize her
of the dangerous nature of the descent into Roussillon, she had,
ever since we left Quilan, been incessantly talking about it;
and, as she approached it, she became exceedingly alarmed
and terrified.
" The summit of the ridge is quitted by a narrow passage,
the entrance to which has, in other times, been guarded by a
fort built upon the rocks beside it ; and, from this spot, the
traveller can look down upon the plains of Roussillon, and
distinguish the road corkscrewing down the mountain into the
valley many thousand feet below. Few roads, even in the
higher Pyrenees, are more rapid in their descent than this,
and none of them narrower, or worse defended, without any
parapet, and hanging like a shelf on the mountain side. Ha•
ving passed the old fort, and put the drag chains upon the
wheels, the conductor set off full gallop down the descent.
The lady screamed; but, with the noise of the ,diligence, arid
the rain,which fell in torrents, no one could hear but myself.
She shut her eyes, seized hold of me, and, fortunately for her-
self, fainted. The rocks were almost over our heads; and,
when we were going down at this rate,_ an immense block, of
perhaps twenty or thirty tons weight, detached from its rest-
ing place by the rains of the preceding night, came over the
mountain side, and, dashing upon the narrow road a few hun-
dred yards in advance of us, carried one half of it into the
valley. Here was a pretty situation to be placed in—a faint-
ing lady in my arms, with the knowledge that a few seconds
would decide whether we were to pass the breach which had
been made, or accompany the rock in its descent. To pull up
was impossible; the rate at which we were going, and the
impetus given to the carriage, totally precluded it, even had
there been harness for the horses to bold hack with, which
there was not. As we approached, a cry of horror came from
those in the blanquele (the upper part of a diligence), who
could see the danger, and I thanked God that the lady was
insensible to it. What, if the leaders swerved from the path ;
what, if the conductor had not a steady head, and still steadier
hand--were thoughts of the moment. I threw the lady upon
the seat ; and, climbing through the window of the coupe to
the side of the driver, urged him to keep the heads of the
leaders well to the rock ; so that they (if it was yet possible
to pass) might not see the danger, and start from it. Most
fortunately he was a steady fellow ; he did as lie was desired ;
and we galloped ever the remaining shelf, barely broad enough
for the wheels to run upon ; and, turning round, I could see
an additional portion of the road roll down the precipice, from
the shock which the diligence had given it. The danger was
seen and passed in the tenth part of the time which I have
taken to narrate it ; and we arrived in safety at the bottom."
In the course of his rambles in the Pyrenees, Mr.
Murray discovered a little Republic, which has ex-
isted in the peaceable enjoyment of its freedom since
the , days of Charlemagne. The name of this little
State, which is about thirty-six miles in length, and
thirty in breadth, and contains six communes, with
some thirty-six towns and villages, is Andorre. The
curious in such matters may consult this work for a
condensed, but satisfactory aceount of its political pre-
servation ; the acknowledgment of its independence by
Napoleon in 1806 ; its form of Government, and the
almost primitive simplicity and innocence of its popu-
lation. France gives it a Judge, whose office is a si-
necure, and Spain bestows upon it a Bishop, whose
duties are more onerous, as the good people of An-
dorre are strict observers of the various rites of the Ca-
tholic worship.
These volumes are embellished with a number of
well executed engravings, some of which are conceived
with equal humour and fidelity.
•

Sir Robert Peel entertained a party of seventy Mem
bers of Parliament at dinner last evening in Whitehall-gardens

T. Reade Kemp, Esq., M.P. for Sussex, has gone
with his lady and numerous family to reside at Boulogne for
the present ; but, as the summer advances, they intend proceed-
ing towards the South of France.
The three Persian Princes have continued their
journey by land to Bagdad, accompanied by a Turkish officer.
On their arrival in that city negotiations will be opened with
the Shah of Persia, under the mediation of the Grand Seignior,
to obtain the pardon of the Princes, and the restitution of their
patrimony.
Prince and Princess Polignac were present at the
Marchioness of Hastings's select but distinguished converse-
zione, at Noel House, Kensington, on Tuesday evening. The
Prince and Princess took an airing yesterday, and visited their
Royal Highnesses the Princess Sophia at Kensington Palace,
and Duchess of Gloucester at Piccadilly, Lady Rivers, Lady
Wharncliffe, &c. The visitors to them at Mivart's Hotel were
Earl Howe, Earl and Countess of Albemarle, Lord Ernest
Bruce, Lord Wharncliffe, Sir Charles Bagot, Le Viscomte
D'Auchald, Sir Robert Chester, &c. The Princes Alphonse
and Ludovic de Polignac, dined at Mrs. Macdonald's, the
Prirldess's sister, last evening, at Connaught-terrace.
The first grand ball at Almack's for the present
season has been appointed by the Ladies Patronesses to take
place on Wednesday, the 19th of next month. The Ladies
Patronesses are the same as last year, with the addition of the
Countess of Lichfield. The grand ball-room, retiring-room,
and refreshment-rooms, which underwent a thorough and entire
re-embellishment last season, hare been newly retouched, and
present a magnificent appearance. The approaching season
is expected to be a very brilliant one.
The Directors of the Liverpool and Manchester
District Bank have declared a dividend of 73- per cent.
The Post-office has consented to send two direct
mails from London to Edinburgh and Glasgow. The change
will take place in about six months.

EAST INDIA HOUSE.-Nothing of any particular
importance took place yesterday at the East India House after
our reporter quitted the Court.
Mr. Kean's engagement at the Edinburgh Theatre,
has been attended with the most extraordinary success. This
is the third visit he has paid to the northern capital, and the
enthusiasm with which he is now received nightly is beyond all
parallel. His engagement continues till the end of this month,
when he proceeds to Glasgow, and the principal theatres in
Scotland.

The report so generally prevalent which attributes
the authorship of the " Memoirs of a Peeress" to a sister of
the late Marchioness of Hertford, we hear, is devoid of foun-
dation. A more recent rumour, which grounds the compila-
tion of the work upon a series of family papers given during
her lifetime to a literary friend by the late Lady Caroline
Lambe, we believe is equally fallacious. The Memoirs,
which are on the eve of publication, will no doubt, bear inter-
nal evidence of their origin.

We noticed the impositions which a young female
had successfully practised on several tradespeople of Canter-
bury, by obtaining goods in the name of a respectable inha-
bitant. Notwithstanding the most active steps were taken, no
clue was obtained of the thief until Thursday morning last,
when several of the parties who had been imposed on were
sent for to the Sun Inn, where a young woman, answering the
description, had just arrived from the country. She was im-
mediately identified, but before secured she got scent of the
suspicion attached to her, and, unperceived, escaped out of the
house, made off in the direction of Sturry, followed by a police-
man. After a long chase she took refuge in a cottage at the
extreme end of North ate parish, and was captured by a police-
man, who discovered her fastened up in a closet. The next
morning she was examined before the Mayor, and fully com-
mitted for trial at the City Sessions. When she left the Sun,
a basket which belonged to her was examined, and found to
contain a couple of fowls. This led to further suspicion, and
the prisoner's father's house was searched. A relative of the
parties claimed the fowls, which had been stolen from his pre-
mises, and a youth, brother of the prisoner, was charged with
the robbery, and has absconded. The girl's name is Honess,
and she was living with her parents in a cottage on Herne-
common. —Kentish Gazette.