The Sun.
London, England, 1863-11-24 00:00:00

the several sections of the Almanack proper ! Vide'
with a grave face, if you can—the grinning "buttons'
in the Royal Household—the awkward squad,
Turk, Russian, Spaniard, Prussian, greek, tramping
past as "The Ambassadors"—Derby and Dizzy, as
spindle-shanked conspirators, about to plunder of
its baubles the Table of "The House of Commoner'
—the Yokels reviewed by Clown, red-hot-poker in
hand, at the head of Army and Navy—with other
most ludicrous conceits. Yet, for the miscellaneous
"Part II." of the Almanack—(usually made up
apparently of the mere scrapings and leavings
dropped about the floor of Mr. Punch's study, from
the overflowings of his plethoric wastepaper bas-
, ket)—Mr. Tenniel this year seems really to have
reserved himself, and has certainly, in one or two
instances, jotted do ;vn, there, his sense of the ridicu-
lous in the happiest vein of humour. His illustration
to ‘` The Fast Bride," representing a couple of pretty
girls boxing, is after the gracefully comic fashion
of john Leech himself, the happiest of all the illus-
trators des demoiselles. But, for the exquisite comi-
cality of every touch of the pencil in it, commend
us to the representation, opposite page 162, of the
snob-ball-room incident, celebrated in certain
Stanzas to Samuel" or Sydenhant Seventeen Six.
The whole of this laughter-moving sketch is con-
ceived and realised with the most delightful sense
of the ludicrous. It is worth just double or treble
the cost of the entire Pocket-Book, being, in effect,
one of the funniest sketches ever drawn by the
great comic• Cartoonist,, whose pictorial drol-
leries are so often, as especially in this in-
.stance, not only done by, but done to a T.

The Dictionary of Medical and Surgical Know-
ledge. Ato I. By the Editor of " The Dic-
tionary of Useful Knowledge." Houlston and
Wright. _

This very useful and compendious medical dic-
tionary aspires to be a practical guide in health and
disease for families, emigrants, and colonists. To
the latter, frequently debarred as they are from the
advantages of medical advice, such a practical
hand-book is likely to prove of great value ; while
the advice it contains upon the diet and domestic
management, and other means for preserving
health, will ensure it a welcome with the fathers
and mothers of families. In his preface the editor
expresses a hope that his medical status will inspire
confidence in the advice and prescriptions contained
in this dictionary, but as his name is not affixed to
the work, this claim upon our attention goes for
nothing.

The Theory of Foreign Exchanges. By George J•
Goechen, M.P. Second edition. One vol., pp.
140. Effingham Wilson.
A second edition of this work, carefully revised
by the author, has been rendered necessary by the
great fluctuations which have occurred in the rate
of foreign exchangessince the publication of the first
edition. " The history of the foreign exchanges
for the last two years," says Mr. Goschen, "is a
history of revolutions. The movements which have
occurred in many quarters have been almost unex-
ampled in rapidity and extent.' To such an extent
has this been the case,.that he remarks in continua-
tion that, "the excuanges of those countries which
two years ago were selected as exemplifying the
results of a depreciated currency or excessive in-
debtedness might have, on the contrary, been cited
as instances of rapid recovery. The Austrian ex-
change has recovered fully 30 per cent. The Rus-
sian rouble has approached the par value of gold.
In America, on the other hand, the very opposite
nas occurred." The principal alterations in this
edition refer to the American exchanges, which
have received Mr. Goschen's most careful and attea"
tive consideration.