The Sun.
London, England, 1863-07-27 00:00:00

LITERATURE,

Martin Pole. By John Saunders, author of "Abel
Drake's Wife." Two vols. Tinslt-y Brothers.

In these volumes are contained some half-a dozen
tales of thrilling interest, knit together after the
manner of the famous thousand-and-one tales of
Scheherazade—and for this reason. The mother of
Martin Pole, shortly before his birth, had refused
to give alms to an insolent gipsy woman, and the
gipsy, indignant at the lady's haughty pride, had
uttered a curse upon her and her unborn child,
which was to ,take effect the day he should be
twenty-one. The mother becomes a victim to
superstitious dread and dies, leaving to her son the
sad inheritance of a terrible apprehension. How
the fatal day arrives, and how the half-brother,
coveting the estates, does all in his power to augment
the nervous horror of the victim, is the subject of
some very dramatic scenes. Meanwhile, old Matthew
Mucklethrift, a faithful servant of the family,
comes to the rescue with a group of story-tellers,
who excite the doo ned mr; n's attention und for
a time divert his agonised gaze from following
the hours of the clock. Three stories in the col-
lection are by Mr. Saunders' daughter, who seems
to inherit her father's genius. The longest story in
the collection, and certainly one of the best, is " The
Plague Stone of Aberford." This is from Mr.
Saunders' own pen, and the earlier chapters, in
which little Constance Chorley with fascinated
horror sees her father making preparations to set
fire to his house, are full of breathless interest. Mr.
Saunders possesses the rare power of enthralling his
reader's attention, and happiLy he always exercises
that power fur good.

South American Sketches ; or, A Visit to Rio
Janeiro, the Organ Mountains, La Plata, and the
Parana. By Tnomds Woodbine HinChilff, M.A.,
F.R.G.S., author of " Summer Months among the
Alps." One vol , pp. 414. Longman.
"In visiting South America," says Mr. Hinchliff,
"I had the satisfaction of fulfilling a long-cherisbea
desire. As a schoolboy I had wandered in imagi-
nation among the forests of Brazil, my fancy had
been fired by Sir Francis Head's description of the
Pampas; and I had latterly conceived an eager
wish to compare the Andes with the Alps." ID
pursuing his expedition he was, therefore, ani-
mated by the most pleasurable anticipations, and
those anticipations appear to have been realised by
his experiences. The exquisite scenery of the Organ
Mountains, he believes, can hardly be surpassed
throughout the world. " The grandeur of
the forests, the infinite variety of ferns and
flowers and fruits, the beauty of the. birds and
insects, and the sublimity of the scenery, all ex-
ceeded my bright expectations." In his wander-
ings in Buenos Ayres in the Recoleta or burying-
ground he came upon the following extraordinary
epitaph :

I found on a tall obelisk the most concise and terrible in-
scription lam acquainted with. It was this :--"Don
Francisco Alvarez, asesinado por sus amigos, 1828."
" Assassinated by his friends 1" Struck by this extraurdi.
nary epitaph, I made inquiries about the subject of it, and
found that a party of young men from good families
of the place were in the habit of gambling together,
till Alvarez won heavily from all the others.
They determined to pay their debts by getting rid of
their creditor, and enticing him to a lonely place they de-
liberately murdered him , they put his dead body in a coach
that was ready, and threw it down a well in the neighbour-
hood. They had laid their plans so that detection seemed
impossible ; but by an extraordinary chance there was a
witness to the crime, who denounced them. Great efforts
were made by family iefluence to save them, but in vain;
they were executed, and the brother of the murdered man
erected the obelisk to his memory.
Don Francisco might certainly have joined in
the aspiration " Save me from my friends !" As
another specimen of the intereatisg information
collected in this volume, we quote the fo'lowing
warvelibus example of patient perseverance. Mr.
Ilinchliff htvialready some time back published the
substance of the account, but not the full particu-
lars :

INTRODUCTION OF IHE ALPACA INTO AUSTRALIA.
According to my informant, Mr. Ledger, after a residence
of several ye-,rs in Peru and Bolivia, was seized with an
idea of supplying Australia with a stock of alpacas. With
this view he made a preliminary journey across the Pacific
to ascertain it' proper pasture could be found for them, and
having, with the aid of an Indian, satisfied himself on this
head, he returned to Bolivia. The next difficulty was to
leave the country safely with the llamas and alpaeus which
he purchased. The Government, actuated by the old spirit
of exclusiveness, had absolutely forbidden the exportation
of these animals, wishing to retain the monopoly of tke
trade in their wool. Finding that it was impossible to ship
them from their own country, he determined on making an
immense circait which would lead him with his flock to
the coast of Chili. He started from the neighbourhood of
La Paz, near Lake Titicaca, and began one of the most
arduous journeys ever undertaken, under difficulties which,
according to my informant, no other man could have
mastered.

The animals march very slowly, and great care was
necessary to provide for their proper rest and food. In
addition to the constant fear of being stopped, he was ob-
liged to make anxious search for proper halting-places,
and provide for their security at night. He had to pioneer
his way by unfrequented routes in an almost unknown
country, and to submit to delays at every addition to his
flock on the march; taking care, above all things, never
to move them forward by any route till he ascertained that
they would find the ichu, a pasture which is indispensable
to them. His intimate acquaintance with the language
and customs of the Indians en.bled him to utilise them to
the utmost, and saved him from many a difficulty, while
his firm will and good constitution enabled him to defy the
severe trials and transitions of the climate of the Andes.
At last he approached the point at which he intended
to cross the Argentine frontier, near Jujuy, and here he
heard that he would certainly be stopped by the authori-
ties, who were looking out for him. Leaving his flock in
a place of seclusion and security, he went forward alone,
end boldly took the initiative with the guard. Assuming
the character and appearance of a jovial traveller, he
brewed punch, and plied them with such potent
doses that they sank into a torpid sleep. Then he
returned to his treasures, and quietly crossed with
them over the frontier into safe ground. He arrived at
Jujuy arid Salts, in the Argentine territory, thence, by
winding and excessively difficult marches, he contrived to
pass safely over the dangers of the Chilian Andes, and
ultimately arrived at Caldera, the port of Copiapo. There,
after obtaining a supply of food for them, he took thorn on
board ship, and in Nov. 1858, landed at Sydney with a mixed
flock of 276, consisting of llamas and alpacas, with their
cross breeds, and a few vicunas. This journey was a mar-
vellous triumph of patience and perseverance, occupying
altogether, as I was told, a period of nearly four years.
The book is beautifully illustrated, with views of
South American scenery—the most interesting
being a photograph of the ruins of Mendoga after
the earthquake.

" Seven Times One are Seven !"