The Sun.
London, England, 1839-05-16 00:00:00

present the source of many of our social evils. The
preposterous claims of the priesthood now make even
the scientific mythe of the creation a political sub-
ject. As such we have ventured to advert to it.
Looking, at the ph)siological laws of our con-titiition,
as the consequence of the principle of the population,
as the fact that death is the universal consequence of
life, seeing that it pervades all creation, even the firma-
ments themselves, the opinion that man was created
the single exception to the general rule, and not subject
to death, is not at all likely ; and it is infinitely
more probable that the theory which passes under
the name of Moses was invented to explain and
account for the phenomenon of death, which ap-
peared terrible to the imagination of man in the early
ages, and, perhaps was then more terrible than now, than.
that man, a mere worm, should have been created the single
exception to a universal law, and by being created not sub-
ject to death, made equal to the ONLY ETERNAL, UN-
CIIANGEAELE ONE, What is yet dark in this matter will
possibly in His good time be cleared up to our finite un-
derstandings, which continually enlarge ; and man may
come to a healthful knowledge, which must have been im-
possible, on the Mosaic hypothesis; but we shall make no
progress in such important investigations, by tying down
the mind to the fanciful theories of the ignoraist, half-
timid, and half-terrified early inhabitants of the
world. The assertion that death was inflicted as
a punishment, seems at first a feasible expla-
nation of the lot of man, but a wider induction,
a char perception of the universal law con% incea us
teat it is one of those philosophical inventions which in
all ages have been put forth as a sufficient explanation
of phenomena, before the due time had come for th in to
be reveakd to and comprehended by man.
We should stop hi re, but we e emit help add-
ing that we notice, particui irly in the writings
of the Puseyites, a consiction that ol)servation and
easiet are hostile to their doe: nines, and tha: they a a
taking refuge in a conceited mysticism, which evades all
tes,s, fl.es from all proof. H e refer particularly
to the last N Ainbcr of the " Quarterly Review," where
the Pusey nonsense is expounded at great length,
and where the practical basis of morality—for that,
according to our system lies in religion—is described
as " the medium through which the soul sees Christ."
Against such "colourless" abstractions, it is our duty to
warn our readers and to warn our statesmen. At
present the presumed teachers of morality are the
priests, which gives their office almost inconceivable
importance, and but for this it would be of little earthly
consequence what they taught about faith and colourless
media, and man having been created not subject to
death. But it is a fearful thing for the community to
have its morality—to have all the restraint and guides
of conduct based on vague theories and doubtful
histories of the origin of sin. Society- cannot
possibly dispense with a moral guide for human
conduct, and it is most unwise in any rulers, it is preg-
nant with danger to society, it forebodes and must in-
troduce anarchy of thought and conduct, to found
morality on ancient theories and fables, and connect it
with a vague and untangible mysticism.

THE LAW OF REAL PROPERTY.
By OWEN FUNTOFF, Esq., Barrister at Law.
In 2 Vols. London : H. Butterworth, 1839.

The first volume only of this work is published. It
treats of Realty, together with the statutes relating
thereto, down to the present time, and the second
volume is to treat of real property under the three
distinguishing characters of legal, customary, and equ-i
table. The first chapter of the present volume contains
general definitions ; the second treats of corporeal here-
ditaments, under the heads of houses, outhouses, mills,
gardens and orchards, yards and courts, areas, curtilages,
preserves, warrens, decoys, rivers and sewers, ports and
harbours, fisheries, railroads, bridges,turnpike-gatei,rec-;
tories, churches, monuments, fences, woods and trees, i
mines, manors and lands ; and of the injuries to them and
their remedies, and, among the rest, of ouster, trespass,
nuisance, waste, and the various kinds of real' and pos-'
seisory actions. And the third treats of incorporeal
hereditaments, under the heads of rents, annuities,
tithes, advowsons, seignorics (and herein occurs a very
able summary of. the law of tenures), manorial rights,!
c:immons, easements, offices, dignities, and corrodies,
and the remedies for injuries to them.
The work is enriched with many appropriate notes
and references, showing both law and learning. The
style is accurate, concise, and intelligible to common
readersqualities not always found in law-books. We
give the following specimen at random under the head
of " Abatement of a Nuisancel"
Besides the rem,dy by action, there i 3 also another re-
medy, which consists in entering the land of the wrong
doer, and abating or removing the Nuisance. If the nui-
sance be of a public nature, or an act of commission, any
one !nay in general, of his own accord, without previous
request to remove it, abate such nuisance without restrain-
ing the force used by him within the limits, perhsps, abso-
lutely necessarj. If, however, the nuisance be of a private
nature, the person abating it must not exceed the degree
iif violence absolutely requisite for the purpose ; as, by so
doing, he would render himself a trespasser ab iniao, or at,
Last for the•excess of violence, tor which he wt.utd have I
to Mak. - compensation. Or, if it arose frotn.a mere iimis-
mon, there ought to-be api ior request by the party injured
to ten Live the nuisance before entering himsiilf for' that
pu,po-e.

MILLER'S RURAL SKETCHES.

Van Voor.st, London, 1839.

This work is the production of an humble, unassum-
ing writer, Mr. Miller, who writes equally well both
prose and poetry ; and we incline to think that it is the
best he has yet put forth. From. the rural taste that
he evinces in almost every page, one would suppose that
he hail lived, like John Clare, in the country alt his life,
instead of residing altogether in this huge metropolis.
The volume is made up of tales and sketches, gracefully
and naturally hit off, and contains a creditable specimen
of the author's critical faculties. In the essay entitled
" Rural Poetry,"which, is a notice ofthe works of Brown,
a writer of the days of Elizabeth, whose poems once
well known, are now seldom heard of, Mr. Miller does
this neglected old bard every possible justice.

TEE BARBER OF PARIS. 3 VOL&
Whittaker, London, ;839.

`We have here a translation of one of the tales of an
author who is among the most popular in France—we
mean, Paul de Kock. The translation is no doubt ac-
curately rendered, but the language has little or nothing
of the spirit and buoyancy that characterize the origi-
nal. Nevertheless, despite this defect, the Barber of
Paris is exceedingly interesting, for the plot is well
constructed, and the interest sustained to the last mo-
ment. The characters, too, are vividly and forcibly
pourtrayedespecially, the mysterious, saturnine rogue
of a barber; Tonquet ; the Gaseon bully Chaudeeville,
a whimsical compound of Captain Bobadil and ancient
Pistol ; the fair heroine Blanche, who reminds us of a
similar paragon of innocence and simplicity, Annette, in
one of "Marmontel's tales ; and the, libertine .Marquis de
Viilebelk. Some of the scales are perhaps too glow-
ingly drawn, but this is a peculiarity shared, more or
less, by all the modern novelists of France. Tde ablest
portions of the translation are decidedly those of an
earnest and tragic character.

LYRA EBORACENSIS.
Hamilton, London, 1839.
The largest and most ambitions poem in this collec-
tion, which is a chant in praise of the past glories of the
City of York, is by no means the best, though it is the
most elaborated ; it is in his minor poems that the author
shows }mused' most at home. In som+r of these he &s-
-plays both tend rness of sentiment and grace and flexi-
bitty of versification.

HINTS ON RIDING ; or. COMMON SENSE
AAD COMMON ERROR IN COMMON
'RIDING.
illoxon. London.

This is a really valu it: le b,)ok, th titl- of which
is fully borne out by its interesting contents. Tie author
is a reformer in his province, and in the course of his work
has of course occasion to correct many p0p,1.,r errors,
mischievous alike to the constitution, human and
equine. Thus when a horse stumbles, the all but um-
versal practice is to grasp the reins tightly, .and
pull up his head. But our author teaches us that this
is p,eventing an action, dictated alike by nature and
philosophy, for during the instant the animal's head and
neA. arc dropping, the shoulders are relieved front
their weight, and that is the instant that the horse
makes his effort to recover himself. The mechanical im-
possibility of the rider assisting his horse is demonstrated
by the author thus :—" No motion can be given to a body
without a foreign force or a foreign fulcrum ; now strength
is not a foreign force, since it is employed entirely on the
horse ; nor can it be employed on the foreign fulcrum,
the ground, through the medium of your reins. As
much as you pull so much will you pull down." Another
error is the giving false indications ; when one wishes
to turn to the right to pass the hand to the right instead
of pulling the right rein stronger than the left.
The things to be aimed at in horsemanship next to
the power of indicating our wishes is .the power of win-
ning obedience to those wishes ; the great thing is
to get your horse to be of your party. Common sense
tells us that " the great unpractised secrets in riding
are simply these—When you go to the right, pull the
right rein stronger than the left ; when you go to the
left, the left rein stronger than the right ; urge the horse
strongest on the side opposite to the guiding rein, and
let your bearing on his mouth be smooth and gentle."
The author of these new and unquestionable hints on
horsemanship discloses many other " secrets," tho bare
enumeration of which would exceed our limits : for them
—thesecrets worth knowing—and an exposure as masterly
as it is just of the common errors in riding, we refer all
readers and riders to the book itself ; it will well repay
a prompt perusal, both in the pleasure and profit it must
yield. We ourselves never read anything of the sort
that we liked so much. •