The Sun.
London, England, 1863-04-01 00:00:00

MAGAZINE DAY.

B 1 ickecood's Magazine.

In the absence of any distinct political article so-
called in Maga for April, there is a very able and
readable Riper on " Sir James Graham," that may
stand, for the nonce, as a capital substitute for it.
As a matter of course, it is apropos to Mr. M'Cul-
loch Tcrrens' recently published biography of Sir
James—a statesman of whom it has been wittily
said that " he narrowly escaped being a great man !"
Although assuming merely to be a criticism upon a
memoir, this contribution to Ebony is a miniature
memoir in itself. Of Sir James Graham's last ap
pearance as a Cabinet Minister, the writer says—
with how much truth all who read his remarks will
very painfully remember—" When Lord Aberdeen
formed his Coalition Cabinet, Sir James Graham
returned to the Admiralty, where the Crimean war
took him by surprise, as it did all the other mem-
bers of the Administration. Sir James, however,
put a bold face upon the matter, and having selected
Sir Charles Napier to command the worst-found
and worst-manned fleet that ever quitted the Eng-
lish shores, he sent hint, at the worst season of the
year, to try what could be done for the destruction
of Russian power in the Baltic. It was unfortu-
nate, both for the First Lard and for the Admiral,
that the Reform Club chose to give the latter a
dinner. The speeches uttered on that occasion,
and especially Sir James Graham's speech, resem-
bled more the pee ins of victors after the strife,
than the statemen►s of men about to incur the
hazard of a campaign; and the abortive issue of
the expedition covered both with ridicule. It did
more, however, than this. A bitter quarrel en-
sued, which was prosecuted not very decorously,
sometimes in the House of Commons, sometimes
through the press, and which had no other
result than to damage both parties very
seriously in the estimation of the public."
Speaking of Sir J times himself as he looked towards
the close of his life, the reviewer observes in one brief
but sufficient, because eminently graphic sentence—
" Our latest recollection of him is in church—a tall,
handsome, yet shattered man, earnest in his devo
tions, but bearing upon his brow the cloud which
was never to be raised on this side the grave." As
a morsel of light reading, very interesting of its
kind, the lovers of Maga will find pleasant
enough to their literary palate, the second portion
of the tale called " Mrs. Clifford's Marriage." How
well a work, intrinsically about as buoyant
as a blue-book can be turned into a lively
magazine paper, every one who cares to
know may learn upon scanning the review of Sir
R. Alcock's " Capital of the Tycoon"—this said
review here leading off the April number of "Black-
wood" under the apparently affected but very lite-
ral title of "Sensation Diplomacy in Japan." The
April number of Maga is for the most part a clus-
ter of criticisms. Another of these being dev. ted
to an examination of " Spedding's Life of Bacon"—
a contribution likely to be more welcome to Mr.
Spedding than to the Philosopher's arch apologist
—(the vindicator, br fore that, of Pen n)—Mr.Dixon
A curious paper of its kind entitled " The Yeang-tai
Mountains and Spirit Rapping in China," we are
almost disposed to attribure to Mr. Oliphant. Just
as we half suspect Mr. Warren's loyal pen to have
written the brief but graceful allusion to the 10th
ult., with which the April number of Maga closes,
under the pretty memorial heading of " Marriage
Bells." There is a fifteenth instalment of Sir Bul-
wer Lytton's thoughtful, humorous, philosophic,
carefully written series of Essays 'yclept " Caxto-
niana." The twentieth Essay being "On Self
Control," the twenty-first on" The Modern Misan-
thrope." In the f rmer of these, it is interesting to
mote the comments penned by the author of" Riche-
lieu" upon what Sir Edward regards as the as-
tounding evidences of a hack of self-control so often
manifested by the great Cardinal. " The Inex-
haustible Capital" is the felicitous title accorded to
Rome this month by another of Maga's reviewers.
It is the title also of the contribution that thus sig-
nally applies it to the Eternal City : a paper in
which the critic recognises the merits of Mr. Story's
"Roba di R)ma." Referring to the Vexed Ques-
tion of the Age, the writer observes very forcibly
and very truthfully
" Remove the Pope, and of course there is an end to
the grand solemnities in which he is the most prominent
figure; to the magnificent funzions of the Holy Week, to
witness which thousands annually fleck to Rome, filling to
the roof every hotel and lodging-house; to gorgeous cere-
monials, b illiant processions, and high festivals ; to the
chairing of the Pontiff and the feeding of the beggars; the
washing of feet and the sounding of silver trumpets and
the benediction from the balcony, with its magnificent
scenic effect, with the golden chair and the peacock fans,
and the rest of the sumptuous and dazzling paraphernalia.
All this must of course depart whenever the Italian Go-
vernment takes its seat at Rome, unless there should then
be found some member of the college of cardinals willing to
accept the Pontiff's spiritual heritage without his temporal
sway, and to restrain his chair at the Vatican whilst a
King of Italy thrones it at the Quirinal. The installation of
a commonplace lay Government could hardly fail to dimi-
nish Rome's present attractions for foreigners."
Referring, however, later on to the book itself, and
to its author—and not to the theme of the two—
Maga 'remarks that—" Nobody who visited the
great Exhibition of 1862 will have failed to observe
and admire two pieces of sculpture which the most
competent critics declared to be second to none,
even if they were equalled by any of those there
collected together. The author of Roba di Roma,'
the foreign and fantastical name of a very English
and sensible book, might have placed upon its title-
page, had it so pleased him, 'by the author of
• Cleopatra' and the Lybyan Sybil,' and the ad-
vertisement would have been no bad one ; for every-

body who had admired the sculptor's beautiful
statues would have been curious to see if he was as
clever with the pen as he was cunning with the
chisel. Mr. Story, however, was above seeking any
such side•wind of popularity, and proposed allowing
his literary labours to stand upon their own merits."
And these, says the reviewer, they are well able to
stand upon. As they are undoubtedly.

The Dublin University Mayarsne.

M. Octave Delepierre's amaaing volume of
" Macaronies'. has again become the theme of a
very entertaining paper by a magazine contributor.
The criticism, interspersed with a variety of
laughter provoking extracts, leads off the "Dublin
University Magazine," not inappropriately, upon
All Fools' Day. For macaronies are just next door
to nonsense verses—the writer of macaronies in a
manner, as one may say, plaTing the fool with fun!
Among all the specimens of macaronic literature
what san be funnier than the following by

GILBERT A'BECKETT—ON THE POLKA.
Qui nunc dancere vult modo,
Wants to dance in the fashion 0,
Discere debet—ought to know
Kickere floor cum heel and too,
One, two, three,
Hop with me,
Whirligig,twirligig, rapide,

Polkam jungere, virgo, via?
Will you join the polka, miss ?
Liberius— most willingly,
Sic agimus—then let us try.
Nunc vide,
Skip with me,
Whirlabout, roundabout, celere.
Turn laevft cite, turn deata,
First lo the left, and then t'other way :
Aspice retre in vultu,
You look at her, and she looks at you,
Das palmatn,
Change hands, ma'am,
Celere—run away—just in sham.
The new serial romance of " Bella Donna" is con-
tinued this month to the extent of four chapters
additional—scarcely yet, however, compenaatively
in interest for the .11).4erice any longer from the
pages of the "Dublin University" of that enthral-
ling narrative of the " House by the Churchyard" re-
cently completed so very effectually by Charles de
Cresseron, otherwise J. Sheridan Le Fenn. A
delightful paper has been suggested to the
next contributor by the unwonted combination
in a witty and humorous group of " Gresset, La
Bruyere, and R )chefoucauld"—names sparkling like
brilliants of the rarest lustre in the emblazonry of
French literature. As a sturdy English contrast
in every way, comes the sterling biographical com-
memoration immediately afterwards of the rise,
genius, and career of the Great Founder of the
Railway System—" George Stephenson la Next
We have a fourth part of the other serial