The Sun.
London, England, 1863-04-11 00:00:00

has brought his task a thorough knowledge of his
subject, to a spirit of fair and careful investiga-
tion, laborious research, and temperaance of tone.
His style is always clear and even, never rising into
eloquence or sinking into mediocrity. Yet he can
scarcely expect his work to be extensively popular.
It required the reputation and the genius of a
Macaulay to make the general public interest them-
selves in a few outwardly uneventful years. It
demands an historical student like himself to appre-
ciate and to value his labours. It needs the same
sp:rit of patient inquiry by which he is distinguished,
to read carefully these two bulky volumes, only to
trace the origin of the great facts which casual
observers learned long ago. Yet every careful and
authenticated work of the class is a gain to our
standard literature, and though perhaps unread by
the mass of superficial readers, the thoughtful
student will be tempted to place this work on his
shelves as a contribution to his light appreciation
of the history of his countrymen.

Memories of the Past and Thoughts upon the Present
Age. By J. Brown. Longman.

This work contains some very interesting essays
on various topics, and the author informs us in his
first article that he is approaching his eightieth
year, but still preserves unimpaired his memory.
Thus he can compare the storms of the present day
with those on which his young eyes opened. He
has a perfect remembrance of the sensation which
was made by the capture of Louis XVI. A
brief but emphatic account is given of the varied
feelings produced in the minds of men by the
changing aspects of the French Revolution. At
first it was supposed to be the dawn of a great and
glorious era, and on all aides it was hailed with en-
thusiasm.

"O'er the vine-covered hills and gay valleys of France
See the day•star of liberty rise,"
sang the poets of the day, but afterwards men be-
came disgusted at the extremes to which the advo-
cates of liberty went in the pursuance of their pro-
jects. Passing onwards in his cursory glance at
historical events, the author mentions Mr. Buckle's
History of Civilisation, and dissents from the opi-
nions therein expressed. There is a good deal on
the subject of America, and at the conclusion he
considers the present social position of England.
He says that if we would rightly depict the mind
of England, we must consider loyalty and patriotism
the prominent characteristics. He aptly refers to
the prevalent sentiments of the last generation, and
suggests that to illustrate his meaning any senior
of our community should call up before his mind's
eye the condition of the country at the time of
Queen Caroline's trial, and compare what he then
saw with what he now witnesses. "How was this
manifested when Prince Albert, the great, the good,
passed from among us to brighter realms." While
on this subject Mr. Brown mentions an interesting
occurrence which took place more than twenty years
ago, when he, as mayor of the town, presented an
address to the late Prince Consort. He says that,
looking up at the Prince, he recalled the words of
the greatest historian of all antiquity to his fa-
vourite hero, " You would readily believe him to be
a good man, you would wish to believe him a great
one." Finally, the work winds up by declaring
that England is at this moment in the van of the
civilisation of the world. Nor does there appear
any reason to fear her decadence, since nations fall
from their sins. "Rome fell because her very con-
stitution was a vile conspiracy against the rights
and liberties of all the rest of the world." In our
country, on the contrary, it is not probable that
civilisation will become retrogressive, and as our
policy, international and domestic, is founded on
right and justice, we may foresee for its future " a
long career of happiness and prosperity."

Nobly False. A Novel. 2 vols. By James
M'Grigor Allan. Newby.

This is a very peculiar work, that is not likely to
be pleasing to the general reader, on account of its
being more the exponent of ideas and the enunci-
ator of theories than a reflection of society and a
chronicle of the lives of individuals. Gerald, the
hero, is one of those wild erratic young men who
are always supposed to be doing something great,
but unfortunately never succeed in achieving any-
thing in a small way that can win for them true
renown, or gain respect from sober-minded people.
In religion be tried all creeds, till he appeared to
be too good for any at last. In politics he was also
most skilled in detecting frauds and fallacies, till he
ended his first attempt in that line by being ar-
rested as the leader of a Chartist mob and creating
riots in his native town. He was not more happy
in his affections than he had been wise in his public
career or notable in his form of worship, He ruined
the peace of an innocent girl, who was deeply at-
tached to him, and she became so confused by the
conflicting claims of right and wrong that she
poisoned herself. Then in his marriage Gerald put
the finishing stroke to his long career of blunders.
There are some minds that get so infatuated
with their notions of broad views, liberal principles,
and unprejudiced opinions, that they end by be-
coming as rooted in their unaccommodating dogmas
as any of the bigoted classes they despise and de-
nounce. Gerald is a good prototype of such
individuals, and the extremes into which he went
may serve aptly to portray the evils they occasion
and the errors they fall into from their extreme
views.

Essays and Reviews: their Origin, History, General
Character and Significance, Persecution,Proseen.
film, the Judgment of the Arches Court, Review
of Judgment. By the Rev. R. B. Bernard, M.A.
Oxon. Hardwicke.

In all probability every one has heard enough,
and more than enough, of the subject of this volume,
but as the author has been at considerable pains to
collect the diverse intelligence that he imparts in
these pages, some may be induced to give them theit
attention, and be instructed and interested thereby,
even though they should not agree with the tenets
of the writer. In the preface we are told that the
work is put forth with the hope of dispelling the
h
cloud of pr(judiee and misrepresentation throutgas
which the volume of "Essays and Reviews"
writer
hitherto been regarded. "For this endl thee 0,
bot
has endeavoured to point out the true place 1 i
origin
work in the history of reli
Bacon, and
in the inductive method introduced
special provo•
its more immediate antecefdtehnetsp
resent day." This
catives in the literatudretoo
the
purpose, at all events,
gious thedoubg; t
is straightforward.s and
likely that those who have
lu.me now under discus-
and although it the outset the self delusion of the
recognised frein
celebrated v:
writers
the glaring errors into which they have
discus-
sion, and .
fallen in their so called search after truth, will be
influenced by any ingenious arguments to change
their opinions, still all who honestly state their
views are entitled to consideration, and th© author
of that .
of this little book appears to be more moderate in
his tone and less bitter than most writers who dis-
cuss theological questions.

Ada FOl tescue—A Novel. By
h
Dalrymples," &c. 3 vole. Ntewe
bayn of "Tile
Newby.
This is a very romantic tale that is well calculated
to please those readers who love excitement. The
incidents are very strikingly told in some parts, and
there are many individuals introduced into these
pages, Ada is an interesting heroine, and although
she was most culpable in entering into an engage-
ment in so clandestine a manner, and particularly
in her secret marriage, still we cannot but sympri:
thise with her in her sad trials. It wee a ,Try hard
lot for one reared in luxuries as she had been 1
Her
adventures cast so friendless and unprotected on the World.
tiar_
adventures at Mrs. Robertson's are very ailya
true
rated, and it is to be feared that they furtnunnietg;
picture of the existence of many
had to serve.
feeling women like her whom poor a
sumo a
Ada to as
vernesses who are domiciled beneatl.ilandtilhi°roof of
It was was a most unwise thing for •
different name, but nothing
in coulduch a style. Ada
Mrs. Robertson from behaving 6
but ahe bad to
for another,
exchanged ono tyrant .
to live with such a man
thank lier own folly for going
wholethere is much to en-
as Mr. Snell. On the some of the secondary
Certain in these volumes,
and
h as Lucy Melville, are
introduced sue have excused
personages .
lady, amid the art' fi
ranee of this young., 1 -
the app
of
. nable life. The conclusion is a
cial scene of fashio
There is
this
very refreshing in
much tried Ada, and we are left
happy 00 • •
attractive.e
osition that the rough usages
in the supp . of foreign
warfare had imparted to 1 d .
-. IA ard M[.ssenger, that
Wle
- dora whi..lll he lacked at the outset of the tale.
for the