The Sun.
London, England, 1862-01-09 00:00:00

HAY MARKETS.

SMITHFIELD.—Meadow hay, £2 5s to £5 ; clover, £3 108
to £6 Os Od ; and straw, £1 8s to £1 168 Od per load.
Trade dull.

CUMBERLAND..—MetVICEW hay, £2 5s to £5 Os; clover
do., £3 lOs to £6 Os; and straw, £1 8s to £1 16s per load.
A slow demand.

WHITECHAPEL.—MeadOW hay, £2 2s to £5 Os; clove,
lOs to /6 Os Od ; and straw, El 8s to El 188 per load.
Trade heavy.

DEATH OF THE REV. SIR HUGH MOLESWORTH,
BART.—The sudden death of the Rev. Sir Hugh Henry
Molesworth, at the early age of 43, is recorded in the
Western Morning News of Tuesday. He was the ninth
baronet, having succeeded his cousin, the late Right Hon.
Sir William Molesworth, the distinguished statesman, on
the 22d of October, 1855.

ROYAL NAVAL RESERVE.—The Secretary of the
Liverpool Mercantile Marine Association has received the
following letter from the Admiralty relative to the recent
public meeting in Liverpool in connection with the Royal
Naval Reserve :—" Admiralty, Jan. 6, 186l.—Sir,—Hav-
ing laid before my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty
your letter, enclosing copies of certain resolutions passed
at a meeting held at the cotton sales-room, Liverpool (S.
R. Graves, Esq., in the chair), with reference to the pro-
posals for the enrolment of officers of the merchant service
in the Royal Naval Reserve, I am commanded by their
lordships to convey to you the expression of their satisfac-
tion that these proposals have met with the cordial approval
of the shipowners and officers of the merchant service. I
am to acquaint you that my lords feel assured that they can
always rely on the hearty co-operation of the merchant
marine in all measures which it may be their duty to adopt
for the benefit of the public service.—l am, &c., yours
most obediently, W. G. ROMAINE. Bon. J. Thompson,
Esq., 20, Water-street, Liverpool.
FlRM—Yesterday morning two fires, attended
with great loss of property, broke out, one on the premises
occupied conjointly by Mr. A. Edwards, a surgeon, and
Mr. W. Martin, a tobacconist, situate at 21, Union-street,
Somers-town, St. Pancras, and the other in the house of
Mr. Hinton, coffeeshop-keeper, and beer retailer, 2, Bedford-
terrace, Old Ford-road. The first fire was discovered by a
police. constable of the B division. Two engines of the
parish, five of the London establishment, under the direction
of Captain Shaw, the superintendent; Mr. Fogo, the fore-
man of the B district, and Engineer Perryer were soon on
the spot, as well as the escapes, but, in spite of their exer-
tions, they were unable to subdue the fire until Mr. Ed-
wards' and Mr. Martin's property were nearly destroyed.
Mr. Edwards was insured in the Phoenix Fire-office, but
Mr. Martin was uninsured. The fire, it is supposed, was
caused by the gas escaping from the burners on the ground
floor. The fire at the house of Mr. Hinton was found out
by one of the inmates shortly after the premises were closed
for the night. Those living in the house succeeded in reach-
ing the street without receiving any personal injury. The
Royal Society's escapes, the two engines of the palish, and
four belonging to the London Brigade, with a strong muster
of firemen, quickly attended. They were, however, unable
to extinguish the flames until Mr. Hinton's premises were
burnt down; but, fortunately, they were insured in the Ira-
. perial Fire-office, The cause of the fire could not be traced.

LI,TEPATTIR.P.

The Four Georges. Lectures by M. Thackeray.

Smith and Elder.

These lectures are already so well ,known and
have been so widely circulated both in this country
and in America that criticism is quite needless. Vv 'e
need only say that the form in which they are now
offered to the public is convenient, cheap, and at-
tractive ; and that the illustrations are plentiful and
well worth looking at. Those who had not the
advantage of hearing Mr. Thackcray deliver them
viva vocc, will do well to secure this volume, while
those who were among his numerous audience will
probably be very willing to obtain a memorial of
those popular and successful lectures.

Lord, the 'Widower. By W. AT. Thackeray, author
of " Vanity Fair," &c., with illustrations. Smith

and Elder.

The readers of the Cornhill i 1 agazine are already
familiar with this story, which, we must confess, is
not likely to add to Mr. Thackeray's extended re-
putation. It would he difficult, indeed, for an
author of such ability and humour to Produce any
volume without witty sayings and clever passage;,
but, as a whole, "Lovel, the Widower," is certainly
unworthy of the writer of "The INeivcomes " and
" Vanity Fair." Still, those who wish to possess a
complete series of Thackeray's works, may be glad
of this opportunity of securing it is a convenient
and elegant volume.

The Lady's Guide to t 1 6rdering of her Household.

By a Lady. Smith, E,dec, and Co.
Since the discussion which took place some years
ago in the columns of a London jeutnal on the
merits and demerits of our English dinner-tables of
the middle classes, several very useful works have
appeared for the benefit of perplexed housekeepers.
It is our English fashion to be the first to declare
our own mistakes, mismanagement, and failures,
but also to be the fret to seek the means of reme-
dying such defects. Accordingly we cannot doubt,
from the number and popularity of these guide•
books, that the maligned housekeepers have readily
accepted the offers of enlightenment and assistance
made to them, The work before us is intended for
the use of ladies who possess incomes of from one
to two thousand per annum, who attempt occasional
dinner parties, but, being entirely ignorant of the
principles of cooking, have the mortification of
seeing their guests served with greasy soup, doubt-
ful entrees, and tepid jellies. The " Lady's Guide"
undertakes no less than to direct the inexperienced
lady how to instruct the ignorant cook, and that
without herself having to undertake any of the
practical part of the business. With the fall and
clear directions here laid down there is little risk of
failure, and the numerous cartes de diner appended
will be found of great service to the mistress in
ordering a dinner for any number of guests. There
are also some general remarks on the management
of the household, but we must premise that the
work is only suitable for the use of the upper mid-
dle classes, and not calculated for the service of an
establishment where economy is requisite. It may
prove, however, in the hands of an intelligent lady
of the class for whom it is designed a great acqui-
sition to domestic comfort.

SMITH AND ELDER'S SHILLING SERIES OF
STANDARD WORKS OF FICTION.
Among the many series of reprinted novels which
of late years have placed works of a first-rate cha
racter within the reach of readers of the most
limited means, we have seen none which combines
in so high a degree, ability of construction, variety-
of style, high moral tone, and moderation in price.
Messrs. Smith and Elder have often been among the
first to introduce young and talented writers to the
public, and the novels published by them are fre-
quently remarkable for vigour and originality.
Some of those before us present no exception to the
rule, and a few of them are especially interesting
as belonging to the earlier works of authors who
have since attained a high degree of reputation.
Prominent among these we may rank the fictions
of Holme Lee, whose two works will prove most
acceptable to the reader. Gilbert Massenger is
a powerful example of the virtue of sacrifice, and
an instance of some of the sharpest sorrows that
can afflict humanity. The description given of
Gilbert is a grand one, and while it truly depicts
the suffering, it speaks in solemn earnestness of the
triumph and the victory. " On his brow is no re-
pining, in his eye no gloom, on his lip neither
despondence nor complaint. He bears up with
a brave, honest, faithful soul. Having put his
hand to the plough, let what sorrow will turn up
in the furrows he will not look back ; he looks up
instead, and there sees afar off what shall satisfy
him." "Yes," said he, " the light is enough for me,
God I thank Thee that though earth's joys are
withheld from me Thou hast given me thy Peace
within." Miss Massenger is a stern, cold, hard
woman, who is to hn r.0r..t.,1 Fnr her strict
of duty, and one feels more pity than anger for
her peculiar way and severe notions when the sad
secret of her life is made known. Her trials were
not valueless, nor her labour in vain, for her endu-
rance was an example to her nephew, and the
memory of her fortitude nerved him for the like
contest, and led him on in success by the thorny
road and up the steep ascent which was his por-
tion in the weary pilgrimage of life. Thorney
Hall is the story of an Old Family, and very in-
teresting for its events, and also from its style.
The manner in which the sorrows are told us ren-
ders the work pecu:iarly attractive, while the last
passage which we meet with is solemn and sad. It
records the death of the only son and hope of his
family. The account given of the gloom of the
household, and the anguish of the father is lifelike
in its illustration. " It is sad to see my brother ;
yet he struggles hard to bear his sorrow, as it be-
comes a good man to do. The grey hair on his
temples is almost silver now, the lines round his
mouth and on his brow grow more marked, and I
have not seen a smile in his kindly eye since the
earth closed over his son. It is finished now, all
the life-long ambition—all the prond hopes—all the
arting care. The story of his life is
happiness imp
done; what remains is but as notes and reflections
of the past, which were summed up lorg ago by a
great king, ' All is vanity.' All of life is vanity,
save its end. The wild wintry winds have begun
to blow, Christmas is close at hand. In many homes
will empty places be counted then ; in many hearts
will mournful echoes ring to the old chimes of loving
remembrance. Amidst our tears and our regrets
may the spirit of the time come to us with a sooth-
ing whisper of that other home where those who
are gone before wait for us, and where parting
cannot be, nor death nor weeping any more for
ever." Confidences, by the author of "Rita,"
is among this Series. It is a well-written story,
that contains some striking passages, but it is not
so successful an attempt as "Rita," which indeed
was particularly attractive. We meet with two
productions of Talbot Gwynne. .Nannette and
_Lovers is a quaint style of narrative ; it instances,
however, much to win regard, and Nannette herself
is a charming sketch. The story turns on the
French Revolution, which delays the marriage of the
heroine. The account of the devastation that the
Reign of Terror caused in the quiet village is very
ably done. Nannette was one of the few gainers
among the many losers in that fearful time, since
the delay that was made caused her to escape a bad
husband, and the time that elapsed induced her to
consent to a marriage with a very worthy man, in
comparison with whom her first lover was not to be
named. " La fin couronne L'oeuvre" was truly
exemplified in the case of Nannette, since she heard
of the dreadful end of her first attachment, when a
happy wife. " On hearing these words Nannette
Potier reddened, then turned pale, looked round on
her husband and children, clasped her hands toge-
ther, and bowing her head over them, said gently,
Oh, righteous Heaven, from what a man, from
what a fate, hast Thou not, in Thy goodness, saved
me." Charpentier's miserable fate, together with
his death, saddened the miller and his wife for a
time. The cloud, however, passed away by de-
grees, leaving them in the bright sunshine of
happiness, a well deserved happiness, solidly
founded on religion, and all the good therein con-
tained, and which never left them during the re-
mainder of their long and peaceful journey through
life. Nannette would oftimes repeat the poor
Cure's words, of which she so deeply felt the truth,
" Everything is for the best to the righteous ; if not
in this world, at least in that which irsacteofuclomcaer.ee--r...
The Life and Death of Silas Ba.rnstarke is the
story of a miser's miserable and (1
It is a painful history, but powerfully told, and the
wretched death of the guilty man by the plague
which desolated London,
. is forcibly described.
Still it is a tale to be admired for its vigour rather
tre/r/e Prejudicest Wrong
a o f t
H all,
m by
Home."
than liked for the pleasure it affords. The same
cannot be said of 'h
the author of "Margaret;Cr
Although some parts are extremely melancholy,
Ie e
there are others which relieve them ; and the great
interest attaching to the characters awakens the
reader's attention, which the ingenuity of the plot
secures till the end. There is no diffuseness or
flagging in the style since the tale is compressed
into comparatively brief limits. Although strik-
ingly original, there is nothing extravagant, but
the story certainly diverges from the beaten
track. It is full of interest, and cannot fail to
please the reader, notwithstanding the shade
of melancholy which overhangs it. .Erlesniere,
by L. P. Lavenu, is a tale of considerable
talent, but painful and peculiar. The author shows
us several distinct and original characters, gifted
with keen intelligence and powerful feelings, who
are shipwrecked by evil training and mistaken
theories. The plot is somewhat involved, and the
incidents are, to say the least, startling. The only
one who struggles through the conflicting troubles

which beset him is Herbert, who at the outset of
the story seems to be the most unpromising. Restarts
in life under the evil influence of one guardian's
injustice, and another's injudicious training. Mil-
dred Effingham is an unsatisfactory character, but
the heartlessness of her mother accounts greatly
for her faults. The work is interesting to the
thoughtful reader who loves to muse over the great
questions of life and character ; to ponder the why
and wherefore of sorrow, suffering, aed eh' ; and to
trace how the cruelty or mistakes of the trainers of
sensitive youth, bring misery on natures that are
beyond the range of their limited experience, and
darken years of promise. But it leaves an unsiatisfac-
tory impression, a sense of ideality rather than
reality; the joys and sorrows hardly seem life-like.
It is a world of mists and clouds which seems to
need a fresh, homely, earnest life to revive lie-)
purify the moral atmosphere. The author's un-
deniable ability has been more pleasantly shown in
his later productions. Tender and True, by the
author of " Clara Morison," is a pleasantly written
story of domestic life, which conducts us to the
antipodes. The title is taken from the words of an
old song, which thus specifies the qualities needed in
married life. The hero of this story, Mr. North,
only fulfils half the requirement—he is true, but
not tender, although married to an affectionate and
estimable woman. He is unreasonably jealous of
her love for her own family, not being wise enough
to see that the love of a woman who could o soon
forget her earliest affections would not be very re-
liable ; and that the exclusive possession of a nar-
row heart cannot be compared in value to the chief
place in a warm and feeling nature. Ho determines
to go to Australia very much against his wife's
wishes, and refuses the offer of her favourite sister
to accompany her, rejoicing in what causes her
pain—her total separation from her own family.
The story shows very ably how excellent prin-
ciples and real attachment may fail to secure
happiness, if the " truth" be not accompanied by
" tenderness." Rose's history, which is entwined
with her sister's, adds considerably to the inte-
rest of the volume; and since Mary's troubles end
better than we fear they would be likely to do
in real life, the reader lays down the book with
an agreeable impression. .211 y
eLady was the first
work of an author, whom it at once brought
into notice. The plot is a very painful one,
since the point on which it turns is the disgrace-
ful desertion of his wife and family by a middle-
aged man. The interlude is equally painful,
since My Lady's eldest daughter forms a secret
attachment to the brother of the lady with
whom her father has eloped, both being ignorant
of the fatal barrier which exists between the
families. My Lady is a noble character, full of
gentle, womanly dignity, and motherly affection.
The universal esteem in which she is held is tes-
tified by the title by which she is always saluted.
She conducts herself' in her painful position with dig-
nity and self-respect, and the allegiance of her family
and numerous dependants never falters under the
feminine rule. Though the story and its episodes
are 'not pleasing, the characters are well drawn,
and the style easy and correct. Bose Douglas,
the autobiography of a Scotch minister's daughter,
is a simple and interesting story of domestic life.
The first part describes her quiet life in the little
country parish, and the principal characters of her
father's congregation. After a time, however, she
loses this beloved parent, and is forced to depend
upon ungenial relations who tax all her energies
in their service, and yet persist in claiming her
gratitude. She resolves to obtain a more indepen-
dent position, and accepts a situation as governess,
which excites their greatest indignation. She is
fortunate in her duties, and still more so in the
married life which happily concludes her vicissi-
tudes. The story is written with simplicity and
feeling, and those who like to turn from the ex-
citement and adventure which often distinguish the
pages of fiction to the quiet records of an every-
day life, will find Rose Douglas one of
the rmost pleasing novels of its kind. There
is sufficient promise in this first instalment of
the Shilling Series to encourage hope for future
portions, and the general reader will rejoice in this
prospect of a ie-issue of many delightful works of
fiction that have been successful in their several
styles for some years past; and it is to be expected
that this new and attractive edition will be emi-
nently and deservedly popular, contrasting as it
does so forcibly with the inferior and deleterious
publications of a cheap sort that often issue from
the press now-a-days, and which render the appear-
ance of a first rate class of novels doubly welcome
and especially attractive. This Series can be confi-
dently recommended to all who desire an amusing
and edifying source of perusal, and the high stan-
dard of merit that pervades these volumes imparts
additional excellence to their purport, and adds
lustre to their already desirable advent. his to be
hoped that the enterprising publishers who have
inauaurated this edition.
w___;ll nict,t -with the g 1.1000.1
that their attempts deserve, and that this may be
but the beginning of a long and flourishing course
of reproductions of pleasing and profitable works.