The Sun.
London, England, 1865-06-20 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

Life of Edward Irving. By Mrs. Oliphant. Fourth
Edition. One vol., pp. 442. Hurst and Blackett.
Mrs. Oliphant's impressive biography of that
singularly gifted as well as eccentric being, the late
Edward Irving, by its issue in this compact and beauti-
ful edition, takes rank henceforth (as the thirtieth
volume of the series) in the Publishers' Standard
Library— a Library as valuable as it is miscellaneous.
So miscellaneous is this Library in its charac-
ter, that while the thirtieth volume in its periodical
but uncertain issue is this Life of Irving by
Mrs. Oliphant, one of the earlier volumes of
the set, the eighth, in fact, comprised within it
the " Recollections of the Last Four Popes," by his
Eminence the late Cardinal Wiseman. Leading off
with Sam Slick's " Nature and Human Nature"—
a book that ought by rights, we have often thought,
to have been been dubbed more accurately " Natur'
and Human Natur"—Hurst and Blackett's Stan-
dard Library has embraced within it, books as varied
in their character as Miss Dinah Mulock's enthralling
tale of " John Halifax, Gentleman," Leigh Hunt's
pleasantly garrulous and gossipping " Old Court
Suburb," Sir Bernard Burke's very curious
" Domestic Annals of the Aristocracy," Sergeant
Peter Burke's equally curious "Romance of the
Forum," Mr. Jeaffreson's delightfully anecdotal
" Book about Doctors," the Hon. Mrs. Norton's
powerful story of " Lost and Saved," Victor
Hugo's wonderful Romance of convict and street
life in France, " Les Miserables," a work that we
hardly hesitate to pronounce the great poet's mas-
terpiece—and now, by way of vivid contrast to these
and twenty other works not here particularised, the
subscribers to the Messrs. Hurst and Blackett's
Standard Library have had placed by the side
of its twenty-nine predecessors upon the same
bookshelf, Edward Irving's Life as it has been
written by the hand of Mrs. Oliphant. It is not
simply by any means a mere biography —a mere dry
formal record of facts and dates about its hero.
It is in many parts of it an earnest and even hn-
passioned panegyric. But it is so manifestly sin-
cere throughout in its enthusiasm that it is impos-
sible even for us, who—we will acknowledge it—
don't sympathise the least atom in the world with
the views set forth by this remarkable creature—a
born genius if ever there was one—it is just simply
impossible even for us to note the true and
unaffected enthusiasm here evidenced by Mrs.
Oliphant for the life and character of Edward
Irving—and to do so altogether unimpressed !
It is a wonderful study of a truly wonderful
and a purely exceptional idiocyncrasy. If regarded
only in that light it is well worthy of examination.
But among the surviving friends of Edward Irving,
among his ardent admirers, among his devoted
followers, the interest awakened by Mrs. Oliphant's
biography of the man can be nothing less than
absolutely enthralling.

MARKETS—This Day.

HAY MARKETS

SMITHFIELD.—Meadow hay, £4 10s to £slos Od ; clover,
£5 lOs to £6 lOs Od ; and straw, £1 6s to £1 lOs per load,
Trade firm.

CUMBERLAND.—Meadow hay, £4 lOs to £5 15s; clove;
£5 10s to £6 lOs Od ; and straw, £1 8s to £1 14s per load.
A steady demand.
WHITECHAPEL.—Meadow hay, £4 lOs to £5 108 ; clover,
£5 lOs to £6 10s Od ; and straw, £1 6s to £1 10s per load.
Trade steady.
Now meadow hay has sold at from a to .£4 per load.