The Sun.
London, England, 1862-11-25 00:00:00

LII.E.RA7U.RE.

Mrs. Halliburton's Troubles. By Mrs. Henry
Wood. 3 vole. Bentley.
More than a century has elapsed since Hogarth
produced his series of plates depicting the contrast-
ing fates of the idle and industrious apprentices.
It has since then served as a frequent basis for the
dramatist and the novelist, and we meet with a
clever variation of it in thti tale before us. That
such would scaicely be inferred from the title is
true, but although the commencement depicts the
" troubles" of Mra. Ralliburtou, by far the larger
lessonarainsde
opforhtiisonfeils cculoowappiperd by
apprentice.
career
.e exaroerdoofhheerr etriz.louesbt
from her children, who are all that a parent could
wish, but from the poverty in which she was plunged
by the premature death of her husband, a hardwork-
einreg
of X3OO a-year. The crisis happened in this wise.
mhiastihneemomateicahlatdurteoare,
hanedd
Feeling somewhat unwell, it occurred to him that
twh he
°on: t hs ho
ed
ohxa ds
tmarried
it would be prudent to insure his life for the bene-
fit of his wife and children, and on calling at an
office for that purpose, he was referred to their me-
dical man. He went, as a matter of form, and was
grievously alarmed at being not only refused a cer-
tificate, but told that his only chance of life was
immediate retirement to the country. The shock
this gave him may be imagined, but there was no
resource but to act on it. He therefore gave up his
London engagements, sold off his furniture, and
proceeded with his wife and family to Helstonleigh
(the cathedral town which forms the scene of " The
Channings"), where he had a cousin married to an
attorney named Dare, through whose influence he
hopes to gain a connection. Vain hope! Travel-
ing to Helstonleigh on the outside of a coach, he
got drenched with rain, caught a terrible cold, was
laid up with rheumatic fever, broke a blood vessel,
and died, whilst Mr. Dare not only refused to aid
them but put an execution in the widow's house for
rent. In this extremity she applied to the landlord,
an extensive glove manufacturer, named Ashley,
who at once relieved her from the pressure. She
obtained work from his manufactory, and her eldest
son, William, was taken there as a kind of supe-
rior errand-boy. The idea of this kind of occupa-
tion was at first, as may be imagined, not very
palatable to him, but his mother gave him the fol-
lowing sensible advice :—" There would be no real
disgrace in it, my darling. No work, in itself, brings
disgrace ; be it the carrying abroad of parcels, or
be it the sweeping out of a shop. So long as we
retain our refinement of speech, of manner, our
courteous conduct one to another, we shall still be
gentlepeople, let us work at what we may." Ac-
cordingly he sets to work dutifully, and rapidly ,
gains his master's confidence and esteem. Now, in
the same manufactory, and in the same position, is
placed young Cyril Dire, the Dares and Ashleys
being related, and Cyril being regarded as Mr.
Ashley's prospective successor ; that gentleman's
only son, Henry, being an invalid, and taking no
part in the business. Of course, as the Dares are
given to all worldly vanities, Cyril is the very oppo-
site of William. Idle, careless, and extravagant,
`he even goes so far as to abstract a cheque from his
master's desk, and, although William is at first sus-
pected, it is soon apparent who is the guilty party,
though, out of consideration for his friends, the
affair is hushed up. The rise of the Hallibur-
tons, and the downtall of the Dares is now steady
and sure. William is taken into partnership, and
marries his master's daughter, whilst Cyril, whose
overtures for her hand have been contemptuously
rejected, leaves the manufactory, rapidly goes to
theett
hhr eei ftdiohse rrs cbet eieutdtuv ttaooe
veryue
mm and
incapable—Australia. Of course
ei
the bad, until his father, and the rest of the family,
gs,raitneatsomuthchat
assuptphoesceadrereerfuogfeeafochr
meagre sketch of the contents of
member of the two families is enlarged on, though
Cyril and William may be considered the two re-
presentative characters. In general plan the tale
bears a considerable resemblance to "The Chan-
nings," its merits and defects being similar in kind,
though, of the two, we prefer it. The intention is
good, the style is excellent; the sketches of low life
in Helstonleigh are vigorous and humorous, and
we cordially commend the work to our readers'
notice.

The Life of Joseph Locke, Civil Engineer, M.P.
F.R.S., &c. By Joseph Devy. Bentley.
Although the names of Brunel and Stephenson
are familiar as household words, it is probable that
to many of our readers that of the subject of the
present memoir will be almost unknown, notwith-
standing the fact of his having been more largely
concerned, perhaps, in the construction of railroads
than either of his great contemporaries. But he
never came before the public in the same way. Al-
though a man of sound judgment and admirable
business qualifications he was not a
great origina-
tor. He made railroads and he made money. He
did his duty by his employers, he became a member
of Parliameht, he was highly respected among a
large circle of acquaintances, but he was not what
the world considers a great man. We find no in-
dication in this volume of his having evolved a new
idea. Had he never existed railroads would still
have been made, and we can by
no means endorse
the wonder and admiration expressed for him by
readily grant that
his biographer. Nevertheless we
was then
he was a very useful man is his day, and be seems
to have carried out
he
at o bi
nugr t
d,
obi
nuit.
there who have made a
and skilfully. Like many 0
e of humble but re-
position in the world
he
efaterer having been banks-
spectable parentage, his
coalpit, in the village of
man at the Water-row
wburn, and after.
n seems to have been ob-
tained chiefly at r°wwards coal-viewer to Lord
all his undertakings honestly
at the
paced w viewern t
dh i
he
et e el
left.
, t .
named andE e
chso
years' stay his dignity was
hurt at having
after two
the post daily with the 1 tt
.$ ride over to e er- bag
to
a land surveyor across
oiled next with he was requested to
rock the cradle. But this was a more intolerable
task than the other, and in a fortnight he once
it ceased
more left for home. He now had to assist his father,
and—Ob, woeful fate !.." when
there was nothing
;ft a colliery
else for him to do, the manager of Messrs. Porter
and Company's colliery would
make his son " lead"
coals in a cart of his own
his shothueldaegrespoaf
to houses in and about
Barnsley. So mortified
was he at what he deemed
his degradation, that whenever he saw any one
coming whom he recognised, he would lie down in
the cart in order to avoid being seen. Still, "it is
a long lane that has no turning." and Joseph at
length obtained employment after his own heart in
the office of George Stephenson. This was the
foundation of his fortune. He soon showed that his
abilities were of no mean order. He was employed
by Stephenson in bis important undertakings, and,
in 1835, when they had a misunderstanding and
separated, he was appointed engineer-in-chief to
the Great Junction Railway. His course
was now clear. His practical talent was
fully recognised, and railway companies were only
too happy to secure his services. Thus among