The Sun.
London, England, 1865-02-24 00:00:00

MISCELLANEOUS—Continued.
Egyptian Com. and Trading, Um.. 41 ft
English and Australian Copper, 1} 1
English and Scottish Marine, lira., 51
Fairb iirn Engineering, 67
Financial Corporation,
Fore-street Warehouse, Um., 8 74 81
Gen. Credit and Finance of London, lira., 64
General Steam Navigation, 281
Hudson's Bay, 15i
Humber Iron Works, 31 27
Imperial Mercantile Credit A sso., lira., 7
International Financial society, lira., 87
International Land Credit, lira., 51
Joint Stock Discount, Um.,
Land Securities, I;m., 37
I.ondon Financial:Association. lira., 2171
M,dray Irrigation and Canal,
Ditto (all), 11
Milwall Iron Works, 47
National Discount Company, lim., 147
Peninsula and Oriental Steam, 1-2
Quebrada Land, Rail, and Mining,., lira 31 3
Trust and Agency of Australasia, lira., 64 75 1
Thames and Mersey Marine'ansurance), Jim., 71

LITERATURE,

By the Sea. By the Author of " Hester Kirton.'
Two Vols. Smith, Elder, and Co.

The author of " Chesterford," and " Hester
Kirton," and " A Bad Beginning," is making
steady progress in the development of some of the
most essential qualifications of a good novelist.
Her characters are more than ever distinct in their
various individualities, and that wonderful fidelity
and naturalness of details which have characterised
all her writings, are more than ever conspicuous in
this new work. Little touches of humour continu-
ally enliven the descriptions, and, above all, the in-
terest of the story is sustained, and the secrets of
the plot concealed till the very close of the narra-
tive. The only fault we have to find with these
romantic adventures " By the Sea" is the improba-
bility of the main incident in which Phcebe Flower
is concerned. Then, it must be admitted, poor
Phcebe is half demented by disappointment.
" Like sweet bells jangled, out of tune, and harsh,"
her gentle nature is untrue to itself, and her con-
duct must not be judged by the ordinary rules of
probability, otherwise we should regard her denun-
ciation of her lover, and her prophetic curse, as
more adapted to the melodramatic heroine of "Leah"
than to the lips of an ordinary English girl. With
this exception, however, we can very heartily con-
gratulate the authoress of " By the Sea" on this new
addition to her literary labours. The first chapter
opens " Under the Cliff," and there we find poor
Phoebe listenirg to the "voice of the charmer" which
is to carry such fatal discord to the harmony of her
young life :
She was wrapped in that atmosphere all must surely
breathe once, when, however delusive it may be, we seem
to know reality for the first time, when the whole colour
of our former and future life is changed ; when the fresh,
unturned pages of our heart may be painted permanently
with the glowing tints that seem to form a never-ending
glory round them; or may only be filled with a beauteous
unreal picture, like that thrown by the camera on the
artist's paper—move it but slightly, it is blurred, leaving
only, in some cases, the faint, tremulous outline—easily
effaced, but where the impressidn has gone deeper, where
the artist has been longer at work, the page is spoiled
marred for ever by an ineffaceable ruin.
Sorrow and disappointment are more easily borne by the
old ; the hoary ruin mantles itself readily and picturesquely
in the ivy ; but if the foundations of a newly-built house
are insecure, there is nothing harmonious or pleasant in the
spectacle of its fall ; it freshness seems glaringly at
variance with such a misfortune, and until it be removed
from its place for ever, its existence is blotted out from the
purpose of its original creation, both for itself and for
others.

But what reeked those two young lovers of sorrow, as
they stood there, in that sweet silence that follows the first
owning of 10-re ? There are no words then, only silence,
a deep, glad, ineffable peace, almost like sleep after toil, so
overpowering has been the passion or feeling that preceded
those few spoken words.

In vain, a little later on, her true-hearted lover
Job Thorn seeks to open her, eyes to the false
nature of her accepted suitor. Poor Job is utterly
at fault, and is even reproved (very justly) by Tom
Flower, the easy, indolent, careless, useless Tom :
" I don't pretend to be as clever as as you are, Job.
I've not had my rights, , or I shouldn't be a shop-
keeper; but I can see into some things, and the last
way you'll' touch a woman's heart is by speaking
against the man who's deceived her." And so, of
course, it proves in this instance. We do not pro-
pose to follow the chequered fortunes of Phcebe
Flower. We must content ourselves with a passing
glimpse at some of the companions of her adven-
tures. Henry Cass, whom his fellow-clerk jeers at,
as one of a class " who thought the world was made
for them only, and the rest of mankind made for
the world," and his silly little wife, are wonderfully
characteristic sketches. Poor, idle, little Mrs. Cass,
" who spares no one's work, though her own hands
gets plenty of nussing," provokes the indignant ire
of her worthy landlady, Mrs. Owles, who rates her
husband for presuming to speak of the good looks
of the do-nothing lodger. " You men are all alike,
dress up a broom-stick in petticoats, and as long as
its not your wife you'll find it in looks." In a kindred
spirit of womanly wrath another good lady ex-
claims, "Did ever a woman get into mischief that
wasn't made by a man, sir, I should like to know ?
I believe ever since Adam's time they've been
taking revenge upon Eve, that they have." The
French scenes at the Smuggler's home form a
pleasant contrast to the other chapters of homely
English life. Jacques Coeur, and his vehement,
devoted, jealous mother, - are both excellent.
" Post tenebras lux," happily brings the troubled
history of Phcebe to a satisfactory close, and we
gladly leave poor Matilda Cam and her husband
wiser and happier for the anxieties they have
endured.

A Book of Character Selected from the Writings of
Overbury, Earle, and Butler. One Vol., pp. 291.

Nimmo.

A capital book for occasional perusal, containing
a series of life-like portraits of individuals of varied
quality and character, sketched by the vigorous
hardly inferior artists.
pencils of the author pf " Hudibras," and other

Remarkable Convictions. By a Writer to the Signet.

Ono vol., pp. 260. Nimmo.

This very interesting volume contains another
exemplification of the oft-quoted saying, that
" truth is stranger than fiction." Even the most
hardened " sensationalist" can scarcely surpass some
of the criminal records of recent times. Among
these are several of the
"remarkable convictions"
here particularised.

The Life Boat. By R. H. Ballantyne. One Vol.
With Illustrations. Second Edition. Routledge.
'This is one of Mr. Ballantyne's high-spirited
boy's books—a book of adventure and of enterprise.
It is likely to be a favourite, as its very theme will
ensure its popularity.

One Vol.,
Notes on Brazilian Questions. By W. D. E. Christie.
PP. 236. Macmillan.
This little work on recent Brazilian matters of
interest and difficulty possesses a particular value
from the fact of its author having for some time
held an official position at the Court of Brazil.

The Cruise of the Eva. By Arthur Kavanagh.
One Vol., pp. 216. Hodge, Smith, and Co.
This elegant little book records a shooting cruise
on the Albanian shores, and possesses a novel in-
terest, being somewhat original alike in its character
and in its contents. It is embilished with some sixteen
tinted illustrations of the landscapes, with some
vigorous sketches of wild boars and other trophies
of the sportman's skill.

On Capital Punishment. Edited by J. Macrae
More, M.A. One Vol., pp. 258. Smith, Elder,

and Co.

gu
umnaennstws,All
the
erwabhliychadduced in opposition
may be very justly,
to capital punishment, are here set forth in a very
although
notar
comprehensive form, and are well worthy of atten-
tive perusal.

Campaigns in Virginia, Maryland, 6v. By Captain
C. E. Chesney, R.E. Vol. 11. Smith and
Elder.
The second volume of Captain Chesney's very
valuable work contains the history of the third
year of the American war.

The directors of the London and Middlesex Bank
have determined to make an immediate return to
the shareholders in respect of capital of V. per share.
They also state that " they are continuing their best
endeavours to realise the remaining assets of the
bank, with the view of distributing them amongst
the shareholders as early as possible."

Advices have been received by the Imperial
Mexican Railway Company from Mr. Sanders, one
of the directors, who proceeded to Mexico in
November last, to arrange the transfer of the con-
cession, to the effect that all points in dispute have
been satisfactorily arranged, and the concession to
this company confirmed by the Imperial Govern-
ment. The interest at the rate of 8 per cent., due
at the end of this month on the shares, will be pay-
able on the 6th proximo.
FLOGGING IN THE ROYAL NAVY.—Mr. COX'S
return of the number of persons flogged in the navy in
the navy in the year 1863, supplies the following items:—
Total number of corporal punishnients, 752 ; total number
of lashes inflicted, 25,513 ; total number liable to corporal
punishment,
,55,234 ; number of men and boys flogged
pursuant to sentences of courts-martial, 73 ; number of
lashes inflicted by sentence of court-martial, 3,210 ; highest
number of lashes inflicted, 48 ; lowest number of lashes
inflicted, 6.

rHE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 24, 186%

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE:.

TAT T ERS ALL'S —YESTERDAY.
LIVERPOOL STEEPLECHASE.
12 to lon the field (offered)
LINCOLN HANDICAP.
6to 1 agst &Laurie° (taken)
6to 1 agst Donnybrook (taken)
7to 1 agst Le Marechal (taken)
• Bto 1 agst Heurlys (taken)
NORTHAMPTONSHIRE STARES
Bto 1 agst Skeffington (off.)
100 to 6 agst Lion (off., take 20 to 1)
20 to 1 agst John Davis (taken)
25 to 1 agst Thalestris (wanted)
A very thin attendance, and the above quotations near' fy
nominal.