The Sun.
London, England, 1862-09-13 00:00:00

LITERA7 raw.

Nelly Armstrong. By the author of " Rose
Douglas." Bentley.
This is the latest issue of Mr. Bentley's half-
crown series of standard novels, and is a simple, in-
teresting, and well told tale. It depicts the tempta-
tion and fall of a heroine in humble life who leaves
the country for service in Edinburgh, tuber© she is
seduced, abandoned, forced to take to the streets,
but is rescued by the efforts of a former mistress,
though only to die of a decline. The picture drawn
of the condition of the lower classes of Edinburgh
(but which is applicable to all our great cities) is
evidently drawn from observation, and is, we fear,
only too true. We give an extract from this picture
of the work :

"It was a very small room, but lit contained two beds
besides an infant's cradle, and Mr. Duncan informed Mary
that its inmates every night amounted to eleven. Five of
them were at present within—a very old woman being one
of them—but the rest, with the exception of the person
who opened the door, were children. For this hole the
family had to pay a high rent, which at that time they
could ill afford, as the father was out of work. Their
neighbours, too, both above and below, were of the worst
description.
"'But,' as the poor woman said, how could they help
themselves? Working folks couldn't easily get houses to
suit them, and they had just to take what they could
get. The thing she most disliked about their present
situation was, that her children were making ac-
quaintances in the wynd, which she could not
prevent, and were learning bad ways. The air, too,
was so foul that none of them were strong. The old
mother, besides, was very bad with rheumatism, and they
had little to cover her with, for they had been obliged
to part with some of their blankets to the pawnshop to keep
body and soul together lately.'
"It was a painful account. Mary was glad to pull out her
purse again, thankful that it was in her power to relieve
immediate necessity. She then retired with tears in her
eyes.

" Ay, it is hard for such as them to live in this neigh-
bourhood, Miss Elliot,' said the missionary, who observed
the impression upon her feelings. ' But the worst of it is,
that their bairns will never be so decent as themselves;
they will sink lower. The sights here, besides the filth
and the foul air, have a vitiating effect upon the mind. The
woman knows this, and I have witnessed it again and again
myself.'

"'Can they not get houses elsewhere ?' asked Mary.
"'More than they could afford to pay for. The working
classes have little choice in Edinburgh, and the conse-
quences of living in such a locality are dreadful. That
family now is still struggling on in a poor but a respectable
way. They have not been above half a year here. But they
will probably end as others have done before them. They
lose heart at length—for the bad air here has a most
depressing effect upon the spirits—and then either father
or mother, perhaps both, will take to drinking, after which
the course down the hill is fearfully rapid. I know it by
experience. Oh I Miss Elliot, I often feel my courage
fail when I witness these things ; but it is God's work, and
I dare not desert it.' "

Britons Robbed, Tortured, and Murdered in Peru.
From the Pen of Captain Malville White, M.E.
Hardwicke, Piccadilly.

A third edition of the little work in which Capt.
Melville White details his wrongs and those of
some of his fellow-countrymen in Peru is now pub-
lished, and it will no doubt have the effect of
strongly directing attention to the state of affairs
in that wretched country. The subject, however,
belongs rather to the domain of politics than of lite-
rature, and it is, seemingly, now under the consi-
deration of Government.

SPEECH OF 7HE KING OF POII7tNAI.

The King opened the Cortes in person on the
4th inst., on which occasion he made the following
speech :

" Worthy Peers and Representatives of Portugal,
—The day on which I find you assembled around
the constitutional throne, strengthening the ties of
affection and mutual confidence between the Crown
and the nation, has always been one of sincere plea-
sure to me. On the present occasion my satisfac-
tion is so much the greater on this account that I
consider as fortunate for myself, and as offavourable
augury for the country, the motive Which has in-
duced me to call you together in extraordinary ses-
sion in accordance with the requirements of the
political code—the basis of public liberty, in
solemnly announcing to you that I have chosen for
my wife the Moat Serene Princess Maria Pia of
Savoy, daughter of his Majesty the King of Italy,
I was certain that in your approbation of the con-
tract of marriage I should find a new confirmation
of the flattering hopes which my future marriage
promises to realise, by associating with my perso-
nal happiness the splendour of the throne and the
wishes of the nation. The testimonies of devotion
with which in the last ordinary session you received
the news of my approaching marriage, and the af-
fectionate demonstrations by which the country has
given me new and precious proofs of its loyalty and
attachment, impose upon me the duty of thank-
ing you, and also the people of Portugal, for the
interest taken in my personal happiness and in the
prosperity of my dynasty. Worthy peers and
deputies,—My ministers will lay before you the
marriage contract recently signed at Turin, and I
hope your vote will express, in conformity with the
sentiments which for ages have marked the gene-
rous character of the nation, the spontaneous sym-
pathy with which it accepts an alliance which dates
from the establishment of the monarchy. The ses-
sion
is opened."