The Sun.
London, England, 1862-04-15 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

Number One ; or, the Way of the JF orld. By
Frank Foster. Simpkin, Marshall, and Co.
Aware of the extreme difficulty of relating events
of personal interest as they actually occur, Goethe
styled his autobiography "Truth and Fiction," and
the writer of the present memoir, treading in the
steps of the great German, contents himself with
stating that it has a groundwork of fact; to more
than which we think no work of the kind can pre-
tend. We all of us see things through a distorted
medium. Each is a hero to himself whatever he
may be to his valet (should he possess that encum-
brance). That amusing braggart Cellini is in this
but a type of biographers generally; but, then, to
brag like Cellini one should be gifted with his
genius. To this, however, the writer of the volume
before us lays no claim. He is no great genius ;
but then he is, comparatively, a modest man. He
neither commits homicide, bullies Popes and princes,
or produces works which are the admiration of the
world. His tale Is a " plain, unvarnished" one,
fluently told, possessing no improbable or romantic
features, but professing to give a view of life as seen
through the Claude. Lorraine glass of " Number
One." Frank, the hero, is the only son of a respec-
table tradesman in a country town, who, neglecting
his own business to look after that of others, and
paying special attention to politics, suddenly dies,
leaving him at 15 with a fortune of seven pounds.
Thinking London a sort of Tom Tiddler's ground,
where good commercial situations and Government
appointments may be had for the asking, Frank
arrives in the metropolis with sundry letters of re-
commendation, and finds on presenting them " no
effects." He then calls on a noble lord to whom his
father had been useful, an dis reeeived with politeness,
"promise cramm'd" and dismissed. Next,havin g spent
his money in sight seeing he falls into difficulties, but
is relieved by an old servant of his father's, named
" Honest Sohn." At length, after numberless re-
buffs, he succeeds in getting a subordinate situa-
tion in the establishment of Messrs. Fountain,

lar, and Branch, rises rapidly, leaves them to
become commercial traveller to another house, and
is seized with the caccethes scribendi. Accordingly
he publishes a work upon a subject he understands
—Commercial Life—which sells, and a volume of
poems, which does not; then, having "a soul
above buttons," he cuts commerce for letters. Thus
he lives till the Australian gold fever broke out,
whither he went with the double intent of writing
a book on the colony and doing a geod stroke of
business with the residents. Arrived there he
soon converted his four hundred pounds worth of
property into two thousand, then returned to Eng-
land, bought another cargo and once more started
for the golden shore. But a change had come
over the Australian scene. No longer was there
T 9. hrush
o oodfs purchasers.
at a Thelo s
smarket p
per
cae glutted
nt
the ruined speculator once more turned steps
towards home. Finding now that "th ,
and.
e cupboard
was bare" he delivers lectures, publishes an account
of his travels, starts an entertainment in the Albert
Smith style, his health gives way, he is seized
with a dangerous illness, becomes an incurable
invalid, and derives consolation from religious
faith. Such is a bare outline of the contents of
the volume which, should the author live, is, it
seems, to be followed by another and similar one.
The value of the work thus consists in its relat-
ing a series of experiences in an amusing and
unobjectionable form, with the intention of enabling
the young reader to profit by example. The hero
is a fair specimen of an average character. If not
always prudent, he is neither vicious nor criminal.
Though he becomes religious under affliction, there
is no case of miraculous conversion. The beginning
of his career shows how "great expectations" of
patronage and employment come to naught, and
the end how those who make haste to grow rich
may find their dreams of fortune melt like icicles
in the sun. Still he neither complains or despairs.
Always ready to help himself, he makes the best
of everything. His
view of life is therefore a
healthy One. Somewhat superficial, Perhaps, it
may be, though to this the general reader will net
object ;"but the 'following extracts will best illus-
trate its character :

THE PALL OF PRIDE.
Alafsl How frequent acid severe is the penalty paid by