The Sun.
London, England, 1862-04-03 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

2'he Country Gentleman. By Scrutator, author of
" The Master of the Hounds," &c. 3 vols.
Hurst and Blackett.
Scrutator is a name already known in the lite-
rary us well as in the sporting world, since the
present is by no means the first of his novels,
while his volumes on the horse and hunting are
standard works in the sportman's library. The
latter class of readers, indeed, may be somewhat
disappointed at finding so much of " The Coun-
try Gentleman" occupied by the development of
the story; but as descriptions of tha hunting
field and sporting incidents are plentifully inter-
spersed, the work will be more attractive to the
general public than if it were exclusively devoted
to Scrutator's peculiar forte. Many exciting
" !Tins" are chronicled, while the adventures and
misadventures of eager and ambitions tyros fur-
nish amusement to the reader. Will Lane, the
huntsman, is a prominent character, to whom his
rival Charley, the whipper-in, forms a strong
contrast. Will Lane resembles one of the old sport-
ing figures John Mills used to draw, both in the
uprightness of his character, and in the importance
he attaches to all connected with the pastime,
which is to him the, most serious business of life.
In the earlier portion of the book we are intro-
duced to Alphonso Shuttleworth, the son and heir
of a wealthy parvenu speculator, who is desirous
of adding to his other glories that of distinction
in the hunting field. Unfortunately his abilities
are not on a par with his ambition, and a disas-
trous collision is tho result, which occasions a
serious accident to Will Lane. Indeed, he never
wholly recovers from its effects, and becomes,
towards the close, very uneasy lest he should be
deprived of his cherished office. This evil is
averted by an alteration in the Mastership of the
Hounds—old Mr. Knightley resigning it to his
second son, Edmund, instead of to his heir, who,
from mingled haughtiness and indifference, is no
favourite with the hounds and their guardians.
The exploits of a German Baron, who borrows a
spirited hunter from an English friend, and after
being considerably shaken and startled, becomes
unexpectedly and unintentionally the winner of
the brush, are amusingly narrated. The after
part of the story is romantic and eventful enough
to suit any lover of fiction, and the heroines are
as varied in attractions and characters as they can
easily be. Edmund Knightley, the hero of the
hunt, is also the favoured knight in the graces
of the heroine. He is not without rivals, one
of them being a dangerous competitor, for he
nearly throws himself, and the lady who rejects
him, into a lake. His chivalrous project is brought
to an abrupt conclusion by the timely appearance
of Edmund, and he afterwards sends a very neces-
sary apology. The history of Lady Agnes is one
of the most striking features of the tale, and the
mistake as to her supposed death is very skilfully
kept up. Her husband is an unprincipled fortune-
hunter, and the wilful disobedience of Lady Agnes
brings its own punishment. The fall of the
Shuttleworths is not difficult to foresee, and cer-
tainly the hunt has not much to regret in
his absence. Aaron White, the old Squire, is
another able portraiture, while many minor
figures fill up the canvas. Altogether, Scrutator's
new work is readable and entertaining, and will
especially attract any reader who takes an interest
in field sports.

Down South ; or, an Englishman's Experience at
the Seat of the American War. By S. Philips
Day. 2 vols. Hurst and Blackett.
The author of these volumes filled the post of
special correspondent to the Morning Herald dur-
iiig the late struggle, and in that capacity visited
both North and South. His sympathies are de-
cidedly with the latter, and the reader must there-
fore be prepared for a considerable amount of par-
tiality. The Northerners are entirely in the wrong
throughout, and their antagonists are entirely in
the right—chivalrous, patriotic, and benevolent.
Without contradicting the writer's assertions, we
may safely conjecture that the sayings and doings
of neither party are wholly free from blame, as in-
deed it is scarcely likely they would be in an inter-
necine war. To most of us in England neither party
appears very heroic. The North has lost our sym-
pathies ; while, whatever allowance we may make
for the difficulties attending abolition, it is impos-
sible
for us to uphold the principle of slavery. We
prefer, therefore, not to enter upon Mr. Day's opi-
nions
of the relative merits of the contending
parties, but to regard his work as an animated pie-
ture
of scenes and cities which have lately acquired
so much interest in the eyes of Europeans. The
description he gives of the origin of the rival popu-
lations of North and South accounts in a great
measure for their distinctive characteristics. The
differences between them he considers to be irre-
coneileable. " From the earliest period," he says,
"strong antagonisms have existed between the
Northern and Southern sections of the American
continent. The two races have been aliens in
blood, religion, sentiment, pursuits, and politics ;
and no Englishman who has travelled through both
portions of the country can fail to perceive the
strong contrasts which obtain in the manners, ens-
terns, and habits of the people." He gives sketches
of the principal men of the Confederacy, and his
work is embellished with the portraits of President
Davis and Gen. Beauregard. Here is an account
of the origin of the term