The Sun.
London, England, 1853-07-11 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, JULY 11, 1853.

SHARE MARKETS.

.(THIS DAY.)

LITERATURE.

Lady Marion. By Mrs. Foster. 3 vols. Hurst

and Blackett.

this day.

Although the scene of this novel is laid in our
own time, the reader might well imagine it to be
in the days of romance, for the incidents and events
seem more to belong to the middle ages than to the
matter-of-fact nineteenth century. However, it is
a very interesting tale, and will doubtless become
a favourite with many. The characters are drawn
with great skill, and the authoress has contrived to
draw a useful moral from each important transac-
tion—a consummation not always attained in ex-
citing compositions. The principal point on which
the story turns is tho oft-repeated theme, that has
been immortalised in legend, tale, and song, of a
sister visiting a brother in concealment, and, from
that circumstance, being subjected to all kinds of
false accusations. It is most probable that such an
event takes place but seldom in these days; but
the same rule would apply to any attempt at con-
cealment or subterfuge—it always causes suffering,
and sometimes produces fatal results. On the
other hand, Lord Bertland was as much to blame
on his side for being hasty and suspicious. Again,
Agnes is admirably sketched. Her disposition was
not naturally bad; but she perverted it by jealousy
and vanity, till she did not at last possess the power
to check her evil passions. Her object gained, she
might be supposed to be satisfied : but it was not so
to be. Her conscience reproached her incessantly,
and her Italian palace was a more wretched dwelling
than many a dungeon has proved. Her crime was
over before her eyes—in vain she plunged into the
brilliant throngs, and mingled in the gayest of com-
pany, as the skeleton at the Egyptian banquets ;
the memory of her cousin was there with her.
Another portion of the story which deserves com-
mendation is that in which the evil effects resulting
from the agency of the Loosmanes is described.°
Common sense repulses the idea of an unprincipled
and often ill-informed individual arranging the
affairs and planning the conduct of one quite ca-
pable of thinking and acting for himself, and yet
how often is such a course pursued. Idleness and
want of leisure give rise to it at first, and afterwards
it becomes a habit. In this case, the object of the
employed was to persuade the Earl that his son was
mad, and thereby supplant him in the father's re-
gard. From the Earl's wickedly encouraging these
men in order to minister to his weaknesses, all the
miseries that ensued were occasioned. Agnes died
of a broken heart, Lord Bertland died of grief and
misfortune, Marion's best years were clouded and
embittered, and Rothnel nearly met his death pre-
maturely, and suffered innumerable calamities. On
the whole, there is ample scope furnished for amuse-
ment and instruction in these papers, " to point a
moral or adorn a tale." It is desirable to meet
with a novel of this sort occasionally—it appeals to
the feelings while it charms the fancy, for its com-
position is the result of a brilliant imagination, in-
fluenced by high principle, and elevated by right
judgment.

Autobiographic Sketches. By Thomas do Quincey.
Edinburgh : Hogg ; London : Groombridge.
There is a great deal of interesting reflection in
this work. A mournful pathos pervades its style,
a sort of dreamy reverie at times appears to be
expressive. In some respects it reminds the reader
of ' Contarini Fleming," where the same dreary
feeling of isolation and uncongeniality with what
surrounds him is bitterly lamented by the hero.
The first part is the most pleasing of the work,
where the biographer depicts vividly the impressions
produced on a child by the sight of death for the
first time. In these passages he refutes a common
error, that of supposing that young children are
not capable of thoughts or feelings on such sub-
jects. If checked in their inquiries, they dwell on
them nevertheless in their minds, and in after
years of toil and trouble the vision of some de-
parted playmate or relative will come back to the
memory, as it is here beautifully expressed, in
" dream echoes fifty years later." The following
thoughts on solitude are very fine :

" All men come into this world alone, all leave it
alone. Even a little child has a dread whispering con-
sciousness that if he should be summoned to travel into
God's presence no gentle nurse will be allowed to lead
him by the hand, nor mother to carry him in her arms,
nor little sister to share his trepidations. King and
priest, warrior and maiden, philosopher and child, all
must walk those mighty galleries alone. The solitude,
therefore, which in this world appals or fascinates a
child's breast is but the echo of a far deeper solitude
through which already he has passed, and of another
solitude, deeper still, through which he has to pass,
—reflex of ono solitude—prefiguration of another."

There and Back Again in Search of Beauty. By
J. A. St. John. 2 vols. Longman.
Those readers who were interested in this author's
pilgrimage of " Isis," and fascinated by his gorge-
ous descriptions of the scenery of Egypt and the
amusing style of his narrative, will find much plea-
sure in the perusal of the present work. It re-
counts his journey to and from Egypt ; his adven-
tures while there having been already told, and
leads us from Switzerland, through Austria and
Italy, and, in returning, through Greece and Malta.
The object of the volumes is not so much to in-
struct as to entertain—not so much to afford infor-
mation respecting the political or social history of
the countries visited, as to furnish an agreeable
and amusing work, resembling more a romance than
a book of travels. Indeed, a large portion of it
is devoted to the curious and interesting tales re-
lated by fellow-travellers. The adventures of the
author are also singular and entertaining. The fol-
lowing scene in the Mediterranean is one of many
similar descriptions which prove the author not to
have journeyed " there and back again" without
succeeding in his search
" Ali shook me by the arm, and said that if I would
come on deck he would show me one of the most beauti-
ful sights in the world. I wished him far enough, and
his sight too, whatever it might be. However, I fol-
lowed him, and, on reaching the deck, was smitten with
unbounded admiration, which the reader perhaps will
scarcely think justified by what lam going to say. We
had made great way during the night, and the sun was
now rising behind the island of Crete, a large portion
of whose western extremity lay before us enveloped in
shadow. The summits of the white mountains were
bordered from end to end with a fringe of light, any-
thing like which I have never seen in my life but once,
and that was afterwards at Thebes, when the sun,
at its rise, gave the Arabian mountains behind
Carnac a similar luminous appearance. In the
case of the Cretan Alps there was infinitely more
of real grandeur, for their apices were lofty, and ap-
peared to cleave the blue firmanent. Every instant the
colour of the bright sky was changed from white to saf-
fron, from saffron to gold, from gold to purple and
amethyst, which played and glittered along the rocks
like a magical delusion. The precipices came' sheer
down many thousand feet towards the sea, where they
terminated in dense forests, extending to the water's
edge. Here and there we could discern breaks and gaps,
showing the cerulean sky beyond, while no sign of town,
or city, or human habitation of any kind occurred to
dissipate the idea that we were now looking upon the
fabulous cradle of Zeus, inhabited only by gods, or the
recollection of gods. Presently the sun shot, as it were,
with a bound above the mountains, and all in an instant
was broad day, which dissipated every illusion, and re-
duced Crete to the condition of a common island, made
of stone and earth, in the Mediterranean."

VAITXHALL.—Prince Napoleon, cousin to Louis Na,
poleon, Emperor of the French, was among the distin-
guished visitors at these gardens on 'Wednesday last.
ROYAL SEA BATHING INFIRMARY.—A public meet-
ing in aid of the funds of this institution took place
on Friday, at Wilis's Rooms, King-street, St. James's,
Dr. Paris, President of the Royal College of Physi-
cians, in the chair. A report was read, which expressed
regret that an institution which offered such valu-
able advantages to the public had not been more
extensively supported. The hospital was established
at Margate in the year 1796, for the relief of per-
sons afflicted with scrofula, and the total number of
persons who had received its benefits since that
period was upwards of 23,000. The building was
capable of accommodating 220 patients by night
and day, and the internal arrangements were of
such a nature that every attention, medical and other-
wise, was secured to the inmates ; but unfortunately the
directors were under the necessity of charging the
afflicted persons a weekly sum towards their board,
without which help to the funds the hospital could not
be kept open. This was the more to be regretted, as,
from the peculiar nature of the disease which the insti-
tution was intended to treat, the hospital was especially
deserving of liberal support. It was highly desirable,
therefore, that the hospital should be free from all charge
to the inmates ; but this could not be the case unless the
funds were materially augmented. On the sth April,
1853, the amount of the funds was reduced to 600/.,
and 1,4001. was required in addition to this sum to keep
the hospital open, and to maintain it in full efficiency for
six months. It appeared, however, that since the period
named there had been new subscriptions and donations
to a considerable amount ; but the directors were still
compelled to call public attention to the necessity of
supporting the infimary with a degree of liberality more
commensurate with the claims of so useful a charitable
institution.—The report was unanimously adopted, and
the business terminated, a regret being expressed that
Mr. Benjamin Bond Cabbell, who had promised to take
the chair, was from some unexplained cause absent from
AT THE DIGGINGS.—In the year 1839, a
d John Ball, who had carried on business
theperHsmeeting.ooperson
En HONESTY
e
case the
however, creditors
a marked
parcel
as a tailor in Devonshire, emigrated to Australia, leaving
severalasbad. T
debts unpo theiraid.l astonishment,neaCh
them
arrived in London about six weeks since, addressed to
Messrs. Passmore and Savory, of Exeter. On • opening it
it was found to contain 12
Oz. of gold dust. Nothing
further was heard till a few days
arrived by the Melbourne, from Ball, requesting Messrs.
Passmore to keep 8 oz. for themselves, and to forward
the remainder to another creditor at Plymouth. This
they accordingly did ; and they now entertain some
hopes of obtaining the remainder.