The Sun.
London, England, 1854-11-07 00:00:00

LITE.RATUBB.

The Young Husband. By Mrs. Grey, Author of
" Mary Seaham," " The Gambler's Wife," Sc.
3 vols. Hurst and Blackett.
The characteristic feature of Mrs. Grey's writings
is melancholy. Her heroes and heroines are gene-
rally those whose lot is overcast in some manner.
In the present instance she does not depart from
her rule ; for a more unfortimate heroine than
Blanche Pierrepont is difficult to be imagined.
She was of a very affectionate and confiding dis-
position, and would use any exertion or make any
sacrifice for those she loved. She met with no
adequate return for all her devotion and kindness,
but was throughout all her life misunderstood and
ill-treated. All the members of her family and her
friends seemed to have better and more engrossing
ties of interest and affection, and the lonely and
neglected Blanche wandered in solitary misery.
She found one friend at last in a rich old gentle-
man, Mr. Fordyce ; but he did more harm even-
tually to her cause than any one. In the excess of
his regard for the kind-hearted girl, and of his in-
dignation at her unjust treatment, he, on his death-
bed, left her his fortune. This would have been a
wise and kind measure if he had not attempted
more, and endeavoured to take fate into his own
hands by controlling the passions and influencing
the feelings of others. Claud Lorraine, the hero,
had been from childhood the object of Blanche's
fervent regard and attachment ; but on the part of
the wayward and self-sufficient youth the very re-
verse of such sentiments was entertained. Mr.
Fordyce left so much a-year to Claud on condition
of his marrying Blanche within a given time. As
might have been expected from Claud's selfish
nature, the temptation of riches and power proved
too strong for him. Without giving up any of his
previous habits, or improving his inconsiderate
demeanour, he married the unfortunate young
heiress. The faults were not wholly on his aide,
as Blanche herself ought to have exhibited more
self-respect and dignity. The chief object was to
advance his welfare, and she foolishly supposed
that a large fortune would make him happy. She
was aware that he did not care for her. Mrs. Lo-
raine, the mother of Claud, was also very blame-
able in the transaction, and in the representation
of her character and conduct the author is very
successful. She shows how her motherly feelings
are allowed to influence not only her Judgment
but her conscience, for she was acquainted with an
affair that proved an insuperable barrier to their
happiness—this was the devotion of Claud to a
young English singer he had seen abroad, who
returned his affection. Stella Fitzhenry was the
only daughter of a talented and ambitious mother,
whose great object of life was to see her daughter
attain a high place on the stage. Her great musi-
cal talents especially fitted her for an opera singer.
On travelling in Italy she met Claud Lorraine,
and, after some opposition on the part of her mo-
ther, they were engaged. TO-Claud's consternation
he received a letter from his mother, urging his
immediate return. He parted from Stella with
great sorrow, promising a speedy meeting. They
did meet after many months at the Opera in Lon-
don, on the night of Stella's first appearance, when
she learned that Claud was the husband of Blanche.
A long series of sorrow and discontent on all sides
followed, Stella weakly refusing to banish Claud
from her thoughts, till at length the miseries of
the unfortunate young heiress reached a climax in
the elopement of her husband with Stella on the
eve of her marriage. This, however, is not the
conclusion of the story, though it may be considered
its moral. It teaches that we should not take the
destinies of others into our own hands, like Mr.
Fordyce—that we should not, like Mrs. Lorraine,
suffer our affections to allow us to act the part of
tempter ; and that we should not, like Blanche,
forget that there is a point beyond which self-
sacrifice becomes worse than folly, and that we
should never " do evil that good may come." For
though it is true she was not acquainted with
Claud's love for Stella, she showed herself utterly
wanting in all self-respect and feminine dignity,
by marrying one who treated her with such mani-
fest disregard and contempt. For Claud himself
little can be said ; thoroughly selfish and exacting,
he fails to arouse our interest or awaken our sym-
pathy.
The reader's only feeling is one of wonder
that two young women, both beautiful, gentle,
and accomplished, with many opportunities of form-
ing other acquaintances, should have, been so com-
pletely wanting in sense and judgmint as to suffer
him to blight both their lives, and destroy every
prospect of happiness. The narrative displays
much feeling, and paints the sorrows and disap-
pointments of the unfortunate heroine with much.
skill. 'The effect of the style is, however, some-
what marred by the injudicious arrangement of the
narrative. This work will be. /most attractive to
all romance readers who admit characters which
inspire a mournful interest, and consider those in-
cidents most effective which are seen through A
veil of melancholy.

5 The cab drivers of Glasgow have memprialised the
Lord Provost ana`magistrates, craving them to remove
the Sunday cab stands. They. have also addressed a
notice to the various clergynoonOwliciting thenito an-
nounce froM their respective pulpits that the cab drivers
have determined to make a united effort eto
_secure
cessation fromq all work on Sundays.—Glasgow parer a
THE NEW REPRESENTATIVE SEWERS COMIIISEdmy
The following letter from the Home-office hag b —*—
warded to Sir B. Hall : een for

Tiirslelinutenhtalpl,4onacte.rB3too,nlBt.so4ac• -
attgvhsealthta
ueht he:eo*hpe,
knOcwBlierccelthaemredcireeipetteclofbyyoUV‘r letter of the 26th instant,
enclosing a copy of a letter addressed to you by the vestry
commiso r SSC,
wosmirill:
bcni clerk
mission,
oponof
ti Sna
appointed
ddlanar ymal eftbeowo ninsdeaoryre
sms . respecting
et
tihan
your obedient servant,
" Sir B. Hall, M.P., &c., " a WADDINGTON.
TRH LLA.NDARROG MURDER. —Since the verdict re-
terned at the coroner's inquest on the body of Mrs.
Jones, who was killed by her husband, as alre,'.Y
briefly reported in The Sun, the magistrates of the
county have instituted an inquiry at the county gaol,
and the following additional facts have been collected:—
The children of the prisoner were examined as t 7
the treatment of the deceased by her husband, Dania
Jones. James Jones/ the prisoner's son, aged
.13 years,
wc
deposed that his father awoke him by the nheisreinhtihhe
he made in beating his mother. He beat-her
in an awful manner. He went to akiilleiing neighbour's house
l his mother,
face with his fist, pushed her on the fire,. and kicked her
for assistance to prevent his father
Daniel !" evidently in great agony.
l
uncle, and they found his motherf He fetched his
on the floor ap-
parentlyyclonvgered with blood.
and, on returning, heard his mother say,g "
Oh, dear,
dead, and with her face
and carried her to bed. He then
went to bed himself. His washed her face and
father had beaten the de-
ceasedprevious Thursday, and cut
Prisoner said, " Halloo, old girl,e
with a stick on the
.statement was corrobo-
rated
bled. This you are alive still!"
her head open till it
of the deceased by the prisoner
to the beating
c of the poor vie-
tun, who spoke
otter exhaustion d the u
with a whip, an priseiffir and by a daughter,
committed the husband for if Wil.
tim. The ilagie
rated by anothertriotnesof the
ful rairdgZ