The Sun.
London, England, 1854-05-03 00:00:00

Li

RB.

The Newcomes. Nos. VT., VII., and VIII. By
W. M. Thackeray.
Nearly half Mr. Thackeray's new serial has now
been published. It has continued throughout, up
to the last page issued from the press, inclusively,
more than simply readable—fraught in a great
measure with an attractive power little less than
what might be actually termed, without extrava-
gance, a sort of fascination. The secret of this is
easily discoverable. It arises, in the first place,
out of the charm of the writer's style—a style so
easy, so voluble, so tender in its evidences of sen-
sibility, and yet so masculine in its vigour of ex-
pression, and in the abounding ease of its command
of language. Apart from the alluring manner of
the novelist, at least as much apart from it as that
is possible under the circumstances—seeing that
the character grows up into life out of that
mannerism, as the flower and fruit grow out
of the juices throbbing in the stalk and in
the leaves there is thus creation of the
story, the best, the truest, the noblest, the man-
liest, the most loveable, and in every respect
the most thoroughly admirable among all the ficti-
tious beings called into existence by the magic pen
of Thackeray. It is quite unnecessary to add who
this is, to any one who has read the new monthly
book—in the familiar yellow covers first rendered
, objects of interest by the wit and wisdom of "Vanity
Faihaver"—the
inntairittievde, tsoellddoumndfaerilstltieo
command
dp
ourof
Mr. Arthur Pendennis of the Pall Mall Gazette.
To those who have not read the eight numbers
which have already appeared, it would be idle
simply to mention the name of Colonel Newcome—
Colonel Thomas Newcome. Without reading the
work themselves, they could never guess the charm
that has come to be associated with the mere name
of this imaginary character. Colonel Newcome
does honour to Mr. Thackeray's heart as well as to
his imagination. A nature more noble or more
gentle, more manly or more childlike, we do not
remember to have seen anywhere delineated in the
whole range of literature. It is a companion picture
to Sir Roger de Coverley. Without Colonel New-
come, we don't know what the new story from the
hand of Mr. Thackeray would have done for attrac-
tions sufficient to secure its extended reputation—
even with all the charms of that style which, as we
admiration. For with the exception of glorious
ol d
introduced
ed By a lia m therei
11,
the
tale
Isec scarcely
all
ly
tolerable.remains
s charac-
teri
r Brian

is an empty-headed, cold-blooded banker-baronet.
Tiobsonand his wife are vulgar beyond endurance.
Barnesis a prig. Clive—for all his handsome face,
we are compelled to say it, is somewhat of that horrid
genus, though for venturing to avow this we should
expect to be cut by Mr. Pendennis, if we enjoyed
the honour of his acquaintance. Ethel, too, has
grown to be a kind
.of beautiful-boguy in polite
society, if we may judge from the last account
given by our author of her affrighting supercilious-
ness. What can be more detestable or more con-
temptible than the silhouette snipped by these re-
morseless scissors, the miserably life-like pen and
ink sketch of the Rev. Charles lioneyman ? What
except the revoltingly truthful portrait of little
Rosy's mother, that smiling mass of deceit and affecta-
tion? As for the storyitself—it is one almost entirely
without incidents. Unless one can dignify with
the title of incidents rides in the Park, and visits
to Brighton, and dinners, and luncheons, and
evening parties. But no—besides these there is
one other incident recorded in the number before
us, the incident, in fact, which closes the instal-
ment last published. Colonel Newcome takes his
departure from England to return to Hindostan.
With that departure still vividly in our minds,
like a home-grief, we throw the number aside
with real regret and disappointment.

A War S.n•g. By Dr. Ptolemy Paul. Gay and

Company.
A tinted title-page, showing The Betsy Jane
" finishing off'' The Menschikoff—[the former a
British ship of 40 gulls, and the latter a Russian
74 gun man-of-war : both vessels, it is scarcely
necessary to observe, purely fanciful built,
so to speak, in the dockyard of the writer's fancy,
and afterwards launched from the artist's ima-
gination]—is not by any means the only attrac-
tive peculiarity of this curious and certainly very
original publication. It is a war song appropriate
to the time, the words written by Mr. Sydney
Yondys, and the music composed by Dr. Ptolemy
Paul. As to the young poet himself, his first
dramatic work, " The Roman"—a work abounding
with power and replete with promise, a power we
were amongst the first to recognise, and a pro-
mise which we then expressed ourselves sanguine
would be ultimately fulfilled—constitutes, we con-
ceive, his best and happiest introduction to the
notice of the community. As to the musician, he
comes before the public under the auspices of
the writer, whose verses have here supplied him
with inspiration. Together they have chaunted
the triumph of an imaginary English frigate over a
Russian seventy-four—a warlike day-dream, which,
before many weeks have elapsed, may, in more than
one instance, both in the Baltic and in the Euxine,
vefy probably be realised. The song appears most
appropriately—at the precise period when we are all
of us listening eagerly for the first reverberations
of those maritime victories which are now confi-
dently anticipated. Its accompaniment closes
rather grandly, certainly most effectively, with the
distant sound, floating across the waters, of the
national melody of " Rule Britannia."

THE MARRIAGE OF THE EMPEROR 01

AUSTRIA.

The following (copied from Galiplani's Messenger) are
some details of the ceremony of the marriage of the Em.
peror of Austria with the Duchess Elizabeth :
" The church was fitted up with rich hangings, the part
near the altar being hung with crimson velvet and gold,
and the other part with tapestry, representing subjects of
Austrian history. Rich carpets covered the floor, and the
church was lit up with 100 large bistros and 10,000 wax
lights. Over the high altar was placed a rich canopy of
crimson velvet, embroidered with gold, and in front were
placed prie-dieux' of white velvet and gold, for the bride
and bridegroom. At the left of the altar was erected a
magnificent throne for their reception before the ceremony
was to begin. The clergy were ranged close to the altar at
each side, and the nave was reserved for the Court, the great
dignitaries of the empire, the generals and superior officers,
the diplomatic corps, and the persons invited. The marriage
took place in the evening ; and at six o'clock nearly all
the various personages who were to be present had taken
their places, presenting a coup d'sit of great magnificence.
The Imperial cortege did not leave the palace until half-
past seven. It was opened by the great officer of the Court,
and the representatives of all the great families of the em-
pire in the richest costumes, in magnificent equipages ;
then came the Imperial pages ; and after them the Arch-
dukes ; the Archduke of Tuscany and his sons ; the Duke
Maximilian of Bavaria ; then the Emperor, wearing the
uniform of an Austrian Field-Marshal, with the grand
cordon of the Order of St. Hubert of Bavaria, escorted by
his aides-de-camp ; after him came the bride, accompanied
by the Archduchess Sophia, and having the Duchess Louisa
of Bavaria on her left, and the Imperial Princesses. The
bride wore a white satin dress, embroidered with gold and
silver, a long train, and a rich lace veil ; on her head was
a rich diadem of diamonds, presented to her by the Arch-
duchess Sophia who had herself worn it at her marriage, and
in her girdle was a bouquet of natural roses. The ladies of
the court, in the richest dresses, closed the procession.
The arrival of the Emperor at the church was announced
by a flourish of trumpets and cymbals. The Prince Arch-
bishop of Vienna, who officiated, received tho Imperial
couple. The archbishop, accompanied by his clergy,
then led the way to the altar, and after all had
taken their seats, the bride and bridegroom being on the
throne, the religious ceremony commenced. The Emperor
and the Duchess then placed themselves on the' prie-dieux,'
and after the Archbishbp had pronounced a short address,
fromplacedtaking
who a presented
themeachthem
gother's
finger.
They then held each other by the hand, and the
Archbishop pronounced the nuptial benediction. At the
moment (eight o'clock) salvos of artillery were fired from
the bastions, military music sounded a flourish, and all the
bells sent forth a joyful peal. Their Majesties then rose
and quitted the church, the cortege withdrawing in the
same order that they had come, with this difference that
the Emperor and the Empress returhod to the Palace side
by side."

A grand dinner was given at the Court of Vienna on
the 26th ult. on the occasion of the marriage of the
Emperor. More than SOO guests were present. In the
evening the Emperor and the Empress went to the
theatre. Their Majesties were received by the audience
with the warmest enthusiasm. The Emperor was
dressed in the uniform of a Field-Marshal with the grand
cordon of the Order of St. Hubert. Her Majesty wore
a dress of white silk sparkling with diamonds.