The Sun.
London, England, 1854-06-05 00:00:00

MISCELLANEOUS.

Tait's Magazine commences with another instal-
ment of " A Story of the Middle Classes." It is
followed by an interesting paper on the late Pro-
fessor Wilson. An article entitled "Literature,
Genius, and Devotion"' gives a criticism on
the genius and writings of Robert Hall, by Mr.
Murrell. An account of Odessa gives a sketch of
its history.—The National Miscellany opens with
an article on Oxford, its past and present. It is
followed by a very interesting paper entitled
" Something about Grammar," which traces the
connection between the peculiarities of language
and the idyosyncracies of the people whose dialect
it is. A continuation of it is promised. It is
worth noticing that two extracts of literal transla-
tion from the Latin and Greek, arranged word for
word as in the original, appear hopelessly unin-
telligible. A memoir of Itubini, and some remarks
on Newspaper Stamps are among the chief features
of the number. We are glad to see the addition
of poetry to this magazine. It is scarcely, how-
ever, on a level with the prose.—Sharpc's London
Magazine has two pretty engravings of Vienna
and the Nile. Harry Coverdale is continued with
vigour. ' The biography of Henry Fielding is con-
cluded, and the Studies of Great Authors gives a
sketch of Boccaccio. There are several tales and
essays.--Hogg's Instructor has several papers on
subjects of some importance. " Our Criminals—
how shall we treat them?" is one of those, as all
will admit it includes one of the most difficult and
important of questions of social economy which
has not yet been satisfactorily answered. Tho
plan of the writer is to establish a kind of
surveillance on the offender after his pun-
ishment is inflicted, so as not to let him
loose upon society without a certainty of reforma-
tion. This is a mere outline of a plan, but we fear
it would be somewhat difficult of accomplishment.
Undoubtedly, if the criminal could be thoroughly
reformed, and then provided with employment, it
would be far better than dismissing him to imprison
him again in a few months.—Bentley's Monthly
Review has two interesting subjects, " The Last
Days of Murat," and " Thomas Carlyle."---•
Knight's excellent Encyclopmdia is continued.
—Orr's Circle of the Sciences has reached the
twenty-third nambor, and completes the first To-
lume.—The Family Friend and Twopenny Pose
are two pleasing and instructive little serials. The
Journal of the Statistical Society of Landon has
much valuable information on political au bjects.--
Le Follet is as attractive as usual.

MR. G. WIGIITWICK'S DRAMATIC READLYG.

On Thursday last a select, and, considering the na-
ture of the circumstance, a numerous and fashionable
audience met at Willis's-rooms, St. James's, for the
purpose of welcoming, on his first attempt of the kind
in the metropolis, a gentleman who has, we understand,
earned "golden opinions" from an admiring public in
the West of England. In addition to literary and
scientific pretensions of no common order, the scholar
referred to wishes, it would seem, to contribute, by his
abilities as a reader, to the improvement of public taste
by giving his own views of elocution and reading in
connection with the drama, thus enabling many who,
from conscientious motives, deny themselves the entree
of the theatres, to enjoy the beauties of dramatic diction,
without their usual concomitant, drawbacks.
We are the more disposed to believe that such is the
real motive which induced Mr. G. Wightwick to solicit
a hearing at the request of several persons of distinction,
as we noticed among those present several distinguished
members of the church, whose object in countenancing
Mr. Wightwick's first attempt was obvious. For our
own part we are always inclined to support and en.
courage such efforts, because we cannot imagine a more
rational or more useful recreation than that of being
initiated into the views of a man of taste as to the rig ht
conception and proper feeling of certain passages in our
best dramatic writers, and, pre-eminently speaking, of
our immortal Shakespeare, being thus made fully ac-
quainted with the " points" of certain parts, characters,
s
and situations, which
But we return cursory course of mere reading
will hardly suggest, and
his reading of the second part of Henry IV.
We deem it no small praise to ay tothi‘altr.thGe'nWew"
didate for metropolitan favors
approved himself worthy
of taking his rank, we w
with the best readers ill not say above, but on a par
we have had the good fortune to
hear, and that his quiet, unassuming, gentlemanly bear-
ing won for him our best
sthies. His voice, though
not striking at first, is flexibleii:
and versatile, and the
decided
variety of its intonation, in different parts, met with
approbation. He particularly succeeded in com-
manding the attention and interest of his audience, and
received much applause for his impersonation of the most
feeling and pathetic parts in the play. His forte, how-
ever, is the comique, and his Falstaff, his Justice Shallow,
his Mistress Quickly, were to the full as much liked as
his delineation of King Henry, and of the Prince, in his
more dignified moments, while his version of the Lord
Chief Justice was approved of and admired.
Whether or not Mr. G. Wightwick will succeed in
establishing that footing in London, as a dramatic
reader, which he probably sataspire o, we will not
presume to assert, hut we look pon him as one
• of those, who, in these degenerate times of the
drama itself, do much to save from positive neglecic
t
those works which are daily gaining in class
repute,
what they lose in histrionic fame, and who may
rescue them from the fate which has awaited many a
noble inspiration, being unheard, unread, uncultivated,
- except by the select few. With our cordial congratula•
tions, and a sincere wish for his complete success, we
) recommend all persons who wish to combine the study
of elocution with the enjoyment of our great dramatists
to patronise Mr. G. Wightwick 's forthcoming series of
" .Readings."

ARRIVALS OF SPECIE.--The specie arrivals of the week
have amounted to about 120,0001., exclusive of a sum of
140,0001., brought by the Washington for Havre, Lon•
don, and Bremen. The exports, with the exception of
those above mentioned for China and the troops in the
East, have been inconsiderable, and have coneietsi
chiefly of a few small parcels of gold to Fens*