The Sun.
London, England, 1854-06-13 00:00:00

LITER. ATURE.

4414 and the War. By Captain Jesse. Long- ,
man and Co.
compact little volume, descriptive of the Rus-
tl Empire,b
in reference to the war now raging
eeen it and the chief powers of Christendom,
).7 here been given to the world by the author of
urraY's Handbook to Russia, Captain William
dk-'0 ,c) of Maisonette, Ingatestone. It is among the
ocoroprehensive in design, as it is also, without
kte'ut, among the most authentic in particulars,
1411" all the scarcely numerable works lately pub-
the
of a similar character. It certainly begins
inquir-
ing' !beginning—chapter one pertinently
Who caused the war ?"—the answer to that
10i7'17 being, of course, "Nicholas." Then fol-
te a fragment of Muscovite History, having re-
/ lice to a few of the Autocrats, spelt by Captain
kqe
' not Czars, but Tzars. Among those poten-
tkth.e 8 are the following—lvan 111., Ivan IV. Peter
PGreat, Catherine 1., Peter 11., Anne, Ivan
') Elizabeth, Peter 111., Catherine the Great,
, and so down in regular succession to his two
14Vial sons, Alexander and Nicholas. Our
eOr having brought us gradually down to the
°rable reign of the Czar immediately contem-
liZrY) next traces in a keen outline the narrow
4t4of Russian civilisation. His account of the
tiortvisusliment of the Imperial Despotism of the
itt'cra Autocrat leads him naturally enough to a
,ription. of the manner in which the vast armies
itielt,ltasia are organised. The Russian serfs and
the "ussian nobility are respectively delineated, and
contrast presented to the mind's eye is, of
pk;g2e) sufficiently extraordinary. The subjoined
woZge will be found on perusal to have been well
ih 4ernan's ,„cY of quotation
en . It comprises first of all a
and th a lady's description of—
THE EMPEROR NICHOLAS.
The boast of the Russians, that among a thousand
lrll,to would not fail to recognise the Emperor, is
.n7l3' exaggerated. His figure is commanding, and
tsjytttenance striking ;, his height is nearly six feet
and his frame unites symmetry with strength ; his
deBlB peculiarly fascinating ; but the high forehead,
:48',01't and curved upper lip, and the expression of a
b
small mouth, impart somewhat of sternness to
:features when in repose ; his naturally fair corn-
-1'47)4 is bronzed by exposure to the sun, but the fore-
Where, the cap has she'tered it, is white as marble.
?Itte eye is quick and expressive, and a small mous-
,"e adds to his soldierlike appearance.' Such is a
;411 officer's sketch of the Emperor Nicholas. A
iitv'r and romantic lady, at about the same period,
44 the following His figure, to which there is no
tta„tid in Russia, if in the world is of the grandest
lVtl', expression, dimension, and carriage, uniting all
littiaiceties and graces of ail the heathen gods—the
r tibh", god of Love alone perhaps excepted. Had these
tot,e and symmetrical proportions, this nobility of per-
-44; uelonged to a common mujik, instead of to the
18°erat of all the Russias, admiration could not be
tile' tor scarcely the feeling of moral awe. It was not
04„410carch who was so magnificent a man, but the
t,",'4'ho was so truly imperial. His p-rson is that of
iw-,'°ssad man in the full prime of life and health, forty-
weilYears of ag, e, about six feet two inches high, and
4,,d4ed out, without any approach to corpulency, the
tlio'iverY magnificently carried, a splendid breadth of
qider and chest, great length and symmetry of limb,
Q„ ,finely-formed hands and feet. His face is strictly
1414 n, forehead and nose in one grand line, the eyes
tll4/ lined, large, open, and blue, with a calmness and
ihe422B, a freezing dignity, which can equally quell an
'rection, daunt an assassin, or paralyse a petitioner ;
thtirtionth regular, teeth fine, chin prominent, with dark
lii,fBtache and small whiskers, but not a sympathy on
His mouth sometimes smiles, his eyes never.
ke,ie is that in his look which no monarch's subject can
kpf His eye seeks every one's gaze, but none can
14,1:00t his.' This is very graphic, and, for a maiden
in sufficient detail ; the similarity of the two
'Ptions is evidence of their accuracy. Like a
kh°4ll Saul,' says another writer, 'he soars above his
t,atdeets- " from the shoulder
ter
Prototype, Agamemnon,s upwards," or like his
Majestically tall,
Whil‘o\vers o'er his armies, and outshines them all;'
le his strength appears to be of au equally colossal
ttipi"l"rd. His majesty can sleep anywhere and eat
tirtng ; or he can watch, and ho can fast, if needful,
.pithmeasuring the powers of others by his own, the
of the officers immediately under him is frequently
tr.:(lced to their over exertions ; at the same time ludi-
kh.tt S instances have occurred of gentlemen of highly
lerleetic indications whose lives had been considerably
qptbened by the anti plethoric requirements of the
krtli)eror's service, and their forced attendance in his
1411, ago, or kibitka (a kind of britscka), when making
of his whirlwind expeditions from Tobolsk to
„"B"'', or from Finland to the Black Sea. As to the
4,i4cter of the individual who now represents the
al Majesty of Russia, it is one that will repay care-
di4,llq hi
yestigation. His firmness is unalterable, hisin-
-44` unfailing, his justice, as it emanates from !ri-
keti, srict, his preferences steady, his consistency rigid,
11,1,111 s perseverance undaunted through all obstacles.
le "he has neither the cultivation of mind that should
ittl to clear views and sound judgment, nor the native
tlhaligence that should supply its place ; and both
Ike e qualities being wanting, those we have enumerated
inkg often seen violently impelled in a wrong direction
t.: a right, as often expending their strength in the
the kefttion of mere nonsenses, the length of a spur or
rtnureadth of a button, as in wrestling with deep-rooted
As was said of him by one of the most en-
t:iened, and, moreover, loyal of his own nobility,
p4° 40 good, three essential qualities are necessary,—
11er, good will, and knowledge : he possesses the two
N .",, but not the last—in a word, he is ignorant.'
fei'alas is the ideal tape of his people, the most faith-
Vcpresentative of their characters and their vices.
iletlo
Game love of show which characterises the Russian
tbejh is nowhere seen stronger than in the person of
(41 Emperor and while he astounds all strangers, and
14'tvates most of them by the dazzling splendour of
tlueourt, they little suspect what filthy rags compose
lio" garments of the state.' By the foregoing descrip-
klilt it will be seen that the preset Autocrat of all the
tOias is a perfect specimen of the human race—ex-
kti'"lll°' in two rather important points, the intellect
t[i‘ the heart ; he was born for the feudal times, not for
civilized ones of this century."
Such is the present chief of that wonderful and
oual despotism which was wittily described by
D4lt,t",e,yrand as " Une monarchie absolue limitee
lassassinat"—an absolute monarchy limited by
t4aination. In the very able chapter (xiii.)
:inag Captain Jesse's volume, tile events of the
ktblifew years are brought down from 1848 to the
t, al declaration of war against Russia by the
cueli and English Governments.
24

Emperors Alexander and Nicholas. By
A Robert Lee, M.D. Richard Bentley.
40'14 old bundle of manuscripts, in other words a
182rah,1 kept by Dr. Lee between the winter of
and 1827, has been " overhauled" by its
titer, and out of a selection from among its motley
krilerials has grown up the present happily-timed
Ivi'4„ very readable compilation. The author speaks
bii'u the authority—seeing that he was neither
4,4(1 nor de: f--of an eye-witness and an ear-wit-
rjb4! to many of the incidents described in his ani-
edk narrative. That narrative, as the title-page
lka,es promise of its doing, comprises a record of "the
4", days" of Alexander, and of " the first days" of
4nolas_Emperors of Russia. It opens with the
November, 1824, when the writer landed at
fa" ?gne on his way to Odessa, there to join the
14111tlY of Count Woronzow in the capacity of
tesicia.n to his Excellency. It closes with the
more
of January, 1827, when Dr. Lee arrived once
in London after his return from the Russian
b,rritorie . Here is our author's brief but touching
s
-`etaento of

THE DEATH OF ALEXANDER.
``The scene was most affecting when the Emperor,.
1511 the 19th, expired. The Empress had been kneeling
pis bed-side, with her eyes fixed upon him, as he
gradually became weaker and weaker, until all signs of
I,,,'Nere gone. Then, rising, she closed his eyes, and
I:tu a handkerchief bound up his head, to support the
lerjaw. After this, she folded his arms over his
(11,`4''t, kissed his hand, and then knelt down by the side
Ththe dead body for half-an-hour in prayer to God.
r°ughout the whole of his Majesty's illness, she
4nifested the strongest attachment to her husband ;
nd at his death was inconsolable."
tc3gether the little volume, scarcely extending to
tre than 200 pages, will be found to abound with
~,,°
-`l°lls and interesting information.

Ike Year-Book of Facts for 1854. By John
Timbs. Bogue.
sixteen volumes of this remarkable serial have
hic'v been published—sixteen volumes recording the
°St important discoveries and improvements made
thtw een 1839 and 1854, Facts in Mechanics and
I:rseful Arts, in Natural Philosophy, in Eie c-
city,i i
in Chemistry, in Zoology and Botany, in
t: logy and Geography, in Astronomy and Me-
iii"tOlogy. The sixteenth, the volume before us,
4,4triong them all very far indeed from being the
Tit remarkable. As its vignette, it contains on
tlltle-page a glimpse of the building of the " Cry-
Ri Palace at Sydenham." As its frontispiece, it
I.ses us a portrait taken from a daguerreotype by
cet',ldet, of Arago, one of the illustrious deceased
the past twelve months.

-GLISH GLEE AND MADRIGAL UNION.--The first
4t ,"rt ci s
s Rooms yesterday, f this talented company of vocalists was given
aq inpresence of a crowded
sir; lashionable audience. The English Glee and Ma. ;
leal Union cansists, as before, of Mrs. Enderssohn,
'Lockey, Messrs. Lockey, Hobbs, and H. Phillips
thLtheY are this season further a-sisted by a chorus of
thi:en voices, including four sopranos, four contraltos,
ib,r tenors, and five basses. The concert yesterday
$,,-.„ll4thi compositions by S. Smith, Webbe, Cooke,
i.,-41'ett, S. Webbe, Ravenscroft, Paxton, Benet, and
the usury Bishop. The selection was excellent, and
the Pieces in general were admirably given. Between
for,Parts Mr. J. L. Hatton, who presided at the plano-
'e,.performed Handel's " Harmonious Blacksmith."
4041:oskiEum.—His Majesty the King of Portugal :5
by thedayili Royal Highness the Duke of Oporto, attended 1
ter "it% honoured this establishment with a vont i
xoo