The Sun.
London, England, 1853-08-19 00:00:00

LITERATURE,

The Old Rouse by the River. By the author of
" The Owl Creek Letters." Chapman and Hall.
There is something singularly impressive in the
style of this work. All the events narrated are
simple, and the personages described are of little
celebrity in the world ; but there is an moue
interest imparted to them from the manlier is
which they are brought before us. The book con-
sists in a series of reminiscences of bygone times;
collected by one of two friends who had pass,"
together through the changing scenes of life lei!
many years, but who were subsequently forced Tw
separate. As is often the case in such circumstances)
they did not again renew their mode of existence.
Chance and change had altered the form of thing!,
and the Old House by the River was deserted
•
There is a touching picture of the death of Ellen
Willis at the commencement of these sketches, and
it is ably shown forth how her undying image
hovered over the future lifetime of Joseph Willis'
It is said, in describing the gloom her loss oeca-
sioned to her friends—" In the ocean of our lives,
there is an island on whose shores the waves of
memory break with heavy roar."
The death of an Indian chieftain, in the midst of
a stormy night, is another striking " tableau.
At the last a bitter smile crossed his face at the
memories "of a race that passed away like the
dreams of his childhood—of a life that was closing
among scenes unworthy the Panther warrior of the,
Mohawks." In the chapter of " Old Friends'
there is a solemn account given of two young lovers
who were compelled to part. At the last moment
she exclaimed, "If you pass first into the other
land, wait for me on the bank ; and if I go hong
before you I will linger on the other shore until
you come." Time passed. He wandered in foreign
lands. She went on her way the same as ever, calm
and uncomplaining, " and no one dreamed of the
strange tryst she was longing to keep on the other
side of that dark river which men so shrink from.
Many pleasing scenes are shown here, though seine,
of them are deeply tinged with melancholy, 1311:
that is always inseparable from records of the Pet
In all the descriptions one cheering ray seems I"
illumine the darkness—the hope and promise of
better future for the friends of the past in the land
where they are assembling one by one. " Poor
old Simeon Gray," said the silent thought in rnp
heart. " Rich old Simeon Gray," said my lies .",,
responding, for he went to a lordly mansion an
countless treasures.

Louis XVII. and the Captivity of the Royal Family'
By A. de Beauchesne. Translated and edited by
W. Hazlitt, Esq. 2 vols. Vizetelly and Clarke,
Beeton and Co.

Of all the Sovereigns whose sovereignty has bee_sgil,
merely a name, whose thrones have been but steed
to the scaffold or the tomb, the shortest an
darkest history is filled by the subject of tiles:
memoirs. One can hardly believe in such ill-MAI
and. neglect of an unoffending child of eight Yev4P.„
old, or for what reason he was spared the ginu.,°:
tine for a slow torture and death. To die lie
Louis XVI., and Marie Antoinette, and Madame
Elisabeth, may seem painful and appalling, but to
perish like this poor child after years of misery" s°
useless and so undeserved, is indeed disgraceful t°
human nature. One can comprehend the suffering
people rising in their despair and making thei!
weak and amiable King expiate the crimes of Ills
forefathers and the misgovernment of his unhaPPl
country, but that a helpless infant should be tor:
from his mother and family, degraded in mil"
beaten and ill-treated by the cruel Simon, and thell,
left in such a frightful state of destitution and 01
neglect, that it exceeded his former suffering*
seems, indeed, incredible.
M. Beauchesne gives a full account of the life and
sufferings of the Royal Family in the Temple, and
in the time preceding it. It was at those moments
that the patience of Louis XVI., and the heroism
of Marie Antoinette shone most brightly.
number of documents and confirmatory papers are
given. The most interesting of these are the
copies of original letters by Marie Antoinette and
Madame Ehsabeth.

The Angler's Complete Guide to the _Rivers aoth
Lakes of England. By R. Blakey. Whitaker.
A pleasing and useful assistant. It informs its
what fish inhabit the streams of each county, the
flies, d*c., most likely to secure them, the season
most favourable, and the various peculiarities 01
the county in the angling department. The WY
teur fisherman will find this little volume a von
compendious and useful " guide."

The Angel and Trumpet.
W. Kent.

By John Bennett.

This little volume is intended to set forth the
evils of breaking the eighth commandment. The
author asserts that he has drawn but little on
the imagination, but that the characters are taken
from life. The chief point of interest lies in the
fact that it was never written, but as the thoughts
occurred they were recorded in type, the author
having a knowledge of the art of printing.