The Sun.
London, England, 1854-09-25 00:00:00

B E.

Kate Vernon : A Tale. Three vols. Newby.
This is a very interesting story. The commence.
ment does not promise so favourably ; it is mere
description ; but the two subsequent volumes fur-
nish material for much pleasing writing. The
style is flowing and natural, and the people met
with are well sketched in all the varying shades
of mind and manners, from the stately old
Colonel to the garrulous nurse who had fol-
lowed the fallen fortunes of the family she
loved, from splendour to humble means, and
even at last to want and privation. The first part
is the reminiscences of a young officer, Captain
Egerton, hut after he goes to India the story is car-
ried on in the usual manner, and relates entirely
to Kate. She was very unfortunate in having no
friends or acquaintances in her own rank of life ;
her cousin, Lady Desmond, was in a much higber
scale, and of a totally different nature. The Win-
ters were, on the contrary, beneath her, so that
there was no one to sympathise with her and to
enter into her feelings. The picture of her arrival
in London is very well imagined. She left her
calm retreat, in a beautiful country village, for a
dingy lodging in the town, where she, unknown
and friendless, is about to exchange pleasant occu-
pations for toil and teaching. it is natural
that such a change should affect a youngand ardent
spirit. Then came the delays, the disappointments
that are so likely to happen in such cases, but
which the enthusiastic and inexperienced begin-
ner never reckons upon—one friend out of town,
another too busy to attend to her, the third unable,
although willing, to help. Above all, when she
did get a chance, the coming in contact with vulgar
gentility, which was far worse than being among
the really common, who left her alone, or respected
her misfortune. Mrs. Potter was a great annoy-
ance with her pretensions and absurdities, but she
persevered for a time. A change came again, how-
ever, to darken more deeply her life. Her beloved
grandfather, who had been drooping since they came
to town, became ill, and after a short tithe died. A
melancholy time was that for Kate, as she watched
the gradual decay of her dear grandfather. A
few evenings before his death he asked her to bring
in his old faithful hound Cormac. As Kate, how-
ever, sat gazing at the two in the twilight, a gloomy
presentiment seized her that the worst was at hand.
The Colonel gazed abstractedly, "as if his spirit
had flown back to the scenes and time when he was
still vigorous, and Cormac gambolled with all the
vivacity of youth. Now the old hound sat grave
and still, and Kate suppressed the deep sighs
which rose from her heart, as she saw those old
companions, side by side, thus changed, thus sink-.
ing in the unequal conflict with time and adver-
sity, and behind them memory raised the
dark curtain of the present, and the bright
happy past broke forth with more -than
its pristine freshness. She saw those languid
forms, instinct with life, glowing with animation."
After this awful catastrophe a new phase in the
heroine's life is introduced. The cousin returned,
and took her to live with her ; but it was no
im-
provement in her condition, for a life of splendour
in dependence and supposed obligation was far
more trying to the spirit than the real labour Kate
had before been engaged in. To add to other
troubles Georgina Desmond was vain and jealous.
She had been a beauty, and was still greatly ad-
mired, but Kate Vernon was then in all the fresh-
ness of youth, and that irritated her cousin with-
out her acknowledging it to herself. Many pain-
ful scenes ended in a mutual determination to

separate. Kate returned to London, and after soma
time took a situation as companion to an old lady.
Here her days passed wretchedly, and it was with a
sensation of inexpressible relief to her when the
Winters returned from Italy. A brighter prospect
was now before her, as on their arrival they imme-
diately took her away from her uncongenial place
of abode, and she for a time was to reside with
them. However, she was not destined to be their
guest, for on their reaching London they were
joined by Colonel Egerton, as he had now become
after a successful course in India. His horror may
be imagined on finding how many misfortunes had.
befallen Kate in his absence. After following her
through so many troubles, and seeing her so worn
out with toil and care, which were not her natural
or expected lot, it is gratifying to leave her at last
in prosperity. By the death of his brother, Eger-
ton became a Viscount, and repossessed Kate of
the Dungar property, Colonel Vernons, in Ire-
land. Winter, on hearing the news, exclaimed—.
" So the wheel goes round, but it is not every day
it brings up, sparkling over the dull surface of so-
ciety, as bright and pure a gem as Kate Vetnon."

Lights and Shadotes of Australian Life. By Mrs.
Charles Clacy, author of " A Lady's Visit to the
Gold Riggings." 2 vols. Hurst and Blackett.
These vountes arc not exactly what one would
conclude them to be from their title, and offer
more attractions to the lovero romance than to
the seeker of information. They tr e the work of
a lady who has already given us her impressions of
the country in an account of her visit to the gold
diggings. The present work consists of a series of
very interestinc, tales, in which the chief features
of a settler's life are shown. The authoress informs
us that they are all founded on fact, most of them
having come under her personal knowledge. This
renders them more striking to those who desire tc
form some idea of colonial life as it really is, which,
of course, one who has tried it must be well able to
describe. One of the longest stories is entitled
" Mikka," and relates to the aborigines, who are
sometimes troublesome neighbours to the solitary.
settler. A proof that they are not naturally inca-
pable of improvement is afforded by the heroine
of this tale, an aboriginal girl, who was adopted by
a settler's family, and afterwards displayed much
gratitude and self-sacrifice. The bushrangers are
another danger to the lonely and unprotected
dwelling. Several tragedies are told in the course
of these narratives, as they are mostly desperate
characters, and, if not overpowered, murder all the
inhabitants. The gold diggings occupy, of course,
a prominent feature. In one story, entitled
" Going without a Dinner and its Consequences," a
poor digger's wife, just as they had become penni-
less, discovers a lump of gold. Such changes of
fortune are not rare in the gold district. Some of
the tales relate the unexpected meetings of friends
or relations in the far-off country, who had aban-
doned the hope of seeing each other again. The
authoress asserts in her preface that she does not
attempt to compete with the many clever and volu-
minous workswhich have appeared on this subject,
her object being to afford amusement, and to those
who have friends in the country some hints to intend-
ing emigrants. If not the first to describe to us the
ordinary features of the country and the inhabi-
tants, Mrs. Clacy may at least claim the distinc-
tion of having lent to the scenes of that distant
land something of the interest of home, and of
having invested the prosaic and practical life of
log-has and gold digging with the ,brilliant colours
of romance. To the class of readers we have named
the work will be specially attractive, but the ordi-
nary novel reader will find that these simple nar-
ratives of every-day life are more likely to amuse
and occupy au idle hour than many more ambitious
works, possessing as they do the charm of truth.
with he fascination of fiction.

H.M.S. BAITANNIA..—The following is an extract
From a letter we have just received from a medical officer

now serving in the Bli.ck Sea :—There has been a feii.;fni
outbreak of cholera in the Britannia, unparalleled in the
history of the service. Fifty men, some of them the
healthiest in the ship, died within the first 20 hours. In
about 14 days, 139 men died. The surgeon had a alight
attack himself. Most of the other ships have suffered,
but nothing iu comparison to the Britannia, which up
to the outbreak had been the healthiest ship in the fleet.
—Medical Times.

BARNSTAPLE(DEVONSHIRERAIR. BARNSTAPLE, FRI-
DAY.—Tbe annual cattle and horse fair, which is held
in this town for three days, commenced on Wednesday.
Several thousand sheep were penned, but the sale was
in many instances heavy. 38s. per head was ;eked, but
the general figures were—for store wethers, 255. to 345. ;
lambs, 15s. to 18s. ; breeding ewes, horns, 225. to 28s. ;
Notts ditto, 25g. to 365. Fat bullocks realised 10s. to
10s. 6d. per score ; two-year-old steers, from 121. to 161.
per pair ; three-year-old, 141. to 301. ; cows and calves,
121. to 161. ; grazing. heifers, 6s. to 7s. 6d. per soon.
There were, as usual,
a large number of horses of all
descriptions, and dealers purchased somewhat freely at
moderate prices.
THE NOTTINGHAM
White, who are charged with
BREAD RIOTS.—Mr. John Boum..
and his servant,
a Barker, and ethers, n the
night of Wednesday mahre 6th inst , were broughts, u
at the- Shire Hall, on Saturp-
for examination. The case was again
day, on bail,
ad-
journed.
ACCIDENT ON THE GREAT NORTH OP SCOT-
FATAL
LAND iinthwar.—An accident occurred on Saturday
feloniously
beforeth e magistrates,Bl:opti‘ni VgiiiCial
l
morning on this railway which has led to the loss of one
and the injury of a considerable number of persons,
some of whom are hi a very precarious state.
GREAT FIRE AT SHAD THAMES.—Last night about six
o'clock, a fire, attended with a serious loss of property,
broke out in a pile of premises, known as Laing's and
Shand's sail works, situate at Shad Thames, liorsely-
down. The premises had a considerable frontage, and
ran back nearly 100 feet, the ground-floor being in the
tenure of Messrs. Lock and Co., lead-factors. The whole
of Messrs. Laing and Shand's property has, it is to be
damaged
jLooby
granary
regretted, been reduced to ashes, and it is feared that
t isMessrs.also
much
Laing
g merchants.
and burnt,sT
very little remains of the stock in trade belonging to
Co., he lead
ain
Messrs.
Messrs.stock
amnnescke.ds and
water.
insured in the Monarch and Phoenix fire-offices, but it is
1 unknown whether any a the other sufferers Wei* in'
h The
1 lea roof
°d
were°f of
the
i
Mired.