The Sun.
London, England, 1854-01-26 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, JANUARY 26, 1854.

LITERATURE.

which we may direct attention to that most exqui-
site passage—droll, and wise, and witty in every
syllable—in which (pp. 112-13) our great satirist
takes us by the button hole and whispers to us
that we have each—(whatever wry faces we may
make in contradiction)—a closet with a skeleton !
We regret not to have left ourselves room, at this
moment, for the quotation.

Lives of the Queens of Scotland. By Agnes Strick-
land. Vol. IV. Blackwood.

Complexion, pale and clear—hair silken and, in
colour, a brilliant Chesnut--eyes dark hazle and
sparkling—face oval in contour—expression pen-
sive, but of an exquisite loveliness. Such is that
phantom of beauty which rises out of the turmoil
of the sixteenth century, whenever the student of
history muses over the life and death of Mary
Queen of Scots. Such are among the shadowy
charms that bloom as brightly as ever, after the
lapse of three hundred years, in the popular recol-
lection. Maria Regina Scotorum—three words
scarcely utterable together without some emotion
—associated as they are with the remembrance of
so many poignant sorrows and of such various and
lamentable vicissitudes. Frequently as the roman-
tic career of Mary Stuart has been described before
now, the narrative has never been invested with a
more peculiar fascination than by the graces of the
luminous style and by the charm of the undoubted
veracity of Agnes Strickland. In the last pub-
lished volume of her important historical serial of
" The Lives of the Queens of Scotland and English
Princesses," Miss Strickland has extended her
annals of the unfortunate rival of Elizabeth from
the first agitation of the question of her marriage
with either Dudley or Darnley during the com-
paratively brief interval of her widowhood, on the
premature demise of the Dauphin, down to the
murder of Rini° in the Palace of Holyrood, and
the birth of James VI. of Scotland and I. of Eng-
land in a little room in the ancient castle of Edin-
burgh. Otherwise from 1564 to 1566—tw0 years
requiring this goodly volume of nearly 400 pages
for the record of the extraordinary events com-
pressed into an interval so brief, but so memorable. I
Bearing in mind that twenty-one years of Mary
Stuart's life and reign have yet to be recounted by
her biographer, namely those twenty-one years
elapsing between 1566 to 1587, the date of her
lamentable execution on the Bth of February—it
will be perceived how much yet remains to be told
by Miss Strickland of that tragic history of which
we may be said as yet to have received only the sor-
rowful and alluring commencement. Conspicuous
we cannot but think among the deficiencies of the
present work is the manner of its arrangement, in
—firstly, the absence of any table of contents, and,
secondly, the lack of any marginal date capable of
preserving in the recollection of the reader the
precise epoch at which he has arrived as he ad-
vances in the perusal of the narrative. The former
deficiency may be compensated for, readily enough,
at the close of the entire work, by an ample index
drawn up alphabetically. As to the latter, how-
ever, the hiatus can in noway be supplied until
the issue of a revised edition as soon as may be
practicable on the completion of this companion to
Agnes Strickland's masterpiece. Throughout the
volume here submitted to our consideration it is
still agreeably obvious that the
accomplished lady-
annalist has persevered admirably in the fulfilment
of the now stereotyped promise of her motto from
one of the Poetic Siamese, the Damon and Pythias
of English Dramatists, the Orestes and Pylades of
our national literature. " The treasures of anti-
quity laid up " and hitherto overlooked, many of
them, she has here opened to the general scrutiny
with those " old historic scrolls" the majority of
which are cared for more tenderly in Scotland than
the parchments of a corresponding age and value
littered about so many neglected holes and corners
in so many of the public buildings both in London
and in Westminster. As an illustration of the
diversity of the scattered lights brought to bear
upon the history of Mary Queen of Scots by themost recent and the most painstaking of her bio-
graphers, it may be here remarked how felicitously.
Miss Strickland weaves into the gorgeous and com-
plicated tissue of her narrative the origin of that
pathetic old ballad of " Mary Hamilton," in which
was touchingly commemorated the seduction of a
serving woman and the infanticide attempted by
her seducer, the young Queen's French apothe-
cary. Another instance of the same minute
investigation on the part of our authoress
may be observed in that disclosure of the domestic
economy pursued at Holyrood, and which Miss
Strickland's researches have brought to view, and.
from which it would appear that certain propor-
tions of the commonest necessaries of life, such as
bread, wine, eggs, coals, wood, and candles were
awarded to each individual in the royal household,
from her Majesty downwards to the humblest of
her female servants. Everything, indeed, indi-
cates the scrupulous regard of the writer to the
embellishment of her text by the largest researches
of novel and curious particulars that could be col-
lected together for that purpose, by assiduous re-
gard to the labour of continuous investigation. It
is scarcely possible, of course, to pronounce any
decisive opinion of a production so remarkable, both
in its subject and in its treatment, solely from at-
tention to a fragment of it like the present volume,
ingenious and masterly though that fragment may
be in itself. A torso may at once command our
admiration, but from it wc. can only guess at the
merit of the complete masterpiece. Nevertheless
—while all this is admitted, while the volume
under review is still regarded as only a single
portion of an extended and elaborated composition
--sufficient may be recognised in it to satisfy our
judgment that the entire work, when completed,
will be so far worthy of the reputation of Agnes
Strickland, as to constitute, in the " Lives of the
Queens of Scotland," an admirable pendant to the
" Lives of the Queens of England ;" and in this
exquisite biography of Queen Mary, a fitting com-
panion to her inimitable biography of Queen Eliza-
beth.

Leila, or the Siege of Granada : and Calderon the
Courtier. By Sir E. Bulwer Lytton, Bart.,
M.P. Chapman and Hall.
As an additional volume of the writings of Bul-
wer Lytton, in the " Standard Edition" now for
some time past in course of publication, the twin
tales of " Leila" and " Calderon" will be peculiarly
acceptable to a considerable number of the mani-
fold admirers of our great novelist. For, if
neither of these works have secured to themselves
any share of popularity at all comparable to
that commended by the rest of their author's
imaginative productious, that circumstance may be
chiefly attributed to the fact of their having ori-
ginally appeared in a more costly form, accompanied
by a multiplicity of elaborate and beautiful embel-
lishments. Perused, now, apart from those grace-
ful decorations, the two stories will be found, how-
ever, to have owed but little of the success which
they then obtained from the restricted, but earnest
circle of their admirers, either to the brush of the
colourist, or to the needle of the engraver. Of
" Calderon," the romancist has himself observed
that it " belongs to the higher grade of passion and
art than its companion"—adding that he once
meditated concocting the story into a tragedy. A
sufficient testimony of the dramatic power of the
plot—a power by the way that leads one on with
breathless curiosity through these eleven alluring
chapters from the commencement of the tale to its
completion. Speaking of " Leila," while Sir
Bulwer Lytton acknowledges its unquestionable
inferiority to his other historical romances, both in
elaboration of plot and in delineation of character,
he maintains that " there are portions of the con-
ception—as connected with the position of Alman-
ser between Moore and Christian—and detached
scenes and descriptions—which the writer's more
matured experience would be unable to improve :"
a bold avowal from that master-hand which has
traced with such consummate skill of late the ex-
quisitely pencilled and unfading beauties of "My
Novel" and " The Cantons." Nevertheless, an
avowal which cannot raise surprise in the mind of
any one who has perused thinkingly the five books
of " The Siege of Granada," in which Sir Bulwer
Lytton has commemorated the glory and the shame,
the heroism and the weakness of the unfortunate
Boabdil, the last of the Moorish Sovereigns—a re-
cord as touching as that pathetic narrative in which
M. de Chateaubriand evidenced his sympathy for
the Last of the Abencerrage.

The Slave Son. By Mrs. Wilkins. Chapman and

Hall.

This is another tale of slavery ; but it takes a
novel view of the question. The authoress endeavours
to prove the horrors of slavery by showing the
vices it produces—treachery, deceit, and cunning.
She holds that the " slave saints and martyrs" of
which we have heard are more ideal than real, and
asserts, perhaps correctly, that worse than the
tortures of the body are the evils it induces in the
mind. Whichever view is taken, the subject is
sufficiently appalling ; indeed too much so to be
pleasing in a fiction when we know the pictures
are drawn from life ; but it proves the general
feeling, and if it can accomplish any good purpose
it will attain its object.

liarold, the Last of the Saxon Kings. By Sir E. Bul-
wer Lytton, Bart., M.P. Chapman and Hall.

It was said of " Harold " by a reviewer in the
Edinburgh, shortly after the appearance of that
magnificent historic romance, that it was a work
that might be currently designated " A Prose
Epic "—and this was said too by a reviewer who
was himself a poet and au antiquarian. Never
was panegyric more eminently well deseved.
" Harold " could not be defined by any phrase
more strictly appropriate. It has throughout all
the verse, and sometimes even the rhythm, and
frequently all the afflatus of epic poetry. Its elo-
quence, if one might be permitted to use the term,
for once most reverently applied to a contribution
to profane literature, is at intervals of an almost
biblical character. Biblical in its simplicity and in
its impassioned and lyrical iteration. Is an illus-
tration of this required ? Turn to the close of that
wonderful scenic description of the trial of Sweyn
the Earl before the Witana-gemot in the great hall
at Westminster. When the accused closed his
address to the austere and august assemblage.
When—

"He gathered his robe of state over his breast as a
monk his gown, and, looking neither to the right nor to
the left, passed slowly down the hall, through the crowd,
which made way for him in awe and silence ; and it
seemed to the assembly as if a cloud had gone from the
face of day.
" And Godwin still stood with his face covered by his
robe.

" And Harold anxiously watched the faces of the as-
sembly, and saw no relenting !
And Gurth crept to Harold's side.
"And the gay Leofwine looked sad.
" And the young Wolnoth turned pale and trembled.
" And the fierce Tostig played with his golden chain.
" And one low sob was heard, and it came from the
breast of Aired the meek accuser—God's firm but gentle
priest."
And so, throughout every book, and chapter,
and page (and we had almost said every sentence,
too) there are testimonies of the justice of that
phrase of the Edinburgh Reviewer, that " Harold"
is nothing less remarkable or less admirable than a
prose epic—a prose epic in which what marvellous
creations are introduced ! what heroic phantoms
of the historic past ! what figures grotesque, and
hpewitching, and pathetic, and colossal ! The meek
Edward the Confessor, and the lordly William the
Conqueror—Godwin and Lanfranc—Hardrada and
Gryffyth—tho gentle Edith and the preposterous
Messire William Mallet de Garville ! Besides crowds
of others, priests and laymen, witches and warriors
—and through all the grand irresistible current of
the fortunes of the generous and heroic Harold,
the last and, in some respects, the most beloved of
the Saxon kings, hurries the imagination onward
from event to event, from incident to incident, to
the close of the great epic story on the battle-field
of Hastings, its crowning and tremendous consum-
mation.

The Newcomes. No. IV. By W. M. Thackeray.
Colonel Newcorue, we regret to say, we see little
or nothing of in the present instalment. Abso-
lutely nothing, indeed, until just at the moment of
its conclusion, when he is assembling a motley
group of his friends around him for a grand dinner
at his west-end hotel—friends (with us as with
him) both old and new—boisterous r. Fred.
Bayham, and honest Mr. James Binnie ; Mr.
Arthur Pendennis and his " chum" Mr. George
Warrington ; Sir Thomas de Boots " who is not a
bad chap over a glass of wine," and Mr. Barnes
Newcome, " a dry fellow at first, but who I dare
say has good about him when you know him ;" our
young hero Clive, and our elegant acquaintance,
the Rev. Charles Honeyman. They aro all about
to sit down to the banquet, when the number
abruptly terminates. So that we are left to unfold
the table napkin, and nibble the bread crust, and
play with the forks and spoons, and disturb and
re-adjust the contents of the saltcellar until next
month, when it is to be hoped that the repast will
at length be fairly commenced. By the way, we
begin to recognise the source of one of the secret
charms of Colonel Newcoine—froin the very first
our especial favourite. He has a touch of the ex-
quisite innocence of Sir Roger de Coverley. "When
Honeyman was ready, the Colonel, who had the
greatest resp ect for the ch urelibwould. not hear ofgoing
out of the room before the clergyman, and took his
arm to walk." It might have been penned by
Addison. There is no guile in the character. It
wins upon us more and more at every fresh intro-
duction. The very antithesis, or antipodes, of that
delightful old rascally parasite, Major Pendennis !
Richard Doyle gets better and better in his illus-
trations—particularly in the little wood- cuts
sprinkled through the letter:press, some of which
are admirable. J. J., too, in. the cloud-land of his
day-dreams, is one of the gracefullest etchings
imaginable. He gives large promise. Bye the bye,
this same Hans Christian Andersen, like J. J., is
one of the best and most original of the characters
introduced.
Now, let us inquire how comes it to pass that
for once Mr. Thackeray repeats himself ? Yes—
snips a little paragraph out of the " Book of
Snobs"—re-christens the small personages therein
mentioned, and slips it into his new work, the
gt Newcomes." How runs the incident ? Why,
in the " Book of Snobs, it is Miss Snobky (the
little lady daughter of Sir Snobky Snobky), who
loves and is beloved by the Lord Claude Lollipop,
a little brat patrician. In the " Newcomes" it is
Ethel (the little lady daughter of Sir Brian New-
come), who loves and is beloved by the Lord
Hercules O'Ryan, also like his prototype other
self, a little high and mighty brat patrician. News
comes in
the young in each instance, of a sudden removal from
o town
g maiden's family, bringing dis-
may to the infant love passages.
In the Book of Snobs it runs thus, c. iv.,
p. 16 :

The Old Story Teller. Addey and Co.
A volume with such an attractive title, professing
to contain popular German tales, with one hundred
illustrations, must certainly be a favourite with all
lovers of those charming old romances in which
everything is so very improbable, and at the same
time all the events occur so opportunely. If chil-
dren are lost in a wood they are sure to meet some
fairy, who guides them out ; or if the heroes of the
tale are pursued by giants, they are sure to remem-
ber some old charm. that transforms them into
roses, or some other equally convenient disguise.
The present collection contains many not generally
known, and therefore possesses the charm of
novelty. All juvenile readers who admire fairy
tales (and who does not ?) will find the " The Old
Story Teller" a most attractive companion.

Illustrations of Scripture front Botanical Science.
,By D. Gorrie. Blackwood.
This little work is designed to throw a light on
the botanical allusions in Scripture, by an account
of the peculiar properties and uses of the different
kinds of herbs, plants, &c., mentioned. It con-
tains some useful scientific information, and has
several excellent engravings.

Elements of Physical and Classical Geography.
By J. Pillans. Blackwood.
This is not one of the ordinary school books of
geography, nor .is it intended for mere beginners
in the science, but is calculated to assist the ad-
vanced scholar in astronomy as well as geography.
In the preface the following proposal is stated :
" The principal object aimed at in this volume is,
to communicate to those who have been engaged
for some time in a course of liberal study such
information as shall not only facilitate the acqui-
sition and cultivation of ancient learning, but con-
nect the writings of the classics with impressions
and associations that will add to the profit and
pleasure of perusing them." To the classical stu-
dent this volume will be a useful raferee, and it
possesses an appendix, containing a selection of
passages from the Latin poets, illustrative of an-
cient localities and peoples. It forms an accom-
paniment to Mr. Keith Johnson's "Physical Atlas."
It is deserving of high praise from the research
and labour displayed in its composition,
and the
originality of its design.

"In the very height of the season, from some un-
expected reason, the Snobkys suddenly determined upon
leaving town. Miss Snobky spoke to her female friend
and confidante.
" What will poor Claude Lollipop say, when he
hears of my absence ?' asked the tender-hearted child.
" 0, perhaps he won't hear of it,' answers the con-
fidante.
My dear, he will read it in the papers,' replied the
dear little fashionable rogue of seven years old."
In the Newcomes it is told as follows : c. 10,
p. 99
" One day Sir BHA% Newcome announced his inten-
tion to go to Newcome that very morning, taking his
family, and of course Ethel, with him. She was incon-
solable.
" What will Lord Hercules do when he finds I am
gone ?' she asked of her nurse.
"The nurse endeavouring to soothe her, said, Per-
haps his lordship would know nothing about the circum-
stance.'
" 'He will,' said M 155 Ethel—' he read it in the
newspapers.' "

The Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society of
England. Vol. XIV. Part 11. Murray..
The first article is on " The Farming of East
Lothian." It is remarked that the three Lothians,
East, West, and Mid, do not, taken together, cover
a larger space of ground than an English county of
moderate size. But their geological and climatic
influences are of so varied a nature that it is requi-
site to consider tho farming of each separately.
After a long account of the manner adopted and
the plans carried out in the county, a highly favour-
able description is given of the present state of
things. There is no doubt, it is said, that the
North British Railway has considerably augmented
the agricultural value of the county. In conclu-
sion, the writer of this article observes—cc The
history of the agriculture of East Lothian teaches
one lesson emphatically. Its record of improve-
=AS iS almost uniyersally that of those effected

Mr. Thackeray is not now so dry of the hu-
morous that he need bestow on his readers a more
reChMICO of hiN bygone witticisms, In proof of

by the tenants themselves. With that history
before us we should fail in reading its most obvious
and most instructive lesson if we did not record in
our report of this county that the most important
source of its past and present agricultural position
has been an enterprising and intelligent tenantry,
and an educated and faithful class of farm labour-
ers." The following subjects are " The Farming
of Herefordshire," and " Agricultural Chemistry."
There are several tables given, containing a series
of experiments with pigs. There is also a plan
given of covered homestalls, which appears to pre-
sent great advantages ; together with " isometrical
drawings showing the exterior elevation and inter-
nal arrangements of the same." It will be seen
from this brief summary that the volume before us
is replete with information of a varied and interest-
ing nature.

Views of Canada and the Colonists. By J. Brown.
Second edition. Adam Black, Edinburgh.
The first edition of this work was published in
1844, after a four years' residence in Upper Canada.
The work was well received, and the author having
now the advantage of a residence of the same
duration in Lower Canada, feels emboldened tc
publish a second edition, with the results of his
additional experience. He has re-written the
entire work, with one or two trifling exceptions,
and trusts, from the variety and comprehensiveness
of its information, it may prove worthy to be con-
sidered a standard work on Canada. It contains
views of the present state, progress, and prospects
of the colony, with detailed and practical informa-
tion for intending emigrants. It is justly observed
in the preface to the first edition, that " books of
travels, in a great measure composed of hasty obser-
vations, do not satisfy the keenly practical in-
quiries of the numbers naturally desirous of being
acquainted with particular and detailed facts."
This work is chiefly dedicated. to those whose
friends and relations have already made Canada
their home, or those who, desirous of emigrating,
look to Canada as the nearest and most attractive
of the colonies. Both of these classes of readers
naturally desire a circumstantial account of the
country and its peculiarities, the towns and their
statistics, the population and its.industrial occupa-
tions, rather than a description of its scenery or
sketch of its early history. It fully carries out this
plan, and from the elaborateness of its details and
the completeness of its information, the second
edition is likely to meet with the same general
approbation that was accorded to the first.

A Guide to Geology. By J. Phillips, M.A., F.R.S.

Longman.
The fact that this is the fourth edition of a work
on a science not generally interesting, must be con-
sidered as a strong recommendation. Though not
attractive to the general reader, it will be found an
excellent manual for the student of geology. It
commences with a definition of the science, and
leads the reader on through the labyrinth of ab-
struse information, which is methodically arranged
and classified.

The Principles of Education. An Elementary
Treatise, designed as a Manual or Guide for the
use of Parents, Guardians, and Teachers. By
Hugo Reid, Author of " Elements of Astro-
nomy," &c. Longman.

Many useful and important hints may be taken
from this little work by those whom it regards to
profit by them. The style is simple and matter of
fact, as is suited to the plain and unvarnished facts
placed before us. The duty of teachers is strongly
insisted on in many ways, and hence much advan-
tage may be derived, for it often appears from the
conduct of the latter, as if they thought that it
was only incumbent on their scholars to obey its
dictates. If the plans here proposed were carried
out, it is undeniable that a great deal of extra ex-
ertion would be needed on both sides, but it is
equally certain that advantages great and desirable
would accrue to the recipient and imparter of
knowledge. The chapter of " Intellectual Train-
ing" is very well written, and it is most likely
many will appreciate the good advice here offered
to them.

John Railton ; or, Read and Think. By William
Robson. Routledge.
The motto of this little work is taken from Sir
Philip Sidney, " Until they find a pleasure in the
exercise of the mind, great promises of much know-
ledge will little persuade them that know not the
fruits of knowledge." The writer asserts that in
his instructions of youth he found no lessons pro-
duced such a lasting impression as those conveyed
in cheerful conversation, enlivened by anecdote.
This method he has adopted in tho present volume,
presenting information in the most attractive form,
with every variety of entertaining anecdotes. It
is likely to fascinate as well as to teach young
readers, and those more advanced may derive both
pleasure and profit from it. It has the additional
attraction of numerous illustrations.

The Cross and the Dragon ; or, the Fortunes of
Christianity in China. By John Kesson, of the
British Museum. Smith and Elder.
This work contains a great deal of information
on the yet imperfect history of China. There are
accounts given of the Christian missions and mis-
sionaries, and of the Chinese secret societies. From
different histories facts are collected ; therefore, in
'a small compass we meet with varied and interest-
ing subjects which otherwise would not be known
to the general reader, as it is very different to take
up a small volume like the present one, or to study
a number of histories composed on a comprehensive
plan. There are five divisions in the subject dis-
cussed of here. The legends of the introduction of
Christianity into China by the Apostle Thomas and
his disciples arc in the* firsts The history of the
Nestorian Christians in the seventh century, under
their leader Oli-puen, is the second. The missions
of the Dominicans and Fransciscans in the four-
teenth century, are in the third part. It is observed
that these missions met with a speedy failure, and
for two centuries afterwards China was left alone
by the missionaries, when in the sixteenth century
the Jesuit Mission was founded. In the fourth
part the labours of the Jesuits are treated of, and
the Protestant missions of the present century con-
cludes the work.

A description is given at the conclusion of the
seal of the grand secret society of China, the Thien
Ti lioih, a Brotherhood of Heaven and Earth. It
is observed that "the duties of each member in his
individual capacity are the same in character that
have been dictated to the members of all secret so-
cieties that have ever had existence, whetjier in the
temples of Thebes, the courts of the Vehmgericht,
or in the masonic lodge—an offensive and defensive
warfare against the uninitiated." " Agents supply
trusty brethren with money, but talkative, hare-
brained, and suspicious brethren are got rid of by
poison." These societies are very numerous, as
will be seen from their inscription—" Ten thou-
sands of ten thousands are the armies of the bro-
therhood of Heaven and Earth." The author ob-
serves that time must be given for China before any
reasonable hope can be entertained of its improve-
ment, especially in an evangelical point of view.

The Catholic Almanac for 1854. Dolman.

A biography of an illustrious writer imparts to
the almanac designed merely for the Roman Ca-
tholics of the United Kingdom, an interest that
appeals indiscriminately to every intelligent mem-
ber of the population. The biographer being the
Rev. M. A. Tierney, and the subject of his
memorial the Rev. John Lingard— the his-
torian of England, and one of the brightest
names in our national literature. The notice,
of course, is necessarily succinct, and perhaps
over-much abbreviated—its writer modestly
calls it " a hasty and imperfect outline
—but sufficient, at least, is therein given of the
facts connected with the personal history of our
great annalist, to enhance in a remarkable degree
the admiration inspired originally in his regard by
a perusal of his popular and classic masterpiece.
I a
r
From the date of his birth, on the sth of February,
1771, at Winchester, to that of his death, on the
17th of July, 1851, at Hornby, there were but few
events to diversify the calm and equable current
of that philosophic career during those eighty years
and upwards—but from first to last, there were
manifest those qualities which secure our respect,
win our love, and ultimately command our venera-
tion. Besides possessing the charm of this grace-
ful memorial of Lingard, the
Catholbc. Almanac
for 1854 will be found to comprise within its well-
arranged pages a mass of important statistics, and
other curious and valuable information.

Colonial Life Assurance Alatunac for 1854. S

Leith, Edinburgh.
Conspicuous among the tastefully printed al-
manacs for the New Year, the " Colonial Life As-
surance Almanac" has the charm of a graceful and
useful frontispiece, together with that of a deli-
cately tinted typography. The frontispiece is sim-
ply a map of the world, giving an almost micro-
scopic view of the two hemispheres. Another ac-
ceptable little almanac is the one issued in the name
of the Art Union of London, one that from its
miniature size would seem to have been designed
for the Lilliputians.

THE Commiso.—This fine screw steam-ship, built by
Napier of Glasgow, for the Peninsular and Oriental Com-
pany, has, we understand, received some slight damage
to her main shaft, to repair which she will leave South-
ampton in a day or two for the building premises of her
conatructori in Bootland.