The Sun.
London, England, 1854-05-31 00:00:00

I,c 1:1 \`...* SPltti-Tat

•
of the evil consequences of two great, thouglii2Coli-4' •-•
mon failings, " Pride and Irresolution."
the history ,of " Clare Abbey" the need oflaAxiil3o).
of purpose, and practical devotion to the di4i
_esiK
our calling, are clearly [exemplified.
proof that this authoress preserves the importanctZ
of the story as the first object, .is the fact that she
has never published a tale extending to the estab-
lished length of three volumes. A direct object,
such as the development of a character, or the
results of one quality doe's not generally require
that compass, and it is one of the secrets of the
powers of the author's style that she never tanta-
•
lises the reader by wandering from the point to..
tedious descriptions, or useless discussions, .1
Which occupy so much space in ordinary -
romance. The present work depicts a strong 7-
and resolute character, possessed of , many. ad-
mirable qualities, which have been marred- by a
faulty education and contact with unworthrcom-
pauions, and with no higher guide than his own
will. It shows us the trials, faults, and repentance • -
by which the fiery spirit' was tamed, and the ener-
gies
cries so often misdirected turned to good. The
story opens by introducing us 'to its dramatis per-
sonce at the moment when the hero is forming a
plot, which has long been a favourite subject for
writers of romance. Not to mention minor names,
Goldsmith, in his charming " Vicar of Wakefield,"
has adopted it in the case of Mr. Burchell. But
the authoress evidently does not approve of it, for
Ralph Caradoe, the hero's great friend, and an ex- .
cellent, high-principled character, objects strongly .
to the idea, and asserts that " good never came of •
evil," and that it is a deception and a cheat. Ed-
ward,
however, persists, and at length his friend
reluctantly yields. The plan is this.. Edward is
the heir to an entailed estate, the owner of which, . .
Sir Hugh Willoughby, is a cousin of his father's.
Owing to a difference in political opinions, Sir
Hugh had quarrelled with the elder Mr. Wil-
loughby, and his anger descended with double fury
to the son. Led away by his father's opinions, Ed-
ward had allied himself to some worthless cha-
racters, in the belief he was pursuing Freedom,
Justice, and Truth. Sir -Hugh, who was a country
gentleman of the old school, belieVed that every- . •
thing should be left as it was, and 'every landlord
Edward's
drdreside on his own estate. He had heard. of:
's disreputable companions, and a tour
abroad did not raise him in his estimation. Rog-
gerated reports reached him, which. he fully be-
lieved. He returned Edward's letters unopened,
rejected his advances, and looked on him as an
utterly worthless character. Edward, meanwhile,
had set his heart on forming the acquaintance
of Sir Hugh's family with the -,hope of marrying
one of his daughters, of whom he had often heard.
He therefore proposed that his friend Caradois
should take a house in their neighbourhood for a
few months, and invite his company under the as-
sumed name of Leigh. The plan was carried out
and went on successfully. Sir Hugh took a fancy
to both strangers, and invited theni constantly.
Edward Willoughby did fall in love, as he had pur-
posed, with Sir Hugh's eldest daughter, Clare, an
almost perfect character. But the storm was
coming. On the day of, the marriage of the young-
est sister, Ellen, many strangers Were invited. In
the evening au inquisitive_ and meddlesome guest
recognised Edward, and betrayed him to Sir Hugh.
He had that very day. told. the truth- to
Clare while confessing his affection for her. Sir -
Hugh, of a violent temper, though a kind-hearted
man, was like a madman: The two friends left the
house, and, notwithstanding subsequent attempts
to soften Sir Hugh, left the neighbourhood in.
despair. The lovers met once or twice, but Clare, .
firm in her filial duty, would not give hope or pro-
mise. She could only beg him to deserve her
father's favour. He left her in bitterness, vexed
at having his will thwarted ; half indignant with
Clare in his most reckless mood, he went to the
house of his friend Caradoc. There he found his
sister Lilia, a beautiful spoiled child, whose atten-
tion to her invalid father interested him, and whose
kindness to himself was still more attractive.
Despite the warnings of his faithful friend Ralph,
iu a moment of madness he proposes to her—she
accepts, and he is miserable. He feels that his
love for Clare is not, and never will be, extin-
guished, that ho is almost indifferent to his chosen
wife, and though his case seemed before hopeless,
yet he himself has put the finishing stroke. While
struggling with these thoughts, Ralph enters with a
letter sealed with black. Sir Hugh is dead ! Half-
an-hour earlier would have saved him. To add to
his remorse he subsequently discovers that Sir Hugh
had relented on his deathbed, and desired that his.
daughter should be made happy as soon as Edward
was worthy of her. He confesses his misery to
Clare, and she, ever just and right-minded, though
appalled by this unexpected blow, bids him keep
his word unless Lilia releases him. But Lilia does
not know all the facts of the case, and loves him
too well to draw back. readily. They are married,
Clare goes to live near her sister, and Edward.
brings his bride to dwell in her early home. But
the reformation has begun before this. In solitude
and repentance he has learned his weakness and .
his wilfulness, and he turns all the energy of his
fiery nature to subdue and control himself. But
they are miserable. His wife knows that he does
not love her, and her ill-regulated temper will not
let her be contented with his calm and considerate
attention. After two years she dies, and Sir Ed-
ward remains superintending his estate and depen-
dents, Ho will not hastily approach Clare, as
though she could be taken up and cast off at his
pleasure. Besides, he does not feel worthy of her.
Four more years elapse, and at length, all trouble&
over, the two long-severed ones .are joined, and
their hopes realised. The years of suffering have
taught Clare an angelic patience ' • but to- Edward
they have brought more—they have taught him
that it is not always good to have our own will,
but that happiness is to be found in a strict main.
tenance of principle above impulse, duty above in-
clination. We cannot help regretting, however,
that the writer, who is . certainly not defiCient in
imagination, should have resorted to the old, im-
probable, and unworthy expedient of the death of
the husband or wife,- who is in the way of a
happy conclusion.. It ill accords with the moral
or with. the character of her story. Every-
thing else is probable and true to nature,
but this one catastrophe belongs to the senti-
mental school of romance, and to the style of
an author inferior to the writer of " Edward Wil-
loughby." It would have been better to have sepa-
rated them by other means for a time—to have
made Edward commit some other rash act or guilty
imprudence—than to have resorted to such an in-
cident. In real life we feel shocked and pained if
we hear anticipations or rejoicing respecting a
death • and when the characters are so vivid and
life-like, it produces something of the same effect
in fiction. Where there is so much to admire,
however, we may well make some allowances ; and
we are sure that its readers will not be disposed to
cavil. The most important lessons are impercept-
ibly taught—the beauty of firmness in a right
course, the sin of obstinacy in a bad one. We are
shown that good cannot come from evil, nor evil
from good ; that the wilfulness of .our wishes does
not lead to happiness any more than an obedience
to the Divine will and an accordance with duty
leads to sorrow. Rigid moralists have objected to
the perusal of fiction : it would be well if many
more serious works impressed these lessons as
strongly as "Edward Willoughby."

TRUST AND LOAN COMPANY OF UPPER CANADA.—A
dividend at the rate of 8 per cent. per annum was de-
clared yesterday at the meeting of the Trust and Loan
Company of Upper Canada, and the report was carried.
THEATRE ROYAL, LIVERPOOL".--Mr, Wright appeared
at this theatre on Monday evening, as Paul Pry, and
a more pleasing piece of studied drollery never was put
before an audience ; the busy, meddling, innocent, unin-
suitable Mr. Pry, in his traditional boots and baggy
Wright ghlategchautegrtutthe
im.
image, b in
smalls, was there, butaction. not on_lyrasN_th right
thought, word, and
humour of the part, and the result
y
moderate irresistible.ahnadppinessofpoint ln certain parts there was
a
in giving forth single ex-
pressions of humour ; indeed,
Paul
effect Produced, as when
we rarely saw such an
makes an exclamation
his
after Colonel Hardy threatened bones.
Charles Mathews fires a bon mot with greater effect than
any man, but we must yield the palm to Mr. Wright in
saying a droll thing. The comedy, as far as the gentle-
men went, was very well played. ' Mr. Wright is to
continue a round of his best parts during the week.--
Northern Daily Times.
EMIGRATION TO AUSTRALIA,—When complaints of
emigrants as to their accommodation and treatment on
board of vessels destined for this important and extensive
colony are so general, and, in the majority of instances,
well founded, it is gratifying to find a few exceptions in
which not only has there been no complaint, but the
captain and other officers have received the warm con-
gratulations of the passengers for their conducedt
itowar ing.
ds
them, and for the nautical skill they displayn br a
voyage
ing them safely on so long and hazardous .
This was the ease with the fine and fast sailing ship the
Utopia, which sighted the Australian shore at Mount
Gambier, in 80 days from the time of leaving Liverpool.
She crossed the line in four weeks, and reached Portland
in seven weeks and six days from thence ;
thusbeating
the clipper ship Eagle by two days from the equator.
For six weeks the Utopia averaged 2.00 miles a day.
The emigrants were of a very superior class ; throughout
the whole voyage they conducted themselves with the
greatest propriety. On the Utopia reaching her destina-
tion, Captain WillOnson, who is a native of Campbeltown,
Argyllshire, was presented with testimonials from each
class of emigrants, expressing their admiration of his
seamanship, thanking him for his kind, amiable, and
their wish that he
:sgsful commander and
gentlemanlymigit b
be
lon
long
o snpdaurcetd, at
en dh
ec oanevueeyei
benefactor to those who under his care might seek Aus-
traliaDe landr.Thoefmtheeei,reanddohpiteiolnad.
acacknowledgments
n o wa6llllqmsuper-
ledgments for their attention to the sick during
intendant,as the
y, also received warm
the passage.