The Sun.
London, England, 1836-01-01 00:00:00

LADY'S MAGAZINE AND MUSEMIL

There is a very spirited, full length engraving, the
first we ever remember to have seen, of that extraor-
dinary woman,—the Messalina of the North—the
Empress Catherine the Second of Russia, so well
known by the praises of Voltaire and the French litte-
rateurs ; by her famous triumphal journey to the
Crimea, of which Count Segur has furnished us with
such an interesting record ; and most of all, by her
own reckless ambition, and scandalous irregularities in
private life. She is here represented as a young, fair-,
complexioned female, whose countenance however be-
speaks that mixed libidinousness and cruelty for which
she was notorious beyond all the women of her age and
country. The Memoir prefixed. to the .portrait ~is
copious and accurate in its details, especially as regards
the earlier portion of Catherine's life, which are full *of
the wildest romance. As regards the remainder of the
literary contents of the Number, the best article is the
tale entitled " Christmas Eve, or the Last Link of
the Chain," which in passages displays considerable
dramatic skill. The poetry too on the whole is far
better than usual. In the stanzas « Another Year is
Gone," an egregious common-plaCe: is redeemed by the
feeling with which it is worked up.

NEW MONTHLY REPOSITORY.
Fox.

The public will, no doubt, cordially reciprocate the
warm greetings with which the readers'of the " Re-
pository" are saluted on the commencement of the Ist.cw
Year. For our own part, we are delighted with every
indication which We discover of the world being in
such goad humour with itself. He is not a wise man
who can never unbend himself ; - nor is he a good man
who knows not how to participate in the sports and the
pleasures of childhood at certains seasons in the year.
We congratulate the Editor on one improvement in
the tone of this Magazine, natnely, the absence of the
sectarian spirit which formerly pervaded it. The
" Songs for the Bees," by the author of ." Corn-Law
Rhymes," partake of the usual characteristics of all
Ebenezer Elliott's poetry. They are terse and vigo-
rous enough, but they embody only one idea--the mi-
sery of the working classes. It is strange that a man
so singularly gifted should perversely harp on a string
from which no new note can be drawn.

THE ASIATIC JOURNAL.
Allen and Co.

We have been much struck with a letter addressed
by Mr. Wilson, the celebrated Orientalist, to the
Editor of this periodical, on the education of the na-
tives of India. Mr. Wilson's intimate acquaintance
with the subject—his long residence in the East—and
his well-known zeal in the cause of the education of
the natives of all ranks—impart to his opinions a
weight and an iMpOrtance which variant us in saying
that they merit the attention of the Government and
the leading Directors of the East India Company
Although most anxious for the diffusion of our lan-
guage, the establishment of our social 'institutions, and.
the triumph of our faith throughout the whole of our
Indian possessions, yet we are opposed to anything
like force, or the adoption of any measure which either
morally, religiously, or politically, would lower us as
nation in the eyes of the natives of India. Besides,
is a false economy which seeks to save a few thou

sands of pounds at the expense of the education of an
hundred millions of people.
The article on the " Women of India" might have
been made much more interesting. The materials for
amusing gossip are, abundant, and if skilfully selected,
could not fail to excite the wen-der of the ladies. The
following morsel of intelligence is not likely to_prove
the most gratifying to such European adventurers as
have united themselves in the bonds of wedlock with
some Indian beauty not over-burthened with rupees :
"A woman gets old at five-and-twenty, and at forty, too
often becomes a perfect hag. It would be difficult to
imagine anything more hideous than an old woman in
any part of Hindostan. Some of the men, together
with a venerable appearance, preserve the remains _of
former good looks ; but the women are altogether
frightful—impersonations ofjwitches of the most withered
and revolting description." Verily, this, to an Euro-
pean bridegroom, is not the most agreeable solace for
bad temper in his newly acquired Indian spouse.
The ReYiew of Mr. Holman's Travels in China is
not the least interesting paper in this Number. Of
the other articles we can only find space to say, that
we think well of them. The Number is a very
good one.