The Sun.
London, England, 1849-02-01 00:00:00

BENTLEY'S MISCELLANY.

One of the m osc capital articles in Bentley's Miecellany
--and the number for February contains a variety—is
from the pen of Alfred Crowquill, and tells of a "King
who became young again." The astonishing metamor-
phosis of King Humdrum is rendered peculiarly
striking by the inimitable manner in which it
13 related. We have read nothing like it since
Food's mourner "went and told the s• xton, and the sex-
ton tolled the bell;" or since Madame Mantalini " wrung
her hands with grief and rung the bell for her husband,
and fell into a chair and a fit of hysterics simulta-
neously." As an example of the felicitous and telling
manner of this narrative, let us quote one singularly
effective observation. Speaking of King Hurndrutn's
tyrannical propensities, his historian remarks en
peasant, that " Rulers are all very well, but they should
not be always drawing lines for other people to
by." Another very interesting paper, " a
fantastic tale of feeling," by Horace Mayhew,
is entitled "The Headstrong Phrenologist." It is a hu-
morous but well nigh lamentable history of one Karl Von
Wassergruell, the hapless victim of a master passion—
belief in phrenological science. Innumerable and some-
times irremediable are the misfortunes which this Sci-
ence entails upon its votary. On one occasion be re-
fuses an eligible situation because his phrenological ob-
servations assure him that the individual under whotri
he would have to act is an evil-disposed man. Again he em - broils himself in a serious quarrel with an officer, a stranger
to him, because he volunteers to inform him that he has
" the most perfect monkey's head that, in all his experi-
ence, he ever recollected seeing." But the crowning
catastrophe is Karl's phrenelogical examination of the
head of his lady-love—an examination which, in spite
of his devoted affection, compels the unhappy philoso-
Pher to insist upon an immediate separation—his life
would not be safe with her. For tho very marvellous denoue-
*lent of this very marvellous tale, we would refer our
readers totheMiscellany, pagels4. The magazine abounds
this month in these light -and agreeable articles, which
Ire undoubtedly the most pleasant description of ma-
Mane papers. Nevertheless, more serious tastes are
not unprovided for, as Charles Whitehead's interesting
Sketch of Schiller" (accompanied with a very beauti-
,lllll3', ngraved portrait of the great German) may
r'stifY• Christian Andersen has written a pleasing
;count of the " Visit of the Swedes to Funen, in
148,” which, in many respects, reminds us of the recent
of the French National Guards to Eng-
-Inl- Leech's terrible illustration, " The discovery of
afforde's body " greatly increases the gloomy interest
of the '6 - 9
tuipanating from the pen of the author of "Experiences
41 a Gaol Chaplain." We have not space sufficient to
ocib. more than enumerate the remaining contents of
e agreeable number of Bentley—they consist of a
tale4:Y the author of the famous " Stories of Waterloo,
Wayside Pictures through France, Belgium, and Ger-
" The Bye Lanes and Downs of England,' by
4 YIV
A anUa ;" A Day's Gunning in New Jersey," &c. &e.
-.aeon
„ g the
tare
poetical contributions the most meritorious
he Watch,
,e
en by Lord Maidstone, and " The
tk,e.:us Mirabilis. 1848," of which it is said—
%lsion rock'd thy cradle, and thy toys
were thrones on fire, and sceptres wrench'd from kings."

11E-1114il LITERATURE.
ABLE AND ECCENTRIC CHA-
RACTERS.
"Varietv ;. , it
-Felts, ti„.„,„-- charming," says the adage, and so,
;i3iiiitornia,"
bray , - ---'" the compiler of " Bentley's Cabinet Li-
-4.. Y. ' The interesting narrative of " What I saw in
Which we noticed the other day, is now
~ Thec'wed bY a volume by Mr. Fairholt, the author of
of so Home of Shakespere," which contains the history
" some eight or ten individuals justly designated " re-
zoarkable and eccentric." Mr. Fairholt very truthfUlly
'observes in his preface, that " the biography of the
~ilnPlest individual, if well and truly told, has a fusel-
-1440n." It a simple biography, well told, be thus
Attractive, how great must be the charm of
here
most extraordinary biographies, narrated
;14 they are in the most interesting manner. Among
the characters here portrayed are the Chevalier
miser, Peter the Wild Boy, and John Elwes, the
A.-n•ser, who, alter a life of penury, died possessed of
,attar Some of the anecd)tes to be found in this
atkr history are of a very amusing, albeit a somewhat
rkelancholy character. Among others, we read of three
liserlY baronets, disputing over the reckoning at an
nt, when a
wag, passing by, called out to a frien,
ile"r 'leaven's sake, step up stairs and assist the poor!
a. _ Here are three baronets worth a million of money, quar•
alltng about a farthing;" Count Ankastrom, Elizabeth
3.renontilni other' . jeiVrel
V
udson and Antonio
character
Vol
ume_ abounds ; they
Sap,
hwhich
_% any of the interesting..., anecdotes wit- the
We refr.ain m quot-
_tor
in little Tit 61.dt together with the narratives to which they refer.
will be better appreciated when
volume is also bountifully adorned with pic-
Lla embellishments.

-uosßuttiv thy habit, as thy purse can buy,
not expressed in fancy, rich, not gaudy;
418 belong:'Tut Por the apparel oft proclaims the man." t'OPULAR COSTUME generally recognised
rd of Avon,
tilg to that period alluded to by the Ba
Be that
481 Perhaps be now
Co
sufficiently becoming.
a With
jostie: tY, the spirit and meaning of de quotation m y
distinctive
title no arplied to THE NICOLL, for this is the
h is expressly
adaptedwf given to a Patented Paletot,,whic
oreover be
1 e‘'aligeable weather, and should, m.
~ern or b
subject to
touch „in !1 sack climates where the atmosphere. is'this country,
'where
ra_netion in its temperature, especially
Inesult, but also
'at thtesrl changes are not only eccentric in_
f rthose persons
Who do n 1„011Y prejudicial to the health o
covering.
be 2?roperly regulate their out-door cove
reat-coat,
or tor,.:' !ant same outer-coat, or over- coat, or g
11 in future
be ca rear. or in
d hrase Paletot, wi .
ed T rnore mo ern p 9
necessary to say
soniethi., THE NICOLL, it might be
creation_
h
of this ~'"g about the motives that have induced t e
te?s
lave -elv noun, Was it not obvious to all that the
Patentheir
:peciiiia Pe.culiar protection from imitations in this
ar title • fs
2 •that THE NICOLL, the
garment in ' u. ee it to say,
of
being
jo t question, Possesses the valuable advantages
from a .1,,s rtly convertible
, (at the wearer's option, however)
inanner mt a IiOL co t vice versa, and that, too, in a
simple but 'a , or
to be fairly a I"gernous, which should be seen and worntwo
other high
_, ppreciated ; but besides all this, it has,
io for ms ciairas for renn
~ Mrnendation-the first being that_
tie_ appearance, anu durability, it is everything a gen
wan can desire With thi e_essary
item of his wardrobe;
and, the second consists ; 3 11
• h l'ke
4i3' the ,.0 the moderate price c arged ald ab patentyes in London by their agents in'the country
road; but it should' re borne in mind, in the
ilir etropolis it can only be purchased at those spacious ware-
ti)°_4lB in Regent-street, 'Which are formed by the union of
2 _ three houses numbered 114, 116, and 120, Regent-street,
also of the (1;*
--..Y depot, 29 Cornhill, opposite the Royal
2ell'lnge- - awe. ..,
Tin, p
debri— IRE IN LIRCOLh'S-INN.—Many documents tieb.great value and importance have been rescued from the
s of
. , this fire; and one which is said to involve the re-
,eretill)"°, upwards of 70,000/ a year has been preserved intact.
fecov_ ere are many others, however, still missing, and of the
ery of which there exists now no hopes, and their loss
!must entail the most serious consequences upon those con-.
,eirned. A, contemporary, in alluding to the frequency or
LI ese frightful calamities, calls attention to a patented pro-
ess of Messrs. Pox and Jarrett, of Leicester-square, which
ias been applied with the most marked success to the erec-
,on of buildings perfectly fire-proof, at a cost no greater
itian by the ordinary tneitns. The new lunatic asylum at
Colney Hatch is to be thus built, and as the principle ap-
tears eminently calculated for the praiseworthy objects it
laaa. he Yiew, to much publicity cannot be afforded to it.