The Sun.
London, England, 1849-12-06 00:00:00

LITERATURE

THE ROMANCE OF THE PEERAGE; or,
Curiosities of Family History. Vol. 111. By G.
Lillie Craik.
The readers of the two preceding volumes of this
romantic history will require little recommendation
to induce them to take up the third and recently-
issued volume, It combines the interest of the novel
with the graver attractions of history. The subject
of duelling occupies a prominent place in this last
volume, the Wharton and Stuart duel, and the Bruce
and Sackvi!le duel being the topics of two of the
historical romances which it contains. " Charles
Brandon's Widow and her Second Marriage," "Bess
of Hardwick and the Talbots," " The Cavendishes
and the Stanhopes," " Lord Pembroke and Sir George
Wharton," "Lord Crichton of Sanqubar," and "The
Earldom of Menteith," are the subjects of the re-
inaining historiettes. In some respects the most in-
teresting article in the volume is the first, entitled
" The Hereditary Principle." Its appearance is
certainly well-timed, now that so many hereditary
rights have been set aside, and the fact of their being
rights at all is called in question. We cannot say
that we entirely agree with the opinions of Mr. Craik,
but the following arguments are eminently truthful in
practice, whatever they may be in theory :
" The thing that is of chief moment with regard to
the place of highest dignity in a well-ordered common-
wealth is, that it be By whom it is filled is com-
paratively unimportant. It is impossible that any
considerable power of independent or self originating
action can be left to the individual occupying it. An
ex•raordiaary crisis will call forth a 1-3ader, who shall
seize and wield all the authority of the State as it
by a divine right ; but there aro no means of
securing an unbroken succession of such heaven-
commissioned autocratt In the normal condi-
tion of national affairs a principal part of the
function to be performed by the official head of the
State is merely to occupy his position. The first necessity
of that position is, that if cannot be left empty. So left,
it would be a gash •in the body politic. It will not re-
main empty. If there be no regular way of filling it pro-
vided, the thing will be done by some irregular process.
The principle of hereditary succession, operating with
the constancy of a law of nature, seems to offer at once
a pertectly sufficient, and by far the most convenient and
least objectionable age ney for meeting all the difficulties
of the case.

" One of the most beautiful among the simplifications
of science is that by which, in the Arabic system of
arithmetical notation, the figure is made to derive the
greater part of its value from the plane in which it
stands. An analogous contrivance is equally available
in a social or political system. Much of the force by
which any such system is to be sustained and kept in
motion, may be advantageously made to reside more in
the place than in the person. Matters may be so arranged
that it shall be not so much the individual as his posi-
tion that rules and influences. This force of the position
is an incident of social efficiency which discriminates it
from many other kinds of efficiency. A man cannot be made
a sounder mathematician by being appointed a professor
of mathematics. If his mathematical knowledge or
genius be but small, his professorship will not make it
more. But the sort of power that is required in the
members of a social or political system is often only a
power of weight or pressure. It is derived from their
position much more than from themselves. It makes
itself felt not in directing or even in impelling the machine
of government, so much as in keeping its centre ofgravity in
the right place. It is neither the sail nor the rudder of
the vessel, but rather the ballast or the keel. All that
you have to do, therefore, to maintain in the machine a
force of any desired amount, which shall continue to act
in a direction that may be assigned, is to create certain
positions or circumstances in which a certain number of
individuals shall always stand. The fixed positions will
correct any irregularity of action that might otherwise
be produced by the more variable or less determinable
quantity of the individual minds and characters."
The efficacy of this system is happily exemplified by
the British Constitution.

FORBES' GUIDE TO THE FOXHOUNDS
AND STAGHOUNDS OF ENGLAND.
By Gelert.
" Fox-huuting," says the compiler of this guide,
" has been the glory of England for the last century ;
no other nation of the earth comprehends either the
intensity of sport or manliness of character induced
by this noble pastime." To the devotees of this
" glory of England" Forbes' Guide will be an in
valuable acquisition. Its character will be best
exhibited by a specimen of its contents. All the
" foxhounds and staghounds.of England" are arranged
according to the following plan :
" BUCKS.—STAGUOUNDS.
" Name of county or hounds—The Barons Rothschild;
Masters—Barons Meyer and Lionel Rothschild; Hunts-
man—Tom Balls; Days of Hunting—Monday, Thurs-
day. (These details are arranged in separate columns,
in order to be easily referred to.) Favourite fixtures
Hardwick, Adstock, Aston Abbotts, Winslow, Little
Harwood, Liscotnbe Park, Oving, Rowaham, Broughton
Firm, Aston Clinton, Denham Hills, Hockliffe Grange.
"The Barons are doing the thing'as they have always
done it, in tip-top form. They have thirty-one couple
of hounds in kennel, and after ten seasons aro beginning
to get them tolerably level. Their entry of puppies for
the coming season is magnificent—ten and a half couples,
three couples of which, in one litter, are worth going
100 miles to see. They have about fifteen hunt. rs,
,tahhveee rfimargseiten,tgt
h;
.2...35.0edcZ0
niefda at
iht. 0
yu
nTed:rotne deerodt.
getT The
gentlemenalwaysl twelve
m les takenoo fu tt
hot, o,f
hunt are generally hard goers, especially the Honourable
Hobert Grimston ; and Tom Balls, as he need be, is in-
vincible. The Barons r' juice in the Vale of Aylesbury."

FORBES' HUNTING DIARY.
A ucetul accompaniment to the above is Forbes'
Hunting Diary, arranged so as to record the sport of
the season fur the followers of foxhounds, stag-
hounds, and harriers. It is a blank book, ruled in
columns intended to contain memoranda, under the
following: heads :—" hounds, Huntsmen, the Nett,
Horses, Stag, Fox, Harriers, Covers Drawn, Found
or Uncarted, Wind, Weather, Scent, Check, Killed
or Taken, Observations." A book of this kind when
filled up would afford a❑ interesting summary of a
season's sport.

CLASSICAL SOURCES OF BRITISH
HISTORY. A Colonial Warning. By S.
Bannister, formerly Attorney-General qf New
South Wales.
The object of this work, which, when completed,
will prove in the highest degree interesting to every
reader who can appreciate the production of a philan-
thropist and a scholar, rich in illustration, accurate
in research, and lucid in style, is to show, more
especially from the disasters of the Romans in Britain,
that conquests are ad verse, and that a system of
humane policy is indispensable to the lasting progress
of civilization, but that British influence and terri-
tory may be securely and justly extended by the
steady introduction of good government, furnished
with means to civilize the savage and to protect all.
The published portion of the book comprises the
introduction, and a large collection of extracts from
the works of those classical authors who have made
allusion to ancient Britain. The idea of collecting
from classical writers the passages concerning Britain
was conceived three centuries ago. In 1530 the
Earl of Worcester published a little pamphlet
of this character, but only containing ex-
tracts from Caesar. Eichorn's work applies
the same idea to the whole ancient world, but he
limits his extracts, as to Britain, to Caesar and Ta-
citus. Petrie's important work is perplexing, from
the arrangement adopted of the early known materials
of the history of this island, and the present work
bids fair to be an improvement upon these similar
productions. The range of authors quoted is very
extensive. Among the Greeks the principal are
Strabo, IDiodorus Sioulus, Polybius, Aristotle, and
the unknown composer of the Argonautics of Or-
pheus. Among the Latins, Caesar, Cicero, Pliny ;
numerous poets of the Augustan age—Tacitus,
Juvenal, and Rufus Avienus. The heart of Mr.
Bannister is set on the working out of one of the
great problems of humanity, namely—What system
will the more satisfactorily secure the safety and
civilization of the barbarous tribes with which we
have intercourse ? In other words,—How civilized
nations can be best relieved from the dishonour of,
year after year, inflicting wrong, when, by due care,
they might confer benefits upon those tribes ? This
problem, he conceives, is to be resolved by the im-
proved study of history, which, if studied
in its true spirit, as " philosophy teaching by
example," should, from the consideration of the rela-
tions of the civilized ancients with our rude and
earlier forefathers, afford some lessons for our guid-
ance in the conduct of the like relations subsisting
between ourselves and the less civilized races of the
present day. The illustration of the maxim, that
little prosperity can be enjoyed by the most success-
ful conquerors—as were the Romans in the British
isles, whose domination ended in a frightful ruin,
from their contemptuous disregard of justice and
conciliation towards the natives—is principally taken
from our calamitous ill-policy in Southern Africa.
Our limits preclude us from entering upon the several
important considerations which a study of these
pages naturally cause to arise, and it would be
injustice to the erudite and clear-sighted author to
give a meagre outline of the topics which he adduces
with such high ability. To the completion of his
Ilhours in this field we look forward with the
greatest interest, in common with all who love to
pay its meed to literary merit, employed
in the development and elucidation of sound and
comprehensive views of statesmanship. Would that
our rulers were thoroughly imbued with the noble
and politic sentiments of which the author of this
volume—no mawkish philanthropist, or inexperienced
theorist—is the energetic advocate. The brightest
sword will rust, and the greenest laurels fade, save in
the rare instance of a Washington, a Kossuth, and
the deathless brother-band of pure •souled patriots—
the blood-cemented triumphs ! of the ancient Queen
of nations, and of many a conquering dynasty, are
crumbled into dust, but the extension of empire by
the pure and peaceful weapons of civilization and
conciliatory government, will redound to the undying
glory of its authors, and ensgre tolidity and reyeren.