The Sun.
London, England, 1836-12-26 00:00:00

LITERATURE,

COMIC ANNUAL. Bailey, London, 1836.
Mr. Hood has brought out his Annual just at the
fitting season. Laughter is now the order of the day,
and this quaint little duodecimo will supply food for
cachinnation in abundance. Rigid and cast-iron in-
deed must be those muscles which will not relax at

the sight of many of its embellishments. We hasten
to describe a few of the most grotesque. " Have I a
Wote for Grinnage ?" represents a clodhopper as broad
as he is long, with a mouth from ear to ear, and a
power of grinning with this huge gash, and of making
others grin too, that might put even a Grimaldi to shame.
Of course one so gifted as this phenomenon must have a
" wote," and a plumper too, like himself. " A Finished
Drawing" represents an unhappy im-patient rushing
as fast as his legs can carry him, from the house of Mr.
Cartwright, the dentist. His handkerchief is up to
his face, whence we infer that he has just been de-
prived of a double tooth—possibly the wrong one, for
his countenance expresses the very extreme of a vir-
tuous indignation. " Animal Spirits" is a capital
idea. An obese butcher is kneeling, with his hair on
end, imploring the forgiveness of the sheep and oxen
he has slaughtered, whose ghosts are haunting him by
droves. Foremost among the spectral community is
an indignant calf, whom the knight of the cleaver
had no doubt put to the most torturing of deaths,
by bleeding him to death with his heels upwards.

The butcher's countenance is finely expressive
of half-remorse, half bewilderment. " Lover's Seat"
shows us an enamoured couple talking sentiment on an
ant's nest—an ingenious notion, which almost out-
Hoods Hood. The gentleman looks uneasy, but
whether because his Dulcinea has rejected his ad-
dresses, or because a swarm of gnats are forming ars
embarrassing halo round his head, we cannot take upon
us to say. We suspect that it is a venemous gnat-bite
that has caused him his evident annoyance. The
" Bank Director" is illustrated by an equestrian who
has been unseated by a testy horse, and has fallen with
his head flattened, against an unyielding bank. The
inherent viciousness of the quadruped shows most ludi-
crously in his eye, which glows like a Christmas fire.
" Mr. Sebright's Hounds" is an amusing pun on the
word see-bright. The sportsman, his horse, and his
hounds are all attired in spectacles, and look very grave
and becoming. " Forgive me this Once" is a plebeian
executioner's apology for cutting off the head of a
patrician traitor, who looks at the artist with an ex.-
pression of countenance evidently implying that the
offence is not to he forgiven. " Appropriation Clause"
is explained in the true punning fashion, by a couple
of cats who have dug their claws into, and are making
off with, the Christmas dinner of an unquestionable
epicure. :The sufferer's face is a fine impersonation of
the pathetic. " Sergeant Mereweather" is a sly-
looking old ram, with a blue bag hanging on his fore-
paw, who is holding forth with all the oily volubility
of a practised lawyer. From the literary department,
some portions of which are in Hood's best manner, we
extract the following :

DRINKING SONG.
By a Member of a Temperance Society, as sung by Mr.
Spring, at Waterman's Hall.
Come, pass round the pail, boys, and give it no quarter,
Drink deep, and drink oft, and replenish your jugs,
Fill up, and I'll give you a toast to your water—
The turncock for ever 1 that opens the plugs 1
Then hey for a bucket, a bucket, a bucket,
Then hey for a bucket, filled up to the brim I
Or, best of all notions, let's have it by oceans,
With plenty of room for a sink or a swim
Let topers of grape-juice exultingly vapour,
But let us just whisper a word to the elves,
We water roads, horses, silks, ribands, bank paper,
Plants, poets, and muses, and why not ourselves ?
Then hey for a bucket, &c.
The vintage, they cry—think of Spain's and of France's,
The jigs, the boleros, fandangos, and jumps ;
But water's the spring of all civilised dances,
We go to a ball not in bottles, but pumps I
Then hey for a bucket, &c.
In wine let a lover remember his jewel,
And pledge her in bumpers, filled brimming and oft ;
But we can distinguish the kind from the cruel,
And toast them in water, the hard or the soft.
Then hey for a bucket, &c.
Should fortune diminish our cash's sum-total,
Deranging our wits and our private affairs,
Though some in such cases would fly to the bottle,
There's nothing like water for drowning our cares.
Then hey for a bucket, &c.
A fig, then, for Burgundy, Claret, or Mountain,
A few scanty glasses must limit your wish,
But he's a true toper that goes to the fountain,—
The drinker that verily " drinks like a fish 1"
Then hey for a bucket, &c.

Mr. Labouchere and the Right Hon. Henry La-
bouchere left Hamilton-place on Saturday for Highland
Hall, in Essex, to keep open house during the season.
A meeting is called early in January, at which Mr.
Roebuck, M.P., has expressed himself sufficiently reco-
vered to attend ; he will be accompanied by Sir W. Moles-
worth,
r M. P., and Mr. Leader, M.P.—Bath Guardian.
Captain
of R
tam Woolward, R.N., for many years Harbour
ylasteamsgate, who died on Friday morning, after a
few hours illness only, had been at a convivial party till a
late hour the preceding night, where something occurred
which considerably excited him, and is supposed to have
caused the apoplectic attack hich terminated fatally.-
-Kentish Observer.
DRESSES OF THE TIME.—In a publication of
this period (17,55) mention is made of a most magnificent
ball having been gic.en in February by the Russian Ambas-
sador, in Somerset li, use, at which were present his Ma-
jesty, and the Royal Farnly. They went first to visit the
Duchess of Norfolk, in St. James's-square, who received
masks that evening. The King went at eight, and retired
at eleven o'clock. (What a contrast with the present hours
of fashionable assemblies !) He was dressed in a black do-
mino, tye-wig, and gold laced hat ; the Princess of Wales
in a blue and silver robe, and her head finely ornamented
with jewels ; the Prince of W ales (George III.) in a pink
and silver dress, with a large plume of feathers on his head ;
Prince Edward (Duke of York, who died in 1767) in a
pink satin waistcoat, with a black belt, adorned with dia-
monds ; Princess Augusta in a rich gold stuff The Duke
was in a Turkish dress, with a large hunch of diamonds on,
his turban.—Horace Walpole's Letters.
During the inclement weather wear one of the Aro-
matic Spice Plasters to your chest, prepared by Mr. Wray
of Holborn Hill. Prevention is better than cure. One
trial alone will prove their inestimable utility. In coughs,
astlimas, affections of the chest, &c. We cannot recommend
any medicine so decidedly efficacious as Wray's cough
pills and pectoral lozenges in addition to the application of
his plasters to the chest.
On Saturday morning, between one and two o'clock,
the death of a female, supposed to be poisoned by some
narcotic drug, administered to her for the purpose of 7°ll'
bery or some other diabolical object, took place at the po-
lice station-house of the B division, in Brown's-buildings,
Pimlico. It appears that about ten on Friday night one of
the police constables of the B division, while on duty in Bel-
grave-terrace, observed the deceased lying insensible in the
carriage-way, and took her to the station-house. She ar
pears to be about forty or forty-three years of age, and was
very respectably dressed ; her clothes appeared to have
been much pulled about, and her pockets were quite empty.
There are no marks of violence about her person. The
body has since been identified as that of Mrs. Martha Flet-
cher, a respectable married woman, and the mother of
large family, residing in Frances-street, Westminster. She
had been out on business on Friday afternoco and was ek•
petted home in the early part of the evening. When silo
left home she had a small sum in her pocket,
Previous to the passing of the Beer Bill, the con:,
sumption of malt as compared with the population, was ful'
one-fourth less than at the beginning of last century.
We understand that orders have been issued by the
Commander-in-Chief to the several regiments of the line,
that on all future occasions recruits will be admitted of the
stature of five feet six inches, being a diminution of one inelh.
from the present standard. 'With regard to the bouseho
infantry, the Royal artillery, and the cavalry, the standards
of height is to remain unchanged, viz.,
for the two former, and six feet for the latter.
The effects of the late severe hurricane in Margate..
town and parish cannot be repaired for less than %OWL
The bricklayers are reaping an abundant harvest, which
five feet eight inehe
will
last for at least a month to come. It Is a great mercy tial?
storm did not rage during the night instead of the day,
doubtless, many more lives would have been lost.
itt
POETRY AND CRITICISM.—A Dublin iti
eoc,
1!1
censuring a tragic performer who lately attemptecrd
a _reLa
character, says the actor reminded him of the harp which
" So often had echoed the deep sigh of sadness,
That e'en in its mirth it would steal from it still.