The Sun.
London, England, 1840-09-04 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

TILE WAR IN AFFGHANISTAN.-2 Vozs.
Colburn, London, 1840.

These volumes, descriptive of the late war in
Affghanistan, are the production of Captain Have-
lock, who was himself an eye-witness of the events
he relates, being at the time Aid-de-camp to Sir
Willoughby Cotton, who commanded the Bengal
forces in Affghanistan. The work, therefore, may
be safely relied on, more especially as it wears all
the appearance of candour and impartiality ;
though, as the author observes in his introduction,
it is but " a hurried sketch of events." One of
the most entertaining chapters is that which is
devoted to an account of an interview that took
place between the Governor-General of India, and
the late Runjeet Singh, a portion of which we
extract :

" The Maha Rajah paid his visit to the Governor- '
General on the 28th inst. His Lordship's camp was
about four miles from the bank of Gharra. It con-
sisted of a wide sheet of large tents, in the centre of
which was the suite of lofty and spacious apartments
of canvass used for the purposes of the Durbar.
An escort of all arms usually lines the space
between the pavilions for some hundred yards, and the
elephants of the British suwarrce are drawn up in front
of the Durbar tent. As the approach of the ',visitor is
announced, the howdas of these stately animals are
quickly filled by the Governor-General and his suite.
The British suwarree moved forward a few yards to
pay the compliment of the istigbal, as it is called, or
initiare advance in meeting ; both suwarreez having
halted for a moment before this courteous concession
was made. Lord Auckland, habitcd in a blue coat,
embroidered with gold, and wearing the ribbon of the
Bath, his secretaries in the showy, diplomatic costume
of similar colour and richness, the numerous staffs of
the civil ruler, and military chief, in handsome uniforms,
made altogether a gallant show, as their animals with
a simultaneous rush, urged by the blows and voices of
the mohauls, moved to the front. Forward to meet
them came on a noisy and disorderly, though gorgeous
rabble of Sikh horse and foot men, shouting out the
titles of their great Sirdar, some habited in glittering
brocada, some wearing chain armour. 11-hind these
clamorous foot and cavaliers were the elephants of the
Lord of Lahore ; and seated in the foremost was seen
an old man in an advanced stage of decrepitude, clothed
in faded crimson, his head wrapped up in folds of cloth
of the same colour. His single eye still lighted up
with the fire of enterprise, his grey hair and beard, and
countenance of calm,design, assured the spectators that
this could be no other than the old Lion of the Pun-
jab. The shock of elethents at the moment of meeting
is really terrific. More than a hundred of these active
and sagacious, but enormous animals, are suddenly
brought to a .stand-still• by the collision of opposing•
fronts and foreheads. This is the most interesting
moment ; for now the Governor-General rising up in
his howda, approaches that of Runjeet, returns his
salaam, embraces him, and taking him by the arm, and
supporting his tottering frame, places him by his side on
his own elephant. A strange incident closed the scene.
In a retired part of the suite of tents, were placed two
very handsome, well-cast howitzers, intended as compli-
mentary gifts to the Sikh ruler. These, he came forth
from the Council tent, supported by Sir H. Fane, to
' see. The light in the recesses of these spacious pa-
vilions was glimmering and crepusculous ; the aged
Malta Rajah, heedless of the shells which were piled
in pyramids below, was stepping up towards the muzzles
of the guns, when his feet tripped amidst the spherical
missiles, and in a moment he lay prostrate on his face,
and at full length on the floor, in front of the cannon.
The kind and prompt exertions of Sir Henry replaced
him instantly on his legs ; but the spectacle of the Lord
of the Punjab extended in involuntary obeisance before
the mouths of British artillery was regarded by the
Sikhs as a picture of fearful omen."
The second volume of this agreeable narrative
consists, for the most part, of what the author
calls, " Appendix" and " Observations," in which
are inserted copies of the various General Orders
of the Commander-in-Chief to the troops under
his command ; and brief cursory remarks, on the
character of the successor of Runjeet Singh, and
on the nature of our political relations with the
Sikhs.

SLADE'S GERMANY AND RUSSIA.
Longman, London, 1840.
We do not find much that is new in this volume,
nor, indeed, have we a right to look for novelty,
considering how many dozen books of travels in
Germany and Russia have appeared within the last
ten years ; still, though Mr. Slade makes few or no
additions to the stock of our information, he de-
scribes scenes and characters with so much liveli-
ness, that we take a strong interest in his narra-
tive, and are sorry when it comes to a close.
Speaking of the Sultan and his rival, the Viceroy
of Egypt, our author observes, that the former has
only the shadow, but the latter the substance, of
power, and adds, " Europe is. I believe, now aware
of the fact that the destruction of the Janissaries
was not the stepping-stone to Turkish regeneration,
but rather acted as an earthquake's shock to a
tottering edifice ; but she is still insensible to an-
other and more important result produced by it—
viz., the separation of the throne from the nation.
The nation was Mussulman. The Janissaries
were its representatives; and when they were over-
thrown, the house of Othman ceased to reign
morally." Mr. Slade is impressed with a highly
favourable opinion of the Vietinese, whom be pro-
nounces to be an excellent-hearted people, and per-
haps the happiest in the world, though he qualifies
his admiration by asserting that they are all sen-
sualists, whose sole enjoyments, next to music, are
eating, drinking, smoking, and dancing. We con-
clude our notice, with what seems to us, a very
correct estimate of Prince Metternich's talents as a

statesman :
" Prince Metternich is eminently a diplomatist, as
well as a very eminent one, but is he not placed in an
era and position where the statesman is requited ? Has
he not retarded where he should have progressed? Has
he not fettered energies where he should have developed
them? Has he not mistaken the spirit of the age for a
spectre monster, and allowed it to weigh him down like
a night-mare, instead of making himself its incarnation ?
Look at facts. He has uniformly exerted and is exert
ing his great talents and influence solely to maintain the
status quo everywhere, especially in Austria ; wilfully
turning a blind eye to the indices of the storm gathering
round him, and a deaf ear to the claims of right and
reason. And truly it must be said, he has managed
most adroitly to keep the elements entrusted to his
care within the limits prescribed.by him. But how much
more might he have effected by a contrary proceeding !
In how imposing an attitude might he have placed Aus-
tria, foremost in power and influence, as in rank. As,
however, Prince Metternich found her, so will he leave
her, unconnected and disjointed, with dilapidated finances
and undeveloped resources, with no bulwark to restrain
ambition on one side, and no channel prepared for the
safe introduction of liberalism on the other. He might
have rendered her heterogeneous parts homogeneous,
have raised a barrier against Russia, and have welcomed
liberalism without fear. A statesman, in his place,
would have done all this."

LIVES OF THE QUEENS OF ENGLAND.
Vol. 3. Col6urn, London, 1840.
Miss Strickland, to whose pen we are indebted
for this work, relates, in the present volume, the
personal history of six English Queens, all of
whom were more or less involved in the changeful
events of those stormy periods of our annals in
which they lived. The memoir of Isabella of
Valois, the second Queen of Richard the Second,
has never yet been written ; portions of it arc ex-
ceedingly interesting, more particularly the extracts
from old Froissart, and the accounts of the
internal movements of the English Courts, as
they were unveiled to the historian of chi-
valry, by Sir John de Grailly, a Flemish
knight, who—to quote the words of our
authoress—" had held a place in the Royal
Family since the days of Queen Philippa." Isa-
bella seems to have been a Princess well calcu-
lated to inspire respect and love ; and after the
death of her first husband, she married the Duke
of Orleans, with whom she lived a life of perfect
content and happiness, till her death, which took
place not long after their union, in her twenty-
second year, a few hours after the birth of her in-
fant child. Miss Strickland's memoir of this
am►able Queen is written with much care, and shows
no want of research. It is the best written life in
the volume.

A SUMMER'S DAY AT GREENWICH.
Colburn, London, 1840.

This is a pleasant, unpretending little book,
which describes all the antiquities of Greenwich ;
its famous Hospital, and still more famous annual
Fair ; furnishes us with many curious particulars
respecting Queen Elizabeth's Court, when it was
held in this town ; and has the additional recom-
mendation of being embellished by several appro-
priate wood-cuts.

SPEECHES IN PARLIAMENT.
Painter, London, 1840.
From the title of this volume the reader would
be apt to suppose that it was a collection of the
most important speeches made during the lastiSes-
mu of Parliament by both Whigs and Tories ; but