The Sun.
London, England, 1847-12-23 00:00:00

been discovered that fraudulent overcharges were
Made, the prisoner was given into custody.
Messrs. Noble and Co., seedsmen, Fleet-street,
suffered to some extent by the prisoner's delinquen-
cies. First, for goods received by the comp,,ny's
train Messrs. Noble were charged 11s., whereas they
had been debited to the company Ss. 3d. only ; in the
• second case, for goods received by the train Messrs.
Noble Were charged 35., but debited to the company
2s. 3d. ; in the third case, for goods so received Messrs
Noble were charged 145., kit debited to the company
12s. 9d.; and in the fourth case Messrs. Noble were
charged 21s. 11d., whilst they had been charged to
the company 19s. Bd—the prisoner thus pocketing,
by one firm only, in the short space of two days,
6s. 3d., or 18s. 9d. per week, independent of his
salary.
Mr. Fearn, the clerk, produced a book, in which
the proper amount was entered, and said that Messrs.
Noble had been greatly overcharged, and that the
prisoner had paid him the correct value of the freight-
age and delivery only.
Several other charges of a like nature were proved
against the prisoner, and a number of others were
ready to be gone into, but
Mr. Hurlstone, the second clerk, said that the
company would confine themselves to three charges,
which had been brought forward and proved before
the magistrate, and if other individuals were re-
quired they would be subpseaned upon the.trial at the
Old Bailey.
Mr. Hurlstone then read over the depositions, and
the witnesses having been bound over in the sum of
401. each to appear at the next session of the Central
Criminal Court, the prisoner was fully committed
for trial.

THE STAGE COACHES OF BY-
GONE DAYS.

About 50 years ago, the:Holyhead mail left London
at eight at night, and arrived at Shrewsbury between
ten and eleven the following night, taking 27 hours
to run 162 miles. This distance, however, before the
establishment of railways was done without diffi-
culty in 161 hours. At the time when this rate of
travelling was considered all that was required, there
was a coach on the road between Shrewsbury
and Chester, called the " Shrewsbury and
Chester Highflyer." This coach started from
Shrewsbury at eight o'clock in the morn-
ing, and arrived at Chester about the same time
in the evening, the distance being 40 miles.
This was a good.bard road for wheels, and rather
a favourable one for draught. " But how," inquires
a writer in the Quarterly Review for 1832, "can all
these hours be accounted for ?" Why, if a " com-
mercial gentleman" had a little business at Elles-
, mere, there was plenty of time for that; if a
" real gentlemen" wanted to pay a morning visit
on the road, there could be no objection to that. In
the pork-pie season, half-an-hour was generally
consumed in consuming one of them, for Mr.
Williams, the coachman, was a wonderful favourite
with the farmer's wives and daughters all along
the road. The coach dined at Wrexham, for
coaches lived well in those days—they now live upon
air; and Wrexham Church was to be seen—a fine
specimen of the florid Gothic, and one of the wonders
of Wales I Then Wrexham was also famous for its
ale ; there were no public breweries in those days in
• Wales ; and, above all, the inn belonged to Sir ISrat-
kin. About two hours were allowed for dinner; but
Billy Williams, one of the best-tempered fellows on
earth, as honest as Aristides, was never particular to
half an hour or so. " The coach is ready, gentlemen,"
he would say, "but don't let me disturb you if you wish
for another bottle." This was the plan adopted in the
good old times, when every affair of life moved on at
. a quiet jog trot pace, not at all adapted to the present
, mode of carrying on business. Competition of the
• most eager kind has been for some years the order of
• the day, and most certainly it cannot be said that
• stage coaches stood still. Leaving out of the ques-
tion the light coaches, which travelled at an ex-
. tremely rapid rate, we may notice the speed main-
• tained by the mails, which had to travel long dis-
tances before their employment was superseded by
railways. The Edinburgh mail ran 400 miles in
• forty hours, stoppages included. This was nearly
. eleven miles an hour. A coach to Exeter, the Herald,
went over its ground, 173 miles, in twenty hours,
• and E that is a very uneven country ; and the
Devonport mail performed its journey, 227 miles,
in twenty-two hours. The increase of speed was
alarming to those who had been accustomed to the
old-fashioned slow coaches, and at the rate at which
the new vehicles travelled was considered reckless
risking of human life. Nevertheless, the thing went
on, and it began to be whispered, in spite of the mer-
• ciless ridicule of the Quarterly Review, that if steam
• Were to be employed on a railroad, it would
be. even possible to attain a speed of some
twenty miles an hour. In reference to a pro-
posed London and Woolwich railroad, the Quarterly
• not only backed " Old Father Thames wait st it
for any sum," but assured its readers that the people
of Woolwich "would as soon suffer themselves to be
fired• off upon one of the Congreve's 6richocet '
rockets as trust themselves to the mercy of such a
Machine (a high pressure engine), and going at such
•a rate (eighteen or twenty miles an hour)." And the
• reviewer expresses his trust that " Parliament will, in
all railroads it may sanction, limit the speed .to eight
or nine miles an hour, which is as great as can be
ventured upon with safety." The experiment has,
however, been tried, and we all know with what
saecess.—The Rail; its Origin and Progress.

TIM FRENCH ON THE ENGLISH COAST TAKING
SouNDINqS.—A correspondent of the Brighton Gazette
says—" There is at this present moment lying in
wish harbour a whacking French corvette for the pro-
tection of the fishing trade. Her complement of officers
is extraordinary; and every fine day, when they can
spare time from their piscatorial occupation, they im-
prove the shining hour by surveying and sounding the
harbour! Verbum sapienti."
THE Nzw RAILWAY ACT.—The Act to give fur-
ther time for making certain Railways came into opera-
tion on Monday, when it received the royal assent. It
was yesterday issued, containing 11 elauses. Various
alterations have been made in the measure since its in-
troduction. By the. Act, as passed, railway companies
may " within two months," apply to the Commissioners
of Railways for an extension of time for the purchase of
lands, &c. The commissioners may require a company
so applying to give notice, and may appoint a day for
hearing objections. The Commissioners may extend the
time to a period not exceeding two years, from the ex-
piration of the time originally allowed. Existing con-
tracts and notices to take lands are to be continued as if
this Act had not been passed; and in cases where parties
are agrieved by an extension of time, compensation may
be awarded. The important part of the Act is embraced
in the seventh, eighth, and ninth clauses. Contracts for
new works are not to be entered into for twelve months,
unless it shall be determined otherwise at a general
meeting of the shareholders. Within six weeks after
the passing of the Act, the opinion of a company may
be ascertained as to the commencement of new works.
A form has been provided (set forth in the schedule an•
nexed to the Act), in which the shareholders may ex-
press their assent or dissent to the commencement of
new works. The chairman is publicly to' announce
whether three.fiftbs of the shareholders assent or dis-
sent. At such meeting, no shareholder is to vote who
has not paid up all " calls." A certificate of the meeting
is to be filed with the Railway Commissioners, and a
sealed copy to be received as evidence in all courts.
HERRING TRADE.—Wick, Dec. 16.—The con-
tinuance of unfavourable weather, preventing all ingress
and egress at Pulteneytowa harbour, has considerably
retarded shipments of our staple commodity, since our
last notice, so that the number of barrels remaining
unshipped at this place is not materially diminished
from the quantity then represented as being still on
hand. There are two vessels in the harbour, taking
ea board cargoes, one for an Irish port, and the
other for Leith. On their departure, there will
remain about 7,000 barrels unshipped here. In
our local market we hear of no purchases of cured fish,
nor of any inquiries being made,the principal sales of
the past season being, as usual, intended for the conti-
nent. Irish markets give no indications of reviving
trade. From Stettin, last accounts were to the effect,
that the market continued steady. Prices still stood at
shade above eight dollars. With respect to the trade
in general, it is in a much more lively state than in De-
cember, 1846. At that time almost every cooper was
out of employment. At present, however, there are few,
if any, entirely out of work at ;their own trade.—John
o•Groat Journal.
FORETHOUGHT AND SAGACITY OF RATS.—In cut-
ting through an embankment in a field adjoining the
river Lune, the other day, for the formation of one of
the culverts rendered necessary for the passing of the
North-Western Railway in that direction, the labourers
met with between fifteen and twenty pounds weight of
eels, some quite fresh, and others in the last stage of
putrelaction. They varied from a quarter to half a
pound in weight, and consisted of the common silver-
bellied, or river eel, and Lilliputian specimens of the
conger, or sea eel. The latter, of course, had come
up with the tide. As teeth-marks were visible on the
heads of most of them, it was conjectured they had
been destroyed in that way, and stored for winter pro-
vision, by some animal whose retreat was not far dis-
tant. This proved to be the case. On digging a little
further, out bounced a matronly rat, with seven half
grown young ones at her heels. The workmen gave
chase, and ultimately succeeded in killing both mother
and progeny, with a solitary exception, the trunk of a
neighbouring tree affording an asylum to one of the
family. The embankment is about 100 yards from the
water's edge, so that it must have r( quired considerable
time and labaur on the part of the old rat to have
dragged the eels thither.—Lancaster Guardian.
Lord Nugent Kennedy left the Blackwell Pier
yesterday morning by the General Steam Navigation
Company's mail steam ship Ocean for Rotterdam, ex
route to the Hague.
We have just received, but are unable to publish,
a solemn protest against the opposition to Dr. Hampden,
signed by upwards of 300 members of the Convocation of
Oxford.—Cambridge Advertiser.
The Journal de Constantinople of the 6th says,—
" Since the publication of our last number several cases
of cholera have been reported by the board of health,
but the malady is not making much progress."

iuu

Tlit ANNUALS.

THE KEEPSAKE FOR 1548. Edited by the
Countess of Blessington.

It is said that the days of " The Annuals" are
over, and their occupation is gone. If so,:they share the
fate of many a popular beauty, whose charms once
surrounded her with countless admirers, but whoe)
the hand of time has deprived both of the one and
of the other. Such is ever the case with superficial
attractions—either the external beauty itself passes
away and with it the admiration which it elicited, or,
if it remains unfaded,
" Shining on, shining on, by no shadow made tender
Love falls asleep in its silence of splendour,"
and admiration grows weary of admiring. Under
such a calamity, the only chance left the forsaken
favourite for retaining popularity, is to have recourse
to such means as shall make a lasting interest and
esteem more than compensate for the loss of a tran-
sient admiration. Such a prudent line of conduct
has been adopted by the Annuals. In the "Keepsake"
for 1848 we remark a slight alteration, which, on
examination, we find to be an improvement. A
similar change has taken place in its external and inter-
nal arrangement—in lieu of the silken binding of
former times, it now appears in a more durable,
though not less gorgeous covering; and in place of a
whole contents of silken sentimentalities, its articles
present a very pleasing variety, and are many of
them worthy of being treasured up and again referred
to. The names of the contributors are indeed suffi-
cient to prove the variety and excellence of the
materials. Among them are the fair editress, Lady
Blessington, Sir E. Bulwer Lytton, Albert Smith,
Monckton Milnes, Barry Cornwall, Eugene Sue, Mrs.
S. C. Hall, Camilla Toulmin, Mrs. Romer, Lord J.
Manners, and many others. The first article is by
Sir E. Bulwer Lytton—" The Lawyer who Cost his
Client Nothing." It is taken, we are informed in a
note, from the " Thresor d'Histoires Admirables et
Ilemorables," published in 1620, " a rare book (adds
the note) from which Sterne borrowed with his usual
hardihood and felicity." This tale, narrated in
Bulwer Lytton's invariably attractive style, is suf-
ficiently interesting; but the subject is not a pleasing
one, being a repetition of that often-repeated theme
of the arch-enemy tempting some unhappy wretch
to barter his soul for some temporary benefit. One
passage, however, is very suggestive, and contains a
moral lesson worthy of being remembered. Before
the hesitating soldier (the hero of the tale) will con-
sent to the proposal of the tempter, he insists that he
must behold his far-distant child. His companion
reluctantly agrees, but the visio❑ is only to last for
the hundredth part of a moment, while a nail drops
from his hand to the floor. Accordingly he conjures
it up for that brief period :

" The soldier looked; Bettine was before him; the
little room at the forge; the small bed at the corner; the
crucifix hung at the bed's head. Bettine's sweet face
was pale and disturbed; some dream scared or disturbed
her; and her lips plainly syllabled the words—' Father,
God save thee!' Then the soldier's soul seemed to make
itself palpable, and felt within him, it seemed to flutter
and writhe in agony—to appeal to heaven against the
base fears of the body, by which its divine essence was
so mercilessly endangered. Its voice became audible;
as a frightened child at the breast of its mother it wailed
for succour and deliverance. Suddenly—as the form of
a giant angel, its feet on the earth, its brow encircled by
the glory of the loftiest stars—rose Hope. • Son,' said
the angel, • whom I have reared from the cradle, wilt
thou desert me at the gates of the tomb? Not till the
tomb is closed canst thou know me as I am! All
my beauty—all my power—are never shown but in
the land beyond the grave. Do thy sins dismay thee?
I was created to rescue men from sin. Nor guilt; nor
demon has lasting authority on the soul, while it clings
to the garments of Hope.' The voice died—the dream
faded. Before the soldier stood the tempter, and the
nail had not yet reached the floor. • Fiend,' said the
man delivered, •if in the hundredth part of a moment
the soul, escaped from the body, can feel as mine has
felt, what must be eternity ? Avaunt, and let me die !' "
This same tale also contains another passage, of a
totally different character, which, although somewhat
ludicrous, is interesting, as showing its author's
strong belief in the efficacy of the " Cold Water
Cure." A sick man, at the point of death, deserted by
his attendant, being attacked with thirst, so great as
to give him the strength of desperation, " contrived,
though with difficulty, to crawl down stairs, open the
kitchen door, and find his way to the trough in the
yard, at which the horses were watered. Of
this unpalateable beverage he drank heartily,
and found himself refreshed, when, in totter-
ing back, he fell unawares into a large cistern." Now,
whether the shock of the immersion, or the previous
draughts of cold water, wrought a change in the
complaint, or that the disease of itself had taken a
favourable turn, the historian saith not, but the con-
sequence was the patient's complete restoration to
health ! Next follows " A Tale that was Told to
Me," by Camilla Toulmin, a tale of a sea voyage and
shipwreck, rendered peculiarly interesting by the
beautiful character of the heroine, who fully deserved
her epitaph of " a most noble woman." It is not '
fair, we know, to disclose the denouement of a story,
but in this instance the closing incident is so inte-
resting and so affecting, that an acquaintance with it
would rather excite a desire to know the whole. After
the shipwreck, when the vessel was momentarily
expected to go down, one boat put off
to the not far distant shore, and then
a second, the last one, was prepared, but it was found
that it could not contain all who remained. There
was a general cry that all the women should be saved.
One young wife clung in passionate agony to her
husband. " My love, my life," she exclaimed, "swear
to me that We shall not be parted—swear that you
will not urge me to enter the boat, if there be not
room for both 1" His only answer was a last em-
brace, as he handed her fainting to the sailors in the
already full boat. Helen (the heroine), the Jest
woman on board, about to leave the vessel, wit-
nessed this scene and drew back. " I yield my place to
James Lawson," she said, " let not two loving hearts
be parted." And before the husband had time to
hesitate or refuse, his wife had drawn him after her and
the boat put off. Helen remained. A beautiful
engraving—" The Last Moment"—represents her
clinging to the broken mast as the ship went down.
This picture, whether intentionally or not, effectually
illustrates the final conflict of soul and body—one
hand of the dying girl clings tenaciously to
the broken mast with the strong instinct of self-
preservation, the other is stretched almost ex-
ultingly towards heaven—her eyes are cast up-
wards in faith and hope, while the rest of
her countenance is convulsed with the last agony of
nature. Yet there is nothing gloomy in the picture
or in the tale it illustrates, which is one of the most
beautiful and most interesting we have yet seen from
Miss Toulmin's pen. 'We have neither time nor
space sufficient to analyse each separate ar-
ticle, but must content ourselves with enume-
rating some of the most striking. " Red Rose Villa "
acquires additional interest from its being the compo-
sition of the late Grace Aguilar. There is something
inexpressibly affecting in thus perusing thoughts,
coming, as it were, from the grave. The story in
itself is a very pleasing one. " Regniaud's Ven-
geance," is by Albert Smith, who describes it as " a
theft from Boccaccio ; being a free translation of, but
not so free, as the original." It is written with his
accustomed humour, in a mock heroic, or rather mock
sentimental style, yet we could wish that he had
somewhat modified the concluding portion—it would
have been better had it been even a less "free" trans-
lation than it is. Among the rather ridiculous, yet
not inappropriate, similes to be met with in this tale,
here is a novel description of the effects of love :
" Regniaud's heart had fairly got into his head, and
occupied all the space that his brains ought to
have done. Practical anatomists may deny the pos-
sibility of so curious a displacement, but there are no
limits to the power of love. From that time Beg-
niaud's books went out of favour. He tried to study,
but he read the same lines over dozens of times, and
even then could not tell what they were about.
His fanciful thoughts of Eleria half obliterated the
letters, as the varied patterns (f the lining of a
trunk overcome by their intensity the modest literature
they blot out." " Bataillon," by Eugene Sue, has the
somewhat novel attraction of being in French. And
a very great attraction it is, for much as any work
loses by passing from one language to another, none
suffer so greatly as the favourite fictions of France.
In the writings of Eugene Sue, Alexandre Dumas,
and others, the greatest charm consists in a peculiar
fascination of style, and even of idiom, which is
utterly untranslatable. This " Bataillon is an amus-
ing sketch, with a somewhat tragical catastrophe.
Batailli n is a stray dog, picked up by one Capitaine
David, who adopts him as his comrade ; this Capi
trine, and his domineering rnenagere, Madame Tolibois,
remind us greatly of Captain Cuttle and his obliging
landlady, Mrs. M`Stinger. Those who love romantic
tales will be gratified with Miss Isabella Munro's
" Tale of the Past,"—" Louisa de Montemar,” and
Mrs. Homer's 4g Romance of Ronda." The latter tale,
notwithstanding its romantic character, very effec-
tually illustrates the true policy of the Christian doc-
trine of forgiveness of injuries—it is a sermon on the
proverb, " A soft answer turneth away wrath."
Among the lighter contributions are some sketches
about " Scandal," by Lady Blessington. Mrs. S. C.
Hall, in the " Little Hop-picker's Dream, gives us one
of her delightfully natural glimpses of humble
life. One of the most interesting articles in the
whole volume is a brief tale by Elizabeth Youatt—
" The Blind Man and the Child." This tale, attractive
in itself, is rendered peculiarly fascinating from the
belief that it is to a certain extent founded on truth.
A skilful artificer had constructed a clock of wonder-
ful mechanism for the town of Dantzic, when some
of the citizens, justly proud of possessing such a mas-
terpiece, became alarmed at a report that he was
about to construct a similar one for the rival town of
Hamburg h. Consequently, with relentless cruelty,
they caused the eyes of the unfortunate man to be
put out, thus for ever destroying his mechanical
powers, and, to conceal their terrible act, transported
' him to a distant country. Years afterwards " the blind

LitiN DON

man" found his way to his native place, and gaining I
access to the works of the famous clock, t) blind,
cut some important wire and effectually destroyed
it. But this revenge cost him dear; had destroyed
his cherished chef d'oeuvre, he did not long survive it, ,
and the legend adds that his spirit was often seen
wandering in the neighbourhood of the ruined time-
piece, wringing his hands and lamenting its destruction.
Of the poetical contributions to the "Keepsake," the
first is by Barry Cornwall, a translation from the.
German, "The Awakener in the Desert." The
versification of this piece is sufficiently melodious,
but the subject (the reminiscences of a " mummied
thing") necessarily reminds us of Horace Smith's
inimitable " Address to a Mummy," and, conse-
quently,
the " Awakener in the Desert," being
greatly inferior, obtains little of our admiration.
Among the other poems are some veries by Lord J.
Manners, being the disconsolate farewell of a despair-
ing lover; some spirited stanzas upon "Slavery," by
Lady E. S. Wortley ; and some sweet lines on " The
Destiny of the Poet," by Mrs. Abdy. Anna
Savage has contributed a beautiful poem
upon the "Bourse," concluding with the
mournful moral that the wealth of worlds
"cannot purchase one lost hour again." There are
only two pieces from the fair editress, one, upon the
" Palace of the Luxembourg," is on the text "Uneasy
lies the head which wears a crown ;" the other upon
the " Gallery of Diana at Fontainebleau," is a brief
allusion to the strange incidents connected with a
palace built by Henry the Great, for his• " fair Ga-
brielle," where afterwards " Monaldeschi's blood
crimsoned the floor," and where, in latter days,
" Fortune's favourite son" resided in the hour of
calamity. With this reminiscence the verses thus
conclude—

" What bitter pangs were his, as now revealed—
Ingratitude stood forth, all unabashed,
And friends were few. His guards, whom oft he led
To glory, cot quered now by grief, shed tears,
As they received his earnest, fond farewell,
Whom, as a god, they worshipped in their hearts."
Of the beautiful engravings with which this volume
is adorned the m.,st beautiful is the frontiliiece—
a portrait of Jenny Lind, by J. W. Wright. Por-
traits of Jenny Lind are common enough, they are
to be met with in all directions ; indeed we are told
in a note to a poem addressed to the fair singer by
Miss Power, which appears in the " Keepsake," that
shortly after her arrival in England Jenny Lind,
chancing to. enter a poor cottage near Burnham
Beeches, was surprised and amused to find a portrait
of herself " the cherished ornament of the humble
abode." Nevertheless, numerous as these likenesses
may be, and critically correct as many of them doubt-
lessly are, after seeing the original on the stage, we
are invariably disappointed by them all. They may
give a tolerable representation of the features, but
they have not the expression which delighted us in
the original. They are not Jenny Lind. How-
ever, this portrait, which forms the frontispiece to
the "Keepsake," differs in this respect from
its predecessors, it gives us not only the
features, but the charming expression which
animates them, an expression of mingled sweetness
and simplicity. The fair singer is here represented
as in the last act •of the Somnambula when for-
getting a sad reality, she is dreaming of happiness
and love ; her countenance fully expresses the tender
and joyous sentiments, which are then supposed to
occupy the heart of Amina. Her whole appearance
is most interesting, and the artist has effectually
pourtrayed
" The mind, the music, breathing from her face."
The pencil of J. Allom, and the graver of C. ilor-
tram, have contributed some admirable views of the
" Bourse," the " Staircase of the Palace of the Lux-
embourg," and the "Gallery of Diana at Fontaine-
bleau," and " Phcebe," by E. H. Weigall, is as
beautiful and natural a delineation of the dreaming
"Little Hop-Picker" as is Airs. S. C. Hall's pen and ink
portraiture of the same.

THE BOOK OF BEAUTY; or, REGAL
GALLERY.

The same improvement that we noticed in " 'I he
Keepsake" is visible in this " Book of Beauty" for
1848, which, besides its accustomed and very honour-
able employment as the mirror of beauty, lays claim
to the, we were about to say, higher office of illus-
trator of history. As usual, it presents us with a
group of lovely faces, and, as usual, they are not
tanciful but actual portraits, with this difference—
they are taken, not from the present but from the
past. Consequently each portrait is not, as heretofore,
only interesting to the favoured few acquainted with
its fair prototype, but is, or should be, attractive to
the great multitude who are supposed to
have a certain knowledge of its original,
for each of the twelve fair ladies here re-
presented, " the likeness of a kingly crown had
on," each of these lair ladies was a queen of England.
This "regal gallery," as it is termed, appears at an
appropriate time, when the sovereignty of Queen
Victoria, and the writings of Miss strickland, have
rendered the royal ladies of England a subject of
general interest. This volume contains the portraits
of only twelve out of the long list of English Queens,
and in order, doubtless, to avoid the appearance of
being too historical, great care has been taken, in the
arrangement of the volume, to place the pictures
without any regard to date—thus the Queens of
Henry VIII. take precedence of the Consort of
Richard 1., and the wife of Richard 11. comes long
after the queen of Charles I. Hence, we presume,
that each lady is to be considered per se, and her life
regarded as matter of biography, rather than of history,
notwithstanding the judicious remark of Miss Toul-
min, in her life of Queen Caroline, in this volume,
that an isolated historical character is like " a pro-
file cut in paper, without shadow or background, or
artistic accessories." Taking the royal ladies, then,
not as we find them in history, but in the " Book of
Beauty," we must begin with Anne Boleyn, whose
portrait by H. O'Neil forms the frontispiece, and
whose memoir, by Lady Blessington, is the first article
of the volume. This commencement is, we think,
somewhat injudicious, not that the picture in itself is
unfit to he a frontispiece—on the contrary, it is a
most beautiful likeness of a most beautiful counte-
nance, and as an engraving, is worthy of all
praise—yet surely the regal gallery of Eng-
land can boast of some more admirable Queen
than Anne Boleyn. Next follows Jane Seymour,
and then Catherine Parr. Thus, out of a list of only
twelve Queens, a very undue share is, to our think-
ing, given to the Consorts of Henry VIII. Their
memoirs by Lady Blessington are all interesting,
and their portraits worthy of a Book of Beauty.
Then we meet with Berengaria and Elizabeth Wood-
ville, who lived in very different yet equally perilous
times. The one shared with her husband in the
chivalrous wars of the Crusades—the other mourned
over the terrible battles of the Roses. Next follows
the stately Caroline, wife to George 11. The
memoir of this right queenly lady is, as we haver
already said, written by Miss Camilla Toulmin. The
life of Caroline is an interesting study ; though only
Queen-Consort, she possessed more real power than
many a reigning
d (andir inti thiso respect, her,
conduct
awell
sovereignworthy
may admiration,
may venture to say it, of imitation also), although as
a queen, she exercised great influence over her hus-
band, she was zealous in the performance of her
duty as a wife, yielding him submission due, and
this not from motives of policy, not even, it has been
said, from affection, but from a strong sense of duty.
It is related that when, the King desired her to walk
with him; when, from ill health, too weak for the
exertion, she frequently would plunge her feet in
cold water before setting out, in order to
gain temporary strength. Whether or not the
King knew of this is not said, but in either
case, as Miss Toulmin justly observes, " Whether
one thinks of a man who could for his own
gratification permit such risk and suffering to be
incurred by a wife, of whom he said, I never yet
saw the woman who was worthy to buckle her shoe ;'
or the resolution with which she concealed the

sacrifice,Elean
or Provence, of alternative
comesis equallyth
eportrait
amazing."
an memoir After
of Matilda of Scotland, Queen of Henry I. This
portrait is one of the most attractive in the book;
the Queen appears in an attitude of humility, car-
rying a basket, but her air is dignified, and the ex-
pression of her countenance most pleasing, according
well with the interesting character here given of her by
Dinah Mulock, and according well with what we
should anticipate from her parentage—the daughter
of Malcolm Canmore and Margaret the Saint ; and
with her own surname of " Good Queen Maud."
Philippa of Hainhault, equally good as a wife
and as a queen, presents in many respects a striking
contrast to the gentle Matilda, whom she succeeds.
Henrietta Maria, Eleanor of Castile, and Isabella de
Valois complete this " regal gallery." In the me-
moir of Eleanor strong doubts are cast upon the
veracity of the anecdote of Eleanor sucking the
poison from her husband's wound, but " where igno-
rance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise," and we feel no
gratitude towards those who endeavour to shake our
belief in the pleasing incidents, few and far between
which illumine the otherwise somewhat gloomy
chronicles of the past.

It is understood that the unrestricted control of
the money•order department of the Post- offie through-
out the kingdom has been placed in the hands of Mr.
Rowland fill by the Postmaster General, with a view
to its improvement and extension. No step could have
been adopted in connexion with this branch of the Go-
vernment service more calculated to afford satisfaction
to the public, while at the same time it furnishes a good
precedent—and in England a most rare one—in allow-
ing freedom of action to a reformer, master of his sub-
ject, instead of permitting his plans to be marred by
official pedants, and then complaining of delays or of
imperfections.
INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGIIT.—In conformity with
the treaty lately concluded netw,en and Eng-
land relative to copyright, two editions of the German
translation of Bulwer's " Lucretia " have been seized at
Berlin, and the publishers prosecuted.

41" j

LITERATURE.

THE COUNCIL OF FOUR ; a Game at Wni..
Lions. By Arthur Wallbridge, author of " orrington
Ball."

" It happened some short time since," says Mr.
Wallbridge in his preface, " that being one of a small
party assembled at the house of a friend, we agreed
to play at bouts rinies. But the due number of syl-
lables would not come pleasantly, the poems when
complete were uninteresting, and altogether our game
at bouts riffles did not turn out. well. Upon this I
proposed that we should try a new exercise for our
wits. This was to consist of various definitions of
some word fixed upon by general consent. Each of
the company was to be provided with a slip of paper
and a pencil. Three words for definition being
chosen, they were to be written down by every
person on his or her slip of paper, and the definition
of each word having afterwards been written under
it, all the papers were to be handed to some one
gentleman who was to act as reader. This gentleman
was then to read aloud the contents of the papers,
giving all the definitions of one word before he pro-
ceeded to the next. As the anonymous' was to be
strictly preserved here was a capital opportunity for
the expression of opinion—for jokes—or for anything,
indeed, which the temptation of being able to write
without chance of being convicted as the author of
the matter written could inspire." The game w ent
off so satisfactorily that it WPS proposed that
Mr. Wallbridge and three of his friends should
meet on successive evenings, and define one hundred
words as a prospectus and a specimen of
the new game of definitions, and the little volume
now before us is the result of their labours. It is a
manual of wit, wisdom, and poetry in a nutshell. A
more amusing hook for a family party assembled
round the parlour fire we have seldom met with. As
a specimen of the manner in which the Council of
Four have performed their task, we give two of the
words with their definitions :