The Sun.
London, England, 1847-01-08 00:00:00

LONDiII44,-__ FRIDAY EV.P,NtNO, piASTUARY k, 1840.

following number., There is a very silly article by
a very clever man, beaded " Notes on Walter Savage
Landor." One little sentence in it, however, is de-
lightfully facetious—it is worthy of Charles Lamb.
The writer is speaking of an author who has penned " a
vast array of works," but who has never been read
by any living being. There is the pile of volumes—
never opened. " That was awful," he says : " such
a sleep of pages by thousands in one eternal darknef,
never to be visited by light ; such a rare immunity
from the villanies of misconstruction; such a Sabbath
from the impertinencies of critics!" Otherwise the
paper by Thomas De Quincey is sad trash, sad bi-
gotry, sad distortion of truth. A copious analytical
review of the second series of "Lord Campbell's
Lives of the English Lord Chancellors," and i va-
riety of miscellaneous contributions, complete an
excellent number of this excellent publication.

CHIUSTOPTIER 7'AI)POLF. Pa 7 t V. Ey Albert
Illustrated by Le: ale
The present number opens with an account of the
Journey: of Mr. Gudge to Liverpool, where he meets
Rockey and Christopher, and whore he takes the
latter into his strvice as a page, having previously
agreed with Sir Frederick to bring him up in igno-
rance of his origin, in consideration of the receipt of
25/. a-year. The story then returns to Dr. Aston :
" lle had only one thing to vex him—the Parthenon
did not flourish su well as he' wished. The excitement
caused by its inauguration had been but a tide that floated
it temporarily, and now it was in danger of gradually
settling down into the mud of inutility; which as the
member of an ill-regulated mind, Mr. Saunders, declared
was a shame, inasmuch as he had not received half
enough amusement for his subs:tription. He didn't want
knowledge, he said, he went in for fun.
" But the knowledge diffused there was of a very
dreamy character—mere Brummagen ' learning ; by
which, however, none could be deceived, except the pos-
sessors. Whatever the subjects of the lectures were
(and variety was an object in the selection) there were
the same vacant faces, looking with the same fishy stare
into the lecturer's countenance. And the owners of the
dull faces heard one night a lecture on astronomy, and
next week one on mathematics, which drove all they had
heard about astronomy out of their heads, just as one
pellet in a pop-gun drives out another. Then came some
foggy subject, which, as it had no meaning at all—at
least that the lecturer knew of —could not impart any
very great deal of useful knowledge. Next others on
dyeing and ealendering—unknown islands in the South
Seas, and their political relations—smoke—Japanese
forest trees—and the like ; as well as pages cut from
funny works and pasted in a copy book, which were col-
lectively called lectures on the comic writers of the day.
But the whole syllabus promised to be as useful to the
members, as the cheap books in the boxes outside brokers'
shops, labelled All at 3d.!' consisting chiefly of old
Court Guides and odd volumes of unsuccessful novels,
are to the world in general.
" Yet there were many good young men who made a
point of never missing a single lecture—always sitting in
the same place and never smiling, except when the lec-
turer to enliven his subject made some small witticism—or
jokelet, as 'Mr. Saunders called it—to enliven his subject
with; which to them, for want of contrast or compari-
son, appeared a masterpiece of wit ; really witty lec-
turers not being understood, or condemned, by Mr.
Buftles as trivial," childish,' or 'superficial.' Others
assisted their memories by taking down incoherent pas-
sages in little note-books, in a handwriting which would
of itself- have been sufficiently unintelligible if they had
ever again referred to it, which they didn't and never
meant to do—having with it all some confused idea that
the process they were undergoing improved their
minds,' though not exactly knowing how it could—
sitting out wearying lectures with a perseverance worthy
of a better cause—applauding old truisms heard for the
thousandth time, or listening with eager interest to
facts which had not the slightest relation to them, and
never would have, whilst they forgot them immediately,
of course. And at last, when they came out each even-
ing with their brains filled up like dust-holes with all the
odds and ends, rubbish and broken pieces and chips of
cheap knowledge, retreading the same path day after
day—month after month—in the dull obstinate infatua-
tion that they were speeding on the road to knowledge,
when they were, in fact, only blundering about amongst
the dust and sweepings on its edge:
" As for the library, it contained but few scientific
works: and those were generally full of superseded
systems or useless theories—being mostly presenta-
tions.' For one of the uses of the library appeared to be
—that persons having worthless books lying about their
houses, chose, by presenting them to the Parthenon, to
save the trouble while they nobly sacrificed the profit, of
selling them for waste paper.
" The few really useful books the Parthenon possessed
were seldom, if ever, taken down from the shelves; while
the staple stock—the novels and romances—were so
torn, worn, and dirtied with constant use, that each
volume became a sort of Bottle Imp; useful only so long
as the member holding it for the time could pass it on
to another, and so on, until it came to the unfortunate
last borrower, in whose hands it dropped to pieces and
subjected him to the penalty of destroying the property
of the Parthenon—whose huge broad seal was stamped
in printing ink on the centre of all the engravings, and
on all the blank spaces at the ends of chapters.
" There were classes, too; but those for which no
extra fee was required were on the system of mutual
instruction,' which may be defined as that of teaching
nothing without a master. The course pursued appeared
to be—that a number of persons ignorant of a particular
branch of literature or science assembled once a week
for the purpose of instructing one another.
"And yet, with all this, to hear the speeches delivered
al the meetings by persons who, pretending to entertain
the most profound regard for the institution and its ob.
jests—(Mr. Saunders said its greatest objects' were the
members, with Mr. Baffles at the head of them)—never
came near it, except for the purpose of displaying their
own rhetoric, one would have thought the institution a
Cradle of Learning, a Nursery of Science, and a perfect
Shrubbery of trees of Knowledge. But the trees, were of
that kind that would not bear transplanting.'
The Parthenon is a failure, and Dr. Aston takes
back all " the curiosities " which be had presented to
the temple of learning, and returns them to
dhhis ow
foro seto
add
- un
surgery, much to the annoyance of hi, ag e
keeper,' Mrs. Grittles. The Doctor is sent
attend the wife of Luddy, who is about toa unit
to the census, and who, with her husband and
town.
Hickory, occupies a small cottage near the Salt
The chief occupation of a country doctor resembles
that of a railway guard, whose business lies in ushering_
people on to the platform at the commencement of a long
gasnbfurormsts
ibis
y he can away
journey, and assisting them as
from it at its terminus, with the exceptioneasil
no control over return tickets. But during this. journeyreh
as
he has
on the line of life he can attend to them at_itsudelyffee t
all
stations; try to obviate any complaints; and., a
see that the luggage they carry with them is carefully'
looked after, and in a safe condition."
Whilst he is at the cottage, amusing himself by assist-
ingarino Hickory in getting up the battle of
1". aLvuddy'
until his services shall be required by
Gudge arrives with Christopher, and having ascer-
tained from Dr. Aston that he perfectly recollects.b.th allhe
the circumstances attending Christopher s.
sets off with the child for London.
advan-
tage of Gudge's absence, Sprouts has invited
tea It
Payne and Miss Twitts and the Jolly .
'Jak.ingdirl3essGudge's chambers. The Jolly
a bottle of gin and some tobacco, and _ theegetting "fast and furious " when Guhgm
wmitihrthhimis
upon the astonished company, ejects
man brdiAn
chambers, and dismisses Sprout fromt ehis service,
t into a
having done which he and Christopher, g
Brompton omnibus to return to Gudgo, s villa. This
e
number is full of fun. The description of theisadvmeriy-
nistration of the physic to the youthful .
Gudge
graphic (Leech's illustration, too, l
and Sprouts's party is one of the drollest very good),
rollest affairs
imaginable.

THE KNIGHT OF G YNN • No. XIII.
By Charles Lever.
Perhaps this number is the most excellent that has
hitherto appeared. The description of the burning of
Newgate, and the escape of Pi ren yth
the highwayman,
is written in the most brilliant stylee
caused at Miss
of Harry Lorre-
commotion
Lorre-
quer. Then again the
Fumbally's, which is capitally
illustrated by " Phis,"
gives us a scene that is quiteaextravagant in its drol-
lery. Miss Daly proves worthy sister of the inimi-
echatptetrh,e hleovweeevoefr,thienththene
table Baganel. The best
present number is one relating h
Commander-in-Chief his Royal:nig ness the Duke
of York. The interview between the Knight and
d
detaile, that we
the Duke is so cleverly herewith
transfer it to our columns
" A considerable time elapsed before Lord Castle-
reagh with the Knight following, had entered
" It is against the positive.dorders of his Royal High-
ness, my Lord,' said an al e' e-anap, barring the
passage; none but field officghness
"Lord Castlereagh ers.' i , and n full uniform, are
received by his Royal Hi
whisper something, and en-
deavoured to move on,
but again the other interposed,
saying, Indeed, my Lord, I _leePlY grieved at it, but
I cannot—l dare not transgress my orders.'
"The Duke, who had been engaged up to this
moment conversing with a group, suddenly turned, and
perceiving that the presentations. were not followed up,
said, Well, gentlemen, lam waiting.' Then recogni-
sing Lord Castlereagh, he added,
gaily,Another time,
my Lord, another time; this morning belongs to the
service, and the colour of your coat excludes you;
" ask your Royal Highness's pardon,' said Lord
Castlereagh, in a tone of great deference, while he made
the apology an excuse for advancing a step into the
room, I have but just left the Council, and was anxious
to inform you, that your Royal Highness's suggestions
have been fully adopted.'
" 6 Indeed! is that the case,' said the Duke, with an
elated look,' while he drew his Lordship into the recesss
Duk
of a window. The intelligence to judge from the
expression, must have been both important and satisfac-
tory, for he looked intensely eager and pleased by turns.
And so,' said he aloud, they really have deter-
mined on Egypt? Well, my Lord, you have brought
me the best tidings I've heard for many a day
And like all bearers of good dispatches,' said Lord
Castlereagh, catching up the tone of the Duke, •' I prefer
a claim to your Royal Highness's patronage.'
If you look for Chelsea, my Lord, you are just five
minutes too late. Old Sir Harry Belreour has just got it.'
" I could have named as old and vre-rhaps a not less
distinguished soldier to your Royal Highness, with this
additional claim, a claim I must say, your Royal lligh•
ness never disregards—'
" ' That he has been unfortunate with the unlucky,'
Kid the Duke, laughing, and good-naturedly alluding to