The Sun.
London, England, 1847-05-17 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

THE PARLOUR LIBRARY. No. 111. WOOD
LLIGH TON. By Mary Howitt.
Caring not only for the intrinsic value of their
periodical but for the general variety of the publica-
tion, the proprietor of the "Parlour Library" have
here followed up the romances of Carleton and Dumas
with the simple, homely, and thoroughly English
fiction by Mary Howitt. "Wood Leighton' has
long since become familiar to the lovers of this sp,ecies
of literature, and with many " Wood Leighton has
become a favourite. As a portraiture of the inland
scenery of still beautiful and still merry England it
is singularly agreeable. We remember our America'
author has somewhere said that we who are now
living are the true ancients—not the people of cell•
tulles bygone. Hence may this country be called,
with more reason now-a-days, than it was in
the
eye of Elizabeth—" Merry Old England," for it ius
many a score of years older now than it was then. and,
we trust, a very great deal wiser by experience. Merry
Old England then let it continue to be called,
and Merry Old England it is shown to be, by Mary
Howitt, in her story of " Wood Leighton ; or, a
"Year in the Country." In the very commencement
of " Pick wick," Charles Dickens described the as-
pect of the good old city of Rochester, and he judi-
ciously selected that spot for description at the outset
of his career in authorship, because, we believe, the
good old city of Rochester was his birthplace, or,
the least, was a locality intimately blended with th°
associations of his boyhood. Mary Howitt, doubt!
less, selected " Wood Leighton " from a somewha!
similar motive, for around the place which is depicted
under the soubriquet of " Wood Leighton," are en-
twined most of her childish recollections. With the
exception of a little over-colouring and exaggeratios;
as for example in the delineation of the house, o
rather palace of the Nabob General Dubois, the tale
is clever and natural.

CO WPER'S WORKS. Vol. L Edited by the Rev.
T. S. Grimshawe.
The superiority of these collected writings et.
William Covvper, both in prose and poetry,
collection formerly published, has been admirably
and significantly expressed by the avidity with whie?
the previous edition was purchased. We are esPeLl"
ally gratified, therefore, that the intelligent editor Deo
over the
again undertaken the revision of the work in a chesPo
and popular edition of this character. We are nn.
idolators of the genius of William Cowper; we C°o
fess our incapacity, indeed, to recognise Any gel°
whatever in his poetical compositions ; but we rere
rence the name of William Cowper notwithstanding!
we see in him a pure and lofty, and richly cultivated
intellect—an exquisite and almost feminine sensers
ibiliti
—a good and enthusiastic Christian. vthe
moreover, though tame and wearisome to us, are
limpid outpourings of an unblemished heart ; they
are occasionally adorned with the graces of a felicitel
diction, and are invariably inculcations of a "Iblet
morality. Besides this, Cowper has the indisputable
credit of having ushered in a new and healthy selw`"
in metrical literature. As he himself exclaims--
" Give me the line that ploughs its stately course
Like a proud swan, conquering the stream by force;
That, like some cottage beauty, strikes the heart,
Quite unindebted to the tricks of art.
When Labour and when Dulness, club in band,
Like the two figures at St. Dunstan's stand,
Beating alternately, in measured time,
The clockwork tintinnabulum of rhyme,
Exact and regular the sounds will be;
But such mere quarter strokes are not for me!" f„
It is solely as an epistolary writer that Cowper is to
delightful reading. His letters are scarcely surpaseT
by the most elegant and accomplished correspondents
in the language ; and in this department Cowperaleri
be classed with his brother bard Gray, with Lek.
Chesterfield, and even with Horace Walpole. sPea,
ing of the letters of Cowper, it was observed ula
Robert Hall that "to an air of inimitable grace an
carelessness, they unite a high degree of correctness,
such as could result only from the clearest intellect;
combined with the most finished taste." Morel On
.two hundred of these admirable letters are comPe'
in this edition than were originally contained in the
celebrated life by llayley. This account, therefore,
as well as on account of its extraordinary eheaPneal
and extreme elegance, the present issue must 00120—
a large circulation.

MURRAY'S HOME and COLONIAL LIBRARY.
No. XLV. Sketches of German Life. Part IL
The conclusion of these scrambling and confurpect
sketches, is as miserably imbued with prejudice as
the commencement. Sir Alexander Duff Gordon
has transferred the original b 7 Varnhagen Von Ense
into agreeable English ; but in doing so, he has pre.
sented to England a partizan writer—a being with
whom few can have sympathy. A history written by
a partizan is nothing better than the die of a medal.
lion ; it furnishes materials from which future nar-
rators may compile more valuable and enduring
works. Among such materials must be classed these
sketches of what is called • the war of Liberation in
Germany.

THE CHRISTLANIN PALESTINE. Part XIL.
It were impossible to exaggerate the interest which
this periodical inspires in its on each successive appear'
ance, Mr. W. H. Bartlett has Selected the different scene!'
in the Holy Land, with the discrimination of an artist
and the precautions of a poet influenced by the genius(
of Christianity. He has here Pourtra,yed the "I'ool f,
Hezekiah," a pool as mystic in its solitary limPiaikt—i
in its biblical associations ; a " Well at Nazareth," Wilt
most reverent village ; the interior of the magaifiel
Greek Church at Bethlehem," a spot sanctified as ten
region of the Nativity ; and a view of
Ramieh,"
ing
towards the indistinct hills of Judea. Every care is
evidently
taken to render this publication as little an"
worthy of its theme as possible.

SUPPLY OF SALT.—ST. MIES, MAT 7.--The stock
of salt appropriated to foreign ships is reduced by late art'
vats to about 8,000 moys, or 5,600 tons, but there is a further
quantity of about 10,000 mot's reserved for the native shir
ping: as these have no where to take it, most of that quill'
tity will be distributed to foreign ships.
FURTHER ADVANCE
thlNrouTglihoEutPtßheiCmß metropolis made
FridayTllEß the
bakers o the
further advance of one halfpenny and ene penny in
price of the 41b. loaf. The best bread is now per quartets
from Is. old. to Is. 2d., and that of a second quality loin
11d. to ls.
day
DESTRUCTIVE FIRE AT BETHNAL-GREEN.—FiI
night, shortly betbre eleven o'clock, the inhabitants residing
in the immediate vicinity of the Bethnal-green-road were
aroused frcm their slumbers by cries of "Fire!" and the
springing of policemen's rattles, which for some time caused
the utmost confusion in the neighbourhood. In the space
of
a few minutes flames were to be seen issuing from the
premises belonging to Mr. W. Miller, cabinet and musical
instrument maker, carrying on business at No. 5. Fuller.
street, in the above•named thoroughfare. The inmates at
this time were perfectly unconscious of the disaster, but
having been apprised of it, they made an attempt to ex-
tinguish the flames, which were then raging amongst the
stock, by pouring buckets of water upon them. Owing,
however, to the firm hold they had previously obtained,
they defied the exertions of all present; and Mr. Miller, who
had entered the back workshop, was so overpowered by the
heat that he nearly lost his life in endeavouring to subdue
the flames. The engine of the parish, with those of the
London brigade, from Jeffrey-square and Whitecross-street
stations, promptly attended, and, under the superintendence
of Mr. Fogo, the chief officer of the district, the firemen set
to work, and, by dint of great perseverance, they succeeded,
by half-past twelve on Saturday morning, in getting the fir
entirely extinguished. By that period the whole of Mr. Mil-
lees stock in trade and his men's working tools were de-
stroyed. That part of the premises where the fire began
was burnt out. The contents of the adjoining house, accu"
pied by Mr. Lingwood, fancy trimming manufacturer, are
also severely damaged by removal, as is the stock of s
silk weaver over Mr. Miller's premises. The cause of the
fire is unknown. The whole of the property destroyed as
uninsured.
ALARMING FIRE AT TRINITY COLLEGE, CAM:
BRIDGE.—CAMBRIDOE, FRIDAY.—Last night the town of
Cambridge was thrown into a state of the utmost alarm and
confusion by the sudden outbreak of a fire, which at one
period threatened destruction to Trinity College. The
flames originated from some cause which cannot at present
be ascertained, in the kitchens belonging to the college, a!
were, it appears, first discovered by Mr. Hudson, the cook.
At that time they had obtained such a strong hold, that. it
at once became apparent that the fire would not be eab.1.13!..
extinguished. The necessary intelligence was promptly
forwarded to the proper authorities, and assistance hair!
been obtained, every person set to work most vigorou_slY)
but, notwithstanding, the flames continued to spread tetr::
fully, and a deal ot time was lost before any unPreseirell
could be made upon them. The water was judiciously scatt.
over the burning property, which at length had the desert.
effect of conquering the destructive element. By that p r.
the roof of the kitchen was burned off, and considerable cla.
alt
10,0001. was done to the interior of the premises. The Pr°.
perty is insured in the Sun Fire-office for, it is understo,
.5
10,000 i. The exact amount of the damage done 1
present
unknown ; but, had the tire not been so 013PiLi,,
•
tunely discovered, the loss would, doubtlees , have been most
fire
serious. It is impossible to describe the excitement and con..
outbreak of the .
fusion which prevailed upon the first
The report at first was, that the whole of the college
enveloped in flames.
!PRAGUE, MAY 2d.—Private letters state that
rtbfl
have been riots in Kommotan, and also in Eg0...1!:
Leitmeritz, directed against foreign corn dealers.
s The:
'
were pursued out of Eger with showers of stone 'Li'
as Waldsassen ; and in Leitmeritz a speculator to
had bvth hia ors cut oft;

HISTORY OF EUROPE. Vol. V. By Archibald
Alison.
Clearness and animation are acknowledged to be
the prevailing characteristics of Mr. Alison's history'.
At this particular point in the narrative, those quail'
ties are more than even requisite, and happily, too, they
are more than even perceptible. Perhaps the sublimest
spectacle witnessed in the last seven centuries was that
of the youthful and beleagured republic of France
rising proudly and predominantly through the dark•
ness of its internal anarchy, and its external strifes
led on from victory to victory, over the greatest gene'
rals of Christendom, under the banners of a youth,
who scarcely a dozen months before had been sub'
sisting on the charities of his comrade Junot in one
of the most miserable bye streets of Paris. The fifth
volume contains the account of the immortal campaign
of Italy in 1796, when General Bonaparte at once
rose from obscurity into a renown that floated over
Europe, over the ocean, to the most remote regions of
America and Polynesia.

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