The Sun.
London, England, 1847-06-30 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

THE POACHER'S WIFE.
By Charlton Carew. 2 Vols.
This is, in many respects, a powerfully-written
work. The author is imbued with the most deter-
mined hostility to the game laws ; his every energy
is directed to exposing the evils with which they are
pregnant, the frightful consequences that are too
often occasioned by their operation. In order to
effect this, his great object, he tells a simple tale of
woman's love, and woman's trials, commencing at the
point where novels generally terminate—" her mar-
riage." Dinah Mountford has loved not wisely, but
too well. She has given herself to the object of her
heart's young affections, Locksley, the son of a neigh-
bouring tradesman, who, having devoted himself to
agricultural pursuits, had formerly been a welcome
guest, but who, on the failure of his father,
the sale of the farm, and the reduction
of the family from comfort and comparative affluence
to little better than absolute beggary, had been re-
jected by her worldly-minded uncle, and forbidden
the house. She, however, remained faithful; and,
although dependent on that uncle who could with-
hold the fortune bequeathed by her father if she
married without his consent, and who wished her to
receiv- the addresses of Snipe, head gamekeeper 'to
Sir Ralph Oldham, a wealthy landowner in the
county, she united her fortunes with those of the
penniless Locksley. The indignant uncle forbade her
his house, and vowed never again to see her; but,
when dying, is induced by a true friend to relent,
and invite his niece to come to him. That friend
(Mr. Fellowes) undertakes to be the messenger, but
is unfortunately killed on the road, and the
niece, who by her uncle's death has become
entitled to 12,0001., remains ignorant of her
good fortune, and suffering under the most pinching
poverty. Three poachers are next introduced, drink-
ing at the village ale house, waiting for Locksley,
who driven by the pressure of his circumstances, has
reluctantly consented to join them on the night in
question. The poaching scene is most graphically
delineated ; their expedition has been very successful,
and they agree to return to the "Fox in Cover" by,
different routes. Locksley, who is full of painful
reflections at his debiit in crime, is alarmed by a loud
outcry, and finds his quondam companions engaged
in rifling the carriage of Sir Ralph Oldham, the
Load of the Manor, on which they have just been
poaching. One of them has just prostrated Sir
Ralph's eldest son, and is about to murder
him, when Locksley interferes, and saves him
first from the would-be assassin, and subse-
quently from his savage dog, who was about
fastening his fangs in his throat. Scarcely, however,
has he achieved this rescue, when he is seized on by
his former rival and inveterate enemy Snipe, who, in
place of vindicating his character as he might have
done, and acquitting him from all the charges, so
arranges matters that the evidences of his guilt
appear quite conclusive. He is borne to gaol, and
while there is visited by a person who urges him to
effect his escape, and furnishes him with the means
of doing so. This is a Mr. Vaughan, the sub-editor
of a country newspaper, who having discovered that
Mrs. Locksley is entitled to so large a fortune, con-
ceives a plan of marrying her after getting rid of
Locksley. He thinks his guilt will be aggra-
vated by prison breaking. Hence he advises him to
do so, and the moment the escape is effected, he gives
information to the gaol authorities, Locksley re-
turns to his cottage, and while there, Snipe comes to
persecute Mrs. Locksley with his dious addresses.
Locksley, of course, rescues his wife, and has dis-
armed Snipe of his gun, when the prison authorities,
who have come in pursuit, knock at the door. Locks-
ley rushes out at the window, closely followed by
the party, and a close chase ensues. This is given
in the most spirited manner. We shall give a brief
extract :
" Again he looked round ; his pursuer was within a
dozen yards of him, while the rest of the party were
heard shouting some way behind. Both men exerted
themselves to the utmost, and kept' a straight- onward
ccurse, undi.mayed by the thorny bushes through which
they dashed, leaving many a sanguine trace thereon.
But still no advantage was gained by either ; the same
relative distance was preserved between them, till, as
they were rushing down a steep declivity, Locksley
slackened his pace, and catching hold of the branches
of some shrubs, suddenly stopped. His pursuer at-
tempted to do the same, but Locksley, turning quickly
upon him, tripped the man up, and sent him headlong
dawn the hill.
" At this minute, the moon was again momentarily
obscured by masses of clouds which drove on, pile upon
pile, at one time looking like a huge black mountain
rearing its " monstrous heed" into the firmament, at the
next scattered far away by the fury of the wind. The
fugitive paused and listened. No sound save that of the
wind broke upon his ear.
"' I'm freed from the blood-hounds,' thought he,
'though for how long I know not. What course shall I
take ? I know not where I am, or which way to turn
to find a place of safety. Oh ! what is life worth to me!
Men hunt me and shoot at me as though I were a savage
beast. And I am' a savage beast,' he cried aloud, with
fierce emphasis ; savage as the hungry tiger ; and I'll
tear into pieces my fellow beast if he dares lay his paw
on me. lam no longer a man ; I hate all men as all
men hete me. Curses on them all !'
" His uplifted arms and dilated eyes gave him the ap-
pearance of some prophet of old, thundering his anathe-
mas out upon the world. An instant after, and his
thoughts dwelt upon.his wife and child. The fiend had
fled, and Locksley fell coweringly to the earth, while his
own unholy words rung in his ears.
"Ah! what sound is that? Up again, Locksley you
are a man once more, and must not yield while you are
such. They're close upon you—dash duwn the hill—
stay not a moment—away!
" The treacherous moon broke out again as Locksley
sprang forward, closely followed by three men. The
wind was with them, so the speed with which they went
down the bill was absolutely terrific. A narrow stream
ran at the bottom. None of the men knew the ground
they were traversing; but directly Locksley arrived at
its borders, he saw the smooth though rapid current, and
in an instant knew its great depth. lie paused flop,
however, but plunged into the chill water, and struggling
to the opposite bank, caught hold of some grass, and
tried to drag himself up. But the bank was steep and
slippery, and in his first attempt he failed, falling back
into the stream. He heard a cry and a heavy splash,
and the next instant he was seized by a strong hand, anki
dragged beneath the water.
" A desperate struggle now took place between the
two men; they sunk and rose again, entwined in a fierce
embrace, till Locksley, freeing one hand, caught his op-
ponent by the throat, and forced him to loose his hold.
Another tremendous effort, and he clambered up the
bank, barely a moment, however, before his adversary
had done the like. The rest of the party had crossed
the stream where it was less deep, and the pursuit
began afresh, with a more savage earnestness even than
before."

Eventually he gets away from his pursuers, after
a hundred " hair-breadth 'scapes." Snipe, however,
has been shot during the pursuit by Vaughan, who
supposed him to be Locksley, but the murder is uni-
versally ascribed to the latter, for whose apprehension
a large reward is offered.
Mrs. Locksley,
o after the escape of her husband, is
driven from her
greatestalhoengencwoiuthntehrsertheehild,weh'houseless, sufferingsf "and
de
stitute.
She
pr
vatii
at victim thereto,
the even the most benevolent refusing slightest
okc aid
when they hear that she is connected with
the poacher, prison breaker, and murderer. Ulti-
mately she is restored to affluence and comfort, her
husband's character vindicated from the unjust impu-
tations that had been levelled against it. Vaughan,
who is arrested for large embezzlement, commits
suicide, first making a clean breast of it, and
leaving a written confession of his crimes, and all
ends happily. Locksley becomes assistant to the
land steward of Sir Arthur Oldham, who has suc-
ceeded to his father's title and estate on his being shot
during a battue by Lord Plaistic. ►
There are very many powerfully written scenes in
these volumes, and the author manifestly possesses
great enthusiasm and ability, from which the most
favourable results may be augured when he possesses
a little more experience ; his faults are those of a
young writer, and such as will be corrected by time,
while his more favourable points, his originality, his
vivid powers of delineation, will be ripened and
matured by the same influence. should he devote
the necessary care to his future productions, and
coolly and dispassionately examine and repress the
luxuriance of his fancy, we doubt not that he will
attain a high position amongst the most popular
authors of the day.

The Observer, of Sunday, June 27, contained
nearly two folio columns of particulars of the opening
of the Trent Valley Railway, on the afternoon of Satur-
day, at TamwN.th, speech of Sir Robert Peel, &c. The
Observer also contained near three columns of a report
of the proceedings of the Commissioners of the National
Exhibition of Works of Art at Westminster-hall, with a
short critique on 46 of the splendid pictures, the pre-
miums, and to whom awarded—war in China, three
columns—fracas at the Opera, Hon. G. De Grey and E.
Frith, Esq., a folio column—a column and a half of the
funds and railways—a column and a half of births, mar-
riages, and deaths—about 100 miscellaneous advertise-
ments, including a column of public amusements for the
coming week, and 23 folio columns of news, foreign and
domestic, chiefly original. Price of the Observer 6d.
There is scarcely a club-house, institution, library, or
news-room in all England, Scotland, Ireland, the Conti-
nent, East and West Indies, or America, in which the
Observer is not taken in, and in many instances dupli-
cate copies. The extensive publication of the Observer
commences at six, and concludes at ten on Sunday morn-
ings, at No. 170, Strand. A 'Monday edition of the
Observer, bast adapted for the country and abroad, is
regularly published at four o'clock on Monday afternoon.
CONSECRATION OF THE NEW COLONIAL BISHOPS.
—Yesterday the four new Bishops of Melbourne, Ade-
laide, Cape Town, and Newcastle were publicly conse-
crated in Westminster Abbey, previous to their depar-
ture for their respective dioceses, in the presence of a
numerous assemblage of persons.
FUNERAL OF Da. LYNCH.—At one o'clock yester-
day the remains of this gentleman were deposited in
their last resting place, in the Cemetery, Lower Nor-
wood. The funeral was strictly priTsW.