The Sun.
London, England, 1849-12-20 00:00:00

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LITERATUR
CON. CRE GAN. Parts X
The Irish Gil Bias meets w ith
numerous, more strange, ni-,re
tainly more humorous than did his S
In these parts we have him alternate
in Mexico, receiving the homage of a whole peepIL4PAV
a sate prisoner in Spain, where he is robbed of all
his possessions by the Spanish authorities scion Icy
regles ; a courier in Italy ; and a quatorzie'ine is
Paris. And what is a quterzi6itel asks the reader.
The same question was asked by Con. Cregan himself,
when it was proposed that he should become the
purchaser of the goodwill of a quatorzieme, and thus
was it answered by the agent of the vendor
I perceive that Monsieur is a strangc r to Paris and
its ways, or he would know that a .quaturzierne is not an
apartment fourtet n stories high, but an individual who
holds himself always in readiness at the dining-hours of
his neighbourhood, to make the fourteenth at any table,
where, by accident, the unlucky number of thirteen
should be assembled ;—a party which every well-informed
porton would otherwise scruple to sit down with. This,
sir, is a quatoile me; and here is a gentleman desirous
of disposing of his interest in such an enviable pr. perry.'
" To my question as to what were the necessary qua-
lifications, they both answered in a kind of duct, by
volubly recapitulating that nothing was needed but a
suit ut black and clean gloves; unobtrusive dome. pour,
and a moderate appetite, being the certain recommenda-
tions to a high professional success. I saw the chief re-
quirement well—to eat little and to talk less—to come
in with the soup and go cut with the salad—never to
partake of an entrée, nor drink save the • ordinaire:'
ib,se were the duties; the reward was ten francs. 'lt
used to be a Napoleon, Monsieur,' said the old man,
wiping his eyes. •In the time of Charles the Tenth
it was alolays a Napoleon, but these canailles now a-days
have no reverence for anything; I have known eve n the
Ministry dine thirteen on a Friday;—to be sure the
King was fire at two days afterwards fur it—but
nothing can teach them.'
" The old gentlemtia grew most communicative on the
subject of his • walk,' which he was only abandoning in
coast quence of the rheumatism, and the d'fficully of as-
cending to dinner parties 01 a high elevation. lie de-
picted with enthusiasm the enjoyments of a profession
that demanded, as he observed, so little previous study,
was removed from all the vicissi;udes of commerce,
pleasant in practice, and remunerative in pay. He also
insinuated the possible advantages to a young and hand-
some man, who could scarcely fail to zecure a good
marriage, by observing a discreet and decorous demeanour;
and, in fact, he represented his calling in such a light, as
at least to give me the liveliest curiosity to enter Lyon it
for a brief space, and while meditating what future bteps
I should take in life.'

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i" That same afternoon I saw myself announcmi at th 42
porter's window of a vary shabby-looking house in the
Rue do la Forge, as Monsieur de Corneille—the de'
being advised by my predecessor. Quatoi z vl.ne pret a
tout houre,' and thus opened my professional career."

RAILWAY and COMMERCIAL INFORMA-
TION. By Samuel Salt. London: Smith and
Son, Strand.

Under the above title Mr. Salt,who has long been
known to the railway world as the able and excellent
goods manager on the London and North- Western Rail-
way at Manchester, has given us one of the most per-
fect manuals of railway intormation, railway statistics,
and railway anecdotes ever presented to the public.
Mr. Salt is already well known by his valu-
able works entitled " Statistics and Calculations," and
"Facts and Figures." The information contained in
the present work is somewhat similar in character to
that given in his previous volumes, but being brought
down to the present time it possesses a peculiar
interest from its embracing that most eventful period of
railway history, during which railway property has
become so frightfully and so causelessly &predated.
That depreciation is, according to Mr. Salt, princi-
pally owing to the carelessness of railway shareholders
themselves ; and, as a proof that the depreciation
of railway property is attributable solely to puerile
and improper management, Mr. Salt mentions the
fact that railways hare fully realized the expectations
of the projectors, and that the traffic has been in ex-
cess of that anticipated. The work is dedicated to
Joshua Procter Westhead, Esq., M.P., and we
cordially join in the hope expressed in thededica-
.

tion, " that some of the facts Contained in this work
may aid in raising railway property from its present
prostrated condition to its legitimate place amongst
commercial investments."

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