The Sun.
London, England, 1846-04-06 00:00:00

ROOD'S MAGAZINE.

Excellently does this number commence with some
most touching sonnets from that right-charming son-
, neteer, J. Jones, "A Plea for the Ten Hours' Factory
Bill." They form no mean enforcers of the principles
advocated by Lord Ashley ; they are tender and pa-
thetic, because they are so true and simple. " Nell
Gwynne" progresses with the same accumulation of
slouched hats, and rapiers, and excruciating slang, both
from Dutch skippers and the ruffians of Alsatia, such as
would furnish materials for twenty penny weekly nove-
lettes. It breathes of blue-lights, and Batty's, and
Berlin glo►es. It is essentially melodramatic, with a
patch of staring brightness here and a blot of gloom
there, just to produce a startling contrast with as little
effort as possible. It is a diseased species of romance,
and wo yearn to see it thoroughly exploded. Those
must have unhealthy literary palates who can derive gra-
tification in discussing such a furious mountain of im-
probabilities and incongruities. Surely some blunder on
the part of the printer alone insinuated such en abortive
effort at sentiment as the following piece of inane and
unrythinical trash:—
N:GHT.

The earth and air are silent, the pure sky
Rilieved alone by pale clouds floating by:
The summer moon in her soft majesty,
Is pouring silver(l) on the sleeping sea.
This is the hour when love, deceitful sprite,
Steals with his magic thru' the shades of night.
Giving in lover's eyes a holier smile
Unto the beams which kiss each leafy isle,
Unto the firmament a softer mood—
Unto the sea a deeper solitude.
We would recommend the writer to visit the Lyceum,
and hear Keeley tell the sailor how "he answered him in
the firmament!" or to the Adelphi to witness the anguish
of Wright, as Mr. Honeybun, when he imagines the
baby is " squashed behind the chest-of-drawers," or to
visit any other region of drollery and facetiousness,
until his very diluted imaginings are scared away by
some comic actuality. He will feel vastly better himself
by the transformation, and—so will his readers ! Mr.
Percy St. John gives us another of his delicate little
romances ; one entitled The White Cloud," a tale of
Florida. " The vision of Iquez Castro," by the author
of "The Cathedral Bell," is chastely worded, and filled
with a subtle sombreness, most consonant with the
ideas of the dream. " Marco Brandi" advances well ;
the interest increases ; the situations are dramatic, and
the characters painted with singular boldness. Two more
chapters of "The Bushranger of Van Diemen's Land,"
a story about " Caleb Von Dustenberg," and another
about " The Siege of Antioch," complete the April
number ; which, if it wants in solidity of matter and
refinement of composition, has a superabundance of that
honhommie, which imparts such a decided zest to light
literature. We perceive, with much pleasure, that the
next magazine, for May, will contain an article upon
the " Antigone of Sophocles," from which we are in-
clined to anticipate a vigorous critical disquisition,

NEW SPORTING MAGAZINE.
What with its usual array of contributors, its editor's
indefatigable assistance, an engraving from Herring,
and another from Bateman, the New Sporting Magazine
comes off, for April, gallantly. " The High-mettled
Racer—the Sweat," by Herring (that prince of the
painters of horse-flesh) is a rare piece of deception ;
while looking at the animal in full gallop, you can
almost body forth the dent in the turf, the roll of the
hoops, the flapping of the cloths, and divers other
et ceteras. " Leatherluogs the Leg" pursues his career
bravely ; and Craven gives us a capital account of
" Baron Rothschild's hounds and country." " Saron"
and " Castor," and " Harry Hieover," and " Polonides,"
and that pleasant fellow " Scribble," each contribute
their quantum to the magazine. While "Bee's-wing"
innovates with a humourous, sketchy paper on the
"Hunting Parson." The number is altogether exactly
suited to the Spring season.

NEW MONTHLY BELLE ASSEMBLEE.
A fanciful portrait of Gulbeyaz, by Kenny Meadows,
in illustration of Byron's renowned description, forms a
pretty frontispiece to the Belle Assemblie for April.
Mrs. Abdy concludes her " Passages in the Life of a
Coquette ;" there is a continuation of the " Martyr ;"
another description (may be the thousandth) of " Nia-
gara ;" a small but agreeable contribution from Elisa-
beth Youatt, and some curious lines by Camilla Tool-
min. Some papers are really above mediocrity, though
the mass are of that class which may be designated, in
the strictest sense of the word, " flimsy." Many are,
indeed, too insipid to bo lounged over in a bouclidr ; we
would recommend the entrepreneur to be just a trill
more cautious in her selection. Information might be
easily combined with fiction—they might alternate each
other, and lend a new variety ,to the publication.