The Sun.
London, England, 1846-10-07 00:00:00

THE COMIC BIS7'ORY OF ENGLAND,

By Gilbert A. A'Beckett. Part IV.
Right merrily, but yet without any violation of the
(we were about to say truth—lout where in history is
truth to be found ?)—of the records of history does
Mr. A'Beckett carry us through the reigns of John
and Henry 111. These sovereigns were, according to
Mr. A'Beckett, the " true old original Bill Swindlers."
For example—
" Henry had been married about a year, when he had
the coolness to ask the nation for the expenses of his
wedding. The Barons declared that they had never been
consulted about the matter, and that the kingup to the last
hour of his remaining a single man had acted with great
duplicity. Finding it useless to command, he resorted to
the old plan of humbug, and fell back upon his old
(rend Magna Charta, which he confirmed once more, for
about the fifth or sixth time, and of course got the money
he required. This great Bill of Rights was to him a sort
of stereotyped bill of exchange, upon which he could al-
ways raise a sum of money by going through the for-
mality of a fresh acceptance."
The illustrations, by Leech, are first-rate.
CH

RISTOPHER TADPOLE. By Albert Smith.
Part IL

In the third chapter, with which the present
number opens we are introduced to the hero, Chris-
topher Tadpole, working in a salt mine in Cheshire.
The description of the descent down the shaft, and of
the progress of the party in the mine is admirable'
The poor boy Christopher, who has been transferred
to the care of one of the miners, a brutal fellow who
constantly ill-uses him, succeeds in making his
escape from the mine, and is taken under the pro-
tection of a party of strolling exhibitors, with whom
we leave him for the present. In the fourth chapter
we are introduced to Mr. Gudge's home, his cham-
bers, and his clerk. His home is a cottage at
Brompton :
" Mr. Gudge's cottage—Coke Villa it was called—
was a thing to look at, and would have repaid a walk
out of the way, even over a gravelly soil, with thin
boots on the wane. It was composed by a cunning
builder, of all sorts of bits of different orders of archi-
tecture, which had once belonged to large mansions ; as
people who have a few friends in the evening,' after a
dinner party, spoon up the different breken moulds of
cream and jelly into glasses, to form one festive dish.
There was a porch that might have done for a Grecian
temple, with ♦ases on the top of the New Road-street-
dooric style, flanked by Gothic windows of stained
glass around which shells were stuck, in cement, by
way of making a border. Along the roof was a carved
wooden gable, with a tall spike sticking up in the centre,
like a lightning conductor, suggesting only one idea,
similar to that, prompted by the extinguisher steeple in
Langhans-place—what an awkward point it would be
for a fat man to tumble upon out of a balloon. Right
and left were two niches containing figures : the one of
Shakspere, and the other of a little brigand, gaily
painted—one of those contrabandists who guard the
sun-dried cheroots and Jem Crow pipes in cheap to-
bacconists' windows.

" There was a lawn in front, with a grotto and a
fountain, bordered by white flints and clinkers, and
large shells. The fountain never worked well, from
something wrong in its inside. It would at times play
furiously for four hours in the middle of the night, and
then stop for a week ; and next, upon being started, go
off all round horizontally, instead of up in the air,
creating great confusion among the bystanders ; so
that it could not be altogether considered a hit. But, as
Mrs. Gudge observed, " the nobs always thought a deal
of fountains," and, therefore, the little leaden boy, who
who was constantly engaged in the hopeless task of en-
deavouring to blow a tune through a stone nightcap,
with the tassel end to his mouth, was held in some re-
verence, and permitted to remain ; chiefly, however, for
the edification of two feeble-minded gold-fish, who went
round and round after one another, in some dim water,
gaping and staring as though they had been holiday
visitors at the National Gallery, or British Museum."
His chambers were in Clement's Inn, and his clerk,
Sprouts. While at his chambers Gudge hears of the
evasion of Christopher from the salt mine, and em-
ploys a baked-potato-man, light Josh niftier, whose
knowledge of all the, blackguards of London is per-
fect, to watch and spy for the advent of Christopher
(for he takes it for granted he will make for London),
with orders to bring him (Gudge) immediately any
information he may obtain on the subject. The
Gudges then proceed to Sir F. Arden's fete at Rich-
mond, and the confusion created among the fashion-
able exclusives by the appearance of the vulgar
Gudges, and the various contretemps to which that
appearance gives rise, are most amusingly described.
Sir Frederick, however, even during the fete, finds
that it is impossible to do without Gudge., Josh
Shiftier, accompanied by Sprouts, has arrived, bear-
ing a note from the Cheshire agent of Gudge, con-
firming the report of the escape of Christopher from
the mine. This note he puts into the hands of Sir
Frederick, who from that moment is more attentive
to Gudge than ever.

FREEMASON'S QUARTERLY REVIEW.
The present number sustains the high character of
this periodical as a faithful record of masonic intelli-
gence, and a champion always ready to do battle in
the cause of the craft. The freemasons have reason
to be proud of this, their organ.

THE COMMERCIAL MAGAZINE.
In addition to the commercial statistics of the
month, we find in this number an admirable resume
of the Law of Commercial Contracts, an amusing ar-
ticle on London Bill Swindling, well calculated
to put the unwary onitheir guard, and an article en-
titled" How to anticipate fluctuations in Prices,"
which should be studied by every commercial man
who is inclined to indulge in legitimate speculation.

THE PATRICIAN.
The present number of the Patrician completes the
first volume, which is dedicated to Lord Leigh.
We have in this number " The Genealogies of the
Royal Families of Great Britain, Hanover, and Hol-
land ;" a continuation of the annotated " Roll of
Battle Abbey ;" the commencement of a series of
" Papers on the Landed Gentry ;" and the annotated
obituary for the month, besides several well-written
criticisms, musical, dramatic and literary.

THE RAILWAY REGISTER.
In the present number we have several articles,
setting forth improvements in the working of rail-
ways, such for instance as the Geometrical Railway,
by Mr. Greenhow; the Resilient Atmospheric Rail-
way Tube, by Clarke and Varley ; the Short Close
Tube Traction, by Mr. Swinburne ; and Mr. Pil-
brow's, of the improvements which he has recently
introduced into his system of railway traction. In
addition to these contributions, Mr. Hyde Clarke, the
editor, furnishes a valuable paper on the Theory of
Investment in Railway Companies, and on the ability
of the resources of the nation, monetary and physical,
to meet the demands which must necessarily be made
upon them to carry out the railway system.

THE ART UNION.
In addition to the usual contents of the Art Union,
we have in the present number a beautiful engraving,
by Laugier, of Luca Giordano's famous picture of
Charity, which was one of the gems of the Ag aadu
Gallery.

THE KNIGHT OF GWY NNE. No. X.
Charles Lever.
A faint glimmering of hope appears in the gloo
of Maurice Darcy's prospects ' • and, from a mysterious
intimation made to Bagenal Daly, by the robber
Freney, during the confinement of the latter in New-
gate, there is some probability of the old Knight's
property being restored to him, and his various rights
recognised by the miserable parvenu O'Reilly. One
of Lever's happiest descriptions of the society en-
countered in a sea-coast watering-place in Ireland is
contained in this number. Paul Dempsey is one of
those execrable nuisances so capable of being an
acquisition to a farce, and a terrible bore in reality.
Phiz has delineated the bathing•scene at Ballintray,
with a caravan labelled " Fumbally—a Panther with
only two spots from the head to the tail," "little frescoes
of naked children," the "fat lady with the black
bathing cap," and " pretty Miss Boyle of Carrick-
maclash, with one stocking on," in a spirit of drollery,
true to the text of Harry Lorrequer. From the fol-
lowing, or some later number, we may anticipate a
narrative of our old favourite Daly conniving at the
escape of Freney, and we hope a description of the
triumphal return of Maurice and his family to
Gvvynne Abbey. The liveliness which is the chief
characteristic of Mr. Lever's writings, and which
constitutes not their smallest attraction, is preserved
throughout this fiction with singular felicity. We
have already particularised the present as promising
to be the very best of the fictions produced by this
accomplished author; that opinion is only confirmed
with every successive chapter.

METROPOLITAN EARLY CLOSING ASSOCIATION.--
A meeting of assistants and others interested in the early
closing movement was held last night at Radley's Hotel,
Bridge-street, for the purpose of electing a committee of
the various trades in the City district, to conduct the
business of the association in its extended form. The
chair was taken at nine o'clock by Mr. Nash, who, after
explaining in detail the principles of the association,
concluded by exhorting those persons to agitate, and
never cease their exertions until they had abolished the
injurious system which had destroyed thousands of
valuable lives. After some other business of a formal
character the meeting separated.