The Sun.
London, England, 1846-06-24 00:00:00

LITERATURE.
BURNS' FIRESIDE LIBRARY.

We have from time to time noticed these volumes as
they have individually appeared, and now we have the
entire series before us, comprising twenty elegant little
volumes, bound in crimson and gold, varying from
" grave to gay,, from lively to severe," and forming an
admirable little library of instruction and amusement
for children of all ages and all capacities, and even for
those "of larger growth." In the very interesting pre-
face to Schiller's " Maid of Orleans" (in this series),
the translator observes, " I hold it no unblest work to
provide few the pure entertainment of my kind, and to
be instrumental in making amusement conducive to
intellectual and spiritual elevation." This very beau-
tiful and benevolent belief is evidently not that alone of
the translator of one volume ; it has been the guiding
principle which has regulated the whole work To
amuse while it instructs, to improve while it entertains,
is the object of the serifs, as a series ; and is also the
object, mere or less, of each component part. History
and Fiction are here familiarly entwined, R ,manse, as
it were, joining the hands of each ; and while OA the
one hand we tnd Truth to be stranger even than Fic-
tion, on the other Fiction borrows new charms from its
analogy to Truth. These potent monarchs of the world
of' literature hold divided sway over this little library.
Foremost among the historical works is " The Lives
of celebrated Greeks and Romans," taken from Plutarch,
but in which (in order to render it more fitting for every
reader), .we are 'informed " everything objectionab:e has
been omrtted, -And much useful matter added from other
authorities." Such a work requires no comment ; it
will he fe's• more welcome to many a youthful reader
than ths, most attractive wonders of Arabien romatice.
The 'pages of Plutarch are woven with many a student's
drams ; as the pioneer of the past, he portrays to us the
fitorious deeds (If old, and prompts young ambition to
emulate what he admires ; over those pages hung en-
raptured the hero of modern times, he wha,e high
genius was to echese what his yolthfnl fancy first
revered, and amid his many high-sounding titles is hardly
one more honourable then that bestowed on him in his
early youth, " one of Plutarch's men." Hardly inferisr
in interest to the Gr- els and Boman heroes are two small
ssvolumes devoted to e The Lives of Englishmen in Past
"ass," comprising many of the good and great among
our countrymen; first and foremost of whom occur the
names. de-servedly dear to all, of Alfred the Great and
Sir T. 'afore. In a Firseside Library, poetry, of course,
is ineispensable, more especially ballads wad old songs,
Which, emanating from, and appealing to, the warmest
feelings of the heart, are peculiarly appropriate to the
domestic hearth. Accordingly, in this series we find
one volume of " Ballads and Metrical Tales," another
of " Lays from English History," one of e Northern
Minstrelsy and Scottish Song." and one of " German
ballads." The book of "Scottish Song" is a treasure
in itself. and when we say, that besides many beautiful
pieces by minor poets, it contains, " The Cotter's Satur-
day Night;" "Scots wha hae ;" "For a' that, and a'
that," and many others of the chief and choicest
"beauties of Burns"—that it is adorned by many inter-
esting illustrations, especially by a frontispiece repre-
senting "John Anderson and his Wife"—further
explanations will be needless—none will doubt the
justice of our asseveration. It is hardly necessary to
enumerate the varied volumes devoted to romantic fiction ;
conspicuous among these are " Marco Visconti," now
first translated from the Italian of Tomasso Grassi, and
the tales of the Baron Fouque ; among others the
" Magic Ring," and the far-famed " Undine." Nor is
Pouque the only German whose productions are here
offered to the lovers of romance ; one little volume con-
tains "The Swedes in Prague; or the Signal Rocket,"
and " Quentin Matsys," translations from the works of
C. Pichler; and a second and third, the "Popular
Tales" of Mussens and Wilhelm Hauff, among the
latter of which is a very interesting one, entitled " The
Portrait of the Emperor." " The Old Story Tellers"
contains many marvellous legends from the Gesta
Romanorum ; and " Prasca Loupodoff," "Select
Fables," and " Household Traditions," will furnish
amusement of a less exciting, but perhaps as agreeable
kind, as the " wild and witching" romances we have
enumerated, and among which we have forgotten to
class the " Twelve Nights' Entertainments." Ii will
thus be seen that this library must please all kinds, and
all classes, for the ingredients of which it is composed
are all various. Any volume or volumes may be had
"Perately at from half-a-crown to five shillings, in their
elegant binding, or at a far lower rate in their print'd
Paper covers; in either case, singly or collectively, they
are admirably suited for " presents and rewards,' which
it appears is one object of their being. The only fault
We can find with this collection is its title. It is cer-
tainly a fireside library, hut is also something more ; as
if conscious of the omission, it is de cribed in the pro-
spectus as " srdted for the fireside, the lending library,
the steam-brat, or the railway carriage ;" it is all this,
and it mies'at have added also—" and an admirable coin-
Panion c.or a solitary walk, or an amusing passe-temps
for sore idle hours spent under the shadow of the wide-
aPreading trees, which, certainly in such weather as this,
Would be a far pleasanter place than a fireside.

BILL FOR THE REGULATION OF
STEAM NAVIGATION.
z A. Bill with -the above title has just been introduced
illto Parliament.
The following are among its most important clauses:—
Steam vessels to be divided into compartments—That
from and after the first day of January one thousand
eight hundred and forty-seven, all sea-going steam-
Vessels, the building of which shall have been commenced '
after this Act, shall be divided by transverse water tight
partitions, so that the fore part of the vessel shall he se-
parated from the engine by one of such partitions, and
so that the after-part of such vessel shall be separated
from the engin:a-room by another of such partitions.
To be selticiently provided with boats.—And be it
enacted, that from and after the said first day of Ja-
nuary one thousand eight hundred and forty-seven, no
sea-going vessel, the tonnage of which shall be twit
hundred tons or upwards, shall proceed to sea from any
Port whatsoever, unless it shall be provided with boats
duly supplied viith all requisites for their use, and not
being fewer in number, nor less in their dimensions
than as follow :—Each vessel of from 200 to 250 tons
burden to carry one long boat of eighteen feet length
and six feet beam, and one boat a stern, of fourteen
feet length and five feet beam :—each vessel of 350 to
550 tons to carry three boats, namely, one long beat of
twenty feet length and six feet and a half beam ; one
boat on the deck or quarter, of eighteen feet length and
five and a half feet beam ; and one a-stern, of fourteen
feet length and five feet beam ; each vessel of from
550 to 850 to carry four boats, viz. :—one long boat
of twenty-four feet length and seven feet beam ; two
boats on the deA or quarters—one of twentp-two feet
length and si.x feet and a half beam—the other eighteen
feet in leneeth and 5i feet in beam ; and one boat astern,
of 16 fee, in length and ef feet beam: each vessel of 850
t°oB npwards to carry four boats, viz.:—one long
boP.4 of 26 feet length and 8 feet beam ; two on the deck
or quarter—one of 24 feet length and 7 feet beam—the
other 22 feet length and 61 feet beam ; and, one boat
astern, of 16 feet length and 51 beam :—and that no sea-
going vessel, the tonnage of which shall be under 200
tons, and above tons, shall proceed to sea unless it
shall be provided with a dingy, and with a boat suffi-
ciently large to receive and carry ten persons (such dingy
and boat being duly supplied with all requisites for their
use); and, that in every case one of such boats, as afore-
said, to be carried outside on the quarter or on the stern,
shall' be &tee; up as a life-boat : Provided always, that
When steam vessel shall be provided with such boats as
are IP:dally called paddle-box boats, such steam vessel
only be required to take two other boats, namely,
'de long-boat and the boat astern, mentioned as aforesaid.
And be it enacted, that if any such sea-going steam-
vessel as aforesaid proceed to sea without being so
divided as aforesaid, or if any sea-going vessel of one
hundred tuns burden or upwards proceed to sea without
being so_ provided with boats as aforesaid, the owner
thereof shall forfeit a sum not exceeding one hundred
Pounds, and the master thereof shall forfeit a stem not
exceeding fifty pounds.
To take a Certain Course in Rivers and Narrow
Channels.--And be it enacted, that every steam vessel,
when meeting or passing any other steam-vessel, shall
Pass as far as may be safe on the port side of such other
vessel; and every steam-vessel navigating any river or
narrow channel shall keep, as far as it is practicable, to
that side of such river or channel which lies to the star-
board side of such vessel; and the master or other per-
son having the charge of any such steam- ve-sel, and
neglecting to observe these regulations, or either of
theni, shall for each and every instance of neglect ft trfeit
and pay a sum not exceeding
.fifty pounds.
To Carry Lights.—And be it enacted, that the master,
or other person having the charge of any stem-vessel
which shall be in any river or narrow channel in
Great Britain or It eland, or the adjacent islands, or
t.
upon the sea within ten miles to any part of the coast
weigh
o
Great Britain or Ireland, shall, whether under
of at anchor, between sunset and sunrise, exiebit such
lights within such places, in such manner, anti under
h
Such circumstances as by the said regulations herein e.-
fore authorised to be made by the said Lord High
Admiral or by the said Consissioner shall be required ;
and in default thereof shall forfeit and pay
a gnu not
exceeding twenty pounds for every night in which such
default shall be made ; and the owner of any steam-
vessel in whiet such light shall not he exhibited as
aforesaid, shall not be entitled to recover any recom-
pense of damage whatsover which may be sustained by
such vessel in consequence Of any other vessel running
foul thereof during the night.
And be it enacted, that if any damage to any person
or p
the
roperty, shall be sustained in.caonnis_,vlisicsinoc,e t
ofif
non-observance, as respects any steam-vessel,
rules contained in the two enactments lastly hereinberore
contained, the same shall, in all courts of jusice, be
deemed to have been occasioned by the wilful default of
the master or other persons having the charge of such
steam- vessel ; and such master or other person and his
employer shali be subject in all proceedings, whether
civil or criminal, to the legal consequences of such wilful
default.

MERCHANT TAILORS' SCHOOL —The annual (Boner
took place on Monday evening; Mr. Hessey. late head master
of the Merchant. Tailors' School, presided, supported by Sir
R. Ellis, Mr. Bellamy, Mr. Parnell, Professor Brown, &c.,
VI. After the usual loyal toasts, the Chairman proptised the
Atalth of the " Old School," which was drunk with great
enthusiasm. The health of Mr. Bellamy (late master) and
of the Chairman was tl.en given. The Chairman next pro-
p_osed " The prosperity of St. John's Colleg:., Oxford." Mr.
U. Bellamy returned thanks. The prosperity of the Mer-
chant Tailors' Company," the " King's College and Pro-
fessor Brown," and various other toasts, were then propc“ed,
after which the company, amounting to nearly seventy per-
sons sensrated.
Tat:: POTATO DISEASE.—We have now lying before
us a sample of new potatoes, grown near Knut,fo.ll, which
exhibit the very worst form of the prevalent disease; and
thy, statement made to us respecting them is, treat about a
week betore they were taken up there was not th, slightest
appearance of disease in the field; and that at the present
time thevatire crop it affocWl7.4isicleciter Guardio.