The Sun.
London, England, 1846-12-10 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

THE WHITE STONE CANOE, or, THE BET-
TER LAND. By Percy B. St. John, Author of
" The Trapper's Bride," " Eagle's Nest." 6.-c.
This is the third of the Indian Tales by Mr. St.
John, who announces that the series will be corn
pleted in three more. In the " White Stone Canoe,"
Mr. St. John maintains the high character he has
already acquired as a delineator of Indian character,
and a describer of Indian scenery. The scene of the
story is laid in the country of the Comanche In-
dians, on the confines of Mexico, and the following is
the legend (related by Isaonie, a Comanche chief,)
from which the title of the work is taken
Many years Igo a young daughter of our tribe died
on the day of her wedding. The heart of her young
warrior was black as night, and he resolved to join her.
The old people told of a path which led to the land of
souls, and the warrior said that he would follow it. His
journey was long and great. Over hill follow it.
through frost and snow he went, until he came to eter-
nal spring, and then he found himself on the banks of a
broad lake. He found a canoe of shining white stone
tied to the shore, with shining paddles. He was brave,
and he entered. The warrior crossed the lake, and there
he found her he had sought. She was white as milk, and
fair as the swans on lake Za-za-pi."
The tale is most dramatically told—the incidents
are startling, yet probable, and follow one another in
such rapidity, that the attention never flags, while the
characters are admirably drawn and accurately discri-
minated. Indeed, so dramatic is the tale, and so ar-
tistically is it " built," to use a stage phrase, that we
feel convinced that Mr. Percy St. John would attain
high fame as a dramatist if he chose to devote his
attention to that department of literature. His de-
scriptions of scenery are deliciously fresh and exhi-
larating. The words conjure up, and paint, as it
were, the scene before the eyes of the reader. Take
the following as a specimen :
" About twenty miles from the Comanche camp is
situated a translucent spring of remarkable beauty.
Taking its rise in the cleft of a rock, it falls clear and
pellucid into a hollow, formed doubtless by the ceaseless
fall of the water, where it made a pool, bottomed by the
golden sand which could be counted grain by grain
through the pure and liquid element. Round about,
shading and cooling the fountain, were trees of varied
form and hue. Here the live oak, stunted, gnarled, and
ever green, the crowning laurel, the proud and erect
cedar, the Indian yew.
"' The fruitful Olive, and the Plaintain round
The Carver Holum, the Maple seldom inward sound.'
From the fountain, along each side of the rill which
thence bubbled o'er and ran towards the plain below, lay
soft green meadows, where the deer loved to dwell, crop-
ping the luxuriant grass, and sheltered from the noon-
tide heat by little clumps of musquit and other bushes,
'neath which these antelopes of the American wildernes,
crept, confiding and wearied. Derp imbedded in the
soft turf, the hunter would find their empty forms 'yarn-
ing him that game was near at hand, while the pelican,
the stork and the croaking crane kept tuneful chorus
near every spot where rank vegetation denoted the pre-
sence of marsh or streamlet.

" ' Now Morn her rosy steps in th' eastern clime
Advaneing—sowed the earth with orient pearl,'
and some halt dozen turkey buzzArds sailing high aloft,
and whirling round in long continued circles, proclaimed
that near the fountain was some prey which they hoped
to fall upon, but were restrained from attacking by the
presence of human beings. The wild turkey and the
squirrel were simultaneously in motion. The one flying
from his roosting tree in search of morning food, the
other commencing his gambols on the top of a half-dead
sycamore, stht,re but scanty foliage hid him from sight ;
the screeching night-owl, scared by the break of dawn,
flew hooting to his solitude, teachiog as has been quaintly
said, that no life is so safe as the ob-tcure ; that retire-
ment, if it bath less comfort, yet has less danger and
vexation than that which brings us much in cntact with
the multitude ; sayings which tend only to demonstrate
that, for the selfish purpose of saving ourselves trouble,
we should avoi,l the service of our fellow men. Fools
may be trappists if they please, but every honest and
honourable man will commune with his kind, and serve
them even to his own detriment."

SIR FRIZZLE PUMPKIN—NIGHTS AT
MESS, AND OTHER TALES.
Some years have elapsed since we laughed at and
with Sir Frizzle Pumpkin, when he made his first ap-
pearance before theliterary world, as one of the Black-
wood regiment, commanded by Christopher North.
Here we have him in the separate command of a de-
tachment of Blackwood's, and right glad are we to
see our old friend again, and laugh with and at him
once more. Of the many reprints of papers from
Blackwood, which have appeared of late, this is by no
means the least amusing. The book is well
printed, of a convenient size for the sitters by fires on
winter evenings to hold in their hands to read, and to
all such who are fond of whim, wit, and pleasantry,
and who enjoy a hearty laugh, we recommend Sir
Frizzle Pumpkin.

THE LITERARY AND SCIENTIFIC RE-
GISTER AN!) AL3IANACK FOR 1847. By
J. W. G. Gutch, M.R. C.S.L., Foreign Service
Queen's Messenger.
In addition to the usual content-3 of an almanack,
this very neatly printed little work gives us no less
than 182 pages of scientific information, arrangtfl
urder the heads of the various sciences. It is beauti-
fully got up, with gilt edges in roan tuck, and is of
more permanent value than the generality of an'ual
pocket-books.