The Sun.
London, England, 1846-05-08 00:00:00

LITERATURE.
SKETCHES OF ENGLISH' CHARACTER.
.:.:Ry Mrs._ Gore.- 2 Vat •

!rime it:stt ;,,r; vt•
turning over the leaves_ ot_surne. tise,sp.rtf4tito --and
so, the lover of human pottraitare,,gcuwn weary At the
ordinary, .threeAninett routine, will -find means, of
P*
Whiling:away PA hear, pleasantlyor even profitably,.
in the contemplation of these sketches, whose piquancy
attracts, and whose length does net Ore., Like the.con-
tents of the ,portfolio, they are more or, less correct
portraits and caricatures—vrai, vraisembltzble, or'ab,urd,
vet all, whether true or false, highly finished or gauche,
bear impress of the designer's skill, and evidence his
talent, if theydonothing more. In taking sketches of
English character, Mrs. Gore has very properly drawn .
no invidious differences and. distinctions. . She has
looked abroad upon the •publc, and, irrespective, of. per-
sons, has limned down (faithfully :or.
.not) • any
.c ,n-
-spicuous individual that may have p?.ssed ker. In the
dramatis personce of these volumt s are. arrayr .(1 'together
a goodly compa.ty, who rarely bawl toge.her or Prra"
fitm 'A varying group Of many gradations, from the
" lady patroness" to the " linkman:" the " Cabinet
Ministress" to the "body coachman!' and "Lady's.
maid." To sum up the merits of these volumes, .they
are brilliant and lively, vigorous, dfective,:and =Using,.
But these-merits are not without. drawbacks ; one of the
rnovtconspicuous of which, and one that greatly, impedes
the ordinary vivacity of style, is a manifest atrlttna after
wit. Puns upon words and double entendres are intro-
duce-I in all direction's, sometimes comin2. in a s'erires,
following each other up, line
the after line, till the evident
effort becomes painful, a constant repetition grows
wearisome. And this defeats its own object—avid
researches and .endeavoure.the spirit of wit la.lost. It is
the child of impulse, not the creature of effort another and a yet graver fault in these !ise t4tracti ve
volumes, and one springing from similar source as the
foregoing, is the very frequent quotaneicl.. passages of
Holy Writ. In many cases this is aerie chiefly or solely
to illustrate some witticism;or to furnish an opportunity
for a bon mot, and in such cases it is not only unbecoming
but unpardonable. •

THE RIIETORICAL READER. By :J.

Hindmarsh.

Fourth Edition.

. .
This, worm has
.a twofold merit and a twofold value.
It instructs by example and
,by precept. flip:ashes a
concise summary of the laws of elocution and an
admirable compendium of the beauties of composition.
In the latter capacity it is invaluable: The selection is
comprehensive and well assortkl. Varying from "grave
to gay, from lively to severe," it 'includes the chefs
d'cruvres of our greatest authors—poets and historians,
orators and divines. Not the least intereFting portion
consists of extracts from great Parliamentary debates.
Among others, we have an early speech of the first
Pitt, when full of the impetuous energy of youth, and
the immortal discourse of the aged Chatham, worn out
by the ravages of disease and time. Setting aside the
valuable instructions in the important art of oratory,
and the useful fliot-mites which illus!rate the .text,
this volume is peculiarly excellent as a compendium of
the British classics, and Hs such it should be in the
hands of every Ili ish youth.

THE H9NEY STEW, A bitiry Tale Tra slated
from the French of Myra; by. Mrs. Cooke Taylor.
A very elegant and attractive little volume; emliel-
fished with coloured Oates; and every -page adorns-d
With a delicate border of gold. the “nnner Stew of the
Countess of Bertha" cannot fail to become -a universal
favourite with the young; The story, written by
Alexander Ditmax, and&veryfelicitously translated by
Mrs. Taylor, has very little in common, -with; ordinary
fairy.tales ; which are for the most part cke a character
very unspitable for children. It inculcates the 1u yor
benevolence and fidelity in tht. .fulfiltrient of'a prorriS...
"The Honey Stew" is an annual feast, given by the
Countess Bertha to her humble'tenants ;- which -feast
she enjoins her descendants to administer to- th,.irs.
The various ways in which 'this promise is kept or
,violated, and its violation visited upon the offender,
forms the chief portion of the tale. The work is " got
up" in the' most elaborate ;style. The engravings are
all coloured •, the most striking perhaps is the one in
which the, fifty cooks appear heading fifty enormousbowls.of. the .'honey stew," Their large, round coun-
tenances absolutely beam with good humour ; and the
chef marches first, heading the 'ladle, apparently quite
conscious of the dignity of,his'onerous and honourable
office.