The Sun.
London, England, 1846-01-20 00:00:00

LETERATURE.
MARGARET LAPEL. A Norcl. 3 Vols.

AN EPITOME of the NEW LINES of RAIL-
WAY in ENGLAND, which Parlianzeht will pro-
bably sanction, with their Reasons for doing so. By C.
.1. Collins.
Mr. Collins, the author of this brochure, is the edi-
i for of the Railway Times, and is, therefore, from his
position, as qualified to act the part of Railway
, Prophet as Yates, Bunbury, et hoc genus omne,
I are to prophecy concerning the turf. Among the
reasons which he adduces for Parliament verifying
his prophecies, the decisions of the committees during
the last session hold a prominent place. .As a re-
sume of the decisions of the railway commit-
tees of last session, and of the projects which
will come before Parliament during the pre-
sent session, this is a valuable compilation, and
if if• were possible for the _decision
_of one
Parliamentary Committee to calculate what the
decision of another Parliamentary Committee would
be under similar circumstances, then might we be in •
elined to place some trust in Mr. Collins's vaticina-
tions ;—but the days of prophesy, like those of
chivalry, are over, and to attempt to foretel the de-
cision of a Parliamentary Committee; on any given
case, by a reference to the ordinary rules of law or
equity, or precedent, is as hopeless a task as it would
be to attempt to foretel from what quarter the wind
would blow at the moment that the chairman should
announce the decision. If it were possible, in regard
to these matters, to foretel the future from accurate
observations, of the past, then, indeed, in the majority
of instances, would Mr. Collins be a true prophet.
After stating the grand lines of railway, the con-
struction of which he thinks it probable Parliament
will sanction in the ensuing session, and which will
require a paid-up capital of 45,930,000/-, he thus con-
eludes :

In this utilitarian and philosophical age our very
'novels are redolent of the spirit of the times. His-
tory and politics are now common themes for works
hitherto intended only for amusement. The school-
master is abroad with a vengeance, indeed, if his
lessons must be found even in the page of fiction.
Far be it from us to disapprove of such things, yet,
with all deference to the importance of instruction,
we cannot but remember that novels are chiefly de-
sired by way of recreation. A few may wish to find
wisdom mingled with entertainment, but the. gene-.
rality, tired of history and wearied with polities, are
glad to seek amusement in the delightful realMs of
fancy; others love to contrast their own high favoured
lot with the imagined distresses of some all-perfect
heroine ; in both cases, perhapS little good is done,
but the end is achieved—the reader is gratified. Such
a novel is " Margaret Capel ;" it is well calculated
to suit both extremes, full of liveliness and vivacity ;
on the one hand gay, spirited, and sparkling, it is cer-
tain to please those who only read pour passer le:timps,
while the lovers of tenderness and pathos will be clteply
interested by the beautiful and touching history of
Aveline Fitzpatrick, the only child of a widowed
mother, slowly fading away beneath the power of that
resistless foe to youth and beauty—incurable consump-
tion. This mournful tale is perhaps the most beiauti-
ful portion of the whole work : here death has iOdeed
no terrors, all is peace and love. This is but an
episode, the real heroine being Margaret Capel,i who
is of course endowed with all the virtue and beauty
necessary for such an important place. We will not
attempt to "sketch the plot," and destroy all the
interest of the story ; suffice it to say'it is sufficiently
involved and intricate to excite attention, yet not too
complicated to amuse. Just the sort of book for
ladies who have nothing to do but to read for their
own gratification, or again just' the sort of book for
others who seek recreation from their arduous daily
duties.

"If we allow about twenty millions for branches of
existing lines, and for small extensions, the total sum
which Parliathent will in all probability permit this
year to be adplied to the construction of new English
railways, will be under seventy millions, or less than a
million and a half for each county. The sum is great,
but we believe that the county will provide it, and feel
no ill effects from the outlay. The money so expended
will be disbursed by degrees—and to whom ?—why to
those who will immediately circulate it again—the
labourers of the country. The calls will be made
periodically, so as to meet the convenience of those who
hare to pay them, and we may therefore fairly assume
that before the last call is made, the first that was paid
will have nearly returned into the pockets of the sub-
scribers."

POEMS and PICTURES. A Collection of Ballads'
Songs, and other Poems, with One Hundred Illustra-
tions on Wood, by British Artists.
This is one of the most luxurious books ever pub-
lished. Printed in beautiful type, upon thick satin
paper, every page has an illuminated border, and
every poem has an illustration, many of them more
than one. These illustrations are the most beautiful
specimens of wood engraving we have ever
seen ; they have the softness of the most exqui-
site pencilling. Among the artists who have
illustrated these " Ballads " are Cope, Dyce,
Horsley, Redgrave, Selous, Tenniel, Archer,
Corbould, Duncan, and Pickeragill. Some of Pickers-
gill's illustrations are remarkably imaginative, and
remind us forcibly of the marvellous creations
of the pencil of Blake. The binding of the
book is in the highly-ornamented antique style, and
altogether it is a monument worthy of British arts
and artists. Ere long, this collection of poems and
pictures will be found on the drawing-room table' of
every person in the British dominions who has the
least pretensions to taste.

STEAM NAVIGATION IN THE
BLACK SEA.
TREBISONDE, DEC. 8, 1845.—Steam navigation in the
Black Sea has received a most extraordinary impulse.
It is scarcely eight years since the inhabitants of Trebi-
sonde were astonished by the sight of the first Austrian
steamer of the Danubian Society, which appeared upon
the caast of Anatolia for the purpose of trying to esta-
blish a rapid and direct relation between the dense popu-
lation on the shores of the Black Sea and the Ottoman
capital. The first attempt was not very encouraging,
and the great mass of travellers and pilgrims who
came from Persia, and from the centre of Mussulman
Asia en route to Constantinople or to Mecca,
continued for some time after that attempt to
trust themselves to the frail Turkish sailing ves-
sels which plied between Trebisonde and the capital, and
which were frequently lost in that dangerous sea. But
happily the Austrians persisted in their enterprise, the
boat reappeared, the Greek and Armenian population of
Anatolia at length ventured to embark upon the "fire
ships," as they were termed, and, finally, the whole mus-
sulman population followed the example. At present
there are three societies which contend for that much
frequented line, and six steamers which ♦ie with each
other for the travellers and merchandize. After the
Austrians, an Armenian society was formed at Con-
stantinople to work the line, in which most of the prin-
cipal Pashas of the empire hold shares, and which
is greatly favoured by the Turkish Government.
The Society of the Navigation of the Danube has this
year disposed of the whole of its steamers to the Austrian
Lloyd's Company at Trieste, which at piesent serves the
greater part of the lines of the Levant. For the last
eight months an. English company has been established,
and now contends with the Austrian and Armenian com-
panies for the navigation between this port and Constan-
tinople, and sends us weekly a magnificent boat, which
goes from this place direct to Malta, touching at Con-
stantinople, Smyrna, and Syria. The voyage from
Malta to Trebisonde is performed in fourteen days. The
number of passengers between Trebisonde and Con-
stantinople is rarely less than four hundred.
Four steamers of the Austrian Lloyd's Company now
regularly ply between Constantinople, Kustandge, and
the mouth of the Danube, in order to take up the travel
lers which the Danube boats bring there. This naviga-
tion is only interrupted during the four winter months,
that is to say, ,from the commencement of December to
the end of Meech. The Russians have augmented their
line of steamers from Odessa to Constantinople by lay-
ing on two additional boats, which are commanded by
English captains. This line has likewise four boats.
The service as well as the internal arrangement of the
steamers is yet far from being complete. The three
Rus=ian steamers which navigate between Odessa and

THE POETICAL WORKS OF JOHN KEATS.
• A New Edition.
Thanks to the irrevocable advance of true fame, it

is unnecessary to do more than chronicle this re-pub-
lication of the too few, but incomparable poems written
by John Keats. To enter upon a dissection of pro-
ductions now so familiar to every lover of genuine
and unforced poetry would savour snore of eccen•
tricity than judgment, seeing that they have acquired
for themselves the most catholic appreciation. But

we may undoubtedly be permitted to observe
that the first and most elaborated production in
the collection claims the most feeble and
questionable applause, namely, "the stretched metre
of an antique song "—"Endymion." Infinitely noble
as is its introduction, proclaiming the presence of
beauty in everything terrestrial, from " the shady
boon ' of trues, to the very daffodils " with the green
world they live in "—glorious as is the opening pic-
ture of a forest glade in Latmos, where the rivulets
disappear under the umbrage "to warm their chilliest
bubbles in the grass "—larded with symbols of glory
as is that marvellous invocation to Pan—pure and

statuesque as is the description of Endymion himself,
with his senses obscured with drowsiness, and mo-
tionless in the rapture of a trance,
" Even as dead still as a marble man
Frozen in that old tale Arabian"—
and sprinkled as the narrative is with the sweetest
and most gossamer-like episodes, dreams within
dreams (such as the chase after the butterfly)—there
are intermeshed and intermingled with the whole
such puerilities and affectations and weaknesses, both
of thought and language, as tend materially to modify
our approbation. Nevertheless, a sweeping condem-
nation of a work so eminently delicate becomes an im-
possibility after reading that masterpiece—the preface
prefixed to this " poetic romance"—in which Keats
remarks that a dissatisfied reviewer will assuredly
leave him alone " with a conviction that there is not
a fiercer hell than the failure in a great object."
With " Laurie," however, that strange phantasm of
a subtle imagination—with " Isabella, or the Pot of
Basil," the metre of which beats time, as it were, to
the blood•gush of the heart—and with " The Eve of
St. Agnes," that matchless piece of mosaic-work,
carrying us alternately to the banquet cham-
ber with its music " yearning like a god in
pain," and to the gallery with the cavalier,
"brushing the cobwebs with his lofty plume," and to
the bedside in the moon's " dim twilight "—with
these three creations our admiration is unstinted and

Kertsch also offer but slight comfort, and travellers are
continually making complaints. From Kertsch as far
as Kedut Certseh travellers are taken gratuitously on
board the Russian steam-frigates, which perform
that voyage twice a month, touching at all the
small ports 1 and other fortified points which
the Russians have established upon the Circassian shore.
There is not the slightest difficulty i❑ obtaining per-
mission to embark upon those state steamers. • The
voyage is exceedingly interesting, on account of the
picturesque beauty of the Circassian coast ; but it some-
times happens that Circassian bullets reach the deck of
the vessels wizen they approach too near the shore.
The former , Commander-in-Chief of the Russian
army was nearly killed by one of those balls,
which whizzed above his head when he was on
his way to the fortress of Ardler. There are at present
seven Russian steam frigates in the Black Sea, four of
which generally remain in the port of Sebastpol, and
three in that of Kertsch, at the disposition of General
Budberg," who commands the garrisons in the forts
situated on the Circassian shore. lam assured that '
Prince WorOnzow is actively employed establishing a
line of steamers between Bedut Kerstch and Trebisonde.
This will prove an immense advantage to this port, for
the communication between it and Georgia is very
difficult by the small Turkish vessels, and yet
the commercial intercourse is very considerable.
Should tr.e enterprise which Prince Woronzow
has recommended to his Government succeed, the
voyage around the whole of the Black Sea may
be made in steamers. The number of steamers which at
present ply regularly in that sea is twenty-four, to which
may likewise be added two others, which ply between
Kertsch and Taganrog, on the Sea of Azof, and two
. others which are destined to ply between Bedut-Kertsch
, and Trebisonde, touching at Poti, Batum, and Risch.
r When these vessels are laid on, travellers will be enabled
to make the tour of the Black Sea in six weeks, in-
" eluding the two weeks' quarantine at Odessa.

most earnest ; while with " Hyperion"—that marve
of modern literature—that most wonderful of 0

poetical fragments—that Phidian torso—our appro-
bation has no limits. Its words are like the blowings
of a golden bugle ; with its utterance the earth seems
again shaken by the colossal footfall of the Titans ;
its imagery is awe ;its populace are gods. No con-

ception- could possibly be formed Of the extreme
grandeur which our language is capable of evolving
without reading this extraordinary production. As
the poet himself expresses it :
" There is a noise
Among immortals when a god gives sign,
With hushing finger, how he means to load
His tongue with the full weight of utterless thought,
With thunder, and with music, and with pomp."
And such is the sound, such is the resonance o:
every syllable in " Hyperion." The minor poems
which are appended to the volume, are things to be
learnt by heart, and mused over line by line, and gar-
nered up as jewels in the chambers of the memory; they
are as " things of beauty," destined for immortality, if
we may credit the assertion contained in the first line
John Keats ever Leknowledgedly published--" A
thing of beauty is a joy for ever." Among these
must be especially noted his stanzas upon "Autumn,"
his renowned " Ode to a N ightingale ' his verses be-
ginning "I stood tiptoe upon a little hill," and that
pathetic and haunting conceit about December—
all of which are filled with burning thoughts
and clothed with burning words. His twenty
sonnets, too, form of themselves a diadem.
Altogether Keats's poetry, though it was :ger-
minated in the regions of Cockaigne, speedily
assumed for itself a character of .no class, of no party,
of ro particular or individual school. As long as the
green turf is powdered with daisies, and the cowslip
blossoms on the hedge-bank, and the rivulets glitter
in the sunbeams—as long, in fact, as mature is nature,
so long will the poetry of John Keats last, for it is
but a reflex of the original in all its purity, and all its
majesty, and all its loveliness. The present edition is
the best that has as yet been published : it is the
best, because it is the most appropriate—a little
volume to be dropped into one's pocket befOre a stroll
in the3meadows or the woodlands : while, for ourselves
and all other Londoners, it will serve as a-talisman
wherewith to conjure, us from the murky streets of
the metropolis and the leaden atmosphere of winter,
into the midst of a summer landscape. There is, how-
ever, one remarkable deficiency in this reprint which
we should like exceedingly to see amended ; there is
neither a biographical sketch nor a slight portrait of
the young bard, both of which his friend Severn, the
Anglo-Roman artist, would have accomplished so
successfully. We conceive, in fact, that Mr. Severn
owes this much to the memory of his dead associate
as well as to posterity ; and assured*..it would be a
noble exertion of his abilities. We stall ultimately
expect to see a life of Keats and a likeness of Keats
from the pen and pencil of his companion Severn.
With this exception the volume is complete,

WAV ERLEY NOVELS, Abbotsford :Edition. Vol. 9. I
The present volume contains " Holgauntlet," the I
ford,olcjißnettsr.,n paintingst 1 l Tedh,e, afbroeyu r
fcirl
Clarkson
Ict rspaoatiiiionsittitsrt: ; .
" Betrothed," and the " Talisman:' printed in the
fibyeßlde;tl;g. K. penson,
same magnificent style of typography as the preceding
and of those to the " Talisman,"
volumes of this superb editior, have been. Each novel
is illustrated by four steel engravings, in addition to a
host of
atelu:::cisteitieitso,
1 fteartwrie°
three are from David Roberts, and one (the Con-
vent of the Holy Nativity, Bethlehem), from
paint-
ing by Sir David Wilkie, a

Her Majesty, after the investiture of the Marquis
of Cainden and the Marquis of Hertford yesterday, as Knights
of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, honoured the Duke
of Richmond with an audience, at which his Grace presented
addresses from the District Agricultural Protection Societies
of the county of Sussex, praying for a continuance of the
existing protection to agriculture; and also from the unde-
corated Peninsular officers, praying for permission to wear
some commemorative mark of their services.
PEDESTRIANISM.—The race for 201. a-side, 300
yards, between Charles Jenkinson (the London stag), and
John Handley (of Nottingham), came off yesterday, at
Mitcham, according to previous arrangement. The weather
was exceedingly unfavourable, the rain coming down co-
piously, until the hour appointed,' namely, two o'clock. The
contest was consequently delayed, and it was more than
twenty minutes past four, ere the men showed at the starting
mark. The Nottingham man looked well, butsrather fleshy;
the Stag, on the other hand, was thin—thin to the verge of
attenuation. The men started themselves. The first eighty
yards the Stag took and held the lead, Handley running
strong and well, but with his . arms high
and we
doubt if
he was at the top of his speed. 'The London.. r_nuatn,
slightly increased the distance towards the 120th yfhde,sbtag
shortly after, the Nottingham yOnth breasted himf
even e s,
was evidently in trouble; he spuraanngdifooyrw
limped, and finally stopped. pan rsr d uae fde w
the st
ri
tenotir of his way, running very strong, and at. a good pace,
Until within a short length of the handkerchiefs, when he
slackened speed and trotted in amid the vociferous acclama-
tionsof the rural division. ,The cause of Jenkinson's abandon-
ing the. contest, was stated to be a sudden and severe attack
of cramp; and, certainly, from our own personal examination
of his right leg, immediately afterwards, there was a spasmo-
dic knotting of the muscles at the • hinder and lower
part of the thigh, which bore out his assertion ; indeed
he seemed suffering acute pain.. Considerable sums of money
changed hands, the London clique being prepossessed in
favour of Jenkinson ; yet, cautious ever, few bets were made
except at even. The friends of the Stag are prepared to back
him again with Handley, and we doubt not another trial of
speed will be made, before their respective friends and ad-
mirers will be convinced of their relative capabilities.
THE EXPLOSION OF FIRE-DAMP IN MONMOUTH-
the vigour with which the search has
SHME.—NEWPORT SATURDAY E
missing bodies, we are sorry to say that
a been eue
pit
toca rarileadteohnofuorr
thisthe
afternoon but two have been discovered, which make thirty
whose fate is placed beyond the
in all brought out dead. There fiveof morehope
orin succour.
At arereach
At ten o'clock
yesterday, the jury, who had been empanneled
to inquire into the circumstances of this frightful disaster,
assembled at the Albert Inn, Rises. The Coroner, Mr.
William Brewer, opened the proceedings by an ela-
borate de:ail of the distressing occurrence, and in
an Impressive manner pointed out to the jury the
Solemn responsibility which rested upon them in the inves-
tigation of a subject so painfully important as that which
they were about entering upon.' Mr. John G. Phillpotts and
Mr. Owen, solicitors, appeared to watch the proceedings on
'-'-- - ---- behalf of the relatives of several of the ill-fated sufferers,
CLEMENT'S CUSTOMS' GUII )E FOR 184' and during the examination of the witnessestooka prominent
a part in eliciting evidence which would tend to explain the
and 1846, cause of the accident. The inquiry lasted fur seven hours,
This is teßthannu•
. al edition of Mr. Clement's work, during which time four witnesses were examined, whose tee-
and,
it most ably sustains its original character. To timony was exceedingly conflicting. The inquisition was
mercantile men of every description it will and filch time
adjourned to the 4th of Februry, in order to afford
and afford the time for an inspection of the sad scene of death by a mineral
prove of the very greatest utility,
surveyor, whose report would hi submitted to the jury.
very greatest assistance upon all question- BRITISH ORPHAN ASYLUM.—The annual general
able commercial points. It is, in fact, a meeting and election for the above charity took 1 p ace
encyclopaedia d ofyester-
bi--n
to commerce, and details day at the London Tavern, at which the Right Hon. Lord
every particular alteration in the enactments I Mayor presided, and contributed ten guineas towards the
in relation to trade passed clueing the last • .of g session funds of the institution. From the financial statement, it
Parliament. appeared that the funded stock now amounted to 3,800/. ;
Among other portions of this compila• that the subscription, amounted to 2 284/ • .and that, after
tion, the tables of duties upon exports and imports defraying the
the necessary expenses, a balance remained of
are most elaborate, and will afford every possible
facility for reference. In all of its other branches it
is, however, equally copious and Equally were
accurate. . „
From the abundant information it gives '
6201. ls. 6d. Seven children out of a list of thirty candidates
elected, and rewards delivered to several children who
bad been educated in the institution.
, OALERRITY %OF CHELMSFOR •
dinary fact that with a pou n —lt is an extraor-
' oration •of between seven. and
mercantile matters, it will be a valuable companion to : • - ' in Chelmsford'there bas not been a
every commercial office. . eight thousand persons
' death registered in the parish for a mon th.—Essex Herald.