The Sun.
London, England, 1848-09-05 00:00:00

Trifil, SUN, LONDON,

mention, for in his subordinate capacity he has aided
the skill of Prior and the genius of Turner in the
production of this masterpiece of art.

ALISON'S HISTORY of EUROPE.
The pnpulpr edition of this great standard history
~nas,.jtist been completed by the publication of the
twentieth volume. A better reprint in any essential
particular cannot appear. The Messrs. Blackwood
have issued a work in a manner worthy of themselves
and creditable to this advanced epoch in the art of
typography. And in addition to this, the seventeenth
part of the Atlas, illustrative of the campaigns,
battles, and sieges of the times described by the nar-
rative has appeared with the commencement of Sep-
tember. One would have imagined that having ac-
complished so much, no further enterprise, at least no
further enterprise of a judicious character, was within
the reach of the publishers. That such an impression,
if entertained, would have been singlarly erroneous,
however, is sufficiently shown by the handsome and
substantial volume of some 562 pages, which has just
been published. The book is an " Epitome of
Alison's History of Europe," compiled for the use
of schools and young persons. All the facts of
the more voluminous work are enumerated, accumu-
lated, and condensed ; and notwithstanding the com-
pactness into which this bulky composition has been
compressed, the epitome is more remarkable for its
symmetry than for its deformity, some of the most
brilliant passages in the original being preserved un-
t;uched. As a lucid and portable history of the
most wonderful epoch since the rise of Christianity,
the book appears to us to be altogether invaluable;
though at the same time our political opinions and
the records of our judgment are so diametrically the
reverse of those of Mr. Alison, that we could wish
the narrative cleared of many absurd calumnies
long ago disapproved, we mean such preposterous
assertions as those respecting the assassination of
Pichegue and Captain Wright. Apart from these
blemishes of opinion, the volume is of most laudable
excellence.

IRELAND.

DUBLIN, MONDAY MORNING.

The Freeman' s Journal of this morning says—

"The Premier was visited at the Viceregal Lodge, at
eleven o'clock on Saturday, by the Lord Chancellor,
who remained more than half an hour. It is understood
that his Lordship has accepted an invitation from the
Earl of Charlemont to pass a few days with him at his
beautiful residence, Marino, near Clontarf. Nothing has
yet transpired respecting Lord John Russell's intention
of going down the country; but for whatever period his
stay in Dublin may be prolonged, he will continue to re-
side at his Excellency's lodge in the park."
The weather is now all that could be desired.
Last night there was a slight frost, and this morning
every symptom of rain has disappeared. Notwith-
standing the favourable change, there has not been
any revival in business here; on the contrary (says t
trade report), the present week has been worse in the
produce-markets than any that have preceded it;
transactions are, in fact, as near at a standstill as can
well be imagined. Money is comparatively cheap,
from the absolute want of employment for it. The
same document thus refers to the Irish railway meet-
ings of the last week :
" The half-yearly meetings of most of the Irish rail-
ways have been held during the last week or tyro. Of
these the only one in full operation is the Dublin and
Drogheda, whose report is sufficiently discouraging. It
appears that the gross receipts of the company are barely
sufficient to pay 5 per cent. per annum on its capital of
800,0001., and that although a portion of the expenses
are charged to the amount of capital, the amount left fcr
a dividend is only 10s. per cent. on the half-year. If
this bo the result of the working of the Great Northern
Trunk, after being some time in operation, there is small
room for hope on the more distant and less frequented
lines of road. We observe that the expenses are rather
disproportionate, being about 60 per cent."