The Sun.
London, England, 1846-12-24 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

JANUARY EVE.

A 7'afe of the 7 inies. Bu George
.S'oane, B. A.

The names of the three chapters of this little
volume would lead us to suppose that, like the gene-
rality of Christians tales, it has some dealings with
the supernatural. However, on perusal, we find it
no fairy legend, but an only too probable " Tale of
the Times, ' yet the author assures us it has no poli-
tical tendency, his object he tells us is " moral and
not political—to show that while class is perpetually
crying out against class, the fault all the while is in
human nature; or rather, in that misdirected educa-
tion of the general mind, which cramps its best
powers, and darkens it with prejudices." The object
is certainly most commendable, and is, to a certain
extent, well carried out. The first chapter, "It
strikes twelve," discovers a party of villagers cele-
brating New Year's Eve in the parlour of the Black
Lion. These individuals in their own opinion were
" a set of the most ill-used, miserable rascals possible.
The word rascal, be it observed, had no reference
' whatever to any self-depreciation of their own moral,
or other qualities, but to the way in which they were
used by the rich and powerful, those insatiable tyrants
of the land, who by some odd jugglery had got pos-
session of every thing, fed high, and slept soft, while
the rest of the world were working for them. A
pleasant set of fellows were these liberals." This
chapter is by far the best in the book, the
whole scene is very forcibly, and, alas, naturally
pourtrayed. Led on by Tom, the poacher, the com-
pany indulge in much abuse of their " betters," and
in an enumeration of their own grievances. After
contrasting the good things in the squire's hall with
their own humble fare, " sitting in a hole, drinking
muddy ale" (to which comparison, however, the land-
lord strongly objects), Tom indignantly asserts that
be and his companions have the best right to all the
good things, " we it is who make every thing and do
every thing. It would be long enough before any of
them ploughed the lard." "If we did not work for
them," he continues, " the lazy hounds would starve."
" And why do we work for them ?" asks another;
" that's what always puzzles me." " Because w
can't help ourselves. Because they are tyrants, and
we are slaves," &c., &c. The next chapter " the
metamorphosis," shows Tom in a totally different cha-
racter ; by an unexpected inheritance he is himself
become a squire—Le is himself one of the " tyrants,"
and one not only in name and station, but in heart
and conducts—the metamorphosis is complete. Now,
if the object of this tale be simply a moral one—if it
be merely intended to show how virtue and vice, hap-
piness and discontent, are " fixed to no spot," and
confined to no class or community, it is well enough;
it is a good idea well illustrated. But if written
with any political object—however, the author
denies all such intention—so we will not allude
to it, yet, in any case, we should have
welcomed a companion picture to Tom's meta-
morphosis. Let us agree that " patriots " and
" republicans" would, t.so many of them, become, in
like situations, the very characters they denounce.
Let us agree that complaining tenants and fault-
finding poachers would, if raised to the squirearchy
themselves, be the sternest and strictest of landlords
and game-preservers. But, en revanche, let us also
believe that this whole "Tale of the Times " might be
carried out in a very different manner. Turning
from the grumblers in the ale-house, let us join the
group gathered round the Squire's board; let us listen
to their complaints, to their abuse of poachers and
idle vagabonds, &c., and then let us take the loudest
complainer of the whole and place him in the situa-
tion of the wretched man he contemns—let him learn
the cruel sufferings of poverty ; above all, let him
feel the bitter sense of humiliation, let him know
that he is despised and looked down upon, and let
him believe that he is wronged, and then—and then,
may we ask—will the censorious, that strictly vir-
tuous man, be only a poacher, or only an idle vaga-
bond ? The answer is obvious. And we must con-
clude, with the author of this little volume, " while
class is perpetually crying out against class, the fault
is all the while in human nature," or rather, as he
adds, in misdirected education. Perhaps when this
truth is generally admitted, when the evil is fully
acknowledged, a remedy will be sought for; in the
meantime, we gladly welcome all things which tend
to propagate this very desirable belief, and among
others the little volume before us (though we cannot
but think it to be somewhat one-sided). There is, of
course, a little story connected with the incidents we
have alluded to, some parts of which are improbable,
but the whole is sufficiently interesting, and is told in
an interesting manner.

DANIEL DENNISON AND THE CUMBER-
LAND STATESMAN. By the late Mrs. Hofland.
3 vols.

In pronouncing judgment upon any work, the
critic has a duty to perform, not only towards the
public, by satisfying them as to the merits of any
new claimant upon their favour, but towards the
author. It is his pleasing or painful office by hearty
eulogium or kindly reproof, to bestow commendation
or censure upon the present effort, and afford encou-
ragement or warning for the future. But such a
task is dispensed with in the present instance, those
four letters on the title-page—" by the late Mrs.
Hofiand"—precludes all criticism, our comment shall
consequently be very brief. These volumes, being
her latest work, will doubtless be valuable to Mrs.
Hofland's admirers ; they are certainly more valu-
able on that account, being as it were a parting
legacy, than from their intrinsic merits. The
authoress was justly celebrated by her writings for
the young, and the attention to minor details and the
extreme simplicity, so attractive in juvenile works,
are prominent features in her later and more ornate
compositions. This is, especially, the case in the first
of the tales contained in the volumes before us.
Daniel Dennison, the autobiography of a country
apothecary, which is rather a narrative than a novel,
but, perhaps, that is rather an advantage for a
biography a simple relation of supposed facts. The
second story is greatly the superior; there is more in-
terest in the plot, and it contains some very graphic
sketches of the men and manners of the north of
England, in all their simplicity and kindhearted-
ness rendered more striking by a few scenes of Lon-
don life, in which such qualities are strangely deficient.

LUCILE GRAHN.--Letters from Rome of the Ist
inst. describe the extraordinary sensation created in that
capital by the Danish danseuse. Her last appearance
was an unexampled triumph. The theatre was illumi-
nated a giorno, and decorated with flowers, and a por-
trait of Grahn adorned each of the 200 boxes of the
theatre. The prices of admission were more than
doubled, yet, nevertheless, the house was crammed.
Every pas was encored. After the ballet Lucile's car-
riage was drawn by the enthusiastic crowd, and escorted
by 100 persons with torches. Mdlle. Grahu has since
left Rome for Venice.

We understand that some immediate changes are
in contemplation in the royal establishment. Major-
General Sir Henry Wheatley has been permitted, at his
advanced age, to retire from the office of Keeper of her
Majesty's Privy Purse, on a most liberal pension, and
the dignity of a baronet. The office of the Keeper of
the Privy Purse, and that of the Treasurer of the
Prince's Household, are to be united in the person of
Mr. Anson. The gentleman to fill the office of Private
Secretary to his Royal Highness, hitherto held by Mr.
Anson, has not yet been selected.

CHURCH PIiEFERMENT.—The Right Hon. Lord
Ward has presented the Rev. Charles Girdlestone, M.A.,
to the valuable rectory of Kingswinsford, Staffordshire,
void by the death of Dr. Penfold.
THE ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.—The telegraph from
the South- Western Railway has been laid down as far as
Waterloo-bridge, and upon reaching that point its course
was changed from the west to the eastern side of the
bridge, crossing the Waterloo-road, close to the gates of
the bridge on that side.
There has recently been an instance of shipwreck
caused by fair weather. When the sea is agitated, it
always breaks
don the rocks lying at the mouth of the
Charente, and sailors can thus avoid them. But one
calmou l
dt h abt
e, bype
rteheei
ve lightd
, andof the
moon, no symptom of was
perilsothe
English brig the Ann,ontll7
p
proceeding from England to Cha-
rente, came right
rocks and was wrecked. For-
tunately the crew escared.__French paper.
CAUTION TO
night latelylt he sea c
PERSONS PURCHASING JEWELLERY.—
Not only the public, but the whole
of the jewellery trade,
will do well to be upon their guard when purchasing
articles of jewellery set
with brilliants, as a great
number of imitation ones, of a very novel and ingeni
in England, and offered for
ous construction, are now
'
sale. So well is the deception managed that many
competent judges have not been able to ells:in .
guish the deception. It is generally known that in
jewellery set with brilliants, the stone is from twenty
work-
to thirty times more valuable than the gold and
best
manship, which, therefore, are always of the
description. So it is with these imitations. The supe-
rior quality of the gold, and exquisite workmanship,
lusion warrant an ordinary judge in coming to the cone a
that it would not have been wasted on anything but
real stone. The stones are what are termed doublets,
that is, half diamond and half paste, and are never
set transparent. These imitations are made in the
following manner :—A rose diamond (which is
but half the thickness of a brilliant, and has
a flat bottom to it) is taken, and the pointed top polished,
forming the table top always on brilliants ; a back or
bottom is then cut out of paste to fit, and is placed,
cone downwards, into the chamber intended for its re-
caption. This has a flat top, the entire circumference of
the diamond, and forms the other half, or that part of
the brilliant which lies beneath the setting ; the flat
back of the diamond is then laid upon it, and the settings
firmly burnished over. It is impossible to detect the de-
ception until the stone is unset, and then the imitation
back becomes apparent. The diamond being uppermost,
It will cut glass and stand the usual test of a brilliant,
whilst the silver foil used beneath the paste, being tinted,
makes it appear like a jewel .of the first water. It is
calculated, that upwards of 6001. per cent. profit will be
realised by the sale of them.

VICTORIA PARK APPROACHES.--A meeting of
inhabitants was held yesterday in the committee-room,
Hackney to memorialise the Commis:ioners of Woods
and Forests to make an approach to the Victoria Park
from the high-road of that parish.