The Sun.
London, England, 1834-09-22 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

SCENES FROM PARISIAN LIFE.
72RH4OUS, CHIEF OF THE DEronANs.
Translated from the Original French of M. de Balzac.
Frazer, London, 1834.

M. de Balzac is one of the most original writers of
his country. He is much and deservedly admired, as
well for the novelty of his style, as for the deep interest
which he always contrives to throw into his narratives.
His " Peau de Chagrin" is one of the most bizarre,
yet beautiful productions, we have ever perused—a
wild, yet not ungraceful, fiction, replete with all the
peculiarities of thought and style which so eminently
distinguish him from his contemporaries. The present
work is no less singular than his former productions ;
but as it is only the first of a series, an episode, as it
were, in a greater drama, we can not, as yet, judge of
the ensemble, in which is to be developed the secret
history of a most extraordinary union of thirteen per-
sons for the most wild and romantic purposes. These
Devorans, as they styled themselves, existed in France
in the reign of Napoleon (according to our author).
They were philosophers and men of wealth, and were
bound together by the most mysterious and binding
ties, and used their fellow-creatures, of every rank, as
the instruments of their pleasures or their vengeance.
They were as secret and powerful as the Inquisition,
and almost realized, says M. de Balzac, the fantastic
power falsely attributed to Faust, to Manfred, and to
Melmoth. Whether such a society, armed with the
most secret and tremendous powers, did actually exist,
we cannot say, though, we must own that we are in-
credulous. However, it is admirably adapted to in-
crease the effect of a tale ; and the interest attached to
the unfathomable proceedings of their Chief is well
sustained.

The heroine is a gentle and noble character—a being
all redolent of grace and conjugal love. Though the
incident's of the story cannot be said to be supernatu-
ral, yet they overstep considerably the boundaries of
the marvellous, as indeed do all our author's produc-
tions. It was due to M. de Balzac's genius that the
English public should be made acquainted with his
works, and the fair translator (for it is the work of a
lady, the same who translated the " Recollections of
the Marquise de Crequy), has performed her difficult
task with talent and judgment. She has looked upon
her author with all a woman's enthusiasm, and this en-
thusiasm has made her catch some of the inspiration
of his genius.
We do not wish to find fault with her, and we are
far from being inclined to cavil or to spy out petty im-
perfections ; though, if we were in such a mood, we
would say that her sentences were often ill and clum-
sily turned, and that there were too many gallicisms
scattered through the volume to please, or even be un-
derstood by the majority of readers. However, the
book is a good book, and we cannot better close our
notice than by extracting, for the entertainment of our
readers, the following observations upon " Grisettes,"
a class of women so peculiarly French :
" The grisette is only to be found in Paris--she is made in
Paris, like.the mud or the pavement of Paris. • * • * *__
She is truly an original creature—twenty times seized by the
painter's brush—by the caricaturist's pencil--by the crayon of
the artist. She yet'escapes all analysis, because she is not to
be taken in all her fashions, any more than the fantastic and
changeable Paris'. In fact, she only holds to vice by a tittle,
.and is separated from it by the thousand other points of the
`social circumference. Besides, she only allows one trait of
her character to be found out, the only one which renders her
blameable. Her fine virtues are concealed—her open impu-
dence is her glory. Incompetently translated into dramas and
_books, where she has been brought forth most poetically, she
will never be really known but in her garret, because she will
always elsewhere either be calumniated or flattered. Rich,
she grows vicious ; poor, she is misunderstood—and this can-
not be otherwise. She has too many vices, and too many
good qualities—she is too near a sublime asphixy, or a wither-
ing laugh—she is too beautiful and too hideous—she too
closely personifies Paris, to which she furnishes tooth-
less porteresses, washerwomen, street-sweepers, beggars--
sometimes admired actresses, impertinent Countesses, and ap-
plauded singers. She has even formerly given two quasi-
queens to the monarchy. Who can seize such a Proteus ?
She is all woman—more than woman—less than woman. From

this vast portrait a painter of morals can only give certain de-
tails—the whole were boundless."

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

Sia,—Highly admiring the impartial eye with which The
Sun has watched the official life of that noble benefactor to
his country. Earl Grey ; and pleased with the undeviating
consistency with which it has avowed its sentiments, I here-
with send you a short tribute to his worth, hoping, if it meet
your approbation, you will insert it in The Sun, which will
much oblige, Sir, your's, respectfully,
EDWARD KAY.
Thornton, near Bradford, Yorkshire, Sept. 15, 1834.

TO EARL GREY.

Honest defender of the people's rights,
Thy public life is closed. Beneath the weight
Of office and its cares, age could not bear
Increasing pressure. But did Statesman e'er
Close public life more spotless? Virtue, truth,
Have mark'd thy ev'ry step ; now, full of years,
Deserved honours and undying fame,
Domestic joys attend thee. Well hast thou
Performed thy duty to thy native land ;
And, spite of faction's—envy's—slander's arts,
Pursu'd the path of honour.

Not a cloud
Obscures the beauty of thy setting sun.
Alike undaunted by corruption's friends,
Or democratic foes,—thy master-mind
Mark'd out the line, which prudence, reason, right,
Alike dictated. Power was held by thce,
Subservient to the public good : and now
Calm contemplation retrospective looks,
And nods assent. The errors, faults, and
Injuries of ages has thy hand repair'd
In Britain's constitution ; and left firm
The far-fam'd bulwarks of fair Freedom's isle.
Than thee—" the mountain nymph, sweet Liberty,"
Had ne'er a stauncher friend : nor did her smiles
E'er sit more lovely on Britannia's cheek,
Than when thou gav'st " Reform."
0, British youth !
Natives of Hampden's—Marvel's—Sydney's land,
In lays immortal sing the worth of Grey.
Noble in dignity as well as rank,
Corruption fled thy presence. Slavery's chains,
Those fetters which inhumanize the man,
Thou hast for ever broken. Not a slave
Now lifts his head beneath the British crown.
But these, 0 Grey ! with all thy other deeds,
Appear on history's page; and, long as Time
Shall use his scythe among the fields of life,
Thy name will be rever'd. Consistency
O'er all thy actions casts a heavenly glow
Of most exalted feeling. Not a stain
Rests on the laurels gain'd in struggling for
Thy country's freedom ! .

Half a century's suns
Have rose and set, since thou did first embark
On politic's rough sea ; and shall the tongue
Of gratitude be silent, now that thou
Art safe from danger? No ! respect for worth
Kindles that rev'rence in a Briton's heart,
Which grac'd the ancient Romans.
- - -

London—Shields—
Newcastle—Morpeth—Edinburgh—but speak
The language of the nation. Ev'ry pulse
That beats for freedom beats with love for Grey.
Now in retirement's calm—enjoy her sweets ;
Bask in the sunshine of a mind at peace,
Until stern duty summons thee again
To plead thy country's cause ; then nobly rise
Again to fight her battles : till at last,
When honour's representative must bid
To life's fleet joys adieu ! oh, may'st thou gain
The greatest victory that man can win. E. K.

The Calypso, from Montreal and Quebec, arrived
last week at the Broomielaw, drawing 15 feet water, and came ,
up the whole way without taking the ground. This is the..
greatest draught of water drawn by any vessel which ever,.
arrived at Glasgow ; and if the river is improved at this rate;..
canals or any other expedient to supersede our noble river wilt
be considered quite unnecessary.—Glasgow Herald.
A LUCKY LEGATEE.—The Journal de Roueit-'
relates the following singular disappointment :—" M. ---9;
a Deputy under the Restoration, lately died, leaving an ity
come of 45,000 f. a year, which by will he bequeathed to llfl
G , a notary, alleging the legacy to have been made #
a compensation for the affectionate care the testator had re-
ceived at the hands of the legatee and his wife for many year 4.
M. G., not dreaming of the possibility of a will of a later
date, immediately began to assume the ton befitting his ne*
circumstances, and a splendid carriage, with English hors*
were accordingly exchanged for the old hacks of the decease!.
A few days afterwards some kind friend presented to him the
later will of his supposed benefactor, accompanied by the fal-
lowing flattering explanation :-4 M. G., the legatee under
the former will, is a fool, and his wife is a —, with the
knowledge and connivance of her husband. They shall haV,t
nothing from me, and, in order to repay the hypocrisy th 4
have uniformly displayed towards me, I cause this will to be
kept back for a short time, which will leave them an opportu-
nity of displaying their real joy, and perhaps induce them to,
run into ruinous expenses—a punishment they richly deserve.''