The Sun.
London, England, 1856-10-10 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

The National Magazine.—An attractive illus-
trated weekly periodical so, entitled" has just now
made its appearance. Another of the cheap first-
class serials latterly beconie so very popular among
the masses—a publication (we may term it) some-
where midwaY between Household Words and the
Illustrated. News—about half the price the Athe-
nantn, and a great.desl
doreordthan double the pre-
tensions of the London Journal. It 'is the pro-
perty of a CompanY (Limited) this new Periodical.
Its editors appear-before the subscribers under the
responsibility of an avowed partnership. Both of
then- popnlar ,writep both' successful "draina-
tists. These same adventurous enfrepren-eurs in the
conducting Of the literary and art,istic en.
titEd The lii.ational Magazine, bej.ng ILO other Alan
John Saunders, once upon a time editor of the
People's: Journal, and Westland Marston, author
.Of "Anne Blake," and "The Patrician's Vatightir."
An initial number can scarcely ever be regarded au
a fair criterion. Yet from it may, at least tie gleaned
tome faint idea of the production newly inaligu-
rated. The introductciry number • before us may
be accepted at once; therefore, as so far eminently
satisfactory. Without being anything very remark-
able in any one Varticular, it is throughout for'the
most' part singularly meritorious; lt comprises
within its sixteen pages the' Attir:ed charms of
novelty,lvinaitiei‘limtyu,inbestr,rul. of tho iv a
ction,andetnitza tai m. ag
entertainment.
cne
Tiobep containsa a most characteristic and expressive
eacard -
upon
woodcut engraving (what may be called a " speak-
ing likeness'') of the Poet
andLa carved u. te—" Alfred
Tennyson." An admirable portrait, drawn
wood
-
Lintonphotographs. "by l‘i°frironni
Accompanying'oneof May
which
uponwooos
most
successfuly
sketch of the "human face divine " of Tennyson_
we have a very charming and_ subtly appreciative
criticism upon the' genius and ,writings of. the
Poet 'criticismaureate, a 'criticism evidently from the ;pen
of Mr. Marston himself, and one none the ,leas
welcome from the fact of its being "jewelled"
and " flowered " over, so very plentifully, with
the most exquisite pearls and roses of quotation.
Another whole-page illustration is—No. I. of
,
" Specimens of the English School of Painting '—
a clever wood-cut copy from Bellin's splendid en-
graving of "The Salutation," 'by Sir Charles
Eastlake: A capital descriptive article upon
" Biarritz ". we are disposed to father upon that
delightful, sparkling, France-loving, and yet tho-
roughly English feuilletoniSt,'Mr. George Augus-
tus Sala. • Whether it be his or not, it is entirely
acceptable, singularly graphic, and eminently hu-
morous. Here is a pretty group selected from
the throng of bathers in the Vieux Port. It is
the description of a French Papa giving a first
bath to his little darling : '

" Here come a husband and wife, also from Bayonne,
which is only five or six miles distant. The Bayonnaises
are famed for their beauty, and justly ;—is she not pretty
with those brilliant black eyes, the clear blown skin, and
folds of glossy hair? Husband mid wife swim out toge-
ther; then she returns, and a maid appears at tho edge of
the water with a small child wrapped in a shawl. They
have- two children, one about four, the other some two
years Old • and no one, but papa must give theni their first
bath. 'de' will watch the youngeit, who Nil logs into its
father'swet arms, and, being in mortal dread'of the water,
seizes his black beard with both tiny hands, and presses
its small soft face against that hairy shrine. And here I
must say, that whatever opinion wo may hold of the
French as a nation or as individuals, there is no man or
woman, more especially the latter, who can see a French-
man and his child without admiration.

" Our bearded friend, with many caresses, strolies the
small arms, loosens their hold, and, considerably to his
comfort, succeeds in placing ono round his beck.and holds
the other. You' can see, as he stands thane, that he is
pointing out those boys swimming so fearlessly, the men
jumping from the rock, the ladies. floating with their
gourds. Then he calls one of the bdys, who comes leaping
towards him to make baby laugh,—for any French boy
seems at any time ready to play with any baby ; and soon
we have baby stretching cut its arms .to the boy in the
water. Meanwhile papa himself will wash the wee face,
rub the little limbs as he walks slowly on; baby is soon in
the Water, and the first bath is taken in the most satisfac-
tory manner. This gentleman came with carriage and
servants to give his children their first bath; but Jean
Baptiste and Leontine—" baignetir" and " baic..meuse"—
are every whit as tender and as careful that their boy
Arthur shall not contract any dread of water ;and that his
first bath at three years old shall not frighten him. Asir
them how it is that they can swim and float, and dive
and progress iu that very extraordinary manner, com-
ing towards you like the ghost in the `Corsican Bro-
thers,'—treading the water I think they call it,—they will
say that the key to the whole affair is. 'ne pas avoir
peur,'—have faith, and you are buoyant."
Another and a very remarkable attraction in this
initial number is an account penned by no less emi-
nent a hand than that of Sir David Brewster, a
scientific and yet popular account of the history of
that very exquisite invention "The Stereoscope."
Besides which the National Magazine (No. I.) has
a strangely original and singularly.
_enthralling
little story, entitled "Uncle George, or the Family
Mystery," contributed by Wilkie Collins, author
of "Basil," " After Dirk," and other romantic pro-
ductions. Sundry minor effusions—two of them,
so to speak, of a merely promisory character—
completing this inaugurative instalment of the new,
twopenny, weekly, illustrated periodical. The suc-
cess of which is all but a matter of absolute cer-
tainty, if the editors of it only carryout to the letter
the ingenious scheme foreshadowed in their very
curious and very ambitious advertisement.