The Sun.
London, England, 1834-11-28 00:00:00

THE ANNUALS.

THE NE 111 YEAR'S GIFT, AND JUVENILE

SOUVENIR.
Br Mns. A. A. Wirrs.
4"don : Whittaker and Co. Ave Maria-lane, 1834.
°Ur very contracted limits compel us, much against
full' inclination, to be brief in our notice of this delight-
little Annual. A more acceptable Christmas pre-
lent
cannot possibly bc made to children, for whose
-Ise it is chiefly intended. The stories are simply and
written, with a quiet ease of manner, mien-
;tiled to make a deep impression on the youthful mind.
e Poetry too is good, though it is not equal to the
1)1i°8e, Which is usually the best portion of all Annuals.
Gli.e of the engravings—that entitled the " Greek
a excellent, and the remainder are of the usual
tastes in point of merit. Mrs. Watts brings much
and skill, and delicacy to tasks like this.

LITERATURE.

FRANCESCA CARRARA.
1,,,,11Y ?HP. .AUTIIOR OF ROMANCE AND REALITY, tS.C.
i;e °
nelc Richard Bentle:y, New Burlington-street. 1834.
tit ever felt so distrustful of our own judgment in
uti'_g down to record our opinion of the merits of a
,244' of taste, feeling, or fancy, as we do at this
moment, We had hitherto only known Miss Landon
an authoress, from the perusal of her poetical con-
ribtiti°ns to the annuals—those beautiful fluttering
118, by means of which the younger aspirants for
111144ry fame first essay to discover how strongly the
eof popular opinion stirs in their favour. Her
pleased us—we admired their sweetness, sim-
LY, and occasional touches of true tenderness and
P natural feeling. This is the utmost we can say
of their favour. Many of them belonged to a school
Poetry with which we do not regret having few
II
whillPathies in common—the verse-making coteries
to °se travels seldom extend beyond the confines
lifiThding the bills of mortality, and with whom human
Ihe and human nature is a mere kitchen-garden which
4Y hedge in with myrtles and cypresses, and plant
tore
alternate rows of vines, roses, and briars, with
tore and there an old tree and plenty of ivy creeping
fund it. As Miss Landon's poetry was not en-
ofree from what appeared to us faults of this
etiption, we had not the highest opinion either of
4: actual merits or her capabilities ; and therefore we
higher
to the perusal of the novel before us with
)1, uiOter expectation than that we should find it
4:ttY, rather readable, and very full of overstrained
lilitirnent. We have been most agreeably—most de-
,3lglztafully disappointed. Indeed, so great has been
Rork of
that we almost fear to speak of a
Abt' of which we are now obliged to think so favour-
14i Y, lest regret for previous distrust, so unjustly enter-
rolled, should lead us to err on the only side which
p ises self-justification. Whatever may be the
Ntli4 er's opinion of the drift of these volumes, it is im-
w4ll3le to rise from their perusal without being struck
tho Miss Landon's originality of many of her
eauBhts, and the frequency, conciseness, and great
th:titY of her moral aphorisms. We confess that
f01.41Y of her opinions surprised us by the forcible
ty ,h 1 which they are put, and not a few startled us
Itiitueir singularity. She is evidently a young lady
ah°l has read much, and disciplined her mind to the
tho soTrie, the painful exercise, of grave severe
ttaeutght• We shall just quote a few sentences ex-
, edat random to explain our meaning ;--
tek,td? believe there is no existence so content as that whose
%oil! mimrossed by employment, and whose future is filled
v,4 strong hope, the truth of which is never proved."
)eY !s wonderful how some words ever were invented, for
;4484, Press what does not exist—confidence is among the
4140tsec.e,o,nfidence is what no human being ever really had
1!18; I,!ftllere be one habit more than another, the dry-rot of all
tl'he li„gh and generous in youth, it is the habit of ridicule.
ter ready with the sneer, the eye ever on the watch
kost jlidicrous, must always dwell on the external and
it 1' what is good and great ever lies below the surface."
ftlecannot love evergreens—they are the misanthropes of
tiode 1. To them the spring brings no promise, the autumn
leide
they are cut off from the sweetest of all ties with
'tkid a'n"—sYrripathy. They have no hopes in common, but
lloipz:.-h-...tveemry emblems of the fortunate and worldly
:pferaleri t7.lreringp,er has been unsoftened by participating in
existing alone in his unshared and sullen
Prank
tkperl ness and confidence belong to youth; and where
(18, e.tlce comes too soon it brings but half knowledge. The
‘te et" of much evil in the heart should be learned at a
ktptictriod, when we shall be aware also of much good. The
Y wisdom of the young is always of a harsh and bitter
rnakin, no allowance, and forgiving nothing—ever
Yto attribute the ill motive, and holding suspicion to be
,titration."
tie Generally speaking, we arc incredulous of the good for-
~ilue of olir friends, and, even though loving them, under-
-4,4
utneir qualities ; the success of our greatest intimates
wshy surprise."
ell—audacity, oddity, and flattery, are the three graces
elake their way in modern society."
Ztt wt., ,mans letter is always the most unsatisfactory thing in
Itktt -rtd. There are none of those minute details which are
411,,, solace to feminine anxiety ; the mere fact of writing,
4 4 seems sufficient to content a masculine conscience."
ittine proof of a great man, is fitness for the circumstances
" ho is placed."
Ittu.s! cannot understand what we never experienced ; and
AT
(4 pain were it only to teach us sympathy."
ktio-;,° the slight things in life are the irrevocable. The
ot which we calculate and decide never bring the im-
ontequences which we expected from them. It is
Z4t:agttless the careless, the unmarked of the minute,
ll
their seal upon our fa' te— that are the final and the
Ti their results."
gtki a
Perusal of this tale awakens no deep interest,
titi,:e characters of many of the personages intro-
ieq are very imperfectly drawn. Miss Landon is
hot betit in this highest order of genius ; and we can-
%lli 14
regret that she attempted the delineation of
kilal3 Mazarin and De Retz, and Anne of Austria.
either her feelings nor her habits qualify her for
4,1
ihte-ing the almost immeasurable depths of political
110*°" ; and as we already observed, she wants the
a
' er
hitting off character, or, as it were, turning
talla
khd n being inside out, and so placing the heart
1144 rain before us, that we become assured of the
ilot which such an individual will take under every
t3t thr change of circumstances. There are also two
el e
passages overflowing with mawkish sentiment
41141, unworthy of the fair authoress. One in parti-
htttohseetqletely disgusted us. It commences at the
Nell; c)1 the fourth page of the third volume, and
drat to the seventh. In the name of reason,
;%ht h has happened to Miss Landon that
)t, as all
a °lid at once become so disgusted with with the
vt app 444 SO weary of its enjoyments ? Or, if this
to llnnr
,to , • Oper question, pray what have her readers
h,l'avith her grievances, whether real or affected ?
of ve
always heard her spoken of as a young lady,
ka de health and spirits, and we know that the world
•
e qia lt kindly t; by her, all things taken into account.
"‘tl e 8 are, for the most part, of the sterner sex,
e alvv
t With aYs acted towards her with politeness, if
to iki ndness. We confess, therefore, that these
have Ns betray a sickliness of mind with which
t;ilq sympathy. Real genius seldom so betrays
erei,ell()
tulonsness and occasional disappointment.
nothing- of it in the pages of Cervantes,
•'lttrq Smollett, and Scott, nor in the tales of
ltt kit; dgewo rt h , and Lady Morgan ; and yet we
tat e
di I° that all these authors were subject to as
al3Pointments in life as Miss Landon.
we will not attempt to unravel the plot of this novel,
telt have no wish to anticipate the gratification
helot erY Young reader will derive from its perusal.
hlw ,gs entirely to that class of novels of which Mr.
1111/4kl "3 is
e le standard, and is formed on the same
l with his
his more successful works. It takes in a
Otiktutsit ge---so wide as to embrace the Tiber and
t 0c... We marked several pages for extracting,
Vace is $0 valuable at present that we bad