The Sun.
London, England, 1851-05-29 00:00:00

Tine TRAVELLER'S LIBRARY.
1. YOARRE .4/ HASTI.". GS. By Thomas dabing-
' ton Macaulcy.
2. LORD CLIVE. By the Same.
3. LONDON. By J. It. M' Culloch.
Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans.
Rapid as have been the strides made recently by
the publishers in the way of placing cheap and va-
' !table works within the reach of the multitude, it has
nevertheless been so far graduated as to be traceable
Arotighout the whole course of its development. One
after another the principal houses of tbe metropolis
leave surpassed each other, now in the getting up of
these works now in the price of them, now in the
manner of their selection. Out of this wholesome rivalry
have come benefits widely participated in by the mass
,of purchasers. Vieing with each other in enterprise,
the leading members of the book trade have, in this
Manner, dem ended from us in a certain succession
our most cordial and unstinted commendations.
Whereas, formerly the public could only look in
• London to Charles Knight fur cheap end excel-
, lent literature, it has of late years found almost all
the bookselling firms in the capital competing with
••each other in the same indirect effort to pro-
. mote the cause of education. While Lacy
• reprinted diamond editions of the poets,
and Clarke issued miniature revivals of some
among our more scarce curiosities of literature, and
• Burns reproduced an amusing miscellany of forgotten
but still meritorious volumes, the other publishers
. appear to have been preparing a display of energy
and enterprise such as could alone be adventured
Alpine by men of wealth, judgment and intelligence.
,In this manner we have seen the valuable library
:given to the public at a cost absolutely insignificant
.by Bogue, and the yet more various and readable
series of works placed within reach of the community
by Bohn—works ranging through almost every de-
:pertinent of letters, embracing, for instance, our
midireval chronicles, the Greek and Latin classics,
and those more modern products of genius,
which may be said to have risen almost
to the celebrity usually reserved for the effusions of
antiquity. Colburn, in like manner, bas assisted the
people in this effort at voluntary education, by print-
ing at a small charge a succession of interesting and
fictitious narratives. His endeavour in this particular
has in some respect been emulated throughout by his
rival and contemporary Bentley. After most of the
foregoing undertakings bad been tolerably well de-
veloped, an admirable reprint was given to the world
by Murray, in a library both Home and Colonial.
Since then the principal novelists of our generation
have set en example equally entitled to commendation,
the masterpieces of Charles Dickens having been im-
mediately followed by those of Sir Bulwer Lytton, at a
coat such as placed them on the bookshelves of
most persons of even moderate competence. Rout-
ledge,, meanwhile, has issued shilling reprints of the
delightful writings of Waehiegton Irving, and those
or G. P. R. James have been re-produced in a
similar manner by Simms ancl;MSlntyre, in the course
of their " Parlour Library," the firm of Chapman
and Hall having published at a like cost the whole of
the collected romances of Harrison Ainsworth. From
the press of Bradbury and Evans are at this
time appearing from month to month the various
fictions and other prose compositions of Douglas
Jerrold. Such being the remarkable indus-
try displayed' in all parts of the book trade
throughout the metropolis, it must be confessed that
some difficulty is in the way of any other publisher,
Who may be.anxious to forward the cause of general
enlightenment by yet more extraordinary testimonies
of zeal and enterprise in its behalf than have even
new been afforded. Difficult and almost impossible
as this may appear, the achievement has nevertheless
been realized by one of the most distinguished pub-
lishing houses in the world, that of the Messrs. Long-
man, Brown, Green and Longman!. In the series just
Commenced by them, under the title of The Travel-
kei Libravk, we recognize the last and most brilliant
of all these noble efforts in the indirect furtherance
of the interests of national education. As to cost, the
Periodical instalments here published monthly are of
the very cheapest character, what, under the hap-
Pleat auspices has been produced at a charge of half-
a-crown = hitherto, being now offered for a single
shilling. In typography the work is every way
Worthy of the establishment of Spottiswoodes and
,whether so to paper, type, composition,
printing, or general arrangement. Added to
all the evidence afforded in this in-
stance eft judgment in the selection of tbe
Papers yet comprised in the publication, is of the
Most satisfactory kind imaginable. As a. surety of
Which, we need only point cursorily to the titles of
the different portions yet produced, referring inci-
dentally, moreover, to some of those promised to
fellow immediately afterwards. Every student of
contemporary literature is so far familiar with the
Merits of Mr. Macaulay's celebrated essays on Lord
Clive' and Warren Hastings—perhaps the most
splendid of all his noble contributions to
the Edinburgh —as to render it needless
for us to specify in any particular the
precise mede of praise to which they are entitled. So
long as the glory of our Asiastic successors can be
remembered, so long as tevestige of our Indian empire
remains, longer than the famous records of Mill can
continue popular, longer than the pompous annals of
Orme can be cherished in public recollection, will
those magnificent pages survive to the admiration of
411 men capable of appreciating the truths of history
and the beauties of rhetoric. Others of Mr.
Macaulay's essays besides those on the first conqueror
and the first law-giver of the British dominions
Hindostan, we rejoice to see promised, such as
those relating to the Earl of Chatham, to " Renkes's
history of the Popes," and to the " Life and Writings
of Addison." For the benefit of the community at
large, we are strongly in hopes that these may be fol-
lowed at intervals by the rest, so that the complete
series may in the end be perfected. It will be gra-
tifying to all subscribers to The Traveller's Library
to observe that, in addition to those noble effusions,
they are promised selections from the writings of
the Rev. Sydney Smith, of Sir James Mackintosh, of
Lord Jeffrey, and we trust, also, of other distinguished
contributors to the Edinburgh. Amidst the miscel-
laneous papers scattered among these are several of a
nature peculiarly calculated to lend variety to the
series, such as Laing's " Travels in Norway," and
the charming papers, from the " Spectator," referring
to Sir Roger De Coverley. A specimen of this de-
scription has already been afforded, by the masterly
and comprehensive paper on " London," by Mr.
APCulloch, in which that great political economist
has given us the most valuable of all the condensed
histories of the metropolis. From what we have al-
ready seen of The Travellers Library, we need
scarcely observe, therefore, that we are disposed to
anticipate for it a prolonged popularity, and a very
Wide circulation.

THE POST-OFFICE GUIDE. Under the
Sanction of her Majesty's Postmaster-General.
By J. W. Lettis, of the General Post qffice.
Tne thanks of all visitors to the metropolis, whe-
ther foreigners or natives, and indeed of all persons
who send or receive letters or new papers, are espe-
cially due to:Mr. Lettis for the opportune publication
of this useful little work. It contains all the information
that can be desired on all matters connected with the
Post-office, and gives translations of the regain ions
of the General Post-office in regard to foreign letters
in English, French, German, and Italian.

FINE ARTS.

PORTRAIT OF ROBERT STEPHENSON.

Recently we bad the gratification of ex imini4the
portrait of this eminent man in the gallery of the
Meisrs. Graves, near the Opera-colonnade. The
painting is by John Lucas, the artist who produced
the picture to which this one forms an exact and in-
teresting companion, namely, that cf the late George
Stephenson. It ii a full-length, and as a likeness in
every way admirable. The background, however,
appears to us crude in colouring, and sketched rather
hastily by
one c ireless in manipulati in. As an en-
graving, neveriheless, these faults will of course be
altogether invisible, and we doubt not it-will be wel-
comed with a peculiar interest by the community at
large, more especially by the constituency of Whitby,
and most of all by the whole body of civil engiceers,
a body whose history he has illustrated by so many
splendid achievements.

HER MAJESTY'S TtieATRE
A brilliant and fashionable audierce assembled here
last evening to inaugurate tho first of the Soiries Extra•
ordinaires, and, judging from the experience of last
night, the success of the experiment was as great as Mr.
Lumley himself could have desired. for the house was
crowded in every part. The performances c ,mmenced
with the second and third acts of Masaniello,
in which Pardini and Kissi,l and Wile. "Cud were
rapturously applauded; and then came Fidelio, in which
EotieCtuvelli again created a pertect furore. Her posi.
lion is now fixed as one of the greatest artistes of the
day—as ore of the few on whom Heaven his bestowed
the gift of genius. Never before, not even by. Sams ler
or Malibran, has the eharacct:r of Leonora bet n wore
perfectly represented. Mademoiselle Cravelli will ap-
pear as Norms on Saturday, and we anticipate for her
another splendid lriumpb.