The Sun.
London, England, 1856-09-11 00:00:00

LI TERATURE

Drafts for Acceptance. By eorge Raymond.
G. Routledze and Co., rerringdon-street.
Mr. Raymond is well known as a writer of con-
siderable and versatile ability ; and this cheap edi-
tion of his collected Sketches and Tales will serve
' to justly extend his name and reputation. Too
many of our "light-article" writers exercise their
functions in the ephemeral style of romantic twad-
dle, or the flippant tone of "fast" funniness. Com.
mon place insipidity, or diluted Joe Millerism,
usually constitute the chief part of a modern
" light" writer ; but the author of this volume has
happily exhibited the possible union of ease, hu-
mour, and freshness, with perception, imagination,
and philosophy. Here is a bit of truth, which too
many who marry without allowing either heart or
brain to "give them away," will unwittingly sub.
scribe to :
"There are some falsehoods, says Lord Bacon, which
are continued by tradition, because they supply com-
modious; allusions. ' The Lottery of Wedlock' may be
one of them. That the prizes are few, we admit ; but
the produce of our scrip will be found less the caprice of
Fortune than the result of our own went of judgment.
In fact we are too apt to debit this lady with our own
blunders.
" The expressions prize and blank assume a kind of
right to expect that Fortune will do something especially
for us—that the cause is now entirely hers—that hay.
in purchased a ticket in the wheel, we had but to give
to the blind goddess our blinder faith, and she will ac-
complish all the rest, without our stir.
"It may appear startling; but, perhaps, the greatest
duplicity in life is the season of courtship. Affection
is a most arrant traitor, and, like the rapt astronomer,
whilst gazing on the stars sv,i fall into a pit. We deceive
ourselves in our regard of another, and we deceive an-
other in the false representation of ourselves. We put on
our best garments without at all suspecting the holiday
dress of our companion. Suitors, in each other's eyes,
are as perfect as those once-were who now lie in church-
yards—affectionate brothers, dutiful sons, and sincere
friends. 'Rogues all' have a prescriptive title to thi*
language when they are six feet in the earth, and all
suitors claims as equal an estate when over head and
ears in love. The question, therefore, is less an affair
of the die 'thee of positive wilfulness, and its results
less the operation of lottery than of conduct.
No lottery, but a juggle—we juggle others, and we
Juggle ourselves. For surely those who marry (,to use
the words of Voltaire) through the caprice of a few days,
a connection without attachment, a passion without
affection, the affectation of cicisbeism, or a romantic
fancy, cannot place the upshot to the charge of Fortune,
who are themselves alone the responsible parties. It is
no longer coejugium,' but conjurgium'—the reed
and the fern, of opposite natures."
In the relation of a well-told family story we find
many such wholesome passages as this :
"Premeditated pleasure as frequently fails as preinedi.
tated wit. You wait an occasion which perhaps never
arrives, or you force its fulfilment, which is utterly un-
productive. Woe be to those in the journey of life who
promise to themselves a great deal of gratification.'
Not merely does the common uncertainty of mortal
things wait on these airy pledges, but it seems
that the fondled chances grow up mot) sickly
under the strong nourishment of confidence. The
promising boy tui s out the dunce of the family;
the promising lode y fields nob the payment of working
the mine ; the promising Christmas affords but a dull
festivity ; for all these matters having been too anxiously
taken out of the common hands of chance for the fancied
security of special promises, they stop payment at the
very moment we are counting our gains, and prin.
cipal and interest are lost together.
"By these suggestions we do not mean that the best
line of prudence should not be pursued in all things,
but merely that what appears the most advised, should
still be held unacquitted of mortal uncertainties, and be
invested with no more than a portion of con&
deuce :—success will in this way become more tri-
umphant, or failure lose much of its mortification."
The following description of an eccentric elderly
old gentleman is graphically given :
"Mr. Gorcum leas an old bachelor, who having in
earlier life, with great foresight, quarrelled with all his
relatives, lest at any time they should ask favours of him,
had lately made a great convenience; of the Wopshott
fancily ; and as he was reputed to be extremely rich, he
never found them unprepared to extend to him any
personal accommodation whatever. His costume was
not a little peculiar; for his shoes were of that thick-
ness with which the tanner, in the child's spelling-book,
would have defended the besieged city—the shape rather
that of a flat-bottomed boat ; so that he appeared (to use
the words of some modern humorist) to have placed
each foot in a coal barge, and feloniously walked away
with the same. As to the stockings—those hanging in
heavy festoons about his legs, were clearly manufac-
tured at a period when the art of weaving had not at-
tained the perfection it has in our day,
" Rough and ragged like the Russian bear,'
and entangling in their hirsute surface a world of straws,
hay-seeds, and disabled blue-bottles. The small clothes,
fitting with cutaneous adhesion, were black, and so was
the waistcoat, and so also was the coat—that is, I have
said black, from utter despair of fixing on any other
known colour. The collar was flap, the pockets flap,
the lappels were flap, and the tail most unquestionably
was flap—it was a flapping black sea, undulating at this
moment from the north-west winds which swept the
continent of Marylebone. As a member of the old
school, be wore a white stock, which, like the strangling
collars of Dionysitie, seemed rather invented for death
than tile, and most successfully aiding that interesting
determination of blood to the northern extremity, by
which so many valuable old gentlemen are suddenly
taken off.
" Gorcum was in truth a perfect Trojan, and never
was there a countenance better fitted to endure a ten
years' siege than his—his external hippopotamus visage
looked to scorn the slings and arrows of outrageous'
time, which fell blunted before it. Its completion, an
imperfect mixture of cochineal, sienna, and burnt umber,
except on the more prominent part of the nose, on
whose vermiculous top the Prussian blue mostly pre-
vailed. It was a face, in fact, to cut up into mahogany
tables, for it was also a lignum vitae which defied more
delicate manufacture."

In short, we have derived much gratification from
the perusal of Mr. Raymond's little book, and can
honestly declare that we have frequently given five
times the stun for a volume which has not afforded
us a fifth part of the interest and amusement con-
tained in this.
Zariel's Grandchild.

By R. Sparling. 3 vols.

Newby. -
This is a pleasing story. It relates the adventures
of a young girl who was placed in peculiarly un-
pleasant circumstances. Her mother married
against the will of her father a Captain Dolormo.
It was hoped that he would be reconciled to them,
but it was otherwise. John Zuriel., the millionnaire,
had formed in his mind grand plans for his daugh-
ter's advancement on her marriage, and he could
ill brook seeing his ideas destroyed in such a sum-
mary manner. Selina did not very long survive,
her husband was ordered abroad, and she only
lived to see him return. Dora, her daught: r, was
different from her mother in possessing more firm-
ness of purpose, and more spirit and energy in her
general demeanour. After the death of his wife,
Major Delorme (as he had then become) did not
improve, in fact rapidly deteriorated, in character.
The early years of Do:a's life were peaceful enough
in the little cottage where they continued to reside
after her mother's death. The first trouble came
in the person of Mr. Conroy Bradshaw, who is an
admirable specimen of vulgar effrontery. The
Major had to drop his old fastidiousness in the
choice of acquaintances, and welcome whom ho
thought likely to render him service. However,
Mr. Bradshaw commenced importuning father and
daughter for the hand of Dare, then grown a lovely
girl. He would take no denial, and at last the
Major desired him to leave them. He continued,
however; to keep up the acquaintance to please
himself, and was a torment to the gentle Dora.
Far greater difficulties beset her path, for her
father, iu a moment of despair, put the name of a
friend to a bill that he had requested him to sign,
but which the latter had declined to do. The
terror and anguish of the daughter may be ima-
gined, but by the most strenuous exertions she con-
tinued to save the wretched man from the terrors
of the law which awaited him had he taken his
trial as a forger. It was wisely resolved by the
heroine that she must immediately leave their
residence and proceed to London. True, the
guilt was not known, but people must
discover something was wronaz in the Major's
irregular life, and accordingly they left their beau-
tiful retreat for the smoke and dirt of the city. After
a time they again went to a distance from London.
Dora had it on her mind to repay the moneyihdaistoMwra.
Lesparde had agreed to pay rather than
the signature. She did at last effect this, partly
by her own earnings as a teacher, and partly
by
idhertomoLtheseprasr.de T e
hby
the assistance of a friend of
sum had already been pa
Zuriel, who did not wish any one
grnetaondebbed:
rimer through generosity to
the conclusion is satisfactorily arranged, and
Dora Delorme is enabled to rest after her arch'-
pus labours and her many painful experiences
in the conviction that she had done good service to
many. The story is interesting whenever she ap-
pears, and some secondary characters are amus-
ingly sketched. So that on the whole it may prove
a favourite with novel readers.

The Art Journal.--Two engravings from pic-
tures in the Royal Collection, and a third of the
"Statue of the late Earl of Belfast," by Mac-
dowel, comprise the larger illustrations. The pic-
tures illustrated are "Constantinople, or the
Golden Horn," by J. .Tack, beautifully engraved
by T. A. Prior ; and " St. Catherine," by Guido,
skilfully executed by J. M. St. Eve. The British
artist selected for illustration is James Duffield.
Harding, four of whose river and pastoral pictures,
tastefully rendered, contribute not a little to the
ivalue of the number. The literary portion of
the journal is both varied and attractive, and will
be epprociated by the loverpot art.