The Sun.
London, England, 1856-11-01 00:00:00

MAGAZINE DAY.

Blackwood.—Mrs. Oliphant carries the:chief per-
sonages of her story at last to the long-talked of
Oldwood Lodge. Charley, however—a very "big"
personage in this Tale of " The Athelings," if we
are to judge of his size by the frequent repetition
of that adjective in his regard throughout the fic-
tion—being left at home at Bellevue, while the rest
of the house go a-pleasuring to the sylvan bequest
of poor old Aunt Bridget. There they speedily make
acquaintance with the Hon. Anastasia Rivers, a
sort of an aristocratic double of Aunt Betsy in
"David Copperfield"—with the exceedingly High
Church clergyman of the parish, who carries his
head in the clouds, and talks over the noddles of
his rustic congregation—with Hannah, the old
maid's old maid, whimpering for her dead mistress,
and doating on the dumb twins (fors they have never
once opened their lips yet that the readers of
" The Athelings" have yet heard of) Belle and
Beau—above all, with the mysterious Rachel's
mysterious brother Lewis, a young gentleman
quite a king in his own conceit, although
occupying a most equivocal position in
the narrative as the rerouted bastard of
the licentious Lord. Winterliourne. It is easy
enough to conjecture the ultimate turn to be taken
by our authoress in the unravelling of the tangled
plot of " The Athelings." Of course—Charley the
big boy is destined with his legal lore to unferret
the vermin Evil of the story. Of course—Lewis
will turn out to be the rightful heir, and his sup-
positious father the wrongful heir to the title and
estates of Winterbourn. Of course—Marian is to
be his wife, and Rachel probably the wife of
Charley. Of course all this, and a great deal more
quite as obvious and inevitable, is to be the ease—
unless Mrs. Oliphant is determined to violate every
one of the exceeding " probabilities " she herself
has marked out in the ingenious scheme of this
very charming tale of hers about " the three gifts"
of the three Athelings. At earlier paper in the
November number of Blackwood is capital—a fine
arts criticism, suggestively entitled " Mr. Ruskin
and his Theories—Sublime and Ridiculous !" Full
justice is done to the undeniable abilities evidenced
throughout the whole of his eccentric and remark-
able career by that most eloquent sophist, John
Ruskin the Oxford Graduate. The reviewer
appreciates the genius without being blinded
by the extravagances and errors of the not-
able author of " Modern Painters." The
now familiar and apparently all but intermi-
nable serial of "The Scot Abroad," introduces its
readers this month to such " men of art" coming
under that category, as Allan Ramsay, the son of
the " Gentle Shepherd!" and as Sir Robert Strange,
incomparably the greatest of all our native engrav-
ers. " Scandinavia" is the theme of a geographi-
cal disquisition, suggested by recent volumes given
to the world by the Rev. Messrs. Newland and
Metcalfe. " A Cause Worth Trying"—is an arti-
cle worth reading—a genuine magazine article, full
of interest, an interest, indeed, instantaneous and
sustained, novel and enthralling. " Touching.
Temporalities" is a sort of half-comical, half-scho-
larly gossip de omnibus rebus, &c., indulged in
through the medium of a " Letter to Irenazus,"
by his indefatigable correspondent, with the teeth-
and-lips-puzzling name of Tlepolemus. Another
group takes place immediataly afterwards between
imaginary interlocutors, such as Albany, Temple,
and Chatterton, about the sights, scenes, and per-
sonages arresting the attention of the autumnal
visitors to " Baden-Baden." Among those visitors,
who can mistake the following callotype of Albertus
Magnus—

A.LFIFfRT SMITH.

Who, asks Albany of Chatterton, is yonder—

" The short man with the rolling gait, bushy beard,
aquiline nose, and quick grey eyes, now approaching us,
who seems to catch and comprehend at a glance the
spirit of the whole scene around him !
" CHATITRTON.—What ! you, a denizen of London
town, not know the Lord of Egypt's western hall, the
mighty climber of the monarch-mount, in whose great
praise the deadest of dead walls becomes resuscitate,
and finds a voice ?—not know Albertus Magnus-Albert
Smith ?

"TEMPLE.—' Facit indignatio versum.' Euge Poeta !
" ALBANY.—,Ik here ? —then will there be a wagging
of beards in Piccauilly ere Christmas."
Subsequently, and as a crowning, crushing criti-
cism—a worthy pendant to the introductory re-
view anent Ruskin—comes a seriocomic paper
headed " The Art of Cavilling." A glorious
onslaught it is upon a couple of very absurd fel-
lows—one of whom has recently propounded the
question, " Who wrote the Waverley Novels ?"
and the other of whom asks, with the pert vivacity
of a decidedly priggish mind, " Was Lord Bacon
the author of Skakspere's Plays ?" The reply
vouchsafed by Maga to each of these exceedingly
ridiculous inquiries is really and truly something
quite delightful. Upon the later of these twin in-
terrogatories, the reviewer in Blackwood observes,
among other things, as follows : .
"Putting these satue Plays out of the question, there
remains little by which we can prove the genius of
Shakespeare, says Mr. Smith. Extremely true ; and
putting aside the Nile and Trafalgar, Waterloo and
Torres Vedras, together with a few other trifling inci-
dent?, we might find ourselves somewhat in difficulty to
prove the genius, for example, of Nelson and Wellington,
these two tangible men of iron, though they do, to our
certain knowledge, lie alone together in their glory, the
one sailor and soldier of a national apotheosis, under the
echoing dome of St. Paul's.
.What if Shakespeare's
Plays 'tem Shakespeare, even as Waterloo and San
Sebastian were the Duke,' whom, the other year, we
all went forth to bury like a king ? But then Shake-
speare never was a wonderful youth, like poor young
precocious Keats, or hapless Chatterton, those unfortu-
nate children of fame, whose early over-ripeness left
nothing but a feverish promise of glories unattained.
We do not even know that he was a clever boy, that
riotous young English rogue, who committed a trespass
in Sir Thomas Lucy's park ; and how, then, asks the
writer of this Letter to Lord Ellesmere, could Shakespeare
have written Shakespeare's Plays ?
"It is a puzzling question ; and we are afraid we
could not clear it up, did the universal house of Smith,
in one astounding chorus, demand an explanation. We
cannot tell how he did it, most sage inquirer. We are
absolutely certain we could not do it, if you put us upon
our honour ; neither could you, if you tried until the
end of time ; and neither, we are convinced, could Fran-
cis Bacon, bad the prize been, not the chancellorship of
England, but the imperial throne of all the world."
Admirable—this—is it not, good reader ? and wor-
thy of our sage, old slashing, crashing, daring, de-
fiant, perennial Blackwood ?

Dublin, University.--" The Fortunes of Glen-
core" is drawing to a close. In the present portion
the unfortunate Charles does not appear in the
scene, but we are informed that he is involved in
great trouble on account of his having fought a
duel with a young Austrian. His father is the
same morose and incomprehensible individual that
he has ever hitherto appeared. It is amusing to
note the difference between the two friends of the
recluse Upton and Harcourt ; the one crafty and
cautious, the other impetuous and violent in his
demeanour. The papers on " Cyprus" are brought
to a conclusion in this number; many curious ac-
counts are given of the peculiarities met with in
the island. The various traditions and histories
relating to the monuments and places of note im-
part an interest to the narration. The details of
the " Sponge Fishery" attract attention. It is a
dangerous life that of the divers ; no habitual
diver reaches the ago of fifty, while many
are early cut off. The story of "My Own
Funeral" is a strange one, and those who
like the startling will be pleased with it.
The narrator S describes how he was carried in
a trance to a dead-house ; but, recovering, he dis-
guised himself, and actually attended his own fune-
ral ; he there learns who were true and who false
friends, and amazed every one by his sudden re-
appearance on the stage of life. " The Retreat of
the Glaciers" contains some remarks on the Alpine
scenery ; it is observed, that " it is to be regretted
that, out of the hundreds who annually visit the
glaciers of Switzerland, but few are in the least ac-
quainted with their nature." "John Twiner" is
a quaint article, descriptive of a man who was
always essaying to perform great things, but con-
tinually failing from attempting too much in an
indefinite manner. " Cloak and Feather Ballads"
are peculiar verses, characteristic of the epoch of
the cavaliers. The political readers will find
ample subjects for their entertainment in several
elaborate articles, as " Spain," "Sardinia," &c.
The poem entitled "Caesar" is not remarkable in
any way, being uninteresting. The recent work
on the " Border Lands of France and Spain" forms
the subject of a paper, in which that interesting
work is descanted upon, and some extracts are
given of the most important parts of the volume.

Bentley's Miscellany.--Mr. Jolly Green favours
us with a lengthy account of " The Final Ascent
of Mont Blanc," performed by himself while asleep.
A more interesting article follows, on "The News-
paper in France," which traces the origin and
progress of the French journals. The first which
ever appeared in that country is stated to have been
projected by a physician named Renandol, and to
have been first published on the 20th of May:, 1631,
under the title of the Gazette. After giving a
sketch of the chief journals which have appeared in
the capital from that time to the present, the paper
concludes with a remark of this same Renandol,
the founder of the French press:—" La Presse
tient cela de la nature des torrents, qu'elle se
grossit par la resistance." " The.etßefomr aianbsrioeff
John Byrom " furnish the subject
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"The Continental
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depressed politics, finances, and rents alike. The
present, he exclaims, in our times is dull and un-
imaginative, and the prophecies for the future are
positively mute. The more personal paper that
follows, i‘ What We are all About," does not
draw a much more lively picture of affairs
in this country. It begins by asking, "Is
there a Government or not ?" and, after sur-
veying the state of things in Europe, ends
with some very wise advice to Lord Palmerston's
successor, namely, to think twice before he
threatens, and never to utter threats he is u.nwillin
to fulfil. Mr. Harrison Ainsworth continues his
story of " The Spendthrift," and leaves his unfor-
tunate hero in a very ominous position. A paper,
with the curious title of " Thanatos Athanatos,"
is rightly called "a medley ;" however, it contains
some well expressed thoughts and appropriate quo-
tations. The "Steward's Bargain" is a long and
not particularly attractive story. A paper on
" Thomas Carlyle," by Monkshood, will be found
interesting.

Colburn's United Service.—An instalment of an
article " On the means of applying the principle
of stimulating the voluntary exertions of indivi-
duals to the improvement of the system of Military
Training, and to the increase of the efficiency of
the Army" offers a number of suggestions, of a
practical nature, in a more succinct manner than
its voluminous heading would lead the reader to
anticipate. "An Artillery Officer," in " considering
the late war with Russia, arrives at this conclusion
among others—that the long and stubborn defence
of Sebastopol by the Russ partook infinitely more of
a passive than of an active or daring character,
and that his deeds, when calmly considered, will
be deemed as nothing compared with the active
hardihood and the resolute courage of those who
attacked and who persevered, often and long, un-
der the most appalling sufferings—a conclusion
warranted by all we know, and which has our
entire concurrence. An exposition of the "Oude"
question leads to the expression of an opinion that
the deposition of the Oude dynasty was an, .
act of
justice. "Russell's History of the War ' re-
viewed "by Philip Dixon, Captain Royal Artillery,
and Brevet Major," whose envenomed strictures,
we doubt not, will be duly disposed of. Most of
them are of a common-place character. " Sketches
of French Admirals " are continued. " The Cape
Military Colonists " offers no great encouragement
to the advocates of military colonisation, and forc-
ibly demonstrates the absurdity of expecting from
a number of turbulent and worthless foreign re-
cruits what could hardly be anticipated from our
own loyal and orderly veterans. " Shades of Wel-
lington and Napier, what singular military mis-
takes we do make now !" " The Fight for the
Quarries " is one of those stirring narratives of in.
di.vidual experience, apparently in the ranks, which
will infallibly be put under contribution by the
future popular historian of the Siege of Sebastopol.
Here is a reminiscence :