The Sun.
London, England, 1856-12-16 00:00:00

rHE SUN, LONOuN, TUESDA DECEMBER 16 1856

SHARE MARKETS—(rhis Day.)

Y •

~aIL,VA

(I'..lng Pro
yesterday.

Bustness done
this day

,ra 1.-pt s

3irnilug. IV°lve.-0
Stour Valley
li 3irke.chd.
C-P-etaltlro
1)o. Chest,. ca Bir;-,
11 do. ..._.<
11 Blackburn ......
11,,,yti, is,„,Tyuo
£25 (iasd. at m;
0 Pristol and Eireto,.
0 •Thester 4 f-Tolyhor.
11 Cork and Thud,.

27
22
25
..;e,

~3t.
t. OA
St.

Cork, P.N,
C‘,Tnsvt.,D
Do. A
De. B
Dublin&BelfastJuLc
611 P. 017, Jnc
g) 'East Augllan .......
611 Eastern Counties..
'Ttsinr, A St
Be., B. Stock .
k 1)0., New A.
.7.! East Kent
;.-as4
1 East Suffolk
4 D 0...
)(j

;
I a'

::;t.IIC

St. ill
di,.

2511
R. 1)4
20 a
10
U,
0 a
-I.t. 1

I,;(llr.burgbez,;4l,3B,
11 Eti:101. and Peobk,
Ediri.PrtL & Dur,i
11 Clyd6 !nn
rF,irness
Glasgow dr S. West!

a. 11

Rt. ILN

Great N. of Scot
Great Northern
0 Do., A. Stock
O Do., B. Stock
O Gt. 3th. &West.tlr,
O Great Western
`'',tour Val Rs'
Gua.
1, all 4outh-I,_;a6te,
50 all
o ; 4i!Do., Third 5...,....
12 Do. Now Mirth-,
11.0
3 ,Vet-.. Riding
20 all Do. South, otc.
1, all ILo don & 'Mack rf
4t 100 Lost& Bright & s.(`
-1 100 Lord. awl N, •
20 '6 D.,. wiftr«
10 54 130a.101.6h.,.3.'1&;!
1.24 2A! Do. Eighths
1,0e1"

3t. 1/
it. 1
St. 1(
't.

tC sll
111
1.0
10 1

London sndS. We
Ualii,drry t‘C
:,111177i1rr:
n'inr:A.,Fthef.ik
'4etropoli tan .
Do. J. L. Ricardo's'
arrangement...
'di 111 x•

& 003
,fidld. G. West.. 1
Half Share,
,wcastle& Carli
Nwpt.Aberg.&Hrt
awry & Enniskil!
'emu, Warrenp,..ni
Rostrevor.
,rfolk
orthn.Countias
North British._
tip Devon Rail. &
Dock Stock
A 5t0ck......
, B Stock
lastern—Berw, k
.. do. Extensioi.
„do, G.N.E. ?urn]
Do. Leeds
t)o. York
North Loudon
.&S.Wstrn.,tlaut

all
41)

4.1100

3t.100
;t. 100

00
teo
0 1,

stand, and City Jn.
North Staffordshii
vorth Western._
. & S. Westrn. Jun
's., Wore.' & 'Nolv
•rtPraoutll
Rbymney .
ottio Centro
Scot. N E.Abrdn St,
Do. Scot. Mid. St
r,ehirF Tlrj

.ff,) I 5.
al I

14
0 9

.0I 2
i 0

SitingbournekSheer,
-4:,utti Devon
,South Eastern,..„,
:oath Wales
Yrksh, ck Riv. 1) a

t I too
:0 1 1

3 aines,Wok. &W,
Stcakton & Darling
L. 0., do., 1854
Do., do., 1855
-Itoekten 4; Hartlel,
Taff Vale
)0. Prof., No. 1,
Thames Nay. D.& T
Vale of Neal)._
Watorfd. & Kilkent
Waterford&Limer •
West Cormiall..
West End of Londe
and Crystal Palace, .
Do. A .........
Do. B
West London
Do. Fii st Class
Wlmhl—Do.
k
Second

15 I 12t,
15 I 3

;5 2
!O
;0 0
;0 ti
O all
.0 all

184
91
38
26

120
112
691

ci
11
06
20i
104

- 20

125
114

74
hh
6•
97i

106 i
21 i

108

34i 35

82} -82 i
54 - 56

13i 1p

50
3i -
40

15.}
6i
10
29

85
3ia
2i
19
61
99

- 7411

19 20i

5I all
5 all

.s ...

6 8
2 - 4
S - 5i

O I all

10 I ,"

COLONIAL. •

.104 lb., lit
Cen.lndia. g. 5 p. c

.8 all
!O 10s,
1
.74

Do.
Ceylon A shares,
Do. B. do

ern].

0 2s.
A.,

Eastern Bengal
•aei India. A and B,
g. 513

20 5
e 0
00 all
ou all
20 il)

Do. Ex. C, gu. 5 p. c
Do. do. D, gu. 5 p. c.
D 0.44 p.c.Buds.,'67
do. do., '66,
Geelong gz Melbourne
guar. 5 per cent.. '
Gd Trunk of Canad
Do. Cert. of Deben.
con. into Stk. till ir
Do. Comp. 6 p. c., do.
h Tn. Pen. g. sp. c.
Do New, guar. 5 p. c
4t. eaten,' of Cauvit

all
10 .11

Do. New
Bds., payablo
Do. do., '76, p. '6O
Do. do., '73 do.
Do. do., '73, withou
option.. .
v!adras, guar. 4 :p.c
Do. do., 5 p. c.
Do. 4i p. c. Eaten
Do. 3d Ex., g. 5 p. c
iciude, guar. 5 p. c.

10 all
)0 all
!CI 10
!CI 5
10 5
!CI 111
!0 18

Do.
3t. Andrew's •nd
Quebec (AL.

Nux:

... -
li - li

12i - ?3
2 Zip
22i 23

361 7

89; 9 if

122 j

0511 6

821

291 9

St.

al.,.erprlkt.At m
Ardennes

Aelgian Etvitu. Jun',
4.zi ors to OrniSBPRA, c
Buff. & Lk, Hur. Ry.
Canneaux & Toulouse
Coal Mines and Ry.
hitch Rhenish
Eastern of France ...

'Tow ......
Euphrates Valley
Eur. In.Jn.Tel.Rail
.it, Central of Fran, e
treat Luxembourg
Italian Junction
Lake Const. & Basle
Lierre and Turnhout
Lombardo Venetian.
Lucca & Pist. 5 p. c.p.
Lyons and Geneva
Lyons 14 Mediterran.
Maria Antonia ...
Do. do. New

"T‘mur kLiege

Do, do., E p. c. Pref
Northern of France
NorwegianTrunkPre,
Paris and Lynes
Paris and Orleans

Recife & San. Fran.,l
(Pernam.) g. 7 p. a.
Rome and Frascati..
Ili-loyal Danish ....
Royal Swedish : .
iambre and Meuse._
Do. y D. cent. Prof.
ionthern of France..
e est Flanders
Do. 5A per C. Pref...
iv. &N. W. of "Franca
West ern of Austria...
West. of Switzerland
Wiesbaden
Do. 8 per cent. Pref.
ZPahor

r I ••
40INI^Z't_

•••
Bank of Egypt ......
Bank of London
tik.&Ln. C.
•,-itigh N. smorican
Chartd. Bank of Asia
kirk. of India,
Austrtlta, & Chin!'
City.........
...............
Conomorcial of Lord.
Loud. Mart Bk of
duattalia.

21} - 22
11 - 11

75
21i -22 k
24 - 443
2k - 24,
99 - 100
117 122
117 - 122

109 111
20k -- 203,
224 - 22 I
1 lip,'
2}

lON .

6k 7i
lt 14
14 - 2i p
P
5i 51
32e
94 101
- I P

4 - 51;,
5 5i

6 - 6ip

9 10!

19 19§
37i • 38.
8 8;
511 554
51 53

- PI

It $ &WU%

........ _
Ditto New
,London and Cotinty
Lnd.&E. Bnk a. Carp
ILondon Joint Stock
Lozd. & Westmil-:ster
tqai lone! Pro.e* Eng
Do. New..
National Bank
New South Wa)es,
° )r-entr.l Fk. Corp
Ottoman Bank
k'rovincial of Ireland
i )0. Now
B &Go Im Cr
ltrith kr.fitralia
ITnic a of Australia_
Dc. New
„°r.• f

18
201
-
1 -
9 94
8 -- 9i
on,
4i 4,1
94 10
341
4 —14 p

Unity Mutual ... ... 7..1
Woosau ek of 14ortal

99 101
id par
63 65

69i

... ...pl

1 i d
a 70

27 i

iii -- 18

20 • 21
19 20?:t

1 --- SP

.v .e , e

lf d

... ..... •st

131 14

35 - 37
66 -- 68
7 -- 9

iii-- i-cil
6 F.; 4d,

10ia]
al

St. 1101
10 al
St.
St. 40

25 1.1
25 E
124, al

LINES LEASED AT FIXED RENTALS.

,

RAIL A Ye,

elyoefils.
(joi. Stour
R. g. pu
E. Un. H. St,.
Glas. Barr. &
Neils. Direct
Do. New......
Il Olstr.e4Dn Fr
Dk
Railway...
ill Hull dr Selby
,11 Do. Shp.rev.
X Do. Shares.
II Lon.tzGreonNs
ii Do. Prefereut:e
lion. , , •
3 Do. Bark. Sh.
fo Lowestoft .

oTh){.

L.&N. w.

Closing Prices
yester lay.

1

~~.~1.

ito.,

97 98
98 102
11 • 13
133 130 i
4 4i

St. 401
1'•; al

2; al
1.!.A al
al

!,11

~;.i~

4 por con
St. tqj Do. 6 per et.
3. all Manch. Bxtu.
a:Ad Matio-k
.11 tliddlesbro'
Rodc.g 6 p.c.
)) 3iidld.l;radh
;i Newmarket
Bury E. Ch6p4.,
11 N.dtEot.l.sp.c.
.1: Do. 6 per ct.
.11 Do. Fixeds p. c
Brest. & .1* yr
.11 De. A Shr, A
Royetn.& lilt
1.11 Shef.Roth an i
Goolog.sp.c
11 Shrevrs.&-Ifer
Di S. Stailordsh.
11 Wear Valleygr
6 per cent...

5)

Jt.
6i 5

50
59 al

&E.O
E. Count.j

Do
!Gt. WOB.II
Yk. Now.
RL Bow.
Y.&N7I.
Do

Ersetrren
Peto (!o
IDo 1

Do.
Stekton 8;
Durliagt.
Mi lei:

107 - 109

12i - 13
22. 23A
12 • 114
1p

2h-2

15
al
St. 1.

t 2
10

st F

Xll I Do
Wilts&:;omrst

En. Corer.
E. Count.
Do
Do

L. St N. W.
Do.
Gt North
Lancash
Yorkoh.
T. Brawny
Ni.MClean
3tockt.
Dar iingt
Do ..... • •••

!f4tWest n.

RlythandTyn • .
c. pref. 030
& Ex. 4p. e.
Do. 4 p. c. Shan,.
Cale(in. .£l.O 4i p.c
10
vlos.sz, vi o.
PO I Jo. do. Fret. 5 per c
11 Cork &liandonbi...
.1 A I,er.
tile. A gi
Pl) Do. do. Cis. B 6 p.
1.. Do. do Cis. Ci p.
, • Kul. Flx,spc N
.11 Do. No. 2
Do. Now 6 p. C. •
11 East Dn. G. 6 p.
11 Do. 51., 10 per eca
II Do. 161. Debentr.R.
II Do. do. 4 per cent
/ East Lanca.l 6 p.et,
in W. York. J. stli,
4 Edin. & Gl. 5 p.e. sh
Ed. Prth. &Dun.4p...
Furnees, 5 p. e.„.
Glas. &S.W. G. 6 p.
sly Groat Northn. 5 p.
r Do. sp. c. Rocieem
at 10 p. c. prom
Do. 4i p.
if) Do. sp. c., Red. at t
.11 Gt.N. of Scot. let Pr‘
I 1) Gt. S. ?kW. (Ireland

91 - 93

56 • 58

25 1 al

PREFERENCE SHARE.

3t.1,

St. 10
at. 110
41 n:
,t 1

St.
-t. 10.

,41
5 al
0 al
3t. al
3t. 1)

AI

it. [o
St. 101
St. li;
it. 1
St. 101

4i b
6 6

199 113
10;. 108
4 ip
ip
2 t2t

75; 76

17 119

4t.
100 I C

109 -- 111
102 104

61 - 63
9i - 10;

0 I al
St. 1101

20 14 Do. 41por o. Pr 4. S
0 at. W.( B. t 11. Exsp,.
it 100 Do. con. red. 4
St 100 D.). con. red. 4p.
St. 100 Do. irred. 4p. 0.
St. 100 Do. sp. c. red. prof
all Do. Birm. Pref. Sh
10 all Do. Chester Bp.c. P. .
10 all Do. do. sp.c. do
St 100 Do. Birm. (Ins. StIT
26 all Do. Ches. Gus. Sh..
L 3 all Do. do. do
20 all Do. do. do ....... •
16 6 Lan. &York. F. 4, 20
St. 100 Do. 6 p. c. Stocb
St. 100 Lon. &B. 0.5 pc.No.l
St. :100 Do. P., spc. St.No.2
St. )10“ Do. New Ginar.6 t.

6
95 - 97

Do. do. 5 p. c.,N0.4
Lon.kN. W., Coy. a
Nuneaton 5 p. et
Li.m.& S.W. 7 per ct
late 3d Shares
ill L .ndy.& Coler. Sh
al Londy. & Ennis. Fb
& L. 6 p. Cent
41 Do. do. do. £6
10 Do. do. 34 per cent.
11 Yfarypt Carl. 4 p o
11 Du. 4k per cent
0' Do. do.

87 89
99 101
10 100
1G- 171
10 10:
73 - 75'
190 - 20
9i -10 A
14t - IE.

139 142
117 • - 119

.57 - 159

t 2. a:
t 2; 1,
St. 10
;t. 101
lit. 400
St. !KO

.. ''. ...

;d. Consol.6 plc. a
Do. Con.Br.Nr.6 pc
Do. 4i p. c. Pref. • t
Ditto L. & H. Pref. St
New., Aber., 6i0., pr.
( 5 p. e. red. 5 p.c. pm.
6 Do. Perpet. 6 p et.
with optn. till '66
Ali Norfk. Deb, 4 p.c. sh
Do. Prof. gp.c. St •
O Do. 5 pc. Ext.,1846
/0 Do. 54perc.pf ,1847
/0 Do. Wv.V.500.,1847
10 North British
;3 Do 7/. Preference
it. N. it. Ferw. .p.o P
Do, do. do
3 Do Leeds6p.o
9 Do. do. Qp..,1848...
.0 Do. York H.&` Pr.t.
11 North Staffordshire.
ox, W
1 Do. 6 p.c. Redeem.
Soot. (lent. , New Pref
ISe.N.E. Aber. g 6 pe
Do. do., 7 p.c. pf. at,
D0.d0.,3t p.e. pf. st.
.11 'South Devon
11 Do. fixed,44 per cent
.fl A, Eastern (Reading
Ann.) of £1 Os. 64.
N. Do. 41 per cent ..... .
.11 Do. Fixed 44 p c sh.
0 3 Wales Ona. 4p, o.
10 Do. do. 44 p. 0.... .
dl S.Yorksh.4p.c.Guar.
Xll Stock & Dar., sp. c.
.5 Do. do. do
611 Stock. & Hartl. g. 5
p. 0. till July 1, '56
ll IWaterfd.& Kilk.6 pc

- • •
-
66 - 70

• • .. ...

10 al
St. 10
St. 10
St. ,10
tit. !101
St. 1101

St. 1.
17 ' 8
20 1.;
12a
25 11
20 al
St. PI
St. 110€
8 a
St. 100
5 all
St. 100

L 37 - 139
98 - 100
89 -

1 - 1i

1103 --105

92 -94
d

p

- 108

114 - 116
105 - 110

17 - 18

22i -23 i
101 - 103
- 1.01

"" •••

... •••

274 -•
2 3p

..• - ...
2 - 3i

Business
this day

MINES.
LOs all Anglo Californian
20 7 Australian 1
1 all Baden (Gd•Dnchy of)
SO all Blionar. Iron & Coal
20 14 British Iron 7 8
i 5 264 13razilianImp.(lesned
at # 5 pm.) - 2
i 0 all Do. Cocaes & Culal,, 34 4
to. 15 Do. St. John Dol Rey 15 17 164
1 1; Clarendon Cons. Min
Co. of Jamaica id
40 all Cobra Copper .
•••
iS
.55t. . 11ra. Cijoll :000lonial
pp: .d
Prof. 71 po f.
Dent End, 3205 3257
12 14
54 all Fortuna . 4d
20 all Genctal — •••
1 all 9t.NuggetVeinßcg. 6
United 4 5
8 86
Pol.
5
ld
4514 Qt Great
all
all
Libertyus Whealitanian
3 all Llam
5 1 Port Philip
21; all&aaill PNNraianwur tiv(g la.riSuat M.a.&do—anl AO; ********
•••
1 all Quartz Rock
50 all Rhymnoy lion 23 25
15 all Do. New 7 -
30 15i: Santiago de Cubs 2l 21.
... 6s. Sort. Cons. Min. Co. lt 2
1 all South Australian —
1 all Do. Scrip. •••
1 all Do. 10 per cent Pref
44 Tam. S. &L. Min. Co. 1
10 9 Tin Croft . ...... ........ 34 3f
284 all United Mexican...... 34 4
1 all Waller • •••
1 all West Mariposa
1 12s. Worthing Mining of
Australia ....... •••
MISCELLANEOUS.
25 19 australlan Agricult. 24 25 25
10 Australn. Royal Mail
10 all 'terlin Water Work, 4}
50 40 irit. American Land -
100 3 4 canada 112 117 118
Sss
tt 1 -
St`
LL
0000.
Dij.
(i14..066.r8p.pec.c
..3,F.
IJaeabrn::&
sjAetily npt. 1
134
5 -Li ;rysta) Palace..... . 2 24
5 all Do. Preference..... 54 56
4 a.l Crystal Pal. of Franc,:
1 onston Iron Ore 20 IN Eastern Steam •
St. 100 mectric Telegraph 914 964
1 all Electric Teleg. of Ir
5 all Eu.StAus Cop Sm Co l 4
25 all Gen. Ir Sc Col (am.)
15 14 Gen Steam Navigat.
11 all General SC"6N. Steam 61 - 64
20 5 London Discount
2 U 1.0 Magdalena St. Navi.
10 all Xediteran. Elec. Tel. g_ 10
10 all alexican&S,Americri.
25 5 Nat. Discount Co
25 1 Do. New
.. - 14
10 5 Netherlands Lani: ..
10 all Do.
Do. 5 3 Do. SpcP iss at I—d 4
5 1 Do. Do. IP
ICO SO • New B. (Sr N.S. Land 15 2401 P
N.S.W. Gov. sp.c.D.
1 all IN. E. Australasian a _ i*
'2lO
a 11714
ONiriteho.toafruoraospeSteaun 34
14 it
1 2s. Do. "New Shares" p
S all Peel Rr. Ld. & Minrl. 24 Pra
50 all Peninsciar& Oriental 71
50 10 Do. New. 5 6 p
100 60 Royal ?Jail Steam
1 ¶0 Scot. Austral. Invest 1 la
1 all Ditta New. ll 14.
25 all South Austral. Land 36 38
1 aL Submar. Tel. Scrip - 1
1 al; Do, Registered ~. 1
20 'E'rnst,Sr L. Co.U.(he.
100 Van Diemen's Land 16 18
r.. ir.(l.4tip.c.jain4July

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS—(This Day.)
Par.iament was this day again prorogued by Roya
Commission.

The Lord Chancellor and the other noble peers men-
tioned in the Commission haying entered the house and
taken their seats on the woolsack,

The Royal Commission was read at length by the
Clerk at the table.

At the conclusion of the reading of the document, the
Usher of the Black Rod was directed to summon the
Commons to the bar of their lordships' house.
After a short abence, the Commons, represented by
their Clerk, appeared, and the Lord Chancellor then
directed the Royal Commission to be again read. This
having been done,

The Lord Chancellor, in the usual form, declared the
Parliament to be further prorogued until the 3d of
February, to be then and there holden for the coneide
ration of divers urgent pubic affairs.

ELECTION OF RECORDER.—(This Day.

COURT OF COMMON COUNCIL.

A Special Court of Aldermen was held this afternoon,
at the Guildhall, for the election of a gentleman to fill
the office of Recorder for the City of London, in the
room of the Hon. A. S. Wortley, her Majestfs present
Solicitor• General. The Lord Mayor in the chair. The
attendance of aldermen was very large indeed, 22 out of
26, the whole number of aldermen being present.
The letter containing the resignation of Mr. Wortley
having been read and accepted,

. .
Alderman Sir P. LAURIB moved the thanks of the
Court of Aldermen to Mr. Wortley, for the manner in
which he had discharged the duties of his office, and
their regret at losing his valuable services.
Alderman CHALLIS seconded the motion, which, after
a slight and irregular discussion how it should be pre-
sented to Mr. Wortley, was agreed to unanimously.

CRIMINAL COURT—(This Day.)

OLD COURT.

(Before R. Gurney, Edq., Common Sergeant.)

THOMAS HOOD THE YOUNGER.

Pen and Pencil Pictures. By Thomas Hood.
Hurst and Blackest.

The kindliest welcome is the right of Thomas
Flood the Younger. We accord it to him at once
frankly and heartily. What M3ore sang of, so
sadly and so tenderly, as about the extreme of
human bliss in this fugitive condition of ours—
"A smile and a grasp of the hand
Hastening on -- "
Tom Hood the Son of Tom Hood receives from
us right truly at this our first meeting, for his
dear dead father's sake : however rapidly we may
be " hastening on " through Life together—on,
to where Life's pleasant pathway for us all trends
obliquely down into the Valley of the Dread
Shadow. Could it well, indeed, be otherwise ?
Hardly For it were difficult surely to begrudge
one gentle word, one genial greeting, to the young
writer whose chief intellectual heritage we recog-
nise, upon the instant, in this sweet, frank, honest,
❑oble, generous reputation! It were difficult, in
other words, to deny a very natural predilection
for the " jottings down" of Pen and Pencil by the
stripling heir to the name and fame of Thomas
Hood—the Wit, the Poet, the Humorist, the
gay, the loving, the sweet-tongued, the light-
hearted, the open-handed, the bright-eyed ! Dear
Tom Hood—ever with the " tears in his voice,"
and the "laughter on his lips"--raining down upon
us sweet flowers one while (in his Verse) and at
another (through his Prose) pelting us with Puns
and Jests—

" Quips and cranks, and wanton wiles,
Nods and becks, and wreathdd smiles"—
as prodigally scattered about as the comfits in a
Roman Carnival 1 Welcome, then, to the Son,
for the Father's sake : and welcome, now that we
have scanned his book, and conned its meaning,
none the less cordially—for his own I He tells us
frankly, in his simple Introduction, that the pages
here submitted to the public—pages " written at
spare times"—are nothing more pretentious in
their way than " passing fancies, photographed
by the chemistey of pen-and-ink, as they flitted
by," their aim being no higher, he adds, in
something of his father's vein, " than to
distract attention from the footfalls of Goodman.
Time, when to weary ears he seems to have dropt
from the gallop, canter, trot, amble, and all the
other faster paces of Rosalind's catalogue, into a
tiresome plodding—or, worse still, appears to
have gone dead-lame." There is not much arro-
gance, therefore, evinced in this undertaking as a
maiden-work. It constitutes, indeed—to apply,
in another way, our author's own chosen metaphor
—little else than a showing of the paces of the
Colt Pegasus. Not merely in the walk, trot,
amble, canter, carracole, and gallop, but even, be
it said, through most of the minor but very im-
portant mysteries of the literary manege—mount-
ing, turning, stopping, backing, leaping ! With
even a delicate sense, evidenced here and there, of
what equestrians know well enough as the " sup-

port "and the " appuy," of " gathering " the steed
at will, and by a cunning use of whip, spur, or
rein, mastering the various vices of the Unbroken,
—stumbling, bolting, shying, rearing, kicking, and
all the other ill-results of a wild and un-
tutored temperament. Honestly be it said
at once, we have not detected our author
(what may be called) " thrown" anywhere,
notwithstanding he has occasionally evidenced
a pluck tempting almost any casualty. Not-
withstanding, in fact, he sometimes allows a
skittish hobby of his to carry him away any-
how, pell-mell, helter skelter, when—
" Fleet as the wind he shoots along the plain,
And knows no check nor heeds the curbing rein,"
As for example in " The Musings of an Old
Man "—threatening at first to be simply garru-
lous, but proving in the end only volubly and
charmingly imaginative. Or, again, in his pro-
tracted meditations upon "The Death Watch "
quite a Hood-Conceit as it turns out in the end—
with its "tramp, tramp" as of the Guard coming to
drag the Dreamer before the Great Tribunal—uith
its " drop, drop " as of blood drip-dropping from
the wrack upon the dungeon pavement—with its
"click, click" as of some terrible piece of mechanism
letting slowly down upon the head of the Sleeper
a keen, bright, semi-circular blade of Destruction.
A herrorresolving itself, on the moment of waking,

into no Death Watch at all, but—" while the
works of Edgar Allan Poe lay by my bedside,

there beneath my pillow lurked the originator of
my misery—the huge silver turnip denominated
a watch, lent me by Harespring, the watchmaker,
while he was repairing my own small still-voiced
Geneva." A Hood, this, we take it—and one
calculated, we shrewdly conjecture (it the pun may
be tolerated as not too glaringly subtle), one cal-
culated to " make both ends meet" by his mode
of gaining a lively-Hood. These " Pen and Pen-
cil Pictures," by the way, be it observed espe-
cially, without any further delay in our so doing,
are as various in their way as ono could
well wish—a collection of verse aid prose,
of woodcuts and letterpress, really and
literally, literary-ly and pictorially miscellaneous.
A

s to the Pencil Pictures—if they happen to be
very scant indeed of any evidence of artistic
skill on the part of the young draughtsman—
Well his " Father did so before him !" Don't
we recollect it—with a chuckle ? Don't we re-
collect with a r, lish of delight (as of children ()Ter
a pocketful) of green gooseberries) those grotesque
limnings sprinkled plentifully like comic blots
nn " Annual" after " Annual"—on the pages of
that glorious guffaw-in-print "Up the Rhine,"
and on those (for one hilarious interval) of
eolburn's New Monthly Magazine ? Don't we ?
And, as we do so, realise in the remembrance more
vividly than ever the delight of "Hood's Own'—
the cheering, sunny influence of that broad, rich,
racy " Laughter from Year to Year 1" Well,
here too, then, even appreciably in. some sort, be
it said, through the flagrantly inartistic outlines
of these Pencil Pictures—here too, more truly
even in one sense than the famous book itself so
called—here, too, in the maiden-work before us is
Hood's Own—his Son—the child over whose
infancy that large, grand, noble Father's Heart
yearned so tenderly and lovingly, and to whom he
sang so sweetly that exquisite Song, one of the
most exquisite of Thomas Hood's many exqui-
site heart•songs—

" Love thy mother, little one !
Kiss and clasp her neck again—
Hereafter she may have a son
Will kiss and clasp her neck in vain.
Love thy mother little one!

Oh, revere her raven hair !
Altho' it be not silver grey ;
Too early Death, led on by Care,
May snatch save one dear leek away.
Oh! revere her raven hair!"
In the memory of that Childhood, who could sit,
what literary Rhadamanthus amongst us could sit
in severe, exacting, and inexorable judgment upon
the Early Youth with its first eager Handfull of
Gatherings by the Wayside ? Yet, be it said too
at the same time, that these same "Pen and Pencil
Pictures" by Thomas Hood the Younger need not
be screened from the critical baud by any such
thought of Deprecation or Propitiation._Asna:
maiden-work—the initial volume of a young
author unaided by any literary
experiences—
the book is worthy, in its way, and viewed solely
in regard to its own intrinsic merits, such as they
are—is worthy in its way of our thankful and
sympathetic acceptation. For it is in no either
puerile or priggish : it iss on the contrary,
in its tone and general treatment
affected. As such, it appears to us, manly
as and,
ua
first t
work," peculiarly entitled to commendation.a
And
this commendation, earnestly consEered and
frankly given, we accord to it, in Hibernian
phraseology, " with a heart and a half." It is a
book that comes to hand, moreover, at this gay
Christmas time most seasonably. As seasonably
bristling
asthesprig of holly (all scarlet berries and green
leaves) stuck into the smoking sphere
of the rich, ripe, aromatic plum-pudding ! As the
bunch of mistletoe dangling from the bacon-rack
overhead in the old farm-kitchen ! As the screams
and laughter of blindman's-buff, or as the flickering
purple-blue flames of the diabolic game of snap-dra-
gon ! And it will be accepted, hardly the less frankly
or the less gladly, by oldsters and youngsters alike,
at many au English fireside, on many an English
hearth, in many an English household—with

kindly Hope i in one way, not less than in another
with grateful Recollections. Thomas Hood's "Pen
and Pencil Pictures "—with a " Chansonette,"
and a " Dixit Insipieus," with " Helen Irving,"
and " Don Roderick," and sonnets, and tales,
and essays, and ballads, with the " Song of
Steam," and the " Cry of the Mothers in Eng-
land,' with " Panurgui Pebbles " and " Jamie
Caverslie "—a veritable miscellany by Thomas
Hood, waifs and strays from his portfolio, sketches
made by him at odd times in black-lead and pen-
and-ink 1 Who has not a hand (stretched-out,
wide-open) for the Offering here extended (hope-
fully, no doubt, and confidingly) by the young
Son of a Dear Old Friend of us all ? The spring-
time blossom of his life, blooming suddenly out
—with a fair promise enough—in this wintry
season, hard upon the eve of Christmas 1

SPORTING NOTES.

FROST BOUND.

Jack Frost seems determined to spoil the jumpers'
game. He has reappeased just time enough to upset
the arrangements of the promoters of the Width=
Abbey Steeplechases, which were appointed to take
place to-morrow. The published programme really looks
very attractive, but it is stated in certain quarters that
it has merely been " cooked" to deceive the publio.
Certain it is that horses have been entered for some of
the stakes without the consent or knowledge of their
respective owners, who have thereat waxed exceedingly
wroth and indignant. It isa common practice nowadays,
however, for clerks of the courses to take this liberty, and
the getters up of the Waltham Steeplechases may plead
precedent in extenuation of their conduct. This custom
would certainly be more honoured in the breach than in
the observance, and it too plainly indicates how degene-
rate must be the sport whose feeble existence can only
be sustained by means not exactly in Accordance with
the principle of fair play and fair dealing. Still, had
not the frost intervened, a somewhat successful meeting
would doubtless have been celebrated at Waltham.

A discussion of the probabilities would not only now
unnecessarily occupy space, but were there a possibility
of the events being run off, it would be as absurd to at-
tempt to discover the game which will be played as to
endeavour to see through a milestone.

The Steeplechase season, down to the present time,
has been marked by incidents of a mild and uninteresting
character. The little " indiscretions "at the tin-pot
meetings at Windsor and Ipswich only created a tran•
sient buret of indignation and ridicule, and were, per-
baps, after all, unpremeditated pieces of absurdity. The
Great Steeplechase Match, which was decided at Melton
Mowbray on Saturday, has furnished a topic of conver-
sation which is likely to interest for several days frost-
bound huntsmen and turfites. The figure which Abd-
el-Kader cut was most inglorious ; to the no little asto-
nishment of his owner he was incapable of moving, and
Jem Mason is much annoyed and chagrined that he
should have made his reappearance in the pigskin
under such inauspicious circumstances. " Once t•
be in doubt is to be resolved" with Lord Strathmore, wh•
is, I believe, determined to search out the cause of
A.bd-el-Kader's disgraceful defeat. At present, his
exhibition can only be attributed to his "tight plate,"
which was removed as soon as it was discovered, and
the horse, relieved from the contraction which it occa-
sioned, was enabled to walk free and well. Th•
circumstances connected with Abd•el-Kader's defeat
have caused no little regret to those real lovers of the
sport, who hoped that the high and palmy days of
steeplechases were about to be revived.
" Blank days" at the Corner during the winter months
were last season of frequent occurrence. Now, how-
ever, the sporting reporter has seldom to record one,
and if the investments are not remarkably heavy, a fair
show of business is at least maintained. Blink Bonny
holds her position in the market with much steadiness.
Tournament and M.D.—two of my especial favourites—
keep their ground, and if they winter well they will be
most formidable customers.

Clerks of courses are bestirring themselves to obtain
nominations for the stake', which close on the let of
January, when the note of preparation will be again
sounded for the renewal of the racing campaign. Mean-
while horses at the different training establishments are
confined to their straw beds, and jockeys are enjoying
themselves and making the best of their leisure during
their brief period of rest. A FRESH MAN.
Dec. 16.