The Sun.
London, England, 1869-12-17 00:00:00

of the House of David ; or, Three Years in the
Holy City," narrates, in a series of letters from a
Jewish maiden to her father, the chief incidents in
the history of our Lord.—" Christ in Song," by
Philip Schaff, D.D. (Sampson, Low, Son, ani
Marston.) In this volume—surely a Christ-
mas book among Christmas books !----are col-
lected hymns and poems relating to the Divine
Saviour, taken from Christian writers of all ages.
St. Bernard and Clement of Alexandria, Isaac Watts
and James Montgomery, William Cowper and Al-
fred Tennyson, and other names of equally diverse
interest, are here to be met with, associated by one
common feeling. " The Hymns of Jesus," very
beautifully observes the editor of the collection,
" are the holy of holies in the temple of sacred
poetry." Turning to volumes of a less religious
character, we come to a very enthralling tale by
the Rev. J. C. Atkinson, " Lost; or, A Slip from
Honour Bright" (Sampson, Low, Son, and Mar-
ston). The illustrations to this tale are of a most
exciting character. In one a boy is saving
a child from a fire, descending through the
flames by means of a rope, while the
frontispiece," Recovered," gives a vary picturesque
glimpse of a youth on the rocks by the sea. " The
Book of Wonderful Characters," memoirs and
anecdotes of remarkable and eccentric persons
in all ages and countries, chiefly from the text of
Henry Wilson and James Caulfield, illustrated
with sixty-one full-page engravings (John Cam-
den Rotten), a wonderful book indeed. "'There
are more things in Heaven and earth, Horatio,
than are dreamt of in thy philosophy." The speci-
mens of humanity here exhibited to us reveal eccen-
tricities greater than imagination can conceive.
These " wonderful" individuals are remarkable for
their exceptional and eccentric characteristics.
They are not " great" men who have risen above
their fellows, but men (and women and children
too) whom some accident of nature or some perver-
sity of temperament has set apart and distinguished,
from their kind. Among the first, that is, among
those set apart by natural affliction, we have pig-
faced ladies, and men without arms, Daniel Lam-
bert and the living skeleton, Thomas Hills Everett,
an enormous infant, of eleven months old, that
would astonish every baby-show upon record, and
Madame Teresia, the Corsican fairy, only 34 inches
in height, and weighing only 26 pounds, and others
equally marvellous and peculiar. Among those
eccentric and deformed in mind rather than body
are David Elwes, the miser ; Bansfylde Moor
Carew, the King of the Beggars; Mar-
garet Ford, the Queen of the Gipsies ; " Dirty
Dick," and the Chevalier D'Eon, Johanna Southcott,
and the Mayor of Garrat, Charles Domery, the
remarkable glutton, and Eve Fleigen,who lived on
he smell of flowers I These are only a few spe-
cimens of the amazing list. The volume is
adorned with excellent engravings of these,not alto-
gether attractive, individuals. We cannot refrain
from classing with the Christmas books " A Search
for Winter Sunbeams," by Samuel S. Cox (Samp-
son, Low, Son, & Marston). So gorgeously bound
and so beautifullyillustrated, these glimpses of sunny
spots in the Reveira, in Corsica, Algiers, and Spain
are not out of place, even by the Christmas fire-
side. The author's introductory remarks upon
the wonderfully beneficial effects of light
and sunshine are full of interest. The
illustrations, which are numerous, are some
of them very attractive, such as" The Arab Tent,"
" The 'Warrior at Prayer," " A Street in
Algiers," "The Arabs Slinging at Birds," " A
Moorish Door in the Alhambra," and many
others. Another book of travels, which
we are inclined to number in this list, because of
its interesting contents and attractive appearance,
is " Normandy Picturesque," by Henry Blackburn
(Sampson, Low, Son, and Marston).—A rare col-
lection of wit and humour for those who
delight in fun of the broadest and most
extravagant description is provided by George
Augusta Sala in "More Yankee Drolleries." (John
Camden Hotten.) In this collection are to be found
the remarkable travels of Artemus Ward, the bal-
lads of Rana Breitman, the Professor at the Break-
fast Table, and the famed Biglow Papers. Another
laughter-provoking volume is " The Story of a
Honeymoon," by Charles 11. Ross and Ambrose
Clarke (Elotten's Illustrated Library).- The pews
port of this volume may be surmised from the
dedication, which declares the book to be intended
as a Supplement to Mr. Punch's celebrated " Advice
to Persons About to Marry." The illustrations,
some of them coloured, are grotesque and extrava-
gant in a remarkable degree. Other Christmas
books have reached us, but those mostly intended
for the juveniles we reserve for a separate notice.

POLICE IN7ELLIGENCE.-71ns Day.

MARLBOROUGH-STREET.

LICENSED VICTUALLERS AND THEIR TORMENTORS.—
Ellen Sheen, a dirty-looking beggar, who has several times
been charged at this court with being drunk and disorderly,
was charged before Mr. Knox with being drunk and dis-
orderly and using obscene language.
Mr. William Blakeman, of the Old Queen's Head, 412,
Oxford-street, said that abaut 11 o'clock the previous
night the prisoner came to his bar and begged of a gentle-
man, and on being requested to go away she made use of
the most disgusting language, and on his putting her out
she fell, being very drunk, and then said that he had kicked
her.

Ur. Francis Price, 363, Oxford-street, said he was pass-
ing at the time and saw Mr. Blakeman kick the prisoner
twice on the shoulder, she being on the ground at the
time, and being drunk or nearly so.
In answer to Mr. Blakeman, the witness said the kicks
were not savagely given.
Mr. Blakeman said that an accusation having been
made against him that he had kicked the prisoner he
asked that she might be examined at the station to see if
there were any marks, and she was examined, but none
were found. The prisoner would have gone away quietly
but for the interference of the witness—persons too often
without understanding the matter doing so. On putting
the prisoner out of his house she threw herself down, and
he merely put out his foot to keep her us. He had to
endure the most blackguard language from such persons
as the prisoner, and if he locked all of them up ho would be
at the Court every day.
Mr. Blakeman's potman spoke of the disgusting lan-
guage of the prisoner, and of her being put out, but said
that Mr. Blakeman nevea kicked her.

.---
Wm. Edwards, a paper bag maker, of Southampton-
buildings, Eaton-street, said he saw Mr. Blakeman push
and kick the prisoner.
"I'Mr. Knox put some questions to the witness, but he
answered them in a hesitating and fencing manner.
A constable spoke of the prisoner's obscene language,
of his being drunk, and said that Dr. Meckenna, who was
sent for to examine her at the request of Mr. Blakeman,
said there were no marks on her.
_ _ _ _ _

The prisoner said she had the mark on her shoulder at'
that time.
E Henry Barns, the gaoler, after looking at the prisoner's
shoulder, said there was no mark whatever. The prisoner
had several times been brought to that court for being
drunk and disorderly.
Mr. Knox said it was very likely Mr. Blakeman had
touched the prisoner with his foot, but not in the sense of
kicking her. There was no mark on the prisoner last night
and none this morning. It was shown that the prisoner
was very drunk and had used disgusting language, ar.d
she had boen charged several times with similar conduct.
He bad no doubt that all that was said on the other side
was exaggeration, and he should fine the prisoner 10s. or
a month.

THAMES.

SMUGGLING.—WiIIiam Weedon, steward of the ship
Samersetshire, from Melbourne, was brought before Mr.
Paget charged with illegallly smuggling 27 lbs. of foreign
manufactured tobacco and cigars, by which he had incurred
a penalty of £lOO.
Mr. Paget fined the prisoner £lOO, and in default of
payment six months' imprisonment.

The approach of the festive season is generally a
busy one, more especially amongst those who study
to please the fancy of the most fastidious. While
weeks are often spent in determining the size, shape,
and colour of a fancy trifle, and then the labour that is
bestowed upon it to bring iL to perfection is surprising.
All this has annually to be gone through in order
to produce the olegancies that form the most appro-
priate Christmas presents, and amongst those whose
exertions to please stand noteably forward is the firm of
John Gosnell and Co, whose productions wore never more
beautiful than they are at the present time. Those en-
gaged in selectingSChristmas presents will do well to exa-
mine them, which they can do in the leading fancy estab-
ishments in the metropolis, or, if they prefer seeing them
in profusion, a walk to the wholesale warehouse, 93, Upper
Thames- street, will prove interesting, as there the choicest
productions in perfumery and elegant toilet requirements
ire to be found in almost endless variety.