The Sun.
London, England, 1860-01-30 00:00:00

rally partakes of the melancholy in recording
many adverse and untoward circumstance
" Lethelier" is evidently a work which is not hastil
penned for the object of affording an hour's amuse
ment, but it has a purpose in its construction ; and
although it does not deal in many reflections,
some of its powerful scenes speak for themselves more
forcibly than mere arguments can ever do. In the
labyrinths of misunderstanding, and the mazes of
misery, we trace the effects of the devious wander-
ings of error, and in the sorrow and sufferings that
are so touchingly described, we feel that circuni'
stances bad in themselves are rendered worse by
officiousness and exaggeration. It will be seen,
therefore, that there are ample materials for afford-
ing interest and instruction in these volumes, and
the author is entitled to credit for having shadowed
forth in so able a manner the fearful results of
selfishness, deceit, and avarice. Those who disre-
gard these as belonging to the category of errors
will find in this work some life-like representations
of home life which show that, carried to extremes,
these faults become vices which exert more baneful
influence on the peace of society than those deadly
crimes all are on their guard against, and which
are put down by the force of the law. The most
dangerous poison is not that which is the most
powerful, but that which is the least easily detected.

Effie in Sicily. 2 vols. Chapman and Hall,
This a curious and somewhat original work. The
heroine, Elfie, is introduced to us as a young widow i
travelling with her uncle and an ancient lady n
Sicily. Her marriage has been an unhappy one,
and after her husband's death she has gone abroad
i
for change of scene, leaving her parents residing n
Wales. Elfie herself is a fresh, clever, and enthu-
siastic creature, whose impulses are always truth-
ful and generous, but whose ready tongue some'times brings her into trouble. Dr. and Mrs. Recife
her parents, are both characters in their way, and
not unattractive ones. Uncle George is the most
soberminded and rational of the party, which is not
saying very much. They form some intimate
friendships among the Sicilians, and some of then
figure prominently in the story. The book is full_
of descriptions of scenery and architecture, and of
historical allusions, aptly introduced. It is a sort of
compound of history and fiction, which will probably
be much more attractive to the superficial reader thee
more serious works on foreign lands. Numerove
minor characters are introduced, most of the EnC
lish being characterised by an extraordinary lacic
of common manners—openly abusing the Catholic.
Church to priests and padres, and denouncing
ly
to the Sicilians. Our heroine's party is, of
course, an exception to this vulgarity, Ix,
w.e must acknowledge that the fair Elfie 0
vivacity and sprightliness often degenerate
into flippancy, while considering her age and poll'
Lion, some of her smart sayings in public show
considerable degree of forwardness. The least
pleasing part of the story concerns the hero,
Vyllers and his Jesuit friend Ardini. The chr
ratter of the first is skilfully concealed at first, but
his mysticism is decidedly objectionable, and it 0
scarcely natural such absurd affectation of pr°:
fundity and feeling should have imposed on ti
sense and experience of uncle George, and the cies:
truthfulness of Elfie. The work is extravagant 10
many points and betrays the ardour and diffusenee!
of a young writer, while occasional breaks and en
tanglements interfere with the perspicuity of the
plot. Nevertheless, it shows considerable pr°'
miss of better things, with a freshness of feelint
and elevation of tone which, when matured
time and experience will invest another novel viit,
the same attractions, without the deficiencies 0
" Elfie in Sicily."

Bentley's Quarterly Review. No. IV. Bentley"
Bentley's Quarterley begins the new year wit'
spirit, and shows no diminution of its energic:i
The opening article on " The Coming Politic
Campaign " does not deserve much commendation'
The author's opinions are not very clearly expresso!:
but he seems to be convinced that we are moing
towards our " Decline and Fall," and looks vilw
equal suspicion and dislike on Mr. Disraeli and 10
Bright. The literary papers are much mose attrse"
tive. We have a criticism on the works of Georg
Sand, which is well worthy of perusal. The writer
gives a slight sketeh of her life, with which her
0
own " L'Histoire de ma Vie " has made the pubtio
familiar. The critic, while commiserating t'
misfortunes of her position and early education;
lays bare with a trenchant hand the vices of ill
style, and shows clearly enough how the higt
flown professions of liberty, freedom from restraint'
love, devotion, superiority to superstition, Bte.
end in the utter debasement and degradation of
_0;
that is noble in human nature. As the critic °tit
serves, the astonishing and disastrous conclusierhst
which' she arrives, appears to be " that leve,2',lna
power which it is impossible for self to contr!ils
insteau
tyranny in any one else to attempt to control,
loan
of being the cement of society, the tie that holds
together, the divine bond of union, is only another
•
name for discord, the unfailing source of clivision.r
To many of her stories the remark which the autboet
applies to the intensely extravagant plot 6,
" Jacques" would be equally appropriate. He salsa
" To our English ideas the scheme of the story leer
infinitely absurd as in a degree to obscure its Berl° its
grave wickedness. Witk the least possible Oro
of sense or decorum in any of the personages, tbely
would have been no story to tell." It is ,apply
remarked of her Utopia that she cannot prove t!',,d
the female world be the gainer by it, since nothl
is left for her heroines after forty but to waked
respectable suttee, for that even the derogation Of
all the commandments cannot reconcile every di;
culty, and old:age is a bugbear deaf to the arg
meats of her ingenious sophistry.
tie
"One pint in this whole series has struck us as rao,-,„4
for speculation : How is it that with this writer's undonu,' 4
powers, with her force of intellect, originality, vigour "';,
grace of style, and fearless probing into the strongest, in
passionate emotions, she is never pathetic? Our feencs
are never moved. However unhappy her people are!
to
never suffer with them. We should say it is impossible
care what becomes of her prime favourites on whom she it
lavished all her art. It does not do simply to say that th%
are too bad to care for, because in fiction we often profountii
pity bad people. We remember thinking the scene WI
pathetic where the Corsair finds his dead Medora. The Wlft.
lies, we believe, in the deep-seated immorality of the auth°
own system—in its practical atheism—in its ignoring":
conscience—in the utter base inconstancy which she 00,11'
butes to human nature. We do not see how pathos e"„
exist, whatever misery there may be, without subraissic''
to a superior Power, without recognition of a moral le'f'
Wo pity people in trouble and anguish in proportion as there(
is conflict, conflict of feeling with principle, conflict °
sorrow with resignation, conflict of memory with conscience;
or simply conquest of self in the recognition of a grit
principle—when there is loss and sacrifice in holding it. o
we know from the nature of things that there con „
struggle, no resistance ; if things must take a certain, in
evitable course, we leave people to fight it out as they 01
Our interest is dead, or consists only in the cold studi, °,l
apsapsesicotnsasragmee,
raenpdhdenisoanpipenoiantmeisnite,reinhtehaedisrtrposnygchposlospo_eer
whatever suffering it brings in its train, has no power oust
our tears."
The continual misery which afflicts these sublinl°
mortals, set free from all conventional restrain"'
does not say much for the success of their systoof
and, to quote again from the criticism in questionj
" The victim to this susceptibility does not Witt
who sees kim on his knees talking of his sou rand
and affreuse douleur, any more than when despo'
comes, and tombe a ses pieds et y mule avee al;
sespoir.' People are no more ashamed of the°
emotions than they are of anything else. Tker-.
is from beginning to end a total absence of resers;r;
end men and women without reserve, whose 1".•
is passed in singing and crying the changes of 'lO
t'aime, 'Waimea to ?' want`something of being rileo
and women at all," An interesting paper on "Bel
lonson ; his Life and Works," will be found Wei
worthy of perusal. It is remarked that b
genius was more suited to the Masque tinib
the Drama. The sketch of his life, althong„
the incidents are pretty generally knoyfri;
is full of interest. Mr. Mill's able work4o
" Liberty," receives a careful criticism. e.
writer acknowledges its great merits, and express.o
the thanks due to its gifted writer for. " taking 'I,
hand one of those latent but embarrassing difficnot
tics, which few think of putting into words, br
which underlie whole tracts of discussion." Nel.th
theless he wishes for a companion work vib''
should assert the claims of authority and societio:
"We want those whose love of liberty is beyond onto
picion to tell us the limits and benefits of cusVr,
and control; as we want those who do not unonof
value authority to speak honestly and heartily t,
the claims and necessity of liberty." Two very to
tractive papers take for their subjects " Mode'
English" and "Domestic Architecture ;" the lattee,
especially is full of entertaining information r a
specting the gradual changes of our buildings aria
house fittings. The Earl of Dundonald receivesg.
well-merited eulogium in a able paper at the C°Ol
elusion, which gives a summary of his nation
services.

,
3Y4111. Granier de:Cassaignac, in giving his:adbes'e
013,
in the Pays, to the Emperor's free trade progri"°
characterises it as " the 1789 of labour."
In the foreign exchanges on Friday afternoon
rates on Amsterdam and Hamburg slightly imPr°%,,teef
Bills upon Austria were: sold during the regular lonf" of
business on terms very unfavourable for the currendiol
that empire, but subsequently there was more demand,
better prices were paid.
PAUPERlSM.—Pauperism is still happily bg
the mark. In the fourth week of December last ftteept,t
crease in England and Wales was 31,130, or 3.63 per ode'
being the difference between 857,903 and 826,773•
crease was without exception in all the 11 districts.
same may besaid of the remaining weeks of the waif
or
A Milan letter says M. Alexandre Dumas
is
turned a few days ago from Venetia, and is busy he hieh
noting down the memorable events of Garibaldi's lifo'ool
will be shoitly given to the public. No biograPhYo 1000
adapted for romantic treatment than his, for it is 011"
race of real life,