The Sun.
London, England, 1860-05-10 00:00:00

A Journey on a Plank from Kiev to Faux Bowies
By Lady Charlotte Pepys. 2 vols. Hurst and
Blaekett.
The very singular name of this work naturally
awakens the reader's curiosity, and the interest
excited is not diminished by a recollection of the
fresh and simple pages which we have before
owed to its fair authoress's fluent pen. The secret
of the title is soon disclosed. After a lengthened
sojourn in Russia, of which country and its inha-
bitants she speaks with the warmest affection, a
severe and lengthened illness compelled the writer
to seek a milder climate. Two of her relatives
travelled from England with the express purpose
of removing her from the ungenial atmosphere of
the north, and, thanks to their skill, care, and
assiduous attention, she accomplished the journey
safely. 0 wing, however, to her precarious state of
health, she was obliged to preserve a recumbent
position, and thus travelled the greater part of the
distance " on a plank," which was no other than
one of her own bookshelves ! She resolved, how-
ever, with characteristic spirit and intelligence,
that even this melancholy transit should not be
without profit, and that she would not " lose utterly
even such impressions of this drive across Europe'
as could be obtained in a progress literally from a
chamber in one town to a chamber in another town,
to the total exclusion of all the sightseeing, adven-
tures, and intercourse with others, which make up
so large a part of the ordinary joys and sorrows
of travel." In order to carry out this plan, she
tells us that she has recorded nothing but
what she has seen, heard, and thought during this
journey ; and, under such restrictions, it is almost
a matter of wonder that the work should not be
dull and monotonous. But it does not possess
either of these disagreeable qualities. The little
incidents of everyday travelling, the bustle in the
streets, the difficulty of obtaining post horses, the.
servant's enthusiasm for sight-seeing, even the
opposite neighbours of a house, where they linger
for some time, are brought in to entertain us and
to vary the narrative. Of course it does not pro-
fees to be a work of a descriptive or instructive
character; it is simply the record of successive
days and nights spent on an uneventful journey,
bat there is plenty to amuse and occupy a leisure hour
more successfully than in some more pretentious or
ambitious attempts. The novel reader's tastes are
not altogether disregarded, for there is a very inte-
resting tale, which occupies a great part of the
second volume, and has the additional attraction of
being a veritable history. The heroine is a young
French girl, named Verine, who lost her brother
when a child, in consequence of his being sent
through a thick wood during an eclipse, from the
ignorance of an old woman who refused to credit
the approach of the astronomical phenomenon.
The after life of the little Verine was a most event-
ful one, but through all the changes of her career
the one hope and desire of finding her long-lost
brother was uppermost in her mind. After some
time this wish was realised, but not without
bringing to Verine fresh troubles and perplexities,
which we leave the reader to unravel for himself
from these pleasant pages. The writer's allusions
to the kindness and sympathy of her Russian
friends are incessant, and perhaps her enthusiasm
for the country and its inhabitants, even if
somewhat exaggerated, may serve to modify the
old-fashioned prejudice lingering in too many
minds. Of the relationship between the Polish
and Russian languages she gives an amusing
account, which was rendered her by a Frenchman
long resident in Poland and a student of the lan-
guage. He told her that the Polish tongue is
almost as intricate and difficult to acquire as the
Russian, the declensions and inflexions being still
more varied, though the Roman characters being
used, and many of the words having a strong affinity
to the German, a foreigner has a better chance of
divining their meaning. But this random method
of arriving at the truth cannot be implicitly relied
on, for, if a traveller thought himself secure of a
Russian word, and used it confidently, a blank look
might be his reward—the Polish equivalent being
derived from the German ; while, on the other
hand, if, warned by this failure, he should ask for
something in German or its modifications, it would be
just as likely that he would be again unsuccessful,
the word required being pure Sclavonic. The
authoress is evidently familiar with the Russian
tongue, and has added some translations of favourite
lyrics at the conelusion. We must not omit to men-
tion the high moral tone and religious feeling mani-
fested throughout the work, which render it espe-
cially suitable for the young, and teach a lesson of
contentment and cheerfulness under most trying
circumstances. Some, more fortunate in the pos-
session of strength and energy, may find the
mournful reflections of an invalid insipid or
melancholy, but this will not generally be the case,
and we are sure that the greater part of the readers
of this work will share a hearty wish that a
speedy restoration to health may enable the
authoress to give us more unaffected, pleasant,
rambling volumes.