The Sun.
London, England, 1856-12-29 00:00:00

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LITERP...TUAE.

The Rise and Progress of Australia, Tasmania,
and New Zealand. By an Englishman. Saun-
ders and Otley, Conduit-street.
Australia has given rise to almost as many
volumes as nuggets , and many of the books are
about as profitless as many of the " diggings ;"
being mere imaginary speculations, differing only
in the tools employed in the process ; pens, ink,
paper, and mental conceit, being the adjuncts in
the attempt to " make a book ;" and pickaxe,
spade, and physical strength, constituting the re-
quisites for the attempt to " make a fortune."
Countless publications have been presented to the
world, containing all possible views and digests of
these vast colonies in the South Pacific, and his-
torical, commercial, moral, social, and progressive
data have been abundantly supplied by authors of
various opinions and abilities ; whereby the home
student may be enlightened, and the adventurous
emigrant excited.
The work before us affords a compendium of
useful matter, forming a desirable and con-
cise work of reference ; inasmuch that it con-
tains a considerable amount of valuable ex-
tract from sound and able authorities, and ex-
emplifies a strong degree of comparative and
observant power in the author, who, although he
has been somewhat free in the use of other writers,
employs them discretionallp and acknowledges
them honourably. A Colonial directory, and im-
portant statistical details are given ; and, alto-
gether, the volume may be estimated as a superior
and reliable " Handbook" for traveller or settler.
During the author's first visit to Melbourne, in
il
lustrative
of he relates the following story, as
of the unlettered ignorance characterising many
of the richest and most influential men in the
colony. A gentleman of literary profession gave a
lecture on the " Beauties of the Poets," and this
occurs as a conversational interlude :
During the lecture, and after the lecturer had recited
" Wolsey's farewell to the world," the leviathan of wealth
and power previously alluded to—the hero of the present
sketch—the magistrate and ex-mayor of the town, inno-
cently remarked to a gentleman sitting near him, that
" Mr. Wolsey appeared to have been very badly used ;
but," he continued, "who was this Wolsey? 1 never
heard of him before, did you ?—who or what was he ?"
Our informant added, considerably to our amusement on
saying that he replied to his inquisitor by telling him that
"Mr. Wolsey formerly held a commission in a large and
important establishment at the west-end of London." " I
thought so," rejoined the colonial millionnaire ;—" a com-
mercial traveller, I suppose ? But," he continued, " what
did he mean by ' the tender leaves of hope ?' I suppose he
travelled for the firm of Hope in the tea trade ?" The
closing supposition proved too much for the gravity of
his respondent, whose ingenuity was suddenly taxed to
find some other than the real cause fora burst of laughter
that followed an inquiry of so serious but stimulating a
nature.

We conclude our notice with a paragraph ou the
present state of the chief emigrant depots :
With regard to the principal towns in the colony of
Victoria—Melbourne and Geelong—we may observe that
the improvements which have taken place since 1853 cor-
respond with the favourable change manifested in the
tastes and habits of the population. Melbourne can now
boast of its University—with, at present, sixteen students
—its Chamber of Commerce, and other institutions that
furnish evidence of the social and mental progress of the
place and the people. Tho town is now partially, and will
shortly be entirely lighted with gas, while the improved
state of the streets, as well as the buildings, public and
private, prove that neither the local authorities nor private
individuals have been insensible to the advantages to be
derived from the abolition of public nuisances and private
hovels. The improvements in Geelong, although not quite
so striking and extensive as those in the capital, have
steadily and substantially progressed ; and while Mel-
bourne, as the seat of government, is likely to maintain
the lead in a commercial as well as political point of view,
the situation and salubrity of Geelong are infinitely sup.
rior, and may well cause all those connected with the go-
vernment and its administration to regret that "head-
quarters" was not originally fixed in a place—the natural
advantages of which are so saperior to those of the
capital.

Lillian's Golden, Hours. By Elin, Meteyard. (Sii-
verpen). Routledge and Co., Farringdou-

street.

This is a charming story, not only calculated to
interest and delight the young, but also to win the
perusal and admiration of their elders. Miss
Meteyard has a valuable power of earnestly de-
veloping the higher attributes of life in her stories,
while she allures and fixes the attention by amusing
and exciting narrative. This author has always
worked for an elevating purpose, whether her labour
has treated the question of political economy or
juvenile amusement; and we can recommend this
volume as being one of the best of the kind offered
to our notice, essentially combining the elements
of pleasure and utility. The scene and incidents
lie in the romantic region of the Rowter Rocks, in.
Derbyshire. Vivid descriptions and graphic expla-
nations of various phenomena of nature abound in
the work, and the refining influence of humanity
is ably advanced through the familiar medium of
"household pets." Altogether the book is just the
one to be presented at this season by aunts, uncles,
and grandpapas.

THE NATAL CAMPAIGN IN THE
BALTIC.