The Sun.
London, England, 1860-01-04 00:00:00

Fraser's Magazine.

The agreeable writer who has furnished so many
pleasant essays to the pages of Regina contributes
another, bearing the suggestive title of
i " Concern-
ing Disappointment and Success." It s written in
the author's usual dreamy fashion, wandering now
here, now there, fluttering over his subject like the
butterfly over a flowerbed, yet withal extracting
honey with the ability of a wiser insect. A slight
tendency to repetition and diffuseness might be
avoided with advantage, but the liberality of feeling
and extension of sympathy displayed are highly
commendable. A paper on British novelists tracts
the history of our national fiction from its earliest
appearance to the close of the reign of Scott. Some
curious statistics respecting the publication of this
class of works are given :

Some statistics given in Professor Masson's volume on
British novelists afford what is probably a correct motion of
the actual achievements of recent English authorship in
the deparimcnt of the novel. By resorting to a process of
stocktaking in that vast warehouse of books, the Library of
the British museum, it has beon ascertained that the num-
ber of novels printed in the year 1820 (taken as the year
when the Waverley novels were at the height of their
popularity) was 26, consisting of 76 volumes. The produce
of the year 1830, ten years later, as indicated by the num-
ber of books deposited on the shelves of the Library, was
increased to 101 works, or 205 volumes, and this year is
taken as the time when the -Waverley series was nearly
completed. In 1850, twenty years later, the yield was 98
works, or 210 volumes ; and for 1856 there were 88 works,
or 201 volumes. The result is, that since 1820 the number of
new novolscoming out has been nearly quadrupled, and that
the recent issue has been at the rate of about 100 a year, or
nearly two for every week—in all, about 3,000 novels,

amouating to 7,000 separate volumes, have been printed
since ibo viblie9.tion of " ‘Vavelley."

The chief objects of the writer's critical discussion
are Richardson, Miss Austen, and Scott, though,
in his preliminary observations, he necessarily
treats of many others. In speaking of Fielding, he
remarks that the fact, that he was seven years
writing " Tom Jones" should never be forgotten by
" the many who are now ambitious of adding their
contingent of three volumes to the army of one
hundred novels which, it appears, is annually in-
vading us." Leaving this paper we come to a
continuation of Mr. Cairno's careful "Essay to-
wards a solution of the Gold Question," to which
we direct the attention of those who are interested
in the thoughtful discussion of currency questions.
" The Shakespearian Discovery" is the title of a
paper on the reported fact of the manuscript notes
in Mr. Collier's edition of the great dramitist being
modern fabrications, in imitation of an ancient hand.
It is proposed to continue the consideration of the
question on a further occasion, when a forthcoming
pamphlet is expected to throw light on the subject.
" Holmby House" advances with interest, and pro-
bably approaches its conclusion. The opening
chapters of another tale, entitled "Wheat and
Tares," are full of promise. The second paper on
the " Memoirs of Shelley," promised to the reader
some months since, has been called forth by the pub-
lication of the recent volume of " Shelley Memo-
rials," edited by Lady Shelley. Some interesting
details of the incidents of the poet's life are given,
which, considering the many injurious misrepre-
sentations which have been made respecting him,
it is well the public should be made acquainted
with, but there is little new in the way of reflec-
tion or criticism. Mr. Peacock, the author of the
article in question, is well qualified for his task by
his intimate acquaintance with the poet. " Two
Life Stories" is the title of some very graceful and
pleasing verses, where refined and poetic thoughts
are prettily expressed. We could have wished that
the conclusion had been a little more clearly
put, but the general character of the
poem is superior to the general style of magazine
verses. A pleasant paper, on the " Literary Suburb
of the Eighteenth Century," treats of the notabili-
ties of Twickenham, and will probably be con-
tinued. There are also papers on Prince Metter-
nich, and the Suez Canal Project.

Bentley's _Miscellany.

A preliminary glimpse at the state of affairs,
public, literary, and theatrical, precedes the general
contents of this number. The editor continues his
new romance of the stirring times of the Round-
heads and Cavaliers with the diversity of charac-
ter and vivid descriptive power belonging of right
to the pen of Harrison Ainsworth. The latest con-
tribution of Alexandre Dumas the younger to
dramatic literature is discussed and described in a
paper bearing the title of the play, " Lin Pere Pro-
digue." Certainly there is some truth in the critic's
opinion that the fashion of adapting from the
French must soon be discontinued, since although
the piece in question has achieved a brilliant success
on the Parisian boards, we flatter ourselves that
no possible adaptation of it would be tolerated on
the English stage. Dudley Costello furnishes
a ghost story for the new year, under the sugges-
tive title of " The Haunted House near Hampstead."
It will delight the lovers of the marvellous and
horrible by its dismal midnight adventures, while
readers of more rational tastes will be satisfied by
the curious solution of the mystery. Monks-
hood's " Mingle-Mangle" analyses the character of
Caliban, and gives some interesting extracts from
foreign critics. An amusing paper, " A German
in London," shows us the opinion which a son of
the Vaterland formed of ourselves and our country.
There are two poetical contributions, neither of
which rise above mediocrity.

The New Monthly Magazine.

A lengthened paper paper on " Morocco " is tile
first that meets the reader of Colburn. It contains
a good deal of varied information, and at this epoch
is not without interest. The indefatigable author
of " Ashley " commences another tale, in which the
interest promises to be of a truly sentimental cha-
racter. Two heroines are introduced to us—the
Lady Isabel and Barbara Hare. The former of these
fair ladies is by far the most attractive. Nicholas
Michell contributes some verses on 1860, which are
scarcely equal to the general character of his poems.
There are also some pretty poetic conceits of the
author of " Stereoscopic Glimpses," entitled " Wild
Sown Flowers." The "Notes on Note Worthies "
devote their twenty-fifth number to Lord North, one
of the most amiable of men, as well as one of the most
unfortunate of statesmen. Many instances of his
habitual pleasantry and good humour remain on
record. " Thus, when a vehement declaimer, call-
ing aloud for his head, turned round and perceived
his victim unconsciously indulging in a soft slum-
ber, becoming still more exasperated, denounced
the minister as capable of sleeping while he ruined
his country; the latter only complained how cruel
it was to be denied a solace which other criminals
so often enjoy, of having a night's rest before their
fate. So again, when Mr. Martin proposed, Hot-
spur like, to have a starling placed near the chair,
and [taught to repeat the cry of Infamous Coali-
tion,' Lord North suggested that this importation
would be quite superfluous, while a Martin was in
the house doing the proposed starling's work."
After the unexpected resignation of the Premiership
in 1782, the house immediately broke up and the
members thronged the doorway waiting for their dis-
missed vehicles. It was a bitter snow-storm, and as
Lord Northpassed through the crowd of his enemies,
ho said pleasantly, I have my carriage. You see,
gentlemeN the advantage of being in the secret.'"
" The Night before the Duel" is a tale of the South
American War of Independence, and relates the
warning visit of a man unjustly executed, to the
false friend who had been the means of his death.
A paper on " Medieval Demonology" will attract
the lover of ancient and curious lore. Central
America and the -West Indies is the title of a paper
founded on recent works of travel, foremost among
them being M. Julius Froebel's thoughtful and
laborious account of his Seven Years Travel in Cen-
tral America and the Far West of the United States,
and Mr. Anthony Trollope's vivid and popular nar-
rative of his trip to the West Indies and the
Spanish Main. Among the remaining contents are
papers on the Mysteries of the Desert, and the
State of the Channel Fleet.

Colburn's United &race Magazine.
We always expect to meet with a number of well
written and able articles in this journal, and we
are seldom disappointed. The present number suc-
cessfully maintains its high reputation, and offers
much for the consideration of those in naval and
military power. The first paper, containing a retro-
spective view of the navy during the past year, is
particularly clear and sensible in its points and
observations; and "A Few Words on Military
Education and the Staff College," is well worthy of
perusal, as it presents many wholesome sugp::,s_
tions and home truths much needed by thop.-, con-
nected with such imp ‘
ortant national es,tabYishments.
An article on " Morocco and the ..d.oorish War"
will be read with interest at this epoch, and we
give the following extract touching the existent
population of the country, which is of singularly
various origin :

" The Libians and Getulians spoken of by early Greek and
Roman authors as the aboriginal natives of North Africa,
were conquered, says Sallust, at an epoch unknown, by
hordes of Medes and Persians, The Persians, allying them-
selves with the inhabitants of the coast, fermed tribes, called
Numades or Numidians, whilst the Medes, connecting them-
selves with the Libians, gave existence to the race of Moors,
the term Metes being changed into that of Moors. The
other natives, mostly Getulians, refusing to mix or to hold
intercourse with the immigrants, have to this day remained
wild, and all but free from all law. They were called, there-
fore, as they yet are, Berber, or barbarians, whence is de-
rived the name of Barbary States. Precopius mentions also
anotherinvasion of Africa, by the Canaanites expelled from
Palestine by the victorious armies of Joshua, and says that
in his time there wasa column standing at Tegisis (perhaps
Tangier) with the inscription, We are those who fled from
the robber Joshua, the son of Nun.' The story of the
Phoenician or Carthagenian invaders of this country, and
of their Roman conquerors. is well known. Towards the
middle of the seventh century, it fell, by another conquest,
into the possession of the Arabs, who also subdued
.a great
part of Spain, where, as they came from Mauritania, they
got the name of Moors. On their expulsion from Europe
they returned to Barbary, and built most of the maritime
Cities, especially Algiers:; being ill-received by their country-
men in the interior, they took to the sea, became the terror
of all sea-faring nations, and for many centuries levied a
tribute on the proudest states, for the protection of their
flag. These Arabs, improperly called Moors, are the domi-
nant rate again in Morocco. All the races which have existed
there from the beginning are still distinct, though they are
so much intermixed in their ordinary occupations and man-
ners that it is difficult for a stranger to distinguish them."

Macmillan's Magazine.

The first article is a summary of the " Writ-
ings of Louis Napoleon," in which a tolerably
just estimate of his mental acuteness, and poli-
tical tendencies is formed. We have the full
list of his productions, from the " Political Reve-
ries," written in 1832, when the author was in his
twenty-fifth year, to his " Miscellanies" and
" Essays," published in 1842. It is stated that the
general impression left on the mind, by a perusal
of these writings is Louis Napoleon's singular
strength of his hereditary conviction that it be-
longed to him, as one of the family of Napoleonm,
to concern himself with the interests of nations
and of the world as a whole—an impression he has
pretty well verified. " Tom Brown at Oxford"
still entertains us with his doings and sayings ;
and " Sea Dreams ; an Idyll," by Tennyson, will
doubtless attract the notice and rapturous admira-
tion of his worshippers; tliough we cannot help
expressing our own opinion that it does not con-
tain many elements of poetry. A paper on
" American Humorous Poetry ' presents some

amusing extracts, and pointed and sensible corn
mentary on the various authors discussed. A ske tel.
of " Morocco and Northern Africa" is extremely
well written, giving their history from the Roman
times to the present, which, under the present
political aspect, is highly interesting and enlighten-
ing. We may pronounce the average contents of
this number to be of superior character, and we
shall conclude our notice with the following apt
paragraph from a pleasant gossipping page or two
on the " Subject of Clothes," by the author of
" John Halifax " :
"A woman should always remember that her clothes
should be in expense and quantity proportioned to her own
circumstances, and not those of her neighbour. The
mingling of classes is good—that is, the frequent associa-
tion of those persons who in effect form one and the same
class, b3ing alike in tastes, sympathies, moral purpose, and
mental calibre,—however various be their degrees of an-
nual income, worldly station. profession, trade, or unem-
ployed leisure. Provided always that the one meeting-
point, which likewise can alone be the fair point of rivalry,
lies in themselves and not in their externals. How can I,
who have but £2OO a-year, dress like my friend Mrs Jones,
who has £2,000 ?—but is that any reason why I, who am,
I hope, as true a gentlewoman as she is, should eschew her
very pleasant society, or, out of mere cowardice, ruin my-
self by mimicking her in the matter of clothes?—Nothing
is so fatal as the ever-increasing habit that I notice, of
each class dressing, or attempting to dress, in a style equal.
to the class above it—the maid imitating her mistress, the
young shop-girl the woman of fortune, and so on. Even
mothers of families one sees continually falling into this
error, and wearing gowns, shawls, &c., that must of neces-
sity have pinched the family income for many a day. My
dear ladies, will you not see that a good daily joint of meat
on your table is far more conducive to the health and hap-
piness of those sitting round it, than the handsomest silk
gown placed at the head of it ? that a good, well-paid
domestic servant (and you cannot expect a good one unless
well-paid) is of more worth to you and yours, in absolute
comfort, than the very grandest of milliners or dregs-
makers ?"

The Constitutional Press.
" Hopes and Fears," the story by the author of
" The Heir of Redcliffe," is continued; it progresses
satisfactorily, and will, no doubt, prove as great a
favourite as its predecessors. There is considerable
skill in the relation of the love affairs of Robert and
Lucille. Robert, with his good sense and grave
staid demeanour, was completely outwitted by the
saucy damsel, who seemed determined, under the
guise of amusement, to outrage the claims of rela-
tionship and to insult the honest affection that was
offered to her. Phoebe Fulmort is a charming
character that improves upon acquaintance. There
is something very pleasing about her, and she alone
renders the story attractive. This authoress espe-
cially shines in her first-rate delineations of home-
life, it is indeed impossible to expect that the events
of every-day existence could be better brought
before us. The other contents of this magazine
are not so pleasing as they were in the last
month's number. The " Romances of Balzac,"
form the subject of a brief sketch that is entertain-
ing, it will be found to convey a fair idea of the
great writer's general character and peculiar class
of works. " The Congress" refers to the state of
affairs abroad, and censures the Government for
sending representatives to the Congress. It is said
that, in the present position of things, England
can do no good at the conferences in Paris. Lord.
Cowley, it is said, may be an able man, but
he is " nothing but a toy to the diploma-
tists of Continental Europe—a mere child, ask-
ing questions, and being soothed in the hands
of men who have studied deeply the doctrines of
Machiavelli, and gathered inspiration from the
Metternichs and Taileyrands of a past generation."
" The Supper of the Tories" contain, among other
amusing tirades on the follies of the day, a satirical
allusion to the four Liverpool merchants, whose
political feat is certain to afford scope for humourists
of all classes for many a day to come. There is a
long paper on the " Reform Question" at the
end of this magazine, which in itself is rather out
of place in the pages of a periodical like the pre-
sent, and which cannot lay claim to being the re-
presentative of the views of the party, since it has
been authoritatively announced that it is not sanc-
tioned by the leaders of the Conservatives. In it-
self the suggestions it makes are in some cases fair
enough, and the whole bears evidence of consider-
able research, but the essay would have appeared
to greater advantage in the form of a pamphlet.

A TRAGEDI OF ERROR c'.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES.

Sir,—lt would seem from an announcement in the
Naval Intelligence of this day that Admiral Bowles
has, in direct contravention of the rules of the ser-
vice, published in the newspapers, without the
knowledge or sanction of the Admiralty, a series of
confidential letters and official documents, which
" my lords" had not purposed to impart to the public.
It is difficult to assign any reason for this act of
insubordination on the part of the gallant admiral,
inasmuch as he had especially declared to Admiral
Pelham, in his letter of December 7, that " having,
during a rather long public life, uniformly disre-
garded the newspaper attacks to which he had been
frequently exposed, he was perfectly content to
wait until public opinion as to his conduct in the
affair of the Princess Royal righted itself, by the
discovery that a mutiny in the fleet at some critical
moment was a very awkward occurrence."
" My lords " had severely reprimanded. Captain
Baillie in private for his share in the matter. By
this unauthorised disclosure Admiral. Bowles has
inconsistently taken upon himself to convert their
lordships' private reprimand into a public one.
If " my lords " are disposed to adopt the gallant
admiral's advice, that the severest measures should
be taken to crush a rising spirit of insubordination
which he discerns in the British navy, it is to be
hoped that they will not begin by dealing more
leniently with that crime when it is deliberately
committed by an experienced port admiral than.
when they detect it in a ship's crew of excited and
disappointed seamen, eager to see their families and
friends after a four years' absence.
It is curious to observe huw completely everybody
connected with the affair of the Princess Royal has
contrived to place himself in the wrong.
That the seamen were in the wrong in being
guilty of mutinous conduct everybody is agreed.
That the court-martial was in the wrong in award-
ing them an excessive punishment the subsequent
clemency of the Crown indicates. That Captain
Baillie and Commander Josling were more or less in
the wrong the reprimands which they received from
the Admiralty show. That, "my lords" were, and
still are, in the wrong in treating the crews of ships
paying off " injudic,i_ollsly and unjustly," Admiral
Bowles's letter of .November 20 argumentatively
demonstrates..ng rout Admiral Pelham was in the
wrong in writA
a private letter of approbation to
Admiral Bowles, his own good sense must by this
time 4;e told him. That Admiral Bowles was in
the 7aong in forwarding to the alorning Post his
e'unfidential official correspondence with the Admi-
ralty for publication, nobody will feel disposed to
deny ; and that the public press were, and more
especially the Times, in the wrong for presuming
to comment upon the mismanagement which caused
the outbreak, for denouncing the excessive punish-
ment awarded to the seamen, and for urging the
propriety of its mitigation, few Admirals of any
standing will be inclined to dispute.---I am, sir,
your obedient servant, H.
Jan. 3.

ARREST OF TWO SUPPOSED .711EIR-

DERERS.

It will be in the recollection of our readers (says
the Dublin Express) that a man named Thomas
Geraghty was murdered in the neighbourhood of
Castlepollard, on the fair night of that town, Oct.
10th last. From that to the present time, or at
least a few nights since, the four suspected perpe-
trators of that brutal murder—namely, Thomas
and James Fagun, and Hugh.
Kennedy—succeeded
in eluding the vigilance of the
Patrick Gerety,
constabulary, although no exertion was spared in
order to discover their whereabouts. However, in
the course of the past week information was re-
ceived of the four having proceeded to North
Wales, and immediately two of the most active of
the Westmeath constabulary, and who personally
knew the parties—namely, Constable Morton and
sub-constable Tracey—were sent in search of them.
Having reached a remote part of North Wales, they
there found that the objects of their pursuit had
left, but from information obtained they traced the
fugitives to the town of Conway. There again they
found themselves at fault, but once on the track,
they were resolved not to give up the chase ; and
having ascertained some further particulars, they
steered their course for Stockport—and here at
length their labours were partially rewarded by the
capture, on the night of Dec. 26, of J. Fagan. Some
judicious hints received here induced the constable
and his sub to make for Oldham, where they again
were partially successful, and laid fast hold of Thos.
Gerety, another of the party. Encouraged by their
success they proceeded to a place in the neighbour.
hood of Manchester, where they had some mum to
suspect the other two of the party, P. Gerety and.
H. Kennedy, were lurking ; but by some mischance
the game escaped. Kennedy having gone out, it
was said, on a spree, but, much more likely, having
got a hint of the hot pursuit after him, made his
escape. Of Gerety no direct tidings were obtainable.
On the evening of the 29th the constable and sub-
constable arrived in Mullingar with their unwilling
companions, who were committed to the county
prison by J. L. Cronin, Esq., R.M., to take their
trial at the ensuing assizes of Westmeath for the
murder of Thos. Geraghty, on Oct. 10, 1859. Strong
hopes are en tertained that Gerety and Kennedy will.
also be made amenable in time for trial, with their
associates in crime, at the spring assizes.

I (says
comas
)od of
, Oct.
or at
?erpe-
lomas
Hugh
of the