The Sun.
London, England, 1860-04-05 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

A Story about Riflemen and Rifles. By Neyland

TliOnaton. London : Whitiaker and Co.

At a time when the independence of Switzerland
is threatened by the aggressive policy of the French
Emperor, a history of the struggle for freedom in
the Tyrol at the beginning of the present century
cannot but be acceptable to the public. This little
work treats exclusively of the events of that time,
and, much information respecting the history of the
Swiiss patriots Hofer, Spechbachcr, and Haspinger,
is to be gathered from its pages. The accounts of
the engagements are well written, and the geogra-
phical knowledge of the writer enables him to de-
scribe the marches, manoeuvres, and positions of
the troops and patriots succinctly and clearly.

Colburn's New Monthly Magazine.—A compari-
son of the relative capabilities of the French and
the Austrian armies is the first subject that meets
the reader. It is justly observed that one great
evil in the Austrian army is the variety of nation-
alities and tongues. The German phrases required
for drill are learnt by rote, and the officers are
bound to speak the Imperial language. But it is
easy to imagine what confusion must result from
the difference of language in the course of a cam-
paign, and most especially on the day of battle
where sudden commands or changes in the plan of
action may be necessary. Still greater must be the
disadvantage of the antagonistic spirit existing in
many of the races, and the want of vitality and
energy in their warfare is readily accounted for by
the lack of a common purpose and the absence of a
uniting sympathy. The French, besides being ani-
mated by a nationalfeeling and common cause, do not
labour under the same disadvantage with respect to
language. " The language is the same throughout
the army, and though the Basque peasant may not
understand the Alsatian or the Breton, their sons
all speak the same written French more or less
correctly, and can impart their views and supposi-
tions to each other." Mrs. Bushby, who appears
to be well acquainted with colonial life, gives us the
first part of a West Indian sketch, with the agreeable
title of " The Belles of the Island." The interesting
story of " East Lynne" is, however, the chief
attraction in fiction. It continues at some length,
and, in accordance with the author's love of the hor-
rible, the corpse of the Earl of Mount Severn is
arrested a day or two after his death by some un-
scrupulous creditors. Poor Lady Isabel is left
absolutely penniless, reduced to accepting a home
and pecuniary aid from her cousins, one of whom at
least is not much inclined to bestow it. Mr.
Carlyle proves himself a true and faithful friend,
and we may anticipate some interesting chapters, as
the mystery connected with Richard Hare is not yet
unravelled. We suspect the military admirer of
Lady Isabel will be proved to have been implicated
in the murder. The Emperor Frederick the
Second occupies the twenty-eighth number of Sir
Nathaniel's Notes on Note-Worthies. His character
being little known to the general reader itttests the
essay with some interest. Cyrus Redding, the
veteran contributor to the pages of the New
Monthly, furnishes an article on Pope and Boling-
broke. It is a brief sketch of the two illustrious
friends, and chiefly relates to some passages in Mr.
Rose's Diaries. The Wine Question Li discussed at
length, and the qualities and prices of wines
in the different European States are cited. W. C.
Kent contributes a graceful adaptation of a poem
by Victor Hugo, and papers on Lord Dundonald's
Autobiography and Marine Artillery will attract
the naval reader.

Macmillan's Magazine.
This comparatively new magazine continues with
spirit. The Rev. F. D. Maurice is the author of
the opening paper, which is a lengthened essay on
the " Revision of the Prayer Book." The opinions
of the writer on this subject do not seem to be very
clear, but he strongly objects to the maintenance of
the Act of Uniformity. " Some Recollections of
an Old Street," is the title of a graphic descrip-
tion of a quaint old-fashioned thoroughfare, with
its pump and its haunted house and other charac•
teristic peculiarities. The author of " John Hali-
fax " contributes an essay on " A Hedge-side
Poet," one James Withers, a Cambridgeshire
labouring man, whose poems have been published
by subscription. Many of the verses here quoted
show taste and talent, and are highly creditable to
the author considering his circumstances ; but we
wonder that the critic should have selected for
especial commendation the " Song of the Butter-
fly," which bears such a striking likeness to Ten-
nyson's " Brook." A prominent feature in the
magazine is, of coarse, the continuation of " Tom
Brown at Oxford." It is a satisfaction to find
when you begin to read a university story that it
is written by an author well acquainted with college
life, and not by one who having, during some part of
his existence, spoken to a few under-graduates, and
perhaps visited Oxford or Cambridge, considers
himself competent to enter into detail on matters of
which he is ignorant. The author of " Tom Brown
at Oxford" is at home in his subject. His description
of a boat-race is excellent, the anxiety of the cap-
tain, and the discontent of the crew after a failure,
the resignation of a rated member, the watchful-
ness of the university coxswain to pick out the best
oars in the leading boats, are all depicted to the
life. The final struggle between the St. Ambrose
and Oriel boats for tbs head of the river is thus
described :—" Another fifty yards and Oriel is safe,
but the look on the captain's face is so ominous
that their coxswain glances over his shoulder.
The bow of St. Ambrose is within two
feet of their rudder. It is a moment
for desperate expedients. He pulls his left tiller-
rope suddenly, thereby carrying the stern of his
own boat out of the line of the St. Ambrose, and
calls on her crew once more ; they respond gallantly
yet, but the rudder is against them for a moment,
and the boat drags. St. Ambrose overlaps. " A
bump, a bump," shout the St. Ambrosians on the
shore. "Row on, row on," screams Miller. He
has not yet felt the electric shock, and knows he
will miss his bump if the young ones slacken for
a moment. A young coxswain would have gone on
making shuts at the stern of the Oriel boat, and so
have lost. A bump now, and no mistake ; the bow
of the St. Ambrose boat joins the oar of the Oriel
stroke, and the two boats pass the winning-post
with the way that was on them when the bump was
made, so near a shave was it." The succeeding
chapters relating to Tom's illicit love-making, and
Hardy's motherly watchfulness over him, are very
well in their way, particularly our hero's reflec-
tions in the privacy of his own rooms when the
Devil and his good Angel dispute command; and
in the end, when (as of course is the case) virtue
triumphs, the satisfaction expressed by the libertine
Drysdale at his resolution to behave honourably,
where he says, " Well, old fellow, now you've
made up your mind, I tell you I am devillish glad
of it." But there is more romance than reality
about them, and although they look well on paper,
one may travel far to find their prototypes in real
life. Two poems appear ins tahnisdnisla
uimpbeys mr.Thaeny offirst
is by Mr. Monckton Milne s,
the most pleasing qualities of his verses. The second
is the first instalment of a poem of somewhat for-
midable extent, both as regards subject and
length, by the late Dr. George Wilson of Edin-
burgh. It is founded on an interesting inci-
dent which peculiarly attracted the author as a
man of science. A bulbous root found in the hand
of the mummy of an Egyptian princess, grew when
planted. This singular fact is the subject of the
gyptian poem before us, which contains some
fine thoughts. A brief paper on Readers in
1760 and 1i60," quotes Bacon's decision that
" some books are to be tasted, others to be swal
lowed, and some few chewed and digested ;" and
expresses a fear that the first class will soon absorb
the other two. An essay on "An English Painter's
Tomb," reminds us that one of our great pictorial
teachers, William Hogarth, has neither a grave in
Westminster Abbey nor a monument in any part of
London. Thomas Hughes gives us an article on
" Italy resurgent and Britain looking on," written
in a bold, frank, straightforward spirit that we wish
he could impart to some high in authority and
power.

Baily's Monthly Magazine.
An engraving and biography of the Duke of
Bedford constitutes the second of the series of
English sportsmen, which it is the intention of the
proprietors of this magazine to publish. " The
Experiences of Sydney Godolphin Yahoo" improve
as they advance. The description of the talented
and good-hearted hero making himself ridiculous
by attempting to come the " heavy swell" in the
north of Scotland is good, and the perplexity of
Ethel Cameron at the conflicting characters per-
sonated by her admirer is amusing. The best ar-
ticle, however, is that on " The English Race-
horse," by Admiral H. T. Rous
t‘ There are not many men in England who can train horses
scientifically, although every head groom brought up in a
racing stable flatters hi►aself he is fully qualified for the
task. The cleverest trainer in England said to me last
year, I have trained horses twenty years, and every year
I discover a weak point, and that I have a great deal to
learn.' No three horses require the satne work, the same
food, and the same physic ; their wants and requirements
ought to be the serious study of the trainer. How often
we see a heavy lad on a hard pulling two-year old, rdd
aa
light weight on a lazy old horse, galloping !-1
mile and a half together,
_without any calcautlaratioenabeing
made as to the natural result. The cleverest oughtra.rner.
greater number, consider-
sible that he can do justice to a
feet ought to be well in-
not to take charge of above twenty-two horses : is impos-
sible
pays espe-
cial public stables, where
ing that every horse's legs and
spected twice a day, with
.aanth%e to the manger every time
they are fed._ Therefore,
kept,
urn out a credit to
promisingogrsteat
sixty or seventy horses are
or noto-
riously a head schoolmaster, who takes
p good horses, like t es
pacia:rtEdit4tiotnbeinc:9hTeer.silyxoyoris
rhole seven nt the
a y