The Sun.
London, England, 1858-11-04 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

Fellow Travellers ; or, the Experience of Life. 131
the Author of " Margaret, or Prejudice atliettle.
3 vols. Hurst and Blackett.
There is much to engage attention in this work',
it is altogether different to the ordinary class o'
fictions met with. There is a boldness in the
sketches, a freedom in the style, and a depth is t
thought that forcibly impress the mind of the
reader. The details of the story are in themseelil
singular enough to form an attraction, although
they are secondary to the skill which has Our
nicled the remarkable characters which appear 111
these pages. Avice Desborough, the heroine, is
delightful creation of fancy ; but she is real in 11
delineation of her brave spirit, warm heart, au
pure nature. A life-like semblance seems imparte I
to her shadowy existence, as we follow her stepea
through the thorny paths in which she soul
forced to tread. It was not likely that a youllei
girl, abandoned by all who should have protect
her, as Avice was, could be enabled, by her el
limited experience, to judge correctly as to bed
course in life ; hence the great error she committe;
in being married to Mr. Thorpe, was excusable to
certain degree. She had been in the habit of
dulging in romantic schemes, and her scrupulosib
was carried to an inordinate excess when she Pr
stained from addressing William Osborne, lliev
brother's devoted friend, to whom that dying reA
tive had given the solemn charge to prof he
his orphan sister from the dangers that
re
saw encompassed her. It would have been 01%
true courage to have appealed to him the
to have rushed into a union with a comparstl;
stranger, who, however high-principled and Itin'oi
hearted she might reasonably regard him, was li,
possessed of those finer feelings, those nobler son
timents, which are the true poetry of life, Which.
~;,
once inherent in the character, cast all other attar,
butes into the shade. A sadder fate could hardly
have been devised for Avice than to be immured tu
such a living tomb as her desolate home amid thti,
crags of Burnham. An actual acquaintance `'eta
the world would have been infinitely preferabl to
such extreme isolation from all that was genial a
the tastes, sympathising with the affectiousl.4
kindred to the spirit of the enthusiastic
William Osborne's is a noble character. There
flaws and deficiencies in it, it is true, but tbe;
are sterling worth to be recognised, and got.
qualities to be respected. In his scorn of
ness and duplicity, his indignation against tyro'
and oppression, his sympathy with the disress,.4
his sorrow for the sorrowful, in the exertion oftl;
utmost strength for the protection of the weak,of
liberal distribution of his wealth for the relief he
the poor—in these and many other instances ;
stands revealed as a member of a glorious COraniht
nity, as one of Nature's gentlemen. He geed
have been of more service if he had boldly fah
his troubles, instead of shrinking from them, it t,15
father's death ; but it was as much his unsusel
mind as his horror of the scenes that took pleatso
Staunton Court that induced him to turn tuupyr
from its precincts, and there was something es's'oi
tially characteristic of his strong nature
the resolution planned and carried out of reile.
quishing a princely fortune, and working as if ourt,
pendent actually on his own exertions for suPP ro
by necessity instead of choice. Catherine I‘lol°°o
is a very powerful example of the good that 0.4
be effected by decision and promptitude. Slie,,sed,
placed in a most trying situation, but she posse%re
fortunately for her own satisfaction and the vireoo
of those she benefited, a clear insight in to
claims of duty, and, once having seen the beaeoLltt
guide her way, she followed on unflinchingly, Yirit
a zeal that deserved to win its goal, and sePair
whose bravery well merited its victory. TlL,go
happy life of Miss Osborne is the darkest P 47,10
in the story, and is indeed a melancholy Pietuplett
contemplate. It is not the less likely, 110 W; 0.
when it is remembered how cruel, selfish, a° ere
scrupulous were the dispositions of those who "„ 6
her tyrants. Mr. Rycroft is ably sketched, i*jes,
man possessed of the most grovelling tendenl
„e
whose self was his idol, and whose p_ersoul tlyl
sperity was the only thing he cared for.. It 7;4
be difficult to suppose a better representat!
what is termed " of tho earth, earthy," than
_.,01 fad
dented in the entire career of this su7ott
schemer. But the hour of retribution came 044
though its advent was as sudden in its stint
terror as the coming of a thief in the night- of
remarked in " Coningsby" that " the altars o
Nemesis are beneath every outraged roof,"_ oh
appears peculiarly illustrated in the case Eqpt
when Mr. Rycroft, fancying himself secure frailo
sion and safe from discovery, beheld the brother.ei do
of his victims appear, and, in the name of hit3,,ti•
parted relative, demand justice and insist e
tution. It is a powerful scene in which Coto' he
Moore leads in the victim of a life of cruelty, oft
who might have been deprived of reason thr°o7B,
her tortures, had not her indomitable couragee
tained her strength, and nerved her to end lrf hthe day when she might hail the overthrow 1?ectol
enemies. The false and crafty agent was eJ who
nu.. lila uiiisholcl by the master,
and
should long before have taken up his rule, ,ors
William Osborne, after a long course of to
passed in the turmoil of the world, 6011;4:here
retrace the past and begin life over again. atlis
was a subdued light now shining over his poise
and if the spirit of Alice Thorpe could not rei the
as in the smiling days of her youth, it Was t the
touch of time that had left an impress, and n_°, for
stings of a troubled conscience, nor the rera°7 to A
wasted opportunities that haunted their Pas'heir
moth fretting a garment, or hovered over 'To
future to blight the flower of its promise- ibea
success that crowned their sufferings is deser be
as " one of the noble triumphs that luaLlief,
achieved in time by faithfulness and high that
m
by sirigleness and purity of purpose and ai, it
stand out grandly amid all grand endeavol''',..o%
vindication and assertion of the everlas'l.
a
life of man." Throughout the narcoticare
there are many personages met with, va,,,
delineated with much skill and adroit°,
Milli de Burgh, the old gentlewoman, who liveloi
her retirement, apart from the gay world in
her former companions mingled, is a finished rfeel
ture of her peculiar class, simple and true-heari;er
—a warning to the heedless crowd who passed ::e5
idly by--o, living example to those dead to the duile
of their responsible positions. The sister of Ave
the giddy countess, is very naturally described
of
a selfish woman of fashion, who forgot the ties 11,
kindred, and ignored everything great or 0,34,
but what immediately interfered with her con'oi
or could possibly conduce to her benefit. It is
often that so able a work oomes under the neticejer
the critic, or attracts the admiration of the its
of
of romances, as the one before us. It records'
only the visible world of action, but reve$10
1$
glimpses of the hidden world of thought. 111,14
1,
powerful expressions and vivid sketches, it di
plays that knowledge of human nature whiea:ht
must possess who would truly typify the ralb
in
and mystery of its ruling passions. It is, he
every sense, a superior production ; and, as 811 e,;
it will doubtless obtain esteem and consideration
from those who can distinguish the genuine fr°7,
the counterfeit, and be charmed with. the ereatl°
of a master-mind.

THE LATE COLLISION ON THE Oa

FORD RAIL TRAY.

DUDLEY, WEDNESDAY; f,
It will be remembered that while Mr. T. x„
Phillips, the coroner for Staffordshire, was holdot
his inquest on the bodies of 14 of the unfortunate
excursionists who came by their death by the COl!,1"
sion of two holiday trains on the above line 'of raD.
way, near the Round Oak station, another 151
added to the list of victims—Mrs Hodges, who
at Prince's End. This being in the district °
another, Mr. Hinchcliffe, that gentleman formalq
opened an inquest on the body, but adjourned 1
until after Mr. Phillips should have finally Ow
eluded his inquiry.
Accordingly yesterday Mr. Hingcliffe was ocew
pied at Prince's End, near the place, with the i 11:
quest on Mrs. Hodges. It is unnecessary tog
again into the evidence as it was a mere repetition.
of what was given on the inquest before Mr'
Phillips on the fourteen other sufferers at Briery'
hill, full reports of which have already been pup'
lished in The Sun.
The jury, after devoting twelve hours to the ill:
gully, returned (as in the inquest at Brierly-hillP
a verdict of " Manslaughter" against Cook, the
guard in charge of the break of the retreating train;
but they did not accompany their verdict, as in thu
...
former inquiry, by any charge of blame against the
Oxford, Worcester, and Wolverhampton Railwai
Company. They, however, expressed an opinion
that Harris, the officer who accompanied the trial
from Wolverhampton to Worcester in the morning,
ought, on his arrival at the latter town, to have
informed Mr. Adcock, the secretary, that Cook had
had passengers in the break van with him.

CURIOUS DOWN-HILL JOURNEY.—As some young
girls were a few days ago playing on the side of a hill nat'f
Asti, in Piedmont, one of them to amuse herself crept into
a large barrel which was lying there, propped up by a t
tones. Her companions, by way of a joke, and without
thinking of the serious consequences that might have °e;
curred, removed the stones and set the cask in motion, an
it kept rolling until it reached the bottom of the hill/ a
tame of about 250 yards. Several persons who witnos":
the progress of the cask were amused by the numero,ll
bounds it made in consequence of the obstacles it met vriu"
but they were alarmed apt finding on its reaching the botto.l
that there was some one inside. Strange to say, 021 the r:
being released from her awkward position, it was found tkiitu
all the injury she had sustained was some , slight florae'
and a few triflipis bruises,