The Sun.
London, England, 1858-07-22 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

A _Friend in Need. A Romance. 3 vols. Bentley.
Those who wish for an exciting narrative, which
is detailed with graphic power, and rendered in-
teresting no less by the manner of the descriptions
than the events themselves, cannot do better than
peruse this novel. In it they will find many a
momentous incident recorded, and many a mar-
vellous adventure recited, which would seem to
belong to the tales of old romance. The hero
might well take for his motto, " What, or from
whence I am, or who my sire ?" forhe passed many
yeses in weary search after the truth which had
been withheld from him by the cunning of his
enemies. Wary and foresighted as these latter
proved themselves, to be, however, they were at-
tacked in a way they had not expected, and thus
experienced that derangement to their plans, and
that uneasiness in their minds, which so often un-
expectedly arise to confute the wisdom of the plot-
ter. On her death-bed, the supposed mother of
George confided to him a packet which contained
important revelations, and unfolded many myste-
ries. Some rumour of this bequest reached the
ears of the deceivers, and their wrath and indigna-
tion may be conceived. The young man .whom
tney had defrauded of his birthright fled from them
with his precious treasure, that was one day to
prove too strong for the mighty to contend against
and too true for the adepts in cunning to gainsay.
However, this young and ardent spirit had set out
on no easy pilgrimage—it was indeed a toilsome
wilderness through which he bad to _struggle, be•
fore the vista of the promised land, beamed upon
his weary frame, and suffering spirit. There is
something that engages sympathy for one so
cruelly situated, and in spite of his hastiness and
imprudences the wandering stranger • claims at-
tention and regard. The peculiarity of the story
consists in his not being as he supposed, and as
circumstances seemed!to point out, the son of the
Irish earl, in the vicinity of whose estates be bad
been brought up, but the lost child of a noble
French family. The various complicated circum-
stances attendant on these events, impart an excite-
ment to the narrative, and a vigour and vivacity
to the style. The friend iu need whom the fugitive
found, was. Laura Vandeleur, a young lady of sense
and spirit, whose conduct in trying scenes was such
as to command respect and adiviration. She had
ntauy temptations to give up her burdensome
charge, and relinquish her self-imposed duty, but
she never flinched or hesitated. the knew with
the intuitive faculty of a noble nature, that he
whom the had so strongly met was honourable,
and felt that she should likewise follow the dictates
of honesty and generosity in keeping inviolate the
pledge she made him in the hour of danger. It
was not till after the lapse of years that • events
justfied the hazardous course in which she en-
gaged, but she needed not the witness of men to
re-assure her when her heart told her she was right
ingiving what help she could to one suffering and
persecuted. The wily foes with whom George
had to cope possessed all that this world can- give
to ensure success, they had the .power rank confers,
they wielded the sped of enormous wealth, they
were firmly established in the eyes of men, in the
strongholds of place and position, but the lonely,
penniless, unknown stranger, whom they immured
in prisons, deserted in the dark caves of ocean, and
finally consigned to what they supposed the living
tomb of the cloister, was mightier than they. He
had truth for his war-cry, and justice and light
were ranged on his side, and in the consciousness of
his holy purpose, and the steadfastness of
his upright soul, he could look fearlessly
for the assistance of that power which,
infallible to protect his weakness, was
a source to which his enemies, in their pride of
strength, dared not appeal, for succour to speed
their cause, or blessing to hallow their works. Be-
sides the chronicles which register the fitful lights
and shadows which fell on the path of Gustave de
Perignon, as the lost one found, the wanderer, in-
stalled in his high position, and surrounded by
friends and fortune, must now be called, there is a
variety of incidents recorded ; and also the reader
meets with a numerous dramatis personce, who are
severally portrayed with energy and decision.
Some scenes are remarkably well described, and
the whole work bears evident traces of being the
production of an able hand. We find striking
events vividly displayed before us, and interesting
characters which are revealed in a powerful manner.
If the story does not appear probable to some, it is
not impossible, and the time referred to is not the
present epoch, but the occurrences bear date on the
eve of some of the most extraordinary social
changes and convulsions that [the history of na-
tions has had to inscribe on its mighty scroll. It
may fairly be considered that it is no exaggeration
for the writer of fiction to paint scenes more start-
ling, and picture persons less restrained than they
are at present, while the tyranny which then ruled
in unrevolutionised France, and the lawless spirit
which then raged in misgoverned Ireland, alike
conspired to unsettle men's minds, and give rise to
furious feuds and countless confusions. " A Friend
in Need" is a work which will delight the lovers of
romance, by the skill which has fashioned its forms
and the spirit which animates its expression.

A .211vnth in Yorkshire. By Walter White, And
thor of " A Londoner's Walk to th© Laud's

End," &c. Chapman and Hall.

Mr. White's annual excursions are the source of
amusement and gratification to many others besides
himself. His pleasant pages have made many ac-
quainted with little local details about their own
country and countrymen that they would very pro-
bably gave been ignorant of if they had visited the
spots themselves. His pedestrian habits cArry lum
into remote and primitive places, inaccessible to the
routine traveller, while his versatile general kuovP
ledge and readiness in mixing with the residents of
all ranks, enable him to illustrate his agreeable re-
cords with historical:recollections, with traditionary
legends, and with sketches of the quaint ways and
words of the rustic) peasantry. Having wandered
over the continent in his latter journeys, and taken
a peep into the cottages and castles of Germany, our
author has now resolved to follow the advice of
Fuller, which he takes as his motto—" Know most
of the rooms of thy native country, before thou
goest over the threshold thereof, especially seeing
England presents thee with so many observables."
In accordance with these directions the traveller
proceeded to explore our largest county, one
which offers many temptations to the wanderer and
seeker for originality. The wild sea coast yearly
shrinking from the encroaching waves, the rough
uncultivated people, the marvellous manufactories,
and the flue views to be seen from the hills and cliffs
—give a variety and animation to the work that
prevent it from becoming tedious, though its arse
is limited. It is, however, scarcely equal to Mr.
White's former works, and we look on its increased
size with some suspicion. It would be a matter for
regret should he suffer his fresh and lively records
to sink into mere , bookmaking, and pleasant and
entertaining as ihe volume before us is, it
might have borne a little condensation. The
descriptions of his visits to the manufactories-
and the marve's of shoddy-making are curious and
interesting. The Cutrinitiated will be surprised
in tracing the history of files. Having heard a
German workman speak with enthusiasm of Eng-
lish files, the author was full of curiosity to see
their manufacture, and he was not disappointed.
The elaborate processes which the iron passes
through, left him no longer wondering at the ex-
tended reputation of the files of Sheffield. The reader
who takes up this volume for an hour's pleasant
reading will rind something more than entertain-
ment, for scraps of information are mingled
with it, and the faithful pictures of life and man-
ners may be new and impressive to those who
know little of the resources and peculiarities
of their own country. We trust this is not the
last excursion Mr. Whita will make for his own
relaxation and the satisfaction of his readers.

KEW GARDENS.—One of the most beautiful and pitp
turesque objects in this rich and far-famed oallenion of
everything rare in the vegetable world is the Norfolk
Island pine araucaria exceka ; its branches and foliage
bear a most striking and remarkable resemblance
to an inferior ostrich feather, with this diffe-
rence, that they do not droop at the ends or points.
The value of an ostrich feather consists in the rich-
ness of the tips or ends, a courtplume of five feathers
of this description being worth nine guineas. This very
singular and graceful pine is the noblest specimen of its
kind in Europe, and we are indebted to Captain Cook
and Sir J. Banks for its introduction to this country.
It stands in a large tub containing 17 tons weight of its
parent soil on the grand,] promenade near the Orangery,
Its grace and beauty making it the principal ornament
of the Arboretum.
THE ACCIDENT AT CHILHA3I.—On Sunday morning
last, the Rev. S. Langston, Perpetual Curate of South-
borough, in the course of his sermon, alluded to the late
disastrous accident oe the South-Eastern railway at Chil-
ham, and particularly to the lamentable case of the Rev.
Mr. Wood, aWeeleyau miuister, w Lose death had resulted
from injuries sustained in that accident, and who has
left a wife and large family to deplore his loss ; and the
rev. gentleman thought this was a most suitable case
for peconary assistance. In the evening Mr. Lang-
ston infernatd his congregation that upon leaving the
church in the morning a sovereign was given him
for this object, that upon erregirg• the c.inwou
person, a, a ,trauger to hire, had given him
two sovereigns mole, and in the course of the afternoon
he had received aeother one. Wrat he asked for
was that he :nig ',Jaye one more severe,go, so as to send
the poor widow a Si. note. Tae consequence of this
second appeul vras the the rev. gentlernan was enabled
to make 12p loss a sum than 151. se, which on the fol-
lowing day he placed in the hands of a Wesleyan minis-
ter of Tunbridge Wells, accompanied with a letter of
Christian condolence, the latter undertaking to forward
the eon of money toithe widow.---South Eastern gazette.

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