The Sun.
London, England, 1867-07-15 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

May and September: A Novel. By the Hon. F
Walpole. Three Vols. Richard Bentley.

May and September—not January and June, not
the severe contrast of winter and summer, but the
early budding spring-time, and the mellowing glow
of autumn, are the seasons symbolical of the hero
And heroine of this story. Lady Emma Vero is a
very charming heroine, a very Queen of May, in her
youth and beauty and freshness, but gifted beyond this
with most loveable attractions. "Equability was one
of her great charms, a gentleness that pervaded all

she did, the soft voica was but the echo of the sof

ness that was all about her ; she could not have been
loud or boisterous, any more than she could have
been rough or rude ; her floating, sailing motion
was not more attractive than the sweet tones in
which she spoke." As for Lord Ferrars, the hero,
he is almost a rival of the admirable Crichton, or
the marvellous Sidonia. " Ah," exclaims a friend,
"Sardanapalus is a wonderful man, that I
may witness of him having known him
all his life ; he plays each part admirably

—younger son, soldier, diplomatist, traveller,
statesman, nobleman, millionaire, boy, youth,
►nd man—he acts all well." It is in the very
climax of his greatness, in the " September" of
his fruitful career that the reader, like Lady Emma,
first makes acquaintance with this preux cheva-
lier. The fair lady first encounters him at a
dinner party, when, unconsciously seated by
his side, she looks around the table and inquires
of her agreeable companion which of the
guests is the Lord Ferrara of whom she has heard
so much, and whom she so much desires to see.
After this propitious commencement the interest of
the story never flags. The plot is in no way sen.
sational, and is not even in any way complicated or
exciting, but from first to last the whole story is
lively and interesting, and possesses a freshness and
originality of manner which impart to it a parti-

cular attraction. The scene is laid exclusively in

the high-world. Lards and ladies and political cele-
brities meet us at every page. The first chapter de-
actibos as the most enviable of stations that of an
English nobleman, and the author remarks that,
generally speaking, noble lords fulfil their duties,
and perhaps do more than is require I of them, adding
—" In short, democrats, if you abolish them, you
will have to make ample provision for somebody to
lo the work which they now perform gratuitously."
Of that hypothetical time the writer jocularly sp mks
as " an epoch in our history when Bright's daring
theory of numbers shall be triumphant—when ladies
will have to sing small and lords vanish—when
Lowe, after being lynched, will eventually be cano-
nised, &c." Amid these political pleasantries and
serio-comic sarcasms we sometimes lig lit upon
some " o'er true" remark, as, when alluding to
a Ministerial crisis, the author very happily re-
min Is us that " to the Whigs belong professions
and no performance; to the Tories, performance
not only without profession, but generally contrary
to every professio❑ they have made I" There is
occasionally visible a certain degree of carelessness
in the style and in the arrangement of the story,
but, notwithstanding these blemishes, " May and
September" is pleasant to read, and will amuse and
interest many.

Martin Chuzzlewit. One Vol. Chapman and Ha..
Another volume of "The Charles Dickens Edition'
of the works of fiction penned by the greatest o
all our English Humorists has duly made its ap
pearance, according to announcement. " Pickwick'
has been folio wei up by "Martin Chuzzlewit.
Another masterpiece of creative humour has been
placed within reach of the great mass of the read-
ing public, in a single volume, beautifully printed
on good paper, in excellent type, the text being
adorned with eight of the choicest etchings selected
from among the original illustrations of the work by
It Phis." Noticeable among these eight—those
having especial reference to Mrs. Gimp : first of
all the one revealing to us Mr. Pecksniff knocking
at the door of her domicile in Kingsgate-street,
nigh Holborn—secondly, Mrs. Gimp having an eye
to the future—thirdly, Airs. Gamp and her " fre-
quend pardner" holding high festival together in the
former's bed-chamber, on the memorable evening on
which that most objectionable of females, Betsy
Prig, avows her incredulity in the existence of
Mrs. Harris. The mere cartoons thus deftly pen-
cilled by " Phiz" have about ithem an almost
historical importance. But the letter-press to which
these comical etchings are but the more accessories
—to have all that compacted together in a volumo
at once so wonderfully cheap and so admirable in
its legibility,—that, indeed, is a boon for which
all true lovers of imaginative literature have rea-
son to be grateful. Among all the more
highly -elaborated fictions of Charles Dickens,
" Martin Chuzzlewit" is, perhaps without any
exception, the most remarkable, as evidencing his
creative power, as the imaginer of entirely original
characters. Instance this—Mr. Pecksniff —Mrs.
Gamp—Tom Pinch—Bailey Junior—Jonas Chuz-
zlewit—Montague Tigg—Old Chuffey Betsy
Prig—Naigett--M. Todgers—Mark Tapley—and
best of all, that dream within a dream, that fiction
within a fiction, that airy nothing born of Mrs.
Camp's imagination—Mrs. Harris. As a whole,
" Martin Chuzzlewit" is about the finest exemplar
that could be adduced, as affording signal, abun-
dant, and conclusive evidence of the intense
originality of the genius of Charles Dickens.

WILLS AND BEQUESTS.

(Front the Illustrated London News.)

The late Mrs. Elizabeth Charleton, of Ashley-hill,
Bristol, whose personalty was:sworn under £7,ooo,has
bequeathed to the British and Foreign Bible Society
£5O ; and to the British and Foreign School, the
Anti-Slavery Society, the National Temperance,
and the London Peace Society, each 19 guineas.
The late Miss Sarah Dailey, of Lyndon Cottage,
Brixton, who has left personalty under £6,000, has
bequeathed to the Church Missionary Society and
the National School at Esher, each £5O ; to the
Brixton Infant School, £5 ; and to the National
School, Brixton, 19 guineas. The late Miss Harriet
Elizabeth Cutcliffe, of Marwood, Devon, whose per-
sonalty was sworn nil& £7,000, has bequeathed to
the North Devon Infirmary £BO ; to the Society for
Promoting Christian Knowledge, £5O ; and leaves

£5 to the rector and churchwardens to distribute
amongst the poor' of Marwood. The will of the
Hon. Catherine Venables Vernon has been recently
proved ; also that of Mrs. Rosina Gelston, under
£70,000 personalty ; Wm. Hughes Brabant, £30,000;
the Rev. Charles Turner Fanley, M.A., £45,000,
who has bequeathed. to the Worcester Infirmary,
£lOO.