The Sun.
London, England, 1858-11-02 00:00:00

family. The fair widow's duplicity and selfishnesf
do not seem likely. thPl-14ipunished. Mr Dudley
Costello's story of ' Faint Heart never won Fair
Lady," also progresses, and tells us some wonderful
events. Monkshood's " Mingle Mangle" gives us 13.
portrait of Balzac, who, it is observed, was to French
prose what Malherbe was to French poetry. One
of his biographers says of him, that " he introduced
a harmony and precision of style which were before
unknown in French prose, and which acquired hills
the name of the most eloquent writer of his time,
and the reformer of the French language." An-
other eminent man receives a tribute, though his
labours have not been repaid with the same ex-
tended reputation—Sievers, one of the most worthy
of the statesmen of the reign of Catherine 11. of
Russia. His memoirs have recently been published
under a fearful-looking name at Leipsie, and will
prove valuable to the historical student. " Some -
of the -ways in which John Bull spends his Money,"
is the title of an amusing article which indicates:
some of the domestic slavery which goes on among
us, by which the Tares and penatcs of an establish-
ment are elevated into Molochs and Juggernauts,
which demand human victims. The handsome
house, the formal dinner party, and various other
uncomfortable ways of spending money are satirised.
as voluntary martyrdoms. The French Almanaclr.a
for 1859 furnish a lively topic. Ancient hunt-
ing in Ireland is described with animation. The
poetical contributions are not above mediocrity.

Colburn's New Monthly.—This magazine opens
with a criticism of " Carlyle's History of Frederick
the Great," and ends with a paper on " Voltaire
and the President de Brosses." The two quarrel-
some friends are thus brought into comparison by
the reader. History has awarded to both a place
among her great men, but it is very questionable
if either of them left the world better than they ,
found it. The great Frenchman does not appear
to much advantage in his correspondence with M.
de Brosses, which will amuse the reader by its
absurdity and pettiness. The clever author of
" Ashley" gives us the commencement of a new
tale, under the attractive title of " A Night with
the Ghosts." It promises considerable interest,
and is sufficiently uncommon to excite the atten-
tion of the reader. A youth having eclipsed all
his companions at a public school, in an, examina-
tion, is locked up in the church by one of them in
revenge, as he is practising the orgaji in the
twilight. He finds himself compelled to
-Pass the
night there, to his great dismay, but :reconciles
himself to his fate, and goes to sleep. He is pre-
sently aroused by steps and voices, and finds two
gentlemen have come into the vestry and are
searching the registers. One of them takes advan-
tage of his companion's turning away to cut out a
leaf of the register—all the while watched by the
unseen schoolboy. What results will follow we
shall learn in the next number. " Home Life in
Norway" gives us some curious pictures of Nor-
wegian life, taken from a new work, by Theodore
Mugge, entitled " Life and Love in Norway."
Another Scandinavian story is translated from the
Danish, by Mrs. Bushby, and entitled " Too
Mr. Gladstone's " Studies on Homer," receive a
long, but not very complimentary criticism. Mr.
Rowsell gives us an article on " The Cathedral
—the Crucifix—the Confessional," but it is not
equal in clear, practical sense, and straightfor-
wardness to many of his previous essays. An
amusing paper on " Alexandre Dumas and his
Pets," exhibits some of the absurdities of that
writer's marvellous tales, which certainly compete
with the famous Baron Munchausen. Another
entertaining paper recounts some of the adventures
met with by a traveller while spending his even-
ings at inns.