The Sun.
London, England, 1858-02-23 00:00:00

tore she fixed her fate for life. For some years it
was a very stormy one, but at last she formed some
fixed principles for her guidance, which rendered
herindependeut of outward circumstances, and for
happiness, in quest of which she had so signally
failed, substituted a peace which not even her fitful
fate could destroy. The succeeding passages of
the story are very ably described, and the extraor-
dinary conduct of Henry D'Orville at the last is not
so improbable as some might suppose, when we
take into consideration the morbid ieudency of his
tewperainent. He went on for years in a series
of mental tortures, to which bodily sufferings
cannot be compared for present agony, and future
consequences. Blanche, his sis; er, is a meek, gentle
young creature who seems worthy of a better posi-
tion than that of being under the direction of one
so serverse and vacillating as her brother. It is
well for her when she exchanges his away for the
protection of the manly " Harry D'Orville, than
whom a greater contrast cannot be supposed to
exist. After beholding the whirlwind of passion,
which swept over the frame of the excited family in
the hour of her trial, when her husband left her, it
was a relief to the straightforward and well-regu-
lated mind of Cousin Harry to unite himself to one
so tender and true as Blanche. She was weak per-
haps, but that was preferable to her sister-in-law's -
vain strength, and mistaken in her motives, but
they were not of self while many unworthy influences
corn hined to rule the other. Those who are pleased
with exciting stories will appreciate this one in
question, and the excitement is not a false stimulus
imparted to its course, which leaves it at last the
weaker from its fatal agency. On the contrary, it
is a strong argument, explained in an unvarnished
manner, and illustrated by suffering monitors
against deceit and treachery, against passion of
every a art, wilt:tiler of anger or jealousy, and the
whelo is narrated, with a talent that irresistibly
attracts, and a vigour that stamps it with life and
energy.

_History of the Life and Times of Edmund Burke.
By Thomas Macknight, Author of " The Right
Hon. B. Disraeli, M.P., a Literary and Political
Biography," dm '2 vols. Chapman and Hall.
Tao author of this work is one who hal previa,
ously endea.youred to diiti4guish himsetlf in the
literary world by a somewhat unworthy method.
Works on living statesmen and politicians must of
necessity be in some measure invidious, and when
they assume a personal or biographical character
they are decidedly obj-ctionahle. In eel_cting the
life of one who has passed into his place in history
Mr. Macknight has, therefore, shown better taste,
as well as more ainbiticn, for while the greatest of
prose writers need not scorn to take for his subject
the life of a great man of the pad, a censure on the
acts and opinions of a politician of the day sinks
immediately to the level of a petty party spirit.
But though we readily commend the author's die-
cretion
thus far, we are forced to admit he is
totally unequal to his subject. It is a subject
which, to do it justice, requires almost as great a
variety of powers in the biographer as existed in the
illustriouspersontreated 4. It requires the practised

historian and the comprehensive philosopher to
trace Burke's influence on the character and people
of his time ; it needs the politician without a party
to delineate the war of patties, the rival leaders,
whose names are prominent in the history of the
woad ; to compare them with each other, to draw
their portraits, to manifest their powers, to depict
their failingi. h asks the sympathy of a
contemporaneous writ 'r to enter in' o the spirit of
those troubled times, and it demands the calm judg-
ment of the critic of pc erity to trace their influence
on the present day ; while to pourtray, the personal

character of the great subject of the biography,
scarcely less discernment and ability are required.
It needs the profound student of human nature'
rghtly to represent his complex character—it .
requires the philosopher to appreciate his philo-
sophy, a benevolent heart to sympathise with his
benignant humanity, a clear and astute intellect to
perceive how that great mind went astray, a fer-
vent spirit to comprehend his enthusiasm, an in-
dependent and upright temper to enter into his
hatred of oppression, an orator to do justice to his
oratory, a reflection of his fine and liberal intelli-
eenee to acknowledge his noble toleration. This
combination of rare qualitess Mr. Macknight does
not possess; and, though it would be absurd to
suppose that no one should write the life of a great
mau who was not pre-eminently fitted for the task,
yet when the undertaking is great, the abilities
should be in some degree commensurate. If Mr.
Macknight had restricted himself to a business-like
record of Barke's acts and opinions, his political
connections, and the chief incidents of his private
life, ho might have compiled a very useful volume,
for he has evidently bestowed much time and labour
on his subject. Bui when we find him taking hi
subject in its broadest view, and imitating
Macaulay in his style, and Alison in his extent, we
lose the value of a work of reference, and are
tempted to think of the " vaulting ambition that
o'erleaps. itself and falls on t'other side." The
reader of these two formidable volumes will perhaps
he dismayed, certainly surprised, to find at thei r Cow
elusion that they have not reached the French Re-
volution, the impeachment of Warren Hastings,
or any of those later events of 'Burke's life with
which the public are chiefly familiar. It is the
writer's intention shortly to complete the work, and
to give us a picture of the time when, as has been
said, Burke stimulated the panic of a wo,ld by
the wild pictures of his inspired ima,ination ;" and
to show us that darker time when the enthusiastic)
temper sunk into irritability, and the sorrows of
public and private life deepened the shadows of
the oaks of Beaconsfield. To describe the close of
Burke's life will require a gentle and kindly critic,
one who will soften the harsh and jarring lines :by
ready sympathy and full appreciation. Mr. We-
knight, whatever his failings may be as a writer,
has a j ust and cordial admiration of the great man
of whom he writes, and is no doubt actuated bY
a laudable ambition when undertaking the task.
The work is very unequal ; some passages are
writt-n with force and correctness, and occasionally
the reader finds himself involved in a long sentence
which, if it has many turnings, does not conduct
him to any definite goal. The author is not without
ability, but he should select an e tsier duty, and
write with less amt ition and more care. Elegance
and situp' city are the high roads to eloquence, and
a mere selection of hard words and involved an-
titheses will never reach their object. Every
allowance is to be made for the difficulty of the
subject, but then it is scarcely wise for a writer of
moderate abilities to select one of the most remark-
able periods of En_aish history for his task. We
trust teat when we again meet Mr. Macknight he
will have abandoned, such an arduous digeee,
and choosing au epoch of less formidable cheWitr
is
distinguish himself in a manner that will rePaY "
evinent labour and research.

The nex` Indian telegrams will he due in Engler] on
the lit March. It will contain news from Bombay to
the 9th inst. An Australian telegram will be also due on
the Ist March. It will -contain news from Sydney up
te, the 11th ult., and from Melbourne up to the 15tb
ultimo.

. In consequence of the China news the tea and silk
markets have been exceedingly quiet and flat. It also
;A,n oppeL marketrstb haveatorder bsfereori countermanded,mLyon owingsforpurehase to
purchases of silk
the
recent political anxieties.
Tez MINISTERIAL CRISIS.—LIVERPooD.--Lord r
iners. on has of late been exceedingly popular in Liver-
p .01, where he was regarded as a true champion and
upholder •' our national greatness. His recent fatal
advocacy of an obnvious and despotic measure has,
however, completely turned the tide of his greatness,
and the news of his defeat on Friday, and subsequent
resignation, has excited universal satisfaction. It is
now fel'; that our honour has been vindicated before
the world; and that our outraged feelings have found
their true D.glish vent. It matters not who succeeds
Lord Palmerston, it is sufficient to kaoiv that the
injury he would have inflicted upon us has been
becomingly resented.
THE MINISTERIAL DEFEAT.—At last the country hag
come to its senses. Teat monstrous chimera which
has palsied the nation's brain for some three years
an aged toffy of the regency school of toryism Mae:
querading• as a preacher of progress—has vanished 81'
first touch of genuine liberalism. If, as the Vines st+Ye,
Lord Painaerston's condemnation now be factious, let
him reverse the verdict by the means ho so emploi.
with such disingenuous ingenuity nine months sei
Let him go to the hustings now with the cry e,.
" assassins," as he did then with the cry of " insolenv
barbarian." He had B)wring then—he has BonaPerte
now.—Liverpool Albion. 1;,,t of
NEW ADMINISTRATIONS.—The following is a ,d
the Administrations, Whig and Tory, which have be' e
office in England since the year 1830, with the dates
their installation and dissolution, viz.:—Earl first),
Administration, 1830-34 ; Viscount Melbournes kfire,.ft
1834 ; Sir Robert Peel's (first), 1834-35 ; viecou.•
Melbourne's second 1835 1835-41 ; Sir It. Peel's (
ioce.
1841-46 ; Lord J. Itin•selt's, 1846-52 ; Earl of Deroln;
(first), 1852 ; Earl of Aberdeen's, 1853-55 ;
P4.thnerstou's, 1855-53. Toe outgoing Ministry has DI
Office just three years. Lord J. Russell retained the
e:
~
reins of power nearly six years, and Sir R. Peel sho
five. The last Tory Ministry under Lord Derby
not in office a twelvemonth. • clog
SHIELDS, Monday, Noon.—We are experlen • a
rthoe Gugheowregsathreartroiont,thNe coast.
anteiretsh-epaasetket,
Thames,This Mvearlie2tluni
and Jane, coal-laden vessels, have put back, toc's%-a
then, with loss of bulwarks. Most of these vessels !'
d Co
been from the Tyne a fortnight, but had been obliges„...,_
seek shelter in L.lith Roads, or in Holy Island
been
And in trying to make a passaLe south they. had
beeO
caught in a second gale. Last night the brig _uri'„
of • Whitby was wrecked on Tynemeuth Point. ‘-'"
the;
siderable difficulty was experienced in rescuing o
crew, through the rocket lines baying fouted• copal
were landed, however, about three hours after the v
struCkii