The Sun.
London, England, 1858-06-02 00:00:00

and finisb, and not sufficient pains taken with the con-
struction of the plot. The chief actors in the
story belong to a quiet country family, and the
different dispositions and peculiarities are well
pourtrayed. The characters of the thrce daughters
are well contrasted, and the brusque and uncon-
ventional Kate will enlist the reader's sympathies.
Teresa, the eldest, takes the most prominent part,
but is by no means the most pleasing. Though
her trials were severe, Im selfish absorption in
her own interests prevents her from awakening
any vivid degree of interest. Edith appears but
little on the scene, but that little is gentle and
captivating. The portrait of aunt Teresa is ably
drawn, and the perplexity as to her unacknow-
ledged daughter is skilfully kept up. Tercsa,'s
mistaken pretensions are artfully introduced, and
those who delight in unravelling an entangled
plot will find much gratification in guessing
the denouement. The conc:usion is, however,
very defective. All the other actors are pushed off
the sc: no to make way for the two most prominent,
and even they are summarily disposed of. Tt.ose
who had excited our interest at the commencement
are dismissed in a few words at the end. Mr.
Forster is the type of a class who take advantage
of a specious exterior and superficial knowledge to
impose upon the credulous and unsuspicious. The
story, which is no doubt an early production, does
credit to itsauthor's taste and feeling, and promises
some works of higher excellence.

The Initials. By the author of " Quits." Bentley.
Mr. Bentley's cheap series, which has included
so many excellent works, has now reproduced this
popular novel. The clever authoress has achieved a
decided success in her last work, which has reached
a second edition; and those of her readers who have
not read her former fictions will now be able to
make the acquaintance of " The Initials" in a very
commodious fGrai. The scene is laid abroad, and
it is in her descriptions of Continental life that she
excels. Her plot is not exciting, and her pictures of
domestic life among us are not very striking; but in
the delineations of the freedom and gaiety of Ger-
man peasant life she especially shines, and
represents it in a most attractive form.
The whole novel is contained in one volume, in clear
type, and the lovers of fiction are fortunate when
they have works of a superior and original charac-
ter placed within the reach of all classes.

Practical and Economical Cookery. By Mrs.
Smith. Chapman and Ball.
The two adjectives prefixed to this work are
not often ingredients in the manufacture of domes-
tic receipts, and the complication of the directions,
and the expense of the articles required by the ex-
perienced professor, are as alarming to the careful
housekeeper, as the omission of a few indispensable
rudiments of culinary instruction are perplexing to
the uninitiated. The little work before us is simple
and concise, clear in its directions, and moderate in
its requirements. The writer has been for 40 years
a professed cook, and has therefore the benefit of
practical experience. The great variety of dishes
will afford useful suggestions to many, and the
bills of fare may offer some acceptable hints in the
arrangement of a banquet. The directions for
carving are likely to be of service, and the little
work commends itself to public favour by its prac-
tical utility.

I Tramp's Wallet. By W. Duthie. Darton.
These pleasant reminiscences by an English
goldsmith, of his wanderings in Germany and
France, are mostly reprinted from " Household
Words." A stay of three years and a half on the
Continent has enabled him to collect anecdotes and
observations that form a very agreeable volume. It
is a pleasant and entertaining compilation, and
with its accounts of silver mines, Austrian jails,
Leipsic fairs, mountain walks, French and German
workmen, and their national characteristics, it con.
veys a very good idea of continental life and
manners.

The New Quarterly Review. No. XXVI.
The New Quarterly has several very interesting
papers, and the general style maintains the chit'
racter of the serial. The most prominent questions '
of the quarter are treated of, and several literary
criticisms pass under review the principal works of
the season. An article on the "Anti-spasmodic
School of Poetry," has some sensible remarks on
poetry in general, though not altogether free from
prejudice.