The Sun.
London, England, 1859-08-24 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

May Templeton : a Tale of Faith and Love. Re-
vised and edited by the author of "Eastern
Hospitals and Englisn Nurses," &c. Dolman.
This is a very interesting little story, which is
written with great earnestness and eloquence. The
author is evidently one who feels deeply, and who
possesses skill to describe what he witnesses. May;
the heroine, is a fine character; and the many trials
and sufferings which were her portion for so long
a period were bravely endured with patience and
resignation. Her brother is also attractive from
his zeal and his unselfishness ; and one of the most
impressive passages in the book is that which tells
of his fearful shipwreck on the shores of his native
land, while his sister stood waiting for him on th
shore. The despairing agony of such an event is
pictured in a few impressive sentences. It is one
of those dark pages of woe that are ever and
anon opened before us as we turn the volum e
of human life ; and it is therefore peculiarly solemn
and striking. The many struggles that the poverty-
stricken family, hitherto living in luxury, had to
anaounter, are vividly described ; and the scenes of
Lady Mansfield's life in Italy are also worthy of
notice. It will be seen that, while Arthur Tem-
pleton expresses everywhere his conviction in the
efficacy of his own form of belief, that there is no
attempt made to render this a controversial book.
The author maintains his own opinion in a calm
manner, and there is nothing to deter those who
think differently from entering into the spirit of
the story, and admiring the many great and noble
qualities that appear in the personages sketched
before us. It is altogether a clevier work, and will
doubtless gain the approbation of a large circle of
readers.

Secret History of the Austrian Government. Com-
piled from official documents. By Alfred Mi-
chiels. Chapman and Hall.
This volume records the history of the successive
Governments of the Austrian Empire since Ferdin-
and 11. It concerns itself chiefly with the mani-
festations of religious intolerance which the rulers
of this country have systematically displayed for
centuries. In his preface the author refers to the
sources from which he has drawn his information.
This work is, he affirms, " a really secret history of
the Austrian Government, its disloyal ambition, its
pernicious schemes, and hypocritical violence.
" My book does not contain a sentence, or even part
of a sentence, which is not supported by proof. The
Viennese Cabinet knows this well ; for, as its
scribes could not refute me, it chose the clumsy ex-
pedient of interdicting my work through the en-
tire monarchy—proving by this stupid mrnceuvre
the exactness of my information and the fidelity of
my narrative." He observes further on, with re-
ference to the system of Austrian misgovernment,
'" The infamous regime against which Italy con-
tends was not invented for her, nor is it all peculiar
to her. All the Austrian provinces have been suc-
cessively or simultaneously treated with the same
bloodthirsty hypocrisy or implacable stupidity.
The outlines of history offer nothing to resemble it ;
the madness of the Roman Emperors fades before
that of the Hapsburgs." It is in some respects a re-
markable and useful work, and the sketches it gives
of the chief rulers and ministers of the Austrian
empire add to its value.

Social Innovators and their Schemes. By W.
Lucas Sargent, author of " The Science of Social
Opulence," &c. Smith and Elder.

This is a work well worthy the attention of the
social philosopher. It sums up the opinions of the
social would-be reformers of late years, Saint Simon,
Fourier, Louis Blanc, Proudhon, and Emile de
Girardin. It is extremely useful to collect and
contrast the schemes of these men, that what goo.l
there is in them may be winnowed from the chaff,
and that their contradictions may be discovered by
comparison and analysis. It is also useful in another
point of view, that their rash and dangerous doc-
trines should be exposed, and that those who would
contend with them should know their real strength
and weakness. It affords a useful chart of the state
of opinion among the social innovators from the
days of Saint Simon and the Great Revolution to
Louis Blanc in our own time. In his able introduc-
tion Mr. Sargent traces the ready diffusion of these
socialistic schemes in France to the lamentable con-
dition of the labouring classes. After speaking of
the miserable destitution of the burdened peasantry
in the days before the outburst of 1789, he says I—
" In our time, though the old oppressions are re-
moved, there is still great destitution. In the
country parts the splitting up of the land into eleven
million separate estates, the greater part with a
few shillings a year of rental, prevents all improve-
ment, and makes any legal assistance to the poor
impossible. In the great towns, the restlessness
and immorality of the people make them greedy of
every novelty. Thus it is that oppression formerly,
and destitution in the present day, have led to the
ready reception in France of schemes however
monstrous or hopeless. Fourier, and Saint Simon,
and Louis Blanc, and Proudhon have found willing
disciples for projects which a contented population
would have treated with neglect." In the follow-
ing pages will be found a sketch of the more noted
of these schemes : of the new Christianity of Saint
Simon, of the phalansteres of Fourier, of the
socialism of Lou is Blanc, of the levelling doctrines of
Proudhon. Of these authors I think it will be
found that Fourier is the most extravagant, Louis
Blanc is the most eloquent, Saint Simon is the
most scholarly, and Proudhon is the most scholas-
tic ; Fourier raves, Louis Blanc declaims, Saint
Simon lectures, and Proudhon wrangles." We
commend this work to the attention of all who
interest themselves in a discussion on the principles
of political economy, and the social well-being of a
neighbouring state.

7lte Sense Denied and. Lost. lip Thomas Bull,
M.D., author of " Hints to Mothers," &c. Long•
man.
This little work possesses an especial interest,
from the melancholy fact that its author, the late
able physician, was himself deprived of sight during
the last eight years of his life. We are told, in the