The Sun.
London, England, 1866-04-07 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY EVENING, APRIL 7, 1866.9

LITERATURE.

The Life and Letters of Lady Arabella Stuart.
With numerous original and unpublished Docu-
ments. By Elizabeth Cooper, author of " A
Popular History of America." 2 vols. Hurst
and Blackett.

An enthralling chapter of the romance of his-
tory chronicles the fortunes, or rather we should
say the misfortunes, of Arabella Stuart. This
hapless lady, after a long imprisonment, expiated
by a death in prison, her only crime, the inherit-
ance of the name of Stuart, a name almost inva-
riably synonymous with misfortune. This inte-
resting history has been recorded in a most inte-
resting manner by the talented authoress of a
popular history of America. With a skilful hand
she has selected and presented to us numerous
hitherto unpublished documents relating to the
unfortunate subject of her memoir, and in so doing
she has with a graphic pencil pourtrayed to us the
domestic life and manners of the period. Thus we
find the early days of Arabrila, which were passed
at Hardwick Hall, under the care of the Earl and
Countess of Shrewsbury, minutely particularised.
At seven in the morning breakfast was served to
the royal lady in her own apartment-,—a right
royal apartment hung with rich tapestry.
This broakast was sufficiently substantial, consisting
of " Half a loaf of household bread, a manchet, or
loaf of the finest flour, a quart of ale, and a chicken
or sonic broiled bones." Prayers followed, and then
the studious maiden devoted herself to her books.
Languages formed the chief object of her studies—
Latin especially—but French, Italian, and Spanish
were likewise taught her, grammatically and conver-
sationally. She had also to study the Greek Testa-
ment, and Plato in the original, to receive lessons on
the lute and virginals, which, with instruction in
spinning and embroidery, " physick," surgery, con-
fectionery, and " herbs" must have given her enough
to do. Dinner was served an hour before noon
with great state and ceremony. The rest of the
day was spent in hunting, or in various games and
pastimes within doors—interrupted only by the
supper at seven, and prayers in the chapel at ten—
af ter which the household separated for the
night. Thus tranquilly passed the early days
of the unhappy Arabella Stuart. The vicissi-
tudes of her after career, fluctuating between
a palace and a prison, are very faithfully depicted.
Sad indeed is the termination to her brief dream of
happiness, and with regretful sympathy the reader
of this very interesting narrative closes the last
volume which records the fate of Arabella Stuart.

Drafts on My Memory. By Lord William Pitt

. -
Lennox. Two Vols. Chapman and Hall.

A pleasant gossipping book of anecdote and re-
miniscence, relating, as the author tells us, to Men
he has known, Things he has seen, and Places he
has visited. These Men and Things and Places are
for the most part well deserving of remembrance,
the Men including in their number the names of
Wellington, Byron, Kemble, Brumwell, Theodore
Hook, Sir Robert Peel, Count d'Orsay, Sydney
Smith, Cardinal Fesch, Grimaldi, O'Connell, Sheil,
Talleyrand, and others.
As a specimen of some of the amusing Things in
particular Places pleasantly described to us, let us
take almost at random the following examples of
what the author justly denominates, "My Own
Prowess" :

An aquatic deed of my own caused me no little Arid ,
though it is scarcely fair to mention it after such achieve
ments. I was staying with Ball Hughes at a villa ho had
for the summer, on the banks of the gentle Mole, near
Esher. Wo had all been at Epsom Races, and were dusty
and hot. While lounging on the lawn before dressing,
I remarked what a luxury it would be to have a
swim. " Can you swim ?" asked my host. " Pretty
well," I replied. " I'll bet you fifty pounds," continued
he, "that you do not jump in head foremost as you
are, swims to that tree and back in five minutes." •' I sup-
pose if I say done," I replied, "I may take off my hat, and
leave my watch in your possession." "I agree to the latter,
not to the former. Is it a bet ?" "It is." "George,"
said the Golden Ball, addressing the late Sir George Womb-
well, "you must be timekeeper. When William Lennox
is ready, you must give the word. lle must take a header,
swim for that willow tree, touch its branches, and return
in five minutes." The word was given, I plunged in
head foremost, and found myself regularly " bo.meted"
under the water, as my hat had slipped down over my face.
In a second or two I raised it, swam out, reached the goal,
touched the willow, and was back at the starting-place
with a minute to spare. In less time than I can take to
record it, I ran up to my bed-room, took off my drenched
garments, got between two blankets, and was down at
dinner wonderfully refreshed in body, and still more in
mind by the "refresher" of fifty pounds, which I found
under my napkin. Since that period I have never caught
a glimpse of the sluggish Mole without being reminded of
my aquatic feat.

I was equally successful in winning another wager from
" The Golden Ball." The late Earl Fitzhardingo had made
me a present of a splendid old hunter, called Goliah,
whose wind was too much touched for a gallop, but who
was perfect at a walk or a gentle trot, and as a fencer. One
day 1 was driving him in a tilbury in Hyde-park, where,
from his beauty and symmetry, he was the admiration of
all. Ball Hughes noticed him. " What a hunter he would
make !" said he. "Ho was one of the best in the world,"
I responded ; " and oven now ho would leap almost any
fence in the country ; wonderful too at timber ; ho would
fly over those railings." This was an allusion to some
high wooden railings that then enclosed the park. " I'll
bet you five pounds," said the exquisite, " that he does
not." "Done," said I; "I will do it to-morrow." "Oh,
no," it must be done at once. The bet I propose is, that
you have him taken out of the tilbury, and without saddle
clear the highest rail in the park, in a sporting manner.
" Done," said I, " with this stipulation, that as the
rails aro equally high near Kensington Gardens, you
select one there, so as to be out of the way of the horse-
men and carriages." "Agreed," he said, "and Fred Fitz
Clarence shall be the umpire." Fitz Clarence, Ball Hughes,
his friend Lloyd, and myself, proceeded to the spot, whore
I took Goliah out of the tilbury, fastened his traces over
his loins, undid the bearing rein, got a "lift" on, and
charged tho rail, retaking the leap back again into the
road. " Fairly won," declared the umpire ; " that animal
would be worth four hundred pounds if his wind was
sound."

In justice to Lord William it must be observed
that he generally prefers relating the prowess of
others. His anecdotes are singularly varied, and
excessively amusing, and a vein of good humour
runs throughout the whole work.

Lost and Found : A Temperance Tale. S. W.
Partridge.

This is a very interesting little story, which
vividly and naturally depicts the evil effects of in-
temperance. It is supposed to be related by one who
nearly fell a victim to the evil habit which she
describes. The enduring affection of the unhappy
William Warder invests even his character with a
passing interest, and the trials and temptations of
the heroine Louisa are very truthfully described.
It is a little work that is likely to do good:

Little Foxes. By Mrs. Beecher Stowe. One Vol.,
pp. 188. Author's Edition. Bell and Daldy.
" Little Foxes, or the insignificant little habits
which mar domestic happiness," are the subjects
of these very delightful and instructive sketches.
The title is suggested by the text—" Take us the
foXes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines ; for our
vines have tender grapes." The little foxes that
spoil the tender grapes in the domestic vineyard of
Home—" those unsuspected, unwatched, insignifi-
cant little causes that nibble away domestic happi-
ness," are here very dexterously transfixed by the
potent pen of the popular authoress. The foxes
entrapped in this volume are seven in number,
namely—" Fault-finding," " Irritability," " Re-
pression," " Self-will," " Intolerance," " Discour-
teousness," and " Exactingness." The same truth
so happily sung by Moore—

" A something light as air, a look,
A word unkind or wrongly taken,
Oh ! love that never tempests shook
A word or touch like this has shaken "

this universal truth is very effectively illustrated in
Mrs. Stowe's very charming volume. These sketches
are not in the form of didactic essays; they consist
for the most part of anecdotes and examples inter-
woven into interesting tales. It is a book that is
well deserving of perusal.

The Day-Star Prophet. By Mrs. Alfred Allnutt.

Hurst and Blackett.

This beautiful little poem, dedicated to the
memory of St. John the Baptist, the " Day-Star
Prophet," describes, in strains of simple eloquence
and deep feeling, the " Advent," the " Prepara-
tion," the " Vocation," and the " Martyrdom" of