The Sun.
London, England, 1866-10-23 00:00:00

HER MAJESTY

BALmoRAL, Saturday.
The Queen, accompanied by Prince and Princess
Christian, and attended by the Duchess of Rox-
burghe, went to the Lynn of Quoich.

Princess Louise rode in the morning, attended by
the lion. Emily Cathcart.

Prince Arthur left the Castle for the Ranger's
Lodge, Greenwich, attended by Major Elphinstone.

LITERATURE.

- llf - -

The Beggar's Benison; or a Hero without a Name,
but with an Aim. A Clydesdale Story. Illustrated
by upwards of 300 amateur pen-and-ink sketches.

Two vols. Cassell, Fetter,-and Galpin.
This book, with its serio-comic grotesque illus-
trations, takes its stand upon that narrow and pre-
carious limit which exists between the sublime and
the ridiculous. On first opening the book, and
casting a cursory glance at its very profuse and,
in some instances, preposterous illustrations, we
are inclined to regard it as an amusing jets
d'esprit simply intended to be looked at and
laughed at, and cast aside—but on a closer examina-
tion we find the story has a cogency and character
which give it interest, and the sketches (although
some of them utterly absurd) have at all events a
purpose, and are occasionally enlivened by no small
degree of humour. The story opens in the Goose-
dubbs of Glasgow some time in the last century, and
tho picture of life in that dismal locality (so graphi-
cally described by the Shepherd in the Noctes) is
very effective. The first event which occurs vividly to
the remembrance of the hero, who is his own
annalist, is sufficiently momentous. The earliest
recollection of his melancholy childhood finds him a
little ragged child, with his little step-sister cower-
ing over a wretched fire in a miserable den in the
Goosedubs ; his mother and step-father complete
the party. By the orders of this dreadful,
father the children are hurried off to bed,
ere the arrival of a certain brother burglar
with whom he is about to depart on some expedi-
tion of iniquity. Fortune, for a time, favours the
ad ienture ; the next day plenty and rejoicing take
the place of starvation and care. A crowd of
suitable companions congregate to carouse, and an
old beldame pronounces a prophetic "Benison" upon
the young hero. Very soon the scene changes.
En the dead of the night the officers of justice
arrive, and the elders of the party are carried off
to prison. All these incidents, and the yet more
startling ones that follow, are described with con-
siderable interest and ability. The hapless children
wander about the streets. One of the most effective
illustrations is that which reveals their meeting in
the dark night with their mother, just liberated from
prison. The scene at the gallows, which is very
vividly portrayed, is full of horror, but, the writer
assures us, full of truth. We do not propose to fol-
low the varied fortunes and misfortunes of the hero.
His sailor father, supposed to be dead, returns from
sea, and after many troubles, his worldly prospects
improve. But as he rises in the social scale we lose
our sympathy for the hero. Prosperity turns his
head and hardens his heart. His conduct
to his father and mother is so outrageous that
we cannot but regard the sequel of the story as
contrary to all the rules of poetical justice. No
Beggar's Benison could bring good luck to one so
utterly oblivious of the Commandment with Pro-
mise. Nevertheless—however we may disapprove
of the conduct of the hero without a name—we have
been sufficiently interested in the story, and hope
again to meet with the writer, who has evidenced
considerable power and ability in his characters and
descriptions.

Agricultural Prospects.

This -week opened with a rather more unsettled
appearance, rain having fallen during the previous
night, but the day held up, and no more wet until
the evening. On Monday the morning was cold
and bracing, the thy proved fine ; wind northerly:;
thermometer 48 degs. early, and 52 at mid-day ;
barometer up 30.10 inches. Field work would pro-
gress somewhat extensively, and the remnants of
harvest in the late districts of England be gathered
in to some extent, with the spring-sown beans going
up in as good condition as the winter_sown secured
earlier. In Scotland progress was also made, in
better condition than the grain was secured pre-
viously. Tuesday morning was thick and foggy,
after a slight white frost, and the day was favour-
able for autumnal tillage. Our advices on that day
from the West Riding of Yorkshire were :—" The
weather since Sunday morning has been fine and
sharp during the days, with very cold foggy nights,
even down to freezing point, as was the case this
morning, when•there was ice in the gardens where
the moisture remained from Saturday evening's
rain." From the East Riding of the same county :
" Weather since our last has been remarkably fine
and dry, and farmers aro now busily occupied in
preparing the laud for autumn sowing. The
agricultural markets are consequently only scantily
supplied with home grown produce, and this is likely
to be the case until seed time is over." From Lan-
cashire it was stated : " The weather continua
favourable. The remnants of harvest are being
gathered up in all directions, and the land is at length
getting into order for planting another crop of
wheat. The prospects of the farmer may thus be
regarded as favourable in the outset, and the coming
year may compensate in some measure for the clis'-
asters which have been suffered during the past two
months." From Northumberland it was written
"The weather was dry but dull up to Saturday even"
ing, when some rain fell; since then it has been very
fine and frosty. The wind has varied from N.E. to
S.W. and N.W." Wednesday was a fine sunny dal',
but everything that the farmers could wish. From
Scotland our advices stated, on that day, " The
weather has been fine from Friday to yesterday fore-
noon, when heavy rain again set in. On Thursday
we had a thorough change in the weather. Rain se
in at 8 a.m., and lasted all day, putting a complete
stop to field work, though this would prove service-
able to the heavy lands, which had been hardened
by the frost after having been ploughed, and
could not be harrowed. Our advices on that daY
from Stowmarket runs thus : " We have now pure
autumn weather, and farmers are all busily engaged
in field operations. The attendance at our markets
this week was consequently not large." From Wor-
cestershire it was stated: "The weather has con-
tinued very fine during the week, and farmers have
been busy preparing the land for wheat sowing;
To-day we have had several hours of cold ram.
Friday was a damp morning, with rain in the after-
noon, and no field work could go on. From the
East Riding of Yorkshire it was observed, "The
weather is remarkably fine, and farmers are unct
busily engaged with autumn sowing, which has thes,
far proceeded under the most favourable auspices.
From the West Riding our advices were merely
thus, " Potatoes are much complained of ; turnip?,
good ; plenty of scope for judgment this year.
Saturday was a thick, dull, and damp day, but with-
outc any rain. The worst now may be conjectured
of the disastrous harvest, a long and very expensive
one ; but, as the corn trade has at last been roused'
and prices of every description of grain gone
con-
siderably higher than at the same period for tb,,
last four years, it is to be hoped that the farmers
will be in some degree recompensed for the anxiety
cf the past two months. The present aspect of tu,
' trade is more encouraging, so that the French having
come come again to the rescue, taking some of the fines
wheats for both seed and the millers, if this derea
goes on prices will not stop even where they are''-
, Mark Lane Express.

MR. FORSTER, M.P.—(By Electric TelegraPn'l
—Bradford, Monday Night. Mr. Forster addressed °',l;
assembly of nearly 3,000 of his constituents in St. 6101.5(3,,,,
Hall this evening. His whole address was devoted to t'-f
discussion of the Reform question, and in illustration °f
°
3
the policy, the wisdom, and the justice of the House i 0
Commons at once settling the question, which blocked t.,0
way to other reforms, by the adoptiou of a comprehensl'
measure of Parliamentary reform.