The Sun.
London, England, 1859-01-18 00:00:00

in him, and he merely uttered a prophecy, since fulfilled—
" The time 'will come when you shall listen to me."
In a memoir of the life of the celebrated preacher, Robert
Hall, by Dr. Gregory, it is stated that when a student at
Bristol, he had to preach in his turn at Broadmead Chapel,
After proceeding a short time, he suddenly stopped,
covered his face, and exclaimed—" I have lost all my ideas,"
and sot down. The second attempt was a failure more
painful to witness. Hall tried again, and we know with
what success.

Among the instances of remarkable oratorical
ability, Sheridan, of course, finds a place. It may
be satisfactory to those who lament the backward-
ness of their children, to know that he whom Byron
called—

" The worthy rival of the wondrous three, •
Whose words were sparks of immortality;"
was considered at eight years old, by parent and
preceptor, an impenetrable dunce. An amusing,
if doubtful anecdote, is told of Sheridan's readiness
in debate :

Fiore his want of solid acquirements, Sheridan never
spoke without due preparation. Even his witty replies
which set the house in a roar, were not conceived on, nor
forgotten by, but kept in readiness for the occasion. Pitt,
therefore, guessed at the truth, when in replying, he spoke
of " his hoarded repartees and matured jests," for they were
found re4istered in Sheridan's common-place book, like the
eggs of insects, in different stages of development. The
following parliamentary incident is interesting in more
than one point of view.
"Lord Pdelgrave having clenched a speech in the House
of Commons with a long Greek quotation, Sheridan, in re-
ply, admitted the force of the quotation, so far as it went;
but,' said he, 'had the noble lord proceeded a little fur-
ther, and completed the passage, he would have seen that
it applied the other way.' Sheridan then spouted some-
thing, ore rotund°, which had all the ais, ous, kos, and kais,
that give the world assurance of a Greek quotation ; upon
which Lord Belgrave very promptly and handsomely com-
plimented the honourable member on his readiness of
recollection, and frankly admitted that he had overlooked
it at the moment when he gave his quotation. On the
breaking up of the house, Fox, who piqued himself on
having some Greek, went up to Sheridan, and asked him—
' Sheridan, how came you to be so ready with that passage ?
It is certainly as you say, but I was not aware of it before
you quoted it.' It is unnecessary to say that there was
no Greek at all in Sheridan's quotations.
All that can be said with regard to this spicy anecdote,
is, se non e vero, e ben trovato; if not true, it is well con-
ceived ; and if true, it gives but a sorry idea of the classical
lore of the house, in the classical age of British oratory.
The vocal powers of singers, preachers, lecturers,
&c. are canvassed, and sound advice given as to
the management and cultivation of the vocal
organs. It is a very useful manual, blending
science with simplicity.

The Kangaroo Hunters, or Adventures in the Bush.
By Anne Bowman, Author of " The Young
Exiles," &c. Routedge and Co.
Miss Bowman's works ,are so well known to
young readers, that a 'recommendation of them is
almost superfluous. To boys especially this volume
will be most fascinating. Its narratives of adven-
tures and exploits by sea and land, of perils by
shipwreck and convicts, of encounters with wild
beasts and with aboriginal inhabitants, combine to
produce a most varied and striking picture. The
very names of the numerous engravings are suffi-
cient to attract the young and adventurous reader.
We find among others, " Fight with the Kan-
garoos," "Attack of the Wild Bull," and " The
Wreck of the Crusoes,"—sufficiently suggestive
titles. The party originally set out on a mission to
India,but subsequent events induced them to change
their course for the wilds of Western Australia.
Many varied incidents are thus introduced, and the
work will be a welcome addition to the Christmas
library.

The New B 1 Dorado. By Ttiinahan Cornwallis,
author of " Howard Plunkett," &c. Newby.
The attention which has been recently turned
towards the desolate regions formerly occupied by
the Iludson'i Bay Company, willrender this volume
very acceptable. The author having been on the
spot is able to give some interesting particulars of
the aborigines, and of the general aspect of affairs
since. the discovery of gold. He also introduces an
account of California and Vancouver's Island. The
appendix gives in full:those Acts -of Parliament and
official letters referring to British Columbia. The
style is :rather high-flown, but the work contains
much information and entertainment, and the
reader will probably readily forgive a little
extravagance of style.

John Halifax, Gentleman.:By the author of " The
Head of the Family," &c. Fourth Edition.
Hurst and 131ackett.
The second volume of Messrs. Hurst and
Blackett's new series of reprints contains this
popular novel, whose success has been commensu-
rate with its merits. It is unnecessary to criticise
it : we need only commend the compact and
excellent form in which it is now presented to the