The Sun.
London, England, 1859-11-30 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

The Way of the World. By Alison Reid. 3 vols.
Hurst and Blackett.

This work is one out of the common in its style
and tenour. The difference betwen it and the ordi-
nary run of novels, does not consist so much in the
events as in the way they are described, and .there
is great power displayed in the sketching of some
of, the prominent characters. Alice Ilope, the
heroine, is avery interesting study for the reader, and
in her isolated life, in a gloomy o:d mansion, she
presents a mournful picture of a young maiden's
existence, at that :period which is generally the
u
brightest and gayest. Her uncle Rupert is a strange
man, who, notwithstanding his peculiarities, is evi-
dently well-meaning, and possessed of deep feeling,
but under adverse circumstances his better self had
been obscured. Alice, on taking up her abode with
him, might have effected much had it not been for
the inopportune arrival of her cousin Warren, who
was one of those wretched individuals who cast a
blight over every one and everything the came in
contact with. To complete the unhappy course of
events that militated against the peace and pro-
sperity of Hirst Hall. Warren, in his way, became
deeply attached to Alice, and on perceiving her re-
pugnance to him the sentiment changed to deadly
hatred, which soon sought out the means of
working an awful revenge. One bright episode in
Alice's sombre life was her visit to Sumnor Hall,
the home of her school friend, Helen Falkland.
The scenes here described are sketched in a brilliant
and graceful manner, and form a striking and pleas-
ing contrast to the dull monotony of Hirst Hall.
Arthur Leigh is one of the most skilfully pour-
ti eyed personages met with in the narrative. His
fitful course of action, his impassioned energy, con-
trasting with his haughty reserve, and his apparent
genuineness, followed by his false and hollow pro-
mises, are the apt illustration and the vivid record
of the way of some of the world's meteor stars. Alice,
in spite of the bitter suffering which his unworthy
conduct entailed upon her, met with a merciful re-
lease when their engagement was severed. She
had the sense and the courage to do so herself, and
thus most consulted her own dignity, while she
acted in the best way for the ultimate preservation
of her peace. It was an additional mortification to
her to find that she had been supplanted in
Arthur's momentary fancy by another of her early
friends, Lillian Graham. Lillian was extremely
lovely and eminently fascinating, and Arthur's ar-
tist eye was caught by her beauty, while his sensi-
tive taste was attracted by her unrivalled grace.
She appeared at Sumnor Hall at the time when he
had begun to question the propriety of his engage-
ment with Alice, to whom he was in reality sin-
cerely attached, as far his volatile nature would
permit. It was an attachment that finally asserted
itself when too late to cause aught but misery.
Years after, when he had long been married to Lil-
lian, it was the cause of their fatal quarrel, and her
early death. Alice who had long outlived her
affection for one so unworthy of respect as Arthur,
was near to console the last hours of her early
friend, and to point to the erring husband and wife
the way to attain a more excellent and enduring
peace than the trifling vanities to which they had
so long sacrificed themselves, could ever bestow.
Alice had many severe trials to undergo after she
had parted with her gay friends at, glamor, the
direful schemes of Warren encompassed her, and
she had a narrow escape from a most fearful fate.
In an evil hour Harry, the young brother of Alice,
returned from college in debt and disgrace ; the
stern and inflexible Rupert refused to see him or
render any assistance. Alice was nearly distracted
and Warren, pretending friendship, came to the
rescue, a severe illness kept Alice a prisoner some
time, and when she again sought her brother his
ruin had been effected. Led on from step to step
he passed from gambling to forging a cheque on
the firm of his uncle in which Warren was a
partner. This was the victory which that crafty
man had fought for, and he soon enforced a consent
to their union from the wretched sister, as the only
means to preserve the brother from infamy. Hap-
pily, the sacrifice was not made, and the despicable
villain was stayed in his sinful course by a power
against which he could not contend. A
sudden death removed the unlisFpy Harry
from the life he had so misused, but
sad as the event was, it came more as a summons of
mercy, than a message of terror. His sister, while
she wept over the account sent her of his last
moments by the friend who was alone with him in
the solitary hut far away in the back woods of
America, acknowledged that he had been taken
away from more evil to come. None of the terrors
lie had undergone could have equalled the pang of
remorse that would henceforth have been his doom
had he lived to feel that his selfish course of crime
had consigned his sister a living death. These
scenes of vital import in the chapters of life's his-
tory are chronicled in a manner consonant with the
subject, and the author in descanting on some of
those terrible questions that must be decided, and
some of those awful hours that must be passed
through in such trials, rises to the height that is
due. The chief excitement of the story is over
when the death of „Harry has renewed the power
of the enemy, and the concluding passages of the
story are of a simpler style. Alice was, after a
long period, united to Geerge Beresford, who had
been her uncle's physician, and who possessed
qualities of sterling excellence which far out-
weighed more brillant endowments and more
shining abilities. Alice had suffered enough
from the vascillations of Arthur Leigh, the careless
disposition of her brother, and, above all, she had
seen so much evidence of the want of principle in
Warren that she, of all others, could appreciate
and prize the appearance of conscientious actions
and upright feelings. Beresford had on many mo-
mentous occasions been of signal service to her, but
the machinations of Warren had interfered to de-
teriorate the influence for good which the honest
man might have exercised over Harry. " The
Way of the World" possesses many merits in its
various personages, exciting events, and 'striking
style to attract and interest its readers. There are
minor individuals who are ably delineated, as Miss
Ross, May Leslie, and Mrs. Mountain and her
daughters. The designs of these notable ladies
form an amusing portion of the earlier part of the
story, and Rupert did well to escape their danger-
ous plans for his welfare. There can be no doubt
that the great ability manifested in this work will
ensure it a considerable degree of attention, and
those who do not like the peculiar style of the events
so much as a lighter class of fiction, will acknow-
ledge its efficiency of excution and vigorous and
animated sketches of social life, and divers charac-
ters.

7.111 S DAYS MARKETS.

The arrivals of English wheat fresh up to-day were
_ _ _

limited ; but there were several of Monday's unsold sam
-
pies on offer. The attendance of millers was very mode-
rate, and the demand for all kinds of wheat of home pro-
duce ruled heavy, at Monday's decline in value.

In foreign wheat, the show of which was good, very little
business was passing on former terms. Floating cargoes a
dull inquiry.
We had a fair inquiry for barley at full currencies.
Thore was a steady, though not to say active, inquiry
for malt, at late quotations.
Oats were in iair request, at previous rates. •
Beans sold heavily, but peas were firm in price.
Flour moved off slowly, on former terms.

ARRIVALS THIS WEEK
Wheat. Barley Malt. Oats Flour.
English . 610 ( 1,220 ' 346 . 1,390
Irish
Foreign 6O 3,790 40
1

sks
bls.

BOROUGH HOP.
'Weald of Kent and Sussex hops are producing rather
more money; but other qualities are a slow inquiry.

WHITECHAPEL.

The trade generally is steady, as follows :

Beef, from 2s 10d to 4s Gd ; mutton, 3s 2d to 48.6 d ;
lamb, Os Od to Os Od ; veal, 3s 8d to 4s 8d ; and pork, 3s
4d to 5s 2d per 81b., by the carcase.

An account was given in April last of a woman,
named,Nicocles, of Marseilles, having been found murdered
in her own house, and of the drawers and closets having
been broken open, and all the articles of value which they
contained stolen. The woman had received two iortal
stabs, ono from a stiletto in the side, and the other from a
sword in the back. Two Greek sailors (the woman her-
self was Greek) having been seen near the house just before
the crime must have been committed, and having also been.
seen hurrying away from it shortly after, were suspected,
but they could not be found. A few days after, how-
ever, a jeweller inforxied the police that a Greek
sailor whom he knew, of the name of Minasganiskis,
had offered to him for sale a ring with stones of dif-
ferent colours ; also part of a chain and part of a
gold chatelaine, and that he had detained them from the
belief that they might he part of the booty taken from the
house of the murdered woman. The articles were recog-
nised as having belonged to the woman, and accordingly
the Greek was arrested. He pretended that it was a ship-
mate of his, named Mikalopoultia, who had murdered the
woman, and given him the things to induce him not to tell.
Not only, however, was this story improbable, but a short
sword belonging to him (Minasganikis), which was similar
to that with which the woman appeared to have been
stabbed, was found in his lodgings. Shortly after
Mikalopoulos was arrested, and in his possession
were found fragments of a chain and of a chatelaine,
which were evidently part of those offered to the jeweller;
likewise a ring, which was recognised as the woman's pro-
perty, was found on him. In addition to these facts per-
sons who had seen the two Greeks enter and leave the
woman's said that the two persons exactly resembled them.
Three days bark the men were brought to trial for the mur-
der before the Court of Assizes of Marseilles, and being con-
victed with extenuating circumstances, were sentenced i•
hard labour for life.