The Sun.
London, England, 1859-07-04 00:00:00

Irritated by the jests and taunts of the intoxicated
O'Kelly, Fitzgerald suddenly attacks him, and is as
suddenly shot dead by his opponent. Marietta
loses her reason, the murderer disappears, and thus
briefly closes the record of the fortunes of the last
of the Stuarts. The writer of " The Seasoit
Ticket" continues his discursive meditations, and
ponders on the special characteristics of English
absentees and Yankee tourists. He gives an
amusing specimen of a war of words between one
of the latter class and a friend of his :
" A friend of mine lately steamed up the Thames with
one of these gentry when he was in one of these agreeable
moods. When they arrived off Woolwich he pointed to a
line of battle-ship anchored there, and said, What do you
call that ?' That is the Dreadnought,' was the reply, 'an
old man-of-war, but now used as a receiving ship." Ah,'
he said, we raise cabbages in the States as big as that
thing.
"Proceeding farther up the river they came opposite to
the Leviathan, which was just ready to be launched, when
he put a similar question as to her. ' What do you call
that ?" That,' said my friend, is a great iron kettle we
are building to boil the Yankee cabbages in.' Stranger,'
he replied, with a loud laugh. I guess you weren't born in
the woods, to be scared by an owl, was you? Well; that ere
ship is as big as all out doors, that's a fact.' "
" The Old Sea Lion" is the title of a sketch of the
nautical career of the Earl of Dundonald, better
known as Lord Cochrane. The poetical contribu-
tions of this month are scarcely equal to the ave-
rage of the verses in the Dublin University.

Fraser's Magazine.
An elaborate
,paper on stammering, its causes
and its cure, opens this number of Fraser, It is
called " The Irrationale of Speech," and enters
very fully into the subject. Much is said on the
force of habit and imitation, and the writer severely
censures the unjust severity with which children
who do not speak readily are often treated. The
impatience with which they are often asked

" Why cannot you speak like other people," he I
stigmatises as most unjust. The sufferer would
give the world to be able to speak like other
people, but capricious and impatient harshness will
never make him do so. There is much truth and
good sense in these observations, which are well
woi thy of the notice of anyone who is the victim
of this defect, and of those who have the care of
stammering children, although it is rather a lugu-
brious subject for a magazine. A memorial paper •• ;
on Alexander Von Humbolt traces the career of
the great pioneer of modern natural philosophy.
" Holmby House" is continued with spirit, and intro-
duces the stern and inflexible Cromwell, who is moved
by the tears and entreaties of beautiful Mary Cave
to grant the release of the doomed cavalier. The
"Notes on the National Drama of Spain," are pro-
ceeded with, and discusses the plays of Cervantes
and Lope de Vega, besides examining the peculiar
features of the Spanish dramatic school. A curious
and interesting paper treats of " War in general,
and Modern French Wars in particular." It fol-
lows the course of the French arms, and points out
how little any of their brilliant military achieve-
ments have gained for them. Reverses, remarks the
writer, seem fated to follow French successes, and
great as have been the abilities of French generals
and leaders, and brilliant as have been their
feats of arms, the great body of the French people
have reaped little substantial profit from their vic-
tories. " Sword and Gown" is continued With in-
terest. The two chief characters are ably drawn,
and the haughty and inscrutable Royston Keene,
and the proud Cecil Tresilyan are well matched.
The style is animated and vigorous, with, perhaps,
a little too much aiming at effect. The expunging
of a few words, the turn of two or three phrases,
would refine and elevate the style without making
it less forcible. " Thoughts on Modern English
Literature" is the interesting title of an interesting
paper. The author is evidently well versed in our
modern literature, and writes like one who is capa-
ble of appreciating its merits. But though we occa-
sionally admire the wit and wisdom of his remarks,
we differ entirely from the results of much of his
criticism. He is somewhat extreme and positive
in his opinions, in many of which he will have few
supporters. For instance, he ranks Scott's poetry
high above his novels, he speaks with measureless
contempt of Bulwer's three last novels, two of which
are usually ranked among his best works; he styles
" Jane Eyre" the best novel of the century, and
regards " Wuthering Heights," "considering its
authorship, as the greatest intellectual prodigy the
world has seen !" We should not have expected
su?,h extravagance from a writer who is acquainted
with a wide range of literature. After this we need
not be surprised to find him enthusiasticallypraising
Mr. Carlyle's English. Some of his remarks are
juster and more worthy of attention. His com-
parison of the three historians is ingenious, and
his observations on biography and works of travel
are for the most part correct and forcible. In his
strictures upon Mrs: Browning's writings, too, her
warmest admirers must confess there is much truth.
The coarseness, the irreverence, the absurdity into
which a writer with much of the feeling and all the
vigour of a true poet is betrayed by her ceaseless
straining after originality and effect is proved b v a
very few lines of extract. If Mrs. Browning had
not imagined herself, or been persuaded that she
was, a first-rate poet, she would have been an ad-
mirable writer of the secondary order. Half the
care she has taken in finding strong epithets and
elaborate originalities, had it been bestowed on the
refinement and correction of her style, would have
raised her to a high tank in English literature. In.
her fear of being too feminine in her writings she
has passed to the opposite extreme, and forfeited
the refinement, the delicate touches, and the mea-
sured music of real poetry. The essay closes with
a half promise of a future treatise on plays and
play writers. " A Visit to Mount Ararat" gives a
brief account of an excursion to the mountain of
the Ark, and a short article on " The New Ad-
ministration" cannot find much to say is their
favour.

Bentley's Miscellany.
" Here and There" is the title of brief re-
sume of the present state of affairs in politics
and literature. It is followed by a light and
amusing love story by the author who writes
under the curious cognomen of " Ouida." His
tales certainly do not display any extraordi-
nary ability,-and a strong likeness exists between
his heroes and heroines, but they are lively and
entertaining, and the reader of Bentley does not
generally seek for solid and intrinsic merit. An
episode in Italian history follows, telling the for-
tunes of Francesco Novello di Carrara. The
opening pages give a picture of the state of
Italy during the close of the fourteenth century
that is worth perusal, especially at the present
period. Walter Thornbury furnishes a some-
what ' gloomy and mysterious ballad relative to
the proceedings of Vidocq, the great French de-
tective, in securing a gang of ruffians who used
to go about at night in disguise and torture the
farmers into yielding their money. The poem in.
question is meant to describe the sudden seizure
of one of these " Chauffeurs" as they-were called,
but why the author has made the thunderstorm
the chief feature in the ballad, when it effects no
Particular purpose, we are unable to surmise.
Monkshood, forsaking the particular for the gene-
ral, devotes himself this month to the considera-
tion of the merits and demerits of the historical
novel. Wise men and good critics have recorded
very opposite opinions on it, which are quoted and
contrasted in the essay before us. Sir Walter Scott
(and who had a better right), brought forward
some strong arguments in ,favour of this descrip-
tion of literature. The article is interesting and
will gratify the reader of literary tastes. " The
Maze," is the title of a story which, under another
name continues the fortunes of Blanche Level. It
takes its title from the country house of the
Levels, but it would have as good a right
t 9 it from the intricacy and mystery
of the story. A paper on Italy in 1848 traces the
events of that memorable year in the Italian penin-
sula, and indignantly denounces the conduct of the
Milanese towards the brave Charles Albert.
" Romance and Reality " is the title of a paper
which is enough to deter any English reader from
improving his acquaintance with continental ro-
mance. The general tone and tenour of Parisian
novels are unfortunately familiar to most readers
on this side of the Channel ; but the special evil of ,
those here criticised is the introduction of persons
well known in Parisian circles who have recently
passed into the grave. The introduction of the
living into works of such a character cannot be too
much deprecated; what, then, can be said when
the individual so presented in the scenes of reck-
less dissipation has heard the eternal summons ?
Other circumstances combine to render'the work
censured most objectionable in its character, while
the weary routine of sentiment and suicide,
the contemptible sophistry and heartless immora-
lity with which this class of works usually favours
us, can hardly impose upon the most unreflective.
It is impossible to estimate the evil influences of
such a literature, or rather of the state of domestic
society which can tolerate it. What wonder should
scepticism take the place of faith, should a sturdy
love of national freedom be replaced by an enthu-
siasm for military glory ? what deep and earnest
feeling, what brave and honest ambition can.
flourish in such an atmosphere ? Following this
criticism is a paper on " Our National Defences,"
upholding the almost unanimous opinion of the
country on the necessity of naval armaments. The
indefatigable Dudley Costello has resumed his pen,
and commences a new story under the title of
" Gurney ; or, the Two Fortunes."

The New Monthly Magazine.
An article on " Germany and the War" takes
a full and careful view of the position of
Prussia and the German States, and the atti-