The Sun.
London, England, 1861-05-24 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

The Poetical Works of Henry Wadsworth Long-
fellow. Including his translations and notes,
illustrated with twenty-four engravings on wood
from designs by Birket Foster, John Gilbert, G.
H. Thomas, John Absolon, &c., &c. Henry G.
Bohn, York-street, Covent-garden.
This is an elegant edition of one of the most de-
lightful poets of our generation, whose works are
ever potent, to charm, to influence, and to impress,
who makes no pretensions to display, and affects
no mystical grandeur of diction, but who has caught
somewhat of the heaven-born spirit that is the
vital breath, the native air of Poetry. Evangeline
is the first subject met with, and it is a well-known
legend by many a hearth, where it is a source of
mingled interest and sadness, and leaves behind it
in the memory a lingering echo as
" Lengthened sweetness long drawn out."
The " 'Voices of the Night" contain some of the
choicest of the author's lyrics. Here we meet with
the inimitable "Psalm of Life," that contains no
epitome of the just man's existence, of the path he
treads, that like the shining light is bright and
brighter to the perfect day. Here, too, we find the
beautiful poem, " The Reaper and the Flowers,"
that if words can ever avail to soothe or soften grief,
may be cited as one of the best of poetic illustra-
trations of the happy fate of the innocents who are
taken away. "It was for the Lord of Paradise, He
bound them in his sheaves." No better explanation
could be given of their gain to the parents who
mourn their loss. "Flowers" is another charming
piece ; and the "Footsteps of Angels" is a truly
poetic imagining, when the dreamer sees at Vivi'
light hour the spirits of the departed,—
" He the young and strong who cherished,
Noble longings for the strife
By the wayside fell and perished
Weary with the march of life,
And with them, the being beauteous
Who unto my youth was given,
More than all things else to love me
And is now a Saint in Heaven."
Some verses peculiarly appropriate at the present
time is that entitled " The Warning" in the
" Poems on Slavery." It is powerfully expressed
and replete with solemn truths that should speak
to the bigoted and benighted rulers of slaves in
words of fire, and show them as the handwriting
on the wall, the danger of their desperate course
and its ultimate doom.
THZ WARNING.
Beware I The Israelite of old who tore
The lion in his path,—when, poor and blind,
He saw the blessed light of heaven no more,
Shorn of his noble strength and forced to grind
In prison, and at last led forth to be
A pander to Philistine revelry,—
Upon the pillars of the temple laid
His desperate hands, and in its overthrow
Destroyed himself, and with him those who made
A cruel mockery of his sightless woe;
The poor blind Slave, the scoff and jest of all,
Expired, ani thousands perished in the fall I
There is a poor blind Samson in this land,
Shorn of his strength and bound in bonds of steel,
Who may, in some grim revel, raise his hand,
And shake the pillars of this Commonweal,
Till the vast Temple of our liberties
A shapeless mass of wreck and rubbish lies.

The New Examen ; or, An Inquiry into the
Evidence belating to Certain Passages in Lord
Macaulay's History. By John Paget, Barrister-
at-law. William Blackwood and Sons, Edin-
burgh.
These essays are five in number, and they are
as follows—" The Duke of Marlborough," " The
Massacre of Glencoe," " The Highlands of Scot-
land," "Viscount Dundee," and "William Penn." It
is desirable to extract the following passage from the
dedication :—" The following essays were, with the
exception of the one on Viscount Dundee, published
during the lifetime of the eminent historian to whose
writings they refer." Having noticed most of these
papers as they appeared in the pages of Blackwood's
Magazine, it is not necessary to comment upon
them now, and it will suffice to mention that they'
are all written with great ability and display con-
siderable research. Many readers may be
gratified at having an opportunity of perusing
these essays in a collected form, and therefore this
little volume will doubtless be well received, and
considered as an advantageous addition to the
critical works of the day. The author pays a just
tribute to the merits of the late Lord Macaulay,
which is satisfactory to meet with, as it proves that
these strictures are not penned by one who is
actuated by prejudice, nor unmindful of the high
reputation of the subject of his criticisms, who was
unsurpassed in many of his attempts and unequalled
in others, while his name is indelibly stamped on
the page that chronicles those who belong to all
time. His errors may deserve the censure of critics
in some cases, but his many excellences will far out-
weigh them in the judgment of the discerning
intellects who now peruse his works, and this
opinion will doubtless bo ratified by their descen-
dents to the range of a remote posterity.

Sylvan }dolt's Daughter, By Holme Lee, author
of " Kathie Brande," etc., etc. A New Edition.
Smith and Elder.

This is another of the cheap editions of works of
merit that is being brought out by Smith and
Elder. It is written by an author whose produc-
tions have ever been favourably received by, the
public. Though not perhaps equal to Holme Lee's
earlier works " Sylvan Holt's Daughter" has much
to attract and interest the reader, and the character
of the warm-hearted and unsophisticated heroine
is fresh and original. We commend it to the notice
of all who prefer simple domestic narratives to
high-flown romance and extravagant tragedy.

THIS DAY'S MARKETS.

CORN EXCHANGE.

Notwithstanding that the supply of English wheat on
sale here to-day was on the usual limited scale, the trade,
generally, was in a very sluggish state. Fine parcels
realised Monday's quotations ; but inferior qualities sold at
irregular currencies.

We were well supplied with foreign wheat, and the trade
ruled heavy for all descriptions, at barely late rates.
Floating cargoes of grain were dealt in to a limited ex-
tent, at about previous quotations.

Malting barley was tolerably firm in value; but grinding
qualities were rather cheaper.

The malt trade was firm, and prices were fairly sup-
ported.

Oats, however, owing to the large importation, Were a
dull inquiry, and 6d. to Is. per quarter oheaper than 011
Monday last.

Beans maintain previous rates; but peas were a slow ins'
quiry, on former terms.

All kinds of flour moved off heavily, and prices had
downward tendency.

ARRIVALS THIS WEEK.
Wheat. Barley. Malt. Oats. Flour;
Eng1i5h........ 770 40 1 2,410 I
1,310
50 Lin
Irish
F0reign........ 33,110 4,790 47,710 f 270 sacks
40.780 brit.

NEWGATE AND LEADENHALL.
The supplies of meat on sale here are large, and, owing
to the unfavourable weather, the trade is in a sluggish state
at barely late rates.