The Sun.
London, England, 1859-12-19 00:00:00

Seven Years, and Other Tales. By Julia Kavanagh,
author of "Nathalie," " The Two Sicilies," 8: c.

Three Vols. Hurst and Blaekett.

These volumes cannot fail to prove attractive to
readers, on account of their variety and the skill
which is displayed in their construction. " Seven
Tears" is the title of the first tale. It is not so

lively as the others, but there is more feeling in it,
Fanny, the little heroine, is a charming young girl,
and there is something really touching in her
cheerful endeavours to promote the happiness of
those by whom she is surrounded, while she is
called upon to sacrifice herself for the it good. The
characters of Madame la Roche and her two old
servants are well done. These three women had
grown old together after a sort of vegetable exis-
tence. Charlotte and Marie are very well sketched
in their different ways, and Fanny was certainly a
martyr between them. In many of the other stories
there is much to entertain. " The Cheap Excursion"
is ono of the best comic sketches, and it is ludicrous
in the extreme to follow the silly old couple in their
devious conrse, fruitlessl:7 endeavouring to make the
day an economical one. Their last exploit was to climb
up behind a fiacre, fancying they would get home ;
but when they got down after nightfall, they were
landed in Versailles instead of Paris. The adven-
tures of the Jasmin family are also enter-
taining, and the miseries of their splendid
apartments were almost az severe as the
annoyances experienced through the restric-
tions of poverty. The crowning mishap was
that they had to get into their bed-room through
an upper window in their drawing-room door,
which was a performance more distinguished for
agility than conducive to comfort. " The Troubles
of a Quiet Man" reveal how much confusion may
occur in consequence of acceding too readily to
everybody's request. The simple individual here
mentioned was very much to be pitied for the end-
less mischances that supervened on his most harm-
less pleasures. "An Excellent Opportunity" is a very
striking instance of the way in which some of the
cleverest sharpshooters sometimes overreach them-
selves. The man for whom the hero had purchased
an annuity, thinking he could not live a month,
recovered his health, and threatened to outlive
himself. " Young France" demonstrates the foolish
extremes to which young men often carry their
fantastic ideas of reforming society, when reform
ought, in the first place, to be done at home.
Although these volumes will not bear comparison
with the more elaborate productions of this autho-
ress, they will be found very deserving of atten-
tion, and the circumstance of all the tales being
French is in itself an agreeable variety. They
give a good insight into the manners and customs
of our continental neighbours, and the various
sketches of human nature in the different scenes
and strange events here chronicled are most ably
depicted. Altogether, the work will most probably
meet with the approval of its readers.

De la _Rue's Indelible _Diary and Memorandum
Book for 1860. ne la Rue's Red Letter Diary
for 1860. De la Rue and Co. London.
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