The Sun.
London, England, 1861-04-22 00:00:00

LITERA7URE.

Bermuda ; its llistory, Geology, Climate, Products
Agriculture, Commerce, and Government, with
flints to Invalids. By Theodore L. Godet,
Smith and Elder.

We are informed in the preface of this book that
its aim " is to give an historical account of the settle•
ment made by emigrants from England in Ber-
muda or Somer's Islands, and of the constitutional
establishment, internal government, and political
system maintained by Great Britain in these
Islands." Further on the author states this
un-
answerable reason for his efficiency for the task in
which he is engaged. "From having resided maul,
years in Bermuda, of which place I am a native,
presume to think that I am somewhat better quith-
fled to judge of the influence of climate and situation
on the disposition, temper, and intellect of the
inhabitants, than some of those writers who have
not had the same advantages." Those
who wish for a good general idea °I,
this place, such as may be gathered from the
recorded experience of one who is at home
with his subject, cannot do better than avail then'
selves of this opportunity of information. The
climate is described as most agreeable, being a
mean temperature, between that of the West Indies
and British North America, "partaking neither of
the extreme heat of the one nor the excessive coldi
of the other." It is stated that Bermuda would
prove very serviceable to those who are of delicate
constitution. These islands have only been visited
with yellow fever seven times in two centuries, and
are generally considered to be very healthy.
.11
the chapter on the " Government" of Bermuda it 1s
remarked how very strong are the distinctions and
how inveterate are the prejudices of party feeling.
" It is utterly impossible for any one unacquainted
with Bermuda to form an idea of the length t°
which party spirit is carried. It enters into the,,
most,private relations of life. A Tory and Radice'
are as distinct and have as little in common be-
tween them as if they were men not only of different
countries, but of countries hostile to each other.
The most admirable proposition that united wisdom
and patriotism ever contrived, if emanating from
one party, would be received with coldness by the i
other. In private society, too, the distinction s
very strangely marked—families of different parties
do not mingle, and even tradesmen find their CU!"
tom affected in a considerable degree by these poli-
tical divisions." It would be well if these colonists
would follow the example set them by those in high
places and distinguished positions at home. There
is nothing in which the good sense and fair play. of
Englishmen is more exhibited than in the free in-
tercourse and friendly association that often takes
place between those of opposite opinions, and while
they meet with frankness one day, they can as
frankly be engaged on different sides the next. TAe
productions of the soil and agriculture Donish
topics of interest for consideration. It is
observed that the neglect of agriculture is
attributed to want of knowledge in a scientific
point of view; and a hope is expressed that a society;
should be formed in Bermuda for the purpose 01
encouraging agriculture and horticulture.- On the,
whole, it may be safely affirmed that the author or
this little work has presented us with a' readable
and useful sketch of the progress of the colony,
many may be entertained with the picture of Ber'
muds as here presented to them.

Market Harborough ; or, How Mr. Sawyer went to

the Shires. Chapman and Hall.

Although the author of this tale does not declare
himself, few who are conversant with the sporting
literature of the last ten years will fail to recognisie
the style of the clever author of " Mr. Sponge°
Sporting Tour" in the present work. The hero is
a country gentleman who, having been recora;
mended in youth to take his name off the boards 01
an Oxford college for a breach of discipline, wh, ,
although venial in the eyes of many, was unpsv
donable by the University, he having ridden se
Ayrshire bull across Peckwater in broad daylight 111,
hunting costume, having attired his steed in a fa",
suit of academicals, renounced for ever the liters'
ture of the ancients, and retired to his country
residence and devoted all his energies to the chase'
and confined his literary researches to the perusal
of Bell's Life and the Sporting Magazine, caring
little for the pleasure of society, having shore,'
after his retirement from Oxford been heartlessly
jilted by a certain Miss Mexico, who however
not introduced to the reader. Mr. Sawyer, our
hero, in his thirty-eighth year, tires of hie
own county, and determines to visit the
Shires, as the sporting phrase goes,
to be more explicit, the grass-land °I
Leicestershire with its extensive pastures,
ox fences, and broad ditches, by way of a
change, from the heavy plough-land of his osve
county. It is on his arrival at Market Harborougb
that the tale really begins. Mr. Sawyer meets i 0
the railway carriage, which conveys him from Lon'
don to Harborough, a certain gentleman yclept the
Hon. Crasher, who is certainly the best character
in the book, and represents, in some measure, mail
of the first flight men of the hunting field, who,
when in town, are too fatigued and weary to make
the least exertion; but in the saddle, at the cover'
side, are men of rather another stamp. The HO'
Crasher is one of this class in both extremes,
and the author properly says that where danger
is not feared, or the possibility of accident antiei'
peted, it is often avoided. So with Crasher, be
cartel nothing for his own neck nor that of his horst,
—be vith hounds he would, cost what it might, and
escapeniangers which would have crushed most men;
Idle and listless to the last degree, generous and
good-natured to a fault, there was yet that in the
manner of th' Honourable that forbade freedom or
intrusion. Mt, Sawyer struck up a great friend-
ship with this individual, whose heart he won wile!
chancing to come across him going to the meet the
morning after his arrival, and having lost his 101
in a fog Crasher volunteers to show him, which he,
does after his own fashion, for getting of' the right
track and finding a gate locked, he jumps it, and ride
straight across country to the place of meeting'
but he is followed by as bold a rider as himself, wh°
shows him the way over some difficult places. From
that moment they are fast friends. He introdu oe:
him to the Sporting Parson, who invites them it:
lunch, where our hero meets the rector's lovely
daughter, with whom of course he immediate
falls is love and ultimately marries, although ,10
episode does not take place during the narraticr,.
The maid is won by the neglect which her coldness
to her lover has induced him to show her, and the
matrimonial catastrophe is consummated by th
steeplechase catastrophe which breaks Mr. Sawler'l
collarbone, and causes Miss Dove to show her reil
feeling. A variety of characters are introduced, alt
more or less portraying the idiouncracy of difft re°
classes of individuals to be met with in hinting col
tries. The author is a thorough sportsman, 034
his descriptions of runs, leaps, &c., and the gene'
adventures of a hunting field, are given con anzore'
and the steeplechase, which concludes the volume,
is capitally done. It is a private affair got up amens
the Harborough gentlemen, and Mr. Sawyer ofcour_i,
enters, much against the advice of his cld gro°,ll
Isaac, who has had some experience in steep e 'lyil
chases. Mr. Sawyer, however, acquitted hires
very well—himself, the dare-devil Crasher, and fi
unknown, forming the three at the finish.
Thus they near the "double"—the last obstacle of
importance. It consists of two ditches, and a strong stakeiaio
and-bound fence on a bank. No horse can fly it all in, 0
stride, after galloping nearly four miles. Perhaps that ag
the reason why Stripes, who knows he is on a quick oaet it
well as fast one, shoots a little to the front, and comes e,130
at such an awful pace, seducing his two adversaries, by
force of example, into the same indiscretion. Crag
who never, "loses his stupidity," as he calls his presence is
mind, diverges for a rail that he spies where the ditch,
narrowest, takes the chance of breaking that or be,1,,71'
killed, and going at it forty miles an hour, smashes it Per,
paper, and succeeds, as Chance rises not an inch, iu ccv,i
0(
ing both ditches at a fly. He lands almost abreati
Luxury, who has struck back at the fence with the raped
and activity of a cat.
Mr. Sawyer, though remembering the place undeclre
tree, dare not pull his horse off enough, lest he should ,
too much ground, and Wood Pigeon, who is a little b 10.1113,
attempting ti do it all at onco, lands with both fore-fecv.o,
the further ditch, chucks his rider into the field before nir
and then rolls over the plum-coloured jacket in nu,, fl
ei
t,eniely uncomfortable form. The horse rises, loos io
wild and scared ; not so the rider : " He's down!" exe,,llog
the crowd ; but their art: ntion is so taken up by a slasotor
race home between Crasher and Stripes, in which the oth
mer is out-ridden by the latter, and beaten by half-a-100'o
on the post, that probably no one present but Miss D
knew who it was that was down. As the plum-colour 051:04
lay motionless, poor Cissy turned very pale and sick,
then began to cry.
tbe
This is not a tale of romance; it is not te;
author's intention, nor is it his I.of of
he has some experience in the wars erg
women, or, at least, has studied character, or P 6
haps been thrown over himself. But his knowleltt
of all sporting matters is complete, and feeling. 7
it is his strongest point he makes the most of lt

THE COAL TRADE.—In the yearlB6o, 10,720'71v
tons of coals, cinders, and culm were shipped coasto111:
from one port to another of the United Kingdom, an in
crease of 612,883 tons over the year 1859 ; and 7,321,'3
tons,. of the declared value 0fX3,116,281, were exportea,
increase of 314,833 tons over 1859; and of £46,268 in valu;
In 1850 the quantity exported was only 3,351,880 tons (1/h
than half the export of 1860), the declared value of Willeo
was £1,284,224. But all thew figures, relating to seaborso
coal, deal with not very much more than a quarter of tI3,
total quantity raised ; the bulk of it is brought into c° 13a
sumption without being shipped, and manufactures sia,
roPulatiou are attracted to the neighbourhood of the COIL':
fields. The quantity of coals brought into the metropell
in 1860 coastways was 3,573,377 tons (an increase of 275,201
tons over 1850), and by inland navigation and land carriaq
1,499,899 tons (an increase of 289,123), together 5,373,21
tonst Wyn year 4 ago tl4e quantity was only
3,638,883. •