The Sun.
London, England, 1861-01-25 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

ASix Years of a Traveller's life in Western Africa.
By Francisco Valdez. With numerous illustra-
tions. Two vols. Hurst and Blackett.
This is one of those excellent novels on foreign
lands which cannot be too highly prized by all
who are desirous of increasing their information
concerning them. The author of these very in-
teresting volumes has given a valuable addition to
our stores of knowledge, which hitherto has been
so limited of its kind and circumscribed in its
limits. In the preface he asserts that " he is induced
to lay the result of his observations before the
public in the hope that they may, in however
humble a degree, add somewhat to the general
stock of information regarding the resources of
Africa, so eagerly sought for at the present day,
when that portion of the globe is apparently on the
eve of emerging from the comparative obscurity
in which its capabilities have hitherto been in-
volved." All who attentively peruse the pages
of this work will agree that this hope has been
realised, and this effort is a most successful one. In
conclusion he adds, "He truststhat although through
the preserving mercy of Providence he is not num-
bered with the noble army of martyrs who have
devoted their lives and honourably fallen in their
efforts to open up the resources of Africa, or to
enlarge our geographical knowledge of the vast
continent, yet he aspires to the honour
of being enrolled, even as a private, in the
corps of pioneers, and if his past efforts are favour-
ably recognised, as entitling him to he considered
eligible for this distinction, he will consider him-
self amply rewarded for his toil." He says he is
aware that he labours uuder a disadvantage in con-
veying his ideas in the English language, but he
would say in the words of a favourite poet—
" He who does his best acts nobly,
Does well, Angels can no more."
The description of the Island of Madeira is most
pleasing; the author, mentions that it may seem
superfluous to enter into any minute details of it,
but for the benefit of those who may chance not to
have met with any good account of the island, he
is tempted to subscribe a few particulars. "At
daybreak the scene presented to the eye from the
deck of the vessel appeared truly sublime. This
beautiful Flower of the Ocean is composed of one
mass of basalt. The island is about 31 miles long,
by 12 broad. Pico Ruivo raises its majestic head
5,993, or, according to others, 6,056 feet above the
level of the sea, and when viewed in the grey twi-
light of early dawn, it presented the appearance of
a beautiful mirage, but, where the rising sun cast
his bright rays on the surrounding scene, the
castle, the various beautiful buildings standing
out in bold relief one above another, the numerous
belfries, the terraced mountain ridge, with the
various hills covered with beautiful views, the air
perfumed by the orange blossom, the canana, the
palm, and a great variety of trees covered with
continuous verdure, suggested the presence of a
perpetual spring ; as the eye ranged from the base
towards the summit admiring the beautiful cote
tages, as well as the more magnificent mansions,
we beheld the majestic towers of Our Lady of the
Mountain pointing toward the sky, and inviting
the grovelling sons of earth to seek there the en-
joyment of eternal unfading delights, and higher
still, even to the very summit, the gigantic trees,
whose thick foliage afforded an agreeable shade,
and invited the weary traveller to rest beneath their
wide-spread branches ! We felt as if we gazed on
some fabulous scene in fairy-land." The name
Madeira was given to.the island in consequence of
the great quantity of timber growing on it. It is
mentioned that the forest of trees was so dense that,
having been ignited by some means, it burned for
seven years before the fire was extinct. After this
it was planted with the sugar cane brought from
Sicily, and the vine from the island of Candice
which produces the Malvasian wine. The traveller
relates an amusing incident that occurred as he
was departing from Madeira. He addressed a
smart little fellow on the quay, and asked him if
he would like to come with him. " No, sir," was
his prompt reply. " Why not P" said I ; there are
a great many people where I amgoing." " Yes;"
said he, "and I know what kind of life you have
spent that you are sent there." "This reply,
brought to my mind the part which, at the mo-
ment, I had forgotten that Angola is a penal
settlement to which Portugal sends her convicts."
An entertaining account is given of the island of
St. Louis. When seen from the sea it has the
appearance of a Greek town, in consequence of the
numerous balconies, verandahs, and terraces, upon
which the sun shines, giving them the appearance
of alabaster, porphyry, marble, &c.; but on land-
ing, lo ! the scene is changed." Some pages are
devoted to the customs of the people which are very
strange. At meals the women are obliged to stand
behind their " lords," a practice, it is said, which
must truly shock the polite and gallant French who
witness it. It is observed that strangers are
puzzled to know the meaning of the term of
" wives of appointment," but that it is as follows—
" A widow claims as her partner whoever succeeds
to the situation lately held by her husband."
The name Sierra Leone, or lion's chain of
mountains, as Serra in Portuguese and
Sierra in Spanish, both mean a " saw,"
was given, it is stated, in consequence of the ser-
rated or indented appearance of the mountains, the
name of Leone (lions) is supposed to have been
given because of the great number of those
monarchs of the forest who were found roaming
about ; or, some have suggested, in consequence
of the great storms, when the peals of thunder,
reverberating through the mountains, resemble the
roaring of a lion. The early inhabitants called the
country " Pemarang." The climate is so unhealthy
to Europeans that it has not misappropriately been
called the " White Man's Grave." The author states
that he felt a strong desire to visit the place, as it is
looked upon as a city of refuge for the poor slaves,
and the emporium-of emancipated Africans." " I
say I felt a great desire to witness the working
of the system with regard to these poor
creatures, as I was going, deputed by my Sovereign,
to be a guardian of their rights, and to aid, by my
feeble counsels, as arbitrator to the British and
Portuguese mixed Commission at Loanda, all
measures calculated to suppress that iniquitous and
diabolical system—the African slave trade," The
traveller did not arrive at his destination, Loanda,
for a considerable period, during which he presents
us with a variety of in formation relative to the
places of note at which they touched. The descrip-
tion of Loanda is very interesting. The town is
called the "St. Paul of the Assumption of Loanda.
in consequence of the Dutch hav;ng surrendered
the place into the hands of the Portuguese on tine
15th August, 1648." Our steamer anchored oppo-
site to the Penedo, and from the deck the scene was
most pleasing, the town on 0110 vide, and the island
9f Loanda on the other—pouthward in the

distance the island of Cazeange, the green
lofty palm trees and neat cottages—the majestic
churches with their high belfries—the large white
stone buildings, with their verandahs and colon-
nades—the high and low town united by the cal-
cadas or stone pavements -altsgether form-
ing a most grand and pleasing spectacle."
For various reasons the Portuguese Government
deemed it unwise to liberate all the slaves at
once, and, therefore, they made various arrange-
ments in order to facilitate so desirable an end.
Thus, it is asserted, " a final death-blow will be
given to slavery throughout the Portuguese
dominions, and as a nation we shall join our British
allies in singing its requiem." The first Jaga, or
Emperor, was called Colaxingo, from whose sur-
name his descendants took the name of Jaga,
in much the same manner as the Pharoahs of
Egypt, the Caesars of Rome, the Kaisers of
Austria, and the Czars of Russia. The Jaga's
authority is seldom of long duration, it is said,
first, on account of the desire of his heirs to be-
come possessed of authority; and next, the greedi-
ness of the Macotas, who always receive large pre-
sents on the accession of a new Jaga. A very
cruel custom prevails among them. If the
Jager dream of his ancestors, he has two
slaves killed on their grave the next day
for their especial service in the next world.
At the latter part of the second volume there are
most interesting and important statements relating
to slavery in its various forms and different
branches, and hence the perusal of this work will
be of additional value at this time, when that vital
question is being discussed in its stronghold
on the American Continent. In all con-
fidence can these volumes be recommended
to the general attention of readers, and with
its eloquent and impressive descriptions, its im-
mense variety of details, and its spirited tone
and energetic style, it cannot fail to attract the
notice and awaken the interest of all intelligent
readers. There is, then, every prospect of this
valuable work attaining the success it merits and
of being appreciated as a storehouse of interesting
intelligence regarding a country of which so little
has been comparatively known, and of which it is
so desirable to know more.

The Constable of the Tower. Part. 11. By W.
Harrison Ainsworth. Bentley's Miscellany.
A more excellent, certainly a more brilliant and
enthralling, instalment than its predecessor. Mr.
Ainsworth warms to his work—as we assuredly all
of us know he can warm to his work when he
pleases as a master romaacist. As, par example,when
in fancy he bestrode Black Bess with Turpin, and
carried off captive with him, on the wings of the
wind, how many an enraptured reader's imagina-
tion ! Here, too, with the " Constable of the
Tower"—fervet opus: and if we cannot add redo-
lentque thyme fragrantia mella, at least we can
say that it breathes the perfume exuding from the
pomader box in that courtly atmosphere—the
atmosphere enveloping this new and gorgeous
Historical Romance. The Prologue of the story is
here completed, and the first book of the Romance
itself commenced. Book the First being entitled
—" The Lord Protector," meaning the brother of
Sir Thomas Seymour, the haughty, and wily,
and ambitious Earl of Hertford. Henry the
Eighth—sick unto death in the last number—is in the
present one revealed to us at length stretched upon
his deathbed. Here is Mr. Ainsworth's resplendent
painting of that deathbed itself—the last throne of
the detested tyrant—last scene of all in that event-
ful tragedy :
" The couch wherein he [the King] was thus deposited
was of unusual size, and made of oak, richly carved, and
black and lustrous as ebony. The lofty canopy was crowned
with blood Ted pluines, and supported by twisted pillars.
The curtains were of cloth of gold of the thickest texture,
embroidered with the Holy Cross, the cross of St. George,
the Rose, the Portcullis, and Lion rampant, mingled with
Fleurs-de-lys. The head of the bed was sculptured in bold
relief with the arms of England. Notwithstanding the
magnificence of its curtains, the general appearance of this
huge bed was sombre in the extreme, and it looked a fitting
receptacle for an expiring monarch. The walls of the
chamber were hung with fine tapestry from the woofs of
Tourney, representing the principal actions of Solomon the
Wise, and in the upper border scrolls were painted in black
letter sundry texts of Scripture, applicable to the destina-
tion of the room."
Here it is that Henry the King tells to the future
Lord Protector the vision of the fearful summons
received by him at midnight :
" 'ls there a ghost in the story, my liege ?' inquired
Hertford.
" Be silent, and thou shalt hear,' replied Henry, sternly.
" Last night, during:a brief interval of ease between my
fits of agony, I was tryinc, to court slumber, when I heard
the bell toll midnight—l heard it distinctly, for I counted
the strokes—and as the last vibration of sound died away,
I turned to Butts to bid bim give me a potion. He was
gone, while Ferrys, who should have been watchful, had
sunk within the chair nigh which you standest, apparently
overcome by sleep. I was about to awake and chide hitu
—and should have done so, had not all power of speech and
movement suddenly left me, as I saw a phantom—a grisly,
ghastly phantom—glide towards my bed. Whom thinlreat
thou I beheld ?'
" Nay, I cannot guess, my liege,' replied Hertford.
" Surrey, new-risen from his bloody grave—his noble
features livid and disfigured—his locks clotted with gore—
his stately neck sundered by the axe—yet, marvellous to
say, set again upon the shoulders—a spectacle horrible to
look upon—yet I instantly knew him. His eyes seemed to
have life in them. and to fascinate like the basilisk, for, as
he fixed them upon me, I could not avert my gaze. Then
his lips moved, and with a gesture of menace such as I
had never brooked from mortal man, ,and in accents more
terrible than had ever reached my ears, he told me he came
to summon me before Heaven's Judgment- Throne ; and
that I must appear there ere the bell should again toll forth
the hour of midnight.'
How ;this ghostly prophecy was fulfilled on the
midnight following, the author thus relates at the
close of his Prologue :
" Butts explained to Cranmer anti the others that his
majesty had just sufficient strength to direct the stamping
of his will, but that immediately after this was done, and
the attestation completed, ho was struck speechless.
" ' It is marvellous that he lasted so long,' continued the
wily physician. 'He spoke so feebly, that I alone could
catch his words. I fear he will scarcely know your grace,'
he added, preceding Cranmer to the bed, and drawing back
the curtain so as to expose the woful figure of the King,
who was now evidently in ixtremis: fear he hath but
little life left.'
" I will try,' replied the archbishop. Taking the King's
hand in his own, he drew close to him, and in tones of the
utmost earnestness exhorted him to place his trust in Christ
and to call upon His mercy, beseeching him, if he had any
consciousness left, to give him some token that he trusted
in the Lord.
"Henry seemed to understand what was said to him for
he slightly strained the primate's hand. ,
" After a while, the archbishop turned to the assemblage,
now gathered round the bed, and, in a voice of the deepest
solemnity, said, It has pleased Heaven to call to its mercy
our great Ring. Pray ye all for the repose of his soul l'
" Upon this they all knelt down, and, while they were
doing so, the bell tolled forth the hour of midnight.
" Then Hertford called to mind what the King had said
to him concerning the summons by the spirit, and ho trem-
bled exceedingly."
Another and a very brief extract we must con.
tent ourselves with—space alone precluding us
from further quotation. It is Ainsworth's descrip-
tion of the young Boy-King :
" From his youth and beauty Edward excited the admi-
ration of all who beheld him. He was arrayed in a gown
of cloth of silver, embroidered with damask gold, and wore a
doublet of white velvet, wrought with Venice silver, gar-
nished with rubies and diamonds, His velvet cap, with a
white feather in it, was ornamented with a brooch of dia •
mends ; his girdle was worked with Venice silver, and
decked with precious stones and knots of pearls, and his
buskins were of white velvet. His milk-white charger, a
noble-looking but easy-paced animal, was caparisoned in
crimson satin, embroidered with pearls and damask gold,
and the bridkhad wide reins of red leather. For his years
Edward rode remarkably well, maintaining his seat with
much grace, and promising in time to become a consum-
mate horseman, like his uncle Sir Thomas Seymour."
And so the Royal procession, carrying Edward VI.
in triumph through London, conducts him into the
Tower, where he is welcomed by the grand and
knightly Constable ! Altogether, part two of the
Editor's new romance forms a right brilliant and
attractive introduction to the February number of
Bentley's Miscellany.

7h, French under Arms. By Blanchard Jerrold

L. Booth, Regent-street.
This little work consists of a series of essays on
military matters in France. The author has taken
considerable pains in its compilation, and furnishes
us with some interesting particulars concerning the
formation of the famous regiment of Zouaves. In the
first chapter the reader is introduced to the celebrated
M. Minie, the inventor of the splendid rifle which
bears his name. He is one of those self-educated
geniuses who have achieved greatness by their own
unaided enterprise, and, although he remains from
choice in his humble rank in the army, having
refused a splendid offer from the Ruipian Govern-
ment at a time when his services were unrequited
by the then French Government, his name will be
remembered as the first inventor of a long-range
rifle in company with those who have since asto-
nished the world by their great discoveries. As a
humble soldier he conceived the idea of improving
the firearms then in use, and to carry out his object
he devoted five years to master all the branches of
gun making, and then lie set to work. The result
of his labours has rendered his name famous and
his old age happy. The present Emperor of the
French knows how to appreciate merit, and that he
takes great interest in all matters which Concet
the army the favour with which he listens to M.
Minie's suggestions is a proof:—

"Our attention was next directed to the chef's collecticn
of cartridges, bullet moulds, and bullets. They were ar-
ranged in a series of drawers, and:looked a grimly menac-
inff assortment of instruments. lie told us that he had
made balls in every conceivable shape, and that he had
manufactured the rnoulditwith his own hands. One of the
specimens was remarkably ingenious. Minie declared that
it was calculated to give the least possible resistance to the
air. And thus the chef illustrated his assertion, He took
up an iron tube, and standing at one end of the shop, blew
his bullet with Rich farce that it stuck firmly into the op-
posite wall. Again and again he blew it from a fixed
point, and again an again it roam' gavot t4O 491 a it