The Sun.
London, England, 1861-03-15 00:00:00

LEARNED L ANGUAGE.

" The use of learned phrases by persons who do not
thoroughly comprehend their meaning is a fruitful source
of the ludicrous. I don't know him,' said a Glasgow
,fl.lagnate, in speaking of a less prosperous citizen. I be-
lieve he is a good enough fellow in his way, but he is not
of the hong-kong.' This opulent gentleman probably in-
tended to use the words haut ton.—' Where is your son
James?' inquired an old acquaintance of a widow lady in
toxburghshire. He's gone to Galashids,' said the
lady, 'to be a malefactor' (manufaclurer).—From an
evening party at Dundee, the Misses —, sisters,
Were accompanied to their residence by two young
gentlemen, who, according to usage, paid their respects
on the following day. Having experienced consider-
able fatigue at the party, the ladies requested their
aged mother to inform visitors that they were indisposed.
This expression was novel to the worthy matron, and was
readily forgotten; she informed the young gentlemen, in
reply to their inquiries, that the Misses were deceased.
Deceased!' exclaimed both the gentlemen at once, utterly
appalled. ' Deceased, do you say ? and both of them too !'
Both,' replied the mother. The gentlemen retired,
tendering condolence. The melancholy tidings spreod
over the place ; and the astonishment of the public may be
imagined, when the young ladies were next day seen en-
aoying their usual walk. The origin of the rumour was
explained ; but the poor Misses were afterwards re-
e?gaised as the deceased ladies.—' I wormer,' sad the wife
of a Stirlingshire farmer to an acquaintance—' I woliner
What that Cakinism is that cures the rheumatism ar d a'
hind o' diseases.' Galvanism was the word intended.—A
:farmer in the parish of C—, Forfarshire, remarked in
compliment to the Rev. Mr. H—, of K—, that he was
a great augmentation to a dinner party.' Acquisition was
robably the word meant.—' He's a very offensive man, the
octor ; 'deed he is, ma'm,' said an eldeLly parishioner to
the lady of the Rev. Dr. N—r, of G—w. There was
al? omission of a syllable, the word inoffensive being ob-
Viously intended.—An elder of the late Rev. Mr. Oliphant,
of Dumbarton, resolving to 'day the reverend gentleman a
Compliment, said to him, at the close of the service one
Sabbath, ' I've seldom, sir, heard ye preach with sic ani-
mosity.' The phrase blundered was animation."

Business Life ; the Experience. of a London Trades

man. Honiston and Wright.

This is a singular little volume, which, notwith-
standing its eccentricities, contains a good many
pieces of practical advice, which the inexperienced
or ignorant may follow with profit. It professes
to narrate the experiences of a London tradesman,
'who has carried on business for 12 years and en-
countered many vicissitudes. If we are to take his
Own assertion he is gifted with peat energy and
considerable talent, but as he pleads guilty to a
love of speculation and an inability to attend to
details, we do not share the surprise he expresses
at his occasional disasters. He discusses many
topics of great importance to the man of business,
besides giving hints for domestic life as well
lie, says that he has long been con-
vinced that many of his misfortunes and
difficulties could have been avoided had he possessed
a friend of experience to guide him, or had a prac-
tical treatise like the present to which he could
turn for instruction. No doubt there ere many of
these experiences which will be aseful to others,
and perhaps enable them to avoid the troubles the
author encountered. His principles are highly
moral and straightforward ; and some valuable
pieces of advice and instruction may be gathered
from this quaint but suggestive little volume.

Cassell's T.' andbooks. Natural Philosophy. Rio- ,
cution and oratory ,imusing Pxperiments •
Cassell, Petter, and Galpin.
This excellent series of handbooks is likely to
be of efficient assistance to the self-educator- by
furnishing him with signposts on the road of
knowledge and mental improvement. They give a
fair outline of the subject in question, in a
Concise form, and clear and simple style, thus pro-
viding the reader with the rudiments of knowledge,
and with the means of comprehending larger and
more ambitious treatises. " The Handbook of
Natural Philosophy" will suggest to the mind
of the young inquirer many interesting questions,
which will incline him to prosecute his studies on a
large scale. Those whose want of time or inclina-
tion forbids an extended course of study will learn
from the little treatise before us some of the great
principles of natural science, and acquire from its
pages knowledge which they would never have
sought in more elaborate volumes. The properties
of matter and the laws of motion are described in
turn ; then the phenomena of the elements are illus-
trated in a popular manner. Magnetism and elec-
tricity occupy, as may be imagined, a prominent
place in the latter pages. The Hand-book of
Elocution and Oratory has been prepared by a lady
-whose name is not unknown in our dramatic world—
Miss Edith Heraud. It is written with clearness and
with an especial regard for practical utility. Read-
ing aloud in public and in private, table oratory,
and speeches for occasions of social festivity are
discussed successively, while the latter portion of the
treatise is devoted to.the consideration of the vari-
ous forms of oratory required for the bar, the
pulpit, the senate, the stage, and the platform.
The Handbook of Amusing Experiments will bean
inexhaustible source of entertainment to many
intelligent young persons ; to whom, however, we
should strongly recommend attention to the editor's
hint of employing extreme caution in those expe-
riments in which fire is an agent.

Shakespeare's Tragedy of Julius Cam, By the
Rev. John Hunter, M.A. London.
We can with pleasure commend this edition of
"Julius Ciesar," and a similar one of " Henry
VIII.," to the notice of all instructors of youth. It
is specially intended to prepare youth for the
middle-class examinations on Shakespeare ; and
the former one of " Henry VIII." was found " to
have successfully anticipated and provided for the
requirements of the Oxford examination." From
looking over the " Julius Csar," we cannot doubt
that the Editor, in this, says no more than the
truth. He has provided, what no other editions
of Shakespeare professes to do, just what stu-
dious youth need, for a proper understanding
and appreciation of the great poet. Shakespeare
is now become a part of the English education in
every good school, and certainly with the greatest
Propriety. None of our great writers are so well
adapted to the tutor's purposes, for giving youth a
right conception of the powers of their mother
tongue, and for imparting to them a just and
manly literary taste. The City of London School
and we
lee prizes
hasi a considerable bequest to encourage the lads by
suitable
to the study of Shakesperian works,
cannot doubt that the stimulus will
prove to beof
signal use to great numbers of the
we
boys.
the
nend this edition of the plays to
the notice of
h
attracted their tutors,attentio if it has not hitherto

A heavy failure is
The
liabilities reported
from Moscow cf a
-
firm in the drug trade.
250,000.
DESTRUCTIVE FlRE.—yesterday
4
rLaznains-O;arnneinEgdw-ards,
-esLe a v n i a fire
broke out on the premises of Messrs
tchial7road. The
iinendraPers, Grosvenor-place, Commercial-road.
policeman who discovered the fire rouseder
27 inmates,. who
premises
quickly
with great difficulty effected their escape.
arrived, but the fire was not subdued' until:jig:lines
and valuable stock were destroyed, and the adjoining houses
damaged.
INFANTICIDE.—Yesterday Mr. G. S. Brent,n
deputy coroner for West Widdlcsex, held an investigation
at the Waterman's Arms, Brentford, into the singular cir-
cumstances attending the discovery of a child's body
perfectly naked, taken out of the Thames, in a fisherman's
net. It appeared from the evidence adduced that on the
9th inst., a fisherman, ncmed Pearce, was occupied fishing
for smelts off Strand-on-the-Green, in company with
the a
brother, when suddenly feeling something heavy in
net they quickly drew it, under the impression of having a
fine haul of fish ; but, much to their consternation they
found that in place of fish they had caught the naked body
of an infant. The fishermen promptly abandoned their
nets and took the body to the Brentford policetation.
The medical evidence wa, to the effect that the infant had
received a violent blow on the left side of the head, which
appeared to have been inflicted immediately after its birth,
and in all probability was the cause of death. The jury
returned a verdict of '4 Wilful murder against some person
or persons uulinowD,,,