The Sun.
London, England, 1850-02-07 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

SKETCHES OF NAVAL AND MILITARY
ADVENTURE. By One in the Service.

It does not often fall to Our lot to meet with a book
the first impression of which is so favourable as that
which bears the above title, and so likely to repay the
reader for the very little trouble requisite in order to
make himself acquainted with its contents, by an
amount of satisfaction and pleasure at variance only
with its modest size, and the extent of amusement
and occasional positive information it contains ; only
one volume. of some 300 pages or so, some of which
are devoted to very honourable and praiseworthy
pu poses, no doubt, but forming no part of the
" Sketches." Yet, we must admit, that to some of
these very pages the author is indebted for a certain
portion of that good opinion which we would gladly
impart to others; so much so, that we will plead
guilty to the foible, or- fault, or merely to the fact,
that despite the stern propensity of our nature, con-
trary to the laws of sound criticism, and in opposi-
tion to the dictates of experience, we antlered
ourselves to be rather more favourably impressed
than is our wont, with the book, as a mere
book, with its very preface, with its un-
pretending inscription to "Friends," under circum-
stances of which the record, however brief, is
an honour to the feelings of the writer, with its de-
dication, so unassuming yet so cordial to his "Mates,"
and with its introductinn, simple, natural, yet
poetic, or rather poetic because it is simple and
natural, and, we felt ourselves impelled to like a book
ushered in under such [auspices. We need, how-
ever, scarcely add that we assumed our task with a
proper determination to do justice to our subject, and
right pleased we are to say that our feelings will not
have to suffer from our sense of justice ; nay, more,
we like our justice the better for being in harmony
with our feelings. There is about the first, or nauti-
cal part of the work before us, an air of earnestness
and simplicity, which, while it seems to reveal a first
attempt at authorship, pleases us the more on that
account, and we deem it no disparagement to the
abilities of our unknown friend, to say that if his
style is not always equal to itself, it often exhibits traits
of genuine pathoi, and rises to positive descriptive elo-
quence, as in the narrative of a truly stirring in-
cident, at page 69. Of the tale which immediately
follows we scarcely know what to say, not having
made up our mind whether its very moral termina-
tion does or does not destroy its pathetic character—
let the reader decide. Nor are we quite disposed to
agree with our author upon two points ; first, we
doubt whether having introduced in his pages so
eminent a personage as Napoleon, he should have dis.
missed the NIGHTY FALLEN with so slight a notice ;
secondly, we are not quite certain that the Latin in-
terpretations in the first voyage, however humorous,
will be deemed either very classical, or in keeping
with the characters introduced. Pass we on to the
second, or military part of the " Sketches." Here we
must, at the risk of incurring the blame which at-
taches to a twice-told-tale (not even the rhyming
power of our friend Jack Pool, in the first voyage,
would be re quired to name the consequence), say
that we greatly commend the author's taste in pre-
facing his subjects, and as a match for his beautiful
introduction in the first part, we have now an equally
beautiful song. So then we have another touch of
the sea, and we reach Calcutta! Well, we must
admit we never before had the capital of India so s
completely before us, and our author has done us an
essential service, by removing for ever -from our
mind, so vividly does he pourtray the peculiarities of
that city, the wish of journeying so far, in search of
the scene he depicts, save on one condition,
that we are sent there to assume some de-
cidedly -ative (of course honourable) civil
pos:--but, thi3 is our concern, not his. We
are nu% quits disposed to agree with the wish
exprs—ed by bim, page 133, and pro bond publico,
are content to have, instead of a bona fide picture, the
following description of a preparation for a march—
" I have often wished I were a skilful painter, that I
might depict the breaking up of a camp in the morning,
preparatary to the march. Such a picture would require
a master's band, and would be worthy of it. Let me
pourtray with the pen what I cannot with the pencil.
The camp stands in a grove of tamarind trees. It is three
o'clock, and the sky is quite dark. No one is stirring,
save the sentries, who are to be seen pacing to and fro
beside their watch fires, placed at short distances all round
the camp. Suddenly the tap cf a drum is beard,
lowed by a regular beat up,' and the sound of a bugle.
In a moment all is life and action. The soldiers, who
just now seemed to be wrapt in sleep, are hurrying out
with their arms, piling them together, and while some
pack their beds on the baggage carts, others are loosen-
ing the ropes of the tents, and pulling them down. The
elephants approach from their station in the rear, pour-
ing forth a merry scream, and the camel-driver leads
forward his unwilling beasts. Camp (Mowers are run-
ning to and fro, and officers, half aeloep and half awake,
are sitting outside their tents drinking huge cups of
coffee, and smoking Manilla cheroots. Now look again!
The elephants bend at a word to receive the loads wich
the soldiers hoist on their backs, and now the latter,
hastening to collect the straw they have laid on during
the night, and the loose wood of the forest, make up
blazing fires, and circle round them. The growling and
groaning of the surly camel is heard, as his master forces
him down on his knees, and slips a rope round his forelegs
and neck, which keeps him prostrate while being loaded.
Dogs are seen running about, barking, howling, and
seeking their owners; grooms are getting their horses
ready for use; bearers are taking the ladies' palanquins
to their tent doors; and the guides are lighting their
torches. All are seen in full relief against the huge and
numerous fires, around which the soldiers stand chatter-
ing and warming themselves, and which illumirtre the
grope, presenting to the eye a rich contrast between the
sombre hue of the trees and their foliage, and the red
coats and,bright arms of the troops. And now the bugle
again sounds, the soldiers slip on their knapsacks, catch
up their arms, and hurry off to the parade; the L,flicers
buckle on their swords and march down to the place of
assemblage; the names are called over; the regiment
forms up; the elephants, camels, and baggage carts fall
in behind it; tLe word • March!' is given, the band
striks up a lively tune, and all, with the exception of the
rear guard, move off. In a few minutes these, too, fol-
low, and now the scene which was just before so lull of
life and bustle and activity, is solitary and sib nt, and
but for the )et smoking embers here and the e sea), it
might be supposed had never been the site o! a camp.' "
The following graphic narrative of the pursuit after,
and death of, a rebellious elephant, will be read with
interest :

"Some three months passed away, during which no-
thing of importance occurred, and the monotony of can-
tonment duty tad, with the daily incl.( acing heat, become
more and more fatiguing and insipid. One morning,
however, just as we had finished breakfast, intelligence
was brought that an elephant belonging to the Honour-
able Company, which had for some time been confined
in irons as a punishment for ill conduct, had broken
loose, killed his keeper and one or two other persons,
and vt as now running wildly about the statior, tearing
ip and battering down all that opposed him. Orders