The Sun.
London, England, 1850-06-13 00:00:00

LITERAT URE.

THE DALTO:-.75. No. IL. By Charles Lever.
Our acquaintance with the fictitious characters of
the narrative is extended in this number to the
family of the Onslow. Sir Stafford Onelow, being
ill, is hid for a while from our observation, but we
obtain some f:.imiliarity with the dispositions of his
wife, Lady Hester Onslow, of his children, George
and Sydney, and of Dr. Grounsell, his old college
mate and physician. Little Hans taTeta almost killed
by trying to rescue one of Ellen Dalton's wooden
figures from destruction. Colonel Hoggerstone ob-
tains an interview, and afterwards cultivates an in-
timacy with Lady Hester; and the latter personage,
by way of dissipating the ennui of her monotonous
life at Baden, on going out one stormy night to pay
a visit of charity to Haus Roeckle, finds herself sud-
denly and unexpectedly in the midst of the family cf
the Daltons. Here the eighth chapter terminates.

SOUTIIEY'S LIFE AND CORRE-

SPOND ENCE. Vol. IV.

Between 1813 and 1819, or, in other words, between
the thirty-ninth and forty-sixth years of Robert
Southey'a life, the correspondence compressed into the
present volume is comprised. Obviously, therefore,
the interest of the work displays in this the latest in •
etalment of it a very perceptible increase, the curiosity
of the reader being of course enhanced proportionately.
In 1813, for example, we can trace through his
letters the progress of his poem of " Roderick," and
of his splendid biography of the immortal Nelson.
It is then, also, that we can watch the effects pro-
duced upon him by his appointment to the office of
Poet Laureate. In 1814 and 1815 he writes a
variety of odes as Laureate, and dreams of
a variety of literary undertakings. S ) on
throughout the subsequent years alluded to,
we can distinctly trace the growth of his intellect,
the development of his fancy, and the fluctuations of
his ambition. Many interesting revelations start
upon us, here and there, throughout the correspon-
dence. Thus we are interested to hear, from Southey
himself, when speaking of James Montgomery's new
poem, in 1813, that he himself had once planned a
poem on the Deluge. Again, it is with some sort of
surprise, and almost of incredulity, that we learn
from a letter, written by Southey, to Walter Savage
Lander, of a comedy, written by that veteran conver-
sationalist. Fancy a comedy by the author of
the Hellenics ! As yet, of ccurse, the manuscript of
it has never passed through the hands of the
typographer. Southey's pilgrimage to Waterloo is
an entertaining episode in the narrative, a
narrative uneventful, like almost all the lives of men
celebrated in literature. So also is the account of his
tour to Switzerland in 1817, prior to which we find
him tempted by the offer of a lucrative appointment
connected with the Times newspaper. Intimations are
given here end there throughout the correspondence
of the effects made upon Southey and his brother-
lakers by Lord Byron's formidable hostility. TLe
work altogether promises more and more favourably
for itself, as a valuable contribution of materies for
the future historian of English literature.

A NARRATIVE OF ARCTIC DISCOVERY.

By John J. Shillinglazy.
Most happily timed, considering the interest in-
spired as to the fate of Sir John Franklin, whose
engraved likeness is prefixed to the volume
as its most appropriate frontispiece, this narra-
tive of Arctic discovery extends from the earliest
period to the present. Besides this, it comprises
many copious details of the measures adopted by her
Majesty's Government for the relief of the missing
expedition. The whole history (in itself a glorious
episode in our meritinae annals) is penned by Mr.
Shillinglaw in a style calculated to secure to it a
large amount of popularity. The retrospect recedes
to that remote period when distinct details become
imperceptible, and the records of the human race lose
themselves in the " twilight of fable." The author
descants in an agreeable mood of antiquarian gossip
upon the results of Scandinavian enterprize, and
upon the possibility of those northern barba-
rians having■ discovered the American continents
previous to the birth of Columbus. We cannot,
however, but think that Mr. Shillinglaw has been
rather too discursive in his introductory chapters, al-
though those chapters peculiarly display his many
qualifications to become the historian of Arctic dis-
covery. In the form of an appendix we have a sort
of tabular catalogue of the various expeditions sent
out by England between 1818 and 1850. For ex-
ample, we have Sir John Ross's expeditions of 1818
and 1829, Captain Buchan's expedition of 1818, Sir
W. E. Parry's expeditions of 1819, of 1821, of 1824,
and of 1827, Sir John Franklin's expeditions of 1819,
of 1825, and of 1845, from the latter of which he has
never yet returned, Sabine and Clavering's ex-
pedition of 1822, Lyon's expedition of 1824,
Beechy's expedition of 1825, Back's expeditions
of 1833 and cf 1836, A.loore's expedition
of 1848, Kellett's of 1848, Sir James Clark Ross's of
1848, Saunders's of 1849, and the two new expedi-
tions of 1850, one under Austin, the other under
Collinson. In all, twenty-one are enumerated, and
the author thus significantly closes his narrative of
these extraordinary undertakings by saying—
" We could earnestly hope that, should it please the
Almighty to send back the gallant Franklin and his de-
voted crews in safety, England will be careful of again
risking the lives of her adventurous sons in further at-
tempts to discover what cannot be looked upon in any
other light than that of a geographical ignis fatuus, TILE
NW:TEL-WEST PASSAGE."

Whether that aspiration be realised or not, we
cannot but think, for our own part, that all efforts in
the way of prosecuting Arctic discovery must con-
tinue, as heretofore, fruitless of all happy or valuable
results, and the certain means of renewing again and
again a feeling of scientific disappointment.

AN ARCTIC VOYAGE TO BAFFIN'S BAY
AND LANCASTER SO UND. By R. A.
Goodsir.

An appropriate companion to the work just criti-
cised, this interesting and brilliant volume possesses
other attractive characteristics such as must secure to

it an immediate, though it may not be very perma-
nent popularity. As the record of one of the latest ex -
peditions in search of Sir John Franklin and his com-
panions, the book before us demands an attentive
perusal, and we doubt not but that it will afford its
readers a more vivid notion of the aspect and pecu-
liarities of the northern regions than could be ac-
quired by them from any previous work of a similar
description. What strikes us as the most conspicuous
merit of the present narrative, in truth, is that evidence
which is visible in every sentence and expression that
it is a faithful delineation of nature under an un-
wonted aspect, the delineation being invested with
the warmth of novelty and the. distinctness
of a punctilious similitude. What is de-
scribed by Mr. Goodsir is described by him
not from hearsay, not on the authority of
another, not second-hand—hut from the individual
recognition of the feel ures and peculiarities of those
wonderful regions of everlasting winter. What is
yet more, Mr. Goodsir has not given us the lukewarm
rechnifee of a few scattered reminiscences—he has
written down his narrative, chapter by chapter, upon
occasion, in all the heat of first impressions. Hear him
telling of the strange habits of the whale, and you will
at once feel that he writes with the fervour of a spec-
tator. " The deep boom of their blowings," he says
in one part, " resound through the still air
like the distant bellowing of a herd of wild
bulls. My ears should have been pretty well
accustomed now to the blast of the whales, but it was
not until this time that I ever had noticed the pecu-
liar hollow boom of their voice, if voice it may be
called." Again, it is with an unusual animation of
style that he writes as follows :
" I have noticed a peculiarity about the whale, that if
there is a piece of ice within sight it will run towards it,
and come to the surface beside it. And when beside a
floe, it always rises beside its edge, and never appears at
any distance from it. And, moreover, if there should
be a crack or bight in the floe, it is ten chances to one it
will rise to blow in it, in preference to the outer edge of
the flee. This is well known to the whalers. Such a
crack being now opposite to us, and at such a distance
from where the whale was last seen, it was likely she
would rise there next, and we pulled towards it. Here

we lay for some minutes in breathless expectation, our
oars out of the water, and the harpconer silently motion-
ing with his hand to the boat-steerer which way to
scull.' Up in the very head of the crack the water was
now seen to be circling and gurgling. up. There's her
eddy,' quietly whispers our harpooner. A couple of
strokes now boys—gently—that'll do.' Looking over
my shoulder, I could see first the crown, then the great
black back of the unsuspecting whale, slowly emerge
from the water, contrasting strangely with the bright
white and blue of the ice on each side—then followed the
indescribable hurstlirg roar of her blast. Bat short
breathing time had she—for, with sure aim and single
tog of his trigger• string, the keen iron was sent deep in
behind her fin. Harden up, boys 1' ho cries, and the
boat is pulled right on to the whale, when he plunges
the hand-herpoon deep into her back, with two hearty
digs. The poor brute quivered throughout, and for a
second or two lay almost motionless; then diving, and
that with such rapidly increasing speed, that the hoe eves
whirled out of the beat like lightning. The usual signals
were now made to the other boats that we were fist.'
" For the first few minutes the lines were allowed to
run out without interruption, then, one, two, three turns,
were successively thrown round the bollard: This had
the offset of stopping her speed somewhat, but the line
still ran cut with a great strait:. The boat's bow was
forcibly pressed against the ice, and crushed through the
underwashed ledge, to the solid floe beyond ; the har-
pooner sitting upon his thwart,'
_allowing the lines to
run through his hands, which were defended by thick
mitts : stopping the progress of the fi,li es much as he
could, as tee rest of the boats sere dill come distance
from us. Every few wieutes fish seeming to start
off as with renewed strength, the boat's bow would Le
pulled downwards, threatening to pull us under
the floe. But then ellewing the line to run out, the strain
was partly removed, and the boat's heed again rote, but
only to he again
dragged downwards. Upwards of
Itwenty minutes had elapsed since we had 'got fast,' and
'the strain nor; began to slacken, but it was full time—.