The Sun.
London, England, 1850-11-14 00:00:00

The IZECORDER—PerEcns having sxlsries charge3hle
on the Consolidated Fund were entitied, he contended, to
those vaLries wholly im-yry.ctive of the Crown.
Lord CADIPBELL—I apprehend the Crown has no dis-
cretion, and it has to control.

The RECORDER—ExactIy so. Now, that Act having
I passed, his late Majesty tiliam IV. died on the 20th
June, 1837. The Act of Parliament enabling his Ma-
jesty to grant a jointure, as well as the deed of jointure
itself, direct, d the pa) meat of the annuity to be made on
four particular days in the year, one of which was the
30th of June. On the 30th et June—his Majesty hav-
ing died on the 20th of June—the whole quarter's in-
come was paid to her lato Majesty. That was resisted
at the time, and though it did not appear strictly on the
affidavit*', he (the Recorder) believed one of their Lord-
ships was consulted at that time; and it was not only
the OPiiii,A) of your Lordship that the same should be
pain; but also ha (the li,coidet) was bound to admit,
that if ever the cpu-slion arose again it would be hostile
to the view he (Lhe Recorder) was now advocattng.
Lord CAMPBELL—Au opinion, Mr. Recorder, I gave
when I was Attorney-G-beral I should consider ot no
restraint on me now. That °pillion will not weigh a
feether in Si)e qaat ter, nor will it be any obstacle in the
treatment of this ecie by me. 1 have no dlfficulty in
saying the point is quite sufficiently doubtful to be fit
for cowelerstion by tile proper tritium!. My doubt is
Low tthe.l er this be the proper tribunal for deciding it.
The REC,RDER re,,,m•d—The late Queen Adelaide
was in the receipt of the income granted to her by Par-
liament up to the 30th e f Septembet• last. How her Ma-
jesty :pent, that income it was net fee him to say; but
he might observe that that income was amply suffi-
cient for the maintenance of the elignOy of the Crown,
and her Majesty did maintain that ti gnity in a manner
which reflected credit on her. Her munificent charities—
Lord CAMPBELL (interrupting)—With all respect fur
the memory of th, t meat pious, excellert, and virtuous
woman, I may say we shelvd have no ciifficully in grants
int; this application if the question were how she ex-
pended her income.
The RECORDER bad only meant to advert to that sub-
ject ',Lenient ally. On the 2d ot December Queen Ade-
laide died. There was, therefore, a period between the
30th cf Septembr and the 2d of December, during
' which her Mojesty lived and the terms of the Act ot
Parliament coutinut d; and it was for that portion, at all
events, if not for the whole quarter, that this
application was now made by the sole surviving
trustee, on behalf of her executors. At all events,
if the whole or any part was due, the time had arrived
for payment being made. In June last, afer some pre-
liminary application to the Treasury, a formal applica-
tion was made by Lord Brougham to the Treasury, re-
citing the Act of Parliamen,, and pointing out the
grounds on which the claim was made. That was
further backed by a letter from the chief executor of
her late Majesty. In answer to that application, Mr.
Hayter, the Secretary of the Treasury, in a letter,
dated June 12. 1850, informed Lord Brougham that the
Lords Commissioners of the Treasury thought that no
sum of money had accrued due, in respect of her late
Majesty's annuity, since the 30th of September, 1849,
and that they bad no authority to issue any such war- -
rant for payment of any bum of money beyond that pe-
riod, as was requested by his Lordship.
Lord CAMPBELL—Take a rule to show cause, Mr.
Recot der.

The RECFRDER said he wished the rule to be in this
form:—A rule to show cause why a mandamus should
not issue to the Lords Commissioners of her Majesty's
Treasury, commanding the m to issue such warrants and
give such directions as b) law they were required, for
th:a payment to Henry Lord Brougham and Vsux of the
arrears in respect of the quarter ending 30th December,
1849, of an annuity of 100:000t, charged and payable
out of the Consolidated Fund of the United Kingdom of
Great Britain arid I:el to the late Queen Adelaide,
under and by virtue of the lit and 2d W in. IV., c. 11.
The COURT assented, and a rule to show cause was
grants(' accordingly.

COMMON PLEAS.-(THIS DAY.)
(Sittink:s 111 Banco,)
THWAITES V NASH.

This case was tried in Miodiesex at the last sittings
in tom. before Mr. Justice Ctesawsll, when a verdict
was found ter the plaintiff, damages 2001.
Mr. PRENTICE now moved fur a new trial, on the
ground of sutpri,e, and also that the tiamages were ex-
cessive. The action was brought on two promissory
notes for 1401. and 30/.. which Lett been given by the
d fei,dant in payment fur certain work and labour done
by the plaintiff as attorney. The defendant, in his pleas,
-et up a contemporaneous agreement in writing, to the
effect that the mites in question should not
to paid until certain moneys had been recovered by
him from the Great Western Railway Company. It will
ne recollected that in 1845 a great number of rob-
beries to-k place en the Great Wr stern and other rail-
ways, and that Mr. Nash was employed by Mr Charlss
Russell, the chairman of the Great Western Company,
to trace out tha persons who committed these extensive
depredations, and who, it wculd stem, were in the habit
et returning the stolen parcels on receiving a premise
of reward from their owners. lie succeeded in bringing
to justice two parsons, named Garrett and Maynard,
who were convicted at the Old Bailey; he also gave two
others, Wareham and his wite, into custody on a similar
charge, but they were dismissed, and afterwards they
irmi uied two actions fur false imprisonment against
Mr. Nash. These actions we-re tried and a verdict of a
larthing damages returned. Mr. Thwaites, who was a
solicitor and friend of Mr. Nash, agreed to defend the
ci ion, and it way for the rt coy, ry of the costs so incurred
that the prurient action had 1),,n instituted. Mr. Russell
had giv. n Mr. Nash a verbal indemnity against all the
expenses he might to put to on beha fof the company,
and they were taxed at 1 0001. Mr. Nash, in the mean-
time, became a hatikrup,, and his assignees sued Mr.
Russell for the sum, and at the trial a verdict was taken
by consent for the plaintiffs, the amaunt of costs being
referred to a gentl. man at the bar, who awarded only
4501.. the exact amount of expenses actually
'Pearled. While this reference was being beard,
Mr. Nash sent the two promissory notes
to Mr. Thwaites, accompanied by a letter saying that he
gas not to expect payment for them until be obtained
his,costs from the Great Western Company, or at least
for a long time; and Mr. Thwaites appeared to have
consented to those terms. Mr. Prentice now contended,
in support of his present application, that as the letter
aas written and delivered at the same time as the pro-
missory n, tes, it was to be considered us a contempora-
neous agreemeat, and that Mr. Thwaites was, therefore,
not entitled to sue on the notes, as Mr. Nash had not
received the full amount of his claim from the company.
The CHIEF JUSTICE—I don't think we can put such
a construction ou the letter, as Mr. Nash says, in the
event of his not obtaining his costs from the company,
the plaintiff was not to expect payment, " at least for a
10-g time." It a man sends a promisaary note for 100/.
to a creditor at six months' date, together with a letter
saying the times are bad, and that he will not be able to
pay until the lapse of nine months, can it be said that
the letter must be taken as pact of the terms and condi-
tions in the nett- ?
Mi. PRENTICE—I apprehend that in such a case as
the present it would, it the party did not dissent from
the terms in the letter. The Learned Counsel also
moved on the ground of surprise at the trial, and of ex-
cessive damages.
The COURT promised to consult Mr. Justice Cresawell
before they gave judgment.

BAIL COUltf.—(faiS DAY.)
(Sitinigs in 'Lilco, t,e,ore Mr. Justice PATTE.ON.)
MORRIS V. SUTTON.

satisfiel of his having been guilty of one or more of five
sin-cified offence ,4, one of which was the concealing of
property, or doing any other act with the view of dimi-
nishing the dividend to be paid under his estate, or giv-
ing any particular creditor an advantage over another.
Now, the aejudicator in this case suspended the bank-
rupt's certificate for concealing property atter his first
examination, and it was contended that the adjudication
was bad because it did not impute any intent to the
bankrupt, as the Act of Parliament required. The Bank-
ruptcy Act provided that the certificate of debt
shiuld be granted " when" the bankrupt's certi-
ficate had been disallowed, and the Learned
Ccunsel contended that the granting was either a
judicial or a ministerial act. It the former a notice ought
to have been given to the bankrupt, which had not been
done here, that the certificate would be applied for, but
if the latter none would be necessary, while the word
" when" would seem to imply that the certificate of debt
must be denaanoed at the bankrupt's certificate meeting.
Mr. Justice PATTESGN could not take that view of
die Act.

Mr. H. Mu, said then he would confine himself to
the objection t, the cortificltrt of aejndicittion. His Lord-
ship would we, thJt if it Mere held to be good in law, it
w.uld lead to great inju,tice, inasmuch as a bsnkrupt
might unconscinusly keep back property without any
such intent us that specified in the pct, end the Cam
tnissioner, viewing it in the light of a concealment, might
unfairly withhold his certificate.
Mr. Justice PATTESON—You may take a rills in the
alternative.—Rule nisi accordingly.

BULLOCK V. BENT AIM

Mr. Justice PATTESON g'&ve judgment in this case.
This w‘is a rule to show cause why an order of Mr.
Baron Platt, to hold the defendant to bail in 3001 should
not t e reset' ded, and why ►he defendant. shy ull not be
discharged from cestody. In dealing with the first part
of the rule, his Lordship said it was his province to act
only as a court or appeal, and he therefore could not
travel out of the affidavits upon which the order was ori-
entally made, though in dealing with the second part he
could ch al with the circumstances sworn to subsequently
to tie arrest of the defendant. The first objection, then,
taken to the affidavit upon which the order was made
was, that the plaintiff did not swear that he believed
that he had sustained damage to any specified amount.
Now, though it was desirable that this should always he
done, it was not indispensably necessary, since a►l that
the Act of Parliament required was, that the judge
should ba satisfied that the affidavit disclosed a case of
action for damages beyond 201., and it was for the Court
to decide now whether or no the affidavit carried that
information upon the face of it. Now the plaintiff was
sure that his wife was stolen from his protection
two years ago, and during the time that had
since expired he had expended 6001. in searching
for her, and that. recently be had discovered her living
under the protection„,and-irr adultery, with the defendant.
Whether that was true was not the question; it was
whether it disclosed a good case of action for damages
beyond 201. that had to be decided. The plaintiff wont
on to depose that he afterwards ascertained that the de-
ftnchint's name was not lientwick, and going to the de-
-fendant's residence to ascertain what his real name was,
the defendant came out to him, with a cigar in his mouth,
and said, " What the devil do you want here?" and on
the plaintiff replying, that all he wanted was civility
and his name, the defendant declared that if he pelted
him with any law or commenced any action against him, he
would leave the country and carry the wife with him. This
the Learned Judge considered disclosed sufficient cause of
action, and justified the making-of the order, and overruling
some other minor objections which had been raised to the
effidasit, he directed the first part of the rule to be dis-
missed. lie went next into the question.of discharging
the prisoner from custody, and in dealing with this part
of the matter, what he had to decide was, whether the
affidavits of the defendant stated sufficient grounds to
satisfy the Court that he neither intended now, nor did
be ever, contemplate quitting the country to avoid the
consequences of his coaduct ; and, after going carefully
through the whole of the ewe, his Lordship said he had
arrived at the conclusion that the defendant would be t ff
across the water at once if he were to let him out of
prison. The rule must therefore be dismissed.
Rule discharged accordingly.

SHERIFFs' COURT —q THIS DAY.)

(B,fure Mr. Undvr.Sheriff BURCHELL.)
HOWE V. DEWY.

This was an action to recover the sum of 21.; the
balance of a joint and several promissory note for 51. 45.,
of which defendant was alleged to be the maker.
Defendant pleaded that he did not make the note; but
a witness was called who proved the signature.
This was another of those cases in which money was
borrowed payable by weekly instalments, nigh a condi-
tion that an action might be brought in default of either
of the pa) Enents.
1" T. THOMAS said the plaintiff only sought' to recover
21., and a verdict was given for that sum.

Mr. Lusa move, fir a rule to show cause why a writ
of prohibition should not issue in this case, directed to
the Judge of the County Court of Stafford, hulaen at
Henley, ri qutrirg him to stop sll further proceedings iu
the cause. pair t way ism". d on the 24th of Oc-
tober, and the cause of action was tort, for neglecting to
repair a ,ence, whereby' the plaintiff horse stra)ed an.,
was kill. d, to the plain•iff's damage of 101. The sum-
mons was served and the cause of action decided out of
the jurisdiction of tne court, while the defendant neither
minted we csrried on business within the jurisdiction.
Ile defendant was an • x,.ensive coal owner and
the proprietor of colderies, and also a partner
in a large carrying establishment. one of whose
offices happened to be within the jurisdiction of the
Court. Now the 60th section of the County Courts Act
provided that the summons should issue in any district
iu which the defendant should dwell or carry on buss--
DVSs at the time the action was brought, and the clues..
tion which arose here was, whether the defendant, being
the preprielir of a colliery, and being a partner, having
a branch office wi.hin the jurisdiction of the Court,
brought him within the meaning of the Act of Parlia-
ment. In the case of " Reif v. Learmar," reported in
the 19th volume of the Luw Journal, page 10, it wit*
laid down Oat where a delenae-nt beta the office of
deputy. sealer of the Court of Chancery, and fol-
lowed the Lord Chancellor to Weattoinster, Lincoln's
Inn, and the Ifouie of Parliament; he had no fixed and
settled place of busiuuss Ito as
.to enable ban to enc.- r a
suggestion on the record to deprive the platntiff of his
costs. Acain, the case of " Buckley v. Hair," 19. Law
Journal (Exchequer), page 151, that decision was affirmedsed •
it was also held inatss clerk who went daily to a
place of business in the city. of London, could not be
considered as carrying On huluers in London within the
meaning of the Act. What the Act required was that
the defendant should be sued in tf e jurisdiction where
he had some fixed residence. or place of business, and
where he was always to be found; otherwir &night be
said that the partners in Messrs. Pickferd s firm could
be sued in any court, because they happened to have
offices, or receiving-houses, in all England.
Mr. Justice PATTESo
N asked if the motion could not
have been made at chatsibers?
Mr. LUSH believed it could.
Mr. Justice PATrEsett—There the summons for the
prohibition is issued, as a mutter of course, without any
affidavit, or the judge knuwing anything of the facts;
and upon an affillavit of service, in the event of any one
appearing against it, the prohibition is issued.
Mr. Lust' understood that it had ben so ruled, but
that could not have been the intention of the Legis
lature.

LITERATURE.

LIVES OF THE QUEENS OF SCOT
LAND. Vol. L. By Agnes Strickland.

Mr. Justice PATTESON—Take a ru'e.
Rule uisi accur(iligl).
IN RE COWGIL.

Fortunately for us, our listtTrical students, those
whoe
neetlaeinit aresish:
elatsi
otn,
Strickland
itieeeri
ri mostafiitaens cctiamongst
odim raaincited
oestqualifiednnengcetconspicuous
successisrh oy.t,enostttithi
h.
eeebanci
tyucrmeni
000trauohnuummseafirs
most
national annals
Encouraged
eaattertindo intellectualpnoonefna tr ticosftoeoh rnpbebiryyeowa industrious.vt
performance,
el ccreeaqeetirbha.r:olatei
surbmri
seerii
s
blt ieytrya theraYn
brilliant
he
has now undertaken to write a sequel to her " Lives
of the Queens of England," a sequel no less important
in its character than biographies of the female sove-
reigns of the sister kingdom, " Lives of the Queens
of Scotland." Added to the memorials of which
royal personages, there will be comprised in the pre.
sent work the personal histories of such English
Princesses as were in any particular manner con-
nected with the royal succession of Great Britain.
Bearing in mind the promise, very explicitly given
by our authoress in her biography of Elizabeth
Tudor, to the effect that she would ultimately
publish a companion picture of the career of Mary
Stuart, her unfortunate contemporary, the reader of
the previous effusion can have felt no surprise
whatever at the appearance of the series here
commenced. Miss Strickland has in it ad-
ventured upon a scheme which must in the
end more than fulfil her original engagement. With-
out restricting herself to the narrative of one solitary
reign, however memorable, she will in this remark-
able production dissipate the obscurities surrounding
the records of female royalty in Scotland, and remove
much of the ignorance and many of the false impres-
sions prevalent even among the educated classes of
her countrymen in reference to the remoter annals of
Caledonia. By a judicious arrangement, however,
the biographer will not extend her examination so far
back as to recount the vicissitudes of those almost
forgotten individuals who, by their exceeding dis-
tance in history from ourselves, are in a great mea-
sure removed from the reach of our sympathies. It
required the consummate and all but inspired genius
of Shakspere to create a soul under the ribs of death,
so as to excite our interest in behalf of that almost
fabulous monster the bloodstained usuper of the crown
of Duncan. Aware of the enormous difficulties in
the way of those who would attempt to compete on
their own ground with the earlier chroniclers, our
authoress—guided at once by her intelligence and
her experience—has restricted herself within some-
what reasonable limits, chronologically speaking, dat-
ing no farther back than the 29th of November, 1489,
the day of the birth, in the palace at Westminster, of
Margaret the Princess Royal of England (daughter
of Henry VII. and his consort Elizabeth of York),
afterwards united in marriage to King James IV. of
Scotland. A more appropriate opening to any such
series of royal biographies could scarcely by any
possibility have been selected. In Margaret became
concentrated, as it were, the whole of the illustrious
dynasties of Great Britain, of England and of Scot-
land, of the Anglo-Saxon kings and of the Norman
conqueror, of the Bruce and of the Stuart, of the
Tudor and of the Plantagenet. Through her union
with James IV. her decendants combined in
their veins the blood of all those lordly and puissant
races, blending them together, to use Miss Strick-
lana's own expression, "in one rich stream." In
the history, therefore, of this august princess
the biographer finds, as it were, a brilliant
prelude to the romantic narrative of the
sufferings endured by her granddaughter the
beautiful but unfortunate Mary Queen of Scots.
The record opens with a subdued but arresting elo-
quence, like the sound of trumpets ushering in some
royal pageantry with a noise of mingled solemnity
and preparation. This may be discovered in the de-
scriptive passages immediately following the record of
the birth of the Princess Royal, and her baptism in
St. Margaret's, 'Westminster. The charm arising
out of this sense of coming marvels colours
more or less agreeably the account given of
her childhood and educatkon,, animated as that
account is by such incidents as her dancing at her
brother Arthur's bridal, and her own betrothal to James
IV. in the palace at Richmond. Before transforming
her from a Princess Royal of England, into a Queen-
Consort of Scotland, Miss Strickland takes occasion
to sketch very rapidly the previous life and character
of the husband of Margaret. We are consequently,
in a measure, prepared for the changes awaiting her
in her new position long before she has journeyed
northward with her recently widowed father, Henry
VII. From the moment of her separation from
Henry, at his mother's castle of Colleweston, we per-
ceive a visible alteration in the very manner of the bio-
graphy. By that time the authoress appears to have
groan simultaneously into a familiarity with her
subject and an enthusiasm in its celebration. Our
interest deepens as we proceed, and as we proceed the
annals become more fraught with excitement. Mar-
garet has scarcely left the paternal court, when her
attention bacomes occupied by the magnificence of her
progress towards the Scotti'h borders. Her grand
entrance into York proves only the prelude to her
triumphal recerit,n at Durham, at Newcastle, at
Alnwick, and at Berwick; throughout all which pro-
cecdinks we are enabled, by the genius of Miss
Srickland, to form an intimate acquaintance with the
mode of life and personal deportment of the
western Lalla Rookh, travelling in state to the
scene ofher regal marriage. All that is wanted to
complete the fantastic resemblance is the discovery of
James IV. in the disguise of a minstrel, and the dis-
covery, also in her chamberlain, of a senile wag like
Fadladeen. As it is, we are not admitted by the poet
to a more complete knowledge of the domestic life of
the oriental princess than we are here by the biogra-
pher to that of the Princess Margaret. Now we are
present in imagination at her remarkable interview
with the Earl of Northumberland ; now we are be-
side her when she brings down a fat buck with a shot
from her crossbow, or when, at her approach to the
pavilion at Lammermuir, the bride-queen is pre-
ceded by a brilliant retinue, some of her attendants
having silver bells, and others golden bells fastened to
their liveries, the which little campanes, saith the
leaps and
le
awhensure they
Arrivedeirt
nh
de
amhalaerrginaru
Castle, she sleeps
signhnotgrhti eli
IPaabfvtoeirl
rdi
woenra
rcdohfs
i:Rraelearcycrhe
idefiles
aastt
beforeL
d"gmaamdbeadaesswatetehteicrhgimooindgp
y
Haddington, and
rhet,
shefor itsh
we
efilcrostmendigbhyt:thiennuSncostolfand. The second
on proceeding to Dalkeith Castle, is received there
in state by Lady Morton. The opening chapter
closes at this point in the midst of all the bustle which

may be suppost-cl to have been prevalent when the
King's approach was unexpectedly announced. Right
pleasant are the descriptions which follow in the sub-
sequent pages of the same biography. Never has
Miss Strickland given a more vivid or more exqui-
.4ite portraiture. The first meeting between James
IV. and Margaret is depicted in a manner to the very
iast degree beautiful. We know only one similar in-
cident surpassing it in attractiveness—the first meet-
ing between Marie Louise and the Emperor Napoleon.
James IV. appears before us as the very beau ideal
of a handsome and chivalric Prince. His bride recog-
nises in him a right royal presence, notwithstanding
that he is simply garbed in the velvet jacket of a
huntsman. His hawking lure is thrown over his
shoulder, and his complexion is glowing at the mo-
ment from the manly exertion in which he had been
engaged. "He was the handsomest sovereign in Eu-
rope," says Agnes Strickland, " the black eyes and
hair of his elegant father James 111. being softened
in his resemblance to the blonde beauty of his Danish
mother." The portraiture accords with that which
Walter Scott bad already pencilled of the same attrac-
tive personage.
" Fur har3l was his eagle eye,
And auburn of the dankest dye
His short curled beard and hair;
Light was his footstep in the dance,
And firm his stirrup in the lists;
And oh, ho had that merry glance
Which seldom lady's heart resists."

Such was the accomplishment of James IV. as an
equestrian, that Miss Strickland thinks his very noble
feat of horsemanship before his young Queen
at Dalkeith—when, according to the Somer-
set Herald, " James of Scotland did leap on
his horse without putting his foot in stirrup; and the
said steed was a right fair courser; and forward the
King spurred, let follow who might "—mast have sug-
g- sted the celebrated description of the mounting of
Harry, Prince of Wales, in Shakspere. Every minute
occurrence is introduced by the biographer in such a
manner, that with the mere perusal of it we are trans-
ported back four hundred years to the time of their
transaction—whether it be the mention of the Queen
weeping for her white palfreys burnt to death in the
midnight fire at Dalkeith, one of the steeds being
" much beloved by her ;" or the account of the king
playing on the lute and the clavichords. From the
vividness, and, as we can conceive, the verisimilitude
of the descriptions, it is evident to us that besides an
aptitude fur erudition, Miss Strickland is
gifted with a clear and objective imagination.
She realizes the genius of an age or of a country be-
iamcheisn:nd Margaret,introduction
to forms an
their e
n.
be-
fore adventuring upon the labours of their chronicler.
Her brief but charming record of the courtship at
Ne
trance into the straits of Edinburgh, the bride seated
on the pillion of the bridegroom. After this gorgeous
appropriate w batt l e between
aid
bewitching
James
entrance into the Scottish capital comes the marriage
in the Palace of Holyrood and the epithalamium. The
nuptials are described like all the rest, most char-
mingly, the biographer echoing as frequently as pos-
sible the voice of the quaint old Somerset Herald. As,
were it is said, for example, of that august alliance—it
" was performed by the Archbishop of Glasgow and the
Archbishop of York in presence of all ; and they read
the bulls of their Holy Fa. her the Pope. consenting
thereto ;" and " the trumpets then blew up for
joy, and the King bare-beaded, bolding bis Queen
i by the right hand, passed through the said com-

Mr. H. BILL moved fora rule nisi calling upon the
ke
assignees of this bankrupt, who is a prisoner to Yoi
Castle, to show cane why the writ of ca. se. upon which
he was arrested should nut be set aside, and the prisoner
discha'ged cut of custody. The orisorter's ease was ad-
judicated in the district Court if Bat,kruptcy,
and the
Commissioner of th‘k court Laving It fused his certificate,
he was tine-toed at ti,e suit of his assignees, who had ob-
tain, d the c.rtificate of d. -ht prescribed by the Bank-
rup,cy Cuus,•lidalion Act, which has all the force of a
jud.:tnent, and.,,rttitles the officer of this court to issue a
capiss ad satiataciendurn. The defect ccmplaiLleti of in
this ca,e related to the adjud.estion ut the Commissioner
at the certificate meeting. The Act of Parlia-
mentin the 256th Lectioli gave the Commissioner
pyre/ Co refuse the irankiupt ceitific*te, on his befog

THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 14, 1850.

party to the high altar." Of the much
talked- of poem of " The Thistle and the Rose," writ-
ten in celebration of the nuptials by Dunbar, we
cannot say much from the specimen given by Miss
Strickland. Better immeasureably is the song per-
formed before James and Margaret as an epithalamium
on the day of their marriage, both the words and
music of which are happily still extant, affording us,
as the authoress justly observes, "great curiosities, as
testimonials of the state of literature and the arts at
the era of 1503." Here are the verses, to our think-
ing, in some parts exquisite in spite of their fantastic
and antique quintness :
" 0 fair, fairest of every fair,
Princes most pkasant and preclare,
The loveliest that on-live tt,ere been,
Welcome in Scotland to be Queen!
" Young tender plant of pulchritude
Descet.ded tf imperial blood,
Fresh flagrant th.wer of fairhood sheen
Welcome in Scotland to be Queen!
" Sw, et lovely imp of beauty clear,
Most migk tg monarch's daughter dear,
Born of a princess most kiererie,
Welcome in Scotland to be Queen!
" Welcome the rose both red and white,
We-'come thejlower of our delight,
Our sprite rejoicing from the spleen,
Welcome in Scotland to be Queen !"

For this sweet fl ewer of poetry, blossomed three hun-
dred and forty-seven years ago, we are gratewl to the
research of the biographer. Shaking the dust of an-
tiquity out of it, she has found it still fragrant and
blooming. It has about it somewhat of the air of Sir
John Suckling. The reduplication in the first verse
is charming, and so also the diction in the two first
lines of the second. How delicious the alliteration in
the line we have italicised in the third, and
the dainty epithets with which the last is
brought to a conclusion ! But enough of the
marriage and its accompaniments. Misfortunes soon
rise up to chequer the happiness of Margaret. In
depicting these misfortunes her historian betrays
consummate ability. She tells us how death deals
his blows plentifully around the otherwise fortunate
wife of James IV. of Scotland, striking down in
succession her brother Arthur Prince of Wales, her
father Henry VII., her grandmother, her own first
born son and her eldest daughter, and afterwards
another son, whose premature demise was however
happily followed on the 11th of April, 1512, by the
birth of a third son, who survived to reign in the end
by the title of King James V. Besides the miseries
arising out of these calamities came the ultimate
wretchedness caused i❑ the mind of Margaret by the
war between her husband and her brother, between
James IV. and Henry VIII., between England
and Scotland. Even this sorrow, however, became
ultimately of no account in the mind of the luckless
Queen, when she found herself widowed by the death
of her heroic spouse on the fatal field of Hodden. The
rest of this remarkable and enthralling biography par-
takes of a more decidedly political character, although
it still continues to be adorned with private anecdotes
and other domestic memorabilia. The difficulties en-
counterd by Margaret as Queen Regent of Scotland,
her visit to Henry VIII., her intercourse with Car-
dinal Wolsey, her reception by Katharine, of Arragon,
her second marriage with the Earl of Argus, her de-
position from power in favour of the Regent, John
Duke of Albany, her quarrels now with Angus, now
with Albany, her illegal divorce, and her ultimate
dissolution—are all recounted by Miss Strickland in
a manner worthy of the biographer of Elizabeth.
Equally admirable in their way also are the lives of
her two successors, the first and second wife of her
son, James V.—Magdalene of France and Mary of
Lorraine. Our authoress has never been more suc-
cessful than in the contrasting of their characters.
In every chapter of the present ♦olume she has pre-
pared the way most brilliantly and effectively for what
will be the principal feature in this series of royal
biographies—the memorial of Mary, the rival of Eliza-
beth. As a fascinating effusion of eloquence and eru-
dition we welcome the volume before us cordially,
but more cordially still as the commencement of a
work calculated largely to enrich our historic lite-
rature.

ILLUSTRATED DITTIES OF THE
OLDEN TI,IIE.

If we say that this volume is as graceful in its exe-
cution as the homely ditties which it celebrates are
popular, what higher praise can we bestow ? For
those " Ditties" are the dear old rhymes that are
" household words" to as all, that are breathed as a
lullaby over the royal cradle, and are familiar
words in every nook and alley, in village
and town throughout the length and breadth
of the land. Critics may cavil at their
strange rhymes and uneven metre, and may find
some difficulty in accuenting for their universal power
of fascination, but, indefinable though it be, that
fascination is inseparable from these old ditties which
call up the dear delights of childhood, and awaken
the silent tones of loving lips. Cowper would not
enter on his list of friends the man who would set
foot upon a worm, and we must confess that we should
feel little sympathy for the wiseacre who would be
ashamed of owning a predilection for the nursery
rhymes. Few such there are, and few conse-
quently will do othervsise than greet with a
loving admiration this most charming book,
which combines the rival attractions of art and nature,
appealing t:s. the eye and to the taste as effectually by
means of its admirable engravings as it does to the
heart by its well-known rhymes. With all the
luxurious accompaniments of paper as thick as vel-
lum, and large clear type, and fanciful adornments,
we recognise our homely friends of other days—
" Ding, dung, bell,
Yus•y's in the well."

" Hush-a-by, baby," " Sing a sorg of sixpence," &c.,
&c., and above, and beside, and below the letter-press
(in the old rnissal fashion) are most beautiful and
graceful illustrations. Tne felicity with which
the various subjects htve been treated is
only equalled by the exquisite grace of design
and delicacy of finish visible in every page. The
drawings are from the pencil of a lady, and were
originally designed for the. amusement of her little
daughter; that amusement has now been placed
within the reach of a larger circle of children, and
not of children only, for this most elegant work is
equally well fitted for the drawing-room, the study,
or the nursery. Let it not be said that the drawings
are too good for the theme, that " anything would
do" for a child's picture-book. Such an error is a very-
common and a very grievous one. It is especially essen-
tial that a youthful mind and an unformed taste should
become early habituated with what is beautiful and
pure. First impressions are most momentous, and a
wise parent will consider a few extra shillings well
bestowed in order that " the children's picture-book"
may elevate their taste, %%hile it delights their fancy.
To such these "Illustrated Ditties" will be a wel-
come boon, and to all who love the reminiscences of
childhood, and to all who admire artistic talent, we
cordially commend it. It is impossible to transfer a
picture to our columns, or a specimen of one page
would be a sufficient corroboration for all we have
said.

GEN EVIEVE. By Alphonse de Lamartine.
A graceful translation of this very charming story
hai just been contributed by A. R. Scoble to Mr.
Bohn's cheap and popular library. Originally pub-
lished in
.fuielleton of the Constitutionnel, and since
then reprinted in a separate form and distributed
largely among the French population, "Genevieve"
ha+ enhanced among the masses the celebrity of its
illustrious author, already renowned in so many de-
partments (f literature, as an historian, a poet, a
publicist, a dramatist, a writer of travels, essays, and
romances. Gladly, therefore, may we welcome
"Genevieve" amongst to, now that the volume has,
with the assistance of Mr. Scoble, been accurately
translated into our vernacular language, and now that,
through the instrumentality of Mr. Bohn'a well-known
enterprise, it has
been offered to the purchaser at a
price so comparatively insignificant. In penning his
last fiction M. de Lamartine had in view the reali-
zation of a long-cherished determination, and one
which may not improbably revolutionize the whole
system of popular literature. He wished to inau-
guratea style of composition such as would prove
attractive to the vast bulk of the community ; writing
books not fur the perusal of the educated, but for
that of the uneducated ; addressing himself, not to the
well-to-do man of leisure and of letters, but to the
working classes generally, to the lowest order of
tradesmen, to the poorest sections of the multitude;
to the peasant, the mechanic, and the domestic ser-
vant ; to the inhabitants of the cottage and the
dwellers in the kitchen. For the first notion of this
project he acknowledges himself indebted to
the person to whom "Genevieve " is inscribed,
namely, "To Mademoiselle Heine Garde, dress-
maker, and formerly a domestic servant at Aix, in
Provence." Those who may feel surprise at the
peculiarity of this dedication will find their curiosity
satisfied by the account given by M. de Lamartine
himself in his " Preface," an account detailing the
circumstances of the visit paid in 1846 to the poet-
statesman by the poor sempstress of Provence, at
the time when the former was sojourning in the vici-
nity of Marseilles, writing his famous Histoire des
Girondins. Of the literary occupation last men-
tioned it is very finely and characteristically said by
M. de Lamartine, " I was writing the history of one
revolution, totally unconscious that another revolu-
tion was already looking over my shoulder to seize
my pages almost before I had done writing
them, and to place anotber drama of
France, not under my pen, but within my
band." Engaged thus profitably for his own fame
and for the service of his country, the historian was
one day Surprised by the visit of Reine Garde, who
had come all the way from Aix to Marseilles on
pur-
pose to see a man of such great and pee celebrity.
Lamartine himself gives um, in the preface to Ge-
nevieve," a graphic description of their conversation