The Sun.
London, England, 1850-09-26 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

STELLA AND VANESSA

Translated from

the French by Lady Duff Gordon. 2 lots.
It is oftentimes difficult fur fiction to surpass the
romance of truth, and assuredly the romantic history
of Dean Swift and his rival *lady-loves haves little
room for the ingenuity of the novelist. But having
seen the French version of this romance, we are not
aware whether the author of the French or the fair
editress of the English editicn is entitled to the merit
of having thus gracefully and delicately recorded a
most Interesting and marvellous chapter in the ro-
mance of real life. The moral of the history and the
object of the writer are revealed in the last page of
the last volume. Swift having wept the untimely
death of bath his unfortunale favourites, and having
himself suffered severe mental and physical indispo-
sition, reprove s a child who is playing with fire, and
then is struck with the resemblance between the
infant's dangerous sport and the reckh.sa temerity
visible in his own voluntary toying
with temptation.
"' It was that did all the mischief!' said Swift, with a
sigh, pressing his friend's band. .This exclamation was
all ihat escaped him, and he again took refuge for cysr
in his usual silence and irony, that irony which conceals
a heart truly tender, truly modest, nobly disdainful of
what is vulgar, but which is so easily misunderstood that
after the lupse of. a century, after so many eminent ser-
vices rendered by Swift to the cause of reason and hu-
manity, we are now attemptinr, in a manner not, per-
haps, very conclusive, to defend the memory of this great
genius, of this noble heart,—the memory of the author
of Gulliver,' of the author of the Drapier's Letters,'
against the Mrs. Jebbs of England, alas! and of
Ireland."

The interest of the history is enhanced by the ex-
ceeding simplicity with which it is narrated; no un-
necessary personages or incidents are introduced.
Swift himself, so happy with either when the other
dear charmer is away; the gentle, retiring
Stella, and the talented and attractive Va-
nessa ; Stella's meddlesome, mischief-making
due nna, and her humble and unsuccessful
lover, who, as an example of genuine and self-sacri-
ficing affection, is the 'nest beautiful and interesting
character in the book,—these, are the principal per-
sonages of the tale, the scene of which lies principally
in Ireland. The story opens with Swift's first intro-
duction to a new living in an Irish village (before his
elevation to the rank of dean). To this village he
brings his ward, Esther Johnson (Stella), and places
her and an elderly lady, her companion, at a little
cottage not very distant from his own residence.
Stella, as yet almost an unthinking child, entertains
a sincere affection for her preceptor and guardian,
and, thanks to the interference of the duenne, rejects
the affection of the aforementioned lover. Swift re-
pairs to London, awaiting some preferment at the
hands of the Government, and during his absence ad-
dresses to his ward the famous " Letters to Stella."
While Esther Johnson, now deeply in love, is
pining with grief at his prolonged absence,
Swift in London becomes acquainted with
Esther Vanhombrigh, whom he names " Vanessa."
The very dissimilar but very attractive peculiarity of
the two Esthers are discriminated and pourtrayed
with a skilful touch; a pitying interest attaches to
the gentle Stella, while our admiration and sympathy
irresistibly follow the spirited and passionate Vanessa.
After the run of her family, during which crisis she
displays heroic, spit it, Esther Vanhombrigh retires to
an Irish estate in the neighbourhood cf her lovet and
her rival. Here the interest of the tale naturally in-
creases. For a time Swift keeps each Esther igno-
rant of her rival ; at length they discover each other
and meet, aed at length the unhappy man, to put an
end to a state of things so fraught with misery to all
parties, resolves at least, as he must inflict pain, to
inflict it also on himself, and because he prefers Va-
nessa he marries Stella, a result which is far from
producing peace. The sequel of the unhappy tale we
leave to the readers of the novel. Its interest is such
that none can peruse it with indiffirence, and the
manner in which it has been narrated renders it most
attractive.

OUR COUNTY. By John Mills. 3 Vols.

A novel from the pen of the author of " The OA
English Gentleman" will be welcomed by all who
have perused that most delightful work—a work ren-
dered delightful not only by its capital pictures of
country life, but also by its genial and warm-hearted
manner. " Our County" is, to a certain extent, of a
similar character. It abounds with sketches of hunt-
ing scenes, such as John Mills is so well qualified to
describe, and it makes us pleasantly acquainted with
some of the humble retainers of the hall, who are not
less attractive from bearing a family likeness to old
Tom Bolton. Other and less agreeable individuals
figure in the psges of " Our County," among whom
are an old miser and his son, Jack Racket ; the latter,
in his over-cleverness, is cleverly outwitted. Look-
ing forward to his father's death, in the hope of ob-
taining possession of large wealth, he is disappointed
to find that the same will which bestows all the rest
upon himself gives also some few thousands
to the miser's old _ housekeeper. Jack can-
not bear the loss even of this trifle, and
thinking that, as heir-at-law, no will is necessary to
make him master of his father's property, he destroys
the parchment in time to learn that he is not legally
entitled to a farthing, as, instead of being the heir-at-
law, he is in fact the son of the old housekeeper!
The projects and discomfiture of Jack form a principal
portion of the tale. Without possessing any very
considerable attraction, they are written in a lively,
natural manner, and their result is eminently satis-
factory. Sir Edward, the owner of the
hall, a mere boy at the opening of the
story, is well worthy of becoming ultimately
a good old country
gentleman. During our
acquaintance with him his good qualities are partially
thrown into the shade by a reckless extravagance
which well nigh ,consigns all his property into the
eager hands of Jack Racket. Sir Edward's mother,
and Maud, his betrothed, the daughter of Lawyer
Sharp, are graceful and delicate sketches, evidently
from the hand which so exquisitely pourtrayed Kate
and Agnes, the neice and daughter of the old English
gentleman.

WASTE OF RAIN WATER IN TOWNS.—It is a no-
torious fact that, while the inhabitants of large and populnus
towns are maintaining lustily that they are wofully stinted
in their supply of water, they allow to run to waste gallons
upon gallons of valuable soft rain-water, without a single
effort to retain and purify'a drop, while the inhabitants of
other towns, " wiser in their day and generation," use all
available means to catch And retain the descending showers.
We have heard such woful waste justified, on the ground
that the rain was allowed to run into the drains to cleanse
and flush them. But it certainly is obvious that the same
effect can be much better obtained by first using the water
for domestic purposes, and thereafter sending it down properly
constructed openings, connected with eflicient drains and
sewers. People ire very apt .to say, " Oh, the amount ob-
tained yearly is of such small extent as tint to be worthy of
the expense of collecting." "Now, there is nothing," as
brother Jonathan says, " like cyphering," Mr. Dempsey
states that " the roof of a house of the average dimensions of
20 feet square, presenting a plane surface of 400 square feet,
receives at least 803 cubic feet of rain water annually, or
about 4,800 gallons." Now this quantity is equivalent to
nearly 13i gallons per day. We really wish every house in
the kingdom bad such a supply. Bat, allowing only one-half
of this to be obtained, surely a sufficiently liberal estimate, it
is certainly worth the collecting. It should be immediately
received in a filtering
tank, and the best available method be
adopted of purifying it from the carbonaceous matter with
which it becomes saturated in passing through a smoky at- •
mosphere, and flowing over roof surfaces covered with a de-
posit of similar impurity. An economical and well-devisvd
apparatus for effecting this put pose, and applicable to private
and public buildings of all classes, is a desideratum yet want-
ing in the economical supply of water.—Builder.
FLOODS IN THE SOUTII-EA4TERN DEPARTMENTS
OF Fnastelt —The plains in the vicinity of Perpignan have
recently been flooded, in consequence of the overflowing of
the water-courses, occasioned by tremerdous rains. At Per-
pignan the quarter of the Tanneries'iVas submerged, and the
occupiers of houses had pased a part of the night in re-
moving their furniture. A foot bridge over the river was
carried away. In several of the streets the water rose with I
such violence through the gutters that the streets could not
be crossed, and temporary bridges had to be established. The
gardenerhavingsbeenifBaintja"lues however, chiefly suffered, all their
crops destroyed. In the country districts the
damage done was immense. To the south-west the waters
were so deep and spread 'so wide that it was impossible fur
any communication to mach Perpignan. The roads from
u nder
water. both
Arles, and these from Narbonne were impracticable,
they and the adjacent fields being completely
The Toulouse diligence near Vallaria was carried away by the
violence of the torrent, and floated for seine distance before it
could be fixed. The passengers were terribly frightened, but
sustained no injury.

- -
PROPERTY LEFT IN RAILWAY CARRIAGES.-The
magistrates at Stowmarket have intimated to a passenger,
who retained au Indian Cashmere shawl left by another pas-
senger in a carriage on the Eastern Union Railway, that
persons not delivering up property of this description to the
railway authorities are liable to be indicted for felony.
ACCIDENT TO A MAIL TRAIN.-0n Tuesday
morning, as the mail train to this town was passing near
Admaston, it ran over and killed two cows, which had strayed
on the line, which threw the last carriage off the line, causing
a delay in the train of an hour and a half, but we believe
without any other casualty.—llerefordJournal.

LIE FIRE IN TILL CITY.—At eight o'clock last
night the tire was still burning, and at frequent intervals
large bodies of flame rose some distance above the ruins.
During the afternoon, whilst the firemen were engaged look-
ing after an iron safe belonging to Mr. Boyman Boyman,
which had been deposited in Messrs. Hayter and Howell's
warehouse, and which contained wills and title-deeds, their
attention was directed to a box containing trophies of the
greatest importance to the country at large. Although the
case in which the property was deposited was completely
fused, and many of the articles were run into each other, it
was subsequently ascertained that the contents of the case
consisted of property belonging to thirteen brave generals
who fell during the memorable battle fought under Lord
Gough at Chillianwallah. The property had been taken
from the persons of the officers just before their deaths, and
had been sent to their relatives in England. The contents
goats'-hair shawls and scarfs,
rings,,eosf,gnoeled watches, the epaulets of
Pennicuick,dlework, gold and silver pins,
oftpiii
setthol
late
pistols,
chesthuurrii
gt
hunting
consisted
es
riis tneild
gold ear-drops, end lockets. Tho iron safe was get out of
Messrs. Hayter and Howell's ruins during yesterday after-
noon. Fur nearly an hour the greatest c xcitctnent prevailed
I
for the safety of the contents, but after cooling the iron,
vheidesh
end otherwssPe
rfectl3 red with heat, it was found that the
de documents' were shrivelled up. At present
they are illegible, but it is txi.ccted that they may be ren-
dered legible. Great iron weights of 561bs. each have been