The Sun.
London, England, 1850-08-19 00:00:00

LITERATURE.
RURAL HOURS. By Miss Cooper. 2 Vols.
While we are constantly imeting with books with
fine-sounding names and attractive appearance, which
on investigation are found vapid and valueless, it is a
r:re but a most delightful chance on taking up some
unpretending volume to find within a store of unex-
pected treasures. Such has been our case in turning
over the pages of Miss Cooper's "11,ural Hours." As
the first work (that has come before our notice) of the
daughter of the celebrated American novelist, vE e opened
the first volume with some interest, but it appeared
to contain very insignificant matter, being merely a
journal of rural walks, with observations on the
weather, &c. The very modest preface had informed
us that the record was offered to the reader more
from ail interest of the subject than from any merit
of its own—that subject being a close observation of
the various trivial and seemingly unimportant inci•
dents which mark the changing seasons of
the year. Simple, however, as is the
form, and unassuming as is the style of these rural
records, we have to thank Miss Cooper for one of the
most delightful and valuable pictures of An:erican
scenes and American scenery that it has ever been
our good fortune to meet witn. And not only is this
a valuable pic'ure of the rural peculiarities of
America, but it is also a most agreeable and interest-
ing miscellany of entertainment and information. We
have long since been told that we may find "books in
the running brook," and "good in everything," and-in
this delightful art Miss Cooper is evidently an accom-
plished adept. Day by day, ss we accompany her in
some pedestrian expedition, she pleasantly—with such
a cheerful alacrity, as though her walk and her ob •
servations were alike a labour of love—points out some
peculiar characteristic concerning the various
objects we encounter, the birds, the flowers,
the landscape, the changes of the atmosphere, each
giving rise to some- interesting remarks. These re-
marks are also rendered doubly interesting to English
readers from their indirect but most valuable illus-
tration of many differences, national and natural,
which exist on the different shores of the Atlantic.
sometimes a pleasant anecdote is suggested by some
passing of jest, or some useful piece of information is
casually introduced. The style of the whole narra-
tive is at once elegant and unstudied. The' charming
simplicity of the manner considerably enhances the
interest of the matter. As a specimen let us take

THE RETURN OF THE ROBINS.
" WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22.—A thunder-shower last
night, by way of keeping the equinox, and this morning,
to the joy of the whole community, the arrival of the
robins is proclaimed. It is one of the great events of the
year for us is the return of the robins ; we have
been on the watch for them these ten days, as they
genet ally come between the 15th and 21st of the month;
and now most persons you meet, old and young, great
and small, have something to say about them. No
sooner is one of these first-comers seen by some member
of a family than the fact is proclaimed through the
house; children run in to tell their parents the robins
have come!' grandfathers and grandmothers put on their
spectacles, and step to the windows to look at the robins,
and you hear neighbours gravely inquiring of each other,
Have you seen the robins?—Have you heard the
robins?'
Again, as an instance of the skilful manner in which
Miss Cooper 'combines information with amusement,
here is an extract from her elaborate account of the
manufacture of

MAPLE SUGAR.
"A large amount of this sugar is still made in our
neighbourhood, chiefly for home consumption on the
farms. Io the villages where foreign groceries are
easily procured it is eaten more as a dainty than in any
other way. Some farmers have a regular sugar-
bush,' where none but maples are suffered to grow; and
on the older farms you occasionally pass a beautiful
grove of this kind, entirely clear of underwood, the
trees standing on a smooth green turr. More frequently,
however, a convenient spot is chosen in the woods
where maples are plenty. The younger trees are not
tapped, as they are injured by the process ; it is only
after they have reached a good size, ten or twelve inches
in diameter, that they are turned to account in this way;
twenty years at least must be their age, as they rarely
attain to such a growth earlier; from which period they
continue to 3 field their sap freely until they decay. It is
really surprising that any tree should afford to lose so
much of its natural nourishment without injury; but
maples that have been tapped for fifty years or more are
just as luxuriant in their foliage and flowers as those that
are untouched. From two to fire pounds of sugar are made
from each tree, and four or fise gallons of sap are re-
quired to every pound. The fluid begins to rut, with the
first mild weather in March; its course, however, is
checked by a hard frost, until a thaw again sets it in mo-
tion. Some years it continues to flow at la tertvals until the
last of April, so that a regular early spring gives less
time for the work than a backward season, when the asp
runs later; the usual period, however, for sager-mak-
ing is about two ve,ks, one year more, another less. A
story is told in the village of a Scotch stocking weaver,
who some years since bought a faun near the lake, and
the first spring atter his arrival in the country was so
successful with his maple-trees that in the midst of his
labours ho came into the village and gave large orders
for sap. buckets, pans, furnaces, &e. The g( od folk were
somewhat surprised at the exvnt of these preparations,
and inquiries were made about this grand sugar-
bush. They were told by their new neighbour
that as yet he had tapped only a small
number of trees, but he intended soon to go to work in
earnest among the maples, and, indeed, bad quite made
up his mind canny Scot,' as he was, to give up farming
eltogetber, and to keep to sugar-making all the year
round, a plan which, it may be ite.gieed, tickled the
fancy of Jonathan not a little, knowing the ways of
maples as he did."
American " names" form also the subject of a very
interesting and useful chapter. The readers of this
work, while they are indebted to Miss Cooper for
some agreeable hours and much profitable pleasure,
will, we doubt not, join with us in congratulating
her on her very successful Milt as an authoress.

HER MAJESTY'S THEATRE.—Amongst the noblo
and distinguished individuals honouring her Majesty's
Theatre with their presence on Saturday evening were the
following:—His Grace the Duke of Wellington and the Mar-
chioness of Douro, his Excellency the Russian Minister, the
Baroness Brunnow and Mdlle. Olga de Lechner, the Duke and
Duchess of Norfolk, the Duke and Duchess of Leinster, his
Excellency the Swedish Minister, the Marquis of Clanri-
carde, the Marquis of Donegal, the Marquis of Stafford, the
Earl of Aboyne, the Earl of Lonsdale, the Earl Granville, the
Earl of Belfast, the Viscount Clifden, Lord and Lady Foley,
Lord Sandy s, Lord Gerald Fitzge, ald, Lord and Lady Frauds
Gordon, Ludy Ross. Lord Ashburton, Lady Shelley, Mr. and
Lady Caroline Sanford, Lieutenant-General Sir Alexander
Woodford, Bart., Lady and Miss Woodford, Sir John Low-
ther, Bart., Sir alph Howard. Bart., M.P., Lady and Miss
Howard, Sir Thomas Barrett Lennard, Bart., and Lady
Barrett Leonard, General the lion. A. Upton, the lion. Mr.
St. John, the Hon. Spencer Cowper, Sir Anthony and Lady
de Rothschild, Mr. C. Barry Baldwin, M.P., Mr. Storer, Mr.
Wigram, Mr. Crampton, Captain Phibbs, Mr. C. F. Harris,
Mr. Fitzherbert, Mr. Crombie, Mr. H. Broadley, M.P., Miss
C. Bellew, Mr. Rickards, Capt-do Chichester, Mr. and Mrs.
R. Arabin, Mr. Campbell, Mr. Longdon.
THE ROYAL ITALIAN OPERA.—Among the distin-
guished company attending the performances at the Royal
Italian Opera on Saturday night, we observed the Marquis
and Marchioness of Westminster, the Marquis of Stafford,
he Marchioness of Westmeath, the Marchioness Branca-
leone and Madlle. Brancaleone, the Earl Granville, the Earl
and Countess Talbot and Lady Victoria Talbot, the Earl
Grosvenor, the Earl of Belfast, the Countess (Dowager) of
Essex, Mi,s Johnstone, Viscount Clifden, 'Viscountess Dillon
and Hon. T. Dillon, Lord and Lady Wharncliffe and Hon.
Mis 4 Stuart Wortley, Lord and Lady Carrington, and Hon.
Miss Carrington, Lady Monson, Lady W. Bentinck, Hon.
Mr. and Lady Elizabeth Lawley, Hon. F. Byng, Captain
the Hon. Strange Jocelyn, Hon. 0. F. Toler, Hon. Mr.
Stuart Wortley, lion. Mr. Upton and Lady Upton, Sir
George and Lady Armytage, Sir Charles Marshall, Colonel
Blanc, Captain Steele, Captain Pakenham, Captain Pugh,
Captain Johnson, the Solicitor-General, Mr. H. Greville, Mr.
Montague Gore, M. Agelli, Miis Burdett Coutts, Miss Bur-
dett, Mr. Martineau, Mr. E. Bligh, Mr. J. Smith, Mr. and
a,iss Cavan, •
Mr. Denistoun, Mr. IL Barnard, Mr. J. Bul-
teel, &c.
WRECK OF THE SHIP ARAB AT THE CAPE.—
During a severe north-west gale, which commenced on
Friday evening last, several vessels dragged their anchors,
and on Saturday morning the barque Arab, Captain Baker,
which arrived from the Mauritius bound to London, on the
previous day, parted from her anchor, and drifted on the
sunken ridge nearly opposite the lines, where she has be-
come a total wreck. The crew and passengers were landed
by the life-boat, port-boat, and the ship's boats. Her cargo
consists of 6,624 bags sugar, 106 casks of rum, 18 bales of
jute, three cases of brandy, and other articles.—South Afri-
can, June 3.
FATAL OCCURRENCE ON THE EASTERN COUNTIES
RAthway.—An occurrence, unfortunately attended with the
loss of human life, took place on the Eastern Counties Rail-
way, on Saturday last. The down train, proceeding towards
Tottenham, had not passed the Lea-bridge station snore than
a minute, when it was discovered that the train had passed
over the body of a man on the line. The engine was stopped
with all practicable speed, the officers and several of the pas-
sengers running back to render all possible assistance. They
found the body of the unfortunate man (who was most
respectably drcs.ed) lying across the rails, his head being
almost severed from his body. He was conveyed to the
Lea-bridge station; but as lite was completely extinct, the
body was removed to a neighbouring public-house to await
a coroner's inquest.

OMNIBUS COLLISION IN THE STRAND, AND PRO-
BABLE Loss OF LIFE —Last night, at a late hour, a most
serious collision took place in the Strand between a Rich-
mond and a Blackwell omnibus, by which the lives of the
passe' gers were placed in the greate,t danger. The coach-
ton of the tomer vehicle, Erasmus Lawrence. was removed
to Charing-cross Hospital, with a severe concussion of the
brain and other injuries, so much so that this morning, at
two o'clock, no hope was entertained of h.s recovery. The
passengers escaped with but slight injuries. The police
made the most active inquiries with regard to the origin of
the catastrophe, but all Wilber inforinatiun remains for the
police court. One of the omnibuses presented a must dilapi-
dated spectacle.
FRIGHTFUL ACCIDENTS.—On Thursday afternoon,
about four o'clock, a horse and chaise beleinging to Mr.
Newnham Hall, of Kensingttn, was left standing outside
the Hercules I'illars Tavern, Greek-street, t•oho, whilst the
parties in charge partook of refresh taking the
ment ; something
alarmed the animal, and he suddenly started,
direction of Newport-maket. At the corner of om Cpton
,
street, Mr. Ellenor, of Wardour-street, was knocked down
and sustained injuries that preclude all hopes of recovery.
The animal now approached Hayes'-court, a narlow thedho-
roughfare crowded with foot passengers, and having das
in the shop front of Mr. Jones. at. the corner, swept down
the court at a terrific pace. Upwards of 30 persons were
knocked down, and more or less injured; and a Mrs. Dono-
van, residing in Rose-street, Long-acre. and two children,
were removed to Charing- cross Hospital, where they lie with-
out hoppa of recovery, The horse was et length stopped

THE SUN, LONDON,

MR. BUNN AT HARROGATE•

- -
We copy the following from the Harrogate Ad-
vertiser of Saturday list

THE CHF.LTENHAM *ROOMS

" We have frequently had eccasicn to bring under
public notice the great spirit displayed by Mr. Gir-
don, in his direction of this fs.scinating place el en•
tertainment, more especially in the lighter and spark-
ling attractions which music invariably carries along
with it ; but it now becomes our duty to devote ad-
ditional attention to the bolder step taken by our po-
pular entrepreneur, in catering for the visitors of
Harrogate, by introducing to them the most eminent
dramatic talent of the present day.
" On Monday last, Mr. Bunn, whose name has
been so long associated with the great theatres of
the metropolis, as lessee of hoth the national theatres,
author of most of the grand operas of the day, of
the ballads c that ladies love to HT,' and of other
works of celebrity, gave the literary and dramatic
entertainment which he recently introduced in
London with such great success—a mental
triumph that has attended him throughout the
provinces. The object of this monologue is to re-
move the absurdities, and to confirm the truths, so
very laberiously disseminated resp( cting England's
great dramatic poet—to bring before the spectator
the early condition of the English stage and its liters-
ture—to introduce the brightest and the darkest
hours of its f xistence—to enlarge upon its good qua-
lities—to lay open its bad ones—and to pave the way
for the restoration it stands in so much need of. The
lecture is divided into two parts, the first of which
carries back the auditor to the pristine state of our
histrionic character; and the second part takes him
down from the days of Garrick to the present hour—
a period of about 100 years. There is no man living
who has such power to do all this as Mr. Bunn —whose
mind is richly stored with learning and information
—whose memory, it is evident, must be of the most
retentive nature whose qualifications are of the
highest and most varied order—and whose general
resources are such as few can command. The matter
which Mr. Bunn has herein brought to bear is
equally instructive and entertaining, and may be lis-
tened to with the greatest advantage by the represen-
tative of the pulpit, the bar, and the stage. With a
powerful, yet modulating voice, with a most expres-
sive countenance, and a highly impassioned manner,
Mr. Bunn at once rivets the spectator's attention, and
then leads him on with so pleasant a strain of collo-
quial discussion, that you seem as if you were
listening rather to some inspired member of
a private circle, than to a distant and distinguished
public lecturer. At one moment you are be-
guiled by a beautiful recitation of some grand pas-
sage from Shakspere, and at the next you are
convulsed by some racy anecdote or dazzling bon mot.
The secrets of the prison-house' are never indulged
in beyond propriety and good feeling ; and Mr. Bunn
lays it down, as the grand rule in such cases, that all
personality should be avoided. In the short space
that is allotted, or that can be allotted, in an epheme-
ral publication to matters of art, we must naturally
regret our inability to do justice to one of the most
learned, eloquent, and diverting entertainments it has
ever been our lot to witness, by eulogising the respective
features of which it is compased. At the same time
it would be an unpardonable omission if we neglected
to notice the extraordinary manner in which Mr. Bunn
delivers the language of the witches in Macbeth, as
distinguished from what he justly terms the mum-
mery' indulged in by our low comedians. The effect
produced by Mr. Bunn's reading and energetic de-
livery took the audience by storm, and a liberal ex-
plosion of applause followed. We are very much
mistaken if the effect of such judgment in selection,
taste in application, and genius in delivery, will not
materially tend to the restoration of the declining for-
tunes of the English stage. The audience were en-
thusiastic to a man, and proved beyond a question
that even in the secluded retreat of the invalid, in the
calm lounge of fashion's votary, or the quiet walks of
rural life, the beauties of the great poet of nature,
when elicited by such a master as Mr. Bunn has
proved himself to be, can find the readiest attention,
and bring forth the most spontaneous approbation."