The Sun.
London, England, 1857-07-06 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

Cuthbert St. Elms, M.P., or Passages in the Life of
a Politician. 3 vols. Hurst and Blackett.
This story combines public with private life, the
career of the hero is traced from a very early age,
and we behold him gradually emerging from the
retirement of a studious youth, until he takes his
place in manhood in the senate, where he oc-
cupies no mean place. The record of his life is not
carried on to the culminating point, and he does
not even approach the meridian of his powers, or
the maturityof hisyears, when the conclusion of the
tale appears; but enough has been said to give good
augury of his success, and to hold out a fair pro-
mise of a great renown. The domestic details oc-
cupy a larger space than might be expected in a
political novel ; they are however exceedingly well
described. Perhaps the most highly finished sketch
is that of Lsdy Norah Donovan, whose mutable
mind could take no fixed impression. Light and
shade are vividly displayed in her composition, al-
ternately she was smiling-and frowning, one moment
all amiability, the next as stubborn and unyield-
ing as possible. She possessed no guiding principle
like her cousin Edith, whose gentle nature was as
firm as Norah's passionate character was unstable.
Nothing is more probable, than that a creature like_
this, who set reason at defiance, cast the counsels
of friends to the winds, and ignored all moral re-
sponsibility when following her own fancies, should
have a downfall. Unhappily, as often happens, she
could not suffer alone. The innocent, the high
spirited, and the noble hearted, had to join the
ranks and swell the sacrifice. The whole of the lasi•
volume is filled with the pursuit through Italy of
the fugitives. Sir Hugh Dtwnay, a false friend
of Cuthbert's, had persuaded Norah to elope with
him, and indignant at her treatment of her unfor-
tunate husband, her brother, joined by his friend.
Cuthbert, sets out after them. In early years Cuth-
bed had beeif engaged to the faithl-ss beauty, and
it was a heavy blow to him when she gave him up
(during an unavoidable absence) and married the
worthy Mr. Burney. This latt-r event far more
than reconciled the hero to his disappointment.
The events in Italy are stirring one-i, as the
travellers were in that country on the eve of the
general outbreak in 1848. They were mixed up in
some of the confus.ons se impossible to avoid when
sojourning in a disturbed state of society. The end
of their expedition took them to Paris, which they
reached at the moment when the Citizen King had
fled. Lord Beaconsfield, the brother of Norah, is
a good-natured easy-tempered man, very averse to
deciding matters for himself, and generally trusting
to his friend. Lord Elmwood was the very reverse
of this, a designing, intriguing man, intent ou pro-
moting his own purpose, heedle-s if conscience de-
barred further progress, and indifferent to the
claims of friends if they stood in his way. Ha
acted very ungenerously to his nepeew, Cuthbert,
in sending him to Ireland, at a time when every
public and private interest demanded his presence
in London. For once, however, the machivations
of the skilled intriguer failed. The young politi-
cian had excited too keen an attention to allow
absence itself to obliterate him from the regard of
those who watch events, and hail each rising star
of promise, who seems likely to irradiate with the
fire of genius the dull monotony of the political
arena, and wake up the dreary echoes of conventional
mediocrity, with the flashes of native wit and the
sound of inspired eloquence. We havo seen how
being frustrated in love was a blessing instead of
a curse eventually to Cuthbert. r Lord Elmwood
had a more striking proof of the vanity of his
attempts, for in the hour of his party's triumph he
was struck down by a fierce attack, and could nev,7r
again set his foot on„ the stage of public life.
" Cuthbert St. Elate may thus afford to the
reader a stirring sketch of political existence, and a
striking drama of social life. The crafty is shown
in the one, and the cunning met with in the other;
but while pride has a fall, and vanity is coveted
with vexation of spirit, the upright-minded one
prospers, if not always successful. The book can
be fairly recommended as being clever in its com-
position,
.elevated in its purpose, and brilliant and i
effective in many of its passages.

Chow-Chow. By the Viscountess Falk-land. 2 vols.
Hurst and Blackett.
These agreeable volumes are not devoted, as their
name might imply, to the district known as Chow-
Chow. They consist of selections from a journal
kept by the authoress in Indic, Egypt, and Syria,
and take their title from the Lillian pefllers, who,
among their wares, always carry a " Chow-Chow
ise. The word
basket" of miscellaueous merchamj
itself sigeifies "odds and euds';" and as the work
before us is intended inure as a pleasant r-.l9cord of
individual experiences than a serious work of tra-
v&s. it has also received the name. Lady Falk-
land writes in a clear and brief style, and evident'',
possesses considerable powers of oh .e rvation and
a disposition to be interested and amused n all the
peculiarities of country, custene4, or inhabit Ines, in
isapdovrtu
ef,itnies
urteisaonfdfoainmnoinyg-
adneeffeasnscieleol
metth eva
with.
u m
various
Her
op
an acquaintance with toe people and government
of India were considerable, as ord Falkland
was Governor of Bombay, and, of course, Lady
Falkland had to hold the ' various receptions,
&c., that form a 1 Tge part of the duties of a
-i
governor's lady. Having been only a short time
return d from North America,
see was amused
at the difference in the style of company conversa-
tions. In El Willa the topics were icebergs, sleigh-
ing, stoves, and double windows ; in Bomeay they
were dusty roads, cool houses, and tee coming men-
soon. However, she tells us that tile weather rarely
serves for conversation in the Est, only when the
rain,
are expected. There are few amusements in
Bombay, for the European iienilemen are all busily
en.
44a'ed during the day ; and the dinner hour being
very late, they prefer quiet iu the evening. On
the occasion of the races there is a lit.le in ire acti-
vity displayed, and a very mixed group of specta-
tors may be seen. "You may see in the crowd
a Bombay European exquisite by the s,de of a
dirty fakir. Here is a group of Parsecs, there is a
Jew ; and there are Hindoes of all castes—Mussul-
mans, people from Seinde wit] square caps, Porto
guese, En:lish sailors, Chinese with lung tails,
native soldiers, and Armenians," The sea-