The Sun.
London, England, 1850-05-25 00:00:00

EVENINGS AT SEA.

This very delightful volume appears without its
author's name, bat rumour has assigned it to the
same hand as " Reginald Hastings" and " The
Crescent and the Cross." Few readers of " Evenings
at Sea" will be inclined to contradict the assertion. In
many of the scenes here described is easily recognised
the facile power of a practised pen. These tales,
which formed the pastime of some "Evenings" spent
"at Sea," are various in character, but are all in their
several ways very interesting. In the first story, " The
Miner," there is related an incident of such fascinat-
ing interest, that it holds the reader for a moment in
breathless attention. The last history is the most
pleasing, and it "ends well." "Henry Meynell," on
the contrary, has a tragic termination, which, how-
ever, is only a deserved retribution. Although ori-
ginally intended to beguile "Evenings at Sea,"
these tales are admirably qualified to afford delightful
amusement for evenings on land, and as such we
very cordially recommend them.

NEW EDITION of PRESCOTT'S WORKS
CONQUEST of PERU. Vol. 11.

Rarely has a romance-possessed a greater power of
fascination than this history. The immortal pages of
the "Arabian Nights" do not depict scenes mere
gorgeous and amazing, and the early campaigns of
Napoleon scarcely reveal more marvellous general-
ship and wholesale conquests, than do these details of
the former splendours of the fallen Incas of Peru,
and of the daring valour of the invading soldiers of
Spain. Tbe character of Pizarro is the main feature
of this volume—a character which, at the same time,
irresistibly attracts our admiration while it excites
our abhorrence. As an instance of Pizmo's exqui-
site generalship, and also as a specimen of Mr. Pres-
cott's delightful style, we transcribe the following
passage

_
" On the fifth day after leaving San Miguel, Pizarro
halted in one of those delicious valiies to give his troops
.repose, and to make a more complete inspection of them.
Their number amounted, in all, to 177, of which B 7
were cavalry. He mustered only three arquebusiers in
the whole company, and a few crossbow-men, altogether
not exceeding twenty. The troops were tolerably well
equipped and in good condition. But the watchful eye
en their commander noticed, with some uneasiness, that,
net withstanding the general heartiness in the cause
manifested by his followers, there were some among
them whose countenances lowered with discontent, and
lio, although they did not give vent to it in open mur-
murs, were f,r from moving with their wonted alacrity. lie
was aware that, if this spirit became contagious, it
would be the ruin of the enterprise, and he thought it
he it to exterminate the gangrene at once, and at what-
ever cost, than to wait until it had infected the whole
system. He came to an extraordinary resolution,
" Calling his men together, he told them that' a crisis
had now arrived in their affairs, which it demanded all
their courage to meet. No man should think of going for-
ward in the expedition who could not do so with his whole
heart, or who had the least misgiving as to its success.
If any repented of his share in it, it was not too late to
turn back. San Miguel was but poorly garrisoned, and
ho should be glad to see it in greater strength. Those
who chose might return to this place, and they should
be entitled to the same proportion of lands and Indian
vassals as the present residents. With the rest, were
they few or many, who chose to take their chance with
him, he should pursue the adventure to the end.'
"It was certainly a remarkable proposal for a com-
mander who was ignorant of the areount of disaffection
in his ranks, and who could not safely spare a single
man from his force, already far too feeble for the un-
dertaking. Yet, by insisting on the wants of the little
colony of San Miguel, he afforded a decent pretext for
the secession of the malcontents, and swept away the
barrier of shame which might have still held them in
the camp.
"Notwithstanding the fair opening thus afforded
there were but few, nine in all, who availed themselves
of the General's permission. * * * This stroke
of policy in their sagacious leader was attended with
the best effects. He had winnowed out the few grains
of discontent which, if left to themselves, might have
fermented in secret till the whole mass bait swelled into
mutiny."

" Pizarro, like Cortes," we read in another place,
" possessed a good share of that frank and manly
eloquence, which touches the heart of the soldier,
more than the parade bf rhetoric or the finest flow of
elocution. He was a soldier himself, and partook in
all the feelings of the soldier, his joys, his hopes, and
his disappointments. He was not raised by rank
and education above sympathy with the humblest of
his followers. Every chord in their bosoms vibrated
with the same pulsations as his own, and the convic-
tion of this gave him a mastery over them."
Among the descriptions of the magnificent treasures
of Peru we find the following evidences of Peru-
vian ingenuity in an account of their gold and
silver imitations of plants and animals. "Among the
plants, the most beautiful was the Indian corn, in
which the golden ear was sheathed in its bread leaves
of silver, from which hung a rich tassel of
threads of the same precious metal. A foun-
tain was also much admired, which sent up a
sparkling jet of gold, while birds and animals of the
same material played in the waters at its base. The
delicacy of the workmanship of some of these, and the
beauty and ingenuity of the design, attracted the ad-
miration of better judges than the rude conquerors of
Peru." The treasures obtained by these conquerors
were immense, the value of • the gold amounting to
near three millions and a half of pounds sterling, be-
sides a large quantity of silver. " History," says
Mr. Prescott, " affords no parallel of such a booty—
and that too in the most convertible form—having
fallen to the lot of a little band of military adventu-
rers." "It is equally worthy of remark," he very
judiciously adds, " that the wealth thus suddenly ac-
quired, by diverting them from the slow but surer
and more permanent sources of national prosperity,
has in the end glided from their grasp, and left them
among the poorest of the nations of Christendom."

ON THE NATURE AND TREATMENT
OF DISEASES OF THE ICIDNEY. By
G. Owen Rees, M.D., F.R.S., Fellow of the Royal
College of Physicians, Assistant Physician to, and
Lecturer on illateria Medica at Guy's Hospital;
Principal Medical Officer to the Pentonville
Prison.

This work is an elaboration and an extension of
Dr. Rees' valuable clinical lectures recently de-
livered at Guy's Hospital on that disease of the
kidneys which is named " Bright's disease," from
the circumstance of Dr. Bright having been
the first to discover it and to point it
out to the .profession. Prior to this time
diseases of the kidney were generally considered as
the mere consequences of other diseases, and as of
minor importance. Since the discovery of Dr.
Bright, however, it has been proved by him-
self and the followers of his school, amongst
whom Dr. Owen Rees deservedly holds the
foremost rank, that this disease is a primary disease, a
cause and not a consequence of other diseases, and
that dropsy in all its forms, and that many cases of
affections of the brain, the heart, the liver, and the
lungs are merely symptomatic of the existence
of " Bright's disease,' and to be cured effectually
must be attacked in their primary seat. The work
before us puts all these things in a clear light, and
is one of the most lucid expositions of me-
dical facts we have ever perused. Dr. Rees
is also an admirable logician, and all his conclusions
are sound and undeniable deductions from his pre-
mises. We recommend this work to the attentive
study of the medical profession, as being, without
exception, the best treatise on the .Morbus Brightii
that has yet appeared.

LIFE OF THE DuKE OF KENT. By the

Rev. Erskine AVcale.

The biography of the father of the Sovereign is
natural invested with considerable interest—an
interest enhanced by the vivid contrast presented by a
comparison of the peculiar troubles and embarrass-
ments actually suffered by the Duke of Kent, and the
position which ho would now enjoy if still living. Mr.
Neale has done his best to render his work valuable.
The biography is written in a simple and interesting
style, and will doubtless obtain numerous admirers.

CHESTER AND HOLYHEAD liAnwAy.—Traffic for
the Week ended May 19, 1850 C. and H. Main Line,
2,355/. 16!. ld.; Mold, 961. 35. 7d.; ~team-boat; 212/.
48. Ocl. ; Total, 2,6€41. 3s. Bd.