The Sun.
London, England, 1845-09-17 00:00:00

THE ILLUMINATED MAGAZINE.

The tale of " The Dead Guest," from the German of
Zschokke, is continued, as are " The Recreations of Mr.
Zigzag." A new doggrel tale, entitled " The life and
Adventures of Bob Thin," is begun in this number.
The subject (a New Poor-law tale) is a good one, and
in better hands might have been made an excellent
vehicle for poetry, pathos, and withering satire, but as it
is the author has merely perpetrated some pages of
meaningless doggrel, in which the attempt at wit is as
apparent as the failure is conspicuous. We give the
foltowing as a specimen:—
Well, as we said, in the olden days,
When ladies never miss'd their stays
(Because, in truth, they'd not been granted :
A cherub might as well have panted
For a dandy pair of pantaloons,
Or whale have sigh'd for table-spoons : )
Days more than " golden " double-worth'd,
When horrible gold was all unearth'd—
The days of Natural Equal-
ity and property for all ;
There were no Poor••laws, for this good
Reason, that no man wanted food ;
And none on 's neighbour any ravages
Committed ; till at length some says:l'es,
A lordly, idle set of stoats,
Seized peaceful husbandman by th' throats,
And over Nature's gentlest code,
' On roaring Rapine rough-shod rode.
Ohe, jant satis I So, leaving the " lordly idle set of
stoats," mounted on " roaring rapine, " to ride rough-
shod over a "code," proceed we to remark that, although
the literary portion of the present number is very
mediocre, the pictorial illustrations are exceedingly
Beautiful. This very tale of Bib Thin is illuminated
by pictorial initial letters to each verse, some of which
are the most fanciful and quaint imaginable.

TRANSACTIOAS OF THE BRITISH AND
FOREIGN INSTITUTE. 1843-44-45.
We have from time to time recorded the praiseworthy
exertions of Mr. J. S. Buckingham to found an Institute
in which persons of all nations might meet us upon
common ground to enjoy literary society, and to forward
the cause of intellect, literature, and science, and which
at the same time should be a social reunion to which not
only ladies might be admitted, but of which their pre-
sence should form an essential part, so that it should be
a microcosm not only of the literature and science, but
of the politeness and refinement, of the polished nations
of the world—a Society in which the arts should appear
as the handmaids of refinement and civilisation, which
should be a practical illustration of the truth of the old
classical adage : •
" Ingenuas didicisse fidcliter artes emollit mores nec sinit
esse feros."
It appears that Mr. Buckingham formed the idea of
such an Institution as far back as 1830, and published a
prospectus of it in that year, but the nation
was then engaged in working out what it
considered its political regeneration. Amidst the
turmoil of politics the proposal for establishing an in-
stitution remained unattended to. Mr. Buckingham
himself, joining in the political agitation of the period,
became a Parliament Member," and the plan remained
in abeyance until 1843. In the meantime Mr. Buck-
ingham, who had previously travelled all over the Old
World, visited the New, and, on his return from the
United States, he again brought forward his proposal
for the establishment of the British and Foreign Insti-
tute. His exertions were nobly seconded by the Earl
of Devon, Lord Brougham, the Bishops of Durham,
Norwich, and St. David's ; Lord James Stuart, Sir E.
Codrington, Sir G. Staunton, Mr. Pendarves, the
Member for Cornwall ; Mr. Mackinnon, the Member
for Lymington ; the Rev. S. Ramsay, and Mr. Tite,
the architect of the Royal Exchange. Under their
auspices the Institution was founded and under their aus-
pices has it gone on increasing in prosperity to the present
time. It appears that the Institution, which possesses a
choice library, is open every day to members, except on
Sundays, until eleven o'clock in the evening, and that on
certain evenings soirees are given, which must be the
most delightful reunions imaginable. To these soirees
no ladies or gentlemen are admitted, except they are in
full evening costume. There is a selection of music—
in fact, a concert by the professional members of the
Institution, and between the parts of the concert Mr.
Buckingham gives an oral review of the new books
which have been added to the library. These reviews
are given in the volume of the transactions, and de-
lightful resumes they are—clear, distinct, instructive
and amusing. On other occasions a lecture is given on
some literary or scientific subject, or a discussion takes
place among the members of the Institute on themes
previously proposed. The present volume contains
ample reports of all these reviews, lectures, and discus-
sions, and as a work communicating a vast fend
of useful information on a variety of topics
in a most amusing and popular form, we know of no
single volume that can for one moment compare with it.
It is profusely illustrated by copper plates and wood-
cuts, all of which are of the highest order of pictorial
excellence. As a specimen of typography, it is beauti-
ful—forming a thick quarto volume, with wide margins,
gilt edges, and ornamental covers. The whole getting
up of the work is superb. It is one of the most orna-
mental books that can be placed upon a drawing-room
table, and, unlike the generality of ornamental books,
it is full of sterling information, communicated in the
most agreeable manner, .and is more valuable for its
articles than for its appearance.

HOW'S ILLUSTRATED BOOK OF BRITISH
SONG. Edited by George Hogarth, Esq.
In this work painting has been called in to illustrate
the productions of her sister, music, and it does equal
credit to the artist and to the musician. It has been
long most unjustly made a reproach to us that we have
no national music. This work, at once classical and
national, will prove the utter fallacy of such a reproach.
It will be the classical book of British Song, and de-
lighted are we to see such a work undertaken by the
most accomplished, learned, and tasteful of musical
critics that this or any other country has ever seen, Mr.
George Hogarth. His name alone is a sufficient guaran-
tee that nothing but what is deserving of immortality
will be admitted into this, par excellence, the Book of
British Song.

THE LATE WILLIAM MASTERMAN, ESQ.—This
wealthy and eminent City banker has died, leaving funded and
personal property, independent of his real estates, to the amount
of nearly 160,000/. By his will, which he had made some years
before his death, he has bequeathed to each of his six children a
legacy of 15,000/. ; and a legacy to his sister, Mrs. Oxley, and
his nephew, Henry Oxley. His library, with all the books and
contents, he has left to his eldest son, John Masterman, Esq.. the
Member for the City, to whom he has devised the estate at Ley.
ton, where he resided, as well as all other his real estates, free.
hold or copyhold. The residue of his personal estate he leaves to
his two sons, John and Thomas, whom he has appointed executors
to his will.
It is reported that the poem of Hippolyte Lucas,
which has been accepted and purchased by the French
Opera House, has been confided. to Balfe, who is assiduously
employed in composing the music for it. It is a drama in four
acts, of which the subject is Spanish, and entitled La Juice de
Tolede. The partition, it is added, will be completed by De-
cember, and the opera ready for representation by the close Q
Jaugarp