The Sun.
London, England, 1844-09-04 00:00:00

ILLUMINATED MAGAZINE.

The embellishments to this Magazine are, as usual,
excellent ; among them is a picturesque sylvan scene
representing a venerable forest oak stretching its
huge branches across a stream, whose waters it throws
into deep shadow. There is infinite spirit shown in
the execution of this plate. There is some lively
dialogue in the "Adventures of a Scamp," but the
article is too much spun out. It is amusingly illus-
trated by Leech, who is no unworthy successor of
George Cruikshank. We quote the following sketch
of an English farmer from a descriptive article en-
titled " A Seasonable Gossip :"

" Let us now glance for a moment at the farmer, the
genuine unsophisticated yeoman of the old school—the
broad-backed, strong-limbed, and brawny- handed scion
of the ancient stock— what a transformation the autumn
works in him ! Much as we respect the many traits of
excellence peculiar to his character, we must confess,
that he is, in general, a dull and ponderous animal, a
slow-spoken, heavy-witted saunterer, patiently watchful
of the progress of, his crops, and punctually attentive to
the periodical satisfaction of his appetites; but at hay-
sell and at harvest, how marvellous the change I It is a
strife between the laverock and himself, which shall be
first abroad; and as with him so with his household.
The earliest glance shot by the rising sun, through the
sparkling casement of his ample kitchen, shines upon
every member of the family, old and young, circling
a breakfast-table laden with abundance most profuse.
Brief space, not idly spent, is thus consumed. Without,
a sleek and silken-coated cob, saddled and bridled,
awaits the burden of his master's bulk, and, mounting
this, the anxious yeoman hastens to the fields. The
swarthy reapers own the influence of their master's eye,
and sickles glance like lightning-flashes through the
yielding corn. Sometimes, alighting from his nag, he
wields that implement himself, and with a lower,
broader sweep, enjoins a greater thrift of straw, dwell-
ing exultingly the while (how mournful is the yearly
retrccession of the world I) upon the superior mode of
reaping and of binding sheaves, which generally ob-
tained when he was young ; while elder men, who were
his rustic tutors in the labours of the field, bury their
brown faces in the wheat, and with difficulty suppress a
smothered laugh. Presently he is among the busiest of
the carters in a neighbouring field, pitching the sheaves,
or driving team, or portioning out supplies of beer, or
ruminating on the quality and prospective value of his
well-housed oats. And so he flits from field to field,
busy as the busiest, and manifesting a volubility of
speech and suppleness of limbs peculiar to the occasion,
rather than the individual. Dinner supplies him with a
timely respite, but the customary nap which used to
follow like an epilogue, is now foregone, and afternoon,
and even night (if the sky be threatening), find him
lingering in the fields with the adhesive pertinacity of
the worthy in the old ballad, who
Oft fitted the halter, oft traversed the cart,
And often took leave, but seemed loath to depart.'
Nor is it merely in the harvest-field and in the home-
stead that the most delightful characteristics of the sea-
son are observable. Orchards and garden-grounds are
rich with their abundant fruitage and creaking
branches heavy with luscious burdens, droop to the very
ground. which they so richly chequer with their restless
shadows.

AINS WORTH'S MAGAZINE.
In the present chapters of his "St. James's, or the
Court of Queen Anne," the editor introduces us to
that notorious French political adventurer the Mar-
quis de Guiscard, and describes that memorable scene
in the Council Chamber—to which Swift has made
such frequent allusions in his Journal to Stella—
when the Marquis openly attempted the assassination
of Harley. The whole scene is wrought up in
Mr. Ainsworth's most careful and effective manner.
The " Husband Malgre• Lui" is a story which evinces
descriptive talent of no ordinary character. The
" Gipsey's Tragedy" is from the pen of the author
of the Mountain Decameron. The scene of the nar-
rative is laid in South Wales, and the incidents—
more particularly the denouement—are impressive,
though not devoid of exaggeration, which is the be-
setting sin of all Mr. Downes's fictions. " Wanted a
Governness" details the humiliations and annoyances
to which those are subjected whose hard lot it is to
earn a livelihoOd by undertakiqg the education of
children. The " Lady Lucille and her Wedding
Brooch" is a lively piece of versification, whose danc-
ing measure and ingenious rhymes will recal the
Ingoldsby Legends to the reader's recollection.
" Every Man has his Doctor Johnson" is an essay
illustrative of a social truth that all must feel, though
not all will acknowledge. There is much sagacity in
this observation :—" If there be a tendency to dis-
parage, there is an equal tendency to admire and
exalt, in the humanity that moves about us con-
tinually. The ordinary world is full of extraordi-
nary humours. The enemy of idol-worship likes to
keep a little pet-god or pocket-divinity of his own.
If we must have something to vent our spleen upon,
we must also have something to puff and venerate.
Hero-worship is everywhere. It is a vital principle
in the religion of social life. There is no such thing
as a consistent leveller." " John Manesty, the
Liverpool Merchant," is here brought to a close. It
is a clever tale, but its author, the late Dr. Maginn,
does not exhibit to such advantage in it as in those
worldly sketches, essays, and criticisms, which for
years he was so continually in the habit of contribut-
ing to the monthly periodicals. " Kate Crosby's
Polka Party" is a story scarce one degree removed
from common-place. The " Termination of the
Transport" is a narrative by Mr. F. Ainsworth, of
his recent travels in Syria. He thus speaks of a re-
markable character with whom he comes in contact in
the neighbourhood of Antioch :
" Here we found Mr. Elliot, commonly called Dervish
Ali, whose services as an interpreter had been obtained
since our arrival in the country, and who had provided
two empty houses for our use, one of which was con-
verted into an hospital, and the other kept for the offi-
cers Fitzjames and Bell being at the time among the
invalids. This Mr. Elliot was a very remarkable cha-
racter. He had received a good education, was a tole-
rable classical scholar, and had been a medical student
at one of the London hospitals, but having come to the
East, his passion for wandering became so great, as to
lead him to sacrifice everything in order to gratify it. In
order to facilitate his movements, he perfected himself in
the Arabic language, and assumed the garb and appear-
ance of a Dervish, by which means he was enabled to
visit in safety all parts of the country. lie was employed
for some time by Colonel Taylor, the resident at
Baghdad, on exploratory missions, one of which was to
trace the retreat of the ten thousand Greeks. On this
occasion, a native damsel was given to him as a spouse,
in return for his having cared her of ophthalmia ; but he
afterwards exchanged her fOr a donkey, the latter being
more useful in following the footsteps of the Greeks.
There was great difficu'ty in getting him to put the re-
sult of his researches on paper, and he required constant
superintendence—at one moment, the chair was too high;
at another, the pen was bad—in fact, the irksomeness of
writing was quite inconsistent with his acquired habits
of desultoriness. The MS. however exists, and is, with
many others, in Colonel Taylor's possession. Mr. J.
Bailie Fraser was permitted access to it, with the
Colonel's usual liberality ; and he says, in his work on
Mesopotamia (p. 304), that, as Mr, Elliot possessed

means of obtaining information which fell to the lot of
few, the notes which he left are of immense value, more
especially as they respect the manners and domestic
habits of the people.

" Mr. Elliot had, at this time, just returned from a
mission, composed of the two Messrs. Lynch and Mr.
Staunton, which had been sent to the Arabs, on the
Euphrates. They had visited the tribes of Waldiya,
Gizeh, Bu Sipahi, and others of the 'Anezeh. Their re-
ception was generally very favourable, but as they •ere
bearers of presents to the different sheikhs, one of the
Bedwin tribes, the Bu Litchi by name, conceived the in-
telligent project of appropriating the whole to them-
selves ; and they followed the party for some days with
these amiable intentions, which they carried so far, as to
wound one of the servants but as this was explained
away as a playful accident, and Captain Lynch's intimate
acquaintance with the character of the people enabled
him to exhibit great forbearance on the occasion, a colli-
sion was avoided, and the sheikh was afterwards anxious
to compromise the matter by presents, which were not
accepted.
" Mr. Elliot still wore the Dervish dress ; and hence
he always went by the name of Dervish Ali. His man-
ners were extremely flighty, and never, for a moment to
be depended upon. At one time he was praying and
dancing a ith the villagers, at another, he would get up a
quarrel with them. Ilaving, one day, indulged a little,
lie became unwell ; upon which, although a dark night,
he put a candle into a pap2r-lantern, which he hung by
the bow of his saddle, and took himself off, across the
stony and deserted mountain districts, to Aleppo. He
was, however, notwithstanding his peculiarities, of great
use to the expedition ; and after it broke up, was em-
ployed by Captain Lynch. His end was melancholy—
having perished on the desert, between Damascus and
Baghdad."