The Sun.
London, England, 1845-06-14 00:00:00

THE SPORTING MAGAZINE.

The principal engraving in this number celebrates the
grand event of the last month—the " Derby Day." The
moment selected is that immediately succeeding the race,
before the excitement has subsided, when the eager mul-
titudes crowd round the " stewards' stand," anxious to
view the winner. The literary department is, as usual,
confined to sporting subjects. The " Chasseur au Chien
d'arret" is as amusing as ever; some of the remarks with
regard to poaching show the difference between the gen-
tleman breaking the laws for amusement and the poor
man instigated by necessity.

THE METEOR.

No. 11.

Almost every department of arts and literature can
boast of some publication devoted to its interests. There
are magazines relating to politics, science, the united ser-
vice, foreign sporting affairs—in short, to almost every
subject. The Meteor is to be the organ of the hitherto
" unrepresented" theatrical department, and to judge from
the commencement, it seems well suited to the part. The
name of the editor, Buckstone, is " a host itself." The
present number is embellished with an engraving of Mr.
Webster, and contains a biographical sketch of that
spirited manager. There is a pleasing variety of light
tales and epigrams, and an effecting memoir of the late
Mr. Strickland, from which we quote the following :
" The loss of Mr. Strickland will be severely felt by all the
lovers of sterling acting, and by the Haymarket company
especially ; his style and figure were eminently adapted for the
characters he sustained in the comedies of that establishment—
while the contra,t he presented to Farren, greatly assisted in
completing the picture always formed by the first-rate com-
pany of the Haymarket Theatre in their admirable represen-
tations of the higher order of comedy. Who, like Strickland,
could stand as Sir Oliver Surface, by the side of William
Farron's Sir Peter Teazle? or as Gripe, with the latter actor's
Moneytrap, in The Confederacy ? Where is now the Hay-
market Falstaff ?—the best the London stage has known for
many years. Where the amorous Sir William Fondlove
and the renowned Christopher Sly, the drunken tinker of
The Taming of the Shrew? Where the kind-hearted and
much-bewildered Tom Noddy? Where all the oily, angry old
men that Buckstone was wont to worry in the hundred-and-
one farces that sent the Haymarket audience, season after
season, laughing to their beds ?--' And is old Double dead ?
No actors in the Haymarket will miss the rich humour of their
departed colleague more than Farren and Buckstone; a perfect
understanding always appeared to exist between them ; a
playing into each other's hands, without which feeling on the
part of the actors no dramatic representation can ever be
genial or perfect."

LITERATURE.
THE DISPUTED INHERITANCE.
By Grace Webster. 3 Vols.

In the introduction to this works the authoress ob-
serves, "In the present state of literature, when it has
become for the most part a mere mercantile speculation,
the success of a work, irrespective of its merits, depends
on one of these three concomitants—a catching title, an
author's name known in the world of fashionable book-
making, or the author's ability to write for a party, and
to frame his work in accordance with the dominant poli-
tical or religious opinions of the times. The following
work is wholly destitute of these distinctions, and, I fear,
possesses no qualities of a higher and more substantial
kind to make up for the deficiency. But all I aim at is
to furnish an innocent hour's amusement to those whom
it is worth trying to amuse, in the intervals of time not
devoted to the serious business and occupations of life."
To furnish "an innocent hour's amusement" is the
avowed object of the authoress, and in that she has every
chance of succeeding. The " Diapered InheritaLce" is
not an historical nor a political novel; it does not pro-
fess to inform or admonish, neither is it calcu-
lated to interest the romantic: its aim is to amuse—it
may win smiles when the mind is too pre-occupied for
graver thoughts, and will serve to make an idle hour
pass pleasantly. The scene is laid in the " far north,"
and the principal actors are the family of a Scottish
laird of the old school,

" On hospitable thoughts intent."
The plot is not very intricate, and there is little variety
of incident; the chief attraction of the work consists In
its lively and animated style, which, adorned with many
a humorous anecdote, forms a striking contrast to the
tone of sickly sentiment that pervades so many of our
modern novels; and, if at times the expressions seem
wanting in dignity and refinement, we must pardon these
slight defects for the sake of the amusement afforded by
the whole. Mingled with the lively discourses, which
form the principal part of the work, we find many sen-
si')le ideas and thoughtful reflections. The last ch. apter
contains some remarks on criticism, and a brief sum-
mary of the great divisions of the " public;" among
others the following :