The Sun.
London, England, 1845-12-31 00:00:00

possess by undoubted facts in history. Hume' repre-
sents him as a gentleman in every respect, while he
was notoriously addicted to vulgar language, more
vulgar even than that used by his uncouth father, and
in his letters was constantly in the habit of using such
expressions as " rascals," "villains," and in a commission
with which he intrusted the Marquis of Hamilton for
reducing the discontented; Scots, he called the Presby-
terians " that rascally people ;"' and the favourite
epithet he applied to such illustrious men as Eliot,
and Pym, and Hampden, was " the vipers." On
reading the trials of Laud and Strafford, as described
by the Tory historian, one is astonished at the inex-
tinguishable hatred of the people against these two
Ministers, and the savage determination with which
they were pursued to death; but a correct history,
like that here given, explains the mystery, and shows
that no men ever were more justly doomed to death
for betraying the liberties of their country. The
style of the work, too, deserves great praise. It is
nervous, dignified, and eminently p.-actical. The
object of the writer is not to round off a period or draw
a beautiful metaphor, but to state facts in the most
impressive mariner, and furnish the reader with the
truth, the whole truth, 'and nothing but the truth.
When he condescends to use figures of writing they
are generally thrown in his way, and taken up, as it
were, by accident, and in that respect he is generally
very happy. For instance, the courtiers at Vienna
told the emperor that Gustavus Adolphus, the
Lion of the North, was but a king of snow, who
would melt away as he approached the north.
"But," says Mr. Mac Farlane, " the Swede continued
his course, and there was no melting away ; or, if there
was, it was of that nature which releases the avalanche
from the mountain, to thunder through and over-
whelm the valley beneath." And in a like
happy figure of speech, when stating that the Pres-
byterians of Ulster had by Strafford's tyranny and
persecution been banished to their native country, he
adds, " These preachers returned to their native
hive in Scotland, whence there soon issued such a
swarm as darkened the sun of the house of Stuart."
The work altogether is entitled to the highest praise ;
it, in fact, forms a new era in the writing of history ;
it is neither prolix nor tedious; on the contrary, the
reader regrets often that the description of some great
man, such as the splendid account of the birth, educa-
tion, and character of Hampden, given as an episode,
is not more prolonged, and every possible detail exhi-
bited to view. No novel or romance can be more en-
tertaining; and, we say with perfect sincerity, that the
eleventh volume of this publication, containing a his-
tory of the events preceding the civil war, is the most
interesting book we ever read.

KNIGHT'S WEEKLY VOLUME, for all Readers.

No. 74. Lord Brougham's Statesmen of George 111.
This, the first volume of the third series of this
standard work, which Mr. Knight is rebublisbing in
his weekly volume, contains Lord Brougham's re-
marks on the French revolution, with his precis of
the characters of Robespierre, Danton, Camille, Des-
moulins, St. Just, and Sieyes. Lord Brougham met
Sieyes at Brussels in 1817, and he relates some
curious anecdotes of the self-sufficiency of the cele-
brated Abbe, who, however, was always regarded by
Carnot and by Talleyrand as a man of great merit,
and to whom is due the honour of having first sug-
gested the three great measures which secured to
France the blessings of constitutional Government,
namely, the joint verification of the powers at the
meeting of the States-General, the formation of the
National Guards, and the establiThment of the
new system of provincial division and administration.
This volume also contains several interesting anecdotes
of Fouche, communicated by Earl Stanhope, who
was well acquainted with the ex-Minister of Police
during his sojourn at Dresden, after the fall of Na-
poleon, in 1815. At the conclusion of the remarks
on the French Revolution, the sketches of English
Statesmen continue, and we have a spirited vindica-
tion of the character of John fourth Duke of Bed-
ford from the calumnies of Junius, an elegant pane-
gyric on the life and labours of Earl Camden, and a
withering philippic against demagogues in general,
and John Wilkes in particular. Mr. Knight is
conferring a great benefit on society by thus placing
these historical sketches, by Lord Brougham, within
the reach of all classes of readers.

THE COMIC BLACKSTONE. By Gilbert
Abbott A'Beckett.

This is a reprint of the admirable series of papers
by Mr. A'Beckett, which have from time to time
appeared under the above title in Punch, and the
perusal of which most of our readers have no doubt
heartily enjoyed. They are here collected into a
small volume, beautifully printed, and altogether
very nicely "got up." The frontispiece, by George
Cruikshank, is one of those fanciful pieces of sati-
rical drollery that none but George Cruikshank
could imagine or design.

MRS. CAUDLE'S CURTAIN LECTURES ;
Ed'ted from the original itf.S. by Douglas Jerrold.
Here we have that stream of wisdom which con-
tinually flowed from Mrs. Caudle's lips, and which hath
for nearly twelve months past delighted and instructed
the world, collected, as it were, into a reservoir.
Who has not e njoyed the cup of caudle provided
weekly by Punch? Behold, here is the caudle-bowl—
an admirable Christmas present. Leech's illus-
tration of Mr. Caudle's return from the skylark, is
very rich.

THE MANUAL OF HERALDRY; being a con-
cise Descripron ttf the several Terms used, and contain-
ing a Dictionary of every Designation in the Science.
This is a most elegant, and, at the same time, very
useful little book. The taste for mcedieval architec-
ture, and for mcedieval decorations in our buildings,
public and private, is now reviving, and we would
recommend all those employed in the decorative art to
procure this little manual, and make it their vade
tnecunz. It will prevent the commission of many a
blunder. It is copiously illustrated with woodcuts
(there are upwards of 400 illustrations), and in its
pages will be found " all the varied figures invented
by the College of Heralds, and bestowed from the
day of the conquest till the reign of Elizabeth, upon
the noNlity and gentry, as marks of merit for services
rendered in the cabinet or in the field," and which
constituted the chief ornaments of the halls, palaces,
and churches of England, up to the close of the six-
teenth century.