The Sun.
London, England, 1844-03-01 00:00:00

AIMS WORTH'S MAGAZINE.

Mr. Ainsworth's story of the " Court of Queen
Anne" makes rapid progress. In, the chapters before
us we find the Duchess of Marlborough's influence
fast verging' to its extinetion—dimmed before' the
rising star of Harley and his wily confederate; Mrs.
Masham. There is a spirited scene between the
Duchess and her Royal mistress, at which Harley.ii
present, when the antagonist parties abuse each
other in good • set terms, .and with a heartiness of
hatred that reminds us of the famous dispute. between
that spotless couple; teachem and Lockitt. The
supper-party tat',Mr.•St. John's is less cleverly Ma-
naged._ All- the ;wits of the day, the- -COngreves,
Steeles, Addisons, Vanbrughs, &c.; are in Afton.:
dance, and 'their ,persons are: described -with the
minute accuracy of a hue and cry placard; but their
conversation is a mere non-entity—Without life, hit=
inour, raillery, or knowledge `of. any kind. They eat
abundance of 'good -things, hut .they say- unne. "'A
Demon's Mirror" is an ingenious vete of diablerie,
to which- a useful moral is attached.: A young man,.
by meads: of a magic looking-glass ..given him by an
accommodating fairy,'is enabled to see into the hearts
of all his friends. Of course the sight is one more
edifying
;than satisfactory, for while words of honied
softness are on.the lip,, hate, and jealousy, and spite,
and a thousand bad passions are rankling in the heart.
The writer closes his legend with this serviceable ex=
wuiin you are tempted to hold the
mirror too near to the hearts of those you wish to
love; rub off the :luic.ksilver." Death of t4e
Xattpu easalite j,.Deofjf,the,nple-p.l4§ ik4itatious

-that-have-recently appeared,-of--Mr.-lloas "-Song
of It: is by Alias- Camilla Touhnin, Who
shows herself ; a melodious versifier, if ziot
a; . decided- _poet. "A- Jar of Honey from
Mount IIybla; is from the pen of. that veteran essayist,
Leigh Ilutit;'Who observes, in reference to the earth-
quakes' that are of: such frequent occurrence in the
neighbourhood of Atitv—" Perhaps the most touch-
ing of all theconsolations to be met with in the his-
tory of:those catastrophes, is the testimony they bear
to the maternal affections. The men who perish
from the overthrow of houses are said to be generally
found in attitudes of resistance; the women are bent
double'dier their children." - cc Oriona and Vespe-
rilla" is a fairy tale, told with feeling and fancy,
though we, fear it is, not .ealculatedto suit the mat-
ter-of-factrtastes of the day. The adventures of some
toWn-bred thief Or. k navis% adventurer, with no more
sentiment in his composition than
.a leg of mutton,
Would be Tar -more likely'to be popular.' " Tohn
Manesty, the. Liverpool--Merchant"-pOOr Ma.ginn's
last-work .of •• fiction—turns.outas we anticipated, not-
withstanding his piety, to be notorious and bloqd-
thirsty pirate. As a proof of the affectiopateness. of
his nature,' the*Orthy''Livetpeol saint mdlies this
ugly confeision. to his own son. From the entertaining
" Elliston -Papers" we 'quote an illustration of the
generosity of this versatile actor. lie had won large
sums atihazard_ from a:young man, and thus wound
up the night's proceedings
• ‘" Will.you for, Sve minute's resume your seat?' said
Elliston, solemnly--' we must not- part yet. They tell
me I am fond of long speeches, but = I will be brief, for
our. time is so. I have told you J must have further—.
better security for the Work, done to-night—l am not
satisfied. But in the first phiee here'-{cOntinued he, in
the tone of one calmly determined)—' here,. Mr.
is the _Cash, and the whore amount. of what I have -this
night won from you;_and. that _we .may proceed without
fear of retracing a step,. I seriously_ pronounce, no power
on earth shall induce me to retain one guinea.'
" L— gazed in speechless 'attention—he knew not
the nature of his Own emotions.

" ' This has been a long sitting,' resumed Elliston—
has broken deeply into our rest, but it shall close to
our comfort=to our happiness, if you but permit it.
Mr. you are far from a state of health—perhaps
not a long-lived man; think how little time, therefore,
could be given to reflection, even were the whole amount
so devoted. Do not despise the admonition of even an
erring man; and let not pride, that pitiful illusion, be
the last cheat to leave you barer than poverty. Never,'
(concluded he, with great energy)—' never will I touch
again one farthing of this sum—it is yours, or it con-
sumes this night before your eyes. Now for the security
I ask—give me the honour of a man you will never play
again.'.

—" The accents of the young man failed upon his lips,
but the tears, rolled down his cheeks, and his frame
drooped by exhaustion.
" Alas! alas!' sighed he, after a labouring pause.
How am I humbled! In the sense of my own worth-
lessness, and before the generosity of this man, how am
I humbled !' .

' "‘ Rumbled!' cried Elliston, with energy—' humility!
—why, how, is this, when I had hoped on both sides for
exultation? Exultation, I confess it, on my part, that I
had been able to achieve a substantial good, and exul-
tation, still greater on yours, that you had secured the
moment whilst it yet remained, to make peace with
your own conscience. Will you give me the word of a
man?'

" Yes; and before God, my wituess—'
" No—no—not that!' interposed Elliston. I have
no right with such a bond; and believe me, my friend,
if the deliberate word of a deeply impressed mind shOuld
ever submit to dishonour a more solemn coßtract would
yet live to be despised, whilst the penalty would be mul-
tiplied a hundredfold. Give me but your word—your
word of honour.'

" Such was the generous appeal, awakening; as may
be imagined, the long abused and paralysed energies of
the poor youth to whom it had been addressed. It was
not made in vain; and the security which our•hero had
so warmly sought, was given with all the impassioned
evidence of sincerity.
" tlliston was of a temperament fully to enjoy that
sublimation of delight, which such an adventure was so
calculated to produce. His end had been accomplished;
for when again visiting (strange and inconsistent as is
the nature of man) the old scene of riot and dissipation,
he discovered his friend had returned no more, but had
been recalled by his means to the timely task of binding
up a -wounded conscience, he felt a sense of happinessi
far surpassing any amount of his varied life. Butt
strange and inconsistent, we repeat, as man's nature
Elliston himself still continued to visit Blackfriars as'
usual, so that all traces of the past scene were soon lost'
in the mazes of the hazard-table."
•

FRASER'S MAGAZINE. .
Unlike the rest of the world—that is to say, th
London world, which was the only one recognis
by Selwyn and Horace Walpole—we have never ye
seen the celebrated danseuse, Fanny Elssler, which
we are somewhat disposed to regret ; not that wel
would care to give even the lowest coin of the realm
to see the most accomplished dancer that ever stood,
on one leg, like a stork, for half an hour together on the'
boards of her Majesty's Theatre, but that we have,
missed seeing a lively, intelligent, and we may add,
witty young woman, who writes with remarkable
grace and fluency, and, by the arch bonhommie of her
manner, imparts an interest to the veriest trifles.
Fanny Elssler's "Letters from the United States,; "
which are continued in the present month's Fraser,
are indeed full of vivacity ; and the little way-sid
sketches of character and manners that she intro-
duces, are as relishing as that famous French sauc
with which, an enthusiastic gastronomist once obi
served, a man might digest his own grandmother '
Our fair letter-writer was by no means slow in de ,
tecting the social eccentricities of Jonathan, whit
must have caused her infinite diversion ; but sh
touches on them in such a laughing, good-humour
spirit that the most touchy Yankee cannot possibl
take offence. On her arrival at New York, true to
the professional 'instinct, she of course hurried to th
theatre, where she saw Forrest in one of his bes
characters, and thus records the impression which h
Made on her :—" Never in my life did an actor ins
spire me with deeper admiration! Mr. Forrest has
ardently studied the mysteries of his most difficult
art. A more refined and accomplished artist I have
never seen, and he gives a tint so natural and familiar
to his lifelike• creations that you are seduced intd
utter forgetfulness of the actor. It is idle to attempt
a description of his classic attitudes, his noble gait,,
his distinct enunciation, and, above all, of the fine
dramatic expression he gives to every passion of the,
heart—every. working of the mind." Ardent as is]
this eulogium, we subscribe to every word of it.
We had ourselves the good fortune to see Mr. Forrest,l
when he played at Drury-lane some years since, al
shall not readily forget the strongimpression he mad
on us in Othello—that impressive character, all whosel
leading points Mr. Macready disguises with suclip
curious and diligent pertinacity. We quote Fanny"
Elssler's account of her first appearance before a,
New York audience, which she seems to have looked
forward to with the most unaccountable misgivings
" I trembled in every limb with apprehensions I could
not control; I had hardly strength to walk upon,the
stage. The curtain rose, and breathless silence pre-'
veiled; the music struck up, and the moment came, and
I appeared. The scene that ensued beggars description.
The whole house rose, and such a shout ascended, as
stunned my senses, and made me involuntarily recoil.
Men waved their hats, and women their handkerchiefs,
and all was inexplicahle dumb show for several mortal
moments.. I stood confounded,. and tears streaming'
down my face. Order at length restored, the dance'
began. How I went through it I know rot ; I was
scVeely conscious of what I was doing. I felt only
one dreadful sensation of a great weight being attached
to my limbs ; or as if palsy had stricken them. But I
must have danced as I hope never to dance again. I was
encored to the echo, and in a few moments recommenced'
amid the niost cheering applause. A vaudeville suc-
ceeded,• and I retired to get ready for the ballet. I
was not curious to know the feeling of the house, for II
feared it must be unfavourable. I began to warm to myl
work, and my ambition awoke. I resolved to make
some desperate efforts before I yielded to the struggle..l
I soon learned that such a state of feeling prevailed as'
had been calculated on. Great confusion of opinion and'
impression, perhaps some disappointment, but just that
blank state of mind that I might hope the most from.
This roused my soul to .action, and I longed to be at
them. As I dashed in for the ballet, the sensation was
hardly less strong than at the first. My appearance in
feminine and coquettish attire seemed more in harmony
with their expectations; and they evidently liked 'my
looks. A loud murmur of surprise and intense satis-
faction rose on every side, and gave me a stirring im-
petus. It is not fur me to say what I did, sr how I did it,
but never .was .I carried so resistlessly along on a buoy-
ant tide of 'feeling that bore me quite away. I danced
without effort, and even Katty applauded some of my
feats. The most deafening exclamations of delight broke
at rapid intervals from all parts of the house, till they
lashed themielves into a perfect tempest Of admiration.
Never before did I behoid'so vast an assembly so com-
pletely under the sway of one dominant feeling, and so
entirely abandoned to its inspiration. The curtain fell
amid a roar that sounded like the fall of nighty waters,
and that quickly brought me before them. Their ap-
plause was perfectly frantic."
"A Suimner Hour in Pope's Garden at Twicken-
ham" is an imaginary conversation, ci la Landor, be-
tween - Pope, Bolingbroke, Arbuthnot, and Swift.
The dialogue is tolerably characteristic, with this ex-
ception, namely, that the great poet is made to allude
too frequently to his edition of Shakspeare—an allu-
sion which he always carefully shunned, knowing
how signal had been his failure as a commentator.
Swift's terse, dry manner is well conveyed, but we
could have spared , some of Bolingbrokes verbal
exuberence. In "Military Tableaux' we find a stir-
ring account of the approach' of the French to Mos-
cow, and their despair on the conflagration of that
city. By the, writer's • account,' who- was a Prussian
hussar, the invading army must have been in a sad
state of disorganisation even on their first entrance
into the territories of the Czar, and the infantry were
distinguished by nothing so 'much as their dexterity
in stealing the horses of the cavalry. It is a curious
circumstance that the Cossacks took'such a fancy to
the showy Murat, that they never attacked him with-
out first saluting him with loud cheers! The "Luck
of Barry -Lyndon," is a clever, desultory' story,
fralithe 'Nita M. A. 'Litmarsh,,to, whose 'sprightly

pen also we are indebted for_ a. poem, entitled "Car'
men Lilliense." The "Memoirs of Prince Metter-
nich" are, at best, but pra'ix twaddle, a portion of
which is taken without acknowledgment from Mrs.
Trollope's sketch of the Prince in her "Vienna and
the :Austrians. " The "Turret-Clock" is a mild tale
of the melo-dramatic:class:

TAI7'S MAGAZINE.
Our Radical friend Toil has no very sanguine
hopes for the present session, which he seems to think
will end, like so many of it's predecessors,' in smoke.
"Save on Irisik,affairs," he says, with a distrustful
shake of the head, ," the present,. it may readily be
inferred, is to be another do-nOthing, or stave-off ses-
sion. This is apparent, not only from past experience,
and the-the titter inanity of the Queen's speech, but
from the declanitions of Sir Robert Peel, prompt and
explicit, for once, on the absorbing subject of the corn-
laws, and,the equally significant hints, or indications,
of Lord John Russell on the same subject." " Strife
and Peace" i> a revieW, accompanied with numerous
entertaining extracts, of Frederilia Bremer's last
Swedish novel. '.Cite "Flight for Freedom," nig--
gested by. Miss Martineau's account of the flight of
slaves froth the United States to Canada, contains
some vigorous lines, but, as a lyric, it wants conden-
sation. Mrs. Gore continues her story of "Blanks .
and Prizes,",,but-=-a fault not usual with her—is a
little too long-winded in some of her dialogues, which',
do not bear sufficiently on the leading incidents Of the
narrative but are introduced as if to fill up space.
`!lA,iistraTian Sketches" consist, this month, of a
memoir of a notorious bush-ranger, .Jackey Jackey,
who, - a few years since, kept 'the neighbourhoOd of
Sydney in a constant state of ferment. He was said
to be the most dexterous thief that had ever figured in
New South lirales--a most exalted eulogium, when we
remember howinanyfirst-ratecrnveyancers have taken
uptheirconipnlsory residence in that classic region of
more than Spartan integrity. Lillis facility of breaking
from prison, Jackey surpassed even our own Jack
Sheppard, so dear to the susceptible souls of modern
novel-readers and once evaporated from Goulburn
gaol, under circumstances so extraordinary, that we
cannot forbear from giving his biographer's account
of the
incident
:

" He broke twice out of the Goulburn gaol, then reek•
oned one of the strongest fastnesses in New South
Wales. The second occasion, was, perhaps, the most
extraordinary case upon record. Two armed men slept,
one outside the door of the cell, and one inside; both
of whom affirmed to the day of their death, that they
never hid a stir or motion during the night; and when
daylight arrived they found him gone. The floor of the
cell was paved with heavy stone flags; and Jackey
Jockey had, some time during the day, when the eye of
the gaoler was off his motions, loosened the cement and
mortar around one of these flags, and let himself down
to the cell-underneath, which with teimanted by a felon.
They contrived to cut the iron Lars of the window; and
as it was only about ten feet from the ground, there was
no difficulty in reaching it in safety. Jackey Jockey
then reascended to his own eell, and awaited the dark-
ness amidnight, with a beating heart. The soldier who
was in the room had no idea that Jockey Jackey could
escape but by the door. His orders were imperative, on
no account to take his eye off the person of Jackey
Ta—ckbeyf. but,- at- times,--sleep overcame the poor fellow,
and he leaned against the door upon his firelock, and
slept, soundly. When Jockey 'Rickey was certain that
he .was asleep, he set to work, and, with as little noise as
possible, let himself down to the cell beneath. The two
worthies knocked out the irons, and descended. Jockey
Jockey caught the sight of a soldier approaching has-
tily to see -what the noise was, and sank flat on his face
on -the ground. The other fellow had his feet just
touching the earth, when the report of the soldier's piece
was heard, and he fell, quivering on the ground, within
a few paces of the spot where Jockey Jockey still lay.
Jackey Jockey now crept along the ground for a great
distance. There was a great noise about the spot where
his companion had fallen; 'lights began to stream about,
and the guard was called out. Jackey Jackey made one
bound forwards, and reached the forest. The soldier
inside heard the noise; but his orders were not to leave
the spot; and he kept watch, with commendable care,
over the campAied, where JackeyJackey ought to have
been reclining, until the light of day showed him it
was empty. He then gave the alarm; for as the felon
had firmly secured his door inside, in case of surprise;
and as all was right, by the soldier's account, in the room
of Jockey Jackey, no person had suspected the fact that
Jackey had escaped them. The poor soldier was tried
by a court-martial, and sentenced to be shot. This
reached the ears of Jackey Jackey; and the night be-
for the day appointed for the execution, he broke into
the place of his confinement at Goulburn, with a picked
company, and released him."
JackeyJackey was it seems, originally a gentleman
brought up in the fashionable society of the metro-
polis ; he was clever, witty, " a crack shot, and a
capital billiard-player ;" but—great geniuses being
always eccentric—it came to pass one day that he
signed a friend's name to a bill of exchange, in con-
sequence of which he was introduced to the special
notice of twelve gentlemen and a judge, who hap-
pened to be sitting together in the Old Bailey, and
the latter of whom informed him, with true official
politeness, that he must be prepared to depart, at her
Majesty's expense, to Botany Bay. He did so, and
the very first result of his arrival in that polished
colony was, that the Governor lost his watch and
seals, and that several respectable individuals found
themselves minus their purses and pocket-books. As
Jackey (hickey, however, is now dead, we trust that
Botany Bay will sleep in safety.