The Sun.
London, England, 1842-07-05 00:00:00

LITERATUEE.
MANUAL OF DIGNITIES, PRIVILEGE.
AND PRECEDENCE. By C. It. DODD, E.q.

Whittaker and Ca

This will be found a very useful and interesting.
book to persons in all ranks of life, for though it has
reference chiefly to the Royal Family, and the higher
classes, the respect for titles and ancient pedigree in
this country is so great that they form objects of inte-
rest to even the lowest portion of the community.
The system, indeed, which Mr. Dodd here illustrates,
pervades the whole of society. Men, even in the
lowest scale of social life, admit the necessity of dis-
tinctions, privileges, and precedence as the best secu-
rity for good order, as rewards for merit, or as marks
orrespect for age, knowledge, and superior acquire-
ments. By universal consent the elder,-in the lower
walks of life, have precedence of the younger ; the fa-
ther of the son, and the master of the servant. Among
the higher ranks this rule is not so general, but at the
same time it appears the best adapted for preserving
harmony among the varied ranks in wealthy and
civilized societies. In a monarchy like that of Great
Britain all these distinctions are defined either bylaw
or custom, and the object of this work, therefore, is to
classify and arrange these in a convenient and intelli-
gible form. Considering the complicated nature of the
work, this •has been well accomplished. It is divided
into six heads ; namely, 1, Precedence; 2, the Throne ;
3, Personal Distinctions ; 4; Official and Professional
Ranks ; 5, Ceremonies and Costumes ; and 6, Statis-
tics and Official Lists. These of course contain so
many subdivisions and minute details that we have
not space to make allusion,even to the fiftieth part of
them ; but we may add that the work has been com-
piled from the best authorities, and been carefully re-
vised. It is embellished with numerous plates, repre-
senting the Crown and insignia of the Sovereign, the
Coronets of the different ranks in the Peerage, and
numerous Orders. The last part will be found use-
ful for reference, as it contains lists of the Great Offi-
cial Functionaries, and the Bishops of each see, for
several hundred years. The following are specimens
of the work :
" PRINCE OF WALES.—The Prince of Wales has been
at all times regarded as the first subject of the realm—
the nearest to the Throne, the most dignified of the
Peers in Parliament, and, though not exercising any
political power beyond his vote as a legislator, yet re-
garded by all men as the most eminent personage in the
State next after the Sovereign. The Prince of Wales is
tise Heir Apparent. The Heir Presumptive may be
brother, uncle, nephew, niece, or even a more distant
relative of the Sovereign ; but his prospect of eventually
succeeding to the Throne gives him no place in the
scale of precedency ; the rank he holds is merely de-
rived from consanguinity."
The next extract refers to a title which every vain
man likes to see at the tail of his name, and which
beggars or applicants for favours are sure to give
him : •
" The number of persons who by birth are legally
entitled to the designation of esquire, far exceeds any
possibility of calculation ; for they include the eldest
sons of all sons of Peers, the eldest sons of esquires by
patent, the eldest sons of knights, and all the eldest sons
of these three classes in perpetual succession, as also all the
sons of baronets ; hence tens of thousands of gentlemen
..vho receive this affix, apparently as a matter of courtesy,
really enjoy a legal right ; and though it be more fre-
quently used than any other courtesy distinction, yet
the right to it is more extensively possessed than readers
in general are in the habit of supposing. There cannot
be a more vulgar error than to imagine that the affix of
esquire, any more than the prefix of sir or lord, is depen-
dent on what the world calls " respectability." The
largest amount of funded property, or the most extensive
estates, do not confer such a distinction legally, or even
by .courtesy, unless, indeed, the latter should carry with
them the lordship of a manor, or a tenantcy in capite.
Alechanics and retail tradesmen are not called "gentle-
men," however vast their wealth or irreproachable their
conduct, until they retire from business, or else b come
master manufacturers or merchants. Commercial letters
are superscribed Mr. A— B—, or Messrs. —,
though many of the parties so addressed are esquires in
lsw ; but merchants and manufacturers, if written taor
,lesignated in their private capacities, are always ad-
iiressed and described as esquires. Inasmuch as the
courtesy titles of Lord' and Honourable' are given to
many thousands who legally are but esquires, so every
one who is in law a gentleman, is by courtesy an esquire,
in the same way that the son of a Marquis is addressed
as Lord Charles —, or Lord William ; and the
son of an Earl the Honourable Frederick --, though
in all legal instruments and gazettes, even these latter
are merely styled esquires.

PICTORIAL SHAKSPERE. Part 45.
C. Knight, London, 1842.
The present part
,of this elaborate edition of the
plays and poems of our great dramatist contains the
first portion of a biographical memoir of him, written
by the Editor in a concise, pains-taking spirit, and.
illustrated, as usual, with a choice variety of appro-
priate embellishments. The explanatory notes inter-
spersed throughout the memoir, are some of them ex-
ceedingly curious and interesting.

HISTORY OF SURREY.
Ede, Dorking, 1842.
We have here the First Part of the second volume of
Mr. Brayley's History of Surrey—a useful and scru-
pulously accurate work, which we have already no-
ticed in terms of deserved praise, when it appeared
From month to month in numbers. The view of
Claremont--the country-Seat of the King of the Bel-
gians—which forms the frontispiece, is a very spi-
rited sketch ; and there is also a curious map of the
windings of the river Mole.
•