The Sun.
London, England, 1842-05-02 00:00:00

Juthor.is right in his assertion that "the grand era
`'of French cookery may be dated from the commence-
zment of. the imperial regime." We always imagined
„that the science--for a science it assuredly is—had
~.reached its. highest point of perfection during the reign
of the Regent Orleans. Certainly never was it in
such universal esteem as then. Lady Morgan, in one
of her pleasant
_works on France, has furnished us
Avithisomn racy gossip respecting Carema, the great
v.tOtik. of his' day, who invented such an exquisite
", iioe. that a man might digest his own grandfather
Wiffi • it, hitt even he does not appear to have
?en so transcendant a genius iart ; for this
Aast inspired artist, by the magic force of his genius,
,aetycs.- lkveonverted a ham, far gone in decomposition,
biiittojoim oClthe most fragrant and delicious dainties
31iliatiimer-electrifled the palate of a gastronomist ! In
0-ShortAtidesin an Author's Omnibus," Mr. Horace
Sonithindulges in some felicitous aphoristic reflections,
11424ciallY on the subject of jokes and joking.
'.Nothing," he Obser-ves, "is so delightful as a few
jkiwers in a room, but if they be too numerous, their
AlourS sicken. Thus it is with the flowers of wit."
.j Barnabys in America" is clever, but in parts
..o)o;wire-drawn. Mrs. Trollop has now landed her
4:i-ourite , family of the Barnabys in New Orleans,
where, of course, they are all busily engaged in seek-
ng! " like Apollyon, whom they may devout.."
-11eo-ollections -of Eton" furnish us with a pic-
turesque sketch of the Montem—one of the few re-
taining holiday pageants of the days of Henry the
Like other pageants, we suppose this also
be ere long allowed to fall into disuse, for the
)_current. of public opinion seems to be gradually set-
tg iii artinst it. " Recollections in Natural His-.
Convey instructive information in a familiar,
1146§unaiag manner. We are sorry to hear this-eha-
4",!eter, of Minerva's pet-bird, the owl. According to
lab)Mthor's account, he must be a most unscrupulous
fir* "-in his eating Owls are nbt -beloved by
other birds, especially the smaller ones, for the latter,
kno: w well enough that the-former will make no scru-
ple of gobbling up their young ones, and sometimes
making free with themselves. Sir Wm. Jardine found
the remains of a thrush in an individual of the species
Of Which we are now treating." As a .specimen of
Mr' s. Trollop-es descriptive powers in her new tale, we
,9119'te her sketch of dip fat landlady of a New Orleans
hotel
jlie person of Mrs. Carmichael, the dimensions of
which. were, seen in whatever direction she could be
placed, very nearly six feet- by four; was not only enor-
Potts in size, but so astonishingly-out of all ordinary
Shape, as to make it no easy matter to clothe it at all.
It it not very surprising, therefore, 'considering' the pro-
fligious.bulk of every limb, whereby every movement
beeame a labour; that Mrs. Carmichael could get into
her clothes with as little labour and 'pains as possible.
And then-the heat ! Boor Mrs. Carmichael suffered
dreadfully from the heat, and certainly cared 'greatly
less how her draperies looked in the eyes of others, than
how they felt to herself. So her. enormous white calico
, gown •-withits colossal. hanging - sleeves, was fastened so
• itioseiyin the front by one single pin, as to create per-
petual alarm in the bystaxders, as to the stability 'of the
investiture by which this very important portion of her
revering was Attached.. There was indeed what might
have been about: a- yard. square of pink gauze loosely
lucked innrouud the bust but even this depended for
its adhesion to the aforesaid pin, and without it must
ItaiTe.ilbated away into air still thinner than itself.
Xotwithstanding the immensity of Mrs. Carmichael's
per: oft, itwas not,
.as in the case of a preternaturally-
expansive-oak-tree, the result of advanced age, every
year of which had' added to its bulk. All the fat which
ad thus miraculously found a resting-place on the bones
91--atr's eirMichael, hacl been eonsiderab'yless than forty
Years in collecting itself together, and had her face been
finished by one chin instead of three, and the rest 'of her
featnres in less evident danger-of being smothered, she
'sould have been far from ill-looking. Excepting the
pink gauze and the white robe already described, with
the probable garment under it, together with her large
slippers, and probably stockings, se was as much with-
out the foreign aid .of ornament as Eve herself. Stays
she had none; she wore nothing, on . her head; nor wits_
thime the.slightest reason whatever to suppose that she
"sat . embarrass.edhy anything ilkore in the way of cloth-
ing,than what has already been described.
I.xcepting, the hartl,btimi thing, and an occasional eja-
culation expressive of fatigue from mowing, Mrs. ear-
Weitzel uttered nothing for several minutes after she en-
tOted the apartment.- Having at length made her way to
the part ct the room; where Major Allen Barnaby stood
ikening himself, shedropped du wn upon a large cane chair,
without any arms,overy part-of which, back and all,
became so completely invisible, that, she seemed to have
perched .herself on a three-legged- stool—having thus
deposited her person, she fixed her soft eyes on the
major's, face, and seemed to expect that he should speak
first. Bat her heavy breathing gave her so much the
appearance 'of being, as yet; unfit for any exertion, that
her visiter was too polite to address her, and it was there-
fore-Mrs. Carmichael herself who at last opened the con-
Versat ion.
Oarbat is your pita-awe,. sir r said she, in a voice
which; notwithstanding her want of breath, was harmo-
nio-tis, though somewhat drawling.
I have called, madam," he replied, "at the request-
of onrfriend Captain Titus, to inquire whether you can
aceommodateour party with board and lodging."
=Wlrs.:Carmichael eyed the numerous grroup very corn • i
"!3'6r the whole kit of you, sir i" she demanded, with -
ti mule as in; get as it was possible a smile could be from
lips so overwhelmed by cheeks.
tt •
Yes, madam, for all of us."
ii:4:`And for a goodish spell, sir ?" -
*'"Very likely,. madam ; but that, must depend on Cit.-
emnstances."
aOf course, sir, of course. Well then, 1-do not know
-'-•I rather 'expect I might make it convene, provided any--
ti,ro of the ladies could lie together." • •

_ -
FRASER' S MAGAZINE.
After a long interval Dr. Maginn has at length re-
limed his ‘,
for no Homeric Ballads." We are glad of this,
of the day is better .able—when he
Ple.aes—tn.give a spirited version of Homer, or_ more
thoroughly appreciates the genius of his original. But
he is apt to be careless at times, and to thrust in un-
warranted expletives, for the mere purpose of saving
himself trouble and :keeping out the rhyme. In his
present translation of the latter part of the fourteenth
book of the Iliad, more than one instance of this negli-
gence occurs. Thus the terse, simple description,
eouictvoy otE ; which literally means, " and
the- stAeiadour ascended to Heaven," in allusion to the
flashing light of the arms of the Greeks—is expanded
into this verbose couplet,
And their brilliant beam, in dazzling stream.
the ascending soared." •
Again, the lines immediately following, viz
uro 6si XTIP7rO; IrOGO-11,
Aparfil v.
Ey ,E thETGIOI Mit:TO-En 610;AX1AAnc.
Are thus loosely rendered, or rather paraphrased—
" While their trampling feet raised a thunder sound
As they closed about their Lord."
There is nothing. in the original. about " thunder
s°111:41'" Homer .says " a sound was roused
under the feet of the men." Neither does he make
the slightest reference to the act of their closing about
Weir Lord.. - His Words are, "and the divine AchilleslY9s,
tcrip armed in the"naidst.of them." The emphatic de-
ti on

„ .
FY SE -
- • -
-istranslated as folloWs,
” His soul with grief and rage was fraught.
s And wrapping his heart in vengeful thought."
The last line is wholly superfluous, for there is no -
I},iing like it in the Greek; and the forcible expression
in reference to the intensity of Achilles'
grief, is but tamely rendered by " his soul with grief
41,1 rage was fraught." The description that imme-
diately follows, of the arming of the warrior, and the
noble simile to which it gives rise, are translated by
?r.
illaginn with uncommon spirit, and with suffi-
ient literalness. The line, in particular, " like the
111°on from afar it shone," is perfectly Homeric in its
terse simplicity, and is almost;word for, word with the
°tiginal. If the Doctor will but endure to'bestow a
little more pains on his version, he has it his power to
Rive the English reader a better translation of Homer,.
-an any that has yet appeared. It is continuous,
vigilant 'application only that is wanting to the right
2Lnif pletion of the Herculean task, not capacity. " My.
ab
and Times," are continued byNiinrod with un-
x(l,4,Led spirit. Here are two of his punning anecdotes,
eh may perhaps amuse the reader :
tnl nnist not forget the circumstance that associates the
k e
e; nd fame of the Witty Watkin Hayman with the
taa,,t,',,u3 squire of Gwersylt Park. Of course, he (Hay-
th'''-fia make a pun when he chose to descend so low
ev, .e scale of colloquial accomplishments; and dining an
t4lllkng that he passed tete-a•tete With Mr. Humbc.,rtone,
St i'en"ad Punned against each other, in rivalry. Hayman,
aNfg,lll',, finding that he had brought the " squire" to
.a
(1.40,'"&i, brought his wit into play; and putting his
titte'; under his arm, got up and rung the bell. On the
mt'NeatoLaking his appearance, he thus gravely ad,;
`•I will thank you to bring your master apun.
tb~atulthough it was the opinion of Dr. Johnson that
tbywh° makes a pun is equal to picking pockets,N
siliressing his thorough contempt of the prac-
thera are moments in which one well and aptl
y
~~ I`4nnot fail to be applauded ; and I will give an
the
di^ryo
the heel of an evening at Gwersylt
Welsh squires, sitting close to each other at
e witoable, and having made the best use of their
sn-e,,P, to ',14 bottle, were nodding their heads, in their
11(4-e" nt.4l,- danger of their coming into contact with
sleep
gentlemen \till fight in their .
Mens-tdnotlY': qb:e'rrviemdseone of the party. " That would be
sion to said the late Sir Richard Pulestan, in allu-
we 'ny Pugilist Mendoza, at that time in repute; and
t'„j.ect"„ere-Inie, in compliMent to his host, who might
-41chari. Pun from a guest of so lively a fancy as Sir
ari e , characters of Celebrated Authors," we have
Gra r4ertaining biographical and critical sketch of
thatY: the poet. tßut what nonsense to object to him,
appears he great doctrine of hu-man" redemption never
thcsi in his writinws !" What had he to do with
couoctrine in his Pindarics, or in his " Ode on Eton
welle.ge." He was not a theologian, but a poet. As
the
tmig.t it be objected to Tom Moore, that
, octrine of human redemption never appears
11",, his " Lally Rookh," or his " Little's Poems !' We
bare
_n° patience with such idle cant. The criticiqn