The Sun.
London, England, 1842-01-01 00:00:00

FRASER'S MAGAZINE.

The advent of the new year gives Oliver Yorke
an opportunity of casting a retrospective glance
on that which has just terminated. Of course,
his remarks assume a strong political hue ; and
vehement abuse of the Whigs, mixed up, by way
of piquant contrast, with complimentary allu-
sions to the Tories, enable him to get through
three or four pages with tolerable animation.
But what does he mean by speaking of Mr.
O'Connell as the "moribund Mayor of Dublin?"
In an official sense, the great Repealer has only
just entered upon his civic career, and as for
being "moribund" in any other sense, we be-
lieve he has no intention of dying for many years
to come. "My Life and Times" is an autobio-
graphical sketch, from the pen of Mr. Apperley
—the Nimrod of the sporting world. It is agree-
ably and unassumingly written, though we must
enter our protest against the heading, as being
too pompous for the subject-matter. Mr. Ap-
perley, clever as he confessedly is, sometimes
instructive, always entertaining, has not yet ac-
quired sufficient standing as an author, to be
justified in mixing up his personal reminiscences
with the age in which he lives, as if he were one
of the influencing spirits of that age. Having
hinted this objection, we have said all that we
have to say against Nimrod's autobiography.
One of his eariest recollections is of Bishop
Percy—the well-known collector of those fine
old English ballads which have immortalized his
name. Yet late in life, when he had been pro-
moted to the Bench, the Bishop actually pro-
fessed to be ashamed of his " Relics !" He con-
sidered the pursuit of poetry beneath the dignity
of a Prelate—just as if posterity cares two straws,
fur him in any other capacity than that of a
poet! Congreve, it may be remembered, had
the same puerile vanity, and preferred being.
considered as a gentleman rather than as a dra-
matist. Mr. Apperley furnishes us with sonic
amusing anecdotical souvenirs of his llither, whio,
he says, " was called in bis time an out-and-out
Church and King man, alias a bigoted Tory."
He was specially tbnd of Bishops,whom he seemed
to regard as occupying a station midway between
man and Deity, and was never so happy or so
proud as when he could fill his house with lawn-
sleeves and shovel-hats. This is a species of
biped nearly, if not quite, extinct. A few quaint
samples of the breed may now and then be dis-
covered among the Ely fens, dressed out in rusty
black, wearing cauliflower wigs, creaking shoes,
set off with large brass buckles, and coats with
capacious pockets, from which a Number or two
of the Quarterly Review may be seen peeping
out; but nowhere else, do we believe, are these
blind idolaters of Episcopacy to be met with. As
well may you hunt for the fossil remains of the
Mammoth. We heartily sympathise with the
elder Mr. Apperley's distrust and apprehension
of attornies. Such distrust argues a healthy
moral sense. Who can like a shark, or fall in

love with an aligator ? "A Chapter on the Dogs
of several of my Acquaintances," contain some
characteristic skethes of these faithful animals.
We quote an account of a battle with a spotted
hyaena, the scene of which is laid in South
A frica :
The previous night some wild animal, conjectured to
have been the spotted hymns, had killed three calves in
the kraal of Mr. Rennie, about eight miles distant from
the location of Liddesdale. As this was an aggression
that the high-spirited Scotch gentleman could not afford
to have repeated often, he summoned his neighbours, the
M‘Leods to his assistance ; and with rifles, cutlasses,
and pistols, and all the dogs they could muster, they beat
the covers around, killing fonii kesides dislodg-
ing several others, who escaped. A wiety of game was
destroyed ; consisting of the gemsbok and the hartebeest,
with other specimens of the antelope tribe, forming a fine
day's sport. But the dislodged hyaenas fled down the
banks of the river, and at night ventured on the farm of
Liddesdale, gaunt and hungry;
The first brute that IPSde its way, cropipg stg4lol4
towards the inclosure, came upon the sleeping Hottentot;
and instantly placing its ponderous jaws over the poor
herdsman's throat, snapped his destructive teeth, and
tore out the sufferer's windpipe. The African could
utter but. °xi° yen: 11,r1411 started up, barked
violently, awakening Liddesdale, who, Pimping Avila his
his bed, seized his rifle, stepped forth, followed