The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-12-20 00:00:00

REVIEWS OF BOOKS

Accession of Louis Napoh
By Sir Archibald Alison, Bart.
burgh : William Blackwood and Sons.
The present forms the second volume of this
mteresting, work. Commencing with the histol
of Spain and Italy, from 1814 to 1820, it

'072, 22
Edin

noceeds

with that of Russia and Poland, from the peace of
1815 to the accession of Nicholas in 1825 ; it next
treats of the Royalist reaction in France, up to
1821; the domestic history of England, from the
passing of the currency act of 1819 to the death of
Lord. Londonderry in 1822 ; the relations of Eng-
land, France, and Spain, from 1819 to the congress
of Verona ; the French invasion of Spain, and the
death of Louis XVIII. From the above summary,
it will be readily apparent that the period treated
of, and the events recorded in this volume by Sir
Archibald Alison, have donemuch toshape and colon'
the political as, -+ d social bearing

...pect any, European
society at the present momentous crisis of affairs.
By a careful analysis of these facts, and a studious
attention to the relations unfolapd --

Luc patent, we
may be guided, to an important extent, in any
attempt to unravel the present enigmatical if not
conflicting policy of the leading European powers.
Presumptuous self-conceit has, indeed, prompted
some shallow prater petulantly to describe history
as an " old almanack," fit only to be
en the appearance of some newer light. Arrogance
like this must be treated with that mixture of pity
and condemnation awarded to the dogmas of pre-
tenders in every branch of science and of art—
condemnation for fhP nresuro- -4tv for 0-

sown as:

_ ion—PlLj_-
conceit displayed, and derision of the trouble taken
by such oracles, in demonstrating that

" knowledge to their es
Rich with the spoil ..c er nnrol.
To the contracted understandings of men like these,
history can never appear a monitor teaching by
example. Their little all of knowledge is centred
and swallowed up in the present—to them the past
presents no lesson of wisdom—the future offers
only a boundless ocean of hopes or fears, as whim
or fancy assumes the rudder of their chartless
barque. To the studious and the wise the pages
of history have ever been the store-house of wisdom.
From those stores they have obtained rules of con-
_ _ • - -

s of tin

presem, and deduced precepts of gui-
dance for the future. By them the vocation of the
historian is held to be a high one. They know
that its requirements are numerous and varied, and
difficult of acquisition. They know that, to an
extensive and minute knowledge of facts, the histo-
rian must add a clear and ready perception of the
springs of human action. That he must be largely
gifted with the faculty of arranging circumstances
and classifying events—of analysmgtheirprinciples,
and balancing the results of their combinations—
of reconstructing and comparing them, to test the
value of his deductions, the truth and importance
of which, experience will often show him, differ
widely from the conclusions to which a priori rea-
soning would have led him. These are only a few
of the pre-requisites indispensable in theintellectual
composition of an historian ; and to those enumerated
he must , add the capability of readily perceiving
and lucidly recording the current of events, so that
stream affects the position of classes and determines
the destiny of nations. While attona;ns- be and
measuring the relative bearings of this comprehen-
sive survey, he must follow with equal fidelity and
care the steps of individual actors in the great
drama, appointing to each circumstance, and allot-
ting to each character due place and fitting influ-
ence in working out the grand catastrophe. While
labouring to philosophise his theme, and reduce it
to the severity of abstract generalization, the
historian must preserve with faithfulness individual
icatnres; and by representative incidents delineate
national peculiarities, and pourtray the form and
bearing of popular institutions. In his principles,
habits, and person, he must embody the stoic, the
philosopher, and the orator. To secure the public
ear he must enunciate his thoughts in sonorous
eloquence, and while deaf to applause, must be
studious of its acquisition—unerring in his deduc-
tions, he must carefully avoid the form of demon-
stration—seductive in his eloquence, he must yet
be sparing- of its strains. Whoever shall assume
to himself the high prerogative of thus chronicling
the past, embodying the present, and elucidating
the future, must set himself above the influence of
such reward as is conveyed by popular applause,
and seek his true meed of approbation in the proud
consciousness of having faithfully discharged the
difficult duties of a noble office.

If such and so numerous are the qualifications
necessary to one who would successfully wield the
pen of history, we are immediately led to inquire
how far the natural talents and acquired habits of
Sir Archibald Alison fit him for discharging the
onerous duties of his self-imposed task ; the ordi-
nary difficulties of which are, in the present in-
stance, greatly augmented by the comparative re-
centness of the events, which, crowding on each
other, pass in rapid and often dazzling review,
over the field which he has selected as his instruc-
tive panorama. Born of parents pre-eminent for
genial piety, and nurtured in a family remarkable
for its practical and extensive philanthropy ; a
family, not less distinguished by its intellectual
refinement than notable for sound religion, and
the application of christian virtues to the business
of life, the future historian was from his cradle
tutored by precept and trained by example to the
exercise of those faculties upon which useful in-
tellectual manhood depends. His father, the
eloquent author of the " Easay on Taste," a gen-
tleman of scholarly refinement, a sound divine, and
a man of fine perceptions, early imbued his son
with a love of the beautiful—a high appreciation
of the truthful and the just—and, by a liberal
education, fitted him to discharge, with credit to
himself and advantage to his country, the judicial
position he has many years held. His forensic
studies, added to his practice at the bar, rendered
our author familiar with the means of tracing and
weighing, and estimating the value of evidence of
class, and has strengthened his natural
capacity to

-L.. ....L. ........5u ULM UM,. 1.71 aucu. i
His indefatigable industry has stored his mind The Botanic Garden and Fruitist. London :
Groombridge and Son,
with knowledge, which Ms previous mental dis-
The December number of this elegant companion
eipline has enabled him to convert into ready
the flower and
instruments for furnishing truthful deductions. to fruit gardens continues the attrac-
He has thus been prepared by discipline,. animated tions so well advanced by its predecessors. The
by family prestige, and sustained by intellectual letter-press matter is popular, and the directions
endowments, in pursuing the path which he had for culture simple as well as precise.

marked out for himself ;and which, with indomita- ---.
ble energy and unswerving courage, he has Orr's Circle of the Sciences. London and Liver-
followed till the plaudits of admiring Europe have pool : W. S. Orr and Co.
acknowledged his success and hailed his triumph. Under the comprehensive title of " Circle of the
At so advanced a period of his successful career, Sciences," Messrs. Orr and Co. are publishing in a
it can hardly be desirable to do more than advert very handsome form, and at a cheap rate, a series
to that scrutinizing intelligence and clear sagacity of popular treatises on elementary science. The
by which Sir Archibald Alison marshals, dissects, design of the publication seems happily digested,
and exposes the hidden motives of political un- and so far as can be judged from the initiatory
truth—unfolds the sources of commercial and moral number, the work, when finished, will form a
ifluences of valuable addition to our popular literature.
lestinies _ _

indiNidu

Chambers' Edinburgh Journal. Liverpool : Orr.
It must be almost unnecessary to call attention
Ind unravels the to the merits of a work which speaks so well for
?lations as these itself. Established in 1832, it was nearly the first
;Eno- nonulations ' of the class of cheap periodicals, and it has since

go farther

,ensiveness 01

iillgineni
ougmaatir

of the Frenchst at
the Russia.,.—+l

ppant ardour , maintained its ground with increasing favour,
uechanis' m oft owing to the steady perseverance with which
rbid specula. , quality has been preferred to the mere desire for
ady jealousy, 1 excitement. Entertainment and instruction have
ie English— ; been judiciously blended; and, though sometimes

Lo.ils of the

tt fra4;

~-ether with all t
which these

ations its pages express opinions in which we cannot
:tures, concur, it would be difficult to point to any other
mpre- publication of the same class which can be so con-
by his fidently recommended. The part just published

readn

obeal Intellect
ent -

nun the fx
fraction of h
er

we may mention a desmiption of the Crystal Palace

crated , • uuer such infraction at Sydenham, the approaching revolution in agri-
,
Un C 1 atiOn 0
f
friend or foe ; and in hurling his culture, how bogs are turned into candles, and the i
ug he s regardless of every eon- monthly letter about things talked of in London.

VARIETIES

"ENTERTAINING" KNOWLEDGE. Ascertaining the
cost of a dinner party.
A REFLECTION (by MEcRI).—It is not the sharpest
blades that are always the truest steel.
THE PRESENT FASHION OF BONNETS.—A lady dresses
first, and then puts on her bonnet. The bonnet is now,

completely an "-after-thought."
IT SEEMS that "Fanny Fern," however enchanting as
a writer, is not enduringly captivating as a wife. Her
husband is understood to have found it for his comfort to
get a divorce. Her lord having thus taken leave of her,
a wag wants to know whether this leave is one of the
Fern Leaves.
A MATCH FOR A. JEW.—" We were remarking to a
gentleman, who was affording us much pleasant and
general information, how few Jews one met in New
England ; and asking if he could assign any reason, he
replied, Oh, yes, the reason is, that no Jew on earth is
a match for a Yankee.' "—Bunn's " Old England and
New England."
DUTCH WOMEN.—The Dutch women, especially among
the peasantry, are very beautiful. They are incomparably
more so than those of any other continental country.
That part of Holland called Friesland abounds with ex-
ceedingly handsome women. If the sex in Holland only
possessed a little more vivacity of disposition and elegance
of manners, they would be irresistibly attractive.
" WOMAN'S RIGHTS" are decidedly progressing in the
United States. A marriage_ ceremony was performed at

Rochester, on the 16th nit:, by the " her." Antoinette L,

Brown, the female preacher. The Union says, " Those
present state that the `Rev.' Antoinette went throui,h
the ceremony with marked grace and propriety, omitting,
however, all allusion-to the primeval injunction." _

DIALOGUE ANENT SNUFFING.—The son of a worthy
minister, in the kingdom of Fife, who was in the habit of
indulging in a pinch, a few days ago addressed his father
in the following terms :—" Father, you shouldn't snuff."

" Why so ?" said the other. " Because," replied the son,
" your nose is not your own." " Then, whose is it ?" was
the somewhat indignant rejoinder. To this the son most
gravely answered, It's the congregation's !"
MOTHER.—As an infant begins to discriminate between
the objects around, it soon discovers one countenance that
ever smiles upon it with peculiar benignity. When it
wakes from its sleep there is one watchful form ever bent
over its cradle. If startled by some unhappy dream, a
guardian angel seems ever ready to soothe its fears. If
cold, that ministering spirit brings it warmth; if hungry,
she feeds it; if happy, she caresses it. In joy or sorrow,
in weal or woe, she is the first object of its thoughts. Her
presence is heaven; the mother is the deity of infancy.
CA.LKELASHANS POE CHHEASMAS.—(Private infarna-
shan.)—Drop yer owd rich outs an uncles (if thare single)
a few nice affeckshanat lines, abaght t'forend a December,
uppa gilt-edge paper, an say, at yo hoape at there enjoyin
good health, in at yol be moast happy if thale cum and
spend Chreasmas we yo. An wal yer pen iz wet, an
paper at hand (not gild-edge), just write anuther
letter to yer poor relaslians, at's plenty a nevies an nieces,
an tell em at yo sud be varry glad to see em az usual at
Chreasmas, but yor sorry to say at yov a sad badly hause,
an's likely to hey for sum time.—Pogrnoor Almeneck.
BEEA.KFAST has been famed as one of the most delight-
ful of meals. And so it is topersons who meet one another
in all the bloom and freshness of the morning toilette,
but certainly not to those who tome down stairs with all
the marks of haste and carelessness —hair poked up in any
fashion—gowns unhooked—slates down at heti, or other
signs of neglect, either in male or female attire. The
consciousness of this makes the party uncomfortable; and
indifference to it is accompanied with surliness or unarnia-
bility. In nine cases out of ten, a defect of character
betrays itself in the dress, and we may take it as an index
of the disposition.
SUBSTITUTE Fon COFFEE.—ASIAIVHS, according to
Liebig, contains, in common with tea and• coffee, a priati-
pie which he calls " Taurine," and which, by the way, he
considers essential to the health of all those who do.isot
take strong exercise. Reading this le& me to' think that
asparagus might be made a good substitute for coffee..
The young shoots which I first prepared were'not agree-
able, haying an alkaline flavour. I thew tried the ripe'
seed. These roasted and ground make a' full-flavoured
coffee, not easily distinguishable from fineldocha. The
seeds are easily freed from the berries by drying them in
a cool oven, and then rubbing them on a sirnie:—Corres,
pendent of Gardeners' Chronicle.
A SKETCH BY L.AtDir BLESSINGTON.—" Shedeseribed
Lord Abercorn's condi:let at the priory. She said it was
the most singular place- ow earth. The moment anybody
became celebrated they were invited. He had, a' great
delight in seeing handsome women. Everybody, hand-
some•he made Lady Abereorn invite; and all the' guests
shot, hunted, rode, or did what they liked, provided: they
never' spoke to Lord Abereorn except at table. If they
met him they were to take no, notice. At this time Thad-
deus of*Warsaw was making a noise. Gad, (said Lords
Abercorn,) we must have these Porters. Write, my-dear
Lady Abercorn.' She wrote: Any answer came from Jane
Porter that they could not affordithe expenses of travelling:
A cheque was sent. They arrived. Lord Abercorn peeped.
at them as they came through the' hall, and running by
theprivate staircase to Lady Aliersorni exclaimed,' Witchssi.
my lady ! I must be off' and immediately started post,,
and remained' away till they were. gone."—Haydonts,
Autobiography.

Low AMBUTION.—The • true' pleasure• of life is to Rya,
with your inferiors. Be the• cock': of your village, the.!
queen of your- coterie; and, hesides- very great persons,.
the people whom. Fate has speciaßY endowed with this-
kindly consciation are those- who have seen what are
called better days—those who-have had;lesses. lam like
Cesar, and of a+noble mind; if' I cannot' Toefirst in Picca-
dilly let me try-Hatton Garden) and see-whether Isaunfit,
lead the ton there: If I ....mt., (aire-tlleeleao at wrote s.
or the Traveller's, let me be president of the .Jolly Sand-
boys at the Beg: of" Nails, and; blackball; everybody who-
does not pay me honour: If my darling Bessy cannot goo
out of a drawinproom until a haronet'enieee (ha! ha! a
baronet's niece; forsooth!) has. walked' before. her, let us
frequent company where we shall be -the first; and how
can we be the-first unless we- select our inferiors for our
associates? Thii kind of pleasure is tohe-bad by almost
everybody, and at scarce any cost. With a shilling' sworth
of tea and moifins, you can get as muali. adulation and
respect as many people cannot purchase-with a thousand
pounds' worth of plate and profusion, hired footmen, turn—
ing their houses topsey-turvey, and suppers-from Gunter's.
Adulation! why, the people who come teyou give as good
parties as yam do. Respect! the very menials who wait.
behind your- supper-table,- waited at a duke's yesterday,.
and actually-patronise you! Oh, yon silty- spendthrift, you
can buy flattery for two-ponce; and you; spend ever so..
much moneyxin entertaining your equa and betters, and.
nobody admires you !-,---Tito Newcomes:.
A DAV*, EatPLOYMEN4I- AT; run IXIGGINGai—It is;
early morning, and as yet the only labour going on bears,
upon brealia.st. The air- is perfumed' with the scent of
mutton, for pans of chops are being- fried at every firer-
down all the miles of tent, that line theriver. Stretched?,
on the grass, .with the pots.of tea by their sides, and with;
huge cuts of damper covered with- tuntton in their fists)
the diggerstreakfast.. As the sun wakes its appearance
over the Wallaby Rocks the morning~ meal comes to+an;
end, andlthe men. walk off to their- claims, and credits ; :
the tools,leftin the holies last night.are taken up, and
a short time. gold-hunters are fillingthe whole place with
noise. Those at work-in the clainx..- wield picks, shovels,,
and crow-bars ; others;, who carry washing stuff fromithe
holes to the cradles, trot continually backwards and .for-
wards, with the precious dirt, either contained ialiaga
hung over their 'bauks or in buckets: slung by a yoke-from:
their-shoulders. Those whose duty it is to wash the stuff
so brought to then* are not less busy, and:the air resounds
withlthe loud'clatter of hundreds. of cradles in,thll,plaY.
Thasun, rises brighter and higher, and its heat makes.
the severe labour-oppressive ; but-though the perspiration.
pours from the digger's brow, good humour prosila,. and;
the-work is.carzied on with a gaiety that robe-the
hard life of its, worst fatigues, Occasionally, high above
the rattle of the cradles or the .ethoing strokesof -the-pick
and crowbari, rises a hearty laugh begotten of a rough
practical jokeperhaps, or a song shouted at thetop of the
voice in thneto the movement of the. rockers,, unlooses. a
chorus of imitative tonguesall down the river. At-noon
a general. cessation of labour. Eight bells,is: struck upon
a, prospecting pan by some nautical digger). doubtless a
runaway sailor. Nature is-again perfinned.witheunton ;
damper; tea, and chops are again consumed+ On, Sunday
the attempt at cookery is generally more. ambitious—a
joint of meat baked in the camp, °venlig. sometimes sub-
stituted for the usual, fried mutton,, and, opium-duff or
pudding is also a MAWR, luxury upon the. day of rest.
An Your at the most ieallowed on werkdays.for• the dinner
and a draw at the pipe; labour is. then recommenced.
The afternoon passes, away; the 414 R begins to cast long
shadows. When A altogether dhiappears behind a range
of hills our work is over—the dyers in the holes throw
down their tools. and take up their serge shirts ; the
cradles are washed out for the, last time, and men in
troops begin to saunter to their tents,, conversing as they
go on what each may have done,—HonseAold Words.

A STORY OF TILE HVOIJRNOT PERt3ECITTION —A
husband and wife attempted to escape separately from
some town in Brittany ; the wife succeeded, and reached
England, where she anxiously awaited her husband. The
husband was arrested in the attempt, and imprisoned. The.
priest alone was allowed, to visit him ; and after vainly
using argument to endeavour to persuade him to renounce
his obnoxious religion, the priest, with cruel zeal, had, re-
course to physical torture. There was a room in the
prison with an iron floor, and no seat, nor means of support
or rest ; into this room the poor Huguenot was introduced.
The iron flooring was gradually heated (one remembers
the gouty gentleman whose cure was effected by a similar
process in " Sandford and Merton ;" but there the heat
was not carried up to torture, as it was in the Huguenot's
case) ; still the brave man was faithful. The process was
repeated ' • all in vain. The flesh on the soles of his feet
was burnt off, and he was a cripple for life; but cripple or
sound, dead or alive, a Huguenot he remained. And by-
and-bye, they grew weary of their useless cruelty, and the
poor man was allowed to hobble about on crutches. How
it was that he obtained his liberty at last, my informant
could not tell. He only knew that, after years of im-
prisonment and torture, a poor grey cripple was seen
wandering about the streets of London, making vain in-
quiries for his wife in his broken English, as little under-
stood by most as the Moorish maiden's cry for " Gilbert,
Gilbert." Some one at last directed him to a coffee-house
near Soho-square, kept by an emigrant, who thrived upon
the art, even then national, of making good coffee. It
was the resort of the Huguenots, many of whom by this
time had turned their intelligence to good account in busy
commercial England. To this coffee-house the poor
cripple hied himself ; but no one knew of his wife ; she
might be alive, or she might be dead ; it seemed as if her
name had vanished from the earth. In the corner sat a
Pedlar listening to everything, but saying nothing. He

rounds. Aow the three naroours of Llle X team emigrants
were Norwich, where they established the manufacture of
Norwich-crape ! Spitalfields, in London, where they em-
barked in the silk-trade ; and Canterbury, where a colony

of them carried on one or two delicate employments, such
as jewellery, wax bleaching, &c. The pedlar took Can-
terbury in his way, and sought among the French resi-
dents for a woman who might correspond to the missing
wife She was there, earning her livelihood as a milliner

" A MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU,-SIR !"

(FROM KIDD'S JOURNAL OF NATURE.)

" A MERRY CHRISTMAS; TO YOU, SIR !" will soon be
ringing merrily in all our -ears. It is a delightful greet-
ing —savoring of good-temper, good-will, mirth, jollity—
happiness. We shall see, anon, all the good things of this
world gathered together from the four quarters of the
world in unlimited abundance. Our railways will be
blocked up with hampers, boxes, baskets, crates, &c.,—all
well filled with the choicest delicacies of the season. Carts,
wagons, vans, and trucks; all will be full. We shall
see turkeys by the thousand passing to and fro. Game,
too, of all sorts. These will be changing hands with the
rapidity of lightning. A vast multitude of other season-
able delectabilities will also be seen in never-ending supply;
pouring in from one end of the country to the other.

And what are all these good are
they sent in such lavish abundance at this particular sea-
son ? They are " presents," good people—remembrances
of love and affection from one friend to another. Christmas
is the recognised time for universal rejoicing—the time
when young and old re-assemble ; the latter to rub off the
rust of the past year, and the former to assist in the ope-
ration. Shyness now must be exchanged for a hearty
grasp of the hand (no " two fingers" now !); suspicion for
frankness; jealousy for love unfeigned; cold-hearted-
ness for true charity (which " envieth not ;") and the love
of gold for the love of one another. Such are the proper
elements for the enjoyment of Christmas festivities.
And then—our parlours, our drawing-rooms, our studio,
and sundry other snug "little rooms"—will they not all
shine again—decked in the glories of Holly and Missel-
toe ! And what about the Christmas log, and the bright
fire on the hearth ; and all the winter games, &c., impro-
vised and performed by our merry boys, and laughing,
rosy-faced, innocent, giggling girls ! Call we that
nothing ! Hide your ugly features, oh ye cold-blooded,
dried-up prudes, who would forbid our darling mother,—
Nature ! to preside at the season of Christmas. In spite
of ye—God willing, " a Merry Christmas" will we have—
aye, and a " Happy New Year."
We have lived many years in the world, associated with
the best company, and seen such professions of goodness
as have positively made us tremble. People professing to
hate the world—and yet living as if they seemed to care
for nothing else ! This is the case with one-half the polite
world at least, whilst we are now writing.
It is this deception that we hate. Demure looks, and
faces too feet long, do no manner of good—either to their
possessors or to those who are associated with them. Our
Creator abhors such shallow artifices. With Him it must
be all the heart, or none. Therefore is it that we so ad-
vocate cheerfulness, honesty, and an obedience to the sweet
laws of Nature.

Playfulness is not wickedness. People may be merry,
and wise withal. We defy any one to say that a
single word from our pen has ever had an evil tendency.
We love society too well for that, and yet we are perpe-
tually cheerful and merry trying to make others so also.
Joni soit qui mal y pence I say we. So come on,
young and old ; and let us set a lesson worthy of imitation
all over the world. " Let us kiss and be friends." In,
boys—in with the Christmas bough ; and let it hang aloft
in the centre of every room in our dwellings !
But now, friends, listen. Having drawn the picture of
ou happy Christmas, we must look a' reale further.
Whilst we all hope to be "jolly feasting; playing, and
keeping up " good old customs," within; let us not for-
get the immense amount of sorrow and 'want" that
awaits the- eye' without. We see much of it; but alas!!
real worth hides its sorrows in its own breast.. It pines
in secret, and tells its piteous tale to ONE "who'seeth in
secret." Let us, one' and all, be the happy instruments
in the hand of that Great " One," in trying' to make'
" some " heart' happy—" some " sorrows less. At certain
widow gave 'two. mites." We hear it recorefedto her
honour. It is left as' an example for us. We• are' not
indulging in cant ;'but we' speak the pleasingfeelkgs that
now animate our "
breast. Let not any heartbreakz' that
WE can " bind nix!' Oh—no'!
We would sit `'happy" at the festive board on Christmas
Day. To feel " happy,!' one muss have a clear conscience:
Let us then vie wAh. each other, and see wno Wig fedi
most happy. So, hurrah for Christmas ! and tairee'
eheers for the delights of loving, and being loved !