, 1860-02-07
TllnCk CrOv on NnvNrm.

Think II Gods nstss%tc, and In hntuhle Ttile
with heali u csk rep'aee II :-thtne tie e.i-s-
----.--.- .--Lo1'cral,<.
Thackcray on Novels.
The first number or tic Corn1.tU Magazine
contains the commencement Of Thackcrar's.
new story, aud Ii critical essay from Lis pen,
entitled "TEc Roundabout" As tho Round
about paper is very brief We will give CONC
tlliaE more than the cream Of it, for it is not
only good per Sc but it will give comfort and
| consolation TO The great congregation Of read
ers Of what is called slight literature
What was 1t that 80 fascinated the young
| student, as he stood By the river shore! Not
the Pons AsiAorum. What book 50 delighted
him, and blinded him 70 all the rest Of tile
world, 20 that he did net caro- to see the ap-
ple-woman with her fruit OF {rnnre tempting
still to Sous Of Evc) the pretty girls with their
apple cheeks who laughed and prattled round
the fountain? What was the book? Do you
suppose it was Liyy, or the Greek grammar?
No: it was NOVEL that you vera reading,
you lazy, not very clean, good-for-notling,
sensible boy! It was D'Artaguan locking up
General Monk in boxSor almost succeeding
in keeping Charles the First's head: or. 1t
was the prisoner Of the Chateau diff cutting
himself out Of the sack fifty feet under water
II mention the novels I like best, myself
without love or talking, or anything Of that
sort Of nonsense, but containing plenty Of
i.hting, escaping robbery ard rescuing-cut-
ting himself out Of the sack, aud swimming TO
the Island Of Montechris1o., Du'nas! 0 tllou
brave, kind, gallant old Alexandra! hereby
offer thee homage, and give the thanks for
Il I 1,-., ~
ing sick in bcd) for thirteen hours Of happy
day, and had the ladies' Of the house fighting
for the volumes. Beassured that lazr boy was
reading Dumas for will 60 50 far as to let tile
reader here pronounce the cuiogiun1, or insert
the name Of Ills favori1e aut.or;) and as for tho
anger, or it may be, rererbeEa1ioDs Of his
scEoolmaster. or the remopstrances Of his
father, Of the tender pleadiugs Of his mother
that he should not let the supper grow cold
| don'e believe the Ecapeerace cared one liz.
No! figs are swcct, but fictions are swectcr.
| Have you ever seen 4 score Of white beard
| ed, Willie robcd warriors, or grave seniors If
tile city, seated at the gate Of Jaf4 or Beyrput
and listening 10 the story-te1er rccitiEg his
marvels out Of Antar or tile Arabian Nights?
was once present when Il young gentleman
| at table put tart away from him, and said 10
his neighhor, the Younger Son, with rather ::
| f;atuous air) Il never eat sweets"
mot eat sweets, and do you know why?"
says 7.
"Eecausc am past that kind Of thing says
the young gentleman.
| because you arc glutton and sot!" cries
the elder land Juyepis wiuces little). ".All
| people who have natural, healthy appelites
love sweets: I'LL children, all women, all East
cru people, whose tastes are not corrupted by
| glu:tony and strong drink And platetll
Of raspherries and cream disappeared before
the philosopher.
You take the allcSory? Novels are sweets.
AL people with healthy literary appetites love
theu,-almost all Women 4 vast number Of
clever, hard-headed men. Why one Of the
most learned physicians Of England said to rae
only yesterday, II have just read So-and-So
for the second time" lia.nin, one Of Jones' ex.
quisite 1lctions. Judges, bishops, chanccllors,
1na,!,enlaticians, are notorious novel readers !:
as well as young boys and sweet girls, and
their kind. tender mothers. Who has not read
about Eldop, and how he cried oSer novels cy-
cry night when be was not at whist?
As tor tho lazy, naughty boy at Chur, I
doubt whether he will like novels when lie is
thirty years Of age. Ho is taking too great a
s!ut Of them now. Ho is eating jelly until he
will be sick. lie viii know most plots By the
time he is twenty. so that he will never be sur
| prised when tie Stranger turns out to be tile
r,glltfnl earl-wl,en the old waterman, throw.
ing eff his bergarl' yabardirc. shows his stars
md the collars Of lis various orders, aue clasp
ing Antonio to his bosom, proves himself 10 be
! tile prince, her long lost father. lie will re.
cosaizc the aoyelist's same characters, though
tl,cy appear in red hecled pumps aud atles-tie'
| pigeon, or the garb Of the nineteenth century.
lie will get weary Of sweets, rs boys Of pri'
Iate schools grow Tor used to grow, for ] have
done growing some little time myself and the
practice may have ended too) AS private
school boys used tn grow tired Of the pud
ding before their mutton at dinner.
Aud pray what is the moral Of this opologuc:
The moral t:.ke 10 be this: tho appetite fol
novels extending to the end Of tho world i
fur away in the frozen deep, the sailors 1cad
ing to one another during the cudlcss night
far away under the Syrian stars, the solemn
shcik1ls and elders hardening to the poet as HI
, r,citcs. his tales; far away in tie Indial
CAMPS where the soldiers listen TO IS tales
or -'s, after the hot day's march ia
away in little Chur yondcr, where tho lazy bo
pores over tile fond volume, and drinks It il
with all his eyes:- the dcmand being what VI
, know it is, the merchant must supply it, rs Ii
will supply saddles and pale ale for Bombay q
, Calcutta.
But US surely as the cadet drinks too mic
pale ale it will disagree within him, and s
surely, dear youth, will too much novels clio
On thee. ] wonder, do novel writers then
selves read many novels? If you so int
c Gunter's you don't see those charming yo'in
e ladies ito whom Iprescnt my most rcs2ecttI
c,mr1i1nonts) eating tarts and ices, but ut IL
proper cycning-tidc they have good pl:ti1
wholesome tea, and bread and butter. Ca
= anybody tell ME does tho author Of the Ia
;, Of Two Cities read novels does tile author
the Tower Of London dcyour romnuccs? dot
the dasline Harry Lornequcr delight in Pl:1i
OF Ripclcts or Spuuge's Sporting Tour? Do
the veteran, from whose flowing pen we Il:
the bot,ks which delighted our young dag
= Darnley, and Rirhelieu, and Dclorme re'1s
~ the works Of Alexander the Great, and tllr
over tile Three Mus9uetaers? Does tho
co,uplished author Of the Caxtons read y
ID. other tales in Blackwoods For c1ampl
that ghost story printed last August, ~
= Which for nv part, though read iriu t
public reading room Mt the Pavilion Hotel
Polkstonc, protest frightened me so that
scarce dared look over my shouldcr) Do
II. Uncle Tom admire Adam Bede; and does
G.. author Of the Vicar Of Wrexhill laugh OF
~ 10 tho Warden ami the Three Clerks? d.
led youth Of ingenious countenaucc aud inse1
ous pudor! ! make no doubt that tho e'
= uert parties above named all partake Of nc
- els in moderation-eat jelies-nut nsal1
nuurish themselves upon wholesome roast
boiled. =;
Here dear youth aforesaid! our Corn
.Naqazinc owners strive to provide thee "
'es facts as well as tictioE and though it d.
- rot become them to brag Of their Ordinary.
least they invite thee to 4 table where Il
shalt sit in good company. That story Of
FoE was written By one Of tic gallant sean
who sought for poor Franklin under the an
Nv Arctic Night! that account Of China is t
hy the man Of all the empire most Akel!
know Of what he speaks: those pages reg:
ing Volunteers come from an honored Ii
60. tlat has bornc the sword in hund
famous fields, aud pointed tho British gun
- the greatest siege in the world. -
e, Shall NC point out others? We are :cl'
dc. travellers. and shall make acquaintance IS
rncd yoyagc proceeds In the Atlantic steam
ca:e. on the first day out land on lfgh and lolie
lass- subsequently, the jellies set down on tht
| H.. ia