Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1863-07-10
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les OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES.

i
The second part Of this voluminous work OF
Mr.. Victor Hugo has been reprinted by
Messrs. West & Johnston.
Its q continuation of "Fantine;" and is
itself to be continued in three other parts
We think it better and more artistic than
Famine full of powerful descriptions, and
thoughts which are sometimes noble and
sometimes monstrous, often original, more
often extravagant but generally expressed
with a rare and impassioned eloquence. We
| have here continuation Of the fortunes OF
the escaped convict, Jean Vatican, and Of the
little Cosette, a child now Of eight years, the
daughter of Famine. AS, in the first part,
the convict Vatican, the man who, utter
his first escape, had rewarded the hoSpi-
tality Of the good bishop by stealing his
plate; and afterwards had, by force Of
habit, stolen a silver coin from q poor
little wandering Savoyard-this man, as
before, proves himself the only perfect and
truly angelic character in the book. Ho de-
votes himself to ensure the happiness of little
Cosette, rescues her from the savage oppression
of the Thenardier family, brings her into
Paris, and commences the task Of educating
her. But once more he is recognized by the
inevitable police officer, Javert, that prefer
naturally hateful impersonation Of Society"
Once more human society repels HIM
human society howls upon his track" &c
IIo finds out that he is recognized, watched ;
quits his lodging at night, taking Cosette
along with him; and then commences long
aud thrilling narrative Of the pursuit through
the old streets and lanes of Paris, which ends
at length, when the fugtivcs are on the very
point of arrest, by Vatican scaling the walls
of convent garden, and dragging Cosette
over after him.
Next comes the escape from the Convent
Cosette in basket, Vatican in coffin; in
which coffin he is absolutely lowered Into q
grave, anu shovels full Of earth Ito hSe num-
Der of four) thrown upon him, after which he
is disinterred. There is very long and in
tcresting description of this Convent, one of
the strictest in the world, named of the
perpetual Alteration" The present part
leavcs Cosette charity pupil in the Convent,
and Vatican (who calls himself her grand
father = gardener in the employment Of the
same house.
Now one of NJ. Victor Hugo's monstrous
imaginations is to make this old man of fifty
five JaU in lore with the little girl of eight
years old. 1T is something" he says, very
incomprehensible, and very sweet, this grand
and strange emotion of heart in it's first
love. Poor old heart, so young" VIC doubt
that it is sweet; but admit that it is incompre-
hensille.
More than onc-fourth Of this volume is oc-
cupied, strangely enough, with a minute mar
rative of the battle of Waterloo, which was
fought eight years before the date of the story.
This description is eloquent, after the style of
eloquence of NJ. Victor Hugo-a style which
we candidly ayow we do not affect. For ex-
ample, in describing the assaults Of the French
cuirassiers upon. the Allied squares, he says
These squares were battalions no longer:
they were craterS; these culraSSlers were cav
AIRY no longer: they were a tempest. Each
square was volcano attacked by thunder
cloud the lava fought with the lightning"
Again:
but what is that to the Infinite? All this
tempest, this cloud, this war, then this peace
All this darkness, disturb not for moment
the light of that Infinite Eye before which
the least of insects lcaping from one blade of
grass to another, equals the eagle flying from
spire to spirc, among the towers of Notre
Dame"
Eloquent, but absurd; because nobody ever
said that battle disturbs the Infinite Eye
and further because, since Notre Dame was
first built, q thousand gears ago, no eagle ever
few amongst its towers.
"Watefloo is not battle-it is change Of
front afaR 1870"