LITERARY NOTICES.

Southland Times, Volume I, Issue 14, 26 December 1862, Page 2

LITERARY NOTICES.

(From, Srnit h, Elder and Co.'s Monthly Circular.^ The Life, of Arthur First Duke of Wellington^ Partly from the French of sM.. Brialraont,| -partly from original documents: 'By th(|| Rev. G. N. Gleig, Chapiain-General to.thsfi Forces, and Prebendary of St. Paul's. | In this simple volume the world is presented! with a popularised edition of the "Life of§ Wellington, 1 ' by the samel author, ' whichf "apeared in four volumes. It may be briefijg and justly described as a standard Life o{| our great Commander, adapted for all classes,! as authentic and as exhaustive as such as work can possibly be made. We give thga following short passage as Mr. Gleig's sunvi mary of the Duke's character, and as au| illustration of his style : — § The character of the Duke of Wellington was|| perhaps, more completely free from disguise thatS that of any other "man, whether of ancient oig modern times, who has filled so large a space jM the world's history. ; The great- leading' principlA^f* his moral being was— duty. In private -- Hf^oß was truth itself. As a. public roan, he: had . '- JS one in view, viz., to benefit, to the utroojjS of his ability and skill, the State, whoseservanli he was. Of personal ambition, in the vulga|| acceptation of the term, the Duke knew nothinojsj The desire of winning applause, or of advancing himself to places of honor and power seems neverS from first to last, to have moved him. There art j no stories extant of a boyish ambition in him fi 0 become the leader of his companions in their sport r nnd pastimes". ' He never taught, them how tocon [ struct castles of snow, nor led them to the attaci E or defence of- such castles when constructed. Hi j career at scheol-'is so- completely -without note j that had- not Eoberfc Smith recorded the cireuni jj stance of a hout at fisticuffs between the futuii S deliverer of Europe and himself, the biographer <j | the Duke of Wellington would' have .been abso | lutely without a tale to tell of all that his hero maj*| have said or done at Chelsea, at Eaton, and AngerijS And so it is with his life as a subaltern, a captain.is major, and an aide-de-camp to the Lord-Lieutennmjl of Ireland. It. is a mere vacant space on the pape^t which is-soon to be filled with the record of exploittfi such as struck the world with wonder ; a sure p»-ooj!i that the same simplicity of character which d«.p tinguisbed the man in after years belonged to biiKS in youth; and that, content to do his duty, anl| to enjoy existence in his own peculiar way, h|| never made an effort to push himself out of hirig place,- or to attract, in so doing, the gaze o|| admiration of the multitude. ~ |S In the military career of the Duke, Mrsf Gleig wisely follows Brialmont, as in hill larger work. Engraved plans' of the greaSj battles are given, and a fine povtraifc on steelp In every respect the volume is handsomely produced. gj Ch&teau Frissac ; or Horns Scenes in FranciM By CirnoNiQUEusE, Authoress of ''PhotoH graphs of Paris Life." ,•'-{§! This story opens with the preparations makings at the Chateau de Frissac for celebrating a custom which has almost become law isss France, a Mariage de Convenancc. The ladjgf — Mademoiselle Hbrfcense— has been ediicatelf in a convent, which she has leffc — as thf^ custom is — to enter a church. The partis are assembled, and the contract is about ts| be signed, when the father of the bride eletlrb discovers a letter in his wife's blotting cassEJ which the daughter, to save her mother fronllj supposed shame, declares to be meant for hert|j The marriage is broken off, Hortense h di<c| graced, and a young Englishman — SydnejH* Mortimer — who had really loved her, joinl| the army, and is believed some months aftetk| warfs to have fallen in China. In the mea||] time both wife and daughter are cleared from all suspicion of guilt,~snd the latter i|3 idolised for her heroic conduct ; finally, slis* is made completely happy by the return Opjj her lover. The story is cleverly written, buhj professing to depict society as it really exist®* in France, the authoress touches on subjectes •which, to English readers, must appear soiEegft what risques. As a specimen of her ■ stylla take the critical scene in which the letter ill discovered: — . .'" . J| "And now the signature of Mademoisslle, if 'tla please," said the notary. She rose slowly, walked to the table, and signed the document with an u'n|j| trembling hand ! Sydney's breath came hot finW fast; he felt al moat blinded by his emotion. Fhss seemed so unfeeling ! Hovtense, in signing, Iw|m slightly blotted ths page ; the notary looked aboi|§ for some sand. MO "There is none, it appears, said the Count. AljjS ii; does not signify: here's a bifc of blotting pnpff|oi So saying he opened his wife's huvard, which lijhji upon the table, tore out a leaf, and handed it.tjyj the lawyer. In doing this, a letter fell to the floor^ Saying to his wife, "A sealed letter, madame, at|gi with no address," he handed it mechanically to Jog Countess. *g "Ib cannot be for me," she said careless!?. sg The Count opened the letter, read afew HnefcS' and then turned pale ; so pale that the Counteftg thought he. was ill, and rushed to him. He enug® the hand of the Marquis, who was now. aboufcJlß^ sign the contract, and in a voice trembling witgej rage and emotion, cried out—" Stop, there mw£ mystery here, which must be unravelled befagp this ceremony can proceed. Madam," he cx>'0 x tinued. turning to his wife, "this letter, found ij|j| your portfolio, is, by a singular accident, una@s dressed ; can you tell me for whom it is isSs tended ?" ".-.'. S§ There was that in his manner which drove tIM .blood from her cheek. She took the letter fro^ him, trembling in every limb. The handwriting was unknown to her, but a glance at thepassionaSJg avowal of iove, and reference to past privaj|« meetings, left no doubt on her mind of the iflenti|s& of the writer; she tried to speak, but could no^ the eager gaping crowd seeming like accusii||y demons to her, while there, with his stern eye fix^g upon her blanched features, Aestood; that hard dre^. monitor, her husband !■---.. tei | The letter fell from her hands. "This \eltm Count, is for me" said Hortense. who had tak^ it up. The girl stood face to face, with her fatb|sP He the embodiment of stifled rage and shanffi' while she met his glance with unflinching ejiSr pale, motionless, but determined; lier mother sSi not this painful picture ; overcome by emotion, s|Sw had fainted. . . ®- "Leave this room, malheureuse," he said, it® j voice of thunder. " Marquis, do not speak. Wt know what you would say. I release you fr||j, your promise. I have some honour, though ig daughter has none; you shall not disgrace yc § name by wedding this outcast. Leave the room g say, nor dare to cast a look upon that virtue Si mother who now lives to regret she ever-bore gj unworthy a child." |jj Hortense left her mother's side, where she! h been standing, vainly endeavouring to bring ba gl consciousness to the inanimate form. She fcuttpE slowly towards the door to obey her father's m °s*l date. Her step was the same as when she enterS] — firm and dignified. She bore, without- flincbijSj the stern scrutiny of indignant eyes which rag her on every side. K"o one sign did she give eitiei ■ of shame or defiance till she reached the deja l Sydney Mortimer was standing there, and opcipr it to give her egress. Their, eyes met for a momjp.l — in his she read the deepest, most painful regfe; Ifc was well she was not seen now, for the pHgL heart had given way, the firm spirit — all, all — #> perished, beneath that glance of gi-ief and pity. W

' NATION OF THE WESTERN "i District of victoria. ** ) . rom tbe Argus, December Cth.; npton, f a Despatch from the Right Uon. ™°.J Secretary of State, acknowledging to thl receipt of a petition from certain In .itanis of the Western Portion of the ' x lonv, praying for Separation. (Pre- ? nte< *I le d to both Houses of Parliament by «fe of» g £ xce llency's command.) wliichß Dowling-Street, Sept. 20, T| 862. iriefiyfc^-I have the honor to acknowledge ife of Beceipt of your despatch, No. 63, of asseJSlSrf J une > enclosing a petition from , --'Mia inhabitants of the Western portion *fhe colony under your government, r e the}* f or a separation from Victoria, sumii aiv i ew to its formation, together with as anl ou ih-pastern district of South Australian independent Colonial Government- . wa frequeslthat you will inform the petiSivsthatl have laid their petition be>nt orfthe Queen, and that Her Majesty renco in*d it very graciously. 'P'NjftiAvill inform them at the same time acts of Parliament, and in toSS^ar by -the acts Ist and 2nd VictoTraSfcapiOO, and 18th and 14th Victoria, •ulgafffiJO, the territories out of which it is Ln '"S:JLsed to form a new -colony are declared ncins* elon{?) or recognised as belonging to ieTo J*cistin |r colonies of Victoria and South imWtralia. Tlmt her Majesty has no to alter the distribution of a territory > con^ a (Je, and that, even had her Majesty posttacJ»il that power, I should not have been to. recommend that it should have cumft exercised without either the concurutu«»e'of the Victorian and South ler'olStralifin Legislatures, or the .proof of an abso.ff| era ble hardship amounting to political >mas fessity for separation. '? eri »ou will further observe to them that >nan?Ber present circumstances, the inhabijapdafcs of any districts which are considered ploitsE 8 hardly used would, in my opinion, P r oojS\ T jsely i n dismissing from their minds '^"■expectation of effecting a rii-sraember- ' njjjjiit ofthe c ° lio "y> and in apply/rig themes *° secure a remedy for their griev>f hufces through the oi-dinary constitutional e o»liods. which, in a free country, are ~"~ftn to them as to all other men of sense Mr* energy; and that I'haveno doubt that hiSa wise" choice of representatives, by a wS-' appeal to public opinion, and, if neJsary, by securing themselves enlarged livers °^ ' oca ' self-government, any dlslleJyff.t; of Victoria has ii^its hands. the-.power protecting itself from injustice. 8 I have, &c, "c.fJ| (Signed) Newcastle. oto "|veTnor Sir "Henry "Darkly, K.CB. &c.

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