THE LITERATURE OF THE VICTORIAN AGE.

p»J. D-f AVISIJ

FIRST PAPER (CONCLUDED).-GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PERIOD.

n f the Victorian age has a W* ot its own. It bears W*""? the Hterwy child of either too b D 0 n or Scott. He has shown jhdley, BJron' nd those in his earlier y** 0 Either different things; in ««JWt a ttous poets Just named have tf^^lTofnote. They have had ,ltv bat on no singer have gtjtort»*•»»' t W orthily. There S^irw&attemptedtowield Sbe« Dllf« e*chelley;tatif it requires J «»nd "IS U^appreciate and under- Shelley*1111" hit sort of a soul must be 'SbelW. w.?* ile him ? Scott's tales fift" '° TtoS deeds of long dead S»Wf d q TJfare in fitting verse, lerttf. told now like the tramp Stf*lollßl now like the clatter of f^r n4ot?rpo"ticstorie3 1 we Sa y, ''W* a uwtt by themse yes. No t At" #*« ap ' nte d to rival him 10 his Spo^riSttue golf between S^Ar&nie, or Morns or Scott «* ',J fwo cemunes or three Mat* 8" Winded &ea>> inßtea, d - o! ttoVei for a" «ho "Imilarity la» than »«> ™ their subjects aud S" ".To W»tmeat. in the case theirjjet» et» eK n« is equally remark of fiction the WJ* developed rapld]y »We. Ts e n«tn "the first gentleman Sacetbe days wien at Bri Qtou . X:. nVfforth, "Monk" ' J*.A^W$W were writer, of UWS. Sir ww Kj3 a far cry from fictioninvogae ib«. , {rom Mi Fortcr from Sir Walter Scott to . (igenge and Sensl . **?..Wde«nd Prejudice," are not tW- * ",, h O off-a-days ; something •**-iSßTlike"Pack" or " Moths'' ' P^'S f the circulating libraries Wldami of Warsaw" and " rhe WAiSs" *ail t0 find a Wld" »**rf wto J3 not so- clea-; te^SUnz incident, while in respect Mg^ffS olottiiey have seldom been rf'^tS" novels of the great !"€%'« aranoffiS oa' of fashion. They, ***J5& and are unfortunately K^Sto books more stimulating, bat incomparably less wholesome. d'tfaSshbg that the ''b. ? bow- W**,tdioff many writers during the past •Kljtbas formed the stock-in-trade. Kir? aa a farther illustration of Xffi character of the present era tSre. The development here is "' rS Our grandfathers thought SSsmollett great historians. They B?it with libels and caricatures. W, as we demand, reasonably «ecu- EfSitares. Butou-ancestorshadlittle 2 to be dissatisfied with the convca- S histories they were in the habit of Sißg. because there existed no available STof testing and verifying their ac -2 The case v quite different now. Hboiidant and so easily aocesstbk are hum*. an4 materials ot history that Liditary reader has turned cutic. He Usenet statement before picturesque ■JJjj wd demands chapter and verse for 'm important statement, _ lileise one other eha'aecenstic of the iiDB must be mentioned before closing ttatueral remark', and that is the 'dins''of books. How chaap good BKiB now, is a fact of which every- Oigit bapoUy aware; it will be more to fepoiat to say something of the men who jtoKled with poverty, aud fought an up light, that the possession of books worth tyig should be within the reach of all. Quit* Knight's name deserves w occupy taint place. He was a publisher, and in [gjHjjiUed in business; hia stock-in-trade mii off for the benefit of his creditors, a uiitfteage of 36 he had to begin life 1 ita&; He tried journalism for a few mi), and then was entrusted with the Bsmsoß ofthe^ublic-itions of the Society Itltt Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, i*h Mr (afterwards Lord) Broagbam «(»leading spirit, la a year or two {bflsKnigtn was again following his old tit, tad started the "Library of Enter iilg Knowledge," in monthly volumes, i!«t fte same time as John Murray kp to issue hia "Family Library." In tKrwof the Reform pill, appeared the ttmobor of the " Penny Magazine," the I kiaara of which was to provide some- I ftg&eap, and at the same time good, in I jdet of the trash finding favour with the I raw 80 well was the intention ful- I M tot in nine months the " Penny I HJpnoe" hod a circulation of two I. \M thousandcop;es. The next cheap I I 1 ntn of Uharles Knight's, was the 1 'ha; Cyclopaadia," sugßeated by the I msjfthe magazine. It numbered among I bntributors the chief writers of the day; I niiliarticles are not unfrequently quoted i* lit by echolars.. The liwt number (ami January ;2od, 1833; and the last i MI&H. The publisher lost £30,000 \ Ms speculation, nearly the whole of •Sth large sum was paid away to the W» m pap«r duty. This tax upon »w!e<tee, seriously hampered every effort 1 WeDooks and newspapers cheap; and, «Bcontributed so large a sum to the Jmrae, was defender! and imposed for ■jr. a long year after. It was not Bi 1861, when Mr. Gladstone was Uacellor of the Exchequer, that the duty WrtpMled. Amont; Sir Knight's other fetions was the " Pictorial Si9tory of begun in 183S, a greai advance W«ny other popu'ar nistory of the day. ftllibrtsof Charle-< Kai"htin the diffusion flieap and wholesome literature were Wlleled by tho«e of the brothers Cham- William and Robert. They were the ijjll a Scotch weaver, and, through the We of their fftther's business before 1813, "Wedocation depended almost solely on ttownefforts. They contrived to read JWllj and at the same time to earn a W and precarious livelihood. They *»», at first separately, then in partner- Wrt the bookselling business, added Wfaluig to their accomplishments JM their hands at authorship, and ™, jnst enou»h success to cause them to W®U their efforts. A wider scope for opened before them. In ftimary, 1832, the opening trarnber of the W^oown "Chambera's Journal" ap- I"**'1 It was to «o something towards l*!Jilg the strongaoHs of ignorance, i had beea already assailed. The '■¥':■ number attained in Scotland % a sale of fifty thousand. Tue third j*'ed London, and the sale at once rose Mghty thousand. The periodical thus Jjjtod more than half-a-centnry ago, *S»te the rivalry and oppssition of Jfdnes of every class, still lives and "W*; and remains under the

management of W. Chambers, who, within the last week or two, has been deservedly honoured with a baronetcy. [Since the above was written the news has arrived by cable that Sir W. Chambers sur vived his honours only a few days.] Hia brother Kobert died in March, 1871. These were the pioneers iv the arduous task of cheapening books, and of furnishing the poor with something fit to read. Other men have entered into their labours, and carried them out to a still more sucsessful issue. Competition between publishing honaes and actual piracy have been impor tant factors in the matter, however much the latter may merit the censuro of unfortuuate authors. To American theft, there can be no doubt, the English sixpenny editions of what were previously expensive works, are mainly due. It was found to be impossible to keep toe plagiarised copies from across the Atlantic out of the British market, and hence the publishers of Paternoster Row were driven to fiijht tbe opposition with its own weapons. In many instances, presumably, bjth author and publisher suffer, but the general public, and especially the poorer classes, are great gainers.

SECOND PAPER: HISTORY.

The Victorian era has been particularly ricn in historians. With the exception of Gibbon's famous work, almost all the great histories in the language may be said to have been produced within it. Henry Hallara had written two of his books prior to 1837, viz., the " Middle Ages,' and the " Constituiional History," and published hia third, " Literature of Europe daring the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries," during the first two years of the present reign. Of the ♦'Constitutional History" Macaulay said that it was the most impartial book he had ever read. Impartiality waa Hollarn's chief characteristic. He wrote not as aa advocate, but summed up with all the calmness and gravity of a just judge. He was an old-fashioned echolar, a man of books, the range and profundity of whose knowledge appears in everything be wrote. With regard to poetry his critical faculty was weak. He was wanting in apprecia tion for it, and all of his criticisms in this department have not been endorsed by later writers. From the judicial Hallara to the rugged, emotional Carlyle is an abrupt transition, From 1825, when " Schiller" appeared in book form, till 18G5, when the last volume of " Frederick the Great" was published, this great writer was constantly busy, working diligently and conscientiously with his pen, always more or less dyspeptic, a condition which has inscribed itself deep opon every one of his pages. The outside world knows now that Carlyle was a surly, disagreeable man, treating with harshness even those whom he loved, fierce in his likes and dislikes, almost savage in his criticisms, not disinclined to egotism. Still, his literary reputation will not suffer much from the revelations of the " Remin iscences," and Mr Froade's " Early Lifo." He called Shelley "a ghastly object, colourless, pallid, without health; the sound of him shrigky, frosty, as if a ghost were trying to sing to us ;" he characterised John Stuart Mill's conversation aa " saw dusty;" laughed Kcornfully at poor Southey and his second wife; rated Charles Lamb no better than a crazy fool; libelled JSdward Irving, who had once shown him kindness; all these things Carlyle did, but do they subtract one iota from the value of the " French Revolution," or " Letters and Speeches of Cromwell"? Carlyle was thorough, terribly in earnest, acting always on the conviction that ho had a mission to perform of proclaiming warnings to a deaf and heedless world, descending fast to chao3 and ruin. Hence he _ delivered his soul in making the history of the past dis gorge its secret for the benefit of the present and the future. Carlyle cherished deep and sympathetic veneration for bygone ages, and the old actors who therein worthily played their parts, as anyone knows by reading " Heroes and Hero Worship1 ; but at the same time the spirit controllinti him was revolutionary, in chronic rebellion against conventionality and every species of mock-decorum, H

carried his prottsts, jouie will think, to absurd lengths, and in no department is this more evident thau in his literary style, which, though characteristic of tho man, robust in many places, and appropriate to the ideas enfoldcrl, was y»t otten unneces sarily harsh, und tometiiues even grotesque, "Schiller" appoarud first in the "London Magazine," and after being recast and ex tended came out in book form in 1825. It is said not to have takeu greatly with the public, but ai Carlyle naked at least £100 by it (as he tells us 10 the " Kemiuiacences") its sale was necessarily considerable. " Sar tor" occupied uiue mouths in the writing, and when completed Carlyle hawked it from one publisher to another trying to induce one of them to print it. At last in despair he offered it to " Eraser," in which it came out In piecemeal, This was in 1533-34. The leading public were puzzled what to make ot it. Many subscribers wroteeomplaimngof itsinscrtion. and, when one comes to think ot it, it was a curious production to iiavu a place in a magazine. J. S. Mill had seen it in MS., and thought little of it, but afterwards he read it with "enthusiastic admiration and the keenest delight," and uveatually described it as Carlyle's " best and grandest work." By "Sartor" Carlyle was gainer to the extent of some £300. The "French involution" — that tremendous oommentary on the text, "The wages of sin is death"—was not an immediate success. America, strange to say, was the first to perceive its merits. Emerson there published an edition, frmn the profits ef which the writer obtained £150, three years before he received £100 from grateful Kngland. Car lyle found several of his subjects in the maligned and misrepresented characters of history. He re-cued Cromwell from the calumny and spite which for two centuries had covered his memory. the dead Sterling bad been misrepresented by Arch deacon Hare, Carlyle determined to write what should be a truer and more faithful image ot his friend. Ihe result was one the ma»t vivid and charming biographies in the language. "Frederick the Great " occupied Carlyle for 14 trdious years, dur ing which lie endured much mental torture, owing to the precarious health of hi* wife, and untold agonies from indigestion. Gibbon relates that he was sad und melancholy when he had written the last page of the " Decline and Fall;" its composition had been oue of the pleasures of his life. L'arlyle on the contrary was delighted to get "Frederick " out of hand ; the day he finished him was the happiest for ten long years. Georpo Grote, banker, philosopher, and radical member nf parliameut, found time to write iv nine volumes the best hUtory of Greece in the language, ho hnd not tho advantage of a Univer ? ity training, he was greatly occupied by hts business nnd parliamentary duties, but despite these drawbacks he pnt forth his first two volumes in 1840, when he was fifty two years ot aue. His was a genius ' which flourished lai". ten years after, when his history was compjeted, he pushed forward other extensive plans which he had formed in connection wiih Plato and Aristotle. At the age of seventy-one his "Plato and other Companions of Socrates" appeared, and three years subsequently a work purely philosophical on James otunrt Mill and Sir William Hamilton, he died in 1871 he was engaged on Arintotle. It will be convenient here to name some other historians who have beep occupied j with ancient histoiy. Dr. Arnold and ! George Long wrote of the Koman Republic. I It is, however, by his personal influence at ; Kngby that the former will be longest re membered. Mr Long, who lived to a ripe old age, and worked in his favourite fields of literature up to the last, wascharacterised by a rugged common aenne, a vigorous Knglish style, and a plain outspokenness, Dean Milinan, in a manner of writing beautifully pmooth and lncid, was engaged during the best years of hi* long life with church history. He shocked the orthodox by the (then considered) advanced opinions ex pressed in the " History of the Jews," which was published as long ago as 1529, eight years prior to the Queen's accession. His "Histories of Christianity" followed,

and were characterised by the same polish of style, and the same liberal scholarship. Macaulay did not give Mllnian credit for a , good style. He was surprised at the con trast between the substance and the manner. The former he regarded aa excellent, the latter "very much otherwise," But the great essayist had some reasonable grounds for being fastidious about literary style, Milman also died in harness, having seen through the press the year betore his death in 1567, a revised edition of each of hh histories. Bishop Thirlwall, throe years before Grote's, pave his "Bistoiy of Greece" to tho world. It is reckoned among toe best books of the reign, and is only beaten by Grote's work. It was of this prelate, who was trained in early life for a lawyer, the late Archbiahop of Uanterbury remarked, that his learning was so extensive that he belonged to no party, but wai raised to the higher region which is beyond the influence of faction. Dean Merivale's " Romans nnder the Empire " (ISSO-62) is perh.ips the most extensively read of the books we bave mentioned in the present paragraph. It is pre-eminently readable, the story being told with great fullness, and with all the illustrative aids that modern research can afford. In cle pictiDg the character of Cicero, the author writes vcrv strongly in support of that much maligned statesman, and takes the very opposite side to J. A. Froude, who, in his recent sketch of Julius Canar, has blackened and bespattered poor Cicero's character in the heartiest possible manner. (To be Continued.)

Ice Carnival at Montreal.

Tics New Yorkconespondentof the "Daily- News" sends the following account of the Montreal ice carnival, which opened on the 23rd Janmry :—The weather was cold aud clear; the thermometer at zero. All the hotels are overflowing with visitors. There were large delegations from New York and other parts of the United States. The carnival began with the contractor's drive and dinner. There were ovei 200 Bleigbs in line. Then came the formal opening of the magnificent ice palace in Dominion-square, standing on a commanding eminence in the heart of the city. Thts structure, the first of the kindevet erected on this coutinent, is a great object of attraction. It is nearly 100 feet square in the interior, with towers 15 feet square and 30 feet in height. At each ancle the wills are 25 feet high. Ifrom the centre rises a massive tower 32 feet square and 100 feet high. The wall* and towers are constructed of Mocks of ice taken from St. Lawrence. They are 4f inches in length, from 14 to 20 in breadth, and a.% transparent as crystal. They Were pnt in their place with derricks, and were deluged with water, which froze them into a solid ruais. The roofs of the building and the t»wc» are made of beams, upon which were spread ccrtnr branches. Over these a spray ot water was thrown, which froze them into solid masses of ico with pendant icicles. When the bright sun falls upon this glitter ing palaco with its froited roof, the effect is said to bo indescribably beautiful At night it w«s illuminated with thousands of electric liffhjs within ana without, making the spectacle one of surpassing brilliancy. After the dedication of the palace, the tobogcanning hills were thrown open and found to be in unrivalled condition. Then came a grand curling match on the tit. Lawrence, in which clubs from all parts of the continent pattictpatcd. This evening electric light prevails everywhere—at the ice palace, on the tobogganing hills, on the river, and in the skating rinks—and thou sands nre engaged in various winter sports. Ou 24th January the carnival was at its height. Visitors poured in in largs numbers during the morniagnndtnecity was thronged. The curling match was resumed early in the morning, and excellent play was made. The mayor proclaimed a half holiday, and in the afternoon tho places of business were closedund everybody joined in the festivities. There was a grand sleigh parade and a snow-shoe steeplechase, which excited great interest. The city was again brilliantly illuminated with electric lights,

SCIENCE NOTES.

A NEW industry in Japan ia said to be that of lacquering plaster so as to resemble marble. On a basis of clay this lacquer work is especially novel and effective. The Swedish Governmeut has granted a sum of £60 for this year to an entomologist, whose duty it will be to advise farmers as to the best means of destroying injurious insects. The shape of the new British man-of-war Mars is so peculiar that her keel cannot be laid in any of the usual building-slips, and the vessel must be constructed in one of the i docks. Gteat care is taken to prevent stran» gera having any opportunity of making any i examination of the model and drawings. ' a small hydrogen gas balloon, with a capacity of about two gallons, was liberated ac Bercy, and made its way to Gradno, in Poland, having travelled more than 2,000 miles. This is the longest air juurney on record for aoßmall an object. At Sobastopol a new Government dock has just been commenced. It will take the place of the one which was destroyed during the famous siege by the allied armies more than twenty-five years ago. It will require three years to complete it, and the estimated cost is £4,000,000. lv many parts of Spain farming operations have made little or no progress since the expulsion of the Moors. The same sort of plough ia used now as then, oxen tread out the corn after the ancient oriental fashion, and women separate the chaff from the corn by tosaing the grain up in the air during a breeze of wind. The staining of bricks red is effected by melting one ounce of e,laa in a galloa of water, then adding a piece of alum as large as an egg, one halt pound ot Venetian red and one pound of Spauish brown ; redness or darkness is increased by using more led or brown. For colouring black, heat the bricks and dip in fluid asphaltum, or in a hot mixture of linseed oil ami asphalt. A Cure Fob Slespless* ess,—"There is a form of wakefulness," says 'Laws of Life," "which is a somewhat frequent ex perience with persons engaged ia active work, especially of tbe brain, a uiaii who has been busily engaged during the day in his usual avocation retires, lei us say, at about 10 or 11 o'clock, fetling quite sleepy. After a period o£ slumber, perhaps of two or thrco hours, he linds hiui.self wide awake at about 2 o'clock in the morning. There is nothing particularly burdensome ou his mind; no mental anxie» ties perplex, no physical pains disturb him. His only annoyance is the consciousness that a hard day's work is before him, and that his busy brain ought to bo at rest. After tossing about for an hour or more ia vain at tempts to court sleep, ho drops off toward morning into disturbed and broKon slumber, and rises at tho usual hour with a sense of having been defraided by nature of one ot his rights. So long as this is a rare or occasional experience, it need not attract attention. When, however, it becomes habitual, when sloep ia regularly broken by periods of wakcfulaesß more or less prolonged, and especially when those |periods come to bu accompanied by anxieties and worrying, the symptom iis more grave. It may betoken serious j impairment of the nervous system if allowed to continue." What may bo done by the person himself ou awakening during the night, in order ugain to iuduce sleep? Tho expedients at our disposal, it must be admitted, are exceedingly variable in their eilicacy, but most of them are worth tryiug. A souse of drowsiness is sometimes easily induced by getting up and standing by the bedside un til one feels almost chilly and tlie bed ia cold, Another expedient is to wash the head, neck and upper part of the body in cold water—a lower temperature of the skin inducing probably a more active circulation of the blood to tho surface and away from the nervous centres. I have found a bit of dry bread thoroughly masucated aud eaten at this time to ac; almost like a charm in some cases by drawing blood from brain to ►totuach and thus securing sleep. Anything which serves to detract attention from one's self and surroundings may occasionally avail -such aa saying tho alphabet, count ing one's respirations, repeating the multi plication table, and a multitude of simi lar expedients. An ancient monkish receipt for wakefulness was to "count your beads." It is good advice yet. There are no better aids to repose than a good con science and a mind at peace.

Two Maltese Stories.

In ISOS, the following remarkable event occurred at Malta. Oae Froberg had raised a levy of Greeks tor the British Government, by telling the individual mtinbera that they should all bo corporal?, generals, or what not. It waa to bo nil officers, like some other regiments of which we have heard, ihe men soon found out the deceit, but drilled admirably uutdtbe brutality of the adjutant caused them to mutiny. Malta waa at iho time thinly garrisoned, and their particular fort had ouiy one small detachment of tJtoops and ibirty artillerymen. The mutineers made the officer of artillery point his gons on ihe towo. He however managed that the shots should fall harmlessly. Another oltic;r escaped up a chimney, and the Greeks coining into the same house, nearly suffocated him by lighting a large fire below. Tioops arrived ; the mutineers were secured, and a court-martial condemned tnirty, half of whom wore to be hanged and the rest ehot. Only five could be hanged at a time ; the first five were there, fore suspended by the live who came next aud 90 on. Qf the men who were to be shot, one ran away, and got over a parapet where he was afterwards, shot; another is thought to have escaped. Colonel Shaw tells the story of a soldier of Smilian regi ment who has frequently deserted. ■ He was condcraincd to be shot. A prieset who visited him in prison left behind him—purposely tlicte can be little doubt —his iron crucifix, The sol'iier used it to scrape away the mortar, and moved stone alter stone, until bo got into an adjoining cell, when he found hfmself no bettaroff, as it,was locked. The same process was repeated, until he at last reached a cell of which the door was opened, entered the pa«Bftge tind climbed a wall, beneath which a sentry was posted. Fortunately for the pri-. goner, a regular Maltewj shower was pouring ilown, and the guard remained in his box. The fugitive next reached a high gate, where it seemed he must be foiled. Not at all ! He went back, got his blanket, cnt it into strips, made a rope, and by its means Climbed the gate, dropped into a fosse, from wnich be reached aud swim across the harbour. Ho lived concealed for some time among the natives, but venturing one day into tne town, was recegnised and captured, The governor considered that after all this he he deserved his life, and changed his sentence to transportation.— The Sea, its Stirring Story of Adventure, Peril, and Heroism.

A new shilling magazine devoted to social reform was to have made its aopcar anco this month under the title of "Merry England." Its special feature will be its illustrations, of which.one every month will be a full page etching.

:^R SATURDAY SUPPIiKMENT, JUNE 2, 1883.

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*° CAUTION TO THE PUBLIC. In consequence of many misleading advertisements lately . appearing in our /papers, S-- COOMBES &c CO., n their usual good faith, Imve issued tlie following Price List. We guarantee each article given, and flic price will speak for itself :— Good Household Calico, 32 inch wide, 214 per yard. Ihe Celebrated AAA Calico, 36 inch, wide, 3M. No. 2 Crewdson's, 4*d. per yard. Na 3 Crewdson's, 36 inch, wide, 6id. per yard. ?u nCh" ? 6avy -Wllito TwiU Sheetmg, lOid. per yard. A^l_ widths m Finlay's Sheeting 50 per cent, less than sold elsewhere. JO inch. Double Warp Twill Sheeting, Is. 4d. per yard, half-price. 10-4 Fine Witney Blankets, 6s. 6d.—worth 17s. 6d. •Large Size Finest Quality, 21s. per pair. Quilts, in all sizes, from 2s. lid. each. Flannel, Sid. per yard, will not be purchased elsewhere less than Is. Colonial Flannel, Is. o|d. DBESS IDK^-A.RTDVCEJIsrT. 27 inch Heavy Serge, suitable for Winter Dresses, 6Ad.—worth Is. 27 inch. All Wool Serge, lOJd.—original price 2s. A. quantity of the most fashionable and newest materials will be sold at less than cost. Black and Coloured Velveteens, from Is. 6d. per yard. Black and Coloured Silks, 2s. 6d. per yard, worth ss. 6d. 3 Cases of Winceys, 5Ad. per yard—worth Is. per yard. MILLINERY AND MANTLE DEPARTMENT. A lot of Black Chip Hats, fashionable shape, 6Jd. each. 100 Hate and Bonnets, this season's goods, imported direct from Paris, will be sold at half-price. All our Mantles, Jackets, and Ulsters will be sold at one-third less than usual price. CLOTHING DEPAETMENT. 500 pairs Men's Extra Strong Tweed Trousers, ss. lid.—wortli 10s. 6d. 300 Men's Suits, Colonial made, 255. the suit. 200 Navy Serge Suits, 21s.—worth 455. 50 Diagonal Tweed Waterproof Coats, 10s. 6d.—worth 30s. 200 Tweed Macintosh Coats, 15s. Gd.—wortli 50s. HO Tweed and Cloth Overcoats, from 16s. 6d. Shirts, Collars, Ties, Socks, at half usual price. S: COO3IBES & Co. will not sell to shopkeepers or retailers. As the prices in many cases are much below wholesale price, they only pledge themselves to supply consumers at above list prices. •; NOTE THE ADDEESS- On the premises lately occupied Ij J. COSGHAVE & Co. S-AJvrcriEXi coombes & 00.