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    3 helms depicted , but " she has preferred to take the medium tones most commonly met with . " The two most painful scenes m the "book , are those of a little child being nearly whipped to death , and another of a young slave being iriven to commit suicide by the harshness of an otherwise indulgent master . Ida May , the heroine of the story , is a white , but is kidnapped when onlyfive years old . One of the most powerfully written descriptions in the book , respects an old ne « jro woman , called Chloe , an ogre-like creature who kept watch over the children captured by the kidnappers . The poor wretch had been tortured out of all the humanity that she ever possessed . Towards the whites especially , she was inspired with a fiendish hatred . But here is Miss Langdon ' s own account : — By accident these kidnappers had discovered , upon this mountain , a cave , of sufficient size to suit their purposes ; ami , by building a hut directly in front of the opening , it was effectually , concealed irom all eyes . Hither they came from the south , bringing with them provisions for themselves and their horsesTheir large covered was left hidden araons vks itsMmiiv > \» i Mf ctu * v /» JUUUVtl

    . waggon VU 1 UUO iV 4 i / JIVIllCOlfCd <* Ul * v * . * w . u « - >^ uu » ^ . ^ . J ^« « v » w * V » ** O ^^ v « U * VJ' ^ the trees and bushes near the road , but the animals were led up the path , and hidden in the cave ; and here also were hidden the children that were from time to time captured ! , until a waggon-load had been collected ; and old Aunt Chloe kept watch over all . H « r wants were supplied l > y her masters , and she only went to Hagerstown , a few miles distant , with the willow baskets that she -wove and exchanged for the necessaries of life , so as to prevent the suspicion and inquiries of the few country people who were aware of her existence in this lonely retreat . Her appearance was perfectly hideous . Her gr « y hair hung in elf-locks over her neck , from under the dirty cotton handkerchief that bound her brows ; and her face , tawny aud wrinkled , and seamed with age , was stamped with every bad passion . Her form was bent-, . and she was covered with a short gown and petticoat , so dirty and patched that it was difficult to tell of what colo > ur or material the original was composed ; and her hands and . fingers bony , long , and claw-like , resembled a vulture ' s talons more than anything human . Such "was the being who now lose from her seat beside the door , and , taking the pipe from lier saiavixen ± 111101 nat aat Keoicon

    monxn , , some appearance or curiosity , " w r yer oone rob de white hen-roost dis tinde ! " and a fiendish expression passed over her face , as she stretchediorth her snaky fingers , and , . burying them in the child's curly : ] iair , drew her towards herself . The act , and : her frightful appearance , canseS Ida to cry with pain and terror . ' ¦ ' There ' tis . again , " said Bill ; " that ' s just the way it ' s been every minute of the time the gal ' s ; been awake , since we started . Shut up , there , I tell yer !" " Gosh ! whatVde good 0 ' iellih' her to sh 6 t up ? ' saia Chloe . " Deyallers cries dat -way till yon . gets em broke in . Crying for your mammy ? " she added , addressing the child ; " gota . mammy , a ' n't ye ?" st 6 no , no ! " sob-lied Ida , " poor mamma's dead , and papa ' s all alone . O , do let me go 4 > ack to papa ! " . ' " Sorry yer mammy ' s . dead , " said Chloe ; ' * wish she warn't , for I knows how she'd feel to have ye toted off , ~ -how she'd cry !—0 , wouldn ' t she , though?—and tear her hair , maybe . How I'd like to see Her , wouldn ' t I ? Hasn't I seed de nigger women cry so when dere <; hillea was toted flfiT to he sold ?~ don't I ' member when dey took my darter ,- —O , don't I ? Sorry your mammy ' s dead , —got a daddy , though , to feel bad , a ' rj't ye . ?"" " 0 , yes . Poorpapa ! Do , please , take me home again , " and the child Cried piteously . " Shafc . up T—therei " said Bill , striking her . " Do you suppose 3 'li stand this yelling ranch longer ?" " Gosh ! " interturpted his "companion , " what de use talkuv ?—just give her sommat to

    break ber spent ; dat de waie dey do de young nigs when dey cries for dere pnammies . I ' se hear n " emery , and seen ' em whipped for it , many de time ; and I'se hearn heaps o ' wlute buckraisay dere nothin' like a good breakin -in , to save trouble aterwards . Dat ' s what does it , —breaks dere sperit and learns ' em dere place . " " I . declare I belwve 't will be a first-rate plan , " said Bill , witb an oath , " and it may as well b « done now as any time 5 for , blame me , if the little jade didn't try to get away , comin ' np . the . hul , and I'm tiwd of hearing her yell ; " , as he spoke , he cut from the tree beside him a long . rod , which he stripped of its leaves and swayed in the air to prove its strength . " Come here , " he addea , seizing Ida by one arm ; " I'll learn ye to aniad . '' "JJnt the woman interposed . " Let » ie / " she said ; " Q , do ! that ' s a nice feller , —ye don't know the good ? t 'II dome . Don't I member when de white man flog my darter , my little girl ,,. dat cried ' cause she was sold off from me , and dey whipped us both till de blood < cnn down ., to make her let go my gown?—O , do let me do it , now , ;—do I Ye don't know the good it do me , just to UiinJe of it !" " Take it , then ; but mind yourself what you do , " said Bill , throwing doivn the rod and releasing his hold of the child . " 0 don . 't whip me , don't 1 " cried Ida ; " I'll be good , I won ' t cry ! O , don't whip me !"

    "I want ' s ye to ¦ cry . —I likes to hear ye ,- —it s moosic , " said thp hag , pausing with the rod uplifted , to enjoy her agony of terror . " Cry now , cry loud ! " and , as she spoke , the rod descended on the bare , delicate shoulders . " Cry , ye white wolf-cub ! cry , ye white "bear-whelp ! scream , ye little rattlesnake ! I likes to hear yc , —cry away , — 'I'll make ye pay for the blood of my child , where the whips cut her ! " Alii fast and heavily fell the blows on the arms and shoulders of the victim , covering them with bluo , livid marks , till , suddenly , the shrieks of thq child stopped , her struggles ceased , and she fell down at the feet oPber'tormentor . ¦ All-this had passed in a minute , and Bill , who had stood by , half-amused and liolfshocked . » t this burst of demoniac fury , now sprang : forward , with an oath , and raised the child . " Yo . u ' vo , killed her , yjQU she-devil , I do beliuvc , " said he ; and , indeed , she lay ia his arms as if dead , for-this tervrfic ordeal had been too much for that tender frame , so unused to suffering . She had fainted . Chlpo put both hands into a pail of water that stood outside tlie door of her hut , and , scooping some up , dashed it into Ida ' s face , again anil again , until she gasped and opened lier . eyos .

    "Tli « ve , now ; " she said , "she ' s come to . I ' so glad she a ' n ' . fc dead . I doji't like tar have folks < & ' * , —dut ' a , too . good , do a ' n't no pain in < Jat , ~ -l likes tor have ' cm livu , sind , morcu < ldor , I wants dia littlo brat to Hvo , so I can do it again , O , wasn ' t it ; jolly to hoar her yell ! " she addcil , with a chuckling lauglu "'No you don't , old fool' ! " said Bill , as she again approachod with the rod , as if about to -cany out'her oriko ] desire ; *' noyo don't—hands offl I was mad , or I wouldn't ft lot ye 'whipihw . at firat . Twont do to apilo property this way' © i'Kelly ' 11 bo in my jiair . Ueaidos , alxvk najghty njgh . dead now , —sco how still , she lays , " " Gosh l ' doacf , I reckon 1 " said Chloe . " Sich a littlo whippin' as dafc kill any young ¦ an t 1 * 80 seen em , bear heap more ' n dat fore dey faints away , down an Car'linft ' , and dey < lon ' t"brittg " " em to wld water , noidor , I makes sure , —doy takes soniepun Btronger ' n dat , ~~ O , aJrittlfoltit'J—don'fc do picWo put . do life into a nigger , whoa Uo done had a , 'Onttin' -Mp ?" " Hold your tongue , you bratol" replied Bill . " Whito children a '» 't to bo tjented liko nigRors , and , any way , you never boo nigger children jickled , neither . Hold your bvnu

    uu . " White children a ' n't to fco troatod like niggorg , a ' n't doy , hoy ? " said tho othor with a grin that showed her toothless guma from oar to o « r . " Mlglity sight dLIToicenco dey'll bo * twcoiii dat littlo fcrat ia yor arms , and detn littlo niggora in do cave , when yo gcta ' oin in do Wiarket . " u Well , hold yer tongue , any way ; I ' m sick o' yey clack , " interrupted Biljl , " and go Artto ( tho house i » ud gpb my supper , and make some gruel { ike you inado for mq w )«« n I vv ^ s / aick hero-rrinake it n ]« q , old woujjuj , Cur I . uwan it alioll do thw llttlo cn » , tur some good . She j ^' n't cat enough to keep a fly ulivo ainuo wo . got her , and , mtcr ail tho oxpenao we ' ve boon at . wq cwVt ulford to havoUor die on our hands . Ofcuoa roluctuintly . ontorod the hut to oboy thisonlor , muttering to heiBe ] f , and Holding hor flnbWUprt , lSw rt . ' ] m > aa who has tnated blood and ia driven from ita pruy . In iv littlo while DllliioilowQd , curryiiw the . child , who hwd not ttpokw . and Juvrdly Bhowo < d qiuy uiujn of ljjfo , fOxou | tt . by a low , quick broatUinjj , And a coavulaivo ahudJor tlmt oow twdthtiu poaauj over hor . LoyMg on , tb , omde boiltliati stood in ono corner of tho hut , ho began to oh nfo hor Hints , and ferca hor to swallow a littlo water , for ho waa now aorlously alarmed 3 ost oho might die .

    "bhe'd be worth a cool nve hundre j to us , " ie said mournfully , " beside being sich a pretty little thing , as makes ms most sorry for her , " Indeed , it would have moved a heart of adamant to huive seen her , as she lay belplessly on that heap of dirty rags , with her long curls wet and clinging round her face , her eyes wide open and dim , as if a mist was before her sight , and her white neck and aims bruised and disfigured with the marks of violence She allowed herself with difficulty to be fed with the gruel : but she seemed not to know who was feeding her , or be conscious of anything that passed beside hef bed , and no threats or entreaties could induce her to speak , or to close her eyes in sleep . Ida fares better than inigat have been expected after such a beginning . She is sold for fifty dollars to Mrs . Bell , and recovers under the nursing of an old negro called Venusrto whose care she was entrusted . Presently the child becomes so pretty as to excite tte jealousy of Mrs . Bell , and she is sent off with a gang to be sold . She is rescued by a somewhat Quixotic youn" - gentleman , Master Walter Varian , and taken to the house of Mr . May ° nard , Walter ' s uncle . There , by accident , her story is discovered . A number of gentlemen are dining at Mr . Maynard's , when the conversation turned upon slavery . One of the guests had met Mr . May , Ida ' s father , as he compassed sea and land , in search of his lost child .

    " I shall never forget one poor man , whom I met in New Orleans three years since , searching for his child that had been stolen from him . I never saw a man so bowed and broken with anxiety and Sorrow . He said s ! ie was his only child , and his wife had died a few months before the daughter was lost , lie had traced the kidnappers into Maryland , and there lost their track , and , since then , had been all over the south and west seeking her in vain . Poor fellow ! his face haunted me for weeks afterwards . I never saw such a picture of despair . It was dreadful to think what he must have suffered . " " Did he tell you the child's name ? " asked Walter , anxiously , for he felt a deep interest in the story . ¦ . " Yes , I asked him particularly , that I might know In ease I ever heard anything about suchacliild . The name was Id *—Ida May ~ rather a peculiar name , too —•" He paused suddenly , for with , a faint cry the child sprang through the open window and stood before them . When , finding herself the object of x emark , she had glided out of view , she had not left the piazza , as they supposed . Between the windows of the dining-room there was a low seat , and here she had seated herself , that she might still gaze on the beautiful flowers , and also hear the : voice : of her kind . friend Walter , for whom her young heart

    beat with an enthusiastic adiriiration and Jove . There she had lingeredj listening to the conversation , until , as the last speaker began liis simple story , her attention became aroused and fixed . The stirring events of the last few weeks , which had so painfully broken the monotony of her existence , had excited in lier mind a diun and confused memory of Scenes and events in the past which had likewise brought fear and : suffering , and something in that recital seemed to clear away the thick haze that clouded her mental vision ; arid when at length tue name .- —/ ter name—was mentioned , the " electric chain" was touched , and vividly , as with a . lightning g lare , all the long hidden years were visible before her . Standing in the midst of the startled circle , with her head bent forward , and her small hands clasped imploringly , she threw around one quick glance of agonised inquiry , and esclahncd wildly , " That ' s it , that ' s my iiame—Ida May ! I remember it all now , and poor papa ,, and my dead mother ' s grave , and Bessy , and the flowers , and those dreadful men , and O , that dreadful woman that whipped me so ! 0 1 remember it all now ! Where have I ieen so long , and where is papa , and dear , dear mamma—where is she ? " and with these words she fell down insensible on the zftoor at their feet .

    And thus this portion of the story ends . The child is adopted by Mr . Maynard , and finally mariies " Walter . Ida Mat / is written with such an obvious purpose , that we had almost , forgotten to criticise it as a work of art , the interest of the novel being made throughout subordinate to that of the subject . As a novel , then , Ida May will certainly be a success . The different characters are well drawn and well sustained . The writing is always good , and of ten powerful , and we are bound to say that Miss Langdon has shown no tendency to exaggerate laer case . The book is perhaps as fair a picture of slave life in America as has ever been given to the public .

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    TORY JOURNALISM . The Coalition Guide i Illustrations of the Political History of 1853- 4 . ' London : " The Press" Office . A Retrospect of the Session q /* 1854 . By an M . P . George Cox , King-street , Covent-garden . Tub old fashion is reviving among us of collecting and publishing select bits tfrom the newspapers . The Leader has sent forth several volumes lately ; and our contemporary , the Press follows the mode with the Coalition Guide . The fashion is a very good one ; journalists would write better literature , and just as good newspaper matter for the immediate purpose , if they wrote with the fear , looking forward , that they might have to look back . The £ reat fault of English journalism is its carelessness of style—clumsy thinking being , in the end , induced by a habit of inelegant and inaccurate

    writing . The Coalition Guide ia a collection of loading articles , squibs , epigrams , &c . , &c , which have appeared against the Coalition Government—that is , which have appeared in the Press , -which was started , apparently , to abuse the Coalition . The forms oftheso satires are not novel ; they avu the Anti-Jacobin forms , too faithfully copied ; and the title is not very ori ginal , for we x-emomber several such political Guides among others , a New Tory Guide , very detrimental at the time , no doubt , to George Cunning , in which the writers of the present collection laust have found various hints . OneTrerao in , the New Tor / / Guide we remember , and wonder it has not , in this instance , been applied to the present young Pool of the Coalition : —

    * ' What ia the young Pcol like ? With his father ' s sturo A"d sandy Imir , That is what yomig Pool ' s liko . " This is very absurd and aot funny ; but wo xocogniso ono or two analogous imbecilities iw this undiscriminating foray , individual amd general , on the Coalition . The taste fox political aquibs h-fts quite gone out ; cither because wo arc less earnest , or more earnest , in politics , or for aomo other reason ; but the fact ia indubitable . TAuara ia wondeufkl cleverness , humour , and drollery , in

    this collection ; but tho wit would proTObly havo boon far more effective if it had been directed in adiflbrerxt ah « pc . Tho bjuxio effect cannot bo produced twico by tho same literary inatrumeufc-r-and certainly you cannot dupend on tho form without tho spirit , us sovoml comic publications should havo discovered by tins time . Political squibs viata done with in England when Moore was gutting old and Macaulny coming into voguo—tho two wrote tho last which appeared in the Times ; < ind us , at , about this period our politics wore intensifying out of more poraonnj ( juostioiung , it is easily understood why personalities of tho direct antmoal speuiea aomowlmt coasod . The squib i 8 tho invention of wits who havo not a Ik-oo press in which to speak openly : —it is ulso a , lito-

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    882 THE LEADER . [ Saturday ,

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Sept. 16, 1854, page 882, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2056/page/18/