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    , 4 TUP K S\V\^ (P utv ^ lt.W»

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    THE POST-OFFICE DIRECTORY . The Post-office Directory for 1859 . Kelly and Co . One o ften hears it observed that if it were desirable to impress a foreigner or rustic with a proper idea of the vastness and importance of London , he should be takeil a balloon journey , over it , transported on to BOiue pinnacle of St . Paul's , or set adrift , like a cork in " a torrent , at the confluence of dinner-bound citizens , who turn the Poultry and the Mansion , house into a human ant-hill about five p . m . Some would take the victim they patriotically desired to bewilder down the Thames , and oblivious of the hate-engendering filth and smoke , point triumphantly to the ships , the steamers , and the piles of warehouses . This last is perhaps the most ordinary

    method adopted by Cockneys in fine weather to put their country friends out of conceit with everything but London ; but for dull , cold , murky December use , commend us to a new copy of the Post-office Directory . For might we not so prove to him , without risk of rheumatism , or much-dreaded fluxion depditrine , how our people are as the sands of the 6 ea—how vast are the wants we supply for ourselves and for others—how many are our dwellings—how infinitely more various our merchandise than thatof other cities . Might we not , if arithmetically bent , and out of a situation , nail that miserable stranger to the table , compel clouds over him with strong Virginia , instead of the mild cigarette of his

    predilection , and flashing Geneva through the gloom , instead of eau sucree , show him how many girdles roun d the earth could be made out of the aggregate length of the people here—how many times they would reach to the moon—how much money they might be worth in a lump—how loud would be the Conglomerate roar of the hecatombs they eat at Christmas—how deep the lake of beer they drank ? Should we not thus effectually stupify , stultify , and everlastingly shut up the said foreigner by aid of the Post-office Directory ? But again another use occurs to us . Rusticus , who in the course of a long railway ride from Cornwall or Caithness , has been reduced to an apathetic or low , nervous

    state by the constant perusal of Bradshaw and other railway influences , should , after the internal application of warm restorative steak and port , be supplied in a quiet corner of some coffee-room , with this monster sedative . The painful sense of endless , hurried going and coming , shooting and shunting , to-ing arid fro-ing over immense spaces , of great engines and trains dragging , comparatively speaking , a few little inconsiderable people , would soon , by its help , be sponged from the mirror of his brain . He mig ht then experience a gratifying consciousness of being embedded and cemented into a mass of humanity ^ of having people to lean upon in case of need , of having a position in the vastest sheaf of arrows or fagot of sticks in the world , from which ,

    notwithstanding its size and the infinite number of its components , he could not , once implanted , be missed four-and-twenty hours without being 1 inquired after . If , after thoroughly losing his way in the paradoxical maze of thought suggested , and tracing his route from Blackwall to Putney , so as to take in the Elephant and Castle and the British Museum , our traveller found that oven the confusion made by Rowland Hill and D'lffanger , jun ., in the King ' s-road , the New-road , and all the Albert , Alma , and Victoria-streets of London was cleared up by the Leviathan handbook , or annbook , before him , can we wonder tlmt he should drop his innocent liead upon its soothing pages and owe them happy slumber ?

    The Directory lias now attained the bulk of 2370 pages : Jiow many addresses it gives , for how many people , and how many for each , is , of course , a myatery ; but they arc « s the sands of tho sea . It was considered , a year or two ago , to bo perfect . It should bo , by this time , preterpluporfeot ; but wo dare hardly say this , lest , perchance , wo be short of an expletive next year . It has , in truth , been difficult for the proprietors to invent now charms for tho blushing annual , but they havo succeeded . They have carefully sorted stockbrokers of tho Stock Exchange from others ; havo indicated , m much as possible , nil chemists who are members of the

    Plmrnrnccuticnl Society , and all surgeons who nrc mom * bore of tho college ; and have detached tho map from tho body of the work , which is a notable convenience . Iu conclusion , wo may briefly sum up tho merits of tho London Poat-ojfice Directory by calling it , not the vade meoum by any moans , but tho Deou $ et Tutamen of nil Cockney a at home , country folks In town , and commercial people every where . It is ono of the jolliost of our Christmas visitors , always rosy and always potting stouter . May its shadow never bo loss , for that shadow is but a measure of tho increase and prosperity of Cockaigne . May its visits novor drop off , for wo regard them as nn institution that wo could not expect long to survive , and we- have n particular interest in living to receive them . '

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    STRUGGLES IX FALLING . Struggles in Falling . By Henry J . Lester . Richard Bentley . "We have been fairly perplexed with this novel . We find it difficult , if not impossible , to assign to it its proper place in works of fiction . It combines the romantic , the marvellous , the melodramatic , and the prosaic , in a somewhat ultra and unusual way , and-. thus produces anomalies in situations , in persons , and incidents , that are sure to shock the sense of " fitness" in the minds of the least disciplined reader . We liave mesmerism pressed into tho service . We have an individual familiarly introduced into society who is a sort of bete noire ; he is

    gifted with an " evil eye , " by the aid of which he effects all sorts of diablerie ; he succeeds in killing by inches a veritable man-of-war ' s man , a lieutenant in the British Navy ; winning the heart of a beauty , and then killing her off"in the way in which he disposed of the tar . The hero , Henry Vesci , is somewhat of a curiosity of his kind . He is inveig led into a Scotch marriage " unbeknownt , " as the- Irish would say ; he will havo nothing to say to his Scotch wife , but leaves Scotland after settling half his income on her . Ho then becomos acquainted with Agnes Del mar , a beautiful little fairy . Ho becomes desperately in love with her , and this lovo is warmly reciprocated . A declaration of mutual attachment is made as they arc about to fall down a precipice together . Tho fall takes place , but tho lady escapes is all

    comparatively unscathed , while the gentleman , but smashed . Ho recovers , and in a short time is set upon his legs sound in wind and limb . He informs Agnes of hia misalliance , and a good deal of passionato but improbable sentiment is exchanged . Agnes , after many heart-trials , at last consents to marry a suitor . On tho night before tho wedding she is carried off by Vesci nnd seduced . She dies miserably , just at ft timo , however , when her seducer was in a condition to make an honest woman of her , his Scotch wife having suddenly died . Mr . Lester tolls ua at tho conclusion that at sonic future day his pen will possibly resume the history hero broken off . Wo prefer to wait for tho conclusion , na tho now contribution may , perhaps Induce us to say something different to what wo should say , did we consider the eccentric but talented production before us wns all thnt wo should havo .

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    THE TWO MOTTOES . The Two Mottoes . By the Author of " Summerleigh Manor . " " « L W . Parker and Son . A ijomesxic tale is covered by TJte Two Mottoes . Dr . Aytoun has two children , Hector and Emmeline . He is of violent temper , but not of bad disposition . His son is violent also , and misunderstands his father . The daughter is gentle and timid , and does hot fully comprehend her father ' s true disposition until after domestic calamities have unveiled it . Hector , enraged at his father ' s violence , runs from home , and goes to sea . Dr . Aytoun is seized some time after with paralysis , and then it is that his daughter ' s loving nature shines out , and at last subdues her afflicted parent to the exercise of fatherly love and . confidence . Hector hears of his father ' s illness , and also of his changed nature . He hurries home , and receives his parent ' s blessing with his parent ' s dying breath . The tale is nicely told , and will excite a quiet interest to the end .

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    Arithmetic for Beginners . By Cornwall and Fitch . ( Simpkin , Marshal ] , and Co . ) . — -They are nothing less than public benefactors who lighten the labours and terrors of childhood when first introduced to the mysteries of numbers . The great want of ordinary arithmetical works , however elementary in their pretensions , is the want of sufficiently clear explanations . This little work proposes to remedy that disadvantage by the aid of copious explanatory examples , and certainly & glance into its method and arrangement will show that the authors hare done their best to ensure success . The Calaiyiities and Quarrels of Authors . By I . D'lsraeVi . Now Edition . ( Houtledge and Co . )—A fit companion to the " Curiosities of Literature , " and a work that no library , public or private , ought to be without .

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    NEW rUHLICATIONS . Messes . Rowney and Co ., whose colours in chromo-lithography have justly attained such a high reputation , have recently added some admirable specimens to their scries , from works by Wolf , l'ickcrsgill , Pync , Alfred Clint , Goodall , and last , not least , that fine old hand , David Cox j tho effects achieved in these works , by means of successive paintings in various colours , arc truly marvellous : and a greater test of their sterling character could hardly be wished than is found in the versions produced in tho " Old iFuncraire , " the Ulysses and

    the Syrens , and others of Turner's masterpieces . Although the nicotics of brush-handling , winch we admire in great masters , are not to be obtained by the process employed , nil that results from tho judicious combination of colours is successfully realised by it . Messrs . Howncv and Co . have recently opened a gallery for tho exhibition of a long series of works after English artists produced by this method—nnd a most interesting display it is , creditable , in every respect , to tho art nnd enterprise of the country . In the room where this colloctkm is exhibited , tho proprietors also show some

    specimens of their process called iVtapluiuio , or jnu « tutkm of stained glass , which is now much used for tho ornamentation of church and oriel windows . Tho effect of this process is that of great richness and fulness of tone , combined with mi admirably transparent medium . A largo pioturo ol j /' lhe Imnmculnto Conception , " willi tlie Virgin , life-size , surroundod by clouds , groups of chorubs , enriched with wreaths of flowers , at her foofc , is a striking object in the now gallery just opened . Messrs . JPoroa , of Piccadilly , Imvo just published

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    meters in the drama are Edith Somers , Margaret Ramsay , and Lord Hanworth . Margaret llamsay , beautiful and rich , is secretly attached to Lord Hanworth . Lord Hanworth is smitten with Edith Somers , handsome and portionless $ andlCdith Somers has given her heart to Charles Stirling , a worthy man , holding only a small Government appointment . The interest of the story is concentrated round these personages , and is made to depend on the mistakes committed by each and all before the real state of hearts shall have developed themselves . There are other individuals introduced , who , though they produce no very strong action on the plot or catastrophe , serve to diversify very agreeably and naturally the various scenes , and to place the descriptive , and discriminating powers of the author in a very favourable light . The character of the spiteful , but polished , Lady Allerton— -the witty and cynical , yet kind-hearted , Vernon—the author Charlton—the pompous Sir Simon Howell—have all individualities of their own , and display , on the part of the author , no mean insight into life and character as found in what may be termed good society .

    II AN WORTH . Hanworth . J- W . Parker and Son . Tins tale originally appeared in Fraaer ' a Magazine . Its merit fully entitles it to be reproduced in its present complete form . Tho most prominent elm-

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    . No . 456 , December 18 , 1858 . ] THE L E A D EJL „ .... _ ,. - 1381 ..

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    ALMJ ) MATRES . Alma Matres . By ftfegathyih Splene , Esq ., B . A . Edinburgh : Hogg and Son . The writer of this book evidently knows his subject well and practically . We think , however , he has been more disposed , to look for spots on the sun rather than to fix his regards on the sun itself . The work has reference to one of the great questions of the day , the education system , and it will do something tovfc-ards helping forward that educational reform movement which is now in progress . The writer , we should infer , is evidently personally conversant with university life both at Oxford and Gambridge . He takes the reader step by step through the whole of the university process , from the first day of matriculation to the last , the training and the examination for the " great go . " We have vividly

    placed before us all the varieties—and they are endless—of college inner life , and certainly the picture is not very bright or tempting , however faithful it may be , taken as it is from a particular point of view . One object of the work is to point out what reforms are still wanted to make our universities what they ought to be as the highest educational institutions in the kingdom . Among the minor reforms alleged to be needed are " a resident chancellor , a different class of visitors , and a power of appeal to undergraduates . " In the catalogue of graver reforms are to be found an entire remodelling of the educational system and of the examination routine- A comparison is drawn between the German universities and the English to the disadvantage of the latter . We cannot help thinking that the author has been somewhat biased in favour of the continental system . We have heard those who have tested both , anil who

    are well qualified to offer an authoritative opinion , give utterance to a decidedly opposite conclusion . I 3 ut this kind of comparison has nothing to do with the question of whether our universities require further reforms . We trust the pictures of Oxford and Cambridge life given in this work are not to be received as rules but as exceptions . If we could put entire faith in them , we should at once call upon the Government to suppress the college system as a public nuisance . The book contains a good deal of useful information , and niaiiy of the suggestions are quite worthy of serious consideration .

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Dec. 18, 1858, page 1381, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2273/page/13/