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    108 Sffcl* ilCatieV. [Saturday,

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    THE DAUGHTER OF NIGHT. The Daughter of N...

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    THE HAND OF GOD IN HISTORY. The Hand of ...

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  • Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.

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    Our Readers Had A Glimpse Of The Philoso...

    A son of the unfortunate Rossi has just published the third volume of his father ' s Economie Politique . The two former volumes , remarkable for their elegance of style and clearness of exposition , treat of the production of wealth ; this concluding volume treats of that all-important subject —distribution .

    108 Sffcl* Ilcatiev. [Saturday,

    108 Sffcl * ilCatieV . [ Saturday ,

    The Daughter Of Night. The Daughter Of N...

    THE DAUGHTER OF NIGHT . The Daughter of Night : a Story of the Present Time . By S . W . Fullom . 3 vols . H . Colburn . Mr . Fullom has decided talents for effective melodrame : an eye for strong " situations , " a superb disregard of probability , a command of coarse energetic dialogue , and rapidity in succession of incidenta . If he would but allow his natural bias to lead him , he would produce a wild stirring romance of the Ainsworth school , and we thought his Daughter of Night was to be one , from its opening chapters , which are very striking . What could we not expect from a heroine , who , in the

    brief space of one hundred and sixty pages , escapes such " parlous frights" as the explosion of a minea house falling in with her—a gentleman seducer of the most truculent kind—an accusation of infanticide—and a fire ! But unfortunately this galloping excitement is subdued to an amble , then to a slow walk . The melodrame is relinquished ; and relinquished for feeble attempts at high comedy . In what may be called the " Blood and Thunder " department of Fiction Mr . Fullom is at his ease ; but in comedy—in depicting English life—especially the life of the upper classes , he is not at present successful . The Daughter of Nigkt is introduced to us as a trapper in a coal mine . Stunned by the effects of

    an explosion , she is taken to the young squires house to be attended to—the young squire having noticed her unusual beauty , and wishing , & c . Let us add , in passing , that up to the introduction of the squire we hoped we had got among a new set of people altogether unknown to the Circulating Library , and copied from life itself . Coarse though they are in language and manners these rude sons of the pit are infinitely more interesting than a whole drawing-room of Vavasours and Lords Childars ; and " it is a pity Mr . Fullom did not remain among them . However , Millieent is at the Hall , and you know what to expect . But it does not arrive ; something quite Unexpected takes place . The squire is called up to London ; Millieent left alone in the hall awakes , and can ' t make out why

    she is there , so gets up to enquire : — " Opening the door , Millieent perceived a white figure leaning against the wall , evidently a woman , but , alarmed at Millicent ' 8 appearance , she instantly turned to retreat . Her tottering steps , however , could move only a lew paces , when she was obliged to stop , being hardly able to prevent herself from falling . As she reeled back , a roll of something dropped from her arms , which Millicont , flying forward to assist her , picked up . The moonlight fell upon it , and a cry broke from the girl as she discovered that it was a dead infant .

    " The woman herself was scarcely a less startling object . Long jetty tresses fell dishevelled down her shoulders , which were wrapped round with a shawl , fastened over a night-dress ; and her face was pale as ashes . Her form , too , was slight and drooping ; and in her white garments , tinged with the brilliant moonbeams , she looked more like a wandering and unquiet phnntom than a living child of earth . " For one inhtunt she was rivetted to the spot , speechless , powerless . Then , however , she found both speech and strength—the strength of frenzy , the voice of unutterable woe . Her quick , throbbing words thrilled the car , though scarcely rising above her breath .

    " ' Hush ! hush ! ' she said , with tremulous eagerness as she caught Milliceitt ' s arm with one hand , and drew away the dead child with the other , ' or we shall be heard . Ih it Sarah ? Tell me—who are you ? ' " ' I ' m Milly Jlennel , ma ' am , one of the trup-girls in the pit . ' " The lady ' s hand dropped from her arm , as if paralyzed . "' From the pit ! ' ahe said , Hhuddering . ' Then how are you here ?' ' ' I don ' t know , ma ' but I was in the workings when the accident was , and I ' ve just come-to . 1 don't know where 1 be , ma ' am . ' " The lady averted her face ; then said , hurriedly , " ' This is Mr . UelwoodV and—and— - '

    " ' Ah ! now 1 know , and you'd be Miss Helen , ma ' am . Oh . dear 1 you'll fall , you'll fall , Misa Helen ! . Let me hold ' ee up . ' " ' Nol I do not need your help . You may go away — -you can go back to your room . ' " The girl receded a pace or two , but immediately returned . ? ' ' Don ' t ' eo send me away MisH Helen , and you ho Imdly ! Nol no ! J' 11 stop with ' ee— watch by ' ee ; and do thou lay down . The dear babby won ' t need to have 4 tt mother , mi *« . It ' s cold dead . ' " ' I know , ' said the young mother , with a burst , of unguiah , which inuuo her forget everything but her sad

    bereavement . I know '—and she pressed the . ' clammy , rifcld body to her bosom ;•—' and I have not strength to carry it out and bury it . ' She sobbed convulsively , haneinK so fondly over that precious casket , rifled , alas . of its treasure . « My child , my child ! I cannot even give you a grave . ' . _ ,. „ . . " « I'll take it out for ' , Miss Helen , ' said Millieent . ' Do , do let me—if so be , ' she added , with an instinctive perception of some mystery , ' thee don ' t want it to lay in ' Her words seemed to recal the lady , who look ed up suddenly , fixing a searching glance on her face . " ' Will you—will you do this for me ? she said , 1 and be secret ? And yet , do not mistake me . I am a mother , but I am a wife—though from some unhappy » iw ** tT « f * nnps I cannot avow mv marriage . This is why

    ,, my child must be removed clandestinely . Should it be discovered here it would soon be reported to my uncle , and his anger would kill me . But I find now I cannot- ; I am too weak , too faint , to fulfil the dreadful duty myself . ' , . , " « It would be bringin' on your own buryin , misstaldn' away your own life . ( Jive the poor little oabbyto me , miss , and I'll do it . I'll take it up to the hill-side , where all the dead ' s layin' together , as if they was children sleepin ' . It'll be quiet there . "' Oh ! will you indeed bury it in the churchyard ? Dear , brave child ! this will console , comfort me . ' " ' I promise '' I'll do it , Miss Helen ; and never misdoubt but I will . Only don't , ' ee stay herein the cold , miss , or may be you'll soon be layin' by the poor

    babby ' s side . . . " The lady made no answer , but clasped the infant more fondly in her arms , while her lips lingered on its marble face ; then , recollecting herself , she checked these transports , and gave the child to Millieent . " ' You have promised me to be secret ? she said , falteringly . ' You will never speak of this—never , to any one ? ' , " ' Never , ma ' am ! I'd sooner die first . " ' Thank you , thank you ! He—that is—I mean your young master , Mr . Charles , will know of it , and I will take care that he rewards you . Now you shall go . ' " ' But don ' t you come , miss—no , don't , or I 11 be too feared to know what I ' se doin' on . Tell me the way out , missand I won ' t need any one with me . '

    , " ' It must be even so , ' said the lady , but too conscious of her sinking powers . ' Those stairs lead to a door which opens into the garden , and Here is the key of the garden-gate . ' " Millieent turned away , but was stopped by Helen , as she bent again over the lifeless babe . A moment more , and Millieent bore it away , leaving the bereaved mother without a hope on the wide , dreary earth . " A thick cloud was scudding over the moon , as the girl stepped with her ghostly burden into the grounds , and before she had gone many paces , the silvery orb was completely obscured , rendering it difficult to make her

    way to the glen . Here , while inserting the key , a large mastiff rushed out . upon her , us far as his chain would extend , hut starting buck , she escaped unhurt , though the fierce animal prevented her passing forth . Dreading , however , that his loud , deep bark would alarm the household , she rallied her resolution , and stepped fearlessly forward , pronouncing his name , which , as the dog frequently attended Mr . Echvood to the works , all the miners were familiar with . Lion met her advance suspiciously , receiving the first caresses with a growl ; but finding her undaunted , became by degrees more docile , and she availed herself of a favourable moment to glide

    . " She glanced rapidly up and down the road , as if at that dead hour there could be any fear of being observed , and felt reassured by the universal stillness . Yet the scene was solemn ; for the vast , massive , impenetrable stretch of cloud , which hung like a pall overhead , was now again edged with light , shedding a spectral radiance on objects beneath . Around lay a wide , open valley , bounded on one side by the well-wooded park of the lord of the manor , and on the other by gentle eminences , the nearest of which was crowned by the church—its venerable tower , luxuriantly draped with ivy , the hoarv verdure of centuries , standing up like a fortress , invulnerable alike to man and time .

    " A sound reached her ear—at first faintly , then with more distinctness ; and , remaining stationary , she discerned a horse and cart turn out of" the church lane , and come at a quiek pace down the , road . To escape observation she crept behind the hedge , waiting till it passed , when , becoming more confident , she resumed her way . " Arriving at the lane , a few hurried steps brought her to the little church , which she had often regarded at a distance no earnestly , so thoughtfully , wondering what could be its purpose . And now it rose before her in mystic- ma jest ) , a nort of guardian of the dead , nestled ho trustingly and tranquilly around it—instead of a beacon and watchtower to the living—the porch of that eternal lift ; , which hnH the grave for portal .

    " Awe-struck and trembling she entered the churchyard . All was mill- all , except her own heart , which , wliy she knew not , beat , and throbbed wildly ; and , laying the dead child on the grass , she commenced her pioiiM task . " The ttpatle she had caught up in her way through the garden made , at first , but little impression on the hard , dry earth , and the less , perhaps , as her trembling hands , from huiry as much as fear , wanted their customary energy . Kvery breath of air stirring the foliage of the « : ypre »« es—every rustic : of the waving ivy , which hung over tho old belfry like a prophet ' s mantle—every motion of the shadows on the church tower , made her boHoin , her inmost heart , swell wit . h terror . IJiit gradually the work proceeded ; the turf was removed ; the firm gravel tossed up ; and the last narrow bed , at once criidle . and grave , fully prepared . " Softly did nh « lay down the little nlccprr ; and though , like too many in this mighty empire , having no

    knowledge of God—ignorant alike of bis worship and bis existence—the thoughts that filled her mind- ascended to Heaven as a consecrating prayer , hallowing both , the deed and moment . " All was carefully adjusted , and she began to fill tip the grave . " Now , then , what are you doin' on there ? ' demanded a voice . " With a wild start Millieent dropped the spade and looked round . The spot , covered by the transept of the church , was buried in deep shadow , but her eyes , so accustomed to darkness , distinguished a man ' s head , resting on his arms , crossed above an adjacent tombstone . "

    The foregoing extract will give the most favourable idea of Mr . Fuliom ' s power . But there is too little of it in the three volumes . Millieent is taken away and educated as a lady , becomes the companion of Lords and Sir Charleses , the idol of a select circle , subdues the hearts of the haughtiest men , although they know she was originall y a trapper , goes through abundance of adventure , is thrown penniless upon the world once more , and has to eke out a miserable existence among Spitalfields weavers , and finally marries Lord Childars and lives happy all the rest of her life . There is ,

    consequently , no lack of the " ups and downs ;" but from the time when Millieent leaves the pit to become a lady and move amidst the upper classes the interest of the story greatly decreases , and the power of the writer seems paralyzed . There are some good scenes , nevertheless , here and there ; but they are barely sufficient to lure the reader through the old worn-out materials from which the book is built up . When character is pourtrayed we are indifferent as to the incidents ' , but when— . as in this , and the vast majority of novels—characters are mere masks borrowed from the nearest Nathan to sport with at this extremely "fancy ball , " then we insist upon something in the incidents themselves , or in their combination which shall compensate for the deficiency .

    The Hand Of God In History. The Hand Of ...

    THE HAND OF GOD IN HISTORY . The Hand of God in History ; or , Divine Providence Historically Illustrated . By Hollis Read , A . M . Glasgow . VV . Collins . A curious remnant of the primordial , or supernatural , phasis of humanity lingers still among us in the vulgar notion of attributing different incidents to Providence . If a vessel is wrecked , and five hundred souls perish , the fortunate few who escape are looked upon as saved by the " special mercy of Providence , " no one enquiring as to the " special mercy " which drowned the five hundred ! Yet , if Providence is to be 6 een at all in the matter , it is to be seen in the storm and the wreck quite as distinctly as in the wandering plank which floated one man in safety to the shore . The truth is all events are providential , or none are . One would think that the proposition , "God rules the world , " admitted of no dispute—at least among Theists . But those who talk of Providence throw a doubt upon it : they imply that Providence does not always shape the course of events , but only on those occasions when the " finger of God " is seen . Now , to any mind at all tinctured with philosophy , it must be evident that , starting from the proposition , "God rules the world , " we arrive at a complete negation of Providence , in the vulgar acceptation of it . For , if God rules the world—either by incessant feats of an omnipotent will , or by simple laws incessantly operating , it in equally clear that the " special interposition " which is understood by Providence implies an absurdity . If the interposition be incessant , it cannot be special . If the universe bo left to its own laws , then an interposition implies that these laws have not been adequate to ett ' ect the Creator ' s purpose—or it implies that lie did not foresee certain di / Iicultius . Thus , whatever explanation be adopted of the mode by which God rules the world , we are forced to deny a " special Providence : " when the whole universe is but a . mode of Cod ' s action , why select a single atom in that universe as a revelation of His presence ? Why say this is the mercy of God , when all is ? Shall we imitate that old woman who piously ejaculated , " I have but two teeth in my head ; but , by the mercy of Providence , they ' re opposite each other . If it be , as Plato says , that God alternately governs and forsakes the world , then we can understand thin belief in Providence ; but , for a Christian p hilosopher , tlits belief in singularly illogical . Ah we said , the belief is current still . Old women find their teeLli opposite each other , and cannot credit the lawn of nature with powe r to perlorin Much a miracle . On our table lies a work by "'» American clergyman , written with very American eloquence , on the great mauifentatioHS of the " Hand of God" legible in history . Mo ransacks history to

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Feb. 1, 1851, page 12, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_01021851/page/12/