BY A MAN ABOUT TOWN.

The war and the weather have divided my attention during the month. The former has made a little progress, as far as the Turks are concerned-none whatever as regards the allies. The English and French troops are still doing nothing in the East, and Sir Charles Napier is effecting precisely the same in the North. In the meantime it is highly satisfactory to learn that soldiers, sailors, and ships, are all in the highest condition, and don't seem at all disposed (we speak of their leaders) to risk getting out of it. I don't know the number of pounds sterling the Baltic expedition has cost; but I do know the amount of its achievements -the capture of a few miserable merchantmen and the burning of some ship-timber! But the French troops are on their way, and-quid vis amplius?

As for the weather, I am astonished to find that any part of me is left, after being exposed to a heat in which I should have considered that any body was combustible or soluble. The Wenham Lake Ice Company have been making a fortune, and the crops are ripening su perbly. The latter fact ought to atone for our own sudorific miseries.

The anticipated battle in the Commons, on the 17th, did not come off. The ministry expected a bullying from the Conservatives, on the subject of the Duke of Newcastle's appointment as war-minister; but Pakington was quiet, and Disraeli reserved himself for a greater occasion: so there was no fight, and Lord John got what he asked for the new war-office, viz., his £17,300., almost nemine contra dicente. Perhaps the meeting at Downing Street of the 174 members to take counsel with Lord John, in the earlier part of the day, had something to do with it. On the 24th the forces on each side looked more formidable, and this (on the question of the £3,000,000.) was evidently a field-day. But it terminated in a shamfight, no earnest blows having been struck on either side. Lord John, as usual, began by promising a good deal more than he meant to stand to. Lord Dudley Stuart moved an amendment, which he had no intention to press, and Layard, who made a good speech, was over-eager to put ministers in the wrong, and weakened his argument by asserting too much. The Member for the West Riding made it clear that there was only one man in the House for whose opinion he had any respect, and that man was Mr. Richard Cobden. Then followed the great gun of the opposition, Disraeli, who good-naturedly collared the President of the Council, just as a friendly tipstaff does an incorrigible old debtor whose tricks he is up to, and whom he always knows where to

find. For the look of the thing, he must seem to do his duty, but any bail at all will be taken; so the noble Lord was released on his own recognizances and a sort of promise to pay a composition of three farthings in the pound of his original undertaking, if ever he should seriously be called on to do so-a proof of honesty which seemed to touch the House very sensibly.

Lord Palmerston wound up the debate in his usual free-and-easy way! What's anything to anybody? Pay your money and go home to your friends. There was a rechauffe of the subject on the following evening, but the time for debates was gone by. Ministers obtained their £3,000,000. without a division, and are now contriving how to put up the Parliamentary shutters with the least possible delay, and to chalk on the doors "Gone to Jericho."

Speaking of Disraeli, permit me to correct an error in your literary biography of him, last month. I can assure you he never was in any way connected with John Murray's newspaper, The Representative: I have the best authority for saying so. Neither do I believe that H-, the barrister, had anything to do with that atrocious life of him, to which you allude: but on this point I am less positive.

Everybody agrees that the present season is a dull one. Whether it be the war or the weather, or both, the fact is nothing is thought of but jaunting about by land or by water. If you want a trip let me commend you to a very pleasant one. Those excellent fellows, the Directors of the S. W. Railway Company, whose liberal regulation cannot be too widely known, will give you a return-ticket on Saturday which will last you till Monday night, at about half fare-that is, you only pay for the journey down, and within the period mentioned you come back for nothing. So take a return-ticket for Gosport, or Portsmouth, and cross over to Rydeper steamer and with your scrip in your hand (not railway scrip) set off for a ramble round the coast, or over the hills-about five miles to St. Helen's, where you may spend your Sunday, and visit Brading Church, and the tomb of the "Dairyman's Daughter," immortalised by Legh Richmond.

The Crystal Palace, the only genuine novelty, though attracting great numbers daily, does not draw to the extent expected.

There is absolutely nothing going on in the theatrical world worth notice, and who could sit out a play such weather as this?

But I went to Hampton Court the other day; and if you take a trip to the same Tempé, don't go by water-unless you are prepared to spend the night on it. I attempted to return in the evening by that venerable old tub "The Locomotive." Some two hundred people were on board; and it appeared after we had all paid our fares, and got a mile or two

on our way, that there was no water to float the vessel-nor would there be until midnight-when we were unceremoniously told we might stay on board, or go home as we liked; no money would be returned" -for the Captain stated that although he had engaged to leave Hampton Court at a quarter to six o'clock, he had not said when he would reach London! So that, after vain expostulations, nearly all the passengers― men, women, and children-were landed on the banks of the Thames : some without money, others without strength, and all without temper. Pray make public this ingenious mode of raising money without doing anything for it.

Mr. Albert Smith has been honored by a visit from her Majesty, who sent him a diamond pin, with a message that she had seldom been more pleased or amused than on the occasion alluded to. I am confident that her Majesty was sincere in this avowal, and her good taste is well known. At the Gallery of Illustration scenes in the Baltic have been added to the entertainment. They are all good-the best being a bird's-eye view of Cronstadt.

An amusing story is related of Lafont's Company at Liverpool. The printer, not being au fait at French, first printed the well-known piece "La joie fait peur" as La joie fait père. When the mistake was indignantly pointed out, he promised to rectify it, and next day all Liverpool was placarded with enormous posters announcing LA JOIE FAIT PUER! Imagine Lafont's horror.

By the way, Miss Mitford is making a collection of her "Dramatic Works," which are to be published by Hurst and Blackett. They will be new to most readers.

Poor Madame Sontag is dead! What a strange history is hers! First a singer, taking the world by storm with her beauty and her sweet voice: then the nobile dama of private life, the wife of the rich and courted Count Rossi: lastly, treading the stage again, after twenty years' absence from it, and winning greater admiration than ever, to the day of her death in miserable Mexico.

Two places of amusement are advertised to be sold, by order of the Court of Chancery-the Princess's Theatre and the Colosseum. Probably Kean will purchase the former. Who will ruin himself with the latter?

Lastly, let me refer to one of the most noticeable events of the month-the inauguration of the monument erected in Kensal Green to the memory of glorious Tom Hood. Nothing could be better-more graceful, more feeling, more affecting-than the address of Monckton Milnes on the occasion. How few thoroughly understood Hood while living how few know his works, now that he is dead! All have read something of his; but there are some pieces that few have seen which yet contain the most varied beauties of wit and pathos. Let every man possess himself of a copy of Hood's poems: he will gratify himself and do good to those near and dear ones whom Hood left behind him.

A very amusing caricature has recently appeared in Paris. An unfortunate author is presenting to a publisher a voluminous manuscript, with the words-Voilà, Monsieur, un manuscrit qui est fort intéressant. The publisher interrupts him-Tenez, Monsieur ; est-ce qu'il parle des Turcs ou des Russes?

Such is the true state of the case: everything is a drag in the literary market at present that does not discuss the war, or something connected with it. Authors who cannot write about Turkey and Russia may starve, or turn crossing-sweepers till the "piping times of peace" return. Moreover, July is notoriously about the dullest publishing month in the year. Paternoster Row is deep in ledgers, with the half-yearly accounts and balances of profit and loss. It is too hot to read or to do anything at all: so that altogether it is little short of miraculous what a goodly amount of books we still find before us awaiting our judgment. Allons, donc !

WAR BOOKS.

Russia and England, their Strength and Weakness, by J. R. Morell (Trubner & Co.), has an extremely taking title. Its main object is to point out the advantage of aiding the Circassians against the Russians, and securing their co-operation with our own forces. The author seems well acquainted with the people, and we were astonished to find that he estimates their armed force at from 3 to 400,000 men! Their mounted warriors are confessedly the finest light cavalry in the world. The book is very interesting.

Letters of an American, mainly on Russia and Revolution (Chapman & Hall), profess to be edited by Walter Savage Landor. They are evidently written by him, and show the unfailing eloquence and vigorous intellect of our venerable correspondent.

Islamism-its Rise and Progress, &c., by F. A. Neale (Madden), is not what it professes to be, because it is a romance and not a history, excepting towards the end, where Mr. Neale's remarks on the present condition of the Turks are founded on his own observations and experience, and therefore worthy of attention.

Russia and Europe, or the Probable Consequences of the Present War, by Count Valerian Krasniski (Chapman & Hall), is a plea for the restoration of the kingdom of Poland. Even the future king is proposed-H. R. H. the Duke of Cambridge!

O'Byrne's Encyclopædia of the War (Skeet) is a very useful compilation, being a kind of history of the war, more methodically arranged than in the current newspapers. The Close of the War (Stanford), by an Income-tax Payer, contains suggestions as to the terms on which we are to make peace with Russia. Here is another new kingdom proposed that of the Caucasus: and another new monarch named for it-Omar Pasha.

Major-General Macintosh gives us A Military Tour in European Turkey, the Crimea, and Eastern Shores of the Black Sea, (Longman & Co.). Mostly military descriptions and suggestions. The General takes credit to himself for having been the first to point out to the Government that Gallipoli was only strong towards the water, and he “had the gratification of learning that operations had been commenced by their repairing direct to Gallipoli, &c."-which supposing our position, with regard to our Turkish allies, to

be reversed, that England were invaded by Russia from the north, and they had to send us auxiliary troops, it is as if, while the Russian army was marching on London by way of York, our Turkish friends should disembark manfully at Penzance, and fortify St. Michael's Mount, 66 on the land side," by way of turning the enemy's flank.

Military strategists appear to have been looking out for fortresses to garrison, without reference to the seat of war, as if Turkey were to be over-run by the Russians, in conformity with ministerial plans, as a matter of course, before our part in the fighting was to begin. With a British fleet in the black Sea there could be no question of Gallipoli till Constantinople had fallen. The General seems to think that "after the time which has been allowed to Russia to erect fortifications there" the Crimea can only be taken by a regular campaign. We commend his observations on that head to the consideration of enterprising military men. Hitherto the Russian armies have been more formidable on paper than in the field of battle.

A Journal of a Residence in Northern Persia and the Adjacent Provinces of Turkey, by Lieut.-Col. Stuart (Bentley), is interesting, from the quantity and novelty of its materials. In a literary point of view it is less commendable.

We now proceed to

HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY.

The seventh volume of the History of England, from the Peace of Utrecht to the Peace of Versailles, by Lord Mahon (Murray), has been published, and concludes the work. Lord Byron pronounced Mitford's violent prejudices one of his virtues as an historian, because they made him write in earnest. Judged by such a standard, Lord Mahon would be a very bad one, for he is the most unprejudiced historian whose works we have ever read. For our own part we greatly admire him on this very account, and we cannot but feel regret that so admirable a work as the one before us has come to an end. Yet how much remains to be written of the history of our own country, and how few more competent to perform the task than Lord Mahon!

The indefatigable Charles Knight has published a volume entitled The Old Printer and the Modern Press, being a life of Caxton, with a commentary on cheap literature.

It is the fashion now to speak of cheap books as we do of cheap bread, as if the more we could devour the better it would be for us; but when we consider that there are ten times as many books published as can be read, or are worth reading, we for our part would not care if they were dearer. Solomon said "and further my son be thou admonished; of making many books there is no end: and much study is a weariness of the flesh." What would he have said in our day, when it is "a weariness of the flesh" to read even the titles of the books that are published!

History of Charles the First and the English Revolution, by M. Guizot (Bentley), is a reprint, with additions and corrections, and a preliminary Essay on the Causes of the Revolution. Like all that has emanated from the same pen, it is distinguished for research, sound reasoning, and graceful eloquence.

The same publisher gives us Lamartine's Memoirs of Celebrated Characters—a most charmingly written work, with an astonishing amount of information in the small compass of two volumes.

VOYAGES AND TRAVELS.

Sunny Memories of Foreign Lands, by Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe (Low & Co.), will be read for the sake of the authoress of "Uncle Tom's Cabin." It is a record of Mrs. Stowe's late visit to Europe, sketchingly and pleasingly written, though in tho