1828.] 



Domestic and Foreign. 



303 



ticularly General Parry's family, consisting 

 of several daughters, one of whom, Ellen, 

 he had known from a child had indeed 

 been brought up with her, and as a child 

 had been devotedly attached ; another, Au- 

 gusta, was a regular flirt, elegant and 

 shrewd, and not wholly without a heart. 

 With Augusta, De Lisle is amused, but 

 with Ellen he inclines to a more serious 

 attention. She however is mysterious, and 

 when at last he comes to a declaration, she 

 repulses him on the ground of duty, without 

 explaining herself. Eventually the mystery 

 clears up. She had sacrificed her happiness 

 to a romantic constancy for Lord Avonmore, 

 to whom she had been betrothed. He had 

 been forced by his father into a marriage 

 with another, but she held herself still 

 bound by her first engagements ; and some 

 short time after De Lisle's declaration, 

 Lord Avonmore's wife dies, and he marries 

 Ellen. Thus thrown again upon himself, 

 with affections chilled and frozen, De Lisle's 

 forlorn condition is occasionally relieved by 

 opportunities of obliging his neighbours, 

 and especially on one occasion, by the dis- 

 posal of a living to a friend of the Parrys, 

 who marries a younger daughter. This 

 clergyman was a person who had seen the 

 world, was a gentleman by birth and man- 

 ners, and a man of sense, and became to 

 De Lisle a most important neighbour, and 

 rescued him from sinking into the wildest 

 misanthropy. 



Years pass on again ; Ellen is left 

 a widow, and by degrees the intercourse 

 between herself, and De Lisle is renewed. 

 She has with her a young lady, charming 

 of course, a ward of hers, who attracts a 

 good deal of De Lisle's attention, but his 

 serious addresses seem reserved for Ellen. 

 She and he were now no longer young; 

 she was getting near forty, and he was only 

 three years younger, and though exceedingly 

 attached to each other, and understanding 

 each other perfectly, she recommends delay ; 

 and thinking the young lady Rosamond the 

 wife for De Lisle, she, by a little manoeu- 

 vring, finally brings about a marriage be- 

 tween them bidding fair for happiness, 

 and for a time actually producing happiness, 

 though not wholly unclouded, for he was, 

 if not wayward, still suspicious, and though 

 proud of his lovely wife, yet dreading the 

 admiration she excited. Circumstances 

 awaken his jealousy, and point to particu- 

 lars. The lady had, from her childhood, 

 been affianced to Lord Avonmore's son, but 

 the young people, though the warmest 

 friends, had no desire to realize their pa- 

 rents' wishes. The young lord kept up 

 his acquaintance with Lady Rosamond 

 after her marriage, and occasionally visited, 

 though greatly to De Lisle's annoyance 

 he could never forget their former con- 

 nexion. Ellen, whose influence could alone 

 have saved him, 4s now dead, and he is left 

 to the suggestions of his worst fancies. Ap- 

 pearances confirm his fears, and wovk upon 



his feelings, till at last he resolves upon 

 separation. He communicates his resolu- 

 tion, and the poor victim of groundless jea- 

 lousy almost dies under the communication, 

 but accedes. Through the rector she peti- 

 tions that the children may not be sepa- 

 rated to live in the same house ; and for 

 months they live under the same roof with- 

 out noticing each other she all the while 

 sinking and withering till on some occa- 

 sion, urged by her children, she takes a 

 share in the performance of a masque, and 

 during the performance, while enchanting 

 all eyes, she drops what appears to be a 

 locket. Her husband was a spectator, and 

 marked it ; and was wound up by the sight 

 to a pitch of desperation. He followed her 

 to her chamber, where she had sunk on the 

 bed in utter exhaustion. He taxed her 

 with wearing Avonmore's portrait, and in- 

 sisted on seeing it ; and when, after much 

 reluctance, she put it into his hands, it 

 proved to be his own, he was thrown into a 

 transport of despair, and, falling at her feet, 

 implored her forgiveness. A reconciliation 

 takes place, and for a time she rallies ; but 

 she had been struck to the heart, and in a 

 few months died in her repentant husband's 

 arms. He himself lived on, and saw his 

 children grow up, and " his last articulate 

 sound was the name of his wife, and his 

 last admonition to his children BEWARE 



OF DISTRUST." 



We are half ashamed of this bare and 

 most inadequate sketch. The scene shifts 

 perhaps too frequently, and so many sets of 

 characters succeed one another, that some- 

 thing is wanting to give unity and com- 

 pactness ; and some are apparently forgot- 

 ten, who were originally destined to play 

 more important parts. But the novel is 

 decidedly one of the best that has appeared 

 for a long time, and leaves Almack's, and 

 Herbert Milton, and others of the lighter 

 cast, far, far behind. 



The United States as they are ; 1328. 

 Though coming anonymously, "The United 

 States as they are," is the production of a 

 person evidently pretty familiar with Ame- 

 rican politics and American manners. The 

 volume contains information, which will be 

 acceptable to many of our countrymen 

 particularly as to the state of parties, of 

 which, generally, Englishmen know about 

 as much as they do of those of China. It 

 opens with a little of the private history of 

 Mr. Adams's election to the Presidency 

 as chiefly effected by the management of 

 Clay, the late speaker of the House of Re- 

 presentatives, and the present secretary of 

 state. Clay himself as may be remem- 

 bered was a candidate for the presidency- 

 with no expectation of carrying the election, 

 but certainly of so playing his cards as to 

 farther his immediate interests, and, event- 

 uaEy, to. make an after attempt less impro- 

 bable ; and the fact was, that, though he 

 had the .fewest votes, ye*, by bargaining 



