upon us, and the cloud which we rashly thought had hidden it for ever, but serves by contrast to enhance its radiant brightness.

"The Parsonage." By Rodolph Töffer. 2 vols. of the Parlour Library. All those who know anything of this beautiful writer will be glad to see his Christmas is again approaching-the season of roar- Tales placed within reach of all classes in this couning fires and hearty welcomes-when the household try. Those who know nothing of Töffer, and have sympathies glow most strongly within us, and the love of hearts to love and reverence simple earnest piety, our hearths is no longer a poetic ideal, but a real boná genuine humour and pathos, and vigorous, yet delicate fide influence, an active and actuating principle. Nor painting of external nature, and patriarchal simplicity is it strange that it should be so. "Where our trea- of manners, such as may be met with in the Swiss sure is, there will our hearts be also ;" and what man | Cantons, even at the present time, should make themis there so utterly destitute as to possess no home-selves acquainted with Rodolph Töffer. The Partreasure, no smiling face that grows brighter at his sonage," though full of primitive beauty of thought approach, no loving heart that beats more joyfully at and feeling, is too long; and does not contain any the sound of his returning footstep? And for those marks of the fantastic, erratic, and delicate humour, to whom many of these blessings are denied the poor, to be found in "My Uncle's Library." Töffer rewhose hearths are cheerless, to whom cold and hunger sembles several noted humourists. He is very much are sad and ever-present realities-we can only pray like Sterne and De Maistre; i. e., he is like Sterne God to comfort them, and endeavour, each to the through De Maistre, who first brought him into notice; best of our ability, to lessen those miseries, the full he also reminds us of Richter, and is sometimes a little bitterness of which can be known only to those who like Charles Lamb. are called upon to endure them. Thus shall we best secure for ourselves a merry Christmas. Our Postscripts have of late contrived to run to a greater length than we projected, and encroached somewhat upon the space allotted to our notices of new books: to prevent the possibility of committing the same error now, we will proceed at once to mention

"The Two Baronesses." 2 vols. 8vo. A very pretty novel, written in English by Hans Christian Andersen, the Dane, who has contrived to win the hearts of all little children by his exquisite stories, and the hearts of a great many grown-up persons also, by those same childish tales, and his former novel, the "Improvisatore." Andersen's own English we prefer to that of any translator he could have selected; it is wonderfully good—for a foreigner—because it is always perfectly intelligible, and often faultless; which is more than can be said for a host of natural British literary produce. The heroines are two charming ladies, the one seventy, and the other seventeen; and, to speak as a man and a critic, we really know not which to like the best. It is true, that the fair and youthful Elizabeth is all that heart can desire, or fancy paint; -"not very dashing, but extremely winning;"-but then, that dear, lively old lady, with her perpetual head-dress à la Cenci, (she was no bad judge of a becoming coiffure, by the way,) and her strong loves and hates, is not only very "winning," but very dashing" too, and quite as likely to be fallen in love with at seventy years of age as Ninon de l'Enclos; at least, in a book, and by a lazy reader, loving the piquant. It must not, from these words, be supposed that Andersen has done anything so preposterous as to make the old lady the object of anybody's love, in that sense; he "had no such stuff in his thoughts." No, we have merely confided to the reader the state of our own heart towards this fiery old baroness;-it is a clear case of "inadwertent captiwation;" and we wish our reader no more scrious mischief than a speedy participation in our present love for the "Two Baronesses."

'Lady Granard's Nieces." 3 vols. 8vo. A book made up of a little cleverness, and a great deal of folly and bad taste.

"Charms and Counter-Charms." A novel by an American lady, who is deservedly popular in the States. It is an interesting tale, gracefully written, and animated throughout by noble sentiments and true piety. It is sold here by John Chapman, Strand, for an incredibly minute sum.

"Mary Barton." A rare book; containing a full recognition of the frightful miseries of the poor in our manufacturing towns, and the deepest sympathy with the sufferers; and at the same time showing clearly that the masters are the friends, and not the enemies, of the operatives; and that the higher classes do not cause the poverty of the lower classes, and cannot cure it.

Helen Charteris." A book that promises more than it performs, and ought to be better than it is, being dedicated by permission to Miss Edgeworth.

"Madeleine; a Tale of Auvergne." By Julia Kavanagh. Colburn. A story founded on fact,Heaven be thanked therefor! It is encouraging to human nature to read such tales of unostentatious, unconscious heroism.

"The Bee Hunter; or, the Oak Openings." Another of our old friend Cooper's novels, à la “Last of the Mohicans;" full of vivid descriptions of the primitive loveliness of the oak openings in the prairies to the south of Lake Michigan. Here the Bee Hunter lives in solitude, and plies his trade. Then we have some more Yankies, and then parties of Red Indians-enemics and friends. There is a little scalping, which is just enough to make the reader put his hand to his own head to feel that his scalp is all right; there is a taking of prisoners-an escape—a hot pursuit; and all those hair-breadth perils and adventures, on river and lake, in forest and prairie, that Cooper knows how to describe so well, and which we know so well, by experience, to have the power of fascinating all boys and girls, and not a few men and

women.

BAMBOROUGH CASTLE,

FROM THE NORTH-WEST.

that the castle was given up by his lieutenant, who, for his devotion and fidelity, was taken into favour by the monarch.

When the earldom of Northumberland was given up to Prince Henry, son of the Scotch king, this fortress and Newcastle-on-Tyne were expressly reserved to the crown of England. It was to Bamborough that Edward I., in 1296, summoned Balio to come and renew his homage for the crown of Scotland, whose refusal led to the invasion of that country. It was whilst Isabel de Beaumont, related to the beautiful Eleanor, queen of Edward I., had a life grant of the castle, that she sheltered Piers Gaveston from the vengeance of the enraged nobility. The place was afterwards conferred upon the Percy family, on account of their bravery in the border struggles, and in their hands it continued for several ages.

The next stirring scenes in its eventful history were in the bloody Wars of the Roses. Ten thousand men invested it for Edward IV. under the earl of Wor

WALTER SCOTT tells us that there is not a situation in all Northumberland equal to Bamborough, or one so admirably adapted to the ancient rules of defence; and it has, accordingly, figured conspicuously in our annals of intestine convulsion. Its hoary remains crown the summit of a lofty rock, weather-stained, and richly tinted with a variety of brown and yellow lichens, towering some hundred and fifty feet above the unquiet sea which washes its rugged base. Its origin is confessedly very ancient-some attributing it even to the Romans, and regarding it as one of the castella built by Agricola in his third campaign. The first known founder was a Saxon, and it was not unusual with that people to avail themselves of the well-chosen sites of a Roman encampment, and to give to the structure raised upon them the name of burgh and brough. Ida, the first Saxon king of Northumbria, is said to have fortified the rock, A.D. 548, and the name of the place was Bebban-burgh, in honour of his queen.cester and other noblemen. It was defended till The first rude defences were of wood, but were afterwards exchanged for stone. On the conversion of the Saxons, King Oswald built a chapel within its walls, and dedicated it to St. Aidan. The fortress was besieged by Penda, king of Mercia, as early as 642; he had raised piles of wood to burn the walls, when the wind suddenly changed, and blew the burning faggots into his own camp-a deliverance so signal as, in the spirit of that age, to have been ascribed to the prayers of Aidan, bishop of Lindisfarn, then on the Fern Islands. King Oswald's zeal for the conversion of his subjects, his donations to the Church, and his death at the hands of a Pagan conqueror, procured him the honours of a saint and martyr; his arms were preserved as relics in the church, and his shrine wrought many a wonderful cure. A chronicler who wrote about 1192 describes it as a very strong city, though of small extent; with but one hollow entrance, admirably raised by steps. He also mentions the chapel, and "a well curiously adorned, and of sweet clear water."

We cannot pursue in detail all the vicissitudes of the fortunes of Bamborough through this earliest period of its annals. Pass we to the time of the descent of the Danes; when, about 933, the fortress fell into their hands, with a considerable booty. It was afterwards restored to the Saxons, who strengthened it, but taken and pillaged a second time by their terrible piratical invaders.

It next figures in the border troubles. In the reign of William II., A.D. 1095, whilst Malcolm king of Scotland was ravaging the border, Mowbray earl of Northumberland, having fallen from his allegiance, took refuge at Bamborough, with his wife and a lieutenant. He had left it in the hope of making himself master of Newcastle; but found its gates shut, and took sanctuary at Tynemouth, whence, however, he was dragged by the king. Meanwhile, his wife maintained the castle against every assault, and it was not till the king threatened to torture the captive earl

VOL. VIII.

Christmas by the duke of Somerset and Sir Ralph Percy, who, on their surrender, received the royal pardon. Sir Ralph Grey next surprised it for Queen Margaret. After the battle of Hexham, which was so fatal to her fortunes, Sir Ralph desperately defended Bamborough, besieged anew by Warwick and Montacute for Edward IV. By the fall of a tower he was so severely injured, that the garrison, supposing he was dead, surrendered. Sir Ralph, however, survived, and was afterwards executed as a traitor at York. Such is a brief outline of the history of this ancient fortress; which, in all its details, might make matter for a most interesting volume.

The injury that Bamborough had sustained during these stormy vicissitudes was not repaired till long afterwards. In the time of Elizabeth, Sir John Foster, of Bamborough Abbey, was governor for the crown. The manor having been forfeited by one of his descendants, was purchased by his brother-in-law, Lord Crewe, who settled by will the whole of the revenues on charitable uses.

The purpose to which it has at length been devoted, after surviving long ages of convulsions which have left so many similar fabrics but heaps of mouldering ruins, confers a peculiar and honourable interest upon this venerable pile. The first direction of the funds, by the Rev. John Sharp, one of the trustees to whose philanthropic zeal and activity the wise arrangements of the charity are chiefly due, was to put the structure in repair. One large room, in the keep, is used as a court-room for the manor. There is a small armoury, a library, open to every respectable housekeeper within twenty miles, and to the clergy of all denominations. The schools are open to an unlimited number of children, averaging about seventy. Thirty poor girls are provided for until they are about sixteen, and fitted for useful service. The great tower contains an ample granary, opened in times of scarcity to the poor on low terms. There is also a meal market and grocery at reduced prices. In the infirmary, multitudes have

K

The little adjacent village of Bamborough was once a royal burgh, the seat of ancient kings. It sent two members to parliament in the time of Edward I., and contributed one vessel to Edward the Third's expedition against Calais. It had three religious foundations -a house of friars, preachers, founded by Henry III.; a cell of canons regular of St. Austin, and a hos-passage between the Fern Islands and the main until | pital. The church is a neat structure, but cannot be the same alluded to as founded by Oswald, which was most probably within the fortifications of the castle.