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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..022e789 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #68141 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/68141) diff --git a/old/68141-0.txt b/old/68141-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 9403ead..0000000 --- a/old/68141-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,9190 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Southern Literary Messenger, Vol. -II., No. 3, February, 1836, by Various - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: The Southern Literary Messenger, Vol. II., No. 3, February, 1836 - -Author: Various - -Release Date: May 21, 2022 [eBook #68141] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Ron Swanson - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SOUTHERN LITERARY -MESSENGER, VOL. II., NO. 3, FEBRUARY, 1836 *** - - -THE SOUTHERN LITERARY MESSENGER: - -DEVOTED TO EVERY DEPARTMENT OF LITERATURE AND THE FINE ARTS. - - -Au gré de nos desirs bien plus qu'au gré des vents. - _Crebillon's Electre_. - -As _we_ will, and not as the winds will. - - -RICHMOND: -T. W. WHITE, PUBLISHER AND PROPRIETOR. -1835-6. - - -{141} - - -SOUTHERN LITERARY MESSENGER. - -VOL. II. RICHMOND, FEBRUARY, 1836. NO. III. - -T. W. WHITE, PROPRIETOR. FIVE DOLLARS PER ANNUM. - - - - -SELECTION IN READING. - - -Go to the Library of one of our Colleges; survey its five, or ten -thousand volumes. You are astonished, that human thought or human -industry could have produced such an accumulation of quarto upon -folio, of duodecimo upon octavo--of Science, Literature--of History, -Fiction--of Prose, and Poetry. But look into other collections -northward of us, and in each, of several, you find more than forty -thousand volumes! When you have wondered sufficiently at these, turn -your 'mind's eye' to Europe; and behold, libraries containing each one -hundred, or even one hundred and fifty thousand books! Look around -you, then, and see how many hundreds every week is adding to the mass -of tomes already in existence. Glance at the book-sellers' -catalogues--at their notices in the gazette--at the _monthly and -quarterly_ "Lists of New Publications," in Magazines and Reviews--at -the countless host of Reviews and Magazines themselves, and of -newspapers, tracts, pamphlets, speeches, addresses--effusions of ten -thousand various forms and merits--craving your attention and -bewildering your choice! Go forth into society: in one circle, -politics--in another, canalling, or railroad lore--in a third, some -point touching the Campaigns of Bonaparte, the Wars of the League, the -American Revolution, or the Conquests of Tamerlane--in a fourth, the -beauties of Greek and Roman literature--in a fifth, some topic in -Chemistry or Geology--in a sixth, Byron, Campbell, Moore and -Wordsworth--in a seventh, the fifty last novels--are discussed by -their respective coteries, each, as if _that_ subject alone threw all -others into the shade. And if you are not so torpid as to be incapable -of excitement by sympathy with others, and by themes inherently -interesting, or so self-possessed as to curb and regulate discreetly, -the curiosity and proneness to imitation which will on such occasions -be kindled in any but a blockhead--you cannot, for your life, help -wishing to be familiar with each theme. You go home; and plunge -headlong into a dozen different studies. Your acquisitions are huddled -chaotically into your knowledge-box, so that you have a full, distinct -idea, of no one subject: you can never get hold of what you want, at -the moment when you need it; but must rummage over an immense pile of -trumpery, with a bare _hope_, after all, of finding the useful article -you want. _You are a shallow smatterer._ - -If you would be otherwise, DARE _to be ignorant_ of all books, and all -things, which you are not sure will repay your trouble in reading -them, or which are not parts of a pre-arranged course, laid down for -you by yourself, or by some judicious friend. DARE to disavow an -acquaintance with a fashionable novel, or even with a fashionable -science, if it fall not within your plan. Always reflect, when the -claims of a new book are pressed upon your notice,--that, _if you have -forty years to employ in reading, and can read fifty pages a day, you -will be able, in those forty years, to accomplish only about_ SIXTEEN -HUNDRED VOLUMES, _of 500 pages each_. Yes--out of the millions of -tomes that litter the world, you can read, in twice the time that -most, even of the studious, employ in reading--only sixteen hundred -volumes! Surely, the motto of every one who reads for improvement, -ought to be "SELECT WELL!" - -"It is a great, nay the _greatest_ part of wisdom," says an old -philosopher, "to rest content with not knowing some things."[1] - -[Footnote 1: ----"magna, immo, maxima, pars sapientiæ est, quædam -æquo animo nescire velle."] - -Dugald Stewart justly observes, that by confining our ambition to -pursue the truth with modesty and candor, and learning to value our -acquisitions only so far as they contribute to make us wiser and -happier, we may perhaps be obliged to sacrifice the temporary -admiration of the common dispensers of literary fame; but, we may rest -assured, it is thus only we can hope to make real progress in -knowledge, or to enrich the world with useful inventions. - -"'It requires courage indeed' (as Helvetius has remarked,) 'to remain -ignorant of those useless subjects which are generally valued:' but it -is a courage necessary to men who either love the truth, or aspire to -establish a permanent reputation."[2] - -[Footnote 2: Philosophy of the Human Mind, Vol. I.] - - - - -SKETCHES OF THE HISTORY AND PRESENT CONDITION OF TRIPOLI, WITH SOME -ACCOUNTS OF THE OTHER BARBARY STATES. NO. X.--(Continued.) - - -To return to Algiers. The Dey having as he conceived, effectually -closed every avenue to reconciliation with France, actively prepared -to resist the attack which he had every reason to believe would soon -be made on him. The fortifications of his capital had been much -enlarged and strengthened since the bombardment by Lord Exmouth in -1816; the arsenal was well provided with naval stores and munitions of -every description; the treasury was filled with specie, men were not -wanting, and provisions could be procured in abundance from the -interior. In this condition, he had no reason to dread an attack from -a naval force, nor the consequences of a blockade however rigorously -maintained. Against internal commotions he also felt himself secure. -From the commencement of his reign, he had steadily though cautiously -pursued the plan in which so many of his predecessors had failed, of -preventing the enrolment of foreigners, and supplying their places by -native troops; in this he had so far succeeded, that the number of the -former in 1827 was less than seven thousand, while he had more than -sixteen thousand Moorish soldiers, regularly disciplined and attached -to his system, by the strongest ties of interest. When the whole -military force of the country, consisted of a few foreigners, any one -of whom might be raised to the highest offices of the State at the -will of the remainder, {142} it is not surprising that dissatisfaction -and turbulence should have constantly prevailed; for under such -circumstances the election of a new chief only caused a change in the -ranks of the malcontents, without diminishing their numbers or their -violence. That the alteration made by Hussein would contribute vastly -to ensure the stability of his power, it is unnecessary to -demonstrate; it had been often attempted by his predecessors and it is -only extraordinary that it had not been effected long before. - -Having secured this important object, Hussein no longer took pains to -conceal his views with regard to rendering the Sovereignty hereditary -in his family; he had no son, but his eldest daughter was married to -Ibrahim, whom he raised to the office of Aga or Commander of the -troops and Minister of War, and who appears to have been his intended -successor; that officer having no children, his nephew was married to -the Dey's youngest daughter, who was for that purpose divorced from -her husband. It was also probably in furtherance of the same ends, -that Hussein maintained a degree of state unusual in Algiers, -manifesting in his intercourse with the ministers and officers, that -he was a Prince, and not the mere chief of the Janizaries. In order to -insure his personal safety he seldom appeared in public, but remained -within the walls of the Casauba, surrounded by a chosen guard of -Moors, sufficiently strong to defend that fortress against any attack -which could be expected. - -The French appeared by no means disposed to drive Hussein to -extremities; their squadron generally consisted of two frigates, and -four or five smaller vessels, which hovered before the entrance to the -bay, but offered little or no impediment to the passage of vessels -either outwards or inwards. Within a few days after the declaration of -war, several Algerine cruisers quitted the harbor, and committed great -ravages upon the unprotected commerce of France, sending their prizes -into various ports of Barbary, and even of Spain. The prisoners were -generally spared and brought to Algiers, in consequence of the Dey's -humane or politic proclamation, that he would give for each living -Frenchman twice as much as for his head alone. The inactivity and want -of skill thus displayed by the blockading squadron, at length -encouraged Hussein to bolder attempts. By great exertions, he had been -enabled at the end of September 1827, to have ready a frigate, two -corvettes, two brigs and six schooners in addition to the vessels at -sea; this force however not being sufficient either in size or in -weight of metal, to authorize a regular engagement with the heavy -ships of the French, his plan was to surprise some one of them at a -distance from the others, and endeavor to carry her by boarding. With -this intention, which was kept secret until the moment for carrying it -into execution, a number of soldiers accustomed to the sea having on -the morning of the 4th of October, been suddenly embarked in the -vessels, they set sail immediately and bore down upon the nearest -French ship. The movement was immediately perceived by the rest of the -squadron, and a general action, or at least a general discharge of -guns on both sides ensued; this having continued for some hours, -without any notable damage to either party, the Algerine Commander -found that it was impossible to board any of the French vessels as -they had the weather gauge of him, and in consequence he returned with -his whole force into port. This action is duly noticed in the French -papers; the commander of the squadron in his despatch, compliments his -officers highly for the success of their efforts in preventing the -Algerine flotilla from getting out of the harbor, and assures the -Minister of Marine, that nothing but the heaviness of the sea -prevented his destroying the greater part of them. - -In the following spring, (1828) an offer was made by Admiral Collet to -renew the negotiations for peace; and after some difficulties, Captain -Bézart who commanded one of the French brigs, was allowed to enter -Algiers and communicate with the Sardinian Consul on the subject. He -subsequently had a conference with the Algerine Minister of Foreign -Affairs, the results of which induced the Admiral to despatch him to -Paris, in order to receive the instructions of their Government. - -The French government probably received with satisfaction, the account -that the Algerines were disposed to treat for peace. The Martignac -Ministry which had just come into power, were employing every means to -secure the tottering throne of Charles the Tenth against the efforts -of the Liberal party, and they were anxious for the adjustment of a -dispute, which occasioned an enormous addition to the budget of -expenses without any return whatever. Dignity, or rather the fear of -wounding the vanity of the nation, however forbade their seeming to -make any advances after the Dey's insulting rejection of the demands -first proposed to him. Great care was therefore taken to avoid any -appearance of direct communication with the Algerine government; but -the Admiral was instructed unofficially to hint, that if the Dey would -send an ambassador to Paris, the differences between the two countries -might be accommodated. - -With these instructions Bézart returned to the African coast. During -his absence Admiral Collet worn down with disease had retired to -Toulon where he shortly after died; Admiral Botherel de la Bretonniere -who succeeded to the command, on learning the views of the Ministers, -instantly wrote a letter to the Dey in the sense enjoined by them, and -despatched the Captain with it to Algiers. He arrived there on the -11th of September 1828, but when it was known that he only bore a -communication from the Admiral, he was not suffered to proceed farther -than the landing place on the mole, where he was required to await the -answer. A Barbary Prince of a more pliable character than Hussein, -might probably have gratified the French Ministers by sending an -Ambassador to Paris, who would have figured in the pages of the -Moniteur as a supplicant for peace; but the Dey was made of stubborn -stuff. He had expected a direct communication from the French -government, and was indignant at being addressed instead, by one of -its officers not even an authorized agent; moreover the letter -contained a proposition that he should take a humiliating step, -without any assurance that it would be attended with favorable -results. Seeing at once through the whole manœuvre of the French -government, his reply was a peremptory order to Bézart instantly to -quit Algiers. - -A few days after, the same proposition was conveyed more distinctly to -the Dey through the Sardinian Consul, with an assurance on the part of -the Admiral, that his Government no longer expected apology or {143} -reparation, but wished merely to place affairs between the two nations -on their former footing. Hussein however remained firm in his refusal -to make any advances, only telling the Consul, that after Peace had -been signed at Algiers, he might perhaps to please the Ministers, send -them an Ambassador. The French Government finding its recommendations -thus treated, authorized the Sardinian Consul to inform the Dey, that -no farther overtures would be made by it towards reconciliation, and -that measures would be soon taken to obtain complete satisfaction for -the injury committed against France. Hussein coolly answered, that he -had men and ammunition in abundance, and that he preferred the fortune -of war to making or seeming to make any apology. - -The destruction of three Algerine feluccas of six guns each, was the -next event worthy of note in the history of the war. These vessels -were returning from a successful cruise and endeavoring to enter the -harbor of Algiers on the 1st of October 1828, when they were -discovered and chased into the adjacent Bay of Sidi Ferruch. The prize -was soon recaptured; the other vessels took refuge close to the shore, -under a small and ruinous battery mounting twelve guns, where they -were attacked by the whole of the blockading squadron. After the first -fire, the feluccas and the battery were abandoned; boats were then -sent by the Admiral to destroy the vessels, which having been effected -the fire was continued on the battery until it was nearly demolished. -The loss on the side of the Algerines is believed to have been very -small; the French had six men killed and seventeen wounded, by the -bursting of a gun on board the Admiral's ship the Provence. This -trifling affair was made the subject of a special report by the -Minister of the Marine to the King of France, which may be found at -length in the Moniteur of the 17th of October; it was so far -important, as it enabled His Majesty to say in his Address to the -Legislative Chambers in January following, that--"most striking -examples had already taught the Algerines, that it was neither easy -nor safe to brave the vigilance of his ships." - -Another attempt on the part of the French to teach the Algerines -prudence, was not attended with equal success; for on the 19th of June -1829, twenty-four of their men, who had landed in pursuit of the crew -of a stranded Algerine vessel, were surrounded by Arabs and put to -death. The heads of these unfortunate men were carried to Algiers, -where the Dey paid for them according to the tariff established; they -were however on the application of the Sardinian Consul immediately -delivered to him for burial. - -The Government of France was by this time convinced of the futility of -the measures which had been for two years pursued with regard to -Algiers. The blockade had produced none of the results which were -anticipated; it had been maintained at an annual expense of more than -seven millions of francs, and although the number of persons killed in -action was small, yet many had fallen victims to the diseases -occasioned by the climate; in return the Dey appeared less inclined -than ever to agree to satisfactory terms of peace, and the commerce of -France in the Mediterranean had been severely injured by his cruisers. -The opposition had also taken advantage of the circumstances, and the -Ministry were frequently denounced in the Legislature and in the -public journals of Paris, for their vacillating and dishonoring -conduct in the affair. - -Unable to resist these demonstrations of their own inefficiency, the -French Ministry prepared for more decisive operations, by assembling -troops in the Southern Departments of the Kingdom and collecting -vessels for their transportation. Before employing these extreme -measures however, they were induced to make one more attempt at -negotiation; the circumstances which led them thus to recede from the -determination expressed in the previous year, are reported to have -been the following. - -The Dey had several times expressed to the Sardinian Consul, his -admiration of the form and sailings of a brig called the Alerte -belonging to the blockading squadron; something in his manner at -length induced the Consul to inform M. de la Bretonniere, that -possibly His Highness might be inclined to negotiate for peace, in the -manner desired by the French Government, if it were understood that -the brig would be presented to him after the signature of the treaty. -The Admiral eagerly accepted this overture as he considered it, and -authorized the Consul to say in general terms, that he had no doubt -the Government of France would willingly accede to the Dey's wishes in -this particular, if an arrangement of the difficulties between the two -countries could be effected. Hussein's reply was encouraging, and the -Admiral in consequence sailed for France to receive in person the -instructions of his Government. He found the Ministers anxious to have -the affair peaceably adjusted; they were ready to treat with the Dey -provided it could be made to appear that he had himself proposed the -negotiation, and were willing to promise the brig in return for the -mission of an Algerine Ambassador to Paris. The Admiral was -accordingly instructed to assure the Dey, that if he would comply with -this formality, peace would be immediately signed and the brig would -be presented to him; but in order that no proofs might exist of the -advances made by the French Ministry, the whole negotiation at Algiers -was to be conducted verbally, through an interpreter chosen for the -purpose from the School of Oriental Languages at Paris. - -With these instructions, and accompanied by M. Bianchi the -interpreter, M. de la Bretonniere returned to the Bay of Algiers. The -Sardinian Consul, who undertook to arrange the preliminaries of the -negotiation proposed to the Dey that it should be conducted in -conferences between His Highness and the French interpreter, who had -arrived at Algiers for the purpose on the 23d of July. This, Hussein -immediately refused to allow, and the Admiral was thrown into the very -dilemma which he wished to avoid; that is to say he was obliged to -write a letter, or to abandon the attempt at negotiation. In order to -avoid this difficulty a letter was written in the Turkish language, -proposing in very general terms the renewal of former relations -between the two Governments, but saying nothing either about the -Ambassador or the brig. Hussein in reply expressed his satisfaction at -the offer which had been made by the French Admiral, whom he invited -to come on shore and confer personally with himself on the subject. M. -de la Bretonniere accepted this invitation, and accordingly entered -the harbor on the 30th of September 1829, in his flag ship the -Provence of eighty guns, {144} accompanied by the brig which had been -the proximate cause of the negotiation. He landed on the following -morning, and had a long conference with the Dey, of which the -particulars have not transpired. On the 3d of August they had another -conference, which lasted but a short time; on this occasion it is said -the Admiral insisted on the mission of an ambassador as an act of -reparation to France, at which the Dey became so enraged, that he -ordered him immediately to leave Algiers; certain it is that the -conference was suddenly broken up, and the parties separated, each in -a state of high excitement. M. de la Bretonniere immediately embarked, -and sailed with his ships out of the harbor; on passing by the Mole -the Provence received a shot from the fort, and although the flag of -truce was displayed at her mast head, the firing was continued until -she was beyond their reach. The ship is said to have received eighty -balls; her port holes were however kept closed, for had she returned -the fire, it is probable that she would have been sunk. That this -flagrant violation of good faith was the result of the Dey's orders, -no one in Algiers at the time for a moment doubted; Hussein however -pretended that it arose from a mistake, and that he had only ordered a -gun to be fired in case the ship should approach too near to the -batteries, as a signal for her to keep off. He moreover dismissed from -office the Minister of Marine, on whom the responsibility of the act -rested; in so doing however, he only advanced one of his own ends, for -the vacancy was immediately filled by the appointment of his -son-in-law Ibrahim Kara-Dengirzli, the nephew of the Aga Ibrahim. - -The feeble and distracted Ministry which authorized this negotiation, -had been dissolved ere the news of its result arrived in France; and -those who succeeded to power in that country, though possessing energy -and union of purpose, were for some time wholly occupied in preparing -to confront the liberal party at the ensuing session of the -Legislature. No decisive measures were therefore taken with regard to -Algiers during the remainder of 1829; the blockade was indeed -maintained, but with so little rigor as to be scarcely more than -nominal; the Algerine cruisers were spread over the western part of -the Mediterranean, and occasionally appeared before Marseilles, while -the French Admiral with the greater part of his ships remained -generally at Port Mahon. - -Attempts were made at this period, to effect an adjustment of the -differences, by the Governments of Great Britain and Turkey, which -were the most interested in preventing any change in the political -condition of the Barbary States. When the British Government received -the news of Hussein's flagrant violation of good faith, in firing upon -the French Admiral, the Pelorus sloop of war was despatched to -Algiers, where her commander Captain Quin united with the British -Consul Mr. St. John, in endeavoring to prevail upon the Dey to propose -terms of peace. This effort proving vain, the Pelorus sailed to -Constantinople, where it was agreed between the Ambassadors of France -and England, that the Sultan should be requested to interpose; to this -the Turkish Government readily assented, and Halil Effendi a venerable -and respectable Turk, who had long known Hussein and been much -esteemed by him, was ordered to proceed to Algiers, and to entreat or -command the Dey no longer to provoke the vengeance of his powerful -enemies. Halil arrived in the Pelorus on the 28th of November at -Algiers, where he was received with great kindness and affection by -the Dey and by all classes of the inhabitants. His arguments and -entreaties soon produced effects, from which the mediators augured the -most favorable consequences; for Hussein after some days of reflection -and consultation with his Ministers, agreed to propose to M. de la -Bretonniere the renewal of the negotiations, offering him every -assurance of honorable treatment in case he should come to Algiers, -and as an earnest of the sincerity of his intentions, promising the -surrender of all the French prisoners. The Pelorus sailed with these -proposals on the 10th of December for Mahon, where she was detained -nearly three months in expectation of the Admiral's reply; at length -M. de la Bretonniere declared, that as he was still bound by the first -instructions from his Government, he could admit of negotiation on no -other terms, than the mission of an Ambassador to Paris to bear the -explanations of the Dey. With this answer Captain Quin returned to -Algiers on the 1st of April 1830; but no arguments could induce -Hussein to adopt the measure proposed: "God is Great!" said he, "Let -the French come." - -In the mean time the French Ministry had taken a most serious -determination. The insult offered by the Dey in firing upon M. de la -Bretonniere, was concealed from the public as completely as possible; -no mention of it was made in the Moniteur, yet it finally became -known, and the opposition press of Paris eagerly seized the -opportunity, to vilify the hated Ministry of Polignac for delaying to -avenge the insulted honor of France. In this condition of things it -became absolutely necessary for the Government to take some decisive -step towards a conclusion of the war, in order to relieve itself from -a heavy and increasing burthen of popular odium on this account. To -effect this purpose, two plans were proposed in the Ministerial -Council. Count de Bourmont the bold and active chief of the War -Department, was in favor of an expedition sent directly from France, -against the capital city of the offending Sovereign. Prince Polignac -the head of the Ministry, was doubtful of the propriety of risking -such an attempt upon a place defended by nature, by art, and above all -by the savage fanaticism of the surrounding population; he moreover -conceived that even if Algiers were to fall into the hands of the -French, it would be impossible for them to retain it, without a -constant expenditure of force and treasure, for which no return could -be reasonably expected. His plan was therefore to arm against the -Algerines, an enemy professing the same faith with themselves, who in -the event of success might be bound by his interests, to pursue a -policy accordant with the wishes of France and of Europe in general. - -The ideas of Polignac were adopted by the King, and the French -Ambassador at Constantinople was instructed to propose to the -ambitious Pasha of Egypt, that he should undertake the conquest of -Algiers, or even of all Barbary, in which France would under certain -conditions aid him by the co-operation of its naval force. The -Ambassador accordingly despatched M. Huder one of the officers of his -Embassy to Cairo in order to submit this proposition to the Pasha; -Mehemet Ali readily acceded to it, the projet of a Convention on the -subject was drawn up, and the French agent arrived {145} in Paris with -it about the end of January 1830. The British Government had however -by this time penetrated the secret of the negotiation, and ever -jealous with regard to the occupation of the Barbary coast by any -strong Power, its Ambassador at Paris was immediately instructed to -protest against the plan. As the correspondence on this subject was -never published, we have no means of knowing precisely the grounds of -opposition taken by the British Ministry; they probably had reference -only to the interests of the Sultan, which might be seriously affected -by so great an addition to the force of his refractory Viceroy. -Whatever may have been the influence of this opposition, the project -of a co-operation with Mehemet Ali was abandoned, and it was -determined that an expedition should with the least possible delay, be -sent from France against Algiers. - -Preparations for carrying this resolution into effect were immediately -commenced in all the ports and arsenals in France, and they were -prosecuted with a degree of vigor which excited the admiration of -Europe. The various branches of the service were placed under the -superintendence of the most experienced persons, apparently without -reference to their known political inclinations; and all the resources -of mechanical and medical, as well as military and naval science, were -employed to add to the health and comforts of the soldiers and to give -efficiency to their operations. Works relating to Northern Africa were -examined with attention, and the records of preceding expeditions -against Algiers were studied, in order to discover and provide against -the circumstances which occasioned their failure. Toulon having been -chosen as the place from which the armament was to sail, troops were -collected in its vicinity, and prepared by peculiar exercises for the -duties which they would be required to perform. Ships of war lying at -the different naval establishments, were ordered to be fully equipped, -and as soon as ready to be sent to the rendezvous, where a number of -merchant vessels for the transportation of men and materials were -bound by contract to assemble at the appointed time. - -The object of these preparations after having been communicated in -general terms to the Governments of the other great European nations, -were publicly announced by the King in his address at the opening of -the Legislative session on the 2d of March 1830. The reply made by the -Chamber of Deputies, shewed clearly that the Ministry would find no -favor with that body; this had been anticipated and the session was -accordingly prorogued, with a view to the ulterior dissolution of the -intractable Chamber. The Liberal Party having by this time taken the -alarm, their journals which had been previously filled with invectives -against the Ministers for their apathy under the insults of a -Barbarian, now loudly condemned the objects of the expedition and -prophesied that it would be fruitless. The violence of these -denunciations induced the Ministry to insert an article in the -Moniteur of April 20th, which although unofficial, was afterwards -formally acknowledged to be the expression of the sentiments of the -Government. This article was composed with much care, and although no -one of its statements taken separately can be contradicted, yet their -arrangement, the omissions of important circumstances and the studied -obscurity of the language on certain points, renders the result of the -whole the opposite of that which would arise from a candid exposition. -General Alexandre de Laborde made an able reply in the Constitutionnel -of the 26th of the same month; he fully demonstrated the unimportance -of the African Concessions, the seizure of which was made the -principal grounds of the difference, in the Ministerial declaration; -he shewed that the bad faith of the Government and of its agents had -given the Dey just cause of discontent, that the weakness and -indecision of the late Ministry had provoked and encouraged his -insults, and that the real end of the expedition then in preparation, -was to subdue, not the barbarians of Africa, but the friends of true -liberty in France. Motives of patriotism, and feeling for the honor of -the country may indeed have influenced the Ministry in adopting this -resolution; but there can be no doubt that its principal object was to -sustain the despotic party in France, by reproducing in the people -that admiration for military glory, which experience has shewn to be -incompatible with respect for institutions founded on equality of -rights. - -To the announcement of its intentions with regard to Algiers, the -French Ministry received the most satisfactory answers from many of -the Powers of the European Continent. The British Government however, -which had manifested its disapprobation of the plan for establishing -the Egyptian authority in Barbary, was still more unwilling that -France should possess a country, "which in the hands of a more -civilized and enlightened Government, could not fail to exercise an -important influence over the commerce and maritime interests of the -Mediterranean Powers." The French Ambassador at London, when requested -to explain more fully, replied by "the most positive assurances of the -entirely disinterested views of the Cabinet of the Tuilleries;" and -the British Ambassador at Paris on addressing the same demand to -Prince Polignac, was informed "that a satisfactory answer would soon -be given respecting the objects of the expedition, and the future -destiny of the Regency of Algiers in case of success." - -Accordingly on the 20th of March the French Ambassador at London -communicated to Lord Aberdeen then Secretary for Foreign Affairs, a -letter from Prince Polignac, in which after enumerating the various -grievances suffered by France from Algiers, and stating the conviction -of his Government that treaties would be of no avail in preventing -their recurrence, he declared that his Sovereign had resolved to seek -redress by force, and at the same time to advance the interests of -humanity, by abolishing piracy, Christian slavery and the payment of -tribute to the Barbary Regencies; "and if," concludes the Prince, "in -the approaching struggle, the Government now existing at Algiers -should be dissolved, the King whose views in this question are -entirely disinterested, will concert with his Allies respecting the -new order of things, which should for the greatest advantage of the -Christian world replace the system overthrown, and be most proper to -secure the ends thus proposed by His Majesty." This letter was -considered by the British Cabinet, as "scarcely affording that entire -satisfaction which might be reasonably expected;" and its Ambassador -at Paris was in consequence instructed to insist upon an official -assurance from the {146} French Government, that it "renounced all -views of territorial possession or aggrandizement." The despatch -containing this instruction was read to Prince Polignac, who repeated -in general terms that "the expedition was not undertaken with a view -to obtain territorial acquisitions," adding however that "he had no -objection to give any assurance, which might be calculated to remove -the uneasiness of the British Government." - -For this assurance Lord Aberdeen waited for some time in vain; on the -21st of April the French Ambassador read to him a letter from the -Prince containing a declaration sufficiently explicit and -satisfactory; but he was not authorized to give a copy of it, and -applications were again made to the French Government. Polignac whose -only object was to gain time, evaded these applications by the liberal -employment of petty artifices; at length on the 17th of May, when the -expedition was about to sail, the French Ambassador delivered to Lord -Aberdeen an official copy of a despatch addressed to him by his -Government in the form of a circular to the different courts of -Europe. In this circular the King of France declared to his Allies -that his objects were to obtain redress for the injuries committed by -Algiers, to secure the French possessions in Africa from future -aggressions, and to receive indemnification for the expenses of the -war, as well as to effect the abolition of piracy Christian slavery -and the exaction of tribute; and that until these ends should be -attained and sufficiently secured he would not lay down his arms nor -recall his troops from Africa. In case the existing Government of -Algiers should be overthrown, he would immediately concert with the -other Powers as to the new order of things to be there established, -for the greatest advantage of the Christian world; and as it was -probable that they might soon be required to give their opinions on -this subject, he invited each Government without delay to furnish its -Representative in France with the proper instructions. "His majesty," -says the French Minister in the despatch, "will appear at these -deliberations, ready to furnish every additional explanation which may -be desired, disposed to take into consideration the rights and -interests of all, not bound by anterior engagements, at liberty to -accept any proposition which may tend to assure the attainment of the -result indicated, and free from all feelings of personal interest." - -Not satisfied with such vague promises, the British Minister replied -through the Ambassador at Paris, that although "no further suspicion -could be entertained of any design on the part of the French -Government to establish a military occupation of the Regency, or to -accomplish such a change in the state of territorial possession on the -shores of the Mediterranean, as should affect the interest of European -Powers," yet "he could not avoid calling the attention of Prince -Polignac to the peculiar situation of Algiers in its relation to the -Ottoman Porte;" that although "many Governments of Europe had -contracted engagements with that Regency as an independent State," and -others "continued to regard the Barbary States as essentially -dependant on the Turkish Empire," yet "the supremacy of the Sultan was -allowed by all;" he therefore "submitted to the serious consideration -of the Prince, what must be the effect of a precedent, which thus -disposes of the rights of a third party, against whom no complaint -whatever has been alleged." To this no reply was made, and the -negotiation or rather the discussion ended. - -The preceding statement of the correspondence between the French and -British Governments, relative to the disposition to be made of Algiers -in the event of its conquest, is drawn from the official letters which -passed on the occasion; they were published in compliance with a call -made by Lord Aberdeen in the House of Peers of Great Britain on the 3d -of May 1833. From an examination of those documents, it appears that -no engagement was entered into by the French Government to recall its -troops from Algiers at any period; equally unfounded is the assertion -made by the French historical writers, respecting the reply of Prince -Polignac to the British Ambassador, that "France when insulted asked -the aid of no power in avenging its honor, and would be accountable to -none for the disposal of its conquests." It would be impossible to -give a summary of the results of the negotiation more satisfactory, or -drawn from a source entitled to greater consideration, than that -presented by Lord Aberdeen when he called for the production of the -Correspondence in the House of Lords; "no Convention was signed on the -subject, nor was any express stipulation entered into for the -evacuation of Algiers by the French force; but important engagements -were contracted, which in reference to all the Powers interested in -the commerce of the Mediterranean, and in the territorial arrangements -of that part of the world, were calculated to allay apprehensions -which might reasonably have existed respecting the occupation of -Algiers by the French." - -There were difficulties also within the Ministerial Council. The -preparations for the expedition were nearly completed, before it was -known who was to command it. Three Marshals and six Lieutenant -Generals are said to have been successively proposed and rejected; at -length the Moniteur of the 20th of April, the same which contained the -defence of the objects of the expedition, announced that the King had -appointed Count de Bourmont the Minister of War, to the command of the -_Army of Africa_, as it was termed. The appointment to a station so -responsible of a man who had betrayed every cause in which he engaged -is said to have received the unwilling assent of the King; it was -considered a fortunate circumstance by the Liberal Party, as it -contributed to excite the indignation of the whole country, and to -deprive the Government of the popularity, which it might otherwise -have gained by the expedition. - -On the day when his nomination was published, Bourmont left Paris for -Toulon, the affairs of his Department having been committed during his -absence to Prince Polignac. He was followed by the Minister of the -Marine, and soon after by the Duke d'Angouleme, who as grand Admiral -of France came to review the armament before its departure. - -Certainly never did the harbor of Toulon, nor any other harbor exhibit -a more gallant spectacle. - -The Army of Africa was composed of thirty-seven thousand six hundred -and fifty men; the number of horses employed in the different branches -of its service was three thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, and -the artillery consisted of one hundred and eighty pieces of cannon. -This force was arranged in three divisions, which were placed -severally under the commands of {147} Lieutenant Generals the Baron de -Barthezène, Count de Loverdo, and the Duke d'Escars; the Chief -Engineer was General Valazé and the artillery was directed by Count de -la Hitte. The number of ships of war was one hundred and three, -including eleven of the line, twenty-three frigates and seven steam -ships; they were manned by twenty-seven thousand seamen, and carried -more than three thousand guns. They were arranged in three squadrons; -the _Squadron of Battle_ commanded by Admiral Duperré, who conducted -the naval operations of the expedition; the _Squadron of -Disembarkation_ by Admiral Rosamel, and the _Squadron of Reserve_ by -Captain Lemoine. Between four and five hundred merchant vessels were -engaged for the transportation of horses, provisions and materials, -and many others were allowed to accompany the fleet, laden with -various articles which might be needed. Of the equipments and -accompaniments of this force, it would be difficult to convey an -adequate idea, without entering into details which might not prove -generally interesting; suffice it to say that no expense was spared to -render them complete, and that nothing was neglected, which could -contribute to the attainment of the end proposed. Upon the whole, the -armament was superior to any other which in modern times has crossed a -sea; those led by Charles the Fifth against Tunis and Algiers, the -famed _Spanish Armada_ sent by Philip the Second for the invasion of -England, and even the mighty expedition conducted by Napoleon to Egypt -being each inferior to it in appointments, in naval force, and in the -numerical amount of the persons engaged. - -All things being in readiness the embarkation of the troops was -commenced on the 11th of May, and having been conducted with the -utmost order and precision, it was terminated in a week. On the 25th -the wind being favorable the first squadron sailed out of the harbor; -the second followed on the 26th, and the third on the 27th. They -directed their course for Algiers; it was however arranged that in -case of separation by storm or other unexpected occurrence, the place -of rendezvous would be Palma the capital of the Island of Majorca. - -Scarcely had the first squadron quitted Toulon, ere it was met by a -Turkish frigate escorted by one of the ships of the squadron which was -blockading Algiers. The Turkish frigate bore no less a personage than -Tahir Pasha the Capudan Pasha or High Admiral of Turkey, who had been -sent by the Sultan with full powers to arrange the differences between -France and the Dey. He had sailed first to Algiers, where he intended -to command Hussein to accept the terms required by the French, and in -case of refusal to depose him and take possession of the place in the -name of the Sultan; but the commander of the blockading squadron off -that place had received orders to suffer no ship to enter the harbor, -and Tahir finding it impossible to land, hastened to Toulon in hopes -that his representations might prevent the sailing of the expedition. -Well was it for the Pasha, that he was not permitted to enter Algiers, -for Hussein who knew of his approach and of the objects of his visit, -had prepared to have him strangled as soon as he landed. - -The Turkish Ambassador on meeting the French fleet, boarded the -Admiral's ship, and had a conference with Bourmont which of course -proved ineffectual; he then continued his voyage to Toulon, where he -was placed in quarantine immediately on his arrival. Thence he -attempted to transmit his communications to the Government, but great -care had been taken to prevent them from reaching their destination. -The British Ambassador asked explanations from the French Minister as -to the objects of his visit, and endeavored to procure a hearing for -him; but Prince Polignac adroitly evaded the questions, by confessing -with the greatest apparent frankness, that he was entirely ignorant -for what purpose the Turkish Ambassador was sent. Tahir at length -seeing that it was useless to remain longer, and have "his beard thus -laughed at," went back to Constantinople. - -Before the scene of the history is changed to Africa, it may be -stated, that on the 15th of May, while all France was intent upon the -preparations for the departure of the expedition, an ordinance -appeared in the Moniteur dissolving the Chamber of Deputies. A few -days after a partial change was made in the Ministerial Body by the -introduction of persons still more opposed to liberal institutions -than those whom they replaced, and still more odious to the nation at -large. The French Ministry subsisted as thus organized until the 28th -of July, when Charles the Tenth ceased to reign. - - - - -A LAY OF RUIN. - -BY MISS DRAPER. - - - 'Twas nightfall--and the stars their pale light threw - Upon the Cortées, and her joyous crew, - Propitious heaven a friendly cool wind gave, - That fanned them gently o'er the silvery wave: - Upon the deck, mingled the gay and young, - In giddy motion--while the pleasant sound, - The lively note of merry music rung - In lightsome echoes, on the water round. - Oh! it is glorious, when on ocean far, - A prosperous crew their jovial revels keep, - Gazing on Beauty 'neath the midnight star, - And dancing on the bosom of the deep. - - Amid his mates, thick gather'd round the mast, - The laughing sailor whistles loud, and sings - Of storm, and shipwreck, and strange dangers past, - Of sharks, and crocodile, and all such things - As eat men up at sea--and then anon, - Of Heathen temples, and of Christian domes, - Of Greenland Beauties, in a freezing zone, - And dark-ey'd Donnas, in their sunny homes. - - Far from the rest--pensive, and silently, - Mute as a statue, Sobieski stood, - A banish'd Pole--a gallant soldier he, - Of noble aspect, and of noble blood. - It wanted not the aid of tongue to speak, - All Sobieski had been--or was now: - The silent tear, upon his manly cheek, - The thick, deep furrows of his lofty brow,-- - His faded lip, his melancholy gaze, - Told the sad history of gone-by days. - And closely by his side a frail girl clung, - The proud Pole's daughter: with a tearless eye, - And pensive smile--upon his arm she hung, - Like some pale being from the distant sky. {148} - - A breeze arose--it was a joyous breeze-- - And as they hurry through the parting seas, - From highest mast the anxious tars look out: - "Land, land ahead!" the hopeful sailors shout. - It blew a gale--it blew a heavy gale-- - With dexterous hand they furl the rattling sail. - A tempest came--against a frightful rock - The Cortées struck--hearts quiver'd with the shock. - "Down with the life-boat,"--'twas a fearful cry; - And oaths, and prayers, went mingling through the sky. - By raging winds and furious breakers lash'd, - 'Gainst the tall cliffs again the Cortées dash'd-- - On the white waves a scatter'd wreck she lay, - And the wild billows roll'd her mast away. - - Slowly, but safe, the crowded life-boat bore - Its precious burden, to the nearing shore-- - And as with breathless haste the thankful crew - Leapt on the land, all hands were safe but two; - But two were wanting, two, and two alone, - The Polish Maiden! and the exiled one! - - They two had linger'd on the Cortées, till - The hardy Captain, seeing all must fly, - Tore down a light boat; with a dismal cry, - And frantic rush, the slender bark they fill. - For life--for life--the weary sailors row'd. - For life--for life--Oh! 'twas a vain endeavor; - The little skiff o'erburden'd with its load, - Was slowly sinking in the waves forever-- - Ah! which of them, with land in sight, could bear - To meet Death thus? Hope makes a coward brave, - And they who might have shudder'd in despair, - Kept fearlessly above the billowy wave-- - The dexterous swimmers, reach'd the life-boat's crew, - And Sobieski could have reach'd it too; - But in one arm his terror'd child he bore, - And with the other battled with the sea: - Bravely he toil'd to gain the distant shore; - The rest were there already--only he, - And his wan daughter, with exhausted breath, - Were flying from the watery jaws of Death. - At length, the frenzied Pole beheld the land, - And eager, with a Father's tender hand, - Fondly, he raised Pascobi's drooping head; - She trembled not--her terror all had fled-- - The Polish maid was with the fearless dead! - - The distant thunder murmur'd through the air, - The lightning gleam'd amid the clouds afar, - The hollow wind went whistling--low, away - On unknown journies. Light, and lovely day - Were brightly dawning on that lonely spot, - Where lay the victim of the direful storm, - So still--so pale--so beautiful--with not - An eye to weep for her. In holy calm, - And silent grief, her sire was kneeling by-- - Pascobi slept, as free from care as pain-- - And 'twere a sin that e'en a father's sigh - Should wake that daughter into life again. - - Once, Sobieski under Poland's sun - Had proudly lorded over lands his own-- - And now, his Spirit could not stoop to ask - A Stranger to bestow on him a grave-- - He took his pale child, 'twas a bitter task, - And buried her beneath the quiet wave. - - - - -BALLAD. - - - Far 'neath the dim mountains - The daylight dies-- - And Heaven is opening - Her starry eyes; - The Moon o'er the tree-tops - Looks down on the stream, - Where the castle's broad shadow - Sleeps--dark as a dream. - - From the Oriel-lattice - A bright Lady gazed-- - Her eyes--sad--though tearless, - To heaven upraised. - Her brow was all paleness-- - Yet beauty dwelt there-- - A picture of sorrow - With raven dark hair. - - She marked not the softness - Of dim vale and stream-- - The mist on the mountain-- - The lake's distant gleam-- - She saw not the mimic - Dew-star in the grass, - Nor the pale damp that hung o'er - The haunted morass. - - She heard not the owlet's - Sad song from the wood-- - Nor the rush of his wings as - He sailed o'er the flood-- - Nor rapid hoofs ringing, - And neigh echoed shrill, - As the hurrying horseman - Spurred over the hill. - - Oh! her thoughts were far distant - Far--far--in the land, - Where her gallant crusader - Held knightly command. - She prays for his safety, - Who sleeps in his gore - By the crimson-dyed sands of - Far Galilee's shore. - - The dark waving cypress - O'ershadows his grave-- - A cross tells the pilgrim - Where sleepeth the brave-- - And the horseman who knocks at - The castle-gate, - Hath a tale for its Lady, - A seal for her fate. - -W. M. R. - - - - -THE GOURD OF JONAH. - - -The gourd mentioned in Jonah as springing up in one night, is in the -Hebrew 'Kikajon.' St. Jerom and many others call it ivy. St. Jerom, -however, acknowledges ivy to be an improper translation. The Kikajon, -according to Galmêt, is a non-parasitical shrub found in the sandy -places of Palestine. It grows with rapidity, and has thick leaves -resembling those of a vine. - - -{149} - - -THE COUSIN OF THE MARRIED, AND THE COUSIN OF THE DEAD. [From the -French.] - - -There was found, under the Restoration, a man who was surnamed _The -Cousin of the Married_, and who merited the appellation by a course of -industry and ingenuity truly singular. He repaired every morning to -the office of the Mayor of the twelve districts of Paris, and -stationed himself before the little grate, where are endorsed notices -of all marriages about to take place. He read attentively the names of -the affianced persons, learned their qualities, and informed himself -of their fortune. When he obtained all this information, the ingenious -Cousin made his choice, always deciding, however, in favor of that -marriage which was expected to attract the greatest number of guests, -and which promised the most sumptuous dinner. He would then buy an -enormous _bouquet_, put on his fine black coat, a pair of open-work -stockings and light pumps, and then take from his bandbox his new hat; -so attired he would proceed cautiously among the carriages, with a -buoyant step, to the church where the marriage ceremony was to be -performed, join the crowd of attendants, and officiously offer to hold -the nuptial veil. When the benediction was pronounced, he created -himself _Master of Ceremonies_, leading the way to the carriages, -giving his hand to the ladies, carefully lifting their dresses to -prevent them from coming in contact with the coach wheels, shutting -the coach doors and bidding the drivers proceed to the appointed -hotel. For himself he was no less careful, as he always contrived to -secure a place for himself in one of the carriages, so as to arrive -with the rest of the company. It was then that he was brilliant, and -then that his liveliness and gaiety served to beguile, with the -company, the tedious hour before dinner. He had for all some remark to -excite laughter--he repeated a pleasant little story, adapted to the -time and circumstance of the assembly--he hastened the preparations -for the repast--humorously recommended the guests to be patient, and -to prepare their appetites for eating, and when all was ready he would -announce the fact himself. He was the Major Domo of the house--the man -indispensable--the commissary of the feast. Every voice was in his -praise--"_that gentleman is very amiable_"--and if any one -indiscreetly inquired his name, it was answered that he was presumed -to be the parent or friend of the bride, or a cousin or an intimate -friend of the groom. - -But it was at the table that his efforts to please were particularly -conspicuous. He would post himself in the place of honor--seize the -great carving-knife--cut up the meats with admirable promptness and -dexterity, and carefully and politely wait upon every guest. He -directed the servants, overlooked the courses, and tasted the wines. -Then when the dessert was brought, he would take from his pocket a -piece of pink paper, mysteriously unfold it, and sing from it a stanza -in honor of the newly married couple, composed by himself expressly -for the occasion. The good fellow knew but one little story and but -one stanza, but he served them up every morning in a new edition. - -Unfortunately this witty sharper was one day detected in his career of -imposition. Seduced by the attraction of great names, he went to the -marriage festival of a rich nobleman of the Fauborg St. Germain. He -had assisted at the mass--returned in an elegant barouche to the -hotel--had glided unobserved into the parlor, and stood waiting for a -suitable opportunity to rehearse his amusing little story, and to -commence his _impromptu_ remarks, so often before repeated. All at -once he became the object of general attention; all at once he found -all eyes fixed upon him. The mistress of the feast had counted her -plates and her guests, and had ascertained that of the latter there -was one too many. She was astonished to find on inquiring the name of -the Cousin, that no one knew him, and that no one recognized him as a -friend. For the first time the _Cousin of the Married_ lost his -self-possession and his assurance. How was he to escape the gaze of -the eyes fixed upon him? How was he to answer the questions which -might be addressed to him? Presently, a gentleman advances towards him -and asks--"By which of the married couple were you invited--on which -side are you?" - -"On which side?" said the Cousin of the Married, taking his hat, "on -the side of the door;" and so saying, he quickly descended the stairs -and left the house. Since that day no one has heard tell of him. - -But if we have no longer the Cousin of the Married, we have now the -_Cousin of the Dead_, an expression equally as significant as the -first. - -Ruined by the Revolution of 1793, the Count of V***, was obliged to -accept of a very modest employment. In consequence of a change in the -Ministry, the old clerk was compelled to leave his office, with no -other resource to sustain life, than a miserable income of 400 francs -per annum. He was old, and alone in the world. His strength did not -permit him to labor, and by constantly dwelling on his poverty, he -became melancholy, and subsequently fell dangerously sick. By -carefully attending to the advice of a physician, who generously -refused to accept the small sum the old man offered to give for his -services, he became, in time, somewhat restored. This physician -prescribed for his patient, on pain of a relapse, frequent exercise -and a daily ride. You may judge of the poor man's embarrassment! How -could he ride every day in a carriage, when his little income was -scarcely sufficient to procure the essentials of life? The smallest -excursion in a cabriolet cost twenty-five sous--one excursion per day -would be four hundred and fifty francs per annum, and his whole yearly -income amounted to only four hundred. At that time omnibusses were not -invented. - -He was beginning to despond when the heavens sent him succor. In -passing near St. Rock, he observed that the gate of the church was -hung in black, and that a long line of vehicles were in waiting to -conduct a funeral procession to _Père La Chaise_. The coachmen were on -their seats, and their strong and beautiful horses, covered with the -trappings of mourning, were awaiting with impatience, the moment of -departure. The advice of the physician recurred with great force to -the mind of poor V***--a feeling of jealousy glided into his -inoffensive heart. He envied the fortune of those who could thus ride -gratis--he envied, for one instant, the happy destiny of the deceased, -in being conveyed to his last earthly home, in a splendid hearse, -drawn by four magnificent horses. Feeling a curiosity to know the name -and history of one upon whom fortune had so lavished {150} her favors, -he entered the church and piously knelt down among the mourners. V*** -had on his only black coat, and he was immediately taken for one of -the friends of the deceased, and after the ceremonies in the church, -was offered a place in one of the funeral carriages. The occasion was -too opportune to be neglected, and he gladly jumped into the -wished-for carriage. - -On the way, a thousand ideas passed through his imagination. He -thanked heaven for having furnished him with the means to fulfil, in -so economical a manner, the recommendation of his physician. He -accompanied the corpse to the grave--saw the coffin laid in the tomb, -and on leaving the churchyard, he found the coach in waiting, and the -coachman ready to convey him home. - -Since that event V*** has become the willing assistant of all public -interments; and what was, at first, only useful as a means of -exercise, has become for him a pleasure and a delight. He goes to a -funeral as others go to the theatre, to a ball, or to a festival. He -daily reads the lists of deaths in the city, and these lists are to -him a journal, and the only one for which he conceives there is any -use. Still more, he has taken lodgings opposite the dwelling of the -undertaker, and every morning he crosses the street to converse with -the undertaker, and inform himself of the burials of the day. He puts -on his blue surtout or his black dress, according to the rank and -fortune of the deceased, the expenses of the funeral, &c., and for all -grand ceremonies he wears crape on his arm. V*** is now generally -known by the title of _the Cousin of the Dead_. For fifteen years he -has not missed a single funeral. His views are too liberal to adopt -party feelings; he has assisted to inter Bellart and Manuel, Talma and -the Bishop of Beauvais, a female follower of St. Simon and the lady -Superior of the Convent of Minimes, and he hopes to live to inter many -other characters equally distinguished. He once presented to the -Chamber of Deputies, a petition for a law interdicting the embalming -of infants, by which the number of funeral processions is materially -lessened. - -The Cousin of the Dead possesses a remarkably expansive sensibility, -and an extraordinary quantity of sympathy for the afflictions of -others. He feels the grief of a bereaved mother, the despair of a -heart-broken widow, the sorrow of a childless father, with the -poignancy of truth. Many a legator, in noticing his sorrow at the -grave, has taken him for a disinherited relative; many a mother has -been gratified to see him shed tears over her favorite son, and many -an husband, on losing a beloved wife, has been astonished at his grief -over her remains. He composes funeral orations for all illustrious -persons; the burial place is his life and his world. At times, struck -with the appearance of grief depicted on his countenance, the friends -of the dead have desired him to be the principal mourner. - -One day, during the burial of a personage of considerable importance, -the Cousin of the Dead was observed to shed an abundance of tears. One -of the mourners approached him and desired that he would make a few -appropriate remarks--_jeter quelques fleurs sur le cercueil_--on the -individual whose remains they had just deposited in the cold grave. -The procession closed around him as he prepared to speak. - -"The tomb," said he, "is again about to enclose the remains of a -distinguished citizen." He stopped for a moment, and inquired, in a -low voice, the name of the deceased. He was answered, "Augustin -Leger." - -"Augustin Leger," he resumed, "was a man, grave and austere. His long -life was but a continued series of virtuous and benevolent acts. He -was entirely devoted to the holy, the legitimate cause of----" - -_He was a regicide!_ - -"The rights of the sovereign people. His disinterestedness----" - -_He was a usurer!_ - -"His laudable economy, his aversion to luxury, his unassuming and -modest deportment, had gained for him universal esteem. But still more -worthy of admiration were his virtues in private life--his patience, -his humility, and his devoted and unchangeable attachment to the wife -of his bosom, the lady of his choice." - -_He had been divorced!_ - -"For his children he cherished the most affectionate and tender -regard." - -_He had driven them from his house!_ - -"Virtuous friend! May the earth rest lightly on thy coffin!" - - - - -THE DUC DE L'OMELETTE. - -BY EDGAR A. POE. - - And stepped at once into a cooler clime. - _Cowper_. - - -Keats fell by a criticism. Who was it died of _The Andromache_?[1] -Ignoble souls!--De L'Omelette perished of an ortolan. _L'histoire en -est breve_--assist me Spirit of Apicius! - -[Footnote 1: Montfleury. The author of the _Parnasse Reformé_ makes -him thus express himself in the shades. "The man then who would know -of what I died, let him not ask if it were of the fever, the dropsy, -or the gout; but let him know that it was of The Andromache."] - -A golden cage bore the little winged wanderer, enamored, melting, -indolent, to the _Chaussée D'Antin_, from its home in far Peru. From -its queenly possessor La Bellissima, to the Duc De L'Omelette, six -peers of the empire conveyed the happy bird. It was "All for Love." - -That night the Duc was to sup alone. In the privacy of his bureau, he -reclined languidly on that ottoman for which he sacrificed his loyalty -in outbidding his king--the notorious ottoman of Cadêt. - -He buries his face in the pillow--the clock strikes! Unable to -restrain his feelings, his Grace swallows an olive. At this moment the -door gently opens to the sound of soft music, and lo! the most -delicate of birds is before the most enamored of men! But what -inexpressible dismay now overshadows the countenance of the -Duc?----"_Horreur!_--_chien!_--_Baptiste!_--_l'oiseau! ah, bon Dieu! -cet oiseau modeste que tu as deshabillé de ses plumes, et que tu as -servi sans papier!_" It is superfluous to say more--the Duc expired in -a paroxysm of disgust. - - * * * * * - -"Ha! ha! ha!"--said his Grace on the third day after his decease. - -"He! he! he!"--replied the Devil faintly, drawing himself up with an -air of hauteur. - -"Why, surely you are not serious"--retorted De L'Omelette. "I have -sinned--_c'est vrai_--but, my good {151} sir, consider!--you have no -actual intention of putting such--such--barbarous threats into -execution." - -"No _what?_"--said His Majesty--"come sir, strip!" - -"Strip indeed!--very pretty i' faith!--no, sir, I shall _not_ strip. -Who are you, pray, that I, Duc De L'Omelette, Prince de Foie-Gras, -just come of age, author of the 'Mazurkiad,' and Member of the -Academy, should divest myself at your bidding of the sweetest -pantaloons ever made by Bourdon, the daintiest _robe-de-chambre_ ever -put together by Rombêrt--to say nothing of the taking my hair out of -paper--not to mention the trouble I should have in drawing off my -gloves?" - -"Who am I?--ah, true! I am Baal-Zebub, Prince of the Fly. I took thee -just now from a rose-wood coffin inlaid with ivory. Thou wast -curiously scented, and labelled as per invoice. Belial sent thee--my -Inspector of Cemeteries. The pantaloons, which thou sayest were made -by Bourdon, are an excellent pair of linen drawers, and thy -_robe-de-chambre_ is a shroud of no scanty dimensions." - -"Sir!" replied the Duc, "I am not to be insulted with impunity!--Sir! -I shall take the earliest opportunity of avenging this insult!--Sir! -you shall hear from me! In the meantime _au revoir!_"--and the Duc was -bowing himself out of the Satanic presence, when he was interrupted -and brought back by a gentleman in waiting. Hereupon his Grace rubbed -his eyes, yawned, shrugged his shoulders, reflected. Having become -satisfied of his identity, he took a bird's eye view of his -whereabouts. - -The apartment was superb. Even De L'Omelette pronounced it _bien comme -il faut_. It was not very long, nor very broad,--but its height--ah, -that was appalling! There was no ceiling--certainly none--but a dense, -whirling mass of fiery-colored clouds. His Grace's brain reeled as he -glanced upwards. From above, hung a chain of an unknown blood-red -metal--its upper end lost, like C----, _parmi les nues_. From its -nether extremity hung a large cresset. The Duc knew it to be a -ruby--but from it there poured a light so intense, so still, so -terrible, Persia never worshipped such--Gheber never imagined -such--Mussulman never dreamed of such when drugged with opium he has -tottered to a bed of poppies, his back to the flowers, and his face to -the God Apollo! The Duc muttered a slight oath decidedly approbatory. - -The corners of the room were rounded into niches. Three of these were -filled with statues of gigantic proportions. Their beauty was Grecian, -their deformity Egyptian, their _tout ensemble_ French. In the fourth -niche the statue was veiled--it was not colossal. But then there was a -taper ankle, a sandalled foot. De L'Omelette laid his hand upon his -heart, closed his eyes, raised them, and caught his Satanic -Majesty--in a blush. - -But the paintings!--Kupris! Astarte! Astoreth!--a thousand and the -same! And Rafaelle has beheld them! Yes, Rafaelle has been here; for -did he not paint the ---- ? and was he not consequently damned? The -paintings!--the paintings! O Luxury! O Love!--who gazing on those -forbidden beauties shall have eyes for the dainty devices of the -golden frames that lie imbedded and asleep against those swellings -walls of eider down? - -But the Duc's heart is fainting within him. He is not, however, as you -suppose, dizzy with magnificence, nor drunk with the ecstatic breath -of those innumerable censers. _C'est vrai que de toutes ces choses il -a pensé beaucoup--mais!_ The Duc De L'Omelette is terror-stricken; for -through the lurid vista which a single uncurtained window is -affording, lo! gleams the most ghastly of all fires! - -_Le Pauvre Duc!_ He could not help imagining that the glorious, the -voluptuous, the never-dying melodies which pervaded that hall, as they -passed filtered and transmuted through the alchemy of the enchanted -window panes, were the wailings and the howlings of the hopeless and -the damned! And there too--there--upon that ottoman!--who could _he_ -be?--he, the _petit-maitre_--no, the Deity--who sat as if carved in -marble, _et qui sourit_, with his pale countenance, _si amerement_. - - * * * * * - -_Mais il faut agir_--that is to say a Frenchman never faints outright. -Besides, his Grace hated a scene--De L'Omelette is himself again. -There were some foils upon a table--some points also. The Duc had -studied under B----, _il avait tué ses six hommes_. Now then _il peut -s'echapper_. He measures two points, and, with a grace inimitable, -offers his Majesty the choice. _Horreur!_ his Majesty does not fence! - -_Mais il joue!_--what a happy thought! But his Grace had always an -excellent memory. He had dipped in the "_Diable_" of the Abbé -Gualtier. Therein it is said "_que le Diable n'ose pas refuser un jeu -d'Ecarté_." - -But the chances--the chances! True--desperate: but not more desperate -than the Duc. Besides, was he not in the secret?--had he not skimmed -over Pere Le Brun? was he not a member of the Club Vingt-un? "_Si Je -perds_," said he, "_Je serai deux fois perdu_," I shall be doubly -damned--_voila tout!_ (Here his Grace shrugged his shoulders) _Si Je -gagne Je serai libre,--que les cartes soient prepareés!_ - - * * * * * - -His Grace was all care, all attention--his Majesty all confidence. A -spectator would have thought of Francis and Charles. His Grace thought -of his game. His Majesty did not think--he shuffled. The Duc _coupa_. - -The cards are dealt. The trump is turned--it is--it is--the king! -No--it was the queen. His Majesty cursed her masculine habiliments. De -L'Omelette laid his hand upon his heart. - -They play. The Duc counts. The hand is out. His Majesty counts -heavily, smiles, and is taking wine. The Duc slips a card. - -"_C'est à vous à faire_"--said his Majesty cutting. His Grace bowed, -dealt, and arose from the table _en presentant le Roi_. - -His Majesty looked chagrined. - -Had the drunkard not been Alexander, he would have been Diogenes; and -the Duc assured his Majesty in taking leave "_que s'il n'etait pas De -L'Omelette il n'aurait point d'objection d'etre le Diable_." - - - - -THE ILIAD. - - -Mr. H. N. Coleridge says there would be no difficulty in composing a -complete epic poem with as much symmetry of parts as is seen in the -Iliad, from the English ballads on Robin Hood. - - -{152} - - -RUSTIC COURTSHIP IN NEW ENGLAND. - -[_From the lips of an Octogenarian_.] - - Won by the charms - Of goodness irresistible. - _Thomson_. - - -"You see, ma'am," said the old man, "my mother died when I was twelve -years old. About that time old Mr. C---- came down, and set up for a -great _marchant_. Well, his wife was sick, and she sent to ----, where -she came from, for a widow-woman to come and take care of her. This -widow-woman had three children. Her husband, had been a sea-faring -man, and he was _wracked_ and lost down there at Halifax,--and left -his wife with nothing at all, and these three children to take care -of." - -"Well, my daddy, ma'am, fell in with her, some how or other, and -married her. She was a nice woman--as good a mother as ever was,--and -had great _larning_, and knew how to do every thing,--only she didn't -know _nothing_ about country-work, you see. Well, her oldest daughter -came down, (for my dad had agreed to take one of the children,) and -she was a nice _gal_; and a while after the boy came down. Well, there -was nothing said; we all worked along; and the daughter she got -married--married Mr. H----, (you know his folks?--) he broke his neck -afterwards, falling from his horse." - -"Well, a while after this tother daughter came down. Debby was -dreadful plain!--I thought she was _dreadful plain!!_--but she was a -nice _gal_--smart, working--and good to every body. You see, there -were four young children of the second crop, and they had got ragged; -and Debby spun, and wove, and clothed, and mended them up. Well, she -went back,--but they couldn't live without her, and sent for her -again, and so she came. She took care of every thing--saw to my -things, and had them all in order,--and every thing comfortable for me -in the winter, when I went in the woods,--but I thought nothing, no -more than if she'd been my sister." - -"Well, by this time I was a youngish man; and in my day, the young -folks had a sort of a frolic every night. I used to go,--and sometimes -went home with one _gal_, sometimes with another,--but never thought -of Debby. Well, there was a Mr. ---- came to see her, but she wouldn't -have nothing to say to him; and after that, one came from the -Shoals--a rich man's son; his father gave him a complete new vessel, -and every thing to load her; but Debby wouldn't have nothing to do -with him _nother_. _Then I wasn't worth so much as this stick!_--Well, -I wondered, and so I says to mother, 'Mother, what's the reason Debby -wont take this man?--she'll never better herself!'--'Don't you know, -John?' says mother. 'No.' So I says to Debby--'Why don't you have him, -Debby?' 'Because,' says Debby, says she, 'if I can't have the one I -want, I wont have nobody!'" - -"Well, I thought nothing,--but went on, frolicking here, and -frolicking there, till one night as I was going home, just towards -day, with one of my mates, says I, 'Tom,' says I, 'I wont go to -another frolic these two months! If I do, I'll give you a -dollar!'--'You?' says he--'you'll go afore two nights!' 'Well, you'll -see,' says I.--Well, I stayed at home _steady_; and after a while says -father, says he to mother, 'Suzy,' says he, (for that was the way he -always spoke to her--) 'Suzy,' says he, 'I guess John has got tired of -raking about so,--and I'm glad of it.' 'I hope he has,' says mother." - -"Well, one day we were all sitting at table,--mother _sot_ there,--and -father _sot there_,--and the hired man next him,--(for we had a hired -man, and hired _gal_,) and Debby was next to mother, and the _gal_ -next, and I between the hired man and hired _gal_. Well, mother was -joking the hired man and _gal_,--(she was a great hand to joke,) and I -cast an eye at Debby, and I thought, 'I never see any body alter as -you have, Debby!'--She looked handsome!--Well, Debby was weaving up -stairs; and I was mowing down by the well, close by the house; and I -felt kind of uneasy, and made an excuse to go in for a drink of water. -Well, I went in;--and I went up stairs, and into tother chamber--not -the one where Debby was weaving,--(for I was kind of bashful, you -see,--) and then I went in where Debby was--but said nothing,--for I -had never laid the weight of my finger on the _gal_ in my life. At -last, 'Debby,' says I, 'what sort of a weaver are you, Debby?' 'O, I -guess I can get off as many yards as any body,' says she; 'and I want -to get my web out, to go up on the hill to sister's, this afternoon.' -'Well,' says I, 'tell her to have something nice, for I shall be up -there.' 'We shan't see you there, I guess,' says Debby. 'You will -though,' says I; 'see if you don't!' Father had a great pasture on the -hill,--a kind of farm like, (for my father was a rich man!--) so just -afore night up I goes, and they had every thing in order. So a while -after supper I says to Debby, 'Debby, 'tis time for us to go, for -'twill be milking-time, by the time we get home.' So we went right -down across,--and on the way we talked the business over. I married -her--and a better wife never wore shoe-leather!" - - - - -PALÆSTINE. - - -Palæstine derives its name from the Philistæi, who inhabited the coast -of Judæa. It has also been called "The Holy Land" as being the scene -of the birth, sufferings and death of our Redeemer. It was bounded on -the north by Syria, on the east by Arabia Deserta, on the south by -Arabia Petrea, and on the west by the Mediterranean. The principal -divisions of the country were Galilea in the north, Samaria in the -middle, and Judæa in the south. This country is at present under the -Turkish yoke; and the oppression which it now experiences, as well as -the visible effects of the divine displeasure, not only during the -reign of Titus, and afterwards in the inundations of the northern -barbarians, but also of the Saracens and Crusaders, are more than -sufficient to have reduced this country, which has been extolled by -Moses, and even by Julian the Apostate, for its fecundity, to its -present condition of a desert. Galilea, the northern division, is -divided by Josephus into Upper Galilea, called Galilea of the Gentiles -because inhabited by heathen nations--and Lower Galilea which was -adjacent to the sea of Tiberias, and which contained the tribes of -Zebulon and Ashur. Galilea was a very populous country: containing, -according to Josephus 204 cities, and towns, and paying 200 talents in -tribute. - -{153} The middle district, Samaria, had its origin in a division of -the people of Israel into two distinct kingdoms, during the reign of -Jeroboam. One of these kingdoms, called Judah, consisted of such as -adhered to the house of David, comprising the two tribes of Judah and -Benjamin. The other ten tribes retained the name of Israelites under -Jeroboam. Their capital was Samaria, which also became the name of -their country. The Samaritans and people of Judæa were bitter enemies. -The former differed in many respects from the strictness of the Mosaic -law. Among the Judæans, the name of Samaritan was a term of reproach. - -The southern division, Judæa, did not assume that name until after the -return of the Jews from the Babylonian captivity--though it had been -called long before "the kingdom of Judah," in opposition to that of -Israel. After the return, the tribe of Judah settled first at -Jerusalem; but afterwards spreading over the whole country, gave it -the name of "Judæa." - -The only rivers of any note in Palæstine are the Jordanes, and the -Leontes, which latter passes through the northern extremity of -Galilea. The Jordan, according to a curious story of Philip the -Tetrarch, has its origin in a lake called Phiala, about ten miles -north of Cæsarea of Samochon. This is said to have been ascertained by -throwing into the lake some straw which came out where the river -emerges from the ground, after having run fifteen miles beneath the -surface of the earth--Mannert the German, thinks this fabulous, and -places the source of the river in Mount Paneas, in the province of -Dan. The Jordan holds a south-westerly course--flows through the lake -Samochon, or Samochonites, or as it is called in the Bible, Merom; -after which, proceeding onwards till received by the sea of Tiberias, -or lake of Genesareth, it emerges from this, and is finally lost in -the Dead Sea. In ancient times it overflowed its banks annually, about -the period of early harvest; and thus differing from most other -rivers, which generally swell in the winter, it was supposed to have a -subterraneous communication with the Nile. But now, we can perceive no -rise, which is probably owing to the channel having been deepened by -the swiftness of the current. The name is supposed to be derived from -the Hebrew "Jarden," on account of the river's rapid "_descent_" -through the country. - -The Dead Sea, called also Asphaltites, from the "asphaltos," or -bitumen, which it throws up, is situated in Judæa, and near 100 miles -long and 25 broad: but is called by Tacitus "Lacus immenso ambitu." -Its waters are extremely salt; but the vapors exhaled from them are -found not to be so pestilential as they have been usually represented. -It is supposed that the thirteen cities, of which Sodom and Gomorrah, -as mentioned in the Bible, are the chief, were destroyed by a volcano, -and once occupied the site of the Dead Sea. Earthquakes are now -frequent in the country. Volumes of smoke are observed to issue from -the lake, and new crevices are daily found on its margin. - -The country is mountainous. The range of Libanus, so named on account -of their snowy summits, from the Hebrew "Lebanon," _white_, is -imperfectly defined. The principal part of them lies towards the north -of Galilea, but the name of Libanus is sometimes given to several -parallel chains, which run through the whole extent of Palæstine. -Between two of these ranges lay a valley so beautiful that some have -called it a terrestrial Paradise; though situated in a much higher -region than the greater part of the country, it enjoys perpetual -spring--the trees are always green, and the orchards full of fruit. -Libanus has been famed for its cedars. Mount Carmel is a celebrated -mountain, properly belonging to Samaria, but on which the Syrians had -an altar, _but not a temple_, dedicated to their god Carmelus. A -priest of this deity, according to Tacitus, (Lib. 2, cap. 78,) -foretold the accession of Vespasian to the throne. - -The principal towns in Galilea were Dio-Cæsarea, Jotapata or Gath, -Genesareth, and Tiberias. Tiberias was built by Herod, near the lake -of the same name, and called after the emperor. After the taking of -Jerusalem, there was at Tiberias a succession of Hebrew judges, till -about the time of the abdication of Dioclesian and Maximinianus. -Epiphanius, bishop of Salamis, says that a Hebrew copy of St. John, -and the Acts of the Apostles, was kept in this city. - -The chief cities of Samaria were Neapolis, Antipatris, Archelais, -Apollonia, Samaria, and Cæsarea. Cæsarea, was the principal, and was -anciently called "Turris Stratonis." It was much embellished by Herod, -who named it Cæsarea in honor of Augustus--and was the station of the -Roman governors. Samaria was situated on Mount Sameron, and was the -residence of the kings of Israel, from the time of Omri, its founder, -to the overthrow of the kingdom. - -In Judæa, were the cities of Engedi, Herodium, Hebron, Beersheba, -Jericho, and Jerusalem. Jericho was in the tribe of Benjamin, near the -river Jordan; and is called by Moses the city of palm-trees, from the -palms in the adjacent plain, which are also noticed by Tacitus. It was -destroyed by Joshua, but afterwards rebuilt. Jerusalem, the capital, -was anciently called Salem, or Jebus, by the Jebusites, who were in -possession of it till the time of David; but it was then called by the -Hebrews Jeruschalaim, signifying "the possession of the inheritance of -peace." The Greeks and Romans called it by the name of Hierosolyma. It -was built on several hills, of which Mount Sion, in the southern part -of the city, was the largest. To the north was Acra, called the -"second," or "lower city"--on the east of which was Solomon's temple, -built on Mount Moriah. North-east of this was the Mount of Olives, and -north of it Mount Calvary, the place of the crucifixion. This city was -taken by Pompey, who thence derived his name of Hierosolymarius. It -was also taken and destroyed by Titus, (in the year of our Lord 71, by -the account of Tacitus--but according to Josephus,) on the 8th of -Sept. A.D. 70--2177 years after its foundation. - -In this siege 110,000 persons are said to have perished, and 97,000 to -have been made prisoners, and as Josephus relates, sold as slaves, or -thrown to wild beasts for the sport of the conquerors. - -P. - - - - -MARTORELLI. - - -Martorelli was occupied for two years in a treatise to prove that the -use of glass for windows was unknown to the ancients. Fifteen days -after the publication of his folio, a house was found in Pompeii all -whose windows were paned with glass. - - -{154} - - -LIVING ALONE. - -BY T. FLINT. - - - There are, to whom to live alone, - Sounds in their ear the funeral moan - Of winter's night breeze, sad and deep, - A prelude of sepulchral sleep. - To live alone I have no dread, - And careless hear upon my bed, - Between the wintry night wind's howl, - The hootings of the forest owl; - Reckless I wrap myself in gloom, - And court endurance for the tomb. - Time was, my feelings were not so: - When Spring upon the drifted snow - Breath'd warm, and bade the waters flow; - When turtles coo'd; on the green hills - Skip'd the spring lambs, murmur'd the rills, - And spread their cups the daffodils, - I was as gay, and with me played - Full many a budding, blue-eyed maid; - My heart, the merriest thing of all, - Bounded within me at the call - Of laughing nature. Ah! 'twas then - The thought of living far from men, - And festive throngs, and social glee, - Had seemed a living death to me. - I loved; but I was plain and poor-- - My fair one rich--and from the door - She sign'd my passport--bade me go, - And, as I might, digest my wo. - One shrug'd, and said, "he must confess, - To cling to one so purposeless, - Would be a folly all would blame - As more than due to friendship's claim." - Another cut our feeble tye, - Because I pass'd all chances by - To mend my fortunes, unimprov'd, - Too weak to be sustain'd, or lov'd. - At last I found a pretty one, - Who lov'd me for myself alone. - I was thrice dear to her, but she - A thousand times more dear to me: - I was the happiest one that liv'd, - And should have been, while she surviv'd. - I saw her suffering, saw her fail-- - And in my eye the sun grew pale; - Nature's stern debt she early paid, - And in the earth my gem was laid: - My heart then grew, as marble, cold-- - And, fortune's worst endur'd, grew bold. - Supine in nature's busy hive, - Men deem'd me dead, though still alive. - One and another slid away, - And left me lonely, old and gray. - 'Tis all a vanity, I said, - And to my lot bow'd down my head-- - Found pensive gladness in my gloom, - A prelude requiem of the tomb, - And felt myself too sternly wise - With useless grief to blear my eyes. - As my slow hours still strike their knell, - I fancy it my passing bell, - And strive, ere yet I pass away, - To grow insensible as clay. - - - - -THE VALLEY NIS. - -BY E. A. POE. - - - Far away--far away-- - Far away--as far at least - Lies that valley as the day - Down within the golden East-- - All things lovely--are not they - One and all, too far away? - - It is called the valley Nis: - And a Syriac tale there is - Thereabout which Time hath said - Shall not be interpreted: - Something about Satan's dart - Something about angel wings-- - Much about a broken heart-- - All about unhappy things: - But "the valley Nis" at best - Means "the valley of unrest." - - _Once_ it smil'd a silent dell - Where the people did not dwell, - Having gone unto the wars-- - And the sly, mysterious stars, - With a visage full of meaning, - O'er th' unguarded flowers were leaning, - Or the sun-ray dripp'd all red - Thro' tall tulips overhead, - Then grew paler as it fell - On the quiet Asphodel. - - _Now_ each visiter shall confess - Nothing there is motionless: - Nothing save the airs that brood - O'er the enchanted solitude, - Save the airs with pinions furled - That slumber o'er that valley-world. - No wind in Heaven, and lo! the trees - Do roll like seas, in Northern breeze, - Around the stormy Hebrides-- - No wind in Heaven, and clouds do fly, - Rustling everlastingly, - Thro' the terror-stricken sky, - Rolling, like a waterfall, - O'er th' horizon's fiery wall-- - And Helen, like thy human eye, - Low crouched on Earth, some violets lie, - And, nearer Heaven, some lilies wave - All banner-like, above _a grave_. - And one by one, from out their tops - Eternal dews come down in drops, - Ah, one by one, from off their stems - Eternal dews come down in gems! - - - - -NEW TESTAMENT. - -The Greek of the New Testament is by no means, whatever some zealots -assert, the Greek of Homer, of Anacreon, or of Thucydides. It is -thickly interspersed with Hebraisms, barbarisms, and theological -expressions. The Evangelists differ much in style among themselves. -St. Matthew is not as pure as St. John, nor he as St. Paul. St. Luke -is the most correct--especially in the Acts. - - -{155} - - -CASTELLANUS, OR THE CASTLE-BUILDER TURNED FARMER. - - A pleasing land of drowsy head it was - Of dreams that wave before the half shut eye, - And of gay castles in the clouds that pass - Forever flushing round a summer sky. - _Thomson_. - - -MR. WHITE,--It is a long time since I threw my mite into the treasury -of your book; Nugator's occupation's gone! was my ejaculation when -last I wrote to you. The same devouring element which has recently -plunged New York in misery and gloom, had just then triumphed over -much of my earthly possessions, but over none more foolishly prized -than sundry small wares which were intended for your market. As there -was no prospect of getting Congress to extend the time of the payment -of _my bonds_, to which one would think I was as justly entitled as -the rich merchant, I had to set to work as best I might to repair the -ravages of fire. In the midst of saws and hammers, of bricks and -mortar, my ideas have been so vulgarized, that you must not expect to -see a Phoenix rise from my ashes. From me you must never expect any -thing but trifles, as my signature portends; yet when I reflect that -this world is made up of small things as well as great, and that the -former are as essential to constitute a whole as the latter, and that -your book ought no more than the world to consist altogether of the -grand, but should sometimes admit the trifling, I am encouraged to -begin again, although already scorched by more fires than one, having -encountered the fire of some of your critics. As the mouse sets off to -greater advantage the bulk of the mammoth, the critics should rather -be pleased than otherwise, to see my wretched skeleton in contrast -with the vast proportions of some of your contributors,--but enough. - -Romances and novels made my neighbor Castellanus a castle-builder; -nothing can be more dissimilar than the world he inhabits and that -ideal one in which he has always lived; like certain persons who shall -be nameless, he has been literally _in_ the world and _out_ of it at -the same time, and his experience therefore might justify a seeming -paradox. I think it was Godwin in his Fleetwood, who drew so beautiful -a contrast between our _night_ dreams and _day_ dreams. Castellanus -never could bear the former, attended by hag and night mare, where we -are forever struggling to attain some goal, which we can never reach; -he did not like to start affrighted out of sleep; to sink through -chasms yawning beneath his feet; - - "Nor toss on shatter'd plank far out upon some deep." - -No, I have heard him exclaim, "Give me the dreams of day; let me -recline upon some bank in summer shade, supine, where fancy fits her -wings for pleasant flight, and quickly ushers me into her radiant -halls. No hope defeated can there make me grieve; no cup untasted from -my lips be dashed; no light, receding ever, there can shine, but -whatsoever there be of joy or love to mortals known, is seized at once -and easily made my own." There are few persons, perhaps, who do not at -some period of life, construct these gay castles, yclept in air, and -well indeed is the appellation bestowed, for though more splendid far -than the works of old; more passing rare than all of which we -read;--Balbec's! Palmyra's!--none could excel them,--yet in a moment -they will topple down, nor leave one marble column, spared as if to -point to the scene of desolation and to mourn for its brethren, -broken, ruined, and overthrown. Such monuments are sometimes seen -standing amid that decay, produced by Goths and Vandals; and Goths and -Vandals still in modern times will break, _irruptive_, on the -castle-builder's chosen spot--misfortunes! griefs! pale care! -tormenting debt!--Then fancy, all thy revelry is forgotten; -reluctantly from our sweet couch, we rise and homeward frowning hie to -toil and writhe and fret. But such is the skill of the artist, that he -has but to ramble forth where all is still and wave his wand, when in -an instant, like the enchantment of old, his shining palaces will -upward climb. It is not so, alas! with those works barbarians -overturned; none know how to raise them to such sublime heights; lost -are those arts by which they towering rose, and we but gaze on them to -sigh and curse the hands which slew them. - -This practice of castle-building had been the habit of Castellanus -from his boyhood. It gave him a strange unsocial turn and made him -shun the inmates of his father's house. He fled all company, and the -pleasures which others pursue were rarely pleasures to him. One -enjoyment he had which never palled. Some lonely seat beside a -"wimpling burn" or waterfall, where human sounds fell distantly; there -with book in hand, he drank in the lulling music with which such a -place is fraught; there would he draw forth, unseen, some old romance -with worn and dusky lid, of "haunted Priories" with bloody hand, or -dark "Udolpho" with its deep mysteries, its gliding ghosts, and secret -pannels. Then would fall the curtain on this mortal vale and all its -hateful realities, and his rapt soul would revel in the high wrought -tale of fancy. For him these fictions had an unspeakable -charm--gallant youths were his companions. He trod with them over Alps -and Appenines, where banditti lurked amid the dreary forests and -lights were seen to glance and disappear. Soft maidens, too, were -there, whose superhuman charms won every heart; encompassed by ten -thousand dangers, he could not leave them, until he saw them safely -locked in love's triumphant arms. Though a very ugly fellow, he had -deceived himself into the belief that he should one day or other marry -one of these delightful creatures, and had even settled that her name -should be Julia, and thought he should be one of the happiest fellows -upon earth; but, Mr. Editor, who do you think he now is? a -clodhopper!! aye a miserable clodhopper! The owner of land and -negroes!! In that one sentence, I sum up all of human misery--and what -do you think is his wife's name? Peggy! Phœbus what a name! - - "Cobblers! take warning by this cobbler's end." - -Yes, ye castle-builders! look upon his undone condition and take -warning. Take warning, parents, and bring up your children to suit the -sphere in which they are to move. I shall not trouble you with the why -and the wherefore of his present condition, but suffice it to say that -such it is, and then picture to yourself the untold miseries he must -endure when I depict to you the sort of life he is leading, with such -passions as I have already described his ruling ones to be. -_Imprimis_: there is Peg--but I had better say as little as possible -of her, {156} out of respect for the ladies and out of regard for my -friend, because in truth like "Jerry Sneak," he has not eaten a "_bit -of under crust since he was married_," but follow me if you please -upon his farm, and let me introduce you to his plagues and tormentors. -Let us look for the overseer--we shall find him, if at home, which is -seldom the case, seated on a _stump_, with the symbol of his office -under his arm. There he is, you see, mounted on his throne lazily -looking at the laborers; working the land to death by injudicious -cultivation; extorting the last drop of vitality from it; a foe to -every species of improvement, and obstinately bent upon going on in -the jog trot of his predecessors. This is Castellanus' companion _ex -necessitate_. Shades of the Orvilles and Mortimers! pity him. What can -there be in common between them? What can they talk about? About -Evelina and Amanda?--cottages covered with woodbine and -honeysuckle?--landscapes and glorious sunsets?--the warbling of -birds?--Oh no, Suk and Sall, negro cabins or pig-styes, corn fields -and----yes, they _can_ talk of birds, but they are blackbirds and -crows, and devil take their warbling--of sunset, but only to lament -the shortness of the days. His (the overseer's) themes are rogues and -runaways--he is eloquent upon hog-stealing, and neither Simon -Sensitive nor Timothy Testy could recount more readily the miseries of -human life. His are the miseries of Geoponies. Rot--rust--weevil--fly -and cutworm, haunt his imagination and dwell upon his tongue. -Castellanus had rather be a dog and bay the moon than discuss such -subjects. But my friend's delight was once in horses; it was one of -the few pleasures he had. His fancy was early captivated by Alexander -mounting Bucephalus; a horse gaily caparisoned and mounted by a steel -clad knight, was a sight upon which his imagination feasted. The red -roan charger of Marmion at the battle of Flodden had thrilled his -every nerve, - - "Blood shot his eyes--his nostril spread - The loose rein, dangling from his head - Housing and saddle bloody red." - -Oh what a picture! and that I should be obliged to exhibit to your -view the counterfeit presentment. The ploughboys are just coming out -of the stable with their master's horses going to plough. Here, sir, -is Buck-e-fallus, as the negro boys call Bucephalus. There is no -difficulty in mounting _him_; they have knocked out one of his eyes; -he has a blind side and cannot see the shadow cast by the sun. If his -spirit was ever as high as his namesake's, he has lost it now--that -little ragged urchin can ride him with a grape-vine--raw-boned, -spavined and wind-galled! let him pass and let us see the next. This -is Smiler! "Lucus a non lucendo," I suppose; alas! _he_ never -smiles--he reminds one of Irving's wall eyed horse looking out of the -stable window on a rainy day. His look is disconsolate in the extreme; -from the imperturbable gravity of his manners, you perceive he is dead -to hope; melancholy has marked him for her own; bad feeding, constant -toil, and a lost currycomb, have made him "what thou well may'st -hate," although he once "set down" as "shapely a shank" as Burns' Auld -mare Maggie ever did. Do you see that long legged fellow, that -Brobdignag, mounted upon the little mare mule? His legs almost drag -the ground, and he ought in justice to _toat_ (aye, sir, _toat_, a -good word, an excellent word, and one upon which I mean to send you an -etymological essay some of these days,) the animal he bestrides. There -are some singular traits about that mule _Golliver_, as the boys by a -singular misnomer call her. She keeps fat "while other nags are poor;" -it is because she lives in the corn-field. She can open the -stable-door by some inscrutable means, some sort of open sessame; -gates are no impediments to her, and even ten rails and a rider cannot -arrest her progress. She seems to have a vow upon her never to leave -the plantation; she will go as far as the outer gate with her rider, -but if he attempt to pass that boundary his fate is sealed. He is -canted most unceremoniously over her head and made to bite the dust; -that gate is her _ultima Thule_; her ne plus ultra; the utmost bound -of her ambition. She has acquaintances enough, as Old Oliver says, and -wishes not to extend the circle. Her policy is Chinese, or perhaps -like Rasselas, she once escaped from her happy valley and was -disappointed in the world--"_one fatal remembrance_" perhaps casts its -"bleak shade" beyond that gate.--I know not in sooth, but heaven help -me! what am I doing? If I go on thus, with the whole _stud_ of my -neighbor, and write at large upon every thing which torments him, I -shall never have done. Suffice it then, that I give you a hasty, -panoramic sketch of what he has to encounter in his rides over his -farm. See him mounted on his little switch tailed grey, which has the -high sounding title of White Surrey, and whose tail is nearly cut off -at the root by the crupper--the mane in most admired disorder, and -fetlocks long and bushy. Now what does he behold? Barren -fields--broken fences--gates unhinged--starving cattle--ragged -sheep--and jades so galled that they make _him_ wince--hogs that eat -their own pigs and devastate his crops--mares that sometimes cripple -their own colts--cows on the contrary which have so much of the milk -of _vaccine kindness_, that they suffer their offspring to suck after -being broken to the cart--bulls even, that suck--rams, so pugnacious, -that they butt his mules down, as the aforesaid Gulliver can attest, -for often have I seen her knocked down as fast as she could rise--upon -my life it's true, Mr. Editor, and you need not add with Major -Longbow, what will you lay it's a lie? It was amusing to see the ram, -with head erect and fixed eye, moving round in a small circle and -watching his opportunity to plant his blows, with all the pugilistic -dexterity of Crib or Molyneux. I once knew my unfortunate neighbor to -have a fine blooded colt, foaled in the pasture with his mules. These -vicious devils had no sooner perceived that the colt was without those -long ears which characterize their species, than they set to work with -one accord to demolish the _monstrous_ production, and in spite of all -the efforts of the mother, which fought with a desperation worthy of -some old Roman, beset by a host of foes, succeeded in trampling to -death her beautiful offspring. What a picture this is of some -political zealots and envenomed critics, who no sooner perceive that a -man has not _asses ears_, like themselves, than they commence a -senseless outcry against him and compass his destruction. I have -somewhere read of a madman, and perhaps he was right, who, when -confined, protested he was not mad; that all mankind were madder than -he, and that they were envious of his superior intellect and therefore -wished to put him out of the way. Castellanus goes to ride out with -Cecilia, Camilla, the {157} Children of the Abbey, or some such book -in his pocket, and so engrossed is his mind with the elegance and -refinement of those personages, that he can scarcely bear to go where -his overseer is. He shuns him as much as Lovel did Captain Mirvan, or -old Mr. Delville Mr. Briggs. He turns with horror from the pictures of -desolation and mismanagement around him, and hastens home to find -consolation in the bosom of his heroines, not of his Peggy, for he -cannot yet say "_Non clamosa mea mulier jam percutit aures_"[1]--and -in truth that virtuous lady has a tongue, and with it can ring such a -peal about the above mentioned unproductive state of things, that he -had rather hear the "grating on a scrannel-reed of wretched -straw;"--or, to be less poetical, and to come back to what he hears -every day, he had rather listen to the music of his own cart-wheels, -which grate so harshly and scream so loudly that they may be heard a -mile off. The inevitable result of all I have told you, Mr. Editor, -is, that my neighbor is actually sinking three or four per cent. upon -his capital every year, and must come to beggary unless you can arouse -him from his ridiculous castle-building and novel reading. I wish you -could see the style in which he moves with his _cara sposa_ to church; -they have _come down_, as we say, to an old gig, which cannot be quite -as old as Noah's ark, because no two of the kind were ever seen in -this world, and therefore could not have been preserved at the time of -the Deluge, although the brass mountings on the muddy and -rain-stiffened harness are of so antique a fashion, that we might well -suppose the ingenuity of that celebrated artificer in brass, Tubal -Cain, was employed in their construction. This crazy vehicle is drawn -by the overseer's horse, which is borrowed for the "nonce,"--because -neither Buck-e-fallus nor Smiler, nor any of the stud are _fit to go_, -and Gulliver, besides being a mule, has declined, as I have already -shewn, having any thing to do with our "external relations;" and -furthermore, because this is the only conceivable mode in which my -neighbor can obtain a return for that unlimited control which the said -horse exercises over the corn in his corn-house. The contrast between -the long lean figure, and rueful and cadaverous countenance of -Castellanus, and the short figure resembling "_the fat squab upon a -Chinese fan_," and the ruddy countenance of Mrs. Castellanus, is very -striking; - - They sit, side by side, in the gig, sir, as solemn - As Marriage and Death in a newspaper column. - -How they ever came together, except by the fortuitous concourse of -atoms, I cannot divine, for certainly without disrespect, I may say, -that however charming Mrs. Castellanus may be, she is not - - A beauty ripe as harvest, - Whose skin is whiter than a swan all over, - Than silver, snow, or lilies-- - -nor has she - - --------------------a soft lip - Would tempt you to eternity of kissing, - And flesh that melteth in the touch to blood. - -But we may cease to wonder at their union, when we reflect on the -couples we see every day,--so totally dissimilar in taste and external -appearance, that we may almost believe with St. Pierre that we love -only those who form a contrast to ourselves. "Love," he says, "results -only from contrasts, and the greater they are, the more powerful is -its energy. I could easily demonstrate this by the evidence of a -thousand historical facts. It is well known, for example, to what mad -excess of passion that tall and clumsy soldier, Mark Anthony, loved -and was beloved by Cleopatra; not the person whom our sculptors -represent of a tall, portly, Sabine figure, but the Cleopatra whom -historians paint as little, lively and sprightly, carried in disguise -about the streets of Alexandria, in the night time, packed up in a -parcel of goods on the shoulders of Apollodorus, to keep an -assignation with Julius Cæsar." - - NUGATOR. - -[Footnote 1: Nay, what's incredible, alack! - I hardly hear a woman's clack.--_Swift_.] - - - - -SONG. - - - This is _no_ "dark and dreary world," - 'Tis full of life and beauty-- - Yet not to him, all "primrose path" - Who's in the way of duty-- - And yet, to cheer him on the road, - The way-side flower is springing, - While to the charms of Nature's day - The wild-bird's sweetly singing. - There is a bliss in Virtue's path - Above all sensual thinking-- - Would he might prove it, he who hath - "Joy"--_Is_ there "_joy_ in drinking?" - - Believe it not--for who hath wo? - Oh, who hath saddest "sorrow?" - "Contentions," "wounds," night-revels show, - That blush to face the morrow. - "The wine is red," but "look not thou - Upon it;" false and glowing, - "'Twill sting thee like a serpent's tooth," - While brightly it is flowing. - Eschew the joys of sense; they are - Unto my _sober_ thinking, - But glozing o'er the black despair, - The deep, deep _wo_ of drinking. - - Look ye around where frowns "the curse"-- - 'Tis but disguised blessing; - The heart that trusts the living God, - Feels not its "doom" oppressing. - Thine, thine the heart, and thine the doom, - When done this earth's probation, - To realms of endless light and joy - A sure and bright translation. - Yet, e'en "the light that's now in thee," - (Ah! 'tis no idle thinking,) - Will darken'd by "a demon" be, - If thou hast "joy in drinking." - -M. M. - - - - -LINES - -To Miss M----t W----s, of P. Edward. - - - From her own garden Nature chose, - In all its blooming pride the Rose, - And from the feathered race the Dove: - Then Margaret, on thy cheek she threw - The blushing flower's most beauteous hue, - And formed thy temper from the bird of love! - - Oh! what delight it is to trace - The modest sweetness of thy face-- - Thy simple elegance and ease-- - Thy smile, disclosing orient pearl-- - Thy locks, profuse of many a curl-- - And hear thy gentle voice, that _never_ fails to please! - - -{158} - - -LIBERIAN LITERATURE. - - -We are perfectly serious in speaking of _Liberian Literature_. Yes--in -Liberia, a province on the coast of Africa, where, thirteen years and -a half ago, the tangled and pathless forest frowned in a silence -unbroken save by the roar of wild beasts, the fury of the tornado, the -whoop of the man-stealer, or the agonizing shrieks of his victims on -being torn from their homes to brave the horrors of the Middle Passage -and of the West Indies--in Liberia, the English language is now -spoken; the English spirit is breathed; English Literature exists; and -with it, exist those comforts, virtues, and pleasures, which the -existence of Literature necessarily implies. -Plantations--farm-houses--villages, built of brick, stone, and -wood--glass windows, carpeted floors, papered walls, and neat if not -elegant furniture--well-supplied tables--stores, filled with various -merchandize--churches, where neatly dressed throngs devoutly send up -the note of praise--bands of infantry and artillery, properly -organized, armed, and trained--schools, in which hundreds are inducted -into the pleasant pathway of knowledge--and (the most expressive sign -of all) a NEWSPAPER, filled with instructive and entertaining -matter--all these, amid an industrious and thriving population of -three or four thousand, have taken place of the savage forest and its -unlovely concomitants. What heightens--indeed what _constitutes_ the -wonder--is, that the main _operatives_ in this great change are _not -white men_. The printer and the editor of the newspaper--the -merchants--most of the teachers and all the pupils--the owners and -cultivators of the farms--the officers and soldiers in the military -companies--the throng in the churches--are all _colored people_, -except some score of whites, whom the climate, generally fatal to -white men, spares yet awhile, as if in gratitude for their -benefactions to Africa. - -What we especially had in view, however, when we began this article, -was neither rhapsody nor dissertation upon the march of Liberia to -prosperity and civilization--unparalleled as that march is, in the -annals of colonization--but a notice (a _critical notice_, if the -reader please) of the aforesaid newspaper; by way of _instancing_ the -literary condition of the settlement. Cowper calls a newspaper, "a map -of busy life--its fluctuations, and its vast concerns:" and indeed we -can imagine no surer index to the moral and intellectual character of -a people, than the 'folio of four pages,' which periodically ministers -to, and constantly takes its tone from, their prevailing tastes, -tempers, and opinions.--We have before us half a dozen numbers of the -"LIBERIA HERALD;" coming down to No. 4, of the sixth volume, dated -October 31, 1835, whence we learn that it has existed for more than -five years. It is printed on a sheet as large as many of our village -papers, and larger than several which we occasionally see. - -Its contents (considering where, and by whom they are selected, -composed, and printed) are in the highest degree curious and -interesting. - -The _shipping list_ for August, exhibits eleven arrivals, and six -departures--that for April, five arrivals, and three departures--for -February, 1835, six arrivals, and four departures--for October, three -arrivals, and two departures. In the August number, are four distinct -paragraphs, each mentioning a ship arrived with emigrants to the -colony. - -A striking feature in the Herald, is the great quantity of original -matter which it contains--either editorial, or communicated. The -number whence the above quotation is made, has four columns of -editorial articles; and three sensible communications from -correspondents--one of them detailing the murderous attack of the -natives, in June last, upon the new settlement at Edina. Another tells -of an excursion, on which we dare say it will please our readers to -accompany the "peregrinator." If he does twaddle, he twaddles to the -full as agreeably as many correspondents of American newspapers, and -more usefully. - - -"_For the Liberia Herald_. - -"Mr. Editor: I was induced, a few days since, by special invitation, -to visit Caldwell. The occasion was one of the most honorable: the -interchange of conjugal vows; the celebration of the nuptials of a -couple, who conscious of mutual affection, made their offering at the -hymeneal altar. The ceremonies were performed at 7 o'clock, P.M.; -after which, the company (small but agreeable) enjoyed the flow of -soul and social innocent merriment, until 9, when the happy pair -returned, and the company dispersed. I repaired to Mr. Snetter's -quarters, where I obtained lodging, comfortable in itself, but -rendered much more so, by his peculiarly agreable manners. After -breakfast, on the ensuing day, we peregrinated the settlement. Mr. -Jameison's farm particularly attracted my attention. The quantity of -land he has under cultivation, as also the advanced state of the -produce, equally excited astonishment. He has potatoes, cassada, -beans, peas, and rice, &c., growing with a luxuriance that I never -before witnessed in this country. The cultivation of the latter -article has not been much attended to, until lately; its culture has -been supposed to be attended with so much difficulty and labor, as to -deter from the attempt. The apprehension however, was groundless, and -the perseverance of Messrs. Palm and Nixon, has given us evidence, in -the most extensive field of rice ever before cultivated in this -country, that the difficulties are such only as attend every -experiment where there is the want of resolution to undertake it. The -settlement of Caldwell is assuming the feature of a regular, farming -village. The Agency Farm under the management of Mr. Snetter, is in -forward condition. - - Yours, &c. L. R. J." - - -But the greatest curiosity in this August number, is a _critique_ upon -Miss Fanny Kemble's Journal. Yes, reader--think of Mrs. Butler, and -all the "terrifying exactions" of her redoubtable book, subjected, on -the very margin of Guinea, to the criticism of an African Editor, who -treats her as unceremoniously, if not as justly, as any critics on -this side of the Atlantic, or on the north side of the Mediterranean. -Imagine him in his elbow chair at Monrovia, his broad nose dilating -and his thick lips swelling with conscious dignity, while he thus -passes judgment upon one who perhaps would hardly suffer him to clean -her shoes. The errors of spelling and syntax (the unsexing of the -authoress included) are doubtless attributable to the printer: but -there are some queer expressions, which seem the editor's own, and -which are rather characteristic of African magniloquence. - - -"_Francis Ann Butler_.--To the politeness of the supercargo of the -Brig Eliza, we have been indebted for a peep at the Journal of Miss -Kemble, or as announced by the title page, _Francis Ann Butler_. From -the celebrity of the tourist, we had anticipated much; but a perusal -of the book treated us to a most vexatious disappointment. On the -literary merit of the work, we do not feel ourselves competent to -decide. But as it is an immunity allowed ignorance, to admire where it -cannot comprehend, we avail ourselves of the privilege, and put in our -share of admiration at the bold and beautiful figures which adorn the -pages; such as 'Miniature Hell:' 'ghastly smiles of the Devil;' 'Blue -Devils,' &c. These are certainly beauties of which we had no -conceptions, until we got hold of the work. We may be allowed to say, -as we pass, that they are not {159} exactly in unison with that soft -and tender delicacy, of which our imagination had composed the fair -sex, of the higher order. We regret much that the work is not -accompanied by a Lexicon, adapted to the style. The want of one has -deprived us of much gratification; as doubtless the excellences of the -work is locked up in such words as 'daudle,' 'twaddle,' &c., which are -to us 'daudles' indeed, or in plain English, unexplorable regions. -Such works may be of utility in communities, where there is sufficient -discrimination to separate the little grain from the redundancy of -chaff, without being chocked [choked] by it, but we can see no earthly -advantage to us in reading them. - -"We will venture to say, however, that if the notes are by the same -hand, the authoress possesses a pretty considerable share of what may -be called sound discriminating judgment on some particulars." - - -One number of the Herald contains some very sensible observations -(editorial) upon the "_Relations between France and the United -States_;" in which the probability of war is spoken of, and its -occurrence earnestly deprecated. The danger from it, to Liberia, is -considered: fears having been entertained by some, lest France might -involve that colony, as she once did the British settlement at -Freetown, in her quarrel with the mother country. - - -"The case, however," says the editor, "is not exactly parallel: -Freetown and the whole colony of Sierra Leone, ever since their -establishment, have been under the British flag, and as such, -considered a member of the British empire--and therefore, its -destruction, it might be argued, was perfectly in unison with the -established principles of war. Ours is an experiment for political -existence;--having a distinct and peculiar flag, owing allegiance to -no government, but to that which is represented by the flag that -floats over Liberia. - -"We recollect having read, that at the time the great Navigator -Captain Cook, was on his voyage of discovery, war broke out between -England and France, and it was requested that Capt. Cook, should the -enemy fall in with him, be allowed an unmolested passage. The French -king replied, that he warred not on science, nor with the principles -of humanity; and that an expedition undertaken for the benefit of all, -should never meet obstruction from the flag of France." - - -A paragraph in the same number, announcing the organization of a Court -of Appeals, with appellate jurisdiction in cases where the sum in -dispute exceeds $100, expresses the orthodox republican sentiment, -that "Laws are made for the benefit of the poor, as well as the rich; -and in legislating, the former should be more especially kept in -view." - -And in the next column is mentioned the establishment, at Caldwell, of -a FIFTH _Baptist Church_ in the Colony. - -Another number states important and cheering facts in regard to the -progress of TEMPERANCE. _Five hundred and three persons had signed the -pledge of total abstinence from the use or sale of spirits, in the -space of one month._ - - -"So great an influence have these Societies exerted upon the community -at large, that a sight of the liquid death has become rare. - -"To Liberia's honor be it _trumped_, that for _ten_ gallons sold in -the Colony four months back, there is not _one_ now. There are a few -that advocate the cause of alcohol; but they cannot support their -opposition long. Public opinion is issuing her imperious edicts, and -every opposer will soon be awed into silence." - - -From the October number we extract the following item. - - -"_Sabbath School_.--On Sunday the 19th instant, a Sabbath School was -opened in the Second Baptist Chapel: 33 children and 3 adults -presented themselves, and had their names registered as scholars. -Suitable books, such as would enable us to arrange the children in -classes, are very much wanting. As it is, each having a different -book, we are obliged to hear them singly, which makes it extremely -laborious, and precludes the possibility of more than one lesson each, -during the hours of school." - - -We would gladly copy a perspicuous and rational account which is given -in several chapters, of the _climate_ and _seasons of Africa_, the -_soil of Liberia_, and the _method of clearing lands_; besides many -other sensible and interesting articles, which say a great deal for -the editor, correspondents, and readers, of the Herald: but we have so -far exceeded the space we had allotted for this subject, that we must -here close our remarks. - -No one can read the Liberia Herald, without not only wonder, that so -much intellect should emanate from such a source, but the strongest -persuasion, that a colony, which in so brief a time has given such -striking evidences of advancement in whatever distinguishes civilized -from savage man, _must succeed_. - - - - -GIBBON AND FOX. - - -Gibbon, the historian, was at one time a zealous partizan of Charles -Fox. No man denounced Mr. Pitt with a keener sarcasm, or more bitter -malignity. But he had his price. A lucrative office won him over to -the ministry. A week before his appointment he had said in Mr. Fox's -presence, "that public indignation should not be appeased, until the -heads of at least six of the ministers were laid on the table of the -House of Commons." - -This fact is found stated in the hand writing of Mr. Fox, on a blank -leaf of a copy of Gibbon's History of the Decline and Fall of the -Roman Empire, which was purchased after Mr. F's death, at a sale of -his effects. The anecdote is followed by these lines, also in Mr. F's -hand writing. - - King George, in a fright, - Lest Gibbon should write - The story of Britain's disgrace, - Thought no means so sure - His pen to secure, - As to give the Historian a place. - - But the caution was vain-- - 'Tis the curse of his reign, - That his projects should never succeed. - Though he write not a line, - Yet a cause of decline - In the Author's example we read. - - His book well describes - How corruption and bribes - Overthrew the great Empire of Rome; - And his writings declare - A degeneracy there - Which his conduct exhibits at home. - - - - -STATIUS. - - -In Statius' Poem on the Via Domitiana, are these lines. - - Qui primo Tiberim reliquit ortu, - Primo vespere navigat Lucrinum-- - -making a distance of one hundred and twenty-seven miles commonly -travelled by the Romans in one day. - - -{160} - - -LIONEL GRANBY. - -CHAPTER VIII. - - ----The yews project their shade; the green - Spreads her soft lap; the waters whisper sleep: - Here thou mayest rest secure. - - _Vacuna, by Sneyd Davies_. - - -Leaving with speed the painful spectacle of my wounded friend, I fled -into the close and matted undergrowth of the forest, and pausing for a -moment to deliberate, I resolved to return to Chalgrave, and brave the -remote risk of a criminal prosecution for an offence which juries -tolerate with mercy, and courts with connivance. I was willing to -trust to that deep-seated public opinion which enacts laws through one -principle, and controls their execution from another; and from whose -opiate breath the grim repose of the duelling law has never awakened. -I passed through many of the classic paths of the old college, and -suddenly diverging from the view of its rude and grotesque steeple, -advanced into the broad road. I had not walked far before I perceived -that I was pursued. Reasoning upon the principle that retreat is more -or less allied to meanness, I soon found the hand of my pursuer firmly -fixed on my shoulder, while he said, with a stern voice, "Mr. Granby, -you are my prisoner! I arrest you in the name of the Commonwealth." - -The powerful and iron grasp which was rivetted to my shoulder, -declared the utter folly of resistance. Through the fading twilight I -could discern the form of a roughly-built, and the countenance of a -brave man; while the odd mixture of his apparel, coarse boots and a -gaudy watch-chain, white ruffles and broad plated buttons, told the -brief history of many a struggling argument between his purse and -gentility. - -"Release me," said I, "and this (showing a purse, through the net-work -of which a golden sea leaped up to the eye,) shall be your reward." - -"Mr. Granby," he replied, throwing his hand suddenly from me, as if a -serpent had stung him, "we are now equal. I will teach you that I am -as far above dishonor as you are. Put up your purse, for I solemnly -swear that you shall not leave this spot until you have satisfied me -for your gross and ungenerous insult. Take this pistol--I have -another; either make an apology or fight. I will measure the distance, -and you may give the word." - -I was struck at once by the innate honor and Virginian feeling of the -man; and throwing the pistol aside, I tendered him my hand, expressing -at the same time my regret in having acted so indiscreetly. - -"Why do you arrest me?" continued I. "It was an open duel, and Mr. -Ludwell is not dead." - -"Is that then the case?" he replied. "Will you pledge me your honor -that such is the truth? I was told that it was an unfair duel, and I -have put myself to great inconvenience to arrest you." - -I gave the pledge required, and I was immediately released from the -grasp of the Commonwealth; her chivalric man of law professing himself -satisfied of my innocence, complimenting me on being a gentleman, and -wishing me good night with a profound and dignified bow. I was in no -humor to moralize on this singular scene; yet I could not forbear to -smile at this strangest of all paradoxes--that he who was prepared to -enforce the duelling law, should be so far elevated above its vulgar -penalty, that he could at pleasure either neutralize its severity, or -trample on its express ordinances, lending a credulous heart to the -dreamy nonsense of chivalry, and a deaf ear to the trumpet-tongued -voice of _Be it enacted_. Such is public opinion, and such are laws; -when in conflict, a Mezentian union--when acting in harmony, the -firmest and most durable base for the fabric of government. - -Pursuing my course, I fortunately encountered Scipio, who was going to -the college with his accustomed budget of letters, and dismounting -him, with orders to go and attend the sick couch of Arthur, I took his -horse, and rode rapidly on to Chalgrave. The night wore sullenly and -gloomily away, and ere morning, one of those fast, yet light -snow-storms, which rush on with a momentary though softened -fierceness, had thrown a spotless mantle around the trees, the hills -and plains of Virginia. I passed two or three of our negroes on the -skirts of the plantation, standing with slouched hats and folded arms, -like so many statues of ebony on a marble floor. 'Tis then that -melancholy spreads its deepest gloom over a Virginian farm--a solitude -fearful, still, and echoless--while all nature bows to its stern -influence. The cattle are gathered to the _farm-pen_, to ruminate over -a rasping _shuck_, or a marrowless corn-stalk. From a pool in the -stable yard, a dense and curling vapor overshadows a motley group of -ducks and geese, who are quarrelling and floundering in undisputed -possession of their odorous empire; while the lengthened face of the -prisoned plough-horse takes a more pallid hue from the sympathy of -melancholy, and is protruded on the scene like that eternal spectre of -death which is ever flitting athwart the path of life. Within the -house there is a confused hurrying to and fro of menials in search of -wood, carpets, and rugs, while the mistress fairly frets herself into -philosophy amid the snow, mud, and her own contradictory orders. A -glance from the window will disclose a crowd of negroes collected -around the wood-yard, waiting to carry the logs cut by one, who with a -heavy whirl of his ponderous axe, and a loud moan, scatters his -wounded chips at every stroke. He is then on the crest of the highest -wave of vanity, and will ever and anon rest his axe to tell of the -broad _clearings_ which have opened beneath his giant arm. I looked on -this quiet and familiar scene with an aching eye and a throbbing -heart; yet I was soothed into peace by that witching spell which -spreads its empire from "Indus to the Pole." It was _home_--that spot -over whose fairy circle my heart, like the gnomon, had dialled all its -sunlit hours of joy and happiness; and in the gushing memory of -childhood's romance, I almost forgot that the stain of blood was on my -hands. - -I did not disturb the family until they were seated at breakfast; and -in reply to my mother's inquiries concerning Arthur's health, I -hesitated not to relate to her the whole detail of the tragic meeting. -Lucy entered the room ere I had finished my sad narrative, and -catching the truth of my tale, suddenly stared at me with a full and -lustreless eye, and looking up for a moment, fell with an hysteric -shriek on the floor. My mother's stern pride subdued her swelling -feelings, and rising from her seat, with a starting tear in her eye, -she led Lucy from the room. Frederick remained cold and unmoved, -throwing his fork into his plate, and playing {161} with his tea-spoon -with an air of frigid indifference. My uncle alone advanced to me, and -seizing my hand, exclaimed in a generous though quivering voice, "_I_ -will not forsake you, my dear boy! You have been indiscreet and -passionate, but your honor is untainted! I knew that you could not -wilfully kill Arthur. Come with me; an express shall be sent to the -college instantly. The odds are greatly in favor of his recovery. I -have in the library a table of fifty duels, prepared by my pen, and -strengthened by my experience. Out of that number but four were -killed, and ten wounded. There is only one bad sign in the whole -affair, and that is the fact that Arthur fell too soon. I have known -many a man carry two balls in his body before he would droop. No -wadding entered his body, for my pistols do not bear it; and you may -hope for the best." - -My uncle's plan of sending an express to the college was approved by -the whole family, and in a short time the house re-echoed to repeated -calls for the ostler. He soon made his appearance, and in reply to my -mother's directions, he gave the usual stable diary of a Virginian -farm. - -"Why, ma'am, there is not a horse on the land fit to ride. Mass -Charles sent the mare out of the county on yesterday to Col. C.'s for -a pointer puppy, and as the boy did not come back in time, he has sent -another on the black horse to look for him. The chariot horses Mass -Charles sent to the court house, with a barrel of cider royal to Capt. -R.; and Miss Lucy's pony has not got a shoe to his foot." - -"Where is the overseer?" said my mother, who was too much accustomed -to scenes of this character to lose any of the calmness of her temper. - -"Oh, he went to the warrant-trying yesterday evening to dispute the -blacksmith's account; and I heard him say that he would stay at the -shop till he could have the beards of two of Mass Charles' Levier -fishing hooks altered. Now, if mistress must send, I will get one of -the blooded plough-horses, and he will make out as well as any." - -This ready auxiliary of a Virginian hurry was necessarily adopted; and -in a short time the old servant, encased in a pair of ponderous boots, -enveloped in an overcoat which fitted him like a shroud, and mounted -on a plough-horse--the gaunt anatomy of poverty--wended his way to -fulfil a mission of charity and repentance. - -The return of the messenger brought the agreeable tidings of Arthur's -convalescence; and when, at the expiration of a week, Scipio delivered -me a letter from Arthur, full of undiminished friendship, the spirits -of our whole household rose to unusual elevation. They were satisfied -that he was now secure from every burst of my dangerous temper; and -when I told them that I was guiltless of his blood, I found my -recompense in the blush of mingled pride and gratitude which mantled -over the cheek of Lucy. My misfortune, in humbling my pride, had the -happy effect of silencing that "fearful felicity" of elocution (as Sir -Philip Sidney terms it) which made my uncle the zealous annalist of -duels, pistols, chivalry, and arrangements. - -How naturally does the heart, when oppressed by disease, or humbled by -misfortune, turn, like the wounded deer, to the silent refuge of -solitude--invoking, under its peaceful shade, that balm of -life--woman's love--that rare medicinal, which pours its rosy health -into the wounds of manhood's fretted existence. Ambition--the quick -pulse of bloated avarice--the rotten pageantry of the world--and the -fret and faction of life, may for a while lure us from its sacred -altar; yet in our moments of despair, we turn to its holy shrine with -renewed devotion, and ever find its radiance, like the brightness of -the tropic-lights, flitting its steady blaze around the darkness of -our destiny. I was so deeply cursed by temper, and depraved by its -exercise, that the love which commonly cheats us into happiness, or -obliterates ennui, brought no relief to my lacerated spirit. Romance -no longer culled its flattering trophies from the memory of Isa -Gordon. I looked on her as one who was too proud to bow to my despotic -love, while I had gained by absence from her at college a spirit of -freedom and independence. She was my _first love_; and, despite the -dictates of common sense, I was almost compelled to believe that such -love was of the purest and firmest character, merely because I had -fallen into it in the ignorance and inexperience of boyhood. What a -paradox! and how fondly does stupidity cherish it! The boy's heart is -a tablet on which is shadowed the outline of an April day--a gorgeous -sunshine plays around his imagination, and the fleeting clouds which -disturb it, never dim the horizon before him. He loves from nature--he -is ever a poligamist--and mistakes the fervor of passion for the truth -of love; while his youth, which cures every disease, soon cicatrizes -the wound of despised affection. 'Tis manhood's destiny to writhe -under the slow and searching poison of unrequited constancy. He lays -all the powers of his heart, mind, and education, at the foot of -woman; and the blow which prostrates him, shakes to its base a granite -fabric. He knows the value of the priceless feeling which he offers, -and demands in return a heart which must make him the god of its -idolatry. I was egotistical and selfish in my reasoning; yet that very -reasoning, in teaching me to forget Isa Gordon, made my heart loiter -with a holy enthusiasm around the memory of Ellen Pilton. She had -written to me in a style of affectionate and confiding attachment; and -though I did not answer her letters, she still continued to write, and -wondered why I did not receive them. No dream of my treachery ever -entered her guileless heart, and she knew not that her letters were -the harvest of my revenge. Suddenly I ceased to hear from her, and I -then found that the darkest passion of our nature loses its poisoned -fang when struck by the magic wand of love. Could I forget her purity -and gentleness of character--the impassioned tenderness with which she -had entrusted the destiny of her life--the aspirations of her -untainted youth--and all the faith and fervor of her virgin -innocence--to whom? to one who had gained this unique gem, as the -plaything of a fiend. - -Stimulated by jealousy, and prompted by a desire to satisfy myself of -Ellen's truth, I resolved to visit a college friend who lived in the -immediate vicinity of her father's residence, and there patiently wait -until I might have an opportunity of seeing her. My uncle was my -confidant; and when I entered his room for the purpose of disclosing -my intentions, I found him seated as usual amid a crowd of antique -volumes, while his eyes were keenly gloating over the original-brained -tittle-tattle of "Howel's Letters." His large centre table displayed a -motley mixture of the stable, chase, and library. On a copy of the -_Divine Legation_ lay a {162} curb-bit. The _Castle of Indolence_ was -crowded into an old-fashioned stirrup. A dog collar belonging to one -of King Charles' breed, surmounted _Clarendon_. Two broken -throat-lashes were placed on _State Trials_, and a pair of spurs had -worked their rowels deep into the binding of _Stith's History of -Virginia_. The _Defence of Poesy_, _Rhymer's Foedera_, _Fuller's Holy -State_, _Catullus_, and _Tom Jones_, were tied together with a bridle -rein; while a full record (_tested_ by the clerk of the council, and -dated July 9th, 1630,) of the trial of Doctor John Pott, late Governor -of Virginia, for cattle stealing, spread its broad pages over the -whole table. I caught a glimpse of a long and copious commentary which -my uncle had written at the foot of it, in which he had proved the -innocence of the Ex-Governor, and the perjury of Kingsmell, the -principal witness, whom as the record narrates, "Doctor Pott -endeavored to prove an hypocrite by a story of Gusman of Alfrach the -rogue." - -I soon declared the purpose of my visit, and that I was determined to -see Ellen Pilton. - -"I do not like her name," said my uncle; "it would have a plebeian -sound in any part of the world; yet her mother bore a proud title, and -as she loves you, do not act dishonorably. I take it for granted that -she loves you merely because you affirm it, but you may rest assured -that she will yet make a goose of you. Coquetry--arrant coquetry, is -the business, the pursuit, the occupation of woman's life. They learn -its treacheries when they dress their first doll; its edge is -sharpened by every lover; and many a belle who dies in early glory, -coquettes with the priest who shrives her. Venus commenced its -practice the moment she was born; and though untaught in its -mysteries, she laughingly bid the Tritons to look some other way. -Horace reads us many a fine truth about it, and Tibullus and -Propertius tell in trembling lines of the fascinations of that female -garb which was brought from the Coian Isle. Our Virginian girls have a -prescriptive right to all its prerogatives. Oh, there was rare -coquetry when that gentle ship landed its blushing freight at -Jamestown! Old "_Dust and Ashes_,"[1] that fast friend of the colony, -and he who stole this title from a sexton, that under its shade he -might nobly endow a _free school_ in Virginia, made their invoice in a -gay doublet, and copied the bill of lading with a smile on his -care-worn cheek, and a fresh posy in his bosom. Our proud ancestor, -Sir Eyre Granby, was present when they landed, and saw them leaping -and gambolling about the shore like young minnows in a mountain -stream. One fair girl, with a dove-like face and a sparkling eye, gave -Sir Eyre a silver tobacco pipe, which she had brought from home for -the stranger who should most interest her maiden heart. Alas! he was a -married man; and all he could do was to kiss her hand and give her a -bunch of flowers. The anxious bachelors who found a wife on that day, -imitated his example; and to this hour, Virginia's maidens ask no -better declaration of love than this silly compliment. Take care, my -dear boy, of their hands; do not look at their rings; and let the -flowers grow where God planted them. If they should be sick, do not -show too much tenderness. I have known coquetry assume every type of -fierce fever and pining atrophy; and remember, that the last dyke in -the fortress of coquetry, is the coral cheek of consumption. Go, and -learn from experience, and may Cupid prosper you." - -[Footnote 1: "Mr. Nathaniel Barber, the chief manager and book-keeper -of the Company's lotteries." _Stith_ 216. Even at that dark period -public education though a puling was a lusty child--'tis _now_ a paper -mummy.] - -Early on the next morning I left Chalgrave; and finding the outer gate -of the plantation closely barred with fence rails, I was about to -dismount and open it, when my old nurse made her appearance, -exclaiming, "Let it alone, Mass Lionel; I barred it--for I did not -want you to go from home to-day till I could see you. Bad luck is -hanging over our family. Is not this the seventh day of the -month?--the day on which your stout old grandfather died, and on which -your father sickened unto death. Did I not last night gather the wild -hemlock from his grave; and with a lock of his hair, and a piece of -the caul which covered your baby face, try seven times the charm which -an Obi man taught my mother? Oh! it was a dreadful sight; I saw you -mangled and wounded, and your white hand was red with blood. I heard -an owl shriek seven times on the wall of our graveyard; it flew in at -my window, put out my light, and left me in darkness. Do not go away -now." - -"Do you still take me for a child? I must go; farewell, dear mammy." - -"Oh! call me dear mammy once more," she replied, "and let me kiss you -for the last time." - -I granted her request, and rode rapidly away, while I vainly -endeavored to keep down the fear and superstition with which her -narrative had filled my bosom. My journey was long and tedious, and -ere night I had lost myself in the mazes and tortuous paths of a -forest road. On every side I was met by gates, drawbars, and -_gaps_--the necessary appendages in the economy of Virginian -idleness,--and wandered about until I was finally fairly lost in a -broad thicket of luxuriant myrtle. Trusting to the sagacity of my -horse, he brought me into an open road, at the extremity of which a -feeble light caught my eye. Advancing to it, I found a crowd of -negroes gathered in a cabin, and dancing with that joyous flush of -elastic carelessness which a negro only feels, to the music of a -banjo, triangle, and squirrel-skin fiddle. All of them offered to show -me the way, and each invariably decreased the distance in proportion -to the anxiety which my inquiries expressed. I took the direction -which I had thus received, and late at night I passed by an -old-fashioned house, from a lower window of which shot a feeble and -fluttering light. Here I met a negro who informed me that I was on the -Pilton plantation--that the mansion-house was before me--that he was -the best axe-man on the land--that his Mass Edmund had just come home -on a fine horse--and that Miss Ellen was sick and poorly. A pang of -remorse passed through my bosom; and reckless of every principle of -honor, I determined to approach nearer to the house, and gaze, like -the pilgrim, on that shrine which held the worshipped idol of my -heart. Riding rapidly away from the negro, I suddenly turned my -course, and dismounting from my horse, leaped over the garden wall. -Cautiously threading my path through tangled shrubbery, leafless -rosebushes, and crooked hedges, I quickly turned, as the light from -the house streamed before me, and looking {163} up to the window, I -beheld the form of Ellen Pilton in an attitude which arrested my -attention, and chained my footsteps to the earth. Her head was resting -on her right hand, while in her left she held the fatal evergreen -which had marked with tenderness our earliest acquaintance. A dark and -fleecy cloud of long and luxuriant hair swept over her marbled brow. -Her cheek was illuminated with a vermillion glow, like those bright -colors which decorate the holiness of some antique missal, while the -ardent gaze which she bestowed on this memorial of my treachery, -mingled itself with the patient melancholy which disease had written -on her face. I saw her weep like a child, as she replaced it in her -bosom; and at that moment the giant voice of conscience rang through -my heart, pealing the knell of my perfidy and duplicity. Chastened by -contrition--humbled by the consciousness of my own falsehood--and -elevated by this unerring indication of her singleness of heart, I -felt the contagion of resistless sympathy, and on that silent spot I -poured out the pure orisons of a love which had sprung from the -blackest passion of my nature. I continued in a fixed posture for many -moments, inebriated into utter forgetfulness of my flagrant violation -of honor. A feeling of debasement came over me, and yielding to its -influence, I turned away from the window. My position was no sooner -changed, than I was met by Edmund Pilton,--his face almost touching my -shoulder. - -"Mr. Granby," said he, in a voice of stifled anger, "an -eavesdropper!--a cowardly intruder on female privacy!--I wish him -profit in his honorable profession, and may darkness ever hide his -blush of shame." - -I staggered back with fear and agitation; and for the only time in my -life I felt as a coward. Nature had given me courage, and education -had endowed me with that chivalry which feared only the shame of fear; -yet that consciousness of disgrace which wrecks the proudest heart, -left me the shuddering craven of its withering power. - -"Mr. Pilton must excuse me," I replied; "I was endeavoring to find the -way to--" here I half uttered a rising falsehood. "I will satisfy him -at another time of my innocence--I must now retire." - -"Certainly, sir," said he, "you may retire, and rest in the shade of -your victorious laurels; but remember--" and here his hollow voice -increased in volume, and quivered with passion, "that if ever you -again approach my sister in any shape or form, I will put you to -death, even in her hallowed presence. I refused your foolish -challenge; but there is a point beyond which prudence loses all its -virtues, and the next time I chastise you for an insult to a sister, -your blood shall write the record. Neither darkness shall conceal, -cowardice protect, nor lunacy excuse you!" - -I might have been more humbled by my own sense of degradation, but the -last word was a talisman which awoke into frenzy the demoniac hate -which had long rioted in my bosom; and approaching nearer to Pilton, I -leaped at him, and grasped his throat with the fierceness of the -tiger. He was better built, more athletic, and stronger than myself, -and in the struggle that ensued, I found myself fast wasting away; yet -I could hear his short and strangled breath laboring under the iron -grasp of my fingers. He now drew a small knife, and began to cut the -hand which held his throat. I felt the warm blood trickling over its -relaxed strength; and releasing my hold, I sunk upon the ground. He -instantly fell upon me; and after a long and violent scuffle, I -succeeded in rescuing myself. We were again on our feet, and I now had -time to draw a small dirk from my bosom. He was ignorant that I was -armed; and approaching him, as he leaned breathless and exhausted -against a tree, I struck him with the weapon just below his shoulder. -He gave one groan, and reeled to the earth. I was about to repeat the -blow, when a piercing shriek burst upon my ear,--and Ellen Pilton fell -upon the body of her prostrate brother. - -"Oh, God!" she cried, "kill him not--spare him!--take my life! Is it -you, Lionel?" she screamed, as she looked up and recognized my -features--"and would _you_ murder my brother--you would not, dear -Lionel." - -I was silent. - -"Go away--I loathe, I abhor, I hate you!" - -Ere the first light of day had kissed the tranquil waters of the -Chesapeake, my jaded horse was browzing on the fertile meadows of the -Rappahannock, and I found a refuge on board the good ship "Tobacco -Plant," Capt. Z., bound to London. - - - - -BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. - - -JONATHAN P. CUSHING was born March 12, 1793, at Rochester, -New-Hampshire, and, like most of the eminent men of our country, in -humble circumstances. He was early left an orphan to the care of a -guardian, who seems to have been both negligent and unfaithful. By -this man he was carried to his own residence, in a remote part of the -State, where the population was scanty, and there were few schools. In -his immediate vicinity there were none. There he was employed in doing -the drudgery of his guardian's farm and mill until his thirteenth or -fourteenth year. It was an improvement in his situation, when at that -time he was bound apprentice to a saddler, especially as in New -Hampshire by law, or custom equally imperative with law, it is the -duty of a master to send his apprentices to school for six months of -the term for which they are bound. This advantage Mr. Cushing enjoyed, -and it seems to have been the only regular instruction he received -before his eighteenth year. But even that germ, falling on a good -soil, fructified. He began to feel the thirst for learning, which was -to be the reigning impulse of his later years, and to loathe the -prospect of a life spent in mere bodily labor. His mind, conscious of -its own powers, and having once tasted of the sweets flowing from -their exercise, could not submit to sink back again to the state of -lethargy from which it had just been roused. The fruit of such -thoughts and feelings was a resolution which he formed and very -suddenly announced while at work one day, with another apprentice. -Starting up from his seat he said "I am determined to have a liberal -education, if it cost me forty years of my life to get it." He bought -out the remainder of his term, and entered himself at an academy at -Exeter, in his native State. There he prosecuted his studies with -great diligence, supporting himself meanwhile by laboring at his -trade, until he was prepared to enter Dartmouth College. He became a -member of the Junior Class in that institution in 1815, and obtained -his first degree in 1817. His standing in his class was highly -respectable, though not so {164} elevated as would naturally be -supposed by his acquaintances in after life, who knew nothing of the -deficiencies of his early education, and only adverted to his -acknowledged talents, his literary zeal, and the strength and -constancy of his character. On leaving the walls of College, the world -was all before him. Go where he would, he must look to his labors, not -merely for fame and fortune, but for subsistence; and in every -direction around him (thanks to the good Being who has so abundantly -blessed our country) he saw fields of usefulness and distinction -inviting, and promising liberally to reward, his exertions. The -intensity of his studies, however, for the last few years, had -impaired his constitution, and he had reason to believe that a -southern residence would be more propitious to the restoration of his -health, and at least equally favorable to his success in other -respects. With these views he left his native State, determined to -establish himself as a lawyer at Charleston, S. C. On reaching -Richmond, he met with an acquaintance from New England, who had been -engaged as a tutor at Hampden Sidney College, (an institution of which -until that time Mr. Cushing had never heard) but who from ill health -was not able to enter on the discharge of his duties. At his -solicitation, strengthened by that of the late Dr. Rice, ("_clarum et -venerabile nomen_") with whom Mr. C. then became acquainted, the -latter was induced to undertake for a few weeks the fulfilment of his -friend's engagement. Before even that brief time had expired, the -young man died, and Mr. Cushing became, by a train of circumstances -apparently fortuitous, and almost without his own agency, a member of -the Faculty of H. S. College. There was but little in the condition of -the institution at that time to induce such a man, young, of energetic -character, and conscious ability, to desire to cast in his lot there. -No class had graduated regularly for several years, and the degrees -occasionally conferred on individuals, who had gone through the whole -course, were not respected at other Colleges. There was hardly the -name of a Library or Philosophical Apparatus; and the buildings were -to the last degree unsightly and inadequate. It had, however, one -recommendation, which with Mr. Cushing, would outweigh many defects. -It was a seminary of learning, where he could gratify the strong -passion of his soul for acquiring and communicating instruction, more -delightful to him, as he often declared, than food to a hungry man. -With all this, however, he could not readily forego the advantages -attending the line of life he had chalked out for himself. Twice he -determined to dissolve the connexion he had formed with the College, -and once he had gone to the tavern for the purpose of taking his seat -in the stage which was to carry him away. On this occasion he was -induced to return by Dr. Hoge, the then President, to whom he looked -up with affectionate veneration, and his acquaintance with whom he was -accustomed to regard as one of the most fortunate events of his life. -So soon as he considered himself established at Hampden Sidney, he set -to work with characteristic vigor and singleness of purpose, to raise -the standing of the institution. He prevailed on the Trustees to -introduce a new system of discipline and study, and being soon -appointed Professor of Natural Philosophy and Chemistry, and -experiencing the disadvantages of the very deficient apparatus, he -made large additions to it at his own expense, trusting to the future -ability of the College to repay him. Dr. Hoge dying in 1820, Mr. -Cushing was elected President, and from that time till his own death -within the last twelve months, the events of his life were little more -than a series of efforts, the most judicious, untiring, and -self-sacrificing, to foster the interests of the College over which he -presided. One of his first objects, necessarily, was to improve and -enlarge the College buildings, which at that time were probably by far -the most indifferent belonging to any institution of the kind in the -Union. But while it was obvious that the prosperity, perhaps the -existence of the College depended on making this improvement, the -means of making it were far from being equally apparent. - -The institution possessing very little corporate property, and having -never been a favorite with the Legislature, the possible munificence -of individuals seemed to offer the only hope of success. That this -would avail, was so little expected, that in the expressive language -of one of its friends, his plans were looked on by the trustees as the -dreams of youth. He was the man, however, to change such dreams into -realities. His appeals to the liberality of the friends of the College -were so well responded to, that in a short time he had caused to be -erected the centre and one wing of a stately and commodious building, -altogether suited to the purposes intended; and in the years 1829, -'30, and '31, he procured additional subscriptions to the amount of -$30,000, with which that building was completed, others erected, and a -permanent fund established to aid in the support of the Professors. -From time to time he continued to make additions to the philosophical -apparatus, and carried the students of the College through a regular -course of literary and scientific study, having early obtained for his -graduates an admission "_ad eundem gradum_" at other Colleges without -examination. While thus efficiently discharging his duties as -President, he did not neglect those of Professor. On the contrary, all -who knew him will bear witness to the study and labor with which he -extended his researches into those branches of learning which it was -his province to teach. His lectures were thus the overflowings of a -mind filled with the results of previous investigation and meditation; -not, as we sometimes see in the case of indolent Professors, themes -prepared for the occasion, and exhausting the scanty stock of science -which had been accumulated on the subject. But while justice is thus -done to Mr. Cushing's real ability, and to the admirable use which he -made of it, (his strength of purpose, like a hard master, exacting its -full quota of exertion from every faculty,) it yet cannot be -maintained that his mind was of the highest order. His case well -illustrated the distinction which has been taken between genius and -talent. The former original and creative; the latter acquiring, -modifying, and adapting to general use the productions of the first. -While it is the prerogative of genius to discover fields of science -hitherto unknown, it is the more humble, but perhaps not less useful -province of talent, to cultivate what is thus brought to light, and -prepare it to be possessed by the public mind. The love of -communicating knowledge, which has been already mentioned as one of -Mr. Cushing's most striking characteristics, indicated, or at least -happily coincided with, the line of {165} usefulness for which, -according to this view of his mental constitution, nature had fitted -him. And it may well be questioned whether any of those who have -sounded the profoundest depths of science, and first brought into -light great truths previously unknown, would, if placed in the same -circumstances with himself, have effected so much, and discharged the -manifold and peculiar duties devolving on him, with equal skill and -success. As a disciplinarian, he was mild and lenient, even to an -extent considered by some as approaching to laxity. But such persons -do not seem sufficiently to have adverted to the difficulties of his -situation. He was not the Rector of Christ Church, or of Trinity--not -even the President of Harvard or of Yale, but the head of a feeble -institution, struggling almost for existence, and dependent on public -patronage for support. With him, forbearance was among the first and -most essential duties. Moreover, it was well understood by his -students that his mildness was the result of principle, not of -feebleness of character, and that there was a point beyond which they -could not with impunity transgress. Such zeal, tempered by such -prudence, could not be fruitless. The result of his labors and his -cares, of what he did, and what he forebore to do, was, that in a few -years after his induction into the Presidency, Hampden Sidney might -fairly be pronounced the most flourishing literary institution in the -Commonwealth. Its tide of success, however, was soon checked, and its -onward progress stayed, by the opening of the halls of the University -to students, an event which, however auspicious to the literary -interests of the community at large, could not fail to be unfavorable -to another seminary of learning in the same region of country, and -dependent in a great degree on the same population for its supply of -pupils. Visible as this was in the thinned ranks of his students, it -does not seem to have caused Mr. Cushing to "bate one jot of heart or -hope," but rather to have stimulated him to renewed exertions. For it -was soon after this that he undertook and effected the improvement of -the College buildings and the acquisition of a permanent fund. Nor did -he cease to urge on the Legislature the just claims of the College to -some share of the public favor. But the bills introduced for that -purpose, though generally zealously supported and sustained, on -grounds which ought to have insured their success, were always gotten -rid of--most usually by the parliamentary manœuvre of tacking to them -other subjects more or less incongruous, until they broke down under -their own weight. - -It is our purpose to consider the character of President Cushing, -mainly as one of the scholars and public men of Virginia. We shall -therefore dwell but little on his private affairs. But in a sketch of -his life, even so brief as this, we cannot omit a fact which exerted -the strongest influence on the happiness of his latter years. In the -year 1827 he _married_, in an adjoining county, a pious, intelligent, -and interesting young lady, of whom, as she survives to mourn his -loss, delicacy forbids that we should speak in terms of stronger -panegyric. A good Providence crowned their union with lovely children; -and in the bosom of a family so interesting, President Cushing found a -felicity which he well knew how to enjoy, and a relaxation from his -incessant toils and harassing cares equally necessary to his body and -to his mind. Though to the world chiefly known as a scholar and the -President of a College, it was perhaps in the mild and mellow light of -domestic retirement that his character shone with the most attractive -lustre. As a friend he made few professions, but when self-denying -service was needed, his zeal prompted him to exertions the most -strenuous, persevering, and efficient. He knew how to feel for the -bereavement of the widow's heart, and with tender sympathy to wipe the -tear from the widow's eye. May He who seeth in secret reward him for -these deeds of love, by pouring consolation into that cup of -affliction which His providence has presented to the lip of her who -was once too happy in being her husband's helpmate in ministering -consolation to others. - -Although a native of another State, Mr. Cushing was, in his connexions -and his feelings, thoroughly a Virginian; and, as might be supposed -from the nature of his pursuits, peculiarly regardful of the literary -interests of the Commonwealth. He therefore hailed with joy, and -actively engaged in establishing and fostering the Society for the -promotion of those interests, formed in Richmond four or five years -ago, of which he continued a zealous and efficient member the short -residue of his days. For Hampden Sidney, however, he continued to feel -a peculiar regard, which he evinced not only by the faithful -performance of his duties as its President, but by repeatedly refusing -very advantageous offers made him of Professorships in other Colleges, -and by expressions of warm attachment to that institution, at that -last solemn period of his life, when affectation of such regard, if -ever possible with him, would have been effectually checked by the -near prospect of the awful realities of the eternal world. His death, -though an untimely, was not a sudden event. His constitution had -perhaps never entirely recovered from the injury inflicted by intense -application whilst a college student; and as his habits of study -continued the same, the effects became gradually more apparent, until -at length the unprecedented rigor of the last winter prostrated the -structure which had been so long undermined. Early in the spring, -being advised by his physicians to seek a milder climate, he set out -for the south, accompanied by a part of his family. But on reaching -Raleigh, his journey and his earthly pilgrimage were both cut short. -There, surrounded by those whom he loved best on earth, and who he -knew well returned his love, looking back on a life of useful and -honorable exertion, rewarded by distinguished success; and looking -forward in the full assurance of hope to an eternity of happiness, -secured to him by a Savior in whom he cordially believed, and whom he -had long found precious to his soul, he met death not with calmness -and fortitude merely, but with triumph! He had just entered on his -forty-third year, and it may be supposed had hardly obtained the -maturity of his powers and the full limits of his influence. To our -eyes, it would seem his sun went down at noonday. His death was a -source of the truest and deepest grief, not only to a family more than -ordinarily devoted to him, but to a large circle of friends his -virtues had gained to him throughout Virginia, and to those especially -who had at heart the prosperity of the College over which he had so -ably presided. He died in the communion of the Episcopal Church, which -with many inducements to bias him in {166} another direction, he had -chosen for his spiritual mother at the commencement of his religious -life, and which with decided, and it is believed increasing affection, -he continued to love even unto death. Yet no man possessed a spirit -more truly Catholic, and no man delighted more to enjoy Christian -communion with the followers of his master, though they might in some -less essential particulars, understand the will of that master -differently from himself. Like the Apostle Paul, he rejoiced in the -spread of the gospel, by whomsoever preached; and he was far more -desirous to see his Savior honored, and to learn that sinners had -repented and believed, through whatever instrumentality it pleased God -to use, than to see the tokens of divine favor confined even to that -church which he best loved. In his last days, like the illustrious -Grotius, he suspected that even science, with all her loveliness and -her benificence, had engrossed more of his affections and more of his -thoughts than should have been given to aught below the skies; and as -he drew nearer to the eternal world, his soul was more and more rapt -in the beatific contemplation of that incomprehensible glory which God -hath prepared for them that love his Son. - -His remains are interred in the burying-ground of the Episcopal Church -in the city of Raleigh. The spot which contains them is marked by a -monument erected by the Trustees of Hampden Sidney College, and -designed, while it commemorates his merits, to testify their sorrow -for his loss, and their gratitude for his services. But a more -enduring monument, and that which he would have prized far above any -other, will be found, as we trust, in the abiding and brightening -glories of the Institution to which his best years were devoted, and -which shared, with the partner of his bosom and the children of his -affection, the last anxieties of his ebbing life. - - - - -LINES - -On reaching the banks of the Mississippi at the junction of the Ohio, -1st July, 1818. - - - Mighty stream, I see thee rushing - Proudly, madly, wild along-- - Like a summer torrent, gushing - Sudden, rapid, swift and strong. - - Now my prow is on thy waters, - And I gaze with secret aim, - To discover wherein centered, - Lies the secret of thy fame. - - But I gaze in vain--thy billows - Gurgle as they haste away; - Could their sounds my soul unriddle, - I might learn wherein it lay. - - I might learn that riven mountains, - Headlong falls, unpencilled yet, - Plains untravelled, thou hast wandered, - Ere thy weary waters met. - - Plains! where still the Bison feeding, - Paws in ire the solid ground-- - Or the fiery Bear, in fury, - Sudden pours his lion-sound. - - In thy rushing roar of waters - I might learn that rivers speak; - Great Missouri cries--I mingle, - Konza--ho! the sea I seek. - - Mild Ohio, sweet and mighty, - In thy onward wave is lost, - And a thousand lesser fountains, - Pouring down a varied coast. - - In a region, drear and polar, - Thou hast thy unnoticed rise, - And dost issue where the solar - Burning heats pervade the skies. - - Far beyond the white man's daring - Sits the lordly Indian lone, - Gazing on that rich creation - Heaven, he deems, hath made his own. - - Length, and depth, and speed, and volume, - All that swell o'er swell, create-- - These, perchance, thy sounds would tell me, - These, these only, make thee great. - - 'Tis not clearness--'tis not brightness, - Such as dwell in mountain brooks-- - 'Tis thy big, big, boiling torrent-- - 'Tis thy wild and angry looks. - - Flow then, river--rushing river-- - Flow, till thou invade the sea; - Many millions, uncreated, - Shall desire thy waves to see. - - But while millions uncreated, - Sigh o'er millions pass'd away, - Thou shalt roll, in all thy splendor, - Till thy Maker bids thee stay. - -H. R. S. - -_Washington_. - - - - - -SKETCHES OF LAKE SUPERIOR. - - -No part of America presents a more ample field of scenic attractions -than the lake referred to. In some respects these attractions are -peculiar. It is not only the largest body of fresh water on the -continent, but pre-eminently so, the largest in the world. Titicaca, -the greatest lake of South America, is computed to be two hundred and -forty miles in circumference--a circle less than Ontario, and falling -infinitely short of Erie, Huron or Michigan. - -Superior is about ten miles short of five hundred, in its most direct -line of coast, and may be computed at fifteen hundred miles in -circumference.[1] About one third of this is caused by its -promontories and inlets, which give it a striking irregularity of -outline. The direct line of inland navigation, which would be opened -were the rapids at St. Mary's overcome, would be about twelve hundred -and sixty miles in the outward voyage. It possesses several fine -harbors and anchorage grounds. Its general features may be inferred -from the maps, but no existing map can be relied on for the accuracy -of its delineations. Its basin consists of massy formations of -primitive rock, with dykes of trap, and horizontal walls of sandstone, -giving rise to much variety in its features. Islands, mountains and -cliffs, pass the eye of the voyager, with an animating succession, and -appear as if they were suspended in the pellucid waters, for which -this lake has been noted from the earliest times. This purity may be -noticed in connexion with the absence of limestone among its -formations, no locality of which {167} has hitherto been discovered. -It has, apparently, been the theatre of extensive geological -convulsions, which have lifted up its horizontal rocks for a hundred -and twenty miles in extent. Other portions bear striking evidences of -having been submitted to oceanic action, the effect of which has been -to break down its sandstone coasts, and deposit the _debris_ in -extensive plains, or sand mountains. Peaks, of a black basaltic -aspect, cast their angular shadows over some of the more westerly -portions of the lake; and the prospect from some of the higher points -of those on which we have stood, is such as to excite the most exalted -and transporting conceptions. - -[Footnote 1: Mackenzie says seventeen hundred.] - -The Porcupine mountains may be distinguished, from all that is known -of them, as a volcanic group. They are situated in latitude 46° 52'. -It would be practicable, in the range of American mountain scenery, to -indicate points which have a higher elevation above the sea. Some of -the peaks of New England or Virginia lift the observer into the mid -heavens. But they are entirely wanting in the effect produced by a -transparent mirror of water at their base--for it must be remembered, -that no increase of altitude or magnitude can compensate for the -absence of water. There is a single precipice, in these mountains, -which the Indians represent to be one thousand feet in perpendicular -height, having a deep, crater-shaped lake at its base. - -The peninsula of Kewena extends into lake Superior about forty-five -miles from its southern shore--the last ten or fifteen of which -exhibit the shape of a lofty comb of the trap formations. Two points -of this, which are sometimes called the Mamelles, have been descried, -in clear weather, sixty-five miles. From the top of this ridge, the -spectator looks to the east, and the west, and the north, and beholds -one interminable sheet of crystal water. It seems, from the height, -that the action of a single tempest, on so vast a mass of water, would -be sufficient to prostrate the whole in ruins. Yet there is a breadth -of several miles of solid rock, which has resisted the storms of ages. -The effects of the action of the water, are the most striking on its -western coast, which has been fretted into bays and inlets, leaving -huge, castellated portions of unbroken rock standing in the water. -These isolated masses, in misty weather, assume a spectral aspect. The -Indians, who find aliment to their superstitions in scenes of awe, -formerly deemed this part of the peninsula sacred, and never passed -around it in their canoes. - -The splendid formation of graywacke rocks on Presque Isle river, is -worth the whole journey from St. Mary's, to behold. In its spring -floods this river is a torrent rushing from a mountain. When drained -to the minimum of its summer level, an extensive area of denuded rock -is exposed to view, arranged in a stair-like form, and partaking of an -air of gloom, from the dark hue of the deeply excavated banks. - -Iron river has its course through a similar formation, being _east_, -as the Presque Isle is _west_, of the Porcupine range. This river has -no striking perpendicular falls, but flows down a hackly, rocky bed, -in which the water, in its summer phase, stands in pools, or trickles -from one triangular tank to another. - -The Breast, or Potoash, and the Cradle Top mountains, are two -prominent elevations in the primitive range west of the Grand Island. -No one, we venture to predict, from our own experience, will ever -ascend them without labor, or reach their summits without high -gratification. - -The outer coast of Grand Island presents the north westerly front of -that magnificent sandstone formation, called Ishpábica by the Indians, -and Picture Rocks by the whites, which assumes so imposing an outline -in the range of coast ruins immediately east of that island. The Great -Sand Downs,[2] form a continuation of this coast toward the east, and -renew in this lighter form, a most picturesque series of elevations, -which the former range exhibits in rock. Minuter sections of the -coast, and of the banks of the rivers that intersect it, are of a -character to arrest attention, and will furnish, in after years, a -tissue of glowing themes for the pen and pencil. Among these, we may -notice the falls of the Taquimenon, the Monia, and the St. Louis. - -[Footnote 2: _Les Grandes Sables_.] - -Up to the year 1820, very little was known, even by report, of this -interesting and romantic region. The scanty notices of it in the -colonial writers were of the most vague and unsatisfactory character. -The tale of the massacre of the garrison of Michilimackinac, and of a -far off region in which Pontiac exerted his power, had been -occasionally heard. But as these events were to be found only in the -works of the early French writers, few took the trouble to examine -them. Still fewer knew aught of its topography and natural resources, -or of the interesting communities of men, women and children, to whom -it was "a home and a country" long before Columbus reached St. -Salvador. In the year referred to, the gentleman who at present fills -the chair of the War Department conducted an exploratory expedition -through the region. Its capacities for military occupation, and the -character and disposition of its native population and mineral -topography, constituted the principal objects of attention. But no one -who was a member of that expedition, could remain an indifferent -spectator of the striking scenery, and the varied forms of thrilling -interest which it threw before the eye. It may be regretted that Mr. -Cass himself has given so little of his attention to descriptions of -these rife scenes. His graphic notice of the "Pictured Rocks," and his -historical illustrations of ancient Indian institutions, will be -remembered by the reader. - -We have merely adverted to this era, to notice the apathy which has -succeeded. The "far West" and the sunny "South," have engaged the pens -of genius. But much of the area to which we have called attention, -remains, as to its description, _a terra incognita_. We have given -most of the time we have ourselves spent in its solitudes, to the -consideration of its phenomena, as mere physical facts, and to the -history and language of its native inhabitants. But aside from these -objects, we think it a rich field for the future tourist. We -anticipate the time, as not far distant, when it will not only attract -frequent visits from the literary and scientific, but from all classes -who possess the means of enjoying out door health and intellectual -pleasure. - -We submit the following letters, embracing sketches of some prominent -portions of the scenery of this lake, as a sequel to these remarks. -They are from the pen of a young man who accompanied the writer of -this notice on a tour through that lake in 1831. His mind {168} was -much engrossed with the beauty and grandeur of the scenes he daily -witnessed, and he wrote these unpretending letters, at snatches of -time, by the way. Soon after his return from this tour, he visited one -of our Atlantic cities, where he suddenly sickened and died. This -circumstance is mentioned, as the motive for retaining the name of the -individual, which is associated with recollections of modest worth and -ingenuous sensibility. - - -I. - -Granite Point, Lake Superior, July 3, 1831. - -_Esteemed Friend_,--While looking over the life of Dr. Payson, at your -house, I was pleased with a remark of his, in which he says "that a -formal letter to a friend, is like 'Madam, I hope I have the pleasure -to see you in good health,' addressed by a son to his mother, after a -year's absence." These may not be the exact words, but they convey the -sentiment. Had I the disposition to write to you such a letter, the -circumstances of my situation would most effectually preclude its -gratification. - -One week has now elapsed since we were climbing the rugged sides of -the Iroquois mountain, and together gazing upon the peaceful lake -whose waters reposed in quietness at its base. During that week you -may well imagine that scenes have passed before me, as diverse and -varied in interest and excitement as the vicissitudes of human life. -We have glided over the limpid waters of the Superior, when its broad -surface lay stretched out before us with all the placidity of a -polished mirror, and anon our slender barks have been tossed like a -feather upon the rushing billows. We have rambled along the sandy -beach, or the gravelled shore, or bounded from rock to rock in search -of new objects of attraction. We have ascended the sliding sands of -the Grande Sable, viewed with admiration and awe the variegated walls -of the Pictured Rocks, passed under the Doric arches, and scaled its -summit, and last but not least, climbed a weary way up the mountain of -the Breast. But I shall not be thanked for filling up my sheet with -such general observations. - -Very little of interest is to be found upon the coast from Point -Iroquois to the Grande Marais. Nothing but a continuous sandy beach -meets the eye, which at length becomes tedious in the extreme. At the -Grande Marais, however, the scene changes. Here the lofty mountains of -Sable commence, which in themselves are sufficient to occupy the mind -until new wonders are presented. Mr. Johnston and myself, accompanied -by two of the Indian lads, ascended them near the beginning of the -range. Upon arriving at the summit, the prospect was at once -impressive and sublime. Behind us was the Superior, bounded but by the -horizon,--before us a gigantic amphitheatre, whose walls on either -side rose into the magnitude of mountains. We descended into the area, -and it was one in which the Olympian combatants would have delighted -to wage their contests for a false and short-lived fame. It was early -when we embarked, and being invigorated by the night's repose, we felt -inclined, despite fatigue, to make a survey of all that might prove -interesting. Passing on, we found that the winds had disposed of the -sand alternately in hills and valleys. Nothing but an arid waste met -the eye, except when here and there a hardy plant had reared its head -above the yellow surface, or a little islet _oasis_ of green was -observed on a hillock's side, struggling with surrounding desolation. -Being informed that a small lake lay beyond the Grande Sable, we -immediately resolved upon paying it a visit. The distance we had to -traverse was about a mile; and as we wound our way along, I -involuntarily drew the comparison between the journey of life and our -morning's excursion. How true is it that the great portion of our -existence in this world, is filled up with events that but leave the -soul in bitterness, while at times some bright flower, some sunny spot -will appear, to which memory can recur with pleasure, and draw new -hopes for the future. How miserable the condition of those whose ideas -of happiness are bounded by present enjoyment; to them, futurity -appears a something gloomy and undefinable, the very thoughts of which -are unwelcome. But the Christian can look into a world beyond the -grave, and the vista, like the green forest around this miniature -Zahara, is pleasant to the sight. And even here, although his course -may be over a desert, yet every bud of promise, every opening flower, -serve but as a source of new excitement, and from them he gathers -strength to press his onward march amid the many thorns that beset his -path. But ere I had concluded moralizing,--upon gaining the top of a -sand hill, a scene opened to the view, of the most romantic beauty. -Unconsciously I stopped, lest I should too soon rush upon a prospect -of such quiet loveliness. We had passed over a desert whose only -attraction consisted in the novelty of its character and the majesty -of its outline, but the repetition of its barrenness began to pall -upon the sight, and oppress the mind with a sensation of weariness, -when instantly the entire scene was changed. Instead of sterile -heights, every thing bloomed in the vigor and freshness of vegetation. -The forest resounded with "the sweet notes of the summer birds," and -as the eye sought for the merry warblers, it caught a glimpse of the -blue water as its ripples sparkled in the morning sun. My hesitation -was but for a moment,--and bounding down the precipitous sand hills, -the isolated lake, that seemed to exult in its wild solitude, with its -richly diversified and picturesque enclosures, was spread before me. -O, it was a scene that the poet and the painter would love to dwell -upon. Cold must be the heart, ungrateful the affections of that being, -who, blessed with intelligence, can behold the fairest of Nature's -works, and not adore the God of Nature. My fancy might have been -highly wrought,--but it all appeared more like a pleasant dream that -fills the mind, when slumber steals over the senses as we are thinking -upon absent friends, and the haunts of happy hours. - -The lake itself is about nine miles in circumference, and in general -form, as near as a comparison can be made, resembles a heart. The -shores are deeply indented and irregular, now projecting into the -water in small semi-circular promontories, and again retiring, as if -half afraid of the embraces of the limpid element. On the south and -west, as far as the eye can reach, the land rises into mountainous -elevations; on the north, stand the lofty sand banks, affording a fine -contrast with the fertility around, while on the east, it is bounded -by lower grounds, that in one instance descend to a beautiful grassy -lawn. The water appears to be very deep, and as we sent a shout over -its surface we were answered by a startled water fowl, that seldom, -very seldom, hears the sound of a human voice in its wild {169} -retreat. Every thing seemed to conspire to render this one of the most -enchanting spots in nature, and it was with regret that we turned to -regain our canoe. - -Such is lake _Leelinau_; and while the breeze that moved over its -waters sent its waves to my feet, I thought of the friend after whom I -named it, and from my heart wished that her life might be as calm and -joyous as the bright prospect before me. By that name it _shall_ be -known; and if this faint description of the beauties it unfolds, will -serve to beguile a passing moment, a double object will have been -achieved. - -As we hurried along on our return, George pointed out to me the fairy -tracks that occasionally are seen on these hills. They were, in fact, -exact representations of the print of the human foot, and about the -size of your Chinese lady's. But alas! how unpoetical! we were forced -to come to the conclusion that our fairy was nothing more than a -_porcupine_. Although the 30th of June, we stopped at a _snow bank_, -and after indulging for a moment in a winter's sport, filled one of -our Indian's hats with specimens for Mr. S. We travelled over nearly -four miles of these sandy mountains. Their summit, near the lake, is -covered with pebbles, among which I found several carnelians. - -It was nearly _six_ o'clock when we descended to our canoes; and the -thought crossed my mind, that _probably_ our friends at St. Mary's -were beginning to shake the poppies from their eyes, and seriously -think of taking a peep at the sunny sky. At eight we landed to -breakfast, and need I tell you that _consumption_ presided at the -board--not the arch fiend with the bright though sunken eye, the -hectic cough, and the delicate but death-boding tint, but a -consumption that caused the solid viands before us to disappear with a -marvellous quickness. - -But to ensure the perusal of any future production, I must tax your -patience no farther now. Suffice it to say that the farther I advance -the better am I pleased with the tour I have undertaken. Let the issue -be what it may, the commencement has introduced to me a friend, whom I -shall _never_ forget. May the blessing of the Christian's God attend -you. - -MELANCTHON L. WOOLSEY. - -To ---- ----. - - -II. - -Lake Superior, July 5, 1831. - -It was my intention to have had a letter for you in readiness to send -by Mr. Aikin, but we met him sooner than we expected, and I was -obliged to postpone the fulfilment of my promise until the Indian boys -returned. - -In my letter to Mrs. S., I conducted her as far as Lake Leelinau. -Supposing that an account of our further progress would be as -acceptable as any thing I can write, I will give you an invitation to -a seat in our canoe, as we depart for the Pictured Rocks. These you -have often heard described, and nothing can be added by my poor pen to -what has already been said about them. They were all, and more than an -excited imagination had conceived them to be. As we approach them the -mind is struck with awe at their lofty battlements, and in comparison -the most stupendous of the works of art sink into insignificance. Near -their commencement a beautiful cascade comes tumbling down the rocks, -and finally makes a leap of about thirty feet into the waters below. -Passing on from this, we soon come to a most singular arrangement of -rocks and arches, and the first thought that strikes the mind is, to -ascend and give them an examination. It is the work but of a moment, -for the eye is unsatisfied until it has drunk in all the wonders -before it. Our first resting place was under the main arch, from which -we had a bird's-eye view of the world of woods, and waters, and rocks, -by which we were surrounded. While here, Mr. Clary with his barge came -along, and jumping upon the rocks, he soon made one of our party, when -we commenced a minute examination of the celebrated Doric Rock. The -principal arch, under which we were, is about twenty feet in height; -and while standing under its crumbling walls, our sensations were not -lessened by the idea that in an instant it might be said of us, _we -had been_. At our left, and in the centre of one of the large pillars -another arch is formed,--upon entering this we still find one more at -our right, and which commands a view of the lake. Between the two -stands a pillar of stone, near four feet in height, entirely detached -at the sides, and composed of thin plates of sand rock. As we go out -from these, for the purpose of ascending the roof, a large urn of -nature's own design and workmanship, appears before us. It might be a -fit depository for the ashes of some of those mighty men, who before -the children "with a white, white face," overran their country, strode -through these forests, or in their light canoes bounded over these -vast waters--but alas, their graves and those of their fathers are -mingling with the common dust! Near this urn are the remains of an -Indian's fire, which he had lighted at the close of his fast, when -propitiating his Manito--a place well calculated to foster the -wildness of superstition, and which to a mind more enlightened than -that of the poor wanderer of the wilderness, would not be deficient in -suggestions of mystery. Who can wonder that the untaught natives of a -region like this, should make to themselves a Deity in the rushing -stream or the beetling cliff? They act from the impulse of nature, and -well will it be for those who enjoy every advantage that civilization -and Christianity can bestow, if when weighed in the balance, even with -the pagan Indian, they are not found wanting. We were soon at the top -of the Doric Rock, and from its dizzy height the prospect was such as -to preclude all attempt at delineation, at least by language. Your -brother expressed his emotion as well as it was in the power of any -mortal to do. Clapping his hands together, and putting a peculiar -emphasis upon the last syllable, he exclaimed "Oh! _Oh!_" Nothing more -could be said. But while enjoying the grandeur of the scene, I wished -that M. was at my side, for my pleasure would have been increased -tenfold by sharing it with her. The summit of the arch is itself a -curiosity. It does not appear to be more than three feet in thickness, -and yet it supports and nourishes several lofty pine trees, whose -weight alone I should think would crush it to atoms. The root of one -of them winds around the outer edge of the rock, as if to support the -source of its existence. But we had not long to indulge our -admiration, for our table was spread under the shade of one of these -immense rocks, and all the sublimity around us could not satisfy the -imperious demands of appetite; so after regaling ourselves on some of -the dainties furnished by our excellent friends at the Sault, we -departed to behold new wonders, and utter repeated exclamations of -_Oh! Oh!_ Turning a point of the rocks, {170} we came in view of those -natural excavations that have excited so much astonishment. It was our -intention to pass through one of them, but the entrance was blocked up -by the falling of an arch, the ruins of which were scattered around. -We were obliged to content ourselves with an outside view; but this -surpassed every thing of the kind I had before seen. We were in a bay -formed by a semi-circle in the rocks. Above us the cliff, at the -height of upwards of a hundred feet, projected far beyond our canoes, -and formed a canopy of the most terrific description. We could not -behold it without a shudder of awe. Upon leaving it we discharged our -gun, and the reverberations were almost deafening. The sound rolled -through these vast ramparts, and seemed to shake them to their -foundations. It was like the groaning of an imprisoned spirit in its -struggle to be free. At every stage of our progress we had new cause -for amazement; and when we left them it was with the impression that -we "ne'er should look upon their like again." Our encampment was at -Grand Island. The next day we reached the _Riviere des Moines_,--here -we pitched our tents, and immediately commenced a search for some of -the precious minerals. The locality proved so interesting that it was -determined we should devote a day or two to its examination. For the -first time we were compelled to resort to our musquito bars, and it -afforded me infinite amusement upon waking in the morning, to see -about fifty of these insects puzzling their brains to discover the -meaning of certain initials that seemed to attract their attention. -This day we removed our encampment four miles. In so doing we passed a -rocky mountain, that filled us instantly with a desire to ascend to -its summit. This was resolved on, and at five in the afternoon we -procured an Indian guide, and were soon clinging to the roots and -branches that overhung its precipitous sides, as we scrambled up the -ascent. We were amply repaid for our fatigue, by the prospect from its -peak. Immediately before us was a beautiful bay, studded with numerous -islands, some of which were crowned with verdure, while others were -immense masses of rock. The bay was formed by the projections of -Granite Point and Presque Isle, both of which terminated in circular -mountainous elevations that were connected to the main land, but by -very narrow isthmuses. At the distance of fifty miles were seen Grand -Island and the Pictured Rocks. To the north-west are seen seven large -bays, and Point Kewena, from which we are 65 miles distant. In the -back ground, mountain rises on mountain, as far as the eye can reach. -Here and there, to add variety to the scene, a lofty peak of massy, -naked granite, rears its head high above its less aspiring neighbors; -and to soften the asperity of the view, there are two beautiful open -spots of level green, that might be taken for fairy playgrounds--so -secluded, and so environed, that even the spirits of the air in them -could find a resting place. And think you not when my eyes were gazing -at the splendor of this scene, glowing as it was in the last rays of a -glorious sun-set, that my mind wandered to the Being who is the author -of these creations? - -When we have occasionally met the traders, as they were returning from -their year's residence among the Indians, I have asked myself what -mysterious excitement there could be in the spirit of gain, that will -cause men to separate themselves from society, and voluntarily -renounce those privileges incident to an intercourse with the world? -But as I pass along my wonder ceases. There is such an union of beauty -and grandeur in all the works of nature throughout this region, that -it is impossible to be acquainted with them, and not wish to pass a -life in their admiration. Following the impulse of my present -feelings, I could joyfully make my home among these hills and valleys, -and I should want no other. 'Tis true, the busy hum of men would not -reach such a wild retreat, neither would their faithlessness and cold -deceit. - -And now, let me tell you how I have written this letter. We are -waiting, at the Kewena Bay, for the arrival of some Indians to -transport part of our baggage to the Ontonagon. Mr. S., and Mr. -Houghton, with Lt. Clary, are by this time over the traverse. It was -uncertain how soon we might be able to embark, but I resolved to -devote what time I had to you. Accordingly at 5 o'clock this morning, -I turned a chest upside down for a desk, planted myself against the -tent-pole, and with the stump of a pen commenced operations. But alas! -the sand flies and musquitoes made such a desperate onset that I was -obliged to haul down my colors, and ingloriously fly for my life. I -then waited until after breakfast, and commenced again with no better -success. I then resorted to the open air; and placing my paper on a -small bank, and standing on the stones below, with the sun at 90, -pouring its rays upon my head, while with one hand and sometimes two, -I battled insects of divers descriptions, at last have made _black -marks_, over the greater part of this sheet. Should you in decyphering -these hieroglyphics, come to any place where the subject was suddenly -dropped and another commenced, without any apology, attribute it to a -huge horse-fly, which lighting on my nasal protuberance, caused me to -drop my pen, and with it my ideas. But here come a dozen of them, so -good bye till you hear from me again. - -M. L. WOOLSEY. - -To ---- ----. - - -III. - -La Pointe, Lake Superior, July 17, 1831. - -Instead of a sand bank for a writing desk, I am now seated by the side -of a good table in your brother's house, and surrounded by comforts -and conveniences that would be no discredit to a place less out of the -world than La Pointe. We have luxuries that even the inhabitants of -St. Mary's might envy. Our table groans beneath its load of white-fish -and trout, veal and pigeons, rice-puddings and strawberries, all of -which are served up _à la mode_, in Joseph's best style, assisted by -the culinary skill of _Plufe_, the cook. We at present adopt the -maxim, "Live while you may," for we well know that soon we will be out -of the reach of every thing of this sort, and be glad to get our dish -of corn-soup. This is a very pleasant island, and presents quite a -village-like appearance. There are several large dwelling houses, -besides the trading establishment, and cultivated fields, with cattle -strolling about, that altogether make up a scene quite different from -any thing I expected to see before arriving at Green Bay. - -Since my _first_ and _last_ letter to you, we have passed through a -variety of interesting incidents. As I closed my letter our Indians -arrived, and in a short time we were on our way across the Kewena -traverse. But now a fresh breeze had supplanted the calm atmosphere -{171} of the morning, and before we were half-way over the Bay, we -began to anticipate a second edition of the troubles and danger -experienced by Mr. S. in 1820. But we fortunately escaped, with no -inconvenience but a slight wetting, and at 12 at night came up to the -encampment of our friends,--when not wishing to disturb them, we -spread our blankets upon the gravel, with the heavens for our canopy, -and sought a few hours repose, previous to commencing an examination -of Kewena Point. In this we promised ourselves an abundance of -interest, and we suffered no disappointment. Such a banging the rocks -have not experienced for many a day, and we robbed them of no -inconsiderable quantity of their precious contents. The "King of the -metals" will be under the necessity of holding another convention,[3] -and if some of the delegates do not appear with battered visages, and -broken bones, then there is no virtue in our well-tried hammers. Now -you know, as we go skipping down the vale of life, that it is not -every circumstance that assumes a serious cast, but that we have a -mixture, or a kind of dish which in Scotland, and by Dr. Johnson, -would be called _hodge-podge_. So with us--after wearying ourselves in -discovering copper mines, and hunting from their dark and stony -enclosures the precious gems which here abounded, we would join with -no little zest in the pleasures of the chase. One or two opportunities -of doing this occurred while going round this Point. This was in the -pursuit of _quacks_; and impelled by the purest _patriotism_, we were -determined upon the extirpation of all that might fall in our way. -What, ask you, is it possible, that the _pro_scribed _pre_scribers of -"roots and herbs," and steam restoratives, have found their way to the -lone regions of the north? Why no, not exactly _this_ kind of quacks, -but a species more honest, who tell us beforehand what they are, and -which, of themselves, when properly prepared by a _suitable_ -apothecary, form an excellent remedy for a well-known disease, and -which those in particular are apt to contract who labor for hours -together among rocks and over mountains. But to tell a plain -story:--while in our canoes we surprised several large broods of -ducks, which happened to be in that state when their unfledged wings -forbade them to fly, but when they were sufficiently large to furnish -excellent game for the table. Consequently it was a trial of skill -between our canoe-men and the poor quacklings, to see who could paddle -the fastest; but like the boys and the frogs, while it was sport to -the former, it was death to the latter. Although at first they -literally walked over the water, yet their strength was soon -exhausted; and what with the shouts of the men, which of themselves -were sufficient to scare a duck out of its senses, and their own -fatigue, they fell an easy prey to their enemies. But to secure the -victims after they were run down, afforded us the most amusement. The -men seemed to have given up their whole souls to the chase, and as the -ducks would dive to escape being taken, they would endeavor to spear -them with their poles and paddles, and these proving ineffectual, -plunge in themselves regardless of the consequences. Their zeal was -rewarded by the capture of twelve or fifteen of the unfortunate birds. -The only fear I experienced during this enlivening scene, was that the -Doctor would exhaust his stock of risibility, and in future we should -be deprived of his hearty ha, ha, that makes one join in sympathy with -him, _before the story comes_. He surrendered himself entirely to the -power of Momus; but we have had abundant demonstration since, that he -is still a subject of the laughing deity. But the afterpiece was the -most interesting to us individually; what that was you must guess. But -luckily the clouds now "began to gather blackness;" and before we had -proceeded many miles, we were favored with a couple of smart showers, -and finally obliged by the rain to go on shore--_luckily_, because -this spot proved to be the richest in minerals and metals, that we had -yet visited. Your brother discovered two rich veins of copper ore, and -we found agates and other gems in quantities. While we were thumping -about us, the Doctor got into the canoe for the purpose of seeking an -encamping place. This was found at the bottom of a very pretty bay, -but which nevertheless we dignified with the name of Musquito Cove. -Here we were wind-bound, and I spent a half hour very pleasantly on -the rocks, witnessing the foaming and dashing of the waves, that -seemed enraged at the resistance which they met, while the rocks -themselves groaned at the rencounter as if fearful of being shaken -from their solid foundations. Here was a place for melancholy, and a -mind like yours would have held a revelry with the wildness of the -scene. My curiosity to witness the onset of the waters, prompted me to -venture too near them, as I found by a salute, not very friendly, that -left me in rather a moist condition; but although experience is the -best school, yet forgetting myself, I was again reminded that being -but a spectator, it would be well to retire from the influence of the -battle shock. - -[Footnote 3: Alludes to a jeu d' esprit poem.] - - * * * * * - -This ceremony over, we turned our faces homewards, but stopped for a -moment on the way to take a peep at the Superior. This was so pleasing -that I felt no disposition to quit it, and continued my way over the -rocks, until weariness alone induced me to return. My path was through -a pleasant wood, and as I was loitering along, I was startled by the -report of a gun, repeated three or four times in quick succession; and -upon making up to the place from whence the sound proceeded, found -that two of the men had been sent out to search for the supposed lost -one. The wind had abated, and we left our camp as the sun began to dip -below the horizon. The rest of my story I hope to have the pleasure of -communicating to you by word of mouth. - -You will not probably hear from us again until our arrival at the -Sault. - -In the meantime remember me to William, and the young gentlemen of -your household. - -M. L. W. - - - - -GREECE. - -"Amphyction erected a Temple at Athens in honor of the Hours, in which -those citizens who knew the value of time and opportunity habitually -offered their sacrifices." - - - "To the Temple of the Hours! Let us early pay the vow; - Aurora's bright and blushing kiss is on Hymettus' brow-- - And the Hours, that lead the dapple morn thro' trembling rays of - light, - Glance tow'rds the past eternity, with pinions stretch'd for flight. - - "To the Temple of the Hours! Deeper grows the orient blush, - The light shafts of the polished Fane reflect the rosy flush; - While dews are on the cypress bough and blooming myrtle spray, - A sacrifice, as fresh and fair, we'll on their altar lay. {172} - - "With offering we'll propitiate--invoke with lyre and song-- - And rich shall be the sacrifice--the music loud and long; - Then, Hours, as lightly over us you wing your noiseless flight, - Pour on our pathway, graciously, a flood of love and light." - - Thus Athens' sons. How vainly wise!--The scathing foot hath trod, - Where many a costly Temple rose, to many an 'unknown God;' - And Hours, with retribution fraught, on pinions bathed in woes, - Long lingered where their beauteous Fane of tintless marble rose. - - And have those retributive Hours passed o'er, with leaden flight? - On Athens breaks a brighter day? Dawns there a purer light? - Rejoice! The "Star of Bethlehem" leads on a perfect day, - And fades the Crescent from the skies, lost in its brighter ray. - - The altar 'To the unknown God,' the Temple to the Hours, - 'The Prophets' crescent-mounted Mosques, fail from her cypress - bowers; - The Tissue from the Cross shall fall, by error wreathed so fair, - Fall--and the shrinking drapery's folds reveal a Saviour there. - - _Then, Greece_, shall smile propitiously, the bright, the favoring - Hours-- - Then praise shall rise, as sweet as breath from Tempe's vale of - Flowers; - Rise, from that heart of love--of woe--of poesy profound-- - The heart of Greece!--her sons are free--the noble mind unbound. - -ELIZA. - -_Maine_. - - - - -READINGS WITH MY PENCIL. - -NO. I. - - "Legere sine calamo est dormire."--_Quintilian_. - - -1. "I am resolved, by the grace of God, always to make my heart and -tongue go together: so as never to speak with the one what I do not -think with the other."--_Bishop Beveridge_. - -There is a fine philosophy in the above excellent determination of the -pious and learned bishop: it is but a paraphrase of the homely maxim, -"Honesty is the best policy." But the most striking idea conveyed by -it is its negative character: the resolution being, not to speak all -that the heart thinketh, but never to speak what it thinketh not. - - -2. "I deny the lawfulness of telling a lie to a sick man for fear of -alarming him. You have no business with consequences: you are to tell -the truth."--_Dr. Johnson_. - -Boswell says that the Doctor said this to him. I do not doubt it. It -is nothing new. _St. Paul_ said it before Dr. Johnson. "What then? -Shall we do evil that good may come? God forbid!" Now, a lie of this -kind would be venial, where other lies, told upon occasions of less -magnitude and importance, would be unpardonable. And the Doctor's idea -seems to be very well explained in the next passage. - - -3. "All truth is not of equal importance; but if little violations be -allowed, all violations will, in time, be thought little."--_Dr. -Johnson_. - -So much for Truth; which, according to Herodotus, was one of the three -lessons inculcated by the ancient Persians upon their children. - - -4. "The Four Elements are the Four Volumes in which all Nature's works -are written."--_Jeremy Taylor_. - -What is that volume, red-bound and glittering with golden tooling, -more brilliant than the highest reach of Art has ever approached; -dazzling with its illuminated pages, which none can read but the -eagle-eye of him who has learned to gaze upon the living light of -heavenly Truth, as written by the finger of the Almighty Omniscient? -It is the volume of _Fire_--Nature's _Philosophy_. That beautiful -volume, delicately bound in soft cerulean, sparkling with starry -splendors, and redolent of "that odor within the sense, so delicate, -soft, and intense," which gives its pages the fragrance no less than -the shining beauty of Paradise--that volume is _Air_--and it is -Nature's _Music and Poetry_. See Nature's _History_ in those two -immense volumes, _Earth_ and _Water_. In them read the History of -Empires, their rise, decline, and fall: the History of Man; his birth, -his life, and death: the History of Passion; its conception, -development, and disappointment: the History of Evil; its origin, -dominion, and decay: the History of Good; its slow and steady, yet -neglected and uncultured growth--its secret yet secure and strong -dominion--its lasting and undying strength: and the History of all -Nature and her works--recording all her beauties, all her glories, all -her triumphs, all her lessons, all her immortal lore! - - -5. "Not only by the warmth, - And soothing sunshine of delightful things, - Do minds grow up and flourish."--_Akenside_. - -No more than flowers grow up and flourish best, when reared in a -hot-house. Those flowers may have more beauty, but where is the -strength which the free blowing blossom of the wilderness alone -possesses? The corolla is delicate, its petals each a separate -loveliness: but where is the noble stalk sustaining many and more -voluminous, though less gaudy blossoms, which rears its enduring head -aloft, living when the other is dead--fragrant when the other is -withered upon the dewless earth around its drooping stem? Adversity -has been the parent of master minds. Homer and Milton, and Shakspeare, -and Burns--these were no hot-house plants in Nature's garden: they -were born in obscurity; their upward growth was watered with the -dew-like tears of adversity; they were reared in the great wilderness -of the world, amid its storms, its tempests, and its fitful gleams of -sunshine: and _so_ "do minds grow up and flourish." - - -6. "Renewed friendships are to be conducted with greater nicety than -such as have never been broken."--_Rochefoucault_. - -Yes: just as one should handle a porcelain vase, once fractured and -repaired, more carefully than before it was injured. - - -7. "I do not subscribe to the notion that poets are _born_," said -Herbert.--_Private Life_. - -Horace thought otherwise. I never agreed with the Venusian poet. -Walter Scott was not a _born_ poet: he was _made_ by the scenes around -him from his birth. Byron was not a native poet: his early "poetry" -(?) proves the fact abundantly. His only true poetry was the result of -circumstances. His first good poem was _made_ by an article in the -Edinburgh Review. His next was _made_ by an unhappy marriage, and all -the rest that deserved the name have an origin of the kind. Would -Burns the cit have ever turned out what Burns the Ayrshire ploughman -proved, think ye? And was Pope _born_ a poet? No more than Napoleon -was _born_ Emperor of the French! - -J. F. O. - - -{173} - - -_EDITORIAL_. - - - - -CRITICAL NOTICES. - - -PAUL ULRIC. - -_Paul Ulric: Or the Adventures of an Enthusiast. New York: Published -by Harper & Brothers._ - -These two volumes are by Morris Mattson, Esq. of Philadelphia, and we -presume that Mr. Mattson is a very young man. Be this as it may, when -we called Norman Leslie the silliest book in the world we had -certainly never seen Paul Ulric. _One_ sentence in the latter, -however, is worthy of our serious attention. "We want a few faithful -laborers in the vineyard of literature, to root out the noxious weeds -which infest it." See page 116, vol. ii. - -In itself, the book before us is too purely imbecile to merit an -extended critique--but as a portion of our daily literary food--as an -American work published by the Harpers--as one of a class of -absurdities with an inundation of which our country is grievously -threatened--we shall have no hesitation, and shall spare no pains, in -exposing fully before the public eye its four hundred and forty-three -pages of utter folly, bombast, and inanity. - -"My name," commences Mr. Mattson, "is Paul Ulric. Thus much, gentle -reader, you already know of one whose history is about to be recorded -for the benefit of the world. I was always an enthusiast, but of this -I deem it inexpedient to say much at present. I will merely remark -that I possessed by nature a wild and adventurous spirit which has led -me on blindly and hurriedly, from object to object, without any -definite or specific aim. My life has been one of continual -excitement, and in my wild career I have tasted of joy as well as of -sorrow. [Oh remarkable Mr. Ulric!] At one moment I have been elevated -to the very pinnacle of human happiness, at the next I have sunk to -the lowest depths of despair. Still I fancied there was always an -equilibrium. This may seem a strange philosophy to some, but is it the -less true? The human mind is so constituted as always to seek a -level--if it is depressed it will be proportionately elevated, if -elevated it will be proportionately depressed. But" says Mr. U., -interrupting himself, "I am growing metaphysical!" We had thought he -was only growing absurd. - -He proceeds to tell us of his father who was born in Lower Saxony--who -went, when only a year old, to England--who, being thrown upon the -parish, was initiated into the mysteries of boot cleaning--who, at the -age of ten, became a vender of newspapers in the city of London--at -twelve sold potatoes in Covent Garden--at fifteen absconded from a -soap-boiler in the Strand to whom he had been apprenticed--at eighteen -sold old clothes--at twenty became the proprietor of a mock auction in -Cheapside--at twenty-five was owner of a house in Regent Street, and -had several thousand pounds in the Funds--and before thirty was -created a Baronet, with the title of Sir John Augustus Frederick -Geoffry Ulric, Bart., for merely picking up and carrying home his -Majesty King George the Fourth, whom Mr. U. assures us upon his word -and honor, his father found lying beastly drunk, one fine day, in some -gutter, in some particular thoroughfare of London. - -Our hero himself was born, we are told, on the borders of the Thames, -not far from Greenwich. When a well grown lad he accompanies his -father to the continent. In Florence he falls in love with a Countess -in her thirty-fifth year, who curls his hair and gives him -sugar-plums. The issue of the adventure with the Countess is thus -told. - - -"You have chosen them with much taste," said the Countess; "a -beautiful flower is this!" she continued, selecting one from among the -number, "its vermillion is in your cheeks, its blue in your eyes, and -for this pretty compliment I deserve a ---- you resist eh! My pretty, -pretty lad, I _will!_ There! Another, and you may go free. Still -perverse? Oh, you stubborn boy! How can you refuse? One--two--three! I -shall _devour_ you with kisses!" - - * * * * * - * * * * * - - -We have printed the passage precisely as we find it in the book--notes -of admiration--dashes--Italics--and all. Two rows of stars wind up the -matter, and stand for the catastrophe--for we hear no more of the -Countess. Now if any person over curious should demand why Morris -Mattson, Esq. has mistaken notes of admiration for sense--dashes, -kisses, stars and Italics for sentiment--the answer is very simple -indeed. The author of Vivian Grey made the same mistake before him. - -Indeed we have made up our minds to forward Ben D'Israeli a copy of -Paul Ulric. He will read it, and if he do not expire upon the spot, it -will do him more real service than the crutch. Never was there a more -laughable burlesque of any man's manner. Had Mr. Mattson only -_intended it_ as a burlesque we would have called him a clever fellow. -But unfortunately this is not the case. No jackdaw was ever more -soberly serious in fancying herself a peacock, than our author in -thinking himself D'Israeli the second. - -"Every day," says Paul after the kissing scene, "filled me with a new -spirit of romance. I had sailed upon the winding streams of Germany; I -had walked beneath the bright skies of Italy; I had clambered the -majestic mountains of Switzerland." His father, however, determines -upon visiting the United States, and taking his family with him. His -reasons for so doing should be recorded. "His republicanism" says -Paul, "had long rendered him an object of aversion to the aristocracy. -He had had the hardihood to compare the _salary_ of the President with -the _civil list_ of the king--_consequently he was threatened with an -indictment for treason!_ My mother suggested the propriety of -immediately quitting the country." - -Mr. Mattson does not give us an account of the voyage. "I have no -disposition," says his hero, "to describe a trip across the -Atlantic--particularly as I am not in a sentimental mood--otherwise I -might turn over the poets, and make up a long chapter of extracts from -Moore, Byron, and Rogers of the Old World, or Percival, Bryant, and -Halleck of the New." A range of stars accordingly, is introduced at -this crisis of affairs, and we must understand them to express all the -little matters which our author is too fastidious to detail. Having -sufficiently admired the stars, we turn over the next leaf and "Land -ho!" shouts one of the seamen on the fore-topsail yard. - -Arrived in Philadelphia, Mr. Ulric (our hero's father) {174} "is -divided," so says Mr. Mattson, "between the charms of a city and -country life." His family at this time, we are told, consisted of five -persons; and Mr. U. Jr. takes this opportunity of formally introducing -to us, his two sisters Eleanor and Rosaline. This introduction, -however, is evidently to little purpose, for we hear no more, -throughout the two volumes, of either the one young lady or the other. -After much deliberation the family fix their residence in "Essex, a -delightful country village in the interior of Pennsylvania;" and we -beg our readers to bear in mind that the surprising adventures of Paul -Ulric are, for the most part, perpetrated in the immediate vicinity of -this village. - -The young gentleman (notwithstanding his late love affair with the -Countess) is now, very properly, sent to school--or rather a private -tutor is engaged for him--one Lionel Wafer. A rapid proficiency in -Latin, Greek, Hebrew, music, dancing, and fencing, is the result; "and -with these accomplishments," says the young calf, "I believed myself -fitted for the noise and bustle of the world." Accordingly, his father -having given him a flogging one afternoon, he determines upon running -away. In two days he "arrives in one of the Atlantic cities." Rambling -about the streets he enters into conversation with a sharper, who -succeeds in selling him, for forty dollars, a watch made of tinsel and -put together with paste. This and subsequent adventures in the city -form the best portion of the book--if _best_ should be applied, in any -way, to what is altogether abominable. Mr. Ulric goes to the theatre, -and the play is Romeo and Juliet. The orchestra "breaks forth in full -chorus" and our hero soliloquizes. We copy his soliloquy with the end -of placing before our readers what we consider the finest passage in -Mr. Mattson's novel. We wish to do that gentleman every possible act -of justice; and when we write down the few words to which we allude, -and when we say that they are not absolutely intolerable, we have done -all, in the way of commendation, which lies in our power. We have not -one other word of praise to throw away upon Paul Ulric. - - -"Oh Music!--the theme of bards from time immemorial--who can sing of -thee as thou deservest? What wondrous miracles hast thou not -accomplished? The war-drum beats--the clarion gives forth its piercing -notes--and legions of armed men rush headlong to the fierce and -devastating battle. Again, the drum is muffled, and its deep notes -break heavily upon the air, while the dead warrior is borne along upon -his bier, and thousands mingle their tears to his memory. The tender -lute sounds upon the silvery waters, and the lover throws aside his -oar, and imprints a kiss upon the lips of his beloved. The bugle rings -in the mountain's recesses, and a thousand spears are uplifted for a -fearful and desperate conflict. And now the organ peals, and, with its -swelling notes, the soul leaps into the very presence of the Deity." - - -Our hero decides upon adopting the stage as a profession, and with -this view takes lessons in elocution. Having perfected himself in this -art, he applies to a manager, by note, for permission to display his -abilities, but is informed that the nights are engaged for two months -ahead, and it would be impossible for him to appear during the season. -By the influence, however, of some hanger-on of the theatre, his -wishes are at length gratified, and he is announced in the bills as -"the celebrated Master Le Brun, the son of a distinguished English -nobleman, whose success was so unprecedented in London as to have -performed fifty nights in succession at the Theatre Royal, Drury -Lane"--a sentence in which we are at a loss to discover whether the -English nobleman, or the English nobleman's son, or the success of the -English nobleman's son is the distinguished performer in question. - -Our adventurer succeeds in his debût, and is in a fair way of becoming -a popular performer, when his prospects are suddenly nipped in the -bud. His valet one morning announces a Sir Thomas Le Brun, and Sir -Thomas Le Brun proves to be that worthy gentleman Sir John Augustus -Frederick Geoffry Ulric, Baronet. A scene ensues. Paul screams, and -Sir John clenches his fist. The father makes a speech, and the son -makes a speech and a bow. At length they fly into each other's arms, -and the drama closes by the old personage taking the young personage -home in his carriage. In all this balderdash about the stage, there is -not one original incident or idea. The same anecdotes are told, but in -infinitely better language, in every book of dramatic reminiscences -since the flood. - -Our author now indulges in what we suppose to be satire. The arrows of -his wit are directed, with much pertinacity at least, against one -Borel Bunting, by which name it strikes us that Mr. M. wishes to -indicate some poor devil of an editor in bonâ fide existence--perhaps -some infatuated young person who could not be prevailed upon, by love -or money, to look over the MS. of Paul Ulric. If our supposition be -true, we could wish Mr. Borel Bunting no better revenge than what the -novelist has himself afforded by this public exposure of his -imbecility. We must do our readers the favor of copying for their -especial perusal, a portion of this vehement attack. - - -There has been much speculation as to the birthplace of Borel; (in -this respect he somewhat resembled Homer) but if I have been correctly -informed it was in one of the New England States. Further than this I -cannot particularize. When he came to Essex he managed to procure a -situation in a counting-house, which afforded him the means of support -as well as leisure for study. He did not overlook these advantages, -and gradually rose in public estimation until he became the editor of -the Literary Herald. This gentleman was deeply read in the classics, -and had also perused every novel and volume of poetry from the -earliest period of English literature down to the present. Such had -been his indefatigable research, that there was not a remarkable -passage in the whole range of the Waverley fictions, or indeed any -other fictions, to which he could not instantly turn. As to poetry, he -was an oracle. He could repeat the whole of Shelley, Moore, and -Wordsworth, _verbatim_. He was a very Sidrophel in his acquirements. -He could tell - - "How many scores a flea would jump;" - -he could prove, also, "that the man in the moon's a sea -Mediterranean," and - - "In lyric numbers write an ode on - His mistress eating a black pudding." - -He composed acrostics extempore by the dozen; we say _extempore_, -though it was once remarked that he was months in bringing them to -maturity. He was inimitable, moreover, in his pictures of natural -scenery. When a river, or a mountain, or a waterfall was to be -sketched, Borel Bunting, of all others, was the man to guide the -pencil. He had the rare faculty of bringing every thing distinctly -before the mind of the reader--a compliment to which a majority of his -brother scribes are not entitled. - -Borel Bunting possessed also a considerable degree {175} of critical -acumen. Southey was a mere doggerelist; Cooper and Irving were not men -of genius: so said Borel. Pope, he declared, was the first of poets, -because Lord Byron said so before him. Tom Jones, he contended, was -the most perfect specimen of a novel extant. He was also willing to -admit that Goldsmith had shown some talent in his Vicar of Wakefield. - -In a word, Borel's wonderful acquirements secured him the favorable -attention of many distinguished men; and at length (as a reward of his -industry and merit) he was regularly installed in the chair editorial -of the "_Literary Herald_," an important weekly periodical, fifteen -inches in diameter. His salary, it is supposed, was something less -than that received by the President of the United States. - -The Literary Herald, Borel (or rather, Mr. Bunting--we beg his pardon) -considered the paragon of perfection. No one could ever hope to be -distinguished in literature who was not a contributor to its columns. -It was the only sure medium through which young Ambition could make -its way to immortality. In short, (to use one of Bunting's favorite -words,) it was the "_nonpareil_" of learning, literature, wit, -philosophy, and science. - -Mr. Bunting corresponded regularly with many distinguished individuals -in Europe. I called upon him one morning, just after the arrival of a -foreign mail, when he read me portions of seven letters which he had -just received. One was from Lafayette, another from Charles X., a -third from the author of a fashionable novel, a fourth from Miss -L----, a beautiful poetess in London, a fifth from a German count, a -sixth from an Italian prince, and a seventh from Stpqrstuwsptrsm, (I -vouch not for the orthography, not being so well acquainted with the -art of spelling as the learned Borel,) a distinguished Russian general -in the service of the great "Northern Bear." - -The most unfortunate charge that was ever preferred against Borel, in -his editorial capacity, was that of _plagiarism_. He had inserted an -article in his paper over his acknowledged signature, entitled -"_Desultory Musings_," which some one boldly asserted was an extract -from Zimmerman on Solitude; and, upon its being denied by the editor, -reference was given to the identical page whence it was taken. These -things boded no good to the reputation of the scribe; nevertheless, he -continued his career without interruption, and, had he lived in the -days of Pope, the latter might well have asked, - - "Who shames a scribbler? break one cobweb through, - He spins the slight, self-pleasing thread anew: - Destroy his fib or sophistry, in vain, - The creature's at his dirty work again-- - * * * * * - Proud of a vast extent of flimsy lines." - - -Mr. Ulric now indulges us with another love affair, beginning as -follows: "Oh thou strange and incomprehensible passion! to what canst -thou be compared? At times thou art gentle as the zephyr; at others -thou art mighty as the tempest. Thou canst calm the throbbing bosom, -or thou canst fill it with wilder commotion. A single smile of thy -benign countenance calleth new rapture to the anguished heart, and -scattereth every doubt, every fear, every perplexity. But enough of -this." True. - -A young lady falls into a river or a ditch, (our author says she was -fishing for a water-lily) and Mr. Ulric is at the trouble of pulling -her out. "What a charming incident!" says Mr. Mattson. Her name is -Violet, and our susceptible youth falls in love with her. "Shall I -ever," quoth Paul, "shall I ever forget my sensations at that -period?--never!!" Among other methods of evincing his passion he -writes a copy of verses "To Violet," and sends them to the _Literary -Herald_. All, however, is to little purpose. The lady is no fool, and -very properly does not wish a fool for a husband. - -Our hero now places his affections upon the wife of a silk-dyer. He -has a rival, however, in the person of the redoubted editor, Borel -Bunting, and a duel ensues, in which, although the matter is a hoax, -and the pistols have no load in them, Mr. Mattson assures us that the -editor "in firing, lodged the _contents_ of his weapon in the ground a -few inches from his feet." The chapter immediately following this -adventure is headed with poetical quotations occupying two-thirds of a -page. One is from _Byron_--another from _All's Well that Ends -Well_--and the third from _Brown's Lecture on Perpetual Motion_. The -chapter itself would form not quite half a column such as we are now -writing, and in it we are informed that Bunting, having discovered the -perpetual motion, determines upon a tour in Europe. - -The editor being thus disposed of, Mr. Mattson now enters seriously -upon the business of his novel. We beg the attention of our readers -while we detail a tissue of such absurdity, as we did not believe it -possible, at this day, for any respectable bookseller to publish, or -the very youngest of young gentlemen to indite. - -Let us bear in mind that the scene of the following events is in the -vicinity of Philadelphia, and the epoch, the present day. Mr. Ulric -takes a stroll one May morning with his gun. "Nature seems to be at -rest," &c.--"the warbling of birds," &c.--"perched among trees," &c. -was all very fine, &c. "While gazing," says Paul, "upon these -objects," (that is to say, the warbling of the birds) "I beheld a -young and beautiful female trip lightly over the grass, and seat -herself beneath a willow which stood in the middle of a park." -Whereupon our adventurer throws himself into an attitude, and -soliloquizes as follows. - - -"It seems that there is an indescribable something in the features of -many women--a look, a smile, or a glance of the eye--that sends the -blood thrilling to the heart, and involuntarily kindles the flame of -love upon its altar. It is no wonder that sages and philosophers have -worshipped with such mad devotion at the shrine of beauty! It is no -wonder that the mighty Pericles knelt at the feet of his beloved -Aspasia! It is no wonder that the once powerful Antony sacrificed his -country to the fatal embraces of the bewitching Cleopatra! It is no -wonder that the thirst for glory cooled in the heart of the -philosophic Abelard, when he beheld the beauty of the exquisite -Heloise! It is no wonder, indeed, that he quitted the dry maxims of -Aristotle to practise the more pleasing precepts of Ovid! But this is -rhapsody!" It is. - - -The lady is dressed in white, (probably cambric muslin,) and Mr. -Mattson assures us that her features he shall not attempt to describe. -He proceeds, however, to say that her "eyes are hazel, but very dark," -"her complexion pure as alabaster," her lips like the lips of Canova's -Venus, and her forehead like--something very fine. Mr. Ulric attempts -to speak, but his embarrassment prevents him. The young lady "turns to -depart," and our adventurer goes home as he came. - -The next chapter commences with "How mysterious is human -existence!"--which means, when translated, "How original is Mr. -Mattson!" This initial paragraph concludes with a solemn assurance -that we are perishable creatures, and that it is very possible we may -all die--every mother's son of us. But as Mr. M. hath it--"to our -story." Paul has discovered the mansion of the young lady--but can see -no more of the young lady herself. He therefore stands sentinel before -{176} the door, with the purpose "of making observations." While thus -engaged, he perceives a tall fellow, "with huge black whiskers and a -most forbidding aspect," enter the house, in a familiar manner. Our -hero is, of course, in despair. The tall gentleman could be no other -than the accepted lover of the young lady. Having arrived at this -conclusion, Paul espies a column of smoke in the woods, and after some -trouble discovers it to proceed from "a log dwelling which stood -alone, with its roof of moss, amid the silence and solitude of -nature." A dog barks, and an old woman makes her appearance. - -This old lady is a most portentous being. She is, however, a little -given to drinking; and offers our hero a dram, of which Mr. Mattson -positively assures us that gentleman did not accept. - - -"Can you tell me," says Paul, "who lives in the stone house?" - -"Do you mean the Florence mansion," she asked. - -"Very like--who is its owner?" - -"A man of the same name--Richard Florence." - -"Who is Richard Florence?" - -"An Englishman; he came to this country a year or two ago." - -"Has he a wife?" - -"Not that I know of." - -"Children?" - -"An only daughter." - -"What is her name?" - -"Emily." - -"Emily!--Is she beautiful?" - -"Very beautiful!" - -"And amiable?" - -"Her like is not to be found." - -"What," [exclaims our hero, perhaps starting back and running his -fingers through his hair]--"what are all the fleeting and fickle -pleasures of the world! what the magnificent palaces of kings, with -their imperial banquetings and gorgeous processions! what, indeed, are -all the treasures of the earth or the sea, in comparison with the -pure, the bright, the beautiful object of our young and innocent -affections!!!" - - -The name of the old hag is Meg Lawler, and she favors Mr. Ulric with -her private history. The morality of her disclosures is -questionable--but "morals, at the present day, quoth Mr. Mattson, are -rarely sought in works of fiction, and perhaps _less_ rarely found." -The gentleman means _more_ rarely. But let us proceed. Meg Lawler -relates a tale of seduction. It ends in the most approved form. "I -knew," says she, "that the day of sorrow and tribulation was at hand, -but alas, there was no saving power!" Here follows a double range of -stars--after which, the narrative is resumed as follows. - - -Dame Lawler paused, and turning upon me her glaring and blood-shot -eyes exclaimed-- - -"Do you think there is a punishment hereafter for the evil deeds done -in the body?" - -"Such," I replied, "the divines have long taught us." - -"_Then is my destroyer writhing in the agonies of hell!!_" - - -Mr. Ulric is, of course, electrified, and the chapter closes. - -Our hero, some time after this, succeeds in making the acquaintance of -Miss Emily Florence. The scene of the first interview is the cottage -of Meg Lawler. Mr. U. proposes a walk--the lady at first refuses, but -finally consents. - -"There were two paths," says our hero, "either of which we might have -chosen: one led into the forest, the other towards her father's house. -I struck into the latter--but she abruptly paused." - -"Shall we continue our walk?" I asked, observing that she still -hesitated. - -"Yes," she at length answered; "but I would prefer the other -path"--that is to say the path through the woods--O fi, Miss Emily -Florence! During the walk, our hero arrives at the conclusion that his -beloved is "some unfortunate captive whose fears, or whose sense of -dependence, might render it imprudent for her to be seen in the -society of a stranger." In addition to all this, Dame Lawler has told -Mr. U. that "she did not believe Emily was the daughter of Mr. -Florence"--hereby filling the interesting youth with suspicions, which -Mr. Mattson assures us "were materials for the most painful -reflection." - -On their way home our lovers meet with an adventure. Mr. Ulric happens -to espy a--man. Miss Emily Florence thus explains this momentous -occurrence. _"There is a band of robbers who have their retreat in the -neighboring hills--and this was no doubt one of them. They are headed -by a brave and reckless fellow of the name of Elmo--Captain Elmo I -think they call him. They have been the terror of the inhabitants for -a long time. My father went out sometime ago with an armed force in -pursuit of them, but could not discover their hiding place. I have -heard it said that they steal away the children of wealthy parents -that they may exact a ransom."_ Once more we beg our readers to -remember that Mr. Mattson's novel is a Tale of the Present Times, and -that its scene is in the near vicinity of the city of Brotherly Love. - -Having convinced her lover that the man so portentously seen can be -nobody in the world but "that brave and reckless fellow" Captain Elmo, -Miss Florence proceeds to assure Mr. U. that she (Miss Florence) is -neither afraid of man nor the devil--and forthwith brandishes in the -eyes of our adventurer an ivory-hilted dagger, or a carving-knife, or -some such murderous affair. "Scarcely knowing what I did," says our -gallant friend, "I imprinted a kiss (the first--burning, passionate, -and full of rapture) upon her innocent lips, and--_darted into the -woods!!!_" It was impossible to stand the carving-knife. - -As Mr. U. takes his way home after this memorable adventure, he is -waylaid by an old woman, who turns out to be a robber in disguise. A -scuffle ensues, and our hero knocks down his antagonist--what less -could such a hero do? Instead however of putting an end at once to his -robbership, our friend merely stands over him and requests him to -recite his adventures. This the old woman does. Her name is Dingee -O'Dougherty, or perhaps Dingy O'Dirty--and she proves to be one and -the same personage with the little man in gray who sold Mr. U. the -tinsel watch spoken of in the beginning of the history. During the -catechism, however, a second robber comes up, and the odds are now -against our hero. But on account of his affectionate forbearance to -Dingy O'Dirty no farther molestation is offered--and the three part -with an amicable understanding. - -Mr. Ulric is now taken ill of a fever--and during his illness a -servant of Mr. Florence having left that gentleman's service, calls -upon his heroship to communicate some most astounding intelligence. -Miss Florence, it appears, has been missing for some days, and her -father receives a letter (purporting to be from the captain of {177} -the banditti) in which it is stated that they have carried her away, -and would only return her in consideration of a ransom. Florence is -requested to meet them at a certain spot and hour, when they propose -to make known their conditions. Upon hearing this extraordinary news -our adventurer jumps out of bed, throws himself into attitude No. 2, -and swears a round oath that he will deliver Miss Emily himself. Thus -ends the first volume. - -Volume the second commences with spirit. Mr. U. hires "three fearless -and able-bodied men to accompany and render him assistance in the -event of danger. Each of them was supplied with a belt containing a -brace of pistols, and a large Spanish knife." With these terrible -desperadoes, our friend arrives at the spot designated by the bandit. -Leaving his companions near at hand, he advances, and recognizes the -redoubted Captain Elmo, who demands a thousand pounds as the ransom of -Miss Emily Florence. Our hero considers this too much, and the Captain -consents to take five hundred. This too Mr. U. refuses to give, and -with his three friends makes an attack upon the bandit. But a posse of -robbers coming to the aid of their leader, our hero is about to meet -with his deserts when he is rescued by no less a personage than our -old acquaintance Dingy O'Dirty, who proves to be one of the banditti. -Through the intercession of this friend, Mr. U. and his trio are -permitted to go home in safety--but our hero, in a private -conversation with Dingy, prevails upon that gentleman to aid him in -the rescue of Miss Emily. A plot is arranged between the two worthies, -the most important point of which is that Mr. U. is to become one of -the robber fraternity. - -In a week's time, accordingly, we behold Paul Ulric, Esq. in a cavern -of banditti, somewhere in the neighborhood of Philadelphia!! His -doings in this cavern, as related by Mr. Mattson, we must be allowed -to consider the most laughable piece of plagiarism on record--with the -exception perhaps of something in this same book which we shall speak -of hereafter. Our author, it appears, has read Gil Blas, Pelham, and -Anne of Gierstein, and has concocted, from diverse passages in the -three, a banditti scene for his own especial use, and for the readers -of Paul Ulric. The _imitations_ (let us be courteous!) from Pelham are -not so palpable as those from the other two novels. It will be -remembered that Bulwer's hero introduces himself into a nest of London -rogues with the end of proving his friend's innocence of murder. Paul -joins a band of robbers _near Philadelphia_, for the purpose of -rescuing a mistress--the chief similarity will be found in the -circumstances of the blindfold introduction, and in the slang dialect -made use of by either novelist. The slang in Pelham is stupid -enough--but still very natural in the mouths of the cutthroats of -Cockaigne. Mr. Mattson, however, has thought proper to bring it over, -will I nill I, into Pennsylvania, and to make the pickpockets of -Yankeeland discourse in the most learned manner of nothing less than -"_flat-catching_," "_velvet_," "_dubbing up possibles_," "_shelling -out_," "_twisting French lace_," "_wakeful winkers_," "_white wool_," -"_pig's whispers_," and "_horses' nightcaps!_" - -Having introduced his adventurer _à la_ Pelham, Mr. Mattson entertains -him _à la_ Gil Blas. The hero of Santillane finds his cavern a -pleasant residence, and so does the hero of our novel. Captain Rolando -is a fine fellow, and so is Captain Elmo. In Gil Blas, the robbers -amuse themselves by reciting their adventures--so they do in Paul -Ulric. In both the Captain tells his own history first. In the one -there is a rheumatic old cook--in the other there is a rheumatic old -cook. In the one there is a porter who is the main obstacle to -escape--in the other ditto. In the one there is a lady in durance--in -the other ditto. In the one the hero determines to release the -lady--in the other ditto. In the one Gil Blas feigns illness to effect -his end, in the other Mr. Ulric feigns illness for the same object. In -the one, advantage is taken of the robbers' absence to escape--so in -the other. The cook is sick, at the time, in both. - -In regard to Anne of Gierstein the plagiarism is still more laughable. -We must all remember the proceedings of the _Secret Tribunal_ in -Scott's novel. Mr. Mattson has evidently been ignorant that the Great -Unknown's account of these proceedings was principally based on fact. -He has supposed them imaginary _in toto_, and, seeing no good reason -to the contrary, determined to have a Secret Tribunal of his own -manufacture, and could think of no better location for it than a -cavern somewhere about the suburbs of Philadelphia. We must be -pardoned for giving Mr. Mattson's account of this matter in his own -words. - - -Dingee disappeared, [this is our old friend Dingy O'Dirty] Dingee, -[quoth Mr. Mattson,] disappeared--leaving me for a time alone. When he -returned, he said every thing was in readiness for the ceremony, [the -ceremony of Mr. Ulric's initiation as a robber.] The place appointed -for this purpose was called the '_Room of Sculls_'--and thither, -blindfolded, I was led. - -'A candidate for our order!' said a voice, which I recognized as -O'Dougherty's. - -'Let him see the light!' exclaimed another in an opposite direction. -The mandate was obeyed, and I was restored to sight. - -I looked wildly and fearfully around--but no living object was -perceptible. Before me stood an altar, hung about with red curtains, -and ornamented with fringe of the same color. Above it, on a white -Banner, was a painting of the human heart, with a dagger struck to the -hilt, and the blood streaming from the wound. Directly under this -horrible device, was written, in large letters, - - THE PUNISHMENT OF THE UNFAITHFUL. - -Around, wherever I turned my eyes, there was little else to be seen -but skeletons of human bodies--with their arms uplifted, and -stretching forward--suspended in every direction from the walls. One -of them I involuntarily touched, and down it came with a fearful -crash--its dry bones rattling upon the granite floor, until the whole -cavern reverberated with the sound. I turned from this spectacle, and -opposite beheld a guillotine--the fatal axe smeared with blood; and -near it was a head--looking as if it had just been severed from the -body--with the countenance ghastly--the lips parted--and the eyes -staring wide open. There, also, was the body, covered, however, with a -cloth, so that little was seen except the neck, mangled and bloody, -and a small portion of the hand, hanging out from its shroud, grasping -in its fingers a tablet with the following inscription: - - THE END OF THE BETRAYER. - -I sickened and fell. When I awoke to consciousness I found myself in -the arms of O'Dougherty. He was bathing my temples with a fragrant -liquor. When I had sufficiently recovered, he put his mouth close to -my ear and whispered--'Where is your courage man? Do you know there is -a score of eyes upon you?' - -{178} 'Alas! I am unused to such scenes--I confess they have unmanned -me. But now I am firm; you have only to command, and I will obey.' - -'Bravo!' exclaimed O'Dougherty, 'you must now be introduced to the -high priest of our order. He has taken his seat at the altar--prepared -for your reception. I will retire that you may do him -reverence--trusting soon to hail you as a brother.' - -The curtains about the altar had been grouped up, and there, indeed, -sat the high dignitary in all his splendor. He was closely masked, and -reclined in a high-backed chair, with his head turned carelessly to -one side, with an expression of the most singular good humor. At that -moment, also, there issued from numerous recesses, which I had not -hitherto observed, a number of grotesque-looking shapes, not unlike -the weird sisters in Macbeth, who quietly took their stations around -the apartment, and fixed upon me their fearful and startling gaze. -Their garments were hanging in shreds--an emblem, perhaps, of their -own desperate pursuits. Their faces were daubed with paint of various -colors, which gave them a wild and fiendish aspect. Each one grasped a -long knife, which he brandished furiously above his head, the blades -sometimes striking heavily together. They then sprang simultaneously -forward, forming themselves into a circle, while one stationed himself -as the centre, around whom they slowly moved with dismal and -half-suppressed groans. They continued this ceremony until some one -exclaimed-- - -'Bring forth the dead!' - -'Bring forth the dead!'--they all repeated, until the cavern rang with -a thousand echoes. - -The banditti now stood in a line, stretching from one end of the room -to the other, and remained some time in silence. Directly a dead -body--mutilated and bloody--was borne by some invisible agency into -our presence. It rested upon a bier--without pall or other covering--a -spectacle too horrible for description. I thought, at first, that it -was some optical delusion--but, alas! it proved a fearful reality--a -dread and reckless assassination, prompted by that hellish and -vindictive spirit, which appeared so exclusively to govern the -ruffians with whom I was voluntarily associated. The victim before me -was a transgressor of their laws; and this punishment had been dealt -out to him as the reward of his perfidy. Life, to all appearance, was -extinct; but the sluggish and inert clay still remained, as if in -mockery of all law--all humanity--all mercy. - -'Behold the traitor!'--exclaimed one of the number. - -'Behold the traitor!'--they all repeated in concert. - -'Bear away the dead!'--commanded the priest at the altar. - -'Bear away the dead! bear away the dead!'--was reiterated in -succession by every tongue, until the lifeless body disappeared--and -with it the fiendish revellers who had sported so terrifically in its -presence. - - -We have only to say, that if our readers are not absolutely petrified -after all this conglomeration of horrors, it is no fault either of -Paul Ulric's, Morris Mattson's, or Dingy O'Dirty's. - -Miss Emily Florence is at length rescued, and with her lover, is rowed -down some river in a skiff by Dingy, who thus discourses on the way. -We quote the passage as a specimen of exquisite morality. - - -"Had I the sensibility of many men, a recollection of my crimes would -sink me into the dust--but as it is, I can almost fancy them to be so -many virtues. I see you smile; but is it not a truth, that every thing -of good and evil exists altogether in idea? The highwayman is driven -by necessity to attack the traveller, and demand his purse. This is a -crime--so says the law--so says society--and must be punished as our -wise men have decreed. Nations go to war with each other--they -plunder--burn--destroy--and murder--yet there is nothing wrong in -this, because nations sanction it. But where is the difference between -the highwayman, in the exercise of a profession by which he is to -obtain a livelihood, and a nation, with perhaps less adequate cause, -which despoils another of its treasures, and deluges it in blood? Is -not this a proof that our ideas of immorality and wickedness are -derived in a great measure from habit and education?" "The -metaphysical outlaw," [says our hero,] "the metaphysical outlaw here -concluded his discourse." [What an excessively funny idea Mr. Mattson -must have of metaphysics!] - - -Having left the boat, taken leave of Dingy O'Dirty, and put on a pair -of breeches, Miss Florence now accompanies our adventurer to a village -hard by. Entering a tavern the lovers seat themselves at the breakfast -table with two or three other persons. The conversation turns upon one -Mr. Crawford, a great favorite in the village. In the midst of his own -praises the gentleman himself enters--"and lo!" says Mr. Ulric, "in -the person of Mr. Crawford, I recognized the notorious Captain Elmo!" -The hue and cry is immediately raised, but the Captain makes his -escape through a window. Our hero pursues him to no purpose, and in -returning from the pursuit is near being run over by a carriage and -six. The carriage doors happen to be wide open, and in the vehicle Mr. -Ulric discovers--oh horrible!--Miss Emily Florence in the embrace of -the fellow with the big whiskers! - -Having lost his sweetheart a second time, our adventurer is in -despair. But despair, or indeed any thing else, is of little -consequence to a hero. "It is true," says Paul, "I was sometimes -melancholy; but melancholy with me is as the radiant sunlight, -imparting a hue of gladness to every thing around!!" Being, therefore, -in excellent spirits with his melancholy, Mr. Ulric determines upon -writing a novel. The novel is written, printed, published, and puffed. -Why not?--we have even seen "_Paul Ulric_" puffed. But let us hasten -to the _dénouement_ of our tale. The hero receives a letter from his -guardian angel, Dingy O'Dirty, who, it appears, is in England. He -informs Mr. U. that Miss Florence is in London, for he (Dingy O'Dirty) -has seen her. Hereupon our friend takes shipping for that city. Of -course he is shipwrecked--and, of course, every soul on board perishes -but himself. He, indeed, is a most fortunate young man. Some person -pulls him on shore, and this person proves to be the very person he -was going all the way to London to look for--it was Richard Florence -himself. What is more to the purpose, Mr. F. has repented of promising -Miss Emily to the fellow with the big whiskers. Every thing now -happens precisely as it should. Miss E. is proved to be an heiress, -and no daughter of Florence's after all. Our hero leads her to the -altar. Matters come rapidly to a crisis. All the good characters are -made excessively happy people, and all the bad characters die sudden -deaths, and go, post haste, to the devil. - -Mr. Mattson is a very generous young man, and is not above patronizing -a fellow-writer occasionally. Some person having sent him a MS. poem -for perusal and an opinion, our author consigns the new candidate for -fame to immortality at once, by heading a chapter in Paul Ulric with -four entire lines from the MS., and appending the following note at -the bottom of the page. - - -From a MS. poem entitled "_Drusilla_," with which we have been -politely favored for perusal. It is a delightful work, and shows the -writer to be a man of {179} genius and reflection. We hope it will not -be long before the lovers of poetry are favored with this production; -it will win deserved celebrity for its author. - - -And as a farther instance of disinterestedness, see this conversation -between Mr. Mattson's hero, and a young lady in London who wrote for -the annuals. - - -"What do you think of D'Israeli's novels?"--asked she. - -"Excellent! Excellent!" I replied, "especially Vivian Grey: take for -example the scene in the long gallery between Vivian, and Mrs. Felix -Lorraine." - -"Admirable!"--returned the young lady, "but, by the way, how do you -like Bulwer?" - -"Well enough," I answered. - -"Pray, Mr. Ulric, how many female writers of distinction have you in -America? Honest old Blackwood tells us of but two or three." - -"And who are they?" - -"Miss Gould, Miss Sedgwick, and Mrs. Sigourney." - -"He should have added another--Miss Leslie." - - -We fancy it is long since Miss Leslie, Miss Gould, Miss Sedgwick, Mrs. -Sigourney, Lytton Bulwer, and Ben D'Israeli have been so -affectionately patted on the back. - -Of Mr. Mattson's _style_ the less we say the better. It is quite good -enough for Mr. Mattson's matter. Besides--all fine writers have pet -words and phrases. Mr. Fay had his "_blisters_"--Mr. Simms had his -"_coils_," "_hugs_," and "_old-times_"--and Mr. M. must be allowed his -"_suches_" and "_so muches_." Such is genius!--and so much for the -Adventures of an Enthusiast! But we must positively say a word in -regard to Mr. Mattson's _erudition_. On page 97, vol. ii, our author -is discoursing of the novel which his hero is about to indite. He is -speaking more particularly of _titles_. Let us see what he says. - - -"An ill-chosen title is sufficient to condemn the best of books. Never -does an author exhibit his taste and skill more than in this -particular. Just think for a moment of _the Frenchman's version of -Doctor Johnson's 'Rambler' into 'Le Chevalier Errant,' and what was -still more laughable, his innocently addressing the author by the -appellation of Mr. Vagabond!_ By the way, the modern fanatics were -somewhat remarkable in the choice of their titles. Take for example -the following--_'The Shop of the Spiritual Apothecary' and 'Some fine -Baskets baked in the Oven of Charity, carefully conserved for the -Chickens of the Church, the Sparrows of the Spirit, and the Sweet -Swallows of Salvation.'_" - - -Having admired this specimen of deep research, let us turn to page -125, vol. ii. Mr. Ulric is here vindicating himself from some charges -brought against his book. Have patience, gentle reader, while we copy -what he says. - - -"In the first place we are accused of _vulgarity_. In this respect we -certainly bear a strong resemblance to Plautus, who was censured by -the satirical Horace for the same thing. Next come _Ignorance_, -_Vanity_, and _Stupidity_. Of the first two, the classic reader will -not forget that Aristotle (who wrote not less than four hundred -volumes) was calumniated by Cicero and Plutarch, both of whom -endeavored to make it appear that he was _ignorant_ as well as _vain_. -But what of our stupidity? Socrates himself was treated by Athenæus as -_illiterate_; the divine Plato, called by some the philosopher of the -Christians, by others the god of philosophers, was accused by -Theopompus of _lying_, by Aristophanes of _impiety_, and by Aulus -Gellius of _robbery_. The fifth charge is a _want of invention_. Pliny -has alleged the same thing of Virgil--and surely it is some -consolation to know that we have such excellent company. And last, -though not least, is _plagiarism_. Here again Naucrates tells us that -Homer pillaged some of his best thoughts from the library at Memphis. -It is recorded, moreover, that Horace plundered from the minor Greek -poets, and Virgil from his great prototype, Homer, as well as -Nicander, and Apollonius Rhodius. Why then should we trouble ourselves -about these sweeping denunciations?" - - -What a learned man is Morris Mattson, Esq.! He is intimately versed -not only in Horace, Aristotle, Cicero, Plutarch, Virgil, Homer, Plato, -Pliny, and Aristophanes--but (_credat Judæus!_) in Nicander, Aulus -Gellius, Naucrates, Athenæus, Theopompus, and Apollonius Rhodius! I. -D'Israeli, however, the father of Ben D'Israeli aforesaid, is (we have -no hesitation in saying it,) one of the most scoundrelly plagiarists -in Christendom. He has not scrupled to steal entire passages verbatim -from Paul Ulric! On page 1, vol. ii, second edition, of '_The -Curiosities of Literature_,' in a chapter on _Titles_, we have all -about Dr. Johnson, Le Chevalier Errant, and Mr. Vagabond, precisely in -the language of Mr. Mattson. O thou abandoned robber, D'Israeli! Here -is the sentence. It will be seen, that it corresponds with the first -sentence italicized in the paragraph (above) beginning 'An ill-chosen -title, &c.' "The Rambler was so little understood, at the time of its -appearance, that a French Journalist has translated it 'Le Chevalier -Errant,' and a foreigner drank Johnson's health one day, by innocently -addressing him by the appellation of Mr. Vagabond!" And on page 11, of -the same volume, we perceive the following, which answers to the -_second_ sentence italicized in the paragraph above mentioned. "A -collection of passages from the Fathers is called 'The Shop of the -Spiritual Apothecary'--one of these works bears the elaborate title -'Some fine Baskets baked in the Oven of Charity, carefully conserved -for the Chickens of the Church, the Sparrows of the Spirit, and the -Sweet Swallows of Salvation.'" There can be no doubt whatever of -D'Israeli's having pilfered this thing from Paul Ulric, for Mr. -Mattson having, inadvertently we suppose, written _Baskets_ for -_Biscuits_, the error is adopted by the plagiarist. But we have a -still more impudent piece of robbery to mention. The whole of the -_erudition_, and two-thirds of the words in the paragraph above, -beginning 'In the first place we are accused of vulgarity,' &c. is to -be found on page 42, vol. i, second edition, of The '_Curiosities!_' -Let us transcribe some of D'Israeli's words in illustration of our -remark. We refer the reader for more particular information to the -book itself. - - -"Horace censures the coarse humor of Plautus--Aristotle (whose -industry composed more than four hundred volumes) has not been less -spared by the critics. Diogenes Laertius, Cicero and Plutarch have -forgotten nothing that can tend to show his ignorance, his ambition, -and his vanity--Socrates, considered as the wisest, and most moral of -men, Cicero treated as an usurer, and the pedant Athenæus as -illiterate--Plato, who has been called, by Clement of Alexandria, the -Moses of Athens; the philosopher of the Christians by Arnobius, and -the god of philosophers by Cicero; Athenæus accuses of envy; -Theopompus of lying; Suidas of avarice; Aulus Gellius of robbery; -Porphyry of incontinence, and Aristophanes of impiety--Virgil is -destitute of invention, if we are to give credit to Pliny--Naucrates -points out the source (of the Iliad and Odyssey,) in the library at -Memphis, which, according to him, the blind bard completely -pillaged--Horace has been blamed for the free use he made of the minor -Greek {180} poets. Even the author of his (Virgil's) apology, has -confessed that he has stolen, from Homer, his greatest beauties, from -Apollonius Rhodius many of his pathetic passages, and from Nicander -hints for his Georgics." - - -Well, Mr. Mattson, what have you to say for yourself? Is not I. -D'Israeli the most impudent thief since the days of Prometheus? - -In summing up an opinion of Paul Ulric, it is by no means our -intention to mince the matter at all. The book is despicable in every -respect. Such are the works which bring daily discredit upon our -national literature. We have no right to complain of being laughed at -abroad when so villainous a compound, as the thing we now hold in our -hand, of incongruous folly, plagiarism, immorality, inanity, and -bombast, can command at any moment both a puff and a publisher. To Mr. -Mattson himself we have only one word to say before throwing his book -into the fire. Dress it up, good sir, for the nursery, and call it the -"Life and Surprising Adventures of Dingy O'Dirty." Humph!--Only think -of Plato, Pliny, Aristotle, Aristophanes, Nicander, Aulus Gellius, -Naucrates, Athenæus, Theopompus and Apollonius Rhodius!! - - -MARTIN'S GAZETTEER. - -_A New and Comprehensive Gazetteer of Virginia, and the District of -Columbia: containing a copious collection of Geographical, -Statistical, Political, Commercial, Religious, Moral and Miscellaneous -Information, collected and compiled from the most respectable, and -chiefly from original sources; by Joseph Martin. To which is added a -History of Virginia from its first settlement to the year 1754: with -an abstract of the principal events from that period to the -independence of Virginia, written expressly for the work, by a citizen -of Virginia. Charlottesville: Published by Joseph Martin. 1835._ - -We ought to have noticed this book sooner. Mr. Martin deserves well of -the country for having laid the foundation, amidst numerous obstacles, -of a work of great utility and importance. In his preface, he disavows -all pretension to literary attainment, and claims only the merit of -enterprise and perseverance in the execution of his design. He is -entitled to all the rewards of a bold pioneer, struggling with -pecuniary difficulties, and, we might add, with public indifference, -in amassing a large amount of valuable information--interesting to -almost every man in the Commonwealth. It is one of the evils attendant -upon a high state of political excitement in any country, that what is -really and substantially good, is forgotten or neglected. The -resources of our great Commonwealth are immense, and if we could once -get the public mind into a condition favorable to their full -development, the most important consequences might be expected to -follow. Societies and associations for collecting information in the -various departments of moral and physical science, have abounded in -most countries having the least pretension to civilization; and even -in some of the States of our confederacy, it is known that an -enlightened spirit of inquiry exists on the same subject. Our own -state indeed, boastful as it is of its early history, the renown of -some of its sons, and its abundant natural advantages, has -nevertheless, we are pained to admit, manifested too little of that -public spirit which has animated other communities. Of late, indeed, -some signs have been exhibited of a more liberal and resolute course -of action, and we are not without hope that these efforts will be -crowned by highly useful and practical results. - -It is because Mr. Martin has been obliged to rely principally upon -individual contributions, in order to obtain which he must necessarily -have used great diligence, and submitted to much pecuniary sacrifice, -that we think him entitled to a double portion of praise. Few -individuals would, under such circumstances, have incurred the risk of -failure; and our wonder is, not that the work is not perfect, but -that, contending with so many disadvantages, it should have so nearly -accomplished what has been long a _desideratum_ in Virginia -literature. Our limits will not permit any thing like a minute -analysis of its contents. The arrangement of the volume strikes us as -superior to the ordinary alphabetical plan; and although there is much -repetition even in its present form, much more we think has been -avoided. That part of the General Description of the State, which -especially treats of the climate, is admirably well written; and, -considering the scantiness of the author's materials, owing to the -general neglect of meteorological observations in Virginia, his -reasoning is clear, forcible, and philosophical. In the Sketch which -is given of the county of Louisa, we think we can recognize a pen -which has not unfrequently adorned the pages of the "Messenger"--and -the History of the State from its earliest settlement, appended to the -work, is written with vigor and ability, and, as far as we can judge, -with accuracy. If Mr. Martin is sustained by public liberality, which -we earnestly hope will be the case, he will not only be enabled, in -the next edition, to correct such imperfections as may be found to -exist in the present, but to engraft a large amount of additional -information, derived from authentic sources. The report of Professor -Rogers, for example, on the Geology of Virginia, made to the present -Legislature, will shed much light on the mineral resources of the -State; and the report of the President and Directors of the Literary -Fund, embracing as it does, detailed information with respect to all -our literary institutions, will greatly illustrate the means in -operation for diffusing the blessings and benefits of education. The -statistical tables, too, can be revised and corrected in another -edition; and we doubt not that many individuals into whose hands the -work may fall, will voluntarily contribute such suggestions and -improvements as their means of information will authorize. Such a work -to the man of business, and to the traveller, and indeed to the -general reader, is invaluable, and we heartily recommend it to public -patronage. - - -ROSE-HILL. - -_Rose-Hill: A Tale of the Old Dominion. By a Virginian. Philadelphia: -Key & Biddle._ - -This is an unpretending little duodecimo of about two hundred pages. -It embraces some events connected with two (fictitious) families in -the Western section of Virginia during the Revolution. The chief merit -of the work consists in a vein of piety and strict morality pervading -its pages. The story itself is interesting, but not very well put -together, while the _style_ might be amended in many respects. We wish -the book, however, every success. - - -{181} CHIEF JUSTICE MARSHALL. - -1. _An Eulogy on the Life and Character of John Marshall. Delivered at -the request of the Councils of Philadelphia, on the 24th of September, -1835. By Horace Binney. pp. 55._ - -2. _A Discourse on the Life, &c. of John Marshall, L.L.D. Pronounced -on the 15th of October, 1835, at the request of the Suffolk Bar -(Boston.) By Joseph Story, L.L.D., and published at their request, pp. -70._ - -3. _An Oration on the Life and Character of John Marshall, late Chief -Justice of the United States, pronounced before the Citizens of -Alexandria, D. C. August 12, 1835. By Edgar Snowden. Published by -request of the Committee of Arrangements._[1] - -[Footnote 1: The late hour at which we have received this pamphlet, -has prevented us from speaking as fully as we intended of its -distinguished merits. It would have given us great pleasure to have -embodied, in the text of this article, portions of Mr. Snowden's -Oration--an Oration justly entitled to companionship with the -Discourse of Judge Story, and the Eulogy of Mr. Binney. We must now, -however, at this late day, confine ourselves to a general expression -of commendation, and a short extract from the conclusion of the -Oration. - -"But the 'good' of Marshall is not interred with his bones. It lives -after him, and will live after him in all time to come. The incense of -virtue which he burned upon his country's altar, will continue to rise -to heaven, and diffuse itself throughout the land for all following -generations. When our children shall read the story of his life, they -will find it one which, in its purity and beauty, cannot be surpassed -by the history of any other man of our age. And who can calculate the -extent of the influence of such a character upon the hearts and minds -of this people, and even upon the future destinies of this country, in -regulating the dispositions of those who aspire and those who are -called to the high places of the nation? Who can say that it will not -pervade the moral atmosphere, so as to correct many of those evil -tendencies which we now see constantly developing themselves. We want -such men as Marshall to rise up in our midst, and shed around the -chastened light of their influence. The glare of military fame, and -the glittering trappings of power, dazzle but too often to delude -those who gaze at them with admiration. But upon the mellow radiance -of his virtues we can all look with unclouded eyes--we can all dwell -with unmingled satisfaction."] - -A formal criticism upon these discourses, is the least of our -intentions in placing them at the head of this article. Not that they -are either unworthy of criticism, or incapable of abiding its test: -but that, slight and unpretending as they are in their form and guise, -the consideration which their uncommon literary merits would otherwise -ensure them, is in great part lost, in the overshadowing magnitude of -their subject. To be engrossed by beauties or defects (if there are -defects) in the _style_ of a shilling pamphlet, when its theme is "the -Life, Character and Services" of one who blended the benevolence and -purity of Hale, the piercing and comprehensive genius of Mansfield, -and the logical power of Erskine; and who, in the majestic simplicity -of varied yet harmonious greatness, as we verily believe, is next to -Washington; would be to imitate Seneca's grammarian, who in reading -Virgil, thinks only of _longs and shorts_--disregarding all the charms -of incident, and all the glories of imagery. What we have to say of -the discourses, therefore, shall be little more, than that they are -worthy of their authors; who by these productions, if THESE stood -alone, have shown minds proof against the cramping tendencies of a -profession, so much better fitted (according to Mr. Burke) to _quicken -and invigorate_, than to _open and liberalize_ the intellect. All of -them have given narratives, crowded with interesting particulars; and, -what might not have been expected from his less intimate association -with the deceased, Mr. Binney seems to have acquired a larger store of -these, than Judge Story. The latter, however, (what might have been as -little expected from his grave judicial station, so long occupied) has -adorned his pages more highly, with the flowers and graces of style. - -But our main design in bringing them before our readers, is to -present, at the smallest possible expense of labor to ourselves, an -outline of _his_ life, and a just view of _his_ character, whose -talents and virtues they have both so successfully commemorated. With -this intent, we purpose making large extracts from the discourses; and -even where we do not literally _quote_, we are willing to be regarded -as merely paraphrasing them,--for by far the most of the incidents we -are about to give, are drawn from no other source. We agree, with Lord -Bacon, that in general, it is "only the meaner sort of books" that -should be thus _hashed_ and read at second-hand; and that "distilled -books are, like common distilled waters, flashy things." But stinted -time and space oblige us here to be content with a _rifacimento_, in -which we trust our readers may still find much of the savor of the -viands whence we make our extracts. - -JOHN MARSHALL was born Sept. 24th, 1755, in Fauquier County, -Virginia--a little more than two months after Braddock's defeat; and -was the eldest of fifteen children, of Thomas Marshall, who was a -colonel in the continental line of the Revolutionary Army, remarkable -for courage, and for strength of mind. His courage was signalized at -the Battles of Trenton and Brandywine; his regiment, at the latter, -bearing the brunt of the attacking column led by Cornwallis in person. -Though greatly outnumbered, it "maintained its position without losing -an inch of ground, until both its flanks were turned, its ammunition -nearly expended, and more than half the officers and one third of the -soldiers were killed or wounded. Col. Marshall, whose horse had -received two balls, then retired in good order to resume his position -on the right of his division, but it had already retreated."[2] The -heroism of such a father, could not be lost upon the son. - -[Footnote 2: 1. Marshall's Washington, 158.] - -The sparsely peopled region in which he lived, co-operating with a -narrow fortune, afforded Col. Marshall but little opportunity for -sending his children to school; and he was compelled to be almost -exclusively himself their teacher. In his eldest son he early -implanted a taste for English literature; "especially for poetry and -history." At the age of twelve, John had _transcribed_ the whole of -Pope's Essay on Man, and some of his Moral Essays; and had _committed -to memory_ many of the most interesting passages of that distinguished -poet. - - -"The love of poetry, thus awakened in his warm and vigorous mind, soon -exerted a commanding influence over it. He became enamored of the -classical writers of the old English school, of Milton, and -Shakspeare, and Dryden, and Pope; and was instructed by their solid -sense and beautiful imagery. In the enthusiasm of youth, he often -indulged himself in poetical compositions, and freely gave up his -leisure hours to those delicious dreamings with the muses, which (say -what we may) constitute with many the purest source of pleasure in the -gayer scenes of life, and the sweetest consolation in the hours of -adversity. - -{182} "One of the best recommendations, indeed, of the early -cultivation of a taste for poetry, and the kindred branches of -literature, is, that it does not expire with youth. It affords to -maturer years a refreshing relaxation from the severe cares of -business, and to old age a quiet and welcome employment, always within -reach, and always bringing with it, if not the charms of novelty, at -least the soothing reminiscences of other days. The votary of the -muses may not always tread upon enchanted ground; but the gentle -influences of fiction and song will steal over his thoughts, and -breathe, as it were, into his soul the fragrance of a second spring of -life. - -"Throughout the whole of his life, and down to its very close, Mr. -Marshall continued to cultivate a taste for general literature, and -especially for those departments of it, which had been the favorite -studies of his youth. He was familiar with all its light, as well as -its more recondite, productions. He read with intense interest, as his -leisure would allow, all the higher literature of modern times; and, -especially, the works of the great masters of the art were his -constant delight."--[_Judge Story_.] - - -The entire compatibility of such a love for elegant literature with -"the severe logic and closeness of thought, which belonged to" Judge -Marshall's character, is well vindicated by Judge Story's -observations, as well as by many illustrious examples. Among them may -be named William Wirt. The flowery complexion of his writings, his -evident delight in works of fancy, and the extraordinary graces of his -oratory, made the multitude believe him to be "of imagination all -compact." But he was in truth far more profoundly versed in the dry, -intricate lore of his profession, and by far more capable of thridding -its nicest subtleties, than thousands, whose whole minds have been -occupied with its "mystic, dark, discordant" tomes. We have been told -by one who knew him intimately, that there were few harder students -than Mr. Wirt: and that our informant had known him repeatedly sit for -six or seven hours at a time, intensely engaged in examining a single -question of law; and this too, at a period of his life when the world -thought him little more than a frothy declaimer, a spouter of poetry, -and an inditer of light newspaper essays. But to return--Judge Story -presents us most pleasing views of Col. Marshall's character, derived -from conversations with his more distinguished son: - -"I have often heard the Chief Justice speak of him in terms of the -deepest affection and reverence."... "Indeed, he never named his -father, without dwelling on his character with a fond and winning -enthusiasm. It was a theme, on which he broke out with spontaneous -eloquence; and in the spirit of the most persuasive confidence, he -would delight to expatiate on his virtues and talents. 'My father,' he -would say with kindled feelings and emphasis, 'my father was a far -abler man than any of his sons. To him I owe the solid foundation of -all my own success in life.' Such praise from such lips is -inexpressibly precious. I know not whether it be most honorable to the -parent, or to the child. It warms, while it elevates our admiration of -both." - -There is great truth in the remark, that children reared among -numerous brothers and sisters are the more apt, on that account, to -make good men and women. The kindly affections are more exercised; -emulation, tempered by such love as prevents its festering into -malignity, stimulates to greater activity of body and of mind; each -one has less expectation of hereditary fortune--that great palsier of -useful energies; and each comes in for less of that parental fondness, -which, when concentrated upon one, or two, or three children, so often -spoils their characters, and embitters their lives. To the influence -of this truth upon young Marshall's destinies, add the judicious -training and admirable example of an intelligent father, and the -hardy, active life he led, in a wild and mountainous region abounding -in game--and many of the best traits in his character, as well as much -of his subsequent eminence, are at once accounted for. - -At fourteen, he was sent to Westmoreland, one hundred miles off, where -for a year he was instructed in Latin by a clergyman named Campbell, -and where James Monroe was one of his fellow students. Returning then -to his father's house, he, for another year, received instruction in -Latin from a Scotch clergyman named Thompson; "and this was the whole -of the classical tuition he ever obtained."[3] By the assistance of -his father, however, and the persevering efforts of his own mind, he -continued to enlarge his knowledge, while he strengthened his body by -"hardy, athletic exercises in the open air. He engaged in field -sports; he wandered in the deep woods; he indulged his solitary -meditations amidst the wildest scenery of nature; he delighted to -brush away the earliest dew of the morning."... "It was to these early -habits in a mountainous region, that he probably owed that robust and -vigorous constitution, which carried him almost to the close of his -life with the freshness and firmness of manhood."[4] - -[Footnote 3: Mr. Binney.] - -[Footnote 4: Judge Story.] - -About his eighteenth year, when he had commenced the study of the Law, -the lowering aspect of affairs between the Colonies and Great Britain -attracted his notice, and he devoted himself chiefly to the acquiring -of military skill, in a volunteer corps of the neighborhood. At length -news came, of the battle of Lexington. A militia company, in which he -held a commission, was ordered to assemble at a place ten miles from -his father's house. Mr. Binney says, "A kinsman and contemporary, who -was an eye witness of this scene, has thus described it to me:--" - - -"It was in May, 1775. He was then a youth of nineteen. The muster -field was some twenty miles distant from the Court House, and a -section of country peopled by tillers of the earth. Rumors of the -occurrences near Boston, had circulated with the effect of alarm and -agitation, but without the means of ascertaining the truth, for not a -newspaper was printed nearer than Williamsburg, nor was one taken -within the bounds of the militia company, though large. The Captain -had called the company together, and was expected to attend, but did -not. John Marshall had been appointed Lieutenant to it. His father had -formerly commanded it. Soon after Lieutenant Marshall's appearance on -the ground, those who knew him clustered about him to greet him, -others from curiosity and to hear the news. - -"He proceeded to inform the company that the Captain would not be -there, and that he had been appointed Lieutenant instead of a -better:--that he had come to meet them as fellow soldiers, who were -likely to be called on to defend their country, and their own rights -and liberties invaded by the British:--that there had been a battle at -Lexington in Massachusetts, between the British and Americans, in -which the Americans were victorious, but that more fighting was -expected:--that soldiers were called for, and that it was time to -brighten their fire arms, and learn to use them in the field;--and -that if they would fall into a single line, he would show them the new -manual exercise, for which purpose he had brought his gun,--bringing -it up to his shoulder. The sergeants put the men in line, and their -fugleman presented himself in front to the right. His figure, says his -venerable kinsman, I have now before me. He was about six feet high, -straight and rather slender, of dark complexion--showing little if any -rosy red, yet good health, the outline of the face nearly a circle, -and within that, eyes dark to blackness, strong and penetrating, -beaming with intelligence and good nature; an upright forehead, rather -low, was terminated in a {183} horizontal line by a mass of -raven-black hair of unusual thickness and strength--the features of -the face were in harmony with this outline, and the temples fully -developed. The result of this combination was interesting and very -agreeable. The body and limbs indicated agility, rather than strength, -in which, however, he was by no means deficient. He wore a purple or -pale-blue hunting-shirt, and trowsers of the same material fringed -with white. A round black hat, mounted with the bucks-tail for a -cockade, crowned the figure and the man. - -"He went through the manual exercise by word and motion deliberately -pronounced and performed, in the presence of the company, before he -required the men to imitate him; and then proceeded to exercise them, -with the most perfect temper. Never did man possess a temper more -happy, or if otherwise, more subdued or better disciplined. - -"After a few lessons, the company were dismissed, and informed that if -they wished to hear more about the war, and would form a circle around -him, he would tell them what he understood about it. The circle was -formed, and he addressed the company for something like an hour. I -remember, for I was near him, that he spoke at the close of his speech -of the Minute Battalion, about to be raised, and said he was going -into it, and expected to be joined by many of his hearers. He then -challenged an acquaintance to a game of quoits, and they closed the -day with foot races, and other athletic exercises, _at which there was -no betting_. He had walked ten miles to the muster field, and returned -the same distance on foot to his father's house at Oak Hill, where he -arrived a little after sunset." - - -"This is a portrait," to which, as we can testify with Mr. Binney, "in -simplicity, gaiety of heart, and manliness of spirit," John Marshall -"never lost his resemblance. All who knew him well, will recognize its -truth to nature." - -In the summer of 1775, he was appointed a Lieutenant in the "Minute -Battalion;" and having been sent, in the next autumn, to defend the -country around Norfolk against a predatory force under Lord Dunmore, -he, on the 9th of December, had a full and honorable share in the -successful action at the Great Bridge, which resulted in Lord D.'s -defeat, and flight to his ships. In July 1776, being made lieutenant -in the 11th Virginia Regiment in the Continental Service, he marched -to the Middle States, where, in May 1777, he was promoted to a -captaincy. Remaining constantly in service from this time until the -close of 1779, he participated largely and actively in the most trying -difficulties of the darkest period of the Revolution. He was in the -skirmish at Iron Hill, and the battles of Brandywine, Germantown, and -Monmouth. "He was one of that body of men, never surpassed in the -history of the world, who, unpaid, unclothed, unfed,--tracked the -snows of Valley Forge with the blood of their footsteps in the -rigorous winter of 1778, and yet turned not their faces from their -country in resentment, or from their enemies in fear."[5] Acting often -as Deputy Judge Advocate, he formed a wide acquaintance and influence -among his brother officers. "I myself," says Judge Story, "have often -heard him spoken of by these veterans in terms of the highest praise. -In an especial manner, the officers of the Virginia Line, (now, 'few -and faint, but fearless still') appeared almost to idolize him." -During this period of his service he became acquainted with Gen. -Washington and Col. Hamilton. - -[Footnote 5: Mr. Binney.] - -In the winter of 1779, Captain Marshall was sent to Virginia as a -supernumerary, to take the command of such men as the State -Legislature might entrust to him. He used this opportunity, to attend -a course of Law-Lectures, delivered by Mr. (afterwards Chancellor) -Wythe, in William & Mary College; and Mr. (afterwards Bishop) -Madison's Lectures on Natural Philosophy. In the following summer, he -was licensed to practise Law; and in October, rejoined the army. It -was probably on this occasion, that he went on foot from Virginia to -Philadelphia, in order to be inoculated for the small pox; travelling -at the rate of thirty-five miles daily. On his arrival, (as we learn -from one to whom he related the incident,) he was refused admittance -into one of the hotels, on account of his long beard and shabby -clothing. He continued in the army till the end of Arnold's invasion -of Virginia; when, there being still a redundancy of officers in the -Virginia line, he resigned his commission, and devoted himself to his -Law studies. The courts were then silenced in Virginia, by the tumult -of War. As soon as they were opened, after the capture of Cornwallis, -Mr. Marshall commenced practice. - - -"But a short time elapsed after his appearance at the bar of Virginia, -before he attracted the notice of the public. His placidity, -moderation, and calmness, irresistibly won the esteem of men, and -invited them to intercourse with him;--his benevolent heart, and his -serene and at times joyous temper, made him the cherished companion of -his friends;--his candor and integrity attracted the confidence of the -bar;--and that extraordinary comprehension and grasp of mind, by which -difficulties were seized and overcome without effort or parade, -commanded the attention and respect of the Courts of Justice. This is -the traditionary account of the first professional years of John -Marshall. He accordingly rose rapidly to distinction, and to a -distinction which nobody envied, because he seemed neither to wish it, -nor to be conscious of it himself."[6] - -[Footnote 6: Mr. Binney.] - - -In April 1782, he was chosen a member of the House of Delegates, in -the Virginia Legislature; and in the next autumn, of the Executive -Council. In January 1783, he married Miss Ambler, daughter of -Jacquelin Ambler, then Treasurer of Virginia. To this lady he had -become attached while in the army; and their union of nearly fifty -years, amid the most devoted affection, was broken by her death, about -three years before his own. Having fixed his residence in Richmond, he -resigned his seat in the Council, the more closely to pursue his -profession; but his friends and former constituents in Fauquier, -nevertheless, elected him again to represent them in the Legislature. -In 1787, he was chosen to represent the city of Richmond. - -Times of civil trouble had now come, teeming with dangers hardly less -than those which had beset the country ten years before. The -Confederation, by which the States were united, was found too feeble a -bond of union, and a still feebler means of concurrent action. It -could resolve, legislate, and make requisitions upon the States; but -had no power to effectuate its resolutions, laws, or requisitions. It -could contract debts, but not lay taxes of any kind to pay them. It -could declare war, but not raise armies to wage it. It could make -treaties, but not so as to regulate commerce--perhaps the most -frequent and important aim of treaties. Each State had the determining -of its own scale of duties on imports; the power of coining money, and -of emitting paper-money at pleasure: conflicting revenue-laws, -therefore, and a disordered currency, made "confusion worse -confounded." The public debt, incurred by the revolution, was unpaid. -More than three hundred millions of continental paper money were -unredeemed; and {184} having depreciated to the value of one dollar -for every hundred, had ceased to circulate. Public credit was nearly -at an end: private credit, by the frequent violation of contracts, was -at an equally low ebb: the administration of civil justice was -suspended, sometimes by the wilful delinquency of the courts, -sometimes by state-laws, restraining their proceedings. Commerce, -Agriculture, Manufactures--industry of every kind,--were crippled. -"Laws suspending the collection of debts; insolvent laws; instalment -laws; tender laws; and other expedients of a like nature, which, every -reflecting man knew would only aggravate the evils, were familiarly -adopted, or openly and boldly vindicated. Popular leaders, as well as -men of desperate fortunes, availed themselves (as is usual on such -occasions) of this agitating state of things to inflame the public -mind, and to bring into public odium those wiser statesmen, who -labored to support the public faith, and to preserve the inviolability -of private contracts." To strengthen the arm of the general -government, and invest it with larger powers over the commerce, the -money, and the foreign and mutual relations of the States--was -believed by most people to be the only remedy for these intolerable -evils. Mr. Marshall concurred with Gen. Washington, Mr. Madison, and -the majority of their countrymen, in approving of this remedy; and as -a member of the State Legislature, advocated the call of a Convention, -to revise the Articles of Confederation. Whether they should be so -altered, as to increase materially the powers of the Federal -Government--was a question which in most of the State Legislatures -elicited strenuous debates; and no where more, than in the Legislature -of Virginia. The men of this day have little idea, how strong were the -gusts of discussion at that momentous period. "It is scarcely -possible," says Judge Story, "to conceive the zeal, and even -animosity, with which the opposing opinions were maintained." The -dissolution or continuance of the Union, was freely discussed: one -party boldly advocating the former, as necessary to prevent the -destruction of State-sovereignty; the other party pleading for UNION, -as not only the sole cure for the immeasurable ills which were then -afflicting the land, but as indispensable to the preservation of -Liberty itself, in the several States. And _Union_, it was alleged, -could not be preserved but by a more vigorous central government. - -Mr. Marshall, not then thirty years old, shared largely in the -discussions which shook both the Legislative hall, and the popular -assemblies, of Virginia, on this great question. Mr. Madison, with -whom he served several years in the House of Delegates, fought "side -by side, and shoulder to shoulder" with him, through the contest: and -"the friendship, thus formed between them, was never extinguished. The -recollection of their co-operation at that period served, when other -measures had widely separated them from each other, still to keep up a -lively sense of each other's merits. Nothing, indeed, could be more -touching to an ingenuous mind, than to hear from their lips, in their -latter years, expressions of mutual respect and confidence; or to -witness their earnest testimony to the talents, the virtues, and the -services of each other."[7] - -[Footnote 7: Judge Story.] - -It was in these debates, that Mr. Marshall's mind acquired the skill -in political discussion, which afterwards distinguished him, and which -would of itself have made him conspicuous as a parliamentarian, had -not that talent been overshadowed by his renown in a more soberly -illustrious, though less dazzling career. Here, too, it was, that he -conceived that deep dread of disunion, and that profound conviction of -the necessity for closer bonds between the States, which gave the -coloring to the whole texture of his opinions, upon federal politics -in after life. - -The Convention was at length called; and its product, the present -Federal Constitution, was submitted for ratification to the States. In -most of them, Conventions were likewise called, to adopt or reject it. -Mr. Marshall, though the people of his county were decidedly opposed -to the new Constitution, and though he avowed on the hustings his -determination to support it, was elected to the Virginia Convention by -a considerable majority. In that body, he took an effective, if not a -leading part. Three able speeches of his, in behalf of the -Constitution, appear in Mr. Robertson's report of the Debates: -Speeches, seconding with "masculine logic, the persuasive talents of -George Nicholas, the animated flow of Governor Randolph, the grave and -sententious sagacity of Pendleton, the consummate skill and various -knowledge of Madison."[8] After an earnest and powerful struggle of 25 -days, the Constitution was agreed to, by a majority of but ten -votes--89 to 79. This result is supposed to have been promoted, by the -news, received while the Convention sat, that nine states had come to -a similar decision. The accession of Virginia to that number, already -large enough to give the instrument validity among the adopting -states, ensured its complete success; and was hailed by its friends -with the liveliest joy. - -[Footnote 8: Judge Story.] - -Judge Story depicts in vivid colors, the happy effects of the -Government thus established, upon our prosperity: and exults over the -falsified apprehensions of those who, clinging "with an insane -attachment" to the former confederation, and "accustomed to have all -their affections concentrated upon the State governments," saw in the -new system "but another name for an overwhelming despotism." -Undoubtedly, the state of things which preceded the change, was as bad -as, with such a people, it could well be. Undoubtedly, the new -government did _very_ much, to retrieve our national credit and honor; -to make us respected abroad, tranquil and prosperous at home. But -still, not _all_ is due to the Government. A people, animated with the -spirit of freedom, enlightened enough to see their interests, and -enterprising enough to pursue them strenuously,--inhabiting, too, a -country not peopled to the extent of a thousandth part of its immense -capabilities--would thrive and grow powerful _in spite_ of what almost -any government could do to impede their onward march. In the body -politic there is, what physicians ascribe to the body natural, a _vis -medicatrix Naturæ_, by which the wounds of War, the desolations of -Pestilence, and all the ills flowing from the blunders of _charlatan_ -statesmen, are healed and made amends for. Few are so bigoted as not -to admit, that the self-healing energies of our country have thus at -some times prevailed over the hurtful tendencies of the {185} measures -adopted by her rulers. There is nevertheless a force and beauty in -Judge Story's picture of her happiness, that make it worthy of -insertion: - - -"We have lived," says he, "to see all their fears and prophecies of -evil scattered to the winds. We have witnessed the solid growth and -prosperity of the whole country, under the auspices of the National -Government, to an extent never even imagined by its warmest friends. -We have seen our agriculture pour forth its various products, created -by a generous, I had almost said, a profuse industry. The miserable -exports, scarcely amounting in the times, of which I have been -speaking, in the aggregate, to the sum of one or two hundred thousand -dollars, now almost reach to forty[9] millions a year in a single -staple. We have seen our commerce, which scarcely crept along our -noiseless docks, and stood motionless and withering, while the breezes -of the ocean moaned through the crevices of our ruined wharves and -deserted warehouses, spread its white canvass in every clime; and, -laden with its rich returns, spring buoyant on the waves of the home -ports; and cloud the very shores with forests of masts, over which the -stars and stripes are gallantly streaming. We have seen our -manufactures, awakening from a deathlike lethargy, crowd every street -of our towns and cities with their busy workmen, and their busier -machinery; and startling the silence of our wide streams, and deep -dells, and sequestered valleys. We have seen our wild waterfalls, -subdued by the power of man, become the mere instruments of his will, -and, under the guidance of mechanical genius, now driving with -unerring certainty the flying shuttle, now weaving the mysterious -threads of the most delicate fabrics, and now pressing the reluctant -metals into form, as if they were but playthings in the hands of -giants. We have seen our rivers bear upon their bright waters the -swelling sails of our coasters, and the sleepless wheels of our -steamboats in endless progress. Nay, the very tides of the ocean, in -their regular ebb and flow in our ports, seem now but heralds to -announce the arrival and departure of our uncounted navigation. We -have seen all these things; and we can scarcely believe, that there -were days and nights, nay, months and years, in which our wisest -patriots and statesmen sat down, in anxious meditation to devise the -measures which should save the country from impending ruin." - -[Footnote 9: The exports of cotton alone, in the year ending Sept. -30th, 1834, were $49,448,000--_Reviewer_.] - - -The Constitution being adopted, Mr. Marshall was prevailed on by his -countrymen, to serve again in the Legislature till 1792; although the -claims of a growing family and a slender fortune had made him wish, -and resolve, to quit public life, and devote himself exclusively to -his profession. He was wanted there by the friends of the new system, -to defend its administration against the incessant attacks made upon -it by a powerful and hostile party. This party consisted of those who -had resisted the change, because they thought the proposed government -too strong. Now that it was adopted, they naturally sought, by -construing the grants of power to it with literal strictness, to -prevent, as far possible, the dangers to Liberty with which they -deemed it pregnant. Their opponents, on the other hand, having long -regarded _weakness in the centre_ as the great subject of just -apprehension, constantly aimed, by an enlarged and liberal (or, as it -has since been called a _latitudinous_) interpretation of those grants -of power, to render them in the highest degree counteractive of the -centrifugal tendency, which they so much dreaded. This controversy -probably raged most hotly in Virginia. It is hard to forbear a smile -at the characteristic fact, that "almost every important measure of -President Washington's administration was discussed in her Legislature -with great freedom, and no small degree of warmth and acrimony."[10] -We applaud and honor the stand which Virginia has always taken, as a -centinel on the watch-tower of popular liberty and state-sovereignty, -to guard against federal usurpation. It is a duty, allotted to the -State Legislatures by the enlightened advocates of the Constitution -who wrote "The Federalist:" a duty which it were well if her sister -states had performed with something like Virginia's fidelity and zeal. -But she has indiscreetly suffered this one subject too much to -monopolize her attention: and we are amongst those who think this a -main reason, why, with a surface and resources the most propitious of -all the states to internal improvement, she lags so far behind the -rest in works of that kind; and why, with a people pre-eminently -_instinct_ with the spirit of liberty, and enjoying unwonted leisure -for acquiring knowledge, she has five times as many ignorant sons and -daughters, as New York or Massachusetts. She ought to have looked well -to her foreign relations, without losing sight of her domestic -interests. We hail, with joy, the change which is now taking place in -this respect. We trust that she and her statesmen, hereafter, when -_all_ attention is claimed for any one point in the vast field of -their duties, will adopt the spirit of the reply which Mr. Pope (not -Homer) puts into Hector's mouth, when he was advised to fix himself as -a guard at one particular gate of Troy: - - ------"That post shall be my care; - Nor that alone, but _all_ the works of war." - -[Footnote 10: Judge Story.] - -From 1792 to 1795, Mr. Marshall devoted himself exclusively and -successfully to his profession. Washington's Reports, shew him to have -enjoyed an extensive practice in the Court of Appeals of Virginia. -During this time, also, he did not withdraw himself from politics so -entirely, but that he took a prominent part at public meetings, in -support of Gen. Washington's Proclamation of Neutrality. He advocated -this measure, orally and in writing: and Resolutions approving it, -drawn up by him, were adopted by a meeting of the people of Richmond. -In 1795, when Jay's Treaty was the absorbing theme of bitter -controversy, Mr. Marshall was again elected to the House of Delegates, -"not only without his approbation, but against his known wishes." -Virginia, as usual, was the _Flanders_ of the war. Her popular -meetings, and her Legislature, rung with angry discussions. Even the -name of Washington could not screen the treaty from reprobation. It -was denounced at a meeting in Richmond, at which Chancellor Wythe -presided, as _insulting, injurious, dangerous, and unconstitutional_: -but the same citizens, at a subsequent meeting, were prevailed upon by -a masterly speech of Mr. Marshall, to adopt resolutions of a contrary -tenor, "by a handsome majority."[11] Lest his _popularity_ might -suffer, he was urged by his friends not to engage in any Legislative -debates upon the obnoxious Treaty. He answered, that he would make no -movement to excite such a debate; but if others did so, he would -assert his opinions at every hazard. The opposition party soon -introduced condemnatory resolutions. Among other arguments against the -treaty, it was alleged, that the executive could not, -constitutionally, make a commercial treaty; since it would infringe -the power given to Congress, to _regulate commerce_: and this was -relied upon as a favorite and an unanswerable position. "The speech of -Mr. Marshall on this occasion," says Judge {186} Story, "has always -been represented as one of the noblest efforts of his genius. His vast -powers of reasoning were displayed with the most gratifying success. -He demonstrated, not only from the words of the Constitution and the -_universal practice of nations_,[12] that a commercial treaty was -within the scope of the constitutional powers of the executive; but -that this opinion had been maintained and sanctioned by Mr. Jefferson, -by the Virginia delegation in Congress, and by the leading members of -the Convention on both sides. The argument was decisive. The -constitutional ground was abandoned; and the resolutions of the -assembly were confined to a simple disapprobation of the treaty in -point of expediency.... The fame of this admirable argument spread -through the union. Even with his political enemies, it enhanced the -estimate of his character; and it brought him at once to the notice of -some of the most eminent statesmen, who then graced the councils of -the nation." - -[Footnote 11: Judge Story.] - -[Footnote 12: We confess a little surprise, at seeing, here, any -deduction of authority to the American Executive "_from the practice -of other nations_." If we mistake not, a certain famous _Protest_ of a -certain President, was censured mainly for deducing power to its -author from that source.--_Reviewer_.] - -Being called to Philadelphia in 1796, as counsel in an important case -before the Supreme Court of the United States, he became personally -acquainted with many distinguished members of Congress. He expressed -himself delighted with Messrs. Cabot, Ames, Sedgwick, and Dexter of -Massachusetts, Wadsworth of Connecticut, and King of New York. To -these, his great speech on the treaty could not fail to recommend him: -and (as he says in a letter) "a Virginian, who supported, with any -sort of reputation, the measures of the government, was such a _rara -avis_, that I was received by them all with a degree of kindness, -which I had not anticipated. I was particularly intimate with Mr. -Ames; and could scarcely gain credit with him, when I assured him, -that the appropriations [for the treaty] would be seriously opposed in -Congress." They _were_ opposed; and passed only after a stormy debate -of several weeks: and passed even then, with a declaration of a right, -in Congress, to withhold them if it pleased. President Washington -about this time offered him the post of Attorney General of the United -States; which he declined, as interfering with his lucrative practice. -But he continued in the Virginia Legislature. There, federal politics -occupied the usual share of attention. A resolution being moved, -expressing confidence in the virtue, patriotism, and wisdom of -Washington, a member proposed to strike out the word _wisdom_. "In the -debate," says the Chief Justice himself, "the whole course of the -Administration was reviewed, and the whole talent of each party -brought into action. Will it be believed, that the word was retained -by a very small majority? A very small majority of the Virginia -Legislature, acknowledged the wisdom of General Washington!" - -The appointment of Minister to France, as successor to Mr. Monroe, was -offered him by the President, and declined. The French Government, -however, refusing to receive General Pinckney, who was appointed in -his stead, Messrs. Marshall, Pinckney, and Gerry, were sent by -President Adams as envoys extraordinary to that country. The Directory -refused to negotiate. But though the direct object of the embassy was -thus foiled, much was effected in showing France to be in the wrong, -by the official papers which the envoys addressed to her minister of -foreign relations--the since famous Talleyrand: "Models of skilful -reasoning, clear illustration, accurate detail, and urbane and -dignified moderation."[13] "They have always been attributed to Mr. -Marshall. They bear internal marks of it. We have since become -familiar with his simple and masculine style,--his direct, connected, -and demonstrative reasoning--the infrequency of his resort to -illustrations, and the pertinency and truth of the few which he -uses--the absence of all violent assertion--the impersonal form of his -positions, and especially with the candor, as much the character of -the man as of his writings, with which he allows to the opposing -argument its fair strength, without attempting to elude it, or escape -from it, by a subtlety. Every line that he has written, bears the -stamp of sincerity; and if his arguments fail to produce conviction, -they never raise a doubt, nor the shadow of a doubt, that they proceed -from it. - -[Footnote 13: Judge Story.] - -"The impression made, by the despatches of the American ministers was -immediate and extensive. Mr. Marshall arrived in New York on the 17th -of June, 1798. His entrance into this city on the 19th, had the eclat -of a triumph. The military corps escorted him from Frankford to the -city, where the citizens crowded his lodgings to testify their -veneration and gratitude. Public addresses were made to him, breathing -sentiments of the liveliest affection and respect. A public dinner was -given to him by members of both houses of Congress 'as an evidence of -affection for his person, and of their grateful approbation of the -patriotic firmness with which he sustained the dignity of his country -during his important mission;' and the country at large responded with -one voice to the sentiment pronounced at this celebration, 'Millions -for defence, but not a cent for tribute.'"[14] - -[Footnote 14: Mr. Binney.] - -Once more, he resumed his practice of the Law, with renewed -determination to leave it no more. He was, however, so urgently -entreated by General Washington (who sent for him to Mount Vernon for -the purpose) to become a candidate for Congress, that he did so; and -was elected, in 1799, after a severe contest. Whilst a candidate, -President Adams offered him a seat upon the Bench of the Supreme -Court; but he declined it. He had not been three weeks in Congress, -when, by a fortune as striking as it was mournful, it became his lot -to announce to the House, the death of Washington. Never could such an -event have been told in language more impressive or more appropriate. - -"Mr. Speaker--The melancholy event, which was yesterday announced with -doubt, has been rendered but too certain. Our Washington is no more. -The hero, the patriot, and the sage of America; the man on whom in -times of danger every eye was turned, and all hopes were placed, lives -now, only in his own great actions, and in the hearts of an -affectionate and afflicted people." - -Having briefly alluded to the achievements and services of the -deceased, he concluded by offering suitable resolutions, for honoring -"the memory of the {187} man, first in war, first in peace, and first -in the hearts of his countrymen." The resolutions had been drawn by -General Henry Lee, whom a temporary absence hindered from presenting -them. With characteristic modesty, Mr. Marshall, in the account of -this transaction given by him as biographer of Washington, omits all -mention of his own name; saying only, that "_a member_ rose in his -place," &c. That House of Representatives abounded in talents of the -first order for debate: and none were more conspicuous than those of -John Marshall. Indeed, where the law or constitution was to be -discussed, "he was confessedly the first man in the House. When he -discussed them, he exhausted them: nothing more remained to be said; -and the impression of his argument effaced that of every one else."... -"Upon such topics, however dark to others, his mind could by its own -clear light - - ------'sit in the centre, and enjoy bright day.'"[15] - -[Footnote 15: Mr. Binney.] - -His speech upon the case of Jonathan Robbins, was a striking example. -This man, a subject of Great Britain, had committed a murder on board -a British frigate, and then fled to the United States. Being demanded -by the British Government, President Adams caused him to be -surrendered, under a clause in Jay's treaty. The act was furiously -assailed by the opposition: and a resolution of censure was introduced -into the House of Representatives by Mr. Livingston. The speech of Mr. -Marshall on this occasion was perhaps one of the most masterly ever -delivered in Congress. "It has all the merits, and nearly all the -weight of a judicial sentence."[16] "It may be said of that speech, as -was said of Lord Mansfield's celebrated Answer to the Prussian -Memorial, it was _Reponse sans replique_--an answer so irresistible, -that it admitted of no reply. It silenced opposition; and settled -then, and forever, the points of national law, upon which the -controversy hinged."[17] - -[Footnote 16: Ib.] - -[Footnote 17: Judge Story.] - -He was not in Congress when the famous _Sedition Law_ passed: but he -had the merit of voting to repeal the most obnoxious section of it; in -opposition to all those, with whom he generally concurred. In May, -1800, he was appointed Secretary of War: but before his entry upon the -duties of that office, a rupture occurring between the President and -Col. Pickering, he was made Secretary of State in lieu of the latter. -It is honorable both to him and his predecessor, that the delicate -position in which they stood towards each other, did not interrupt -their harmony: but they retained, while both lived, a warm and cordial -friendship. Even during the few months that he held this office, Mr. -Marshall evinced great ability, in discussing several important -questions between our country and England. "It is impossible to -imagine a finer spirit, more fearless, more dignified, more -conciliatory, more true to his country, than animates his instructions -to Mr. King,"[18] the American Minister in London. "His despatch of -September 20th, 1800, is a noble specimen of the first order of State -papers, and shows the most finished adaptation of parts for the -station of an American Secretary of State."[19] - -[Footnote 18: Mr. Binney.] - -[Footnote 19: Ib.] - -On the 31st of January, 1801, he was appointed Chief Justice of the -Supreme Court of the United States: "not only without his own -solicitation, (for he had in fact recommended another for the office,) -but by the prompt and spontaneous choice of President Adams, upon his -own unassisted judgment. The nomination was unanimously confirmed by -the Senate."[20] - -[Footnote 20: Judge Story.] - -It is a remarkable, yet not an extraordinary fact, that his induction -into that high office which he so illustriously filled, is precisely -the juncture in his life at which, for the purposes of striking -narrative, his biography ends. That part of his career, the most -signalized by enduring monuments of his intellectual power, and the -most adorned by the winning graces of his daily actions, is precisely -that in which it is hardest to find glaring incidents, that stand -forth boldly on the page, and rivet the reader's mind. "Peace" indeed, -as Milton said to Cromwell,-- - - "Peace hath her victories - No less renowned than War;" - -and few men have achieved more signal ones, than he who may be said to -have built up a national Jurisprudence for the Union, by the strength -of his own genius: but such triumphs ring not in the common ear, and -glitter not in the common eye. Even History often forgets to chronicle -them in her bloodstained page: that page, which is too mere a picture -of crimes and misery--where the peaceful and innocent crowd never -appear, but give place to the profligate votaries of perverted -ambition--and which, like tragedy, is languid and distasteful, unless -enlivened by atrocious deeds, and horrid sufferings.[21] We shall not -attempt, then, to protract our account of the last thirty-five years -of Judge Marshall's life. It was spent in the diligent, and upright, -as well as able discharge of his official duties; sometimes presiding -in the Supreme Court at Washington, sometimes assisting to hold the -_Circuit Federal Courts_, in Virginia, and North Carolina. His -residence was in Richmond, whence it was his frequent custom to walk -out, a distance of three or four miles, to his farm, in the county of -Henrico. He also had a farm in his native county, Fauquier; which he -annually visited, and where he always enjoyed a delightful intercourse -with numerous relations and friends. Twice, in these thirty-five -years, he may be said to have mingled in political life, but not in -party politics. - -[Footnote 21: "En effet l'histoire n'est que le tableau des crimes et -des malheurs: la foule des hommes innocents et paisibles disparait -toujours sur ces vastes théâtres: les personnages ne sont que des -ambitieux pervers. Il semble que l'histoire ne plaise que comme la -tragedie, qui languit si elle n'est animée par les passions, les -forfaits, et les grandes infortunes."--_L'Ingenu, Ch. 10_.] - -In 1828, he was delegated, with others from the city of Richmond, to a -convention held in Charlottesville, for the purpose of devising a -proper system of internal improvements, for the State; to be -recommended to the Legislature: and he took a becoming part in the -deliberations of that enlightened body. - -In 1829, he was chosen to represent the city in the Convention which -met in October of that year, to revise and amend the State -Constitution. Here was exhibited a spectacle, one of the most -affecting in our day, of three men--Madison, Monroe, and -Marshall,--who having assisted in establishing the liberties and -creating the government of their country, and having filled her -highest stations, were now consulting with a later generation, upon -the means of rendering that government {188} purer, more durable, and -more productive of happiness. Mr. Monroe was nominated by Mr. Madison -as President of the Convention; and, having been unanimously chosen, -was conducted by Mr. Madison and Mr. Marshall to the chair. During the -three months of the session, Judge Marshall repeatedly engaged in -debate: displaying still that power of reasoning, with that bland -courtesy of manner, which had always distinguished him. His voice was -now become extremely feeble; so that those who sat far off could not -hear him: no sooner therefore did he rise, than the members would -press towards him, and strain with outstretched necks and eager ears, -to catch his words. The basis of representation, and the structure of -the judiciary, were the subjects upon which he chiefly spoke. The -difficulties of adjusting the former, so as to satisfy both the east -and the west--the irritated feelings which began to appear on both -sides--and the imminent dread which the patriot felt, of a division of -the state--will not soon be forgotten. It was when a _compromise_ of -the difference was proposed, that the Chief Justice displayed his -greatest power. Towards the close of a speech, which was at the time -regarded as an unrivalled specimen of lucid and conclusive reasoning, -he said, he "hailed that auspicious appearance, with all the joy with -which an inhabitant of the polar regions hails the re-appearance of -the sun, after his long absence of six tedious months." It was of a -position maintained by him in this speech, and which, an opposing -orator said, had been _overthrown_ by Mr. ---- of Augusta, that John -Randolph declared, "The argument of the Chief Justice is unshaken, and -unanswerable. It is as strong as the fortress of Gibraltar. Sir, the -fortress of Gibraltar would be as much injured by _battering it with a -pocket pistol_, as that argument has been affected by the abortive and -puny assault of the gentleman from Augusta." The great Roanoke -orator's esteem and admiration for the Chief Justice (although, on -federal politics, they widely differed) amounted almost to idolatry. -An amicable contest between them one day, on the floor of the -Convention, furnished him an occasion for paying to the latter a -tribute as beautiful, as it was simple and just. The Chief Justice, -thinking that some remark of his had been understood by Mr. Randolph -as personally unkind, arose with earnestness to assure him that it was -not so intended. Mr. R. as earnestly strove to quiet Judge M.'s -uneasiness, by assuring him that he had not understood the remark as -offensive. In their eagerness, the one to apologize, and the other to -show that no apology was necessary, they interrupted each other two or -three times: at length Mr. R. effectually silenced his friend, by -saying, "I know the goodness of his heart too well to have supposed it -possible that he could have intended to give me pain. Sir, I believe, -that like 'My Uncle Toby,' _he would not even hurt a fly_." - -A visiter in Richmond during the Convention, being at the market one -morning before sunrise, saw the Chief Justice of the United States, in -the blue-mixed woollen stockings and the plain black suit (far from -superfine) which he usually wore, striding along between the rows of -meat and vegetables, catering for his household; and depositing his -purchases in a basket, carried by a servant. But it was his frequent -custom to go on this errand, unattended; and nothing was more usual, -than to see him returning from market at sunrise, with poultry in one -hand, and a basket of vegetables in the other. So beautifully, by a -simplicity which pervaded his words, his actions, his whole life, did -he illustrate the character of a republican citizen and magistrate! - -No man more highly relished social, and even convivial enjoyments. He -was a member of the club, which for 48 summers has met once a -fortnight near Richmond, to pitch quoits and mingle in relaxing -conversation: and there was not one more delightedly punctual in his -attendance at these meetings, or who contributed more to their -pleasantness: scarcely one, who excelled him in the manly game, from -which the "Quoit-Club" drew its designation. He would hurl his iron -ring of two pound's weight, with rarely erring aim, fifty-five or -sixty feet; and, at some _chef-d'œuvre_ of skill in himself or his -_partner_, would spring up and clap his hands, with all the -light-hearted enthusiasm of boyhood. Such is the old age, which -follows a temperate, an innocent, and a useful life! We extract from -the American Turf Register of 1829, the following entertaining account -of this Club. - - -During a recent visit to Richmond, in Virginia, I was invited to a -"Barbecue Club," held under the shade of some fine oaks, near -"Buchanan's Spring," about a mile distant from the town. I there met -with about thirty of the respectable inhabitants of Richmond, with a -few guests. The day was a fine one, and the free and social -intercourse of the members rendered it peculiarly pleasant. - -This Club is probably the most ancient one of the sort in the United -States, having existed upwards of forty years. It originated in a -meeting, every other Saturday, from the first of May until the month -of October, of some of the Scotch merchants who were early settlers in -that town. They agreed each to take out some cold meats for their -repast, and to provide a due quantity of drinkables, and enjoy -relaxation in that way after the labors of the week. They occasionally -invited some others of the inhabitants, who finding the time passed -pleasantly, proposed in the year 1788 to form a regular club, -consisting of thirty members, under a written constitution, limiting -their expenses each day by a sort of sumptuary law which prohibited -the use of wine and porter. - -The Virginians, you know, have always been great _limitarians_ as to -constitutional matters. Whenever a member died or resigned, (but there -have been very few resignations,) his place was filled by balloting -for a new one, who could not be elected without the concurrence of -two-thirds of the club. It is said that for many years no vacancy -occurred, and a sort of superstitious sentiment was prevalent, that to -become a member of the club, was to insure longevity. The Arch -Destroyer, however, at length appeared in all his strength, and made -such havoc, that only one of the original members (the venerable Chief -Justice of the United States,) is now surviving. - -The club consists of judges, lawyers, doctors, and merchants, and the -Governor of the Commonwealth has a general invitation when he enters -into office. What gave additional interest to this body, some years -ago, was the constant attendance (as honorary members) of two -venerable clergymen--one of the Episcopal, and the other of the -Presbyterian church, who joined in the innocent pastime of the day. -They were pious and exemplary men, who discerned no sin in harmless -gaiety. Quoits and backgammon are the only games indulged in, and one -of the clergymen was for many years "cock of the walk" in throwing the -_discus_. They are gone to their account, and have left a chasm that -has not been filled. - -Some years ago, an amendment was made to the constitution, which -admits the use of porter. Great opposition was made to this -innovation, and the destruction of the club was predicted as the -consequence. The oppositionists, however, soon became as great -consumers of malt and hops as their associates, and now they even -consent to the introduction of wine at the last meeting of every year, -provided there be "a shot in the locker." The members each advance ten -dollars to the treasurer at the beginning of the season, and every -member is entitled to invite any {189} strangers as guests, on paying -into the general fund one dollar for each; while the caterers of the -day, consisting of two members in rotation, preside, and have the -privilege of bringing each a guest (either citizen or non-resident,) -at free cost. On the day I was present, dinner was ready at half past -three o'clock, and consisted of excellent meats and fish, well -prepared and well served, with the vegetables of the season. Your -veritable gourmand never fails to regale himself on his favorite -_barbecue_--which is a fine fat pig, called "shoot," cooked on the -coals, and highly seasoned with cayenne--a dessert of melons and -fruits follows, and punch, porter and toddy are the table liquors; but -with the fruits comes on the favorite beverage of the Virginians, mint -julep, in place of wine. I never witnessed more festivity and good -humor than prevail at this club. By the constitution, the subject of -politics is forbidden, and each man strives to make the time pleasant -to his companions. The members think they can offer no higher -compliment to a distinguished stranger, than to introduce him to the -club, and all feel it a duty to contribute to his entertainment. It -was refreshing to see such a man as Chief Justice Marshall, laying -aside the reserve of his dignified station, and contending with the -young men at a game of quoits, with all the emulation of a youth. - -Many anecdotes are told of occurrences at these meetings. Such is the -partiality for the Chief Justice, that it is said the greatest anxiety -is felt for his success in the game by the bystanders; and on one -occasion an old Scotch gentleman was called on to decide between his -quoit and that of another member, who after seemingly careful -measurement, announced, "Mister _Mareshall_ has it a _leattle_," when -it was visible to all that the contrary was the fact. A French -gentleman (Baron Quenet,) was at one time a guest, when the Governor, -the Chief Justice, and several of the Judges of the High Court of -Appeals, were engaged with others, _with coats off_, in a -well-contested game. He asked, "if it was possible that the -dignitaries of the land could thus intermix with private citizens," -and when assured of the fact, he observed, with true Gallican -enthusiasm, that "he had never before seen the real beauty of -republicanism." - - -In Judge Marshall's yearly visits to Fauquier, where the proper -implements of his favorite sport were not to be had, he still -practised it among his rustic friends, with _flat stones_ for quoits. -A casual guest at a _barbecue_ in that county--one of those rural -entertainments so frequent among the country people of Virginia--soon -after his arrival at the spot, saw an old man emerge from a thicket -which bordered the neighboring brook, carrying as large a pile of -these flat stones as he could hold between his right arm and his chin: -he stepped briskly up to the company, and threw down his load among -them, exclaiming, "There! Here are quoits enough for us all!" The -stranger's surprise may be imagined, when he found that this plain and -cheerful old man was the Chief Justice of the United States! Nor was -the _bonhommie_, with which he could descend to the level of common -life, restricted to his intercourse with men and women: he was often a -pleasing companion even to children. One, whose first recollection of -him referred to his triumphal entry (for such it was) into Richmond, -on his return from France, and who, as a printer's boy, afterwards for -several years was carrier of a newspaper to him, describes him as -"remarkably fond of boys' company--always chatty--and always -pleasant." The reminiscent, having been transferred to Washington in -1800, while Mr. M. was Secretary of State, says, "again did the -pleasing office of serving him with the 'Washington Federalist' -devolve on me. He resided in a brick building hardly larger than most -of the kitchens now in use. I found him still the same plain, -unostentatious John Marshall: always accessible, and always with a -smile on his countenance when I handed him the 'Federalist.' His -kindness of manner won my affections; and I became devotedly attached -to him." - -Even from this early period the reminiscent may date the commencement -of an intercourse and correspondence with the Chief Justice, which -endured uninterruptedly for many years, until the period of his -lamented death. The unaffected and childlike simplicity of manner, -action, and thought which pervaded, as the sunlight pervades the -atmosphere, every moment of this truly great man's existence, and -which, indeed, formed, in no little degree, the basis of his -greatness, sufficed to render the intercourse of which we speak, an -intercourse of the most kindly, unembarrassed, and intimate nature; -and one which afforded opportunities for a more particular knowledge -of the strictly private and familiar habitudes of the man, than has -fallen to the lot of many who, perhaps, were better entitled to his -confidence. The reminiscent would here acknowledge, not only with -gratitude, but with pride, the innumerable, yet unobtrusive acts of -generous assistance and advice, for which he is indebted to the -friendship of Chief Justice Marshall. - -When, to all these engaging traits of character, we add that his -charitable benefactions were as large as his mind, and as -unostentatious as his life; and that in his dealings he was so -scrupulously just, as always to prefer his own loss to the possibility -of his wronging another; it can be no wonder, that despite the -unpopularity of his federo-political opinions, he was the most beloved -and esteemed of all men in Virginia. - -The influence of Judge Marshall upon the decisions of the Supreme -Court, in cases requiring a determination of the limits set by the -Constitution to federal power, will be deemed salutary or pernicious, -according as the mind which contemplates it is biassed towards the one -or the other school of opinions on that subject--towards the _strict_, -or towards the _liberal_ (what its opponents term the _licentious_) -construction. Having been profoundly--perhaps exaggeratedly--impressed -with a dread of the evils attending a feeble government for the Union, -he had advocated the new Constitution originally, and maintained the -_liberal_ interpretation of it afterwards, as indispensable to the -integrity and wholesome action of our system. Opinions which he had -thus held for thirteen years, and which had become fixed more and more -deeply in his mind by his numberless able vindications of them, he -could not be expected to throw aside when he ascended the Bench. They -pervaded his decisions there; and such was the influence of his -gigantic intellect, that, although, as Chief Justice, his vote had no -more legal authority than that of any other Judge, and although most -of his associates were deemed, at their appointments, maintainers of -the _strict construction_,--the Supreme Court took its tone from him; -and in almost every instance where the controversy turned upon the -boundaries between _federal_ and _state_ authority, as fixed by the -Constitution, its determination tended to enlarge the former, and to -circumscribe the latter. Never, probably, did any judge, who had six -associates equal to himself in judicial authority, so effectually -stamp their adjudications with the impress of his own mind. This may -be read, in the generous pleasure with which the best and ablest[22] -of those associates dwells upon the {190} inestimable service done to -the country, in establishing a code of Constitutional Law so perfect, -that "His proudest epitaph may be written in a single line--Here lies -the Expounder of the Constitution of the United States." It may be -read in the glowing page, where Mr. Binney, resolving the glory of the -Court in having "explained, defended and enforced the Constitution," -into the merits of its presiding judge, declares himself "lost in -admiration of the man, and in gratitude to Heaven for his beneficent -life." It may be read in the many volumes of Reports, where, -whensoever a question of constitutional law was to be determined, the -opinion of Judge Marshall is found, almost without exception, to be -the opinion of the Supreme Court. - -[Footnote 22: Judge Story.] - -We shall make but one more extract from Mr. Binney's admirable Eulogy. - - -He was endued by nature with a patience that was never -surpassed;--patience to hear that which he knew already, that which he -disapproved, that which questioned himself. When he ceased to hear, it -was not because his patience was exhausted, but because it ceased to -be a virtue. - -His carriage in the discharge of his judicial business, was faultless. -Whether the argument was animated or dull, instructive or superficial, -the regard of his expressive eye was an assurance that nothing that -ought to affect the cause, was lost by inattention or indifference; -and the courtesy of his general manner was only so far restrained on -the Bench, as was necessary for the dignity of office, and for the -suppression of familiarity. - -His industry and powers of labor, when contemplated in connection with -his social temper, show a facility that does not generally belong to -parts of such strength. There remain behind him nearly thirty volumes -of copiously reasoned decisions, greater in difficulty and labor, than -probably have been made in any other court during the life of a single -judge! yet he participated in them all; and in those of greatest -difficulty, his pen has most frequently drawn up the judgment; and in -the midst of his judicial duties, he composed and published in the -year 1804, a copious biography of Washington, surpassing in -authenticity and minute accuracy, any public history with which we are -acquainted. He found time also to revise it, and to publish a second -edition, separating the History of the American Colonies from the -Biography, and to prepare with his own pen an edition of the latter -for the use of schools. Every part of it is marked with the scrupulous -veracity of a judicial exposition; and it shows moreover, how deeply -the writer was imbued with that spirit which will live after all the -compositions of men shall be forgotten,--the spirit of charity, which -could indite a history of the Revolution and of parties, in which he -was a conspicuous actor, without discoloring his pages with the -slightest infusion of gall. It could not be written with more candor -an hundred years hence. It has not been challenged for the want of it, -but in a single instance, and that has been refuted by himself with -irresistible force of argument, as well as with unexhausted benignity -of temper. - -To qualities such as these, he joined an immoveable firmness befitting -the office of presiding judge, in the highest tribunal of the country. -It was not the result of excited feeling, and consequently never rose -or fell with the emotions of the day. It was the constitution of his -nature, and sprung from the composure of a mind undisturbed by doubt, -and of a heart unsusceptible of fear. He thought not of the fleeting -judgments and commentaries of men; and although he was not indifferent -to their approbation, it was not the compass by which he was directed, -nor the haven in which he looked for safety. - -His learning was great, and his faculty of applying it of the very -first order. - -But it is not by these qualities that he is so much distinguished from -the judges of his time. In learning and industry, in patience, -firmness, and fidelity, he has had his equals. But there is no judge, -living or dead, whose claims are disparaged by assigning the first -place in the department of constitutional law to Chief Justice -Marshall. - - -For several years past, Judge Marshall had suffered under a most -excruciating malady. A surgical operation by Dr. Physick of -Philadelphia, at length procured him relief; but a hurt received in -travelling, last spring, seems to have caused a return of the former -complaint, with circumstances of aggravated pain and danger. Having -revisited Philadelphia, in the hope of again finding a cure, his -disease there overpowered him; and he died, on the 6th of July, 1835, -in the 80th year of his age, surrounded by three of his children. His -eldest son, Thomas, journeying to attend his death bed, had been -killed by the fall of a chimney in Baltimore, but eight days before. - -The love of simplicity and the dislike of ostentation, which had -marked Chief Justice Marshall's life, displayed itself also in his -last days. Apprehensive that his remains might be encumbered with the -vain pomp of a costly monument and a laudatory epitaph, he, only two -days before his death, directed the common grave of himself and his -consort, to be indicated by a plain stone, with this simple and modest -inscription: - - -"John Marshall, son of Thomas and Mary Marshall, was born on the 24th -of September, 1755, intermarried with Mary Willis Ambler the 3d of -January, 1783, departed this life the ---- day of ---- 18--." - - -All the just renown with which his great name might have been -emblazoned, simplified into the three circumstances, of _birth_, -_marriage_, and _death_, which would equally suit the grave-stone of -the humblest villager! - -We cannot better conclude this article than by copying two -delineations of its subject, sketched by hands which, years before -him, were mouldering in the grave: sketched, it seems to us, with so -much elegance and truth, that any extended account of Judge Marshall -could hardly be deemed complete without them. The first was drawn -thirty years ago: the other, less than twenty. - -"The ..... ....... of the United States," says Mr. Wirt, in _The -British Spy_, "is, in his person, tall, meager, emaciated: his muscles -relaxed, and his joints so loosely connected, as not only to -disqualify him, apparently, for any vigorous exertion of body, but to -destroy every thing like harmony in his air and movements. Indeed, in -his whole appearance, and demeanor; dress, attitudes, gesture; -sitting, standing, or walking; he is as far removed from the idolized -graces of Lord Chesterfield, as any other gentleman on earth. His head -and face are small in proportion to his height: his complexion -swarthy; the muscles of his face, being relaxed, make him appear to be -fifty years of age, nor can he be much younger: his countenance has a -faithful expression of great good humor and hilarity; while his black -eyes--that unerring index--possess an irradiating spirit, which -proclaims the imperial powers of the mind that sits enthroned within. - -"This extraordinary man, without the aid of fancy, without the -advantages of person, voice, attitude, gesture, or any of the -ornaments of an orator, deserves to be considered as one of the most -eloquent men in the world; if eloquence may be said to consist in the -power of seizing the attention with irresistible force, and never -permitting it to elude the grasp, until the hearer has received the -conviction which the speaker intends. - -"His voice is dry and hard; his attitude, in his most effective -orations, was often extremely awkward; while all his gesture proceeded -from his right arm, and consisted merely in a perpendicular swing of -it, from about {191} the elevation of his head, to the bar, behind -which he was accustomed to stand. - -"As to fancy, if she hold a seat in his mind at all, his gigantic -genius tramples with disdain, on all her flower-decked plats and -blooming parterres. How then, you will ask, how is it possible, that -such a man can hold the attention of an audience enchained, through a -speech of even ordinary length? I will tell you. - -"He possesses one original, and almost supernatural faculty: the -faculty of developing a subject by a single glance of his mind, and -detecting at once, the very point on which every controversy depends. -No matter, what the question: though ten times more knotty than 'the -gnarled oak,' the lightning of heaven is not more rapid or more -resistless, than his astonishing penetration. Nor does the exercise of -it seem to cost him an effort. On the contrary, it is as easy as -vision. I am persuaded, that his eyes do not fly over a landscape and -take in its various objects with more promptitude and facility, than -his mind embraces and analyzes the most complex subject. - -"Possessing while at the bar, this intellectual elevation, which -enabled him to look down and comprehend the whole ground at once, he -determined immediately and without difficulty, on which side the -question might be most advantageously approached and assailed. In a -bad cause, his art consisted in laying his premises so remotely from -the point directly in debate, or else in terms so general and so -specious, that the hearer, seeing no consequence which could be drawn -from them, was just as willing to admit them as not; but, his premises -once admitted, the demonstration, however distant, followed as -certainly, as cogently, as inevitably, as any demonstration in Euclid. - -"All his eloquence consists in the apparently deep self-conviction, -and emphatic earnestness of his manner; the correspondent simplicity -and energy of his style; the close and logical connexion of his -thoughts; and the easy gradations by which he opens his lights on the -attentive minds of his hearers. The audience are never permitted to -pause for a moment. There is no stopping to weave garlands of flowers, -to hang in festoons, around a favorite argument. On the contrary, -every sentence is progressive; every idea sheds new light on the -subject; the listener is kept perpetually in that sweetly pleasurable -vibration, with which the mind of man always receives new truths; the -dawn advances with easy but unremitting pace; the subject opens -gradually on the view; until, rising, in high relief, in all its -native colors and proportions, the argument is consummated, by the -conviction of the delighted hearer." - -The following observations on the intellectual character of Judge -Marshall, are from the pen of FRANCIS W. GILMER--one who, had he not -been prematurely cut off by the hand of death, would have ranked with -the foremost men of his age and country. - -"His mind is not very richly stored with knowledge; but it is so -creative, so well organized by nature, or disciplined by early -education, and constant habits of systematic thinking, that he -embraces every subject with the clearness and facility of one prepared -by previous study to comprehend and explain it. So perfect is his -analysis, that he extracts the whole matter, the kernel of inquiry, -unbroken, clean, and entire. In this process, such are the instinctive -neatness and precision of his mind, that no superfluous thought, or -even word, ever presents itself, and still he says every thing that -seems appropriate to the subject. This perfect exemption from needless -incumbrance of matter or ornament, is in some degree the effect of an -aversion to the labor of thinking. So great a mind, perhaps, like -large bodies in the physical world, is with difficulty set in motion. -That this is the case with Mr. Marshall's, is manifest, from his mode -of entering on an argument, both in conversation and in public debate. -It is difficult to rouse his faculties: he begins with reluctance, -hesitation, and vacancy of eye: presently, his articulation becomes -less broken, his eye more fixed, until, finally, his voice is full, -clear, and rapid, his manner bold, and his whole face lighted up, with -the mingled fires of genius and passion: and he pours forth the -unbroken stream of eloquence, in a current deep, majestic, smooth and -strong. He reminds one of some great bird, which flounders and -flounces on the earth for a while, before it acquires _impetus_ to -sustain its soaring flight." - - -EMILIA HARRINGTON. - -_The Confessions of Emilia Harrington. By Lambert A. Wilmer. -Baltimore._ - -This is a duodecimo of about two hundred pages. We have read it with -that deep interest always excited by works written in a similar -manner--be the subject matter what it may--works in which the author -utterly loses sight of himself in his theme, and, for the time, -identifies his own thoughts and feelings with the thoughts and -feelings of fictitious existences. Than the power of accomplishing -this perfect identification, there is no surer mark of genius. It is -the spell of Defoe. It is the wand of Boccacio. It is the proper -enchantment of the Arabian Tales--the gramarye of Scott, and the magic -of the Bard of Avon. Had, therefore, the Emilia Harrington of Mr. -Wilmer not one other quality to recommend it, we should have been -satisfied of the author's genius from the simple _verisimilitude_ of -his narrative. Yet, unhappily, books thus written are not the books by -which men acquire a contemporaneous reputation. What we said on this -subject in the last number of the Messenger, may be repeated here -without impropriety. We spoke of the Robinson Crusoe. "What better -possible species of fame could the author have desired for that book -than the species which it has so long enjoyed? It has become a -household thing in nearly every family in Christendom. Yet never was -admiration of any work--universal admiration--more indiscriminately or -more inappropriately bestowed. Not one person in ten--nay, not one -person in five hundred has, during the perusal of Robinson Crusoe, the -most remote conception that any particle of genius, or even of common -talent, has been employed in its creation. Men do not look upon it in -the light of a literary performance. Defoe has none of their thoughts; -Robinson all. The powers which have wrought the wonder, have been -thrown into obscurity by the very stupendousness of the wonder they -have wrought. We read, and become perfect abstractions in the -intensity of our interest--we close the book, and are quite satisfied -we could have written as well ourselves." - -Emilia Harrington will render essential services to virtue in the -unveiling of the deformities of vice. This {192} is a deed of no -questionable utility. We fully agree with our author that ignorance of -wrong is not security for the right; and Mr. Wilmer has obviated every -possible objection to the "Confessions," by a so cautious wording of -his disclosures as not to startle, in warning, the virtuous. That the -memoirs are not wholly fictitious is more than probable. There is much -internal evidence of authenticity in the book itself, and the preface -seems to hint that a portion at least of the narrative is true--yet -for the sake of human nature it is to be hoped that _some_ passages -are overcolored. The _style_ of Mr. Wilmer is not only good in itself, -but exceedingly well adapted to his subjects. The letter to _Augustus -Harrington_ is vigorously written, and many long extracts might be -taken from the book evincing powers of no ordinary kind. - -Within a circle of _private_ friends, whom Mr. Wilmer's talents and -many virtues have attached devotedly to himself, and among whom we are -very proud in being ranked, his writings have been long properly -appreciated, and we sincerely hope the days are not far in futurity -when he will occupy that full station in the _public_ eye to which his -merits so decidedly entitle him. Our readers must all remember the -touching lines _To Mira_, in the first number of our second -volume--lines which called forth the highest encomiums from many whose -opinions are of value. Their exquisite tenderness of sentiment--their -vein of deep and _unaffected_ melancholy--and their antique strength, -and high polish of versification, struck us, upon a first perusal, -with force, and subsequent readings have not weakened the impression. -Mr. W. has written many other similar things. Among his longer pieces -we may particularize _Merlin_, a drama--some portions of which are -full of the truest poetic fire. His prose tales and other short -publications are numerous; and as Editor of the Philadelphia Saturday -Evening Post, he has boldly and skilfully asserted the rights of -independent criticism, speaking, in all instances--the truth. His -Satiric Odes in the Post, over the signature of_ Horace in -Philadelphia_, have attracted great attention, and have been -deservedly admired. - -We copy with true pleasure from the editorial columns of a Baltimore -contemporary, (for whose opinions we have the highest respect, even -when they differ from our own,) the following notice of _Emilia -Harrington_. It will supersede the necessity of any farther comment -from ourselves. - - -"This book is one of a class the publication of which is considered by -many as objectionable. The lifting up of the veil which covers crime; -crime of the most disgusting and debasing character--is thought by -moralists of the present day to be an act of questionable utility. -This opinion has gained strength from the intemperate zeal of too many -who have thought fit to publish flauntingly to the world the result of -their startling discoveries while penetrating the haunts of corruption -and vice, instead of silently moving on in the cause of Christian -benevolence, and, when called upon for disclosures, giving information -in such a way as not to startle the virtuous into shrinking, nor cause -the vicious to raise the hue and cry against them. From the objection -of ultraism the 'Confessions' are to a great extent free--although in -some few instances the author has allowed himself a latitude which it -would have been as well not to have taken. - -"Apart from the character of the book, it possesses for us no trifling -interest. Our thoughts run back continually from its pages to the -gifted young author, prematurely gray; nor can we conquer a gathering -sadness of feeling as we contemplate him bending wearily beneath the -accumulating weight of adverse circumstances--broken in spirit, and -yet uncomplaining. That the writer of this book possesses talents of -an order far superior to many of twice his reputation, we have long -been convinced, and yet he is scarcely known. Ten years ago his -promise of future success in the walks of literary fame was -flattering, almost beyond example; but, who can struggle against the -ills of life--its cares, its privations and disappointments--with the -added evils which petty jealousy and vindictive malice bring in to -crush the spirit,--and not, in the very feebleness of humanity, grow -weak and weary. And thus it seems in a measure to have been with the -author of this book; he has not now the healthy vigor which once -marked his production--the playful humor, nor the sparkling wit; and -why--as continual dropping will wear away the hardest rock, so will -continued neglect, and disappointment, and care, wear away the mind's -healthy tone and strength of action. And yet, after all, may we not be -mistaken in this. Is not the unobtrusive volume before us a strong -evidence of unfailing powers of mind, which, though aiming at no -brilliant display, acts with order, conciseness, and a nicely balanced -energy? It is even so. One great attribute of genius is its power of -identifying itself with its hero, and never losing sight of all the -relations which it now holds to the world in its new character; and -this identity has been well kept up by Mr. Wilmer--so much so, that in -but few instances do we forget that the writer is other than the -heroine of the tale." - - - -AMERICAN IN ENGLAND. - -_The American in England. By the Author of "A Year in Spain." 2 vols. -New York. Harper and Brothers._ - -Lieutenant Slidell's very excellent book, "A Year in Spain," was in -some danger of being overlooked by his countrymen when a benignant -star directed Murray's attention to its merits. Fate and Regent Street -prevailed. Cockney octavos carried the day. A man is nothing if not -hot-pressed; and the clever young writer who was cut dead in his -Yankee-land habiliments, met with bows innumerable in the gala dress -of a London _imprimatur_. The "Year in Spain" well deserved the -popularity thus inauspiciously attained. It was the work of a man of -genius; and passing through several editions, prepared the public -attention for any subsequent production of its author. As regards "The -American in England," we have not only read it with deep interest from -beginning to end, but have been at the trouble of seeking out and -perusing a great variety of critical _dicta_ concerning it. Nearly all -of these are in its favor, and we are happy in being able to concur -heartily with the popular voice--if indeed these _dicta_ be its -echoes. - -We have somewhere said--or we should have somewhere said--that the old -adage about "Truth in a well" (we mean the adage in its modern and -improper--not in its antique and proper acceptation) should be -swallowed _cum grano salis_ at times. To be profound is not always to -be sensible. The depth of an argument is not, necessarily, its -wisdom--this depth lying where Truth is sought more often than where -she is found. As the touches of a painting which, to minute -inspection, are 'confusion worse confounded' will not fail to start -boldly out to the cursory glance of a connoisseur--or as a star may be -seen more distinctly in a sidelong survey than in any direct gaze -however penetrating and {193} intense--so there are, not unfrequently, -times and methods, in which, and by means of which, a richer -philosophy may be gathered on the surface of things than can be drawn -up, even with great labor, _c profundis_. It appears to us that Mr. -Slidell has written a wiser book than his neighbors merely by not -disdaining to write a more superficial one. - -The work is dedicated to John Duer, Esq. The Preface is a very -sensible and a sufficiently well-written performance, in which the -Lieutenant while "begging, at the outset, to be acquitted of any -injurious prejudices" still pleads guilty to "that ardent patriotism -which is the common attribute of Americans, a feeling of nationality -inherited with the laws, the language, and the manners of the country -from which we derive our origin, and which is sanctioned not less by -the comparison of the blessings we enjoy with those of other lands, -than by the promptings of good feeling, and the dictates of good -taste." It is in the body of the book, however, that we must seek, and -where we shall most assuredly find, strong indications of a genius not -the less rich, rare, and altogether estimable for the simplicity of -its _modus operandi_. - -Commencing with his embarkation at New York, our author succeeds, at -once, in rivetting the attention of his readers by _a succession of -minute details_. But there is this vast difference between the details -of Mr. Slidell, and the details of many of his contemporaries. -They--the many--impressed, apparently, with the belief that mere -minuteness is sufficient to constitute force, and that to be accurate -is, of necessity, to be verisimilar--have not hesitated in putting in -upon their canvass all the _actual_ lines which might be discovered in -their subject. This Mr. Slidell has known better than to do. He has -felt that the apparent, not the real, is the province of a -painter--and that _to give_ (speaking technically) _the idea of any -desired object, the toning down, or the utter neglect of certain -portions of that object is absolutely necessary to the proper bringing -out of other portions--portions by whose sole instrumentality the idea -of the object is afforded_. With a fine eye then for the picturesque, -and with that strong sense of propriety which is inseparable from true -genius, our American has crossed the water, dallied a week in London, -and given us, as the result of his observations, a few masterly -sketches, with all the spirit, vigor, raciness and illusion of a -panorama. - -Very rarely have we seen any thing of the kind superior to the -"American in England." The interest begins with the beginning of the -book, and abides with us, unabated, to the end. From the scenes in the -Yankee harbor, to the departure of the traveller from England, his -arrival in France, and installment among the comforts of the Hotel -Quillacq, all is terse, nervous, brilliant and original. The review of -the ship's company, in the initial chapter of the book is exceedingly -entertaining. The last character thus introduced is so peculiarly -sketched that we must copy what the author says about him. It will -serve to exemplify some of our own prior remarks. - - -"Let me not forget to make honorable mention of the white-headed -little raggamuffin who was working his passage, and who, in this -capacity, had the decks to sweep, ropes to haul, chickens and pigs to -feed, the cow to milk, and the dishes to wash, as well as all other -jobs to do that belonged to no one in particular. As a proof of good -will, he had chopped off the tails of a dandy, velvet-collared, blue -coat, with the cook's axe, the very first day out. This was performed -at the windlass-bits, in full conclave of the crew, and I suspected at -the suggestion of a roguish man-of-war's-man, a shipmate of mine. The -tails were cut just below the pocket flaps, which gave them a sort of -razee look, and, in conjunction with the velvet collar, made the -oddest appearance in the world, as he would creep, stern first, out of -the long-boat after milking the cow. Blow high or blow low, the poor -boy had no time to be sea-sick. Sometimes he would get adrift in the -lee scuppers and roll over in the water, keeping fast hold of the -plates he was carying to the galley." - - -Some incidents at sea--such as the narrow escape from running down a -brig, and the imminent danger incurred by an English pilot--are told -with all the gusto of a seaman. Among other fine passages we may -particularize an account of British sailors on shore at Portsmouth--of -a family group on board a steamer--of the appearance of the Kentish -coast--of the dangers of the Thames--of the Dover coach--of some -groups in a London coffee-room--of a stand of hackney-coaches--of St. -James' Park--of a midnight scene in the streets--of the Strand--of -Temple-Bar--of St. Paul's and the view from the summit--of -Rothschild--of Barclay and Perkins' Brewery--of the Thames' Tunnel--of -the Tower--of the Zoological Gardens--of Robert Owen--of the habits of -retired citizens--and of the rural tastes of Englishmen. A parallel -between Regent Street and Broadway brings the two thoroughfares with -singular distinctness to the eye of the mind--and in the way of -animated and vivid description we can, at this moment, remember -nothing in the whole range of fact or fiction much superior to the -Lieutenant's narrative of his midnight entrance into London. Indeed we -can almost pardon a contemporary for speaking of this picture as -sublime. A small portion of it we copy--but no just idea of its total -effect can be thus gathered--an effect depending in a great measure -upon the gradual manner in which it is brought about. - - -"I know nothing more exhilirating than to be suddenly ushered in the -night into a populous quarter of a great city. My recollection readily -conjures up the impressions made upon me under similar circumstances -in entering Paris, Madrid, Brussels, Milan, or gay and lively Naples. -The lower classes, with their good humor, their quaint drollery and -sprightliness, there offer the most agreeable objects of -contemplation. Here, however, there was in the corresponding classes -nothing pleasing, or even picturesque. All seemed in search of food, -of the means of intemperance, and of gratifying low and brutal -passions. The idea of amusement had evidently no place. The streets -swarmed with abandoned women, filthy in their dress, open, brutal, and -indecent in their advances. In the places of the guitar, the serenade, -the musical cries of chesnut-women, lemonade-sellers, and watermen, -the sounds here were harsh and grating: uttered in words ill -pronounced and nasally prolonged, or in an unintelligible and -discordant slang which I no longer recognized as belonging to my own -language. In the place of skilful musicians performing the favorite -airs of Mozart or Rossini, or the witty colloquies of the sententious -Punchinello, the poor were invited, in the nasal twang of clamorous -mountebanks to amuse themselves by a sight of the latest cases of -seduction, murder, suicide, and hanging, represented in the shadows of -the camera obscura. The dark masses of dwelling-houses had a confined, -narrow, gloomy, and lugubrious aspect. They were of brick, without -window-sills of marble or other colored stone; unpainted, and -unenlivened by blinds. They were closely shut, and the glimpses of -cheerfulness and domestic comfort {194} exhibited in our streets were -here unseen. All the shops were open to the weather: Many of them -having the whole front removed, and gas-lights blazing and streaming -like great torches, rather than with the puny and flickering -illumination seen in ours. The articles were completely exposed to -view at the side of the street; clothing, provisions, crockery, -hardware; whatever is necessary to the wants of man. The druggists, -with their variegated vases, as with us, cast the Iris hues of their -nauseous mixtures into the street. Sellers of cheap goods exposed them -in the windows, with their price labelled. The butchers hung out beef, -pork, sausages, and enormous coarse sheep, in a nearly whole state, -with sometimes the price affixed to the inferior portions, in order -that the poor might judge whether the price they had received for -their day's labor, would compass a meal of meat; or whether they -should seek a diet more suited to their means, of a neighboring -potato-merchant: or whether to turn in despair, as many of the most -wretched seemed to do, to accept the flattering invitation of the -magnificent gin-palace at the corner. It was the most splendid -building in the neighborhood; built with some little architectural -elegance, whose effect was magnified by the unadorned character and -gloomy air of the surrounding edifices. A beautiful gas-light, in a -richly ornamented lamp, stood as an inviting beacon, visible in many -diverging directions. The windows were glazed with costly plate-glass, -bearing inscribed, in illuminated letters, the words--gin at -three-pence--generous wines hot-spiced;--and the door surrounded by -stained panes of rich dye, having rosettes, bunches of grapes, and gay -devices." - - -There are some few _niaiseries_ in the work before us, which, although -insufficient to affect its character as a whole, yet constitute a weak -point in what otherwise is beautiful, and cause us to regret -sincerely, the accidents which have admitted them. We may mention, in -especial, the too frequent introduction of the monosyllable "_how_," -in such sentences as "they told how"--"it was related how"--"I was -informed how," &c. Mr. Slidell will find, upon self-scrutiny, that he -has fallen into this habit through the sin of imitation. The -Lieutenant, too, suffers his work to savor far too strongly of the -ship, and lets slip him no opportunity of thrusting upon the public -attention the fact of his particular vocation--insisting, indeed, upon -this matter with a pertinacity even ludicrous--a pertinacity which -will be exemplified in the following passage: - - -"_Unaccustomed as I had been in the larger vessels, in which I had -sailed of late_, to be thus unceremoniously boarded _on the hallowed -region of the quarter-deck_, this seemed to me quite a superfluous -piece of impertinence. The remains of my sentiment were at once washed -away, and _not minding a little honest salt-water_, I betook myself -forthwith to the substantial comfortings of the repast, which I found -smoking on the cabin table. Dinner was over: tea and conversation had -followed; the evening was already far advanced, and I began to yield -to the sleepy sensation _which the familiar roll of the sea inspired_. -Before turning in I ascended to the companionway to breathe the fresh -air, and see what progress we were making. _Familiar as I was with the -sight of ships in every possible situation_, I was much struck with -the beauty of the scene." - - -Again. Although the author evinces, in theory, a very laudable -contempt for that silly vanity so often inducing men to blazon forth -their intimacy with the distinguished; and although, in the volumes -now before us, he more than once directs the arrows of his satire at -the infirmity--still he is found not altogether free from it himself; -and, in one especial instance, is even awkwardly uneasy, lest we -should remain ignorant of his acquaintance with Washington Irving. "I -thought," quoth the Lieutenant, when there was no necessity for -thinking about any such matter, "I thought of the 'spectral box-coats' -of my inimitable friend Geoffrey Crayon; and would have given the -world in that moment of despondency, for one of his quiet unwritten -jokes, or one friendly pressure of his hand." - -Upon Mr. Slidell's mechanical style we cannot bring ourselves to look -with favor. Indeed while running over, with some astonishment, a few -of his singularly ill-constructed sentences, we begin to think that -the sentiments expressed in the conclusion of his Preface are not, as -we at first suspected, merely the common cant of the _literateur_, and -that his book is actually, as he represents it to be, "the result of -an up-hill journey," and "a work which he regards with a feeling of -aversion." What else than great tedium and utter weariness with his -labor, could have induced our author to trust such passages as the -following to the critical eye of the public? - - -"The absence of intellectual and moral culture, in occupations which -rendered it unnecessary for those who worked only to administer food -to themselves and profit or luxury to the class of masters, could only -account for the absence of forehead, of the ornamental parts of that -face which was moulded after a divine model." - - -We perused this sentence more than once before we could fathom its -meaning. Mr. Slidell wishes to say, that _narrowness of forehead in -the rabble is owing to want of mental exercise--they being laborers -not thinkers_. But from the words of our author we are led to conclude -that some occupations (certainly very strange ones) rendered it -unnecessary for those who worked, to administer food to -themselves--that is, to eat. The pronoun "_it_," however, will be -found, upon examination, to refer to "moral culture." The repetition -of the word "only" is also disagreeable, and the entire passage is -overloaded with verbiage. A rigid scrutiny will show that all -essential portions of the intended idea are embodied in the lines -Italicised. In the original sentence are _fifty-four_ words--in our -own _eighteen_--or precisely one third. It follows, that if all the -Lieutenant's sentences had been abridged in a similar manner--a -process which would have redounded greatly to their advantage--we -might have been spared much trouble, and the public much time, -trouble, and expense--the "American in England" making its appearance -in a duodecimo of one hundred and ninety-two pages, rather than in two -octavos of five hundred and seventy-six. - -At page 122, vol. I, we have what follows. - - -"My situation here was uncomfortable enough; if I were softly -cushioned on one side, this only tended, by the contrast, to increase -the obduracy of a small iron rod, which served as a parapet to protect -me from falling off the precipice, over which I hung toppling, and -against which I was forced with a pressure proportioned to the -circumstances of my being compressed into a space somewhat narrower -than myself; the seat having doubtless been contrived to accommodate -five men, and there being no greater anatomical mistake than to -suppose there would be more room because four of them were women." - - -'_If I were_,' in this sentence, is not English--but there are few -persons who will believe that "_if_" does not in _all_ instances -require the subjunctive. In the words "_a small iron rod which served -as a parapet to protect me from falling off the precipice over which I -hung, and against which I was forced," &c._ let us say nothing of the -{195} injudicious use of the word _parapet_ as applied to _a small -iron rod_. Passing over this, it is evident, that the second relative -pronoun "_which_," has for its antecedent, in strict syntactical -arrangement, the same noun as the first relative pronoun -"_which_"--that is to say, it has the word "_precipice_" for its -antecedent. The sentence would thus imply that Mr. Slidell was forced -against the precipice. But the actual meaning (at which we arrive by -guessing) is, that Mr. Slidell was forced against the iron rod. In the -words "_I was forced with a pressure proportioned to the circumstances -of my being compressed into a space," &c._ let us again be indulgent, -and say as little as possible of the tautology in "_pressure_" and -"_compressed_." But we ask where are the _circumstances_ spoken of? -There is only _one_ circumstance--the circumstance of being -compressed. In the conclusion of the passage where the Lieutenant -speaks of "a seat having doubtless been contrived to accommodate five -men, and there being no greater anatomical mistake than to suppose -there would be more room because four of them were women," it is quite -unnecessary to point out the "bull egregious"--a bull which could have -been readily avoided by the simple substitute of "_persons_" for -"_men_." - -We must be pardoned for copying yet another sentence. We will do so -with the single remark that it is one of the most ludicrously -ill-arranged, and altogether ungainly pieces of composition which it -has ever been our ill fortune to encounter. - - -"I was not long in discovering that the different personages scattered -about the room in such an unsocial and misanthropic manner, instead of -being collected about the same board, as in France or my own country, -and, in the spirit of good fellowship and of boon companions, -relieving each other of their mutual ennuis, though they did not speak -a word to each other, by which they might hereafter be compromised and -socially ruined, by discovering that they had made the acquaintance of -an individual several grades below them in the scale of rank, or haply -as disagreeably undeceived by the abstraction of a pocket-book, still -kept up a certain interchange of sentiment, by occasional glances and -mutual observation." - - -Such passages as the foregoing may be discovered _passim_ in "The -American in England." Yet we have heard Mr. Slidell's English called -equal to the English of Mr. Irving--than which nothing can be more -improbable. The Lieutenant's book is an excellent book--but then it is -excellent _in spite of its style_. So great are the triumphs of -genius! - - -CONTI. - -_Conti the Discarded: with Other Tales and Fancies. By Henry F. -Chorley. 2 vols. New York: Published by Harper and Brothers._ - -Mr. Chorley has hitherto written nothing of any great length. His -name, however, is familiar to all readers of English Annuals, and in -whatever we have seen from his pen, evidences of a rare genius have -been perceptible. In Conti, and in the "Other Tales and Fancies" which -accompany it, these evidences are more distinct, more brilliant, and -more openly developed. Neither are these pieces wanting in a noble, -and, to us, a most thrillingly interesting _purpose_. In saying that -our whole heart is with the author--that the deepest, and we trust, -the purest emotions are enkindled within us by his chivalric and -magnanimous _design_--we present but a feeble picture of our -individual feelings as influenced by the perusal of Conti. We repeat -it--our whole heart is with the author. When _shall_ the artist assume -his proper situation in society--in a society of thinking beings? How -long shall he be enslaved? How long shall mind succumb to the grossest -materiality? How long shall the veriest vermin of the Earth, who crawl -around the altar of Mammon, be more esteemed of men than they, the -gifted ministers to those exalted emotions which link us with the -mysteries of Heaven? To our own query we may venture a reply. Not -long. Not long will such rank injustice be committed or permitted. A -spirit is already abroad at war with it. And in every billow of the -unceasing sea of Change--and in every breath, however gentle, of the -wide atmosphere of Revolution encircling us, is that spirit steadily -yet irresistibly at work. - -"Who has not looked," says Mr. Chorley in his Preface, "with painful -interest on the unreckoned-up account of misunderstanding and -suspicion which exists between the World and the Artist? Who has not -grieved to see the former willing to degrade Art into a mere -plaything--to be enjoyed without respect, and then cast aside--instead -of receiving her high works as among the most humanizing blessings -ever vouchsafed to man by a beneficent Creator? Who has not suffered -shame in observing the Artist bring his own calling into contempt by -coarsely regarding it as a mere engine of money getting, or holding it -up to reproach by making it the excuse for such eccentricities or -grave errors as separate him from the rest of society?" - -That genius should not and indeed cannot be bound down to the vulgar -common-places of existence, is a maxim which, however true, has been -too often repeated; and there have appeared on earth enough spirits of -the loftiest and most brilliant order who have worthily taken their -part in life as useful citizens, affectionate husbands, faithful -friends, to deprive of their excuse all such as hold, that to despise -and alienate the world is the inevitable and painfully glorious -destiny of the highly gifted. - -Very few of our readers, it may be, are acquainted with a particular -class of works which has long exercised a very powerful influence on -the private habits and character, as well as on the literature of the -Germans. We speak of the _Art Novels_--the Kunstromanen--books written -not so much in immediate defence, or in illustration, as in -personification of individual portions of the Fine Arts--books which, -in the guise of Romance, labor to the sole end of reasoning men into -admiration and study of the beautiful, by a tissue of _bizarre_ -fiction, partly allegorical, and partly metaphysical. In Germany alone -could so mad--or perhaps so profound--an idea have originated. From -the statement of Mr. Chorley, we find that his original intention was -to attempt something in the style of the _Kunstromanen_, with such -modifications as might seem called for by the peculiar spirit of the -British national tastes and literature. "It occurred to me, however," -says he, "that the very speculations and reveries which appeared to -myself so delicious and significant, might be rejected by the rest of -the world as fantastic and overstrained." Mr. C. could never have -persevered in a scheme so radically erroneous for more than a dozen -pages; and neither the world nor himself will have {196} cause to -regret that he thought proper to abandon the _Art Novels_, and embody -his fine powers and lofty design in so stirring and so efficient a -series of paintings as may be found in the present volumes. - -A single passage near the commencement of Conti, will afford to all -those who feel and think, direct evidence of the extraordinary -abilities of Mr. Chorley. Madame Zerlini is an Italian _prima donna_, -who becoming enamored of Colonel Hardwycke, an Englishman, accompanies -him to England as his mistress, and after living with him for twelve -years, and bearing him a son, Julius, dies suddenly upon hearing of -his intention to marry. - - -"A strange scene greeted his eyes (those of Julius) as he entered the -spacious hall, which, as its windows fronted the east, was already -beginning to be dusky with the shadows of twilight. On the lowest step -of the stairs lay, in violent hysterics, one of the women -servants--she was raving and weeping, half supported by two others, -themselves trembling so as to be almost powerless. - -"'And here's Master Julius, too!' exclaimed one of the group which -obstructed his passage, 'and my master gone away--no one knows for how -long. Lord have mercy upon us!--what are we to do, I wonder?' - -"'Don't go up stairs!' shrieked the other, leaving her charge, and -endeavoring to stop him. 'Don't go up stairs--it is all over!' - -"But the boy, whose mind was full of other matters, and who, having -wandered away in the morning, before the delirium became so violent, -had no idea of his mother's imminent danger, broke from them without -catching the meaning of their words, and forced his way up stairs, -towards the great drawing room, the folding doors of which were -swinging open. - -"He went in. Madame Zerlini was there--flung down upon a sofa, in an -attitude which, in life, it would have been impossible for her to -maintain for many moments. Her head was cast back over one of the -pillows, so far, that her long hair, which had been imperfectly -fastened, had disengaged itself by its own weight, and was now -sweeping heavily downward, with a crushed wreath of passion flowers -and myrtles half buried among it. Every thing about her told how -fiercely the spirit had passed. Her robe of scarlet muslin was -entirely torn off on one shoulder, and disclosed its exquisitely -rounded proportions. Her glittering _negligé_ was unclasped, and one -end of it clenched firmly in the small left hand, which there was now -hardly any possibility of unclosing. Her glazed eyes were wide -open--her mouth set in an unnatural, yet fascinating smile; her cheek -still flushed with a more delicate, yet intense red than belongs to -health; and the excited boy, who was rushing hastily into the room, -with the rapid inquiry, 'Where is Father Vanezzi?' stood as fixed on -the threshhold, with sudden and conscious horror, as if he had been a -thing of marble." - - -It is not our intention to analyze, or even to give a compend of the -Tale of Conti. Such are not the means by which any idea of its -singular power can be afforded. We will content ourselves with saying -that, in its prevailing tone, it bears no little resemblance to that -purest, and most enthralling of fictions, the Bride of Lammermuir; and -we have once before expressed our opinion of this, the master novel of -Scott. It is not too much to say that no modern composition, and -perhaps no composition whatever, with the single exception of -Cervantes' Destruction of Numantia, approaches so nearly to the proper -character of the dramas of Æschylus, as the magic tale of which -Ravenswood is the hero. We are not aware of being sustained by any -authority in this opinion--yet we do not believe it the less -intrinsically correct. - -The other pieces in the volumes of Mr. Chorley are, _Margaret Sterne_, -or _The Organist's Journey_--an _Essay on the Popular Love of -Music_--_Rossini's Otello_--_The Imaginative Instrumental Writers, -Haydn, Beethoven, &c._--_The Village Beauty's Wedding_--_Handel's -Messiah_--and _A few words upon National Music_--all of which papers -evince literary powers of a high order, an intimate acquaintance with -the science of music, and a lofty and passionate devotion to its -interests. - - -NOBLE DEEDS OF WOMAN. - -_Noble Deeds of Woman. 2 vols. Philadelphia: Carey, Lea and -Blanchard._ - -These are two neat little volumes devoted to a theme of rich interest. -From the Preface, or rather from the date and place of date of the -Preface, we may form a guess that the work was originally published in -London, and that the present edition is merely a reprint. There is -nothing in the title-page or in the body of the book indicative of its -derivation. But be the "Noble Deeds of Woman" English or American, we -recommend them heartily to public attention. - -The content-table is thus subdivided: Maternal Affection--Filial -Affection--Sisterly Affection--Conjugal -Affection--Humanity--Integrity--Benevolence--Fortitude. Under each of -these separate heads are collected numerous anecdotes in the manner of -the Brothers Percy. Of course it will be impossible to speak of them -as a whole. Some are a little _passés_--for the most part they are -piquant and well selected--a few are exceedingly entertaining and -_recherchés_. From page 139, vol. i, we select one or two paragraphs -which will be sure to find favor with all our readers. We rejoice in -so excellent an opportunity of transferring to our columns a document -well deserving preservation. - - -During the late war between the Turks and the Greeks, some American -ladies, touched by the hardships and sufferings of the latter people, -presented them with a ship containing money, and various articles of -wearing apparel, wrought by their own hands; an offering which, under -their forlorn situation, must have been highly acceptable to the -unfortunate Greeks. - -The letter of Mrs. Sigourney, of Hartford, Connecticut, to the Ladies' -Greek Committee of that place, to accompany the contributions prepared -for the Archipelago, was as follows: - -"United States of America, March 12, 1828. The ladies of Hartford, in -Connecticut, to the ladies of Greece. - -"Sisters and Friends,--From the years of childhood your native clime -has been the theme of our admiration: together with our brothers and -our husbands we early learned to love the country of Homer, Aristides, -of Solon, and of Socrates. That enthusiasm which the glory of ancient -Greece enkindled in our bosoms, has preserved a fervent friendship for -her descendants. We have beheld with deep sympathy the horrors of -Turkish domination, and the struggle so long and nobly sustained by -them for existence and for liberty. - -"The communications of Dr. Howe, since his return from your land, have -made us more intimately acquainted with your personal sufferings. He -has presented many of you to us in his vivid descriptions, as seeking -refuge in caves, and, under the branches of olive trees, listening for -the footsteps of the destroyer, and mourning over your dearest ones -slain in battle. - -"Sisters and friends, our hearts bleed for you. Deprived of your -protectors by the fortune of war, and continually in fear of evils -worse than death, our prayers are with you, in all your wanderings, -your wants and your griefs. In this vessel (which may God send in -safety to your shores) you will receive a portion of that bounty -wherewith He hath blessed us. The poor among us have given according -to their ability, and our little children {197} have cheerfully aided, -that some of you and your children might have bread to eat, and -raiment to put on. Could you but behold the faces of our little ones -brighten, and their eyes sparkle with joy, while they give up their -holidays, that they might work with their needles for Greece; could -you see those females who earn a subsistence by labor, gladly casting -their mite into our treasury, and taking hours from their repose that -an additional garment might be furnished for you; could you witness -the active spirit that pervades all classes of our community, it would -cheer for a moment the darkness and misery of your lot. - -"We are inhabitants of a part of one of the smallest of the United -States, and our donations must therefore, of necessity, be more -limited than those from the larger and more wealthy cities; yet such -as we have, we give in the name of our dear Saviour, with our -blessings and our prayers. - -"We know the value of sympathy--how it arms the heart to endure--how -it plucks the sting from sorrow--therefore we have written these few -lines to assure you, that in the remoter parts of our country, as well -as in her high places, you are remembered with pity and with -affection. - -"Sisters and friends, we extend across the ocean our hands to you in -the fellowship of Christ. We pray that His Cross and the banner of -your land may rise together over the Crescent and the Minaret--that -your sons may hail the freedom of ancient Greece restored, and build -again the waste places which the oppressor hath trodden down; and that -you, admitted once more to the felicities of home, may gather from -past perils and adversities a brighter wreath for the kingdom of -Heaven. - -"LYDIA H. SIGOURNEY, - -"Secretary of the Greek Committee of Hartford, Connecticut." - - - -BULWER'S RIENZI. - -_Rienzi, The Last of the Tribunes. By the Author of "Eugene Aram," -"Last Days of Pompeii," &c. &c. Two Volumes in one. Philadelphia: -Republished by E. L. Carey and A. Hart._ - -We have long learned to reverence the fine intellect of Bulwer. We -take up any production of his pen with a positive certainty that, in -reading it, the wildest passions of our nature, the most profound of -our thoughts, the brightest visions of our fancy, and the most -ennobling and lofty of our aspirations will, in due turn, be enkindled -within us. We feel sure of rising from the perusal a wiser if not a -better man. In no instance are we deceived. From the brief Tale--from -the "Monos and Daimonos" of the author--to his most ponderous and -labored novels--all is richly, and glowingly intellectual--all is -energetic, or astute, or brilliant, or profound. There _may_ be men -now living who possess the power of Bulwer--but it is quite evident -that very few have made that power so palpably manifest. Indeed we -know of _none_. Viewing him as a novelist--a point of view exceedingly -unfavorable (if we hold to the common acceptation of "the novel") for -a proper contemplation of his genius--he is unsurpassed by any writer -living or dead. Why should we hesitate to say this, feeling, as we do, -thoroughly persuaded of its truth. Scott has excelled him in _many_ -points, and "The Bride of Lammormuir" is a better book than any -individual work by the author of Pelham--"Ivanhoe" is, perhaps, equal -to any. Descending to particulars, D'Israeli has a more brilliant, a -more lofty, and a more delicate (we do not say a _wilder_) -imagination. Lady Dacre has written Ellen Wareham, a more forcible -tale of Passion. In some species of wit Theodore Hook rivals, and in -broad humor our own Paulding surpasses him. The writer of "Godolphin" -equals him in energy. Banim is a better sketcher of character. Hope is -a richer colorist. Captain Trelawney is as original--Moore is as -fanciful, and Horace Smith is as learned. But who is there uniting in -one person the imagination, the passion, the humor, the energy, the -knowledge of the heart, the artist-like eye, the originality, the -fancy and the learning of Edward Lytton Bulwer? In a vivid wit--in -profundity and a Gothic massiveness of thought--in style--in a calm -certainty and definitiveness of purpose--in industry--and above all in -the power of controlling and regulating by volition his illimitable -faculties of mind, he is unequalled--he is unapproached. - -As Rienzi is the last, so it is the best novel of Bulwer. In the -Preface we are informed that the work was commenced two years ago at -Rome, but abandoned upon the author's removing to Naples, for the -"Last days of Pompeii"--a subject requiring, more than Rienzi, the -advantage of a personal residence within reach of the scenes -described. The idea of the present work, however, was never dismissed -from the writer's mind, and soon after the publication of "Pompeii" he -resumed his original undertaking. We are told that having had occasion -to look into the original authorities whence are derived all the -accounts of modern historians touching Rienzi, Mr. B. was induced to -believe that no just picture of the Life or Times of that most -remarkable man was at present in the hands of the people. Under this -impression the novelist had at first meditated a work of History -rather than of Fiction. We doubt, however, whether the spirit of the -author's intention is not better fulfilled as it is. He has adhered -with scrupulous fidelity to all the main events in the _public_ life -of his hero; and by means of the relief afforded through the -personages of pure romance which form the filling in of the picture, -he has been enabled more fully to develop the _private_ character of -the noble Roman. The reader may indeed be startled at the vast -difference between the Rienzi of Mr. Bulwer, and the Rienzi of -Sismondi, of Gibbon, and of Miss Mitford. But by neither of the two -latter are we disposed to swear--and of Sismondi's impartiality we can -at no moment be certain. Mr. B., moreover, very justly observes that -as, in the work before us, all the _acts_ are given from which is -derived his interpretation of the principal agent, the public, having -sufficient data for its own judgment, may fashion an opinion for -itself. - -Generally, the true chronology of Rienzi's life is preserved. In -regard to the story--or that chain of fictitious incident usually -binding up together the constituent parts of a Romance--there is very -little of it in the book. This follows necessarily from the character -of the composition--which is essentially Epic rather than Dramatic. -The author's apology seems to us therefore supererogative when he says -that a work which takes for its subject the crimes and errors of a -nation and which ventures to seek the actual and the real in the -highest stage of action or passion can rarely adopt with advantage the -melo-dramatic effects produced by a vulgar mystery. In his pictures of -the Roman populace, and in those of the Roman nobles of the fourteenth -century--pictures full at all times of an enthralling interest--Mr. B. -professes to have followed literally the descriptions left to us. - -Miss Mitford's Rienzi will of course be remembered in reading that of -Bulwer. There is however but one point of coincidence--a love-intrigue -between a relative of the hero and one of the party of the nobles. -This, it will be recollected, forms the basis of the plot of Miss -{198} M. In the Rienzi of Bulwer, it is an Episode not affecting in -any manner either the story itself, or the destinies of the Tribune. - -It is by no means our intention to give an analysis of the volume -before us. Every person who reads at all will read Rienzi, and indeed -the book is already in the hands of many millions of people. Any -thing, therefore, like our usual custom of a digest of the narrative -would be superfluous. The principal characters who figure in the novel -are Rienzi himself--his brother, whose slaughter by a noble at the -commencement of the story, is the immediate cause of Rienzi's change -of temper and consequent exaltation--Adrian di Castello, a young noble -of the family of Colonna but attached to the cause of the -people--Martino di Porto the chief of the house of the Orsini--Stephen -Colonna, the chief of the house of the Colonna--Walter de Montreal, a -gentleman of Provence, a knight of St. John, and one of the formidable -freebooters who at the head of large "Companies" invaded states and -pillaged towns at the period of Rienzi's Revolution--Pandulfo di Guido -a student, whom, under the appellation of Pandolficcio di Guido, -Gibbon styles "the most virtuous citizen of Rome"--Cecco del Vecchio a -smith--Giles D'Albornoz of the royal race of Arragon--Petrarch the -poet, and the friend of Rienzi--Angelo Villani--Irene, the sister of -the Tribune and betrothed to Adrian di Castello--Nina, Rienzi's -wife--and Adeline, the mistress of Walter de Montreal. - -But as was said before, we should err radically if we regard Rienzi -altogether in the light of Romance. Undoubtedly as such--as a fiction, -and coming under the title of a novel, it is a glorious, a wonderful -conception, and not the less wonderfully and gloriously carried out. -What else could we say of a book over which the mind so delightedly -lingers in perusal? In its delineations of passion and character--in -the fine blending and contrasting of its incidents--in the rich and -brilliant tints of its feudal paintings--in a pervading air of -chivalry, and grace, and sentiment--in all that can throw a charm over -the pages of Romance, the last novel of Bulwer is equal, if not -superior, to any of his former productions. Still we should look at -the work in a different point of view. It is History. We hesitate not -to say that it is History in its truest--in its only true, proper, and -philosophical garb. Sismondi's works--were not. There is no greater -error than dignifying with the name of History a tissue of dates and -details, though the dates be ordinarily correct, and the details -indisputably true. Not even with the aid of acute comment will such a -tissue satisfy our individual notions of History. To the effect let us -look--to the impression rather than to the seal. And how very seldom -is any definite impression left upon the mind of the historical -reader! How few bear away--even from the pages of Gibbon--Rome and the -Romans. Vastly different was the genius of Niebuhr--than whom no man -possessed a more discriminative understanding of the uses and the -purposes of the pen of the historiographer. But we digress. Bearing in -mind that "to contemplate"--_ιςορειν_[1]--should and must be allowed a -more noble and a more expansive acceptation than has been usually -given it, we shall often discover in Fiction the essential spirit and -vitality of Historic Truth--while Truth itself, in many a dull and -lumbering Archive, shall be found guilty of all the inefficiency of -Fiction. - -[Footnote 1: History, from _ιςορειν_, to contemplate, seems, among the -Greeks, to have embraced not only the knowledge of past events, but -also Mythology, Esopian, and Milesian fables, _Romance_, Tragedy and -Comedy. But our business is with things, not words.] - -Rienzi, then, is History. But there are other aspects in which it may -be regarded with advantage. Let us survey it as a profound and lucid -exposition of the _morale_ of Government--of the Philosophies of Rule -and Misrule--of the absolute incompatibility of Freedom and -Ignorance--Tyranny in the few and Virtue in the many. Let us consider -it as something akin to direct evidence that a people is not a mob, -nor a mob a people, nor a mob's idol the idol of a people--that in a -nation's self is the only security for a nation--and that it is -absolutely necessary to model upon the _character_ of the governed, -the machinery, whether simple or complex, of the governmental -legislation. - -It is proper--we are persuaded--that Rienzi should be held up in these -many different points of view, if we desire fully to appreciate its -own merits and the talents of Mr. Bulwer. But regard it as we will, it -is an extraordinary work--and one which leaves nothing farther to -accomplish in its own particular region. It is vastly superior to the -"Last Days of Pompeii"--more rich--more glowing, and more vigorous. -With all and more than all the distinguishing merits of its noble -predecessor, it has none of its _chilliness_--none of that platitude -which (it would not be difficult to say why) is the inevitable result -of every attempt at infusing warmth among the marble wildernesses, and -vitality into the statue-like existences, of the too-distantly -antique. - -We will conclude our notice of Rienzi with an Extract. We choose it -not with any view of commending it above others--for the book has many -equally good and some better--but to give our readers--such of them as -have not yet seen the novel, an opportunity of comparing the passage -with some similar things in Boccaccio. We may as well say that in all -which constitutes good writing the Englishman is infinitely the -superior. What we select is Chapter V, of the sixth Book. Irene, the -betrothed of the noble Roman Adrian di Castello, being in Florence -during the time of the Great Plague, is sought by her lover at the -peril of his life. Overpowered by a fever he meets with Irene--but his -delirium prevents a recognition. She conveys him to one of the -deserted mansions, and officiates as his nurse. Having thrown aside -her mantle, under the impression that it retained the infection of the -Pestilence, it is found and worn by another. - - -THE ERROR. - -For three days, the three fatal days, did Adrian remain bereft of -strength and sense. But he was not smitten by the scourge which his -devoted and generous nurse had anticipated. It was a fierce and -dangerous fever, brought on by the great fatigue, restlessness, and -terrible agitation he had undergone. - -No professional mediciner could be found to attend him but a good -friar, better perhaps skilled in the healing art than many who claimed -its monopoly, visited him daily. And in the long and frequent absences -to which his other and numerous duties compelled the monk, there was -one ever at hand to smooth the pillow, to wipe the brow, to listen to -the moan, to watch the sleep. And even in that dismal office, when, in -the frenzy of the sufferer, her name, coupled with terms of passionate -endearment, broke from his lips, a thrill of {199} strange pleasure -crossed the heart of the betrothed, which she chid as if it were a -crime. But even the most unearthly love is selfish in the rapture of -being loved! Words cannot tell, heart cannot divine, the mingled -emotions that broke over her when, in some of those incoherent -ravings, she dimly understood that _for her_ the city had been sought, -the death dared, the danger incurred. And as then bending passionately -to kiss that burning brow, her tears fell fast over the idol of her -youth, the fountains from which they gushed were those, fathomless and -countless, which a life could not weep away. Not an impulse of the -human and the woman heart that was not stirred; the adoring gratitude, -the meek wonder thus to _be_ loved, while deeming it so simple a merit -thus _to_ love;--as if all sacrifice _in_ her were a thing of -course,--_to_ her, a virtue nature could not paragon, worlds could not -repay! And there he lay, the victim to his own fearless faith, -helpless--dependent upon her--a thing between life and death, to -thank, to serve--to be proud of, yet to protect--to compassionate, yet -revere--the saver, to be saved! Never seemed one object to demand at -once from a single heart so many and so profound emotions; the -romantic enthusiasm of the girl!--the fond idolatry of the bride--the -watchful providence of the mother over her child. - -And strange to say, with all the excitement of that lonely watch, -scarcely stirring from his side, taking food only that her strength -might not fail her,--unable to close her eyes--though, from the same -cause, she would fain have taken rest, when slumber fell upon her -charge--with all such wear and tear of frame and heart, she seemed -wonderfully supported. And the holy man marvelled, in each visit, to -see the cheek of the nurse still fresh, and her eye still bright. In -her own superstition she thought and felt that Heaven gifted her with -a preternatural power to be true to so sacred a charge: and in this -fancy she did not wholly err;--for Heaven _did_ gift her with that -diviner power, when it planted in so soft a heart the enduring might -and energy of Affection! The friar had visited the sick man, late on -the third night, and administered to him a strong sedative--"This -night," said he to Irene, "will be the crisis--should he awaken, as I -trust he may, with a returning consciousness, and a calm pulse, he -will live--if not, young daughter, prepare for the worst. But should -you note any turn in the disease, that may excite alarm, or require my -attendance, this scroll will inform you where I am if God spare me -still, at each hour of the night and morning." - -The monk retired and Irene resumed her watch. - -The sleep of Adrian was at first broken and interrupted--his features, -his exclamations, his gestures, all evinced great agony whether mental -or bodily--it seemed, as perhaps it was, a fierce and doubtful -struggle between life and death for the conquest of the sleeper. -Patient, silent, breathing but by long-drawn gasps, Irene sate at the -bed-head. The lamp was removed to the further end of the chamber, and -its ray, shaded by the draperies, did not suffice to give to her gaze -more than the outline of the countenance she watched. In that awful -suspense, all the thoughts that hitherto had stirred her mind lay -hushed and mute. She was only sensible to that unutterable fear which -few of us have been happy enough not to know. That crushing weight -under which we can scarcely breathe or move, the avalanche over us, -freezing and suspended, which we cannot escape from, with which, every -moment, we may be buried and overwhelmed. The whole destiny of life -was in the chances of that single night! It was just as Adrian at last -seemed to glide into a deeper and serener slumber, that the bells of -the death-cart broke with their boding knell the palpable silence of -the streets. Now hushed, now revived, as the cart stopped for its -gloomy passengers, and coming nearer and nearer after every pause. At -length she heard the heavy wheels stop under the very casement, and a -voice deep and muffled calling aloud "Bring out the dead!" She rose, -and with a noiseless step, passed to secure the door, when the dull -lamp gleamed upon the dark and shrouded forms of the Becchini. - -"You have not marked the door, nor set out the body," said one -gruffly, "but this is the _third night_! He is ready for us!" - -"Hush, he sleeps--away, quick, it is not the Plague that seized him." - -"Not the Plague," growled the Becchino in a disappointed tone, "I -thought no other illness dared encroach upon the rights of the -gavocciolo!" - -"Go, here's money, leave us." - -And the grisly carrier sullenly withdrew. The cart moved on, the bell -renewed its summons, till slowly and faintly the dreadful larum died -in the distance. - -Shading the lamp with her hand, Irene stole to the bed-side, fearful -that the sound and the intrusion had disturbed the slumberer. But his -face was still locked, as in a vice, with that iron sleep. He stirred -not--his breath scarcely passed his lips--she felt his pulse, as the -wand lay on the coverlid--there was a slight heat--she was -contented--removed the light, and, retiring to a corner of the room, -placed the little cross suspended round her neck upon the table, and -prayed--in her intense suffering--to Him who had known death, and -who--Son of Heaven though he was, and Sovereign of the Seraphim--had -also prayed, in his earthly travail, that the cup might pass away. - -The morning broke, not, as in the north, slowly and through shadow, -but with the sudden glory with which in those climates Day leaps upon -earth--like a giant from his sleep. A sudden smile--a burnished -glow--and night had vanished. Adrian still slept; not a muscle seemed -to have stirred; the sleep was even heavier than before; the silence -became a burthen upon the air. Now, in that exceeding torpor so like -unto death, the solitary watcher became alarmed and terrified. Time -passed--morning glided to noon--still not a sound nor motion. The sun -was mid-way in heaven--the friar came not. And now again touching -Adrian's pulse, she felt no flutter--she gazed on him, appalled and -confounded; surely nought living could be so still and pale. "Was it -indeed sleep, might it not be ----." She turned away, sick and frozen; -her tongue clove to her lips. Why did the father tarry--she would go -to him--she would learn the worst--she could forbear no longer. She -glanced over the scroll the monk had left her: "From sunrise," it -said, "I shall be at the Convent of the Dominicans. Death has stricken -many of the brethren." The Convent was at some distance, but she knew -the spot, and fear would wing her steps. She gave one wistful look at -the sleeper, and rushed from the house. "I shall see thee again -presently," she murmured. Alas! what hope can calculate beyond the -moment. And who shall claim the tenure of "_The Again!_" - -It was not many minutes after Irene had left the room, ere, with a -long sigh, Adrian opened his eyes--an altered and another man; the -fever was gone, the reviving pulse beat low indeed, but calm. His mind -was once more master of his body, and, though weak and feeble, the -danger was past, and life and intellect regained. - -"I have slept long," he muttered--"and oh such dreams--and methought I -saw Irene, but could not speak to her; and while I attempted to grasp -her, her face changed, her form dilated, and I was in the clutch of -the foul grave-digger. It is late--the sun is high--I must be up and -stirring. Irene is in Lombardy. No, no; that was a lie, a wicked -lie--she is at Florence--I must renew my search." - -As this duty came to his remembrance, he rose from the bed--he was -amazed at his own debility; at first he could not stand without -support from the wall--by degrees, however, he so far regained the -mastery of his limbs, as to walk, though with effort and pain. A -ravening hunger preyed upon him; he found some scanty and light food -in the chamber, which he devoured eagerly. And with scarce less -eagerness laved his {200} enfeebled form and haggard face with the -water that stood at hand. He now felt refreshed and invigorated, and -began to indue his garments, which he found thrown on a heap beside -the bed. He gazed with surprise and a kind of self-compassion upon his -emaciated hands and shrunken limbs, and began now to comprehend that -he must have had some severe but unconscious illness. "Alone too," -thought he, "no one near to tend me! Nature my only nurse! But alas! -alas! how long a time may thus have been wasted, and my adored -Irene----quick, quick, not a moment more will I lose." - -He soon found himself in the open street; the air revived him; and -that morning, the first known for weeks, had sprung up the blessed -breeze. He wandered on very slowly and feebly till he came to a broad -square, from which, in the vista, might be seen one of the principal -gates of Florence, and the fig-trees and olive-groves beyond. It was -then that a pilgrim of tall stature approached towards him as from the -gate; his hood was thrown back, and gave to view a countenance of -great but sad command; a face, in whose high features, massive brow, -and proud, unshrinking gaze, shaded by an expression of melancholy -more stern than soft, Nature seemed to have written majesty, and Fate -disaster. As in that silent and dreary place, these two, the only -tenants of the street, now encountered, Adrian stopped abruptly, and -said in a startled and doubting voice: "Do I dream still, or do I -behold Rienzi?" - -The pilgrim paused also, as he heard the name, and gazing long on the -attenuated features of the young lord, said: "I am he that was Rienzi! -and you, pale shadow, is it in this grave of Italy that I meet with -the gay and high Colonna? Alas, young friend," he added in a more -relaxed and kindly voice, "hath the Plague not spared the flower of -the Roman nobles? Come, I, the cruel and the harsh tribune, _I_ will -be thy nurse: he who might have been my brother, shall yet claim from -me a brother's care." - -With these words, he wound his arm tenderly round Adrian; and the -young noble, touched by his compassion, and agitated by the surprize, -leant upon Rienzi's breast in silence. - -"Poor youth," resumed the Tribune, for so since rather fallen than -deposed he may yet be called, "I ever loved the young; (my brother -died young!) and you more than most. What fatality brought thee -hither?" - -"Irene!" replied Adrian falteringly. - -"Is it so, really? Art thou a Colonna, and yet prize the fallen? The -same duty has brought me also to the City of Death. From the farthest -south--over the mountains of the robber--through the fastnesses of my -foes--through towns in which the herald proclaimed in my ear the price -of my head--I have passed hither, on foot and alone, safe under the -wings of the Almighty One. Young man, thou shouldst have left this -task to one who bears a wizard's life, and whom Heaven and Earth yet -reserve for an appointed end!" - -The Tribune said this in a deep and inward voice; and in his raised -eye and solemn brow might be seen how much his reverses had deepened -his fanaticism, and added even to the sanguineness of his hopes. - -"But," asked Adrian, withdrawing gently from Rienzi's arm, "thou -knowest, then, where Irene is to be found, let us go together. Lose -not a moment in this talk--time is of inestimable value, and a moment -in this city is often but the border to eternity." - -"Right," said Rienzi, awakening to his object. "But fear not; I _have -dreamt_ that I shall save her, the gem and darling of my house. Fear -not--_I_ have no fear." - -"Know you where to seek," said Adrian, impatiently; "the convent holds -far other guests." - -"Ha! so said my dream!" - -"Talk not now of dreams," said the lover, "but if you have no other -guide, let us part at once in quest of her; I will take yonder street, -you take the opposite, and at sunset let us meet in the same spot." - -"Rash man," said the Tribune, with great solemnity, "scoff not at the -visions which Heaven makes a parable to its Chosen. Thou seekest -counsel of thy human wisdom; I, less presumptuous, follow the hand of -the mysterious Providence, moving even now before my gaze as a pillar -of light, through the wilderness of dread. Ay, meet we here at sunset, -and prove whose guide is the most unerring. If my dream tell me true, -I shall see my sister living, ere the sun reach yonder hill, and by a -church dedicated to St. Mark." - -The grave earnestness with which Rienzi spoke, impressed Adrian with a -hope his reason would not acknowledge. He saw him depart with that -proud and stately step to which his sweeping garments gave a yet more -imposing dignity, and then passed up the street to the right hand. He -had not got half way when he felt himself pulled by the mantle. He -turned and saw the shapeless mask of a Becchino. - -"I feared you were sped, and that another had cheated me of my -office," said the grave-digger, "seeing that you returned not to the -old prince's palace. You don't know me from the rest of us, I see, but -I am the one you told to seek----" - -"Irene!" - -"Yes, Irene di Gabrini, you promised ample reward." - -"You shall have it." - -"Follow me." - -The Becchino strode on, and soon arrived at a mansion. He knocked -twice at the porter's entrance; an old woman cautiously opened the -door. "Fear not, good aunt," said the grave-digger, "this is the young -lord I spoke to thee of. Thou sayest thou hadst two ladies in the -palace, who alone survived of all the lodgers, and their names were -Bianca di Medici, and--what was the other?" - -"Irene di Gabrini, a Roman lady. But I told thee this was the fourth -day they left the house, terrified by the deaths within it." - -"Thou didst so--and was there any thing remarkable in the dress of the -Signora di Gabrini?" - -"Yes, I have told thee, a blue mantle, such as I have rarely seen, -wrought with silver." - -"Was the broidery that of stars, silver stars," exclaimed Adrian, -"with a sun in the centre." - -"It was!" - -"Alas! alas! the arms of the Tribune's family! I remember how I -praised the mantle the first day she wore it--the day on which we were -betrothed!" And the lover at once conjectured the secret sentiment -which had induced Irene to retain so carefully a robe so endeared by -association. - -"You know no more of your lodgers?" - -"Nothing." - -"And is this all you have learnt, knave?" cried Adrian. - -"Patience. I must bring you from proof to proof, and link to link, in -order to win my reward. Follow, Signor." - -The Becchino then passing through the several lanes and streets, -arrived at another house of less magnificent size and architecture. -Again he tapped thrice at the parlor door, and this time came forth a -man withered, old, and palsied, whom death seemed to disdain to -strike. - -"Signor Astuccio," said the Becchino, "pardon me; but I told thee I -might trouble thee again. This is the gentleman who wants to know, -what is often best unknown--but that's not my affair. Did a -lady--young and beautiful--with dark hair, and of a slender form, -enter this house, stricken with the first symptom of the plague, three -days since?" - -"Ay, thou knowest that well enough--and thou knowest still -better--that she has departed these two days; it was quick work with -her, quicker than with most!" - -"Did she wear any thing remarkable?" - -"Yes, troublesome man, a blue cloak with stars of silver." - -{201} "Couldst thou guess aught of her previous circumstances?" - -"No, save that she raved much about the nunnery of Santa Maria dei -Pazza, and bravos, and sacrilege." - -"Are you satisfied, Signor?" asked the grave-digger, with an air of -triumph, turning to Adrian. "But no, I will satisfy thee better, if -thou hast courage. Wilt thou follow?" - -"I comprehend thee; lead on. Courage! what is there on earth now to -fear?" - -Muttering to himself--"Ay, leave me alone. I have a head worth -something; I ask no gentleman to go by my word; I will make his own -eyes the judge of what my trouble is worth." The grave-digger now led -the way through one of the gates a little out of the city. And here -under a shed sat six of his ghastly and ill-omened brethren, with -spades and pick-axes at their feet. - -His guide now turned round to Adrian, whose face was set and resolute -in despair. - -"Fair Signor," said he, with some touch of lingering compassion, -"wouldst thou really convince thine own eyes and heart; the sight may -appal, the contagion may destroy thee,--if, indeed, as it seems to me, -Death has not already written '_mine_' upon thee." - -"Raven of bode and woe," answered Adrian, "seest thou not that all I -shrink from is thy voice and aspect? Show me her I seek, living or -dead." - -"I will show her to you, then," said the Becchino, sullenly, "such as -two nights since she was committed to my charge. Line and lineament -may already be swept away, for the Plague hath a rapid besom; but I -have left that upon her by which you will know the Becchino is no -liar. Bring hither the torches, comrades, and lift the door. Never -stare; it's the gentleman's whim, and he'll pay it well." - -Turning to the right, while Adrian mechanically followed his -conductors,--a spectacle whose dire philosophy crushes as with a wheel -all the pride of mortal man--the spectacle of that vault in which -earth hides all that on earth flourished, rejoiced, exulted--awaited -his eye! - -The Becchino lifted a ponderous grate, lowered their torches (scarcely -needed, for through the aperture rushed, with a hideous glare, the -light of the burning sun,) and motioned to Adrian to advance. He stood -upon the summit of the abyss and gazed below. - - * * * * * - * * * * * - -It was a large, deep and circular space, like the bottom of an -exhausted well. In niches cut into the walls of earth around, lay, -duly confined, those who had been the earliest victims of the plague, -when the Becchino's market was not yet glutted, and priest followed, -and friend mourned, the dead. But on the floor below, _there_ was the -loathsome horror! Huddled and matted together,--some naked, some in -shrouds already black and rotten,--lay the later guests, the unshriven -and unblest! The torches, the sun, streamed broad and red over -corruption in all its stages, from the pale blue tint and swollen -shape, to the moistened undistinguishable mass, or the riddled bones, -where yet clung, in strips and tatters, the black and mangled flesh. -In many the face remained almost perfect, while the rest of the body -was but bone; the long hair, the human face, surmounting the grisly -skeleton. There, was the infant, still on the mother's breast; there, -was the lover stretched across the dainty limbs of his adored! The -rats (for they clustered in numbers to that feast,) disturbed, not -scared, sate up from their horrid meal as the light glimmered over -them, and thousands of them lay round, stark and dead, poisoned by -that they fed on! There, too, the wild satire of the grave-diggers had -cast, though stripped of their gold and jewels, the emblems that spoke -of departed rank;--the broken wand of the Councillor; the General's -baton; the Priestly Mitre! The foul and livid exhalations gathered -like flesh itself, fungous and putrid, upon the walls, and the---- - - * * * * * - * * * * * - -But who shall detail the ineffable and unimaginable horrors that -reigned over the Palace where the Great King received the prisoners -whom the sword of the Pestilence had subdued. - -But through all that crowded court--crowded with beauty and with -birth, with the strength of the young and the honors of the old, and -the valor of the brave, and the wisdom of the learned, and the wit of -the scorner, and the piety of the faithful--one only figure attracted -Adrian's eye. Apart from the rest, a late comer--the long locks -streaming far and dark over arm and breast--lay a female, the face -turned partially aside, the little seen not recognisable even by the -mother of the dead,--but wrapped round in that fatal mantle, on which, -though blackened and tarnished, was yet visible the starry heraldry -assumed by those who claimed the name of the proud Tribune of Rome. -Adrian saw no more--he fell back in the arms of the grave diggers: -when he recovered, he was still without the gates of -Florence--reclined upon a green mound--his guide stood beside -him--holding his steed by the bridle as it grazed patiently on the -neglected grass. The other brethren of the axe had resumed their seat -under the shed. - -"So you have revived; ah! I thought it was only the effluvia; few -stand it as we do. And so, as your search is over, deeming you would -not be quitting Florence if you have any sense left to you, I went for -your good horse. I have fed him since your departure from the palace. -Indeed I fancied he would be my perquisite, but there are plenty as -good. Come, young Sir, mount. I feel a pity for you, I know not why, -except that you are the only one I have met for weeks who seem to care -for another more than for yourself. I hope you are satisfied now that -I showed some brains, eh! in your service, and as I have kept my -promise, you'll keep yours." - -"Friend," said Adrian, "here is gold enough to make thee rich; here -too is a jewel that merchants will tell thee princes might vie to -purchase. Thou seemest honest, despite thy calling, or thou mightest -have robbed and murdered me long since. Do me one favor more." - -"By my poor mother's soul, yes." - -"Take yon--yon clay from that fearful place. Inter it in some quiet -and remote spot--apart--alone! You promise me--you swear it--it is -well. And now help me on my horse." - -"Farewell Italy, and if I die not with this stroke, may I die as -befits at once honor and despair--with trumpet and banner round me--in -a well-fought field against a worthy foe!--save a knightly death -nothing is left to live for!" - - -Here, in many incidents of extraordinary force--in the call of the -Becchini on the third night--in the most agonizing circumstance of -Irene's abandonment of Adrian--in the bodily weakness and mental -prostration of that young nobleman--in the desolation of the -streets--in the meeting with Rienzi--in the colossal dignity of the -words, "I am he that was Rienzi!"--in the affectionate attention of -the fallen hero--and lastly, in the appalling horror of the vault and -its details--may be seen and will be felt much, but not all, of the -exceeding power of the "_Last of the Tribunes_." - - -ROGET'S PHYSIOLOGY. - -_Animal and Vegetable Physiology, considered with reference to Natural -Theology. By Peter Mark Roget, M.D. Secretary to the Royal Society, -&c. &c. 2 vols, large octavo. Philadelphia: Republished by Carey, Lea, -and Blanchard._ - -As we have no doubt that the great majority of our readers are -acquainted with the circumstances attending {202} the publication of -the Bridgewater Treatises, we shall content ourselves with a very -brief statement of those circumstances, by way of introduction to some -few observations respecting this, the fifth of the Series. - -Francis Henry, Earl of Bridgewater, who died some time in the -beginning of the year 1829, directed certain Trustees mentioned in his -Will, to invest eight thousand pounds sterling in the public funds, -which eight thousand pounds, with the interest accruing, was to be -under the control of the President, for the time being, of the Royal -Society of London. The money thus invested, was to be paid by the -President to such person _or persons_ as he, the President, should -appoint to "write, print and publish, one thousand copies of a work, -_On the Power, Wisdom, and Goodness of God, as manifested in the -Creation; illustrating such work by all reasonable arguments, as, for -instance, the variety and formation of God's creatures, in the animal, -vegetable, and mineral kingdoms; the effect of digestion, and thereby -of conversion; the construction of the hand of man, and an infinite -variety of other arguments; as also by discoveries ancient and modern, -in arts, sciences, and the whole extent of literature_." The profits -of the works were to be paid to the authors. - -Davies Gilbert, Esq. being President of the Royal Society, advised -with the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Bishop of London, and "_a -nobleman immediately connected with the deceased_," in regard to the -best mode of carrying into effect the design of the testator. It was -finally resolved to divide the eight thousand pounds among eight -gentlemen, who were to compose eight Treatises as follows. Thomas -Chalmers, D.D. Professor of Divinity in the University of Edinburgh, -was to write on "The Power, Wisdom, and Goodness of God, as manifested -in the Adaptation of External Nature to the Moral and Intellectual -Constitution of Man,"--John Kidd, M.D. F. R. S. Regius Professor of -Medicine in the University of Oxford, on "The Adaptation of External -Nature to the Physical Condition of Man,"--William Whewell, M.A. F. R. -S. Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, on "Astronomy and General -Physics considered with reference to Natural Theology,"--Sir Charles -Bell, K. G. H. F. R. S. L. and E. on "The Hand: its Mechanism and -Vital Endowments as Evincing Design,"--Peter Mark Roget, M.D. Fellow -of and Secretary to the Royal Society, on "Animal and Vegetable -Physiology,"--William Buckland, D.D. F. R. S. Professor of Geology in -the University of Oxford, on "Geology and Mineralogy,"--William Kirby, -M.A. F. R. S., on "The History, Habits, and Instincts of Animals"--and -William Prout, M.D. F. R. S., on "Chemistry, Meteorology, and the -Function of Digestion, considered with Reference to Natural Theology." - -However excellent and praiseworthy the intention of the Earl of -Bridgewater, and however liberal the sum bequeathed, there can be -little doubt that in the wording of his bequest, in the encumbering of -the work so nobly proposed with a _specification of the arguments to -be employed in its execution_, he has offered a very serious -impediment to the fulfilment of the spirit of his design. It is -perhaps, too, a matter of regret, that the introduction of the words -"person or persons" in the paragraph touching the contemplated -publication, should have left it optional with the President of the -Royal Society to divide the eight thousand pounds among so many. We -are sorry that the eight treatises were determined upon for several -reasons. First, we do not believe any such arrangement to have been -contemplated by the testator--his words "write, print, and publish one -thousand copies of _a work_," &c., inducing the opinion that one -single book or treatise was intended: and we the rather hold to this -belief, as it might easily be proved (we will speak farther of this -hereafter,) that the whole argument set forth in the words of the -Testament, and indeed the whole arguments of the whole eight Treatises -now published, might have been readily discussed in one connected work -of no greater bulk than the _Physiology_ whose title forms the heading -of this article. In the second place--the bequest of the eight -thousand pounds, which _en masse_, is magnificent, and which might -thus have operated as a sufficient inducement for some one competent -person to devote a _sufficiency of time_ to the steady and gradual -completion of a noble and extraordinary work--this bequest, we say, is -somewhat of a common-place affair when we regard it in its -subdivision. Thirdly, one thousand pounds is but little for the labor -necessary in a work like any one of the Treatises, and we are mistaken -if the "profits of the sales" meet in any degree either the merits or -the expectations of the respective authors. If they do, however, it is -a matter altogether foreign to and apart from the liberality of the -testator--a liberality whose proper development should have been -scrupulously borne in view by the Trustee. Fourthly--the result of the -combination of a number of intellects is seldom in any case--never in -a case like the present--equal to the sum of the results of the same -intellects laboring individually--the difference, generally, being in -precise ratio with the number of the intellects engaged. It follows -that each writer of a Bridgewater Treatise has been employed at a -disadvantage. Lastly--an accurate examination of the nature and -argument of each Treatise as allotted, will convince one _a priori_ -that the whole must, in any attempt at a full discussion, unavoidably -run one into the other--this indeed in so very great a degree that -each Treatise respectively would embody a vast quantity of matter, -(handled in a style necessarily similar) to be found in each and all -of the remaining seven Treatises. Here again is not only labor wasted -by the writers--but, by the readers of the works, much time and -trouble unprofitably thrown away. We say that this might have been -proved _a priori_ by an inspection of the arguments of the Treatises. -It has been fully proved, _a posteriori_, by the fact: and this fact -will go far in establishing what we asserted in our first reason for -disapproving of the subdivision--to wit: that the whole argument of -the whole eight Treatises might have been readily discussed in one -connected work of no greater bulk than the _Physiology_ now before us. - -We cannot bring ourselves to think Dr. Roget's book the _best_ of the -Bridgewater series, although we have heard it so called. Indeed in the -very singular and too partial arrangement of the subjects, it would -have been really a matter for wonder if Dr. Whewell had not written -the _best_, and Sir Charles Bell the worst of the Treatises. The -talents of Dr. Roget, however, are a sufficient guarantee that he has -furnished no ordinary work. We are grieved to learn from the Preface -that his progress has been greatly impeded by "long protracted -anxieties and afflictions, and by the almost overwhelming pressure of -domestic calamity." - -{203} The chief difficulty of the Physiologist in handling a subject -of so vast and almost interminable extent as the science to which his -labors have been devoted--a science comprehending all the animal and -vegetable beings in existence--has evidently been the difficulty of -selection from an exuberance of materials. He has excluded from the -Treatise--(it was necessary to exclude a great deal)--"all those -particulars of the natural history both of animals and plants, and all -description of those structures, of which the relation to final causes -cannot be distinctly traced." In a word, he has admitted such facts -alone as afford palpable evidence of Almighty design. He has also -abstained from entering into historical accounts of the progress of -discovery--the present state of Physiological science being his only -aim. The work is illustrated by nearly 500 wood cuts by Mr. Byfield, -and references in the Index to passages in the volumes where terms of -mere technical science have been explained. Appended are also a -catalogue of the engravings, and a tabular view of the classification -of animals adopted by Cuvier in his "_Regne Animal_" with examples -included. This Table is reprinted from that in the author's -"Introductory Lecture on Human and Comparative Physiology," published -in 1826. Such alterations, however, have been introduced as were -requisite to make the Table correspond with Cuvier's second edition. - - -CAREY'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY. - -We have been delighted with the perusal of this book, and consider it -one of the most instructive as well as one of the most amusing of -autobiographies. The ruling feature of the work is candor--a candor of -the rarest and noblest description. The author has not scrupled, or -even hesitated, in a single instance to declare, without -prevarication, the truth and the whole truth, however little -redounding to his own credit. Nor in the details so frankly laid -before the eye of the public, are the many--very many other excellent -qualities less manifest, which have exalted the autobiographer to so -enviable a station in the opinions of his fellow-citizens. In the -whole private and public course of Mr. Mathew Carey, from that -chivalrous Essay against Duelling, of which he has rendered so amusing -an account in the commencement of his "Life," to the more important -yet equally Quixottic publication of the Olive Branch, the strictest -scrutiny can detect nothing derogatory to the character of "the -noblest work of God, an honest man." His energy, his high-mindedness, -and his indomitable perseverance, will force themselves upon the most -casual observer. It is not surprising that, with qualifications so -well adapted for success in life, Mr. C. should have been enabled -finally to set at defiance the innumerable obstacles which obstructed -his path. Indeed, although few men have labored under greater -incidental disadvantages, very few have been better prepared to -overcome them by both moral and physical constitution. - -There is much in these Memoirs of Mr. Carey, which will bring to the -mind of the reader Benjamin Franklin, his shrewdness, his -difficulties, and his indefatigability. It is therefore almost -unnecessary to add, that apart from its other merits, the -Autobiography now before us has all the value so unequivocally due to -_good example_. Its perusal cannot well fail of having a salutary -effect upon those who struggle with adversity--of imparting a salutary -strength to all who grow feeble under the pressure of the innumerable -harassing cares which encumber and weigh so ponderously upon the "man -of the world." It may, indeed, if rightly considered, have a still -more beneficial influence. It may incite to good deeds. It may induce -a love of our fellow-men, in many bosoms hitherto self-hardened -against the urgent demands of philanthropy. What so likely to bring -about a kindly spirit in any human heart as the contemplation of a -kindly spirit in others? - -It is perhaps already known to many that Mr. Carey was born in Dublin -in 1760. His hatred of oppression, which broke out, as early as his -seventeenth year, in the "Essay against Duelling," to which we have -already alluded, and which, in 1779, rendered him obnoxious to the -British Government, and forced him into a temporary exile, at length, -in 1784, made it necessary for him to abandon his country altogether, -and seek an asylum in America. He arrived in Philadelphia, greatly -embarrassed in his pecuniary circumstances; and an incident by means -of which he obtained relief, has proved of so deep interest to -ourselves, that we cannot but think it may prove equally so to our -readers. We copy the following from page 10 of the Autobiography. - - -Behold me now landed in Philadelphia, with about a dozen guineas in my -pocket, without relation, or friend, and even without an acquaintance, -except my _compagnons de voyage_, of whom very few were eligible -associates. - -While I was contemplating a removal into the country, where I could -have boarded at about a dollar or a dollar and a quarter a week, -intending to wait the arrival of my funds, a most extraordinary and -unlooked-for circumstance occurred, which changed my purpose, gave a -new direction to my views, and, in some degree, colored the course of -my future life. It reflects great credit on the Marquess de La -Fayette, who was then at Mount Vernon, to take leave of Gen. -Washington. A young gentleman of the name of Wallace, a fellow -passenger of mine, had brought letters of recommendation to the -General; and having gone to his seat to deliver them, fell into the -Marquess's company, and in the course of conversation, the affairs of -Ireland came on the tapis. The Marquess, who had, in the Philadelphia -papers, seen an account of my adventures with the Parliament, and the -persecution I had undergone, inquired of Wallace, what had become of -the poor persecuted Dublin printer? He replied, "he came passenger -with me, and is now in Philadelphia," stating the boarding house where -I had pitched my tent. On the arrival of the Marquess in this city, he -sent me a billet, requesting to see me at his lodgings, whither I -went. He received me with great kindness; condoled with me on the -persecution I had undergone; inquired into my prospects;--and having -told him that I proposed, on receipt of my funds, to set up a -newspaper, he approved the idea, and promised to recommend me to his -friends, Robert Morris, Thomas Fitzsimons, &c. &c. After half an -hour's conversation, we parted. Next morning, while I was at -breakfast, a letter from him was handed me, which, to my very great -surprise, contained four one hundred dollar notes of the Bank of North -America. This was the more extraordinary and liberal, as not a word -had passed between us on the subject of giving or receiving, borrowing -or lending money. And a remarkable feature in the affair was, that the -letter did not contain a word of reference to the enclosure. - -In the course of the day I went to his lodgings, and found that he -had, an hour or two previously, departed for Princeton, where Congress -then sat, having been in some measure driven from Philadelphia, by a -mutiny {204} among the soldiers, who were clamorous for their pay, and -had kept them in a state of siege for three hours in the State House. -I wrote to him to New York, whither, I understood, he had gone from -Princeton, expressive of my gratitude in the strongest terms, and -received a very kind and friendly answer. - -I cannot pass over this noble trait in the character of the -illustrious Marquess, without urging it strongly on the overgrown -wealthy of our country, as an example worthy of imitation. Here was a -foreign nobleman, who had devoted years of the prime of his life, and -greatly impaired his fortune, in the service of a country, separated -by thousands of miles distance from his native land. After these -mighty sacrifices, he meets, by an extraordinary accident, with a poor -persecuted young man, destitute of friends and protectors--his heart -expands towards him--he freely gives him means of making a living -without the most remote expectation of return, or of ever again seeing -the object of his bounty. He withdraws from the city to avoid the -expression of the gratitude of the beneficiary. I have more than once -assumed, and I now repeat, that I doubt whether in the whole life of -this (I had almost said) unparalleled man, there is to be found any -thing, which, all the circumstances of the case considered, more -highly elevates his character.[1] - -[Footnote 1: It is due to myself to state, that though this was in -every sense of the word a gift, I regarded it as a loan, payable to -the Marquess's countrymen, according to the exalted sentiment of Dr. -Franklin, who, when he presented a bill for ten pounds to the Rev. Mr. -Nixon, an Irish Clergyman, (who was in distress in Paris, and wanted -to migrate to America,) told him to pay the sum to any Americans whom -he might find in distress, and thus "_let good offices go round_." I -fully paid the debt to Frenchmen in distress--consigned one or two -hogsheads of tobacco to the Marquess, (I believe it was two, but am -uncertain,) and, moreover, when in 1824, he reached this country, with -shattered fortunes, sent him to New York, a check for the full sum of -four hundred dollars, which he retained till he reached Philadelphia, -and was very reluctant to use, and finally consented only at my -earnest instance.] - - -The annexed little anecdote, which Mr. Carey justly considers an -instance of the truest pathos, we must be pardoned for inserting as an -appropriate _pendant_ to the above. - - -To an importunate mendicant, whom I had sometimes relieved, I said one -day, on giving him a trifle--"_Do not let me see you again for a long -time._" He conformed to the direction, and refrained from applying for -about seven months. At length he ventured to bring and hand me a -billet, of which I annex a copy verbatim et literatim. - -"Sir--You desired me, last time you relieved me, not to call _for a -long time_. It was a few days after Easter. To a wretch in distress -'_it is a very long time_.' - - Yours gratefully, - - Nov. 14. R. W." - - -At page 21, is an account of a publication, some of whose predictions -were certainly imbued with a rare spirit of prophecy. - - -In October 1786, I commenced, in partnership with T. Siddons, Charles -Cist, C. Talbot, W. Spotswood, and J. Trenchard, the Columbian -Magazine. In the first number, I wrote four pieces, "The Life of -General Greene," "The Shipwreck, a Lamentable Story, Founded on Fact," -"A Philosophical Dream," and "Hard Times, a Fragment." - -The Philosophical Dream was an anticipation of the state of the -country in the year 1850, on the plan of Mercier's celebrated work, -"The Year 2500." Some of the predictions, which at that period must -have been regarded as farcical, have been wonderfully fulfilled, and -others are likely to be realized previous to the arrival of the year -1850. I annex a few of them, which may serve to amuse the reader. - -"_Pittsburg, Jan. 15, 1850_. The canal which is making from the river -Ohio, to the Susquehanna, and thence to the Delaware, will be of -immense advantage to the United States. If the same progress continues -to be made hereafter as has been for some time past, it will be -completed in less than two years." - -This was probably the first suggestion of the grand project of uniting -the waters of the Delaware with those of the Ohio. It preceded by four -years the project of the financier, Robert Morris, and his friends, to -unite the Delaware with the Schuylkill and the Susquehanna, which was -broached in 1790. - -"_Pittsburg, Jan. 15_. Delegates from the thirtieth new state, laid -off a few months since by order of Congress, lately arrived at -Columbia; and on producing their credentials, were received into the -Federal Council. - -"_Charleston, April 15_. No less than 10,000 blacks have been -transported from this state and Virginia, during the last two years, -to Africa, where they have formed a settlement near the mouth of the -river Goree. Very few blacks remain in this country now: and we -sincerely hope that in a few years every vestige of the infamous -traffic carried on by our ancestors in the human species, will be done -away. - -"_Richmond, April 30_. By authentic advices from Kentucky, we are -informed,--that 'no less than 150 vessels have been built on the river -Ohio, during the last year, and sent down that river and the -Mississippi, laden with valuable produce, which has been carried to -the West Indies, where the vessels and their cargoes have been -disposed of to great advantage.' - -"_Boston, April 30_. At length the canal across the Isthmus of Darien -is completed. It is about sixty miles long. First-rate vessels of war -can with ease sail through. Two vessels belonging to this port, two to -Philadelphia, and one to New York, sailed through on the 20th of -January last, bound for Canton, in China. - -"_Columbia, May 1_. Extract from the Journals of Congress.--'Ordered -that there be twenty professors in the University of Columbia, in this -city; viz. of Divinity, of Church History, of Hebrew, of Greek, of -Humanity, of Logic, of Moral Philosophy, of Natural Philosophy, of -Mathematics, of Civil History, of Natural History, of Common and Civil -Law, of the Law of Nature and Nations, of Rhetoric and Belles Lettres, -of Botany, of Materia Medica, of Physic, of Chemistry, of Anatomy, and -of Midwifery.'" - -_Philadelphia, Oct. 1, 1786_. - - -There is much characteristic simplicity in Mr. Carey's manner of -telling the anecdote annexed. - - -In travelling from New York to Philadelphia, some years since, the -slenderness of my knowledge of the French led me into a most egregious -error, and excited the displeasure of a splendid French lady who was -in the stage. She had lived a long time in New York, and yet spoke the -English language very imperfectly. I told her she ought to speak -English constantly, when she was in company with English or Americans: -that this was the only way in which she could acquire it. "Monsieur," -says she, "_j'ai honte_," I am ashamed; literally, "I have shame." -Reiterating her own word, I replied, "_Madame, je croyais que les -dames Françoises n' avaient pas de honte_"--whereas I ought to have -said, as I really meant, "_mauvaise honte_." She was exasperated, and -told me indignantly that the French ladies had as much "_shame_" -(meaning modesty) as the Americans; and that there was more immorality -practised in New York than in Marseilles, of which she was a native, -or in Martinique, where she had long resided. It was in vain that I -repeatedly pledged my honor that I had not meant to affront her; that -I was led into error solely by repeating her own word. It was equally -in vain that I appealed to some of the passengers who understood -French, who testified that the mistake was perfectly natural, and was -justified by the imperfection of my knowledge of her language. Nothing -could pacify her, and after several vain attempts, I relinquished the -hope of soothing her feelings, and she scarcely spoke another word -during the rest of the journey. - - - - - -{205} AUTOGRAPHY. - - -Our friend and particular acquaintance, Joseph Miller, Esq. (who, by -the way, signs his name, we think, Joseph A. Miller, or Joseph B. -Miller, or at least Joseph C. Miller) paid us a visit a few days ago. -His behavior was excessively odd. Walking into our _sanctum_ without -saying a word, he seated himself with a dogged air in our own -exclusive arm-chair, and surveyed us, for some minutes, in silence, -and in a very suspicious manner, over the rim of his spectacles. There -was evidently something in the wind. "What _can_ the man want?" -thought we, without saying so. - -"I will tell you," said Joseph Miller, Esq.--that is to say, Joseph D. -Miller, Joseph E. Miller, or possibly Joseph F. Miller, Esq. "I will -tell you," said he. Now, it is a positive fact that we had not so much -as attempted to open any of our mouths. - -"I will tell you," said he, reading our thoughts. - -"Ah, thank you!" we replied, slightly smiling, and feeling excessively -uncomfortable--"thank you!--we should like to know." - -"I believe," resumed he--resumed Joseph G. Miller--"I believe you are -not altogether unacquainted with our family." - -"Why, _not_ altogether, certainly--pray, sir, proceed." - -"It is one of the oldest families in ---- in ----" - -"In Great Britain," we interposed, seeing him at a loss. - -"In the United States," said Mr. Miller--that is, Joseph H. Miller, -Esq. - -"In the United States!--why, sir, you are joking surely: we thought -the Miller family were particularly British--The Jest-Book you -know ----" - -"You are in error," interrupted he--interrupted Joseph I. Miller--"we -are British, but not particularly British. You should know that the -Miller family are indigenous every where, and have little connection -with either time or place. This is a riddle which you may be able to -read hereafter. At present let it pass, and listen to me. You know I -have many peculiar notions and opinions--many particularly bright -fancies which, by the way, the rabble have thought proper to call -whims, oddities, and eccentricities. But, sir, they are not. You have -heard of my passion for autographs?" - -"We have." - -"Well, sir, to be brief. Have you, or have you not, seen a certain -rascally piece of business in the London Athenæum?" - -"Very possible," we replied. - -"And, pray sir, what do you think of it?" - -"Think of what?" - -"No, sir, not of _what_," said he--said Joseph K. Miller, Esq. getting -very angry, "not of _what_ at all; but of that absurd, nefarious, and -superfluous piece of autographical rascality therein--that is to say -in the London Athenæum--deliberately, falsely, and maliciously -fathered upon me, and laid to my charge--to the charge of _me_, I say, -Joseph L. Miller." Here, Mr. M. arose, and, unbuttoning his coat in a -great rage, took from his breast pocket a bundle of MSS. and laid them -emphatically upon the table. - -"Ah ha!" said we, getting particularly nervous, "we begin to -understand you. We comprehend. Sit down! You, Joseph M.--that is to -say, Joseph N. Miller--have had--that is to say, ought to have had, -eh?--and the London Athenæum is--that is to say, it is not, -&c.--and--and--and--oh, precisely!" - -"My _dear_ sir," said Mr. Miller, affectionately, "you are a fool--a -confounded fool. Hold your tongue! _This_ is the state of the case. I, -Joseph O. Miller, being smitten, as all the world knows, with a -passion for autographs, am supposed, in that detestable article to -which I am alluding, and which appeared some time ago in the London -Athenæum,--am supposed, I say, to have indited sundry epistles, to -several and sundry characters of literary notoriety about London, with -the sinister design, hope, and intention, of thereby eliciting -autograph replies--the said epistles, presumed to be indited by me, -each and individually being neither more nor less than one and the -same thing, and consisting----" - -"Yes sir," said we, "and consisting----" - -"And consisting," resumed Mr. Joseph P. Miller, "of certain silly -inquiries respecting the character of certain ----" - -"Of certain cooks, scullions, and chambermaids," said we, having now -some faint recollection of the article alluded to. - -"Precisely," said our visiter--"of certain cooks, scullions, -chambermaids, and boot-blacks." - -"And concerning whose character you are supposed to be excessively -anxious." - -"Yes, sir--_I_--excessively anxious!--only think of that!--I, Joseph -Q. Miller, excessively anxious!" - -"Horrible!" we ejaculated. - -"Damnable!" said Mr. M. - -"But what papers are _these_?" demanded we, taking courage, and eyeing -the bundle of MSS. which our friend had thrown upon the table. - -"Those papers," said Mr. Miller, after a pause, and with considerable -dignity of manner, "those papers are, to tell you the truth, the -result of some--of some ingenuity on the part of your humble servant. -They are autographs--but they are _American_ autographs, and as such -may be of some little value in your eyes. Pray accept them--they are -entirely at your service. I beg leave, however, to assure you that I -have resorted to no petty arts for the consummation of a glorious -purpose. No man can accuse _me_, sir, _me_, Joseph R. Miller, of -meanness or of superficiality. My letters have invariably been--have -been--that is to say, have been every thing they should be. Moreover, -they have not been what they should not be. I have propounded no -inquiries about scullions. I wrote not to the sublimated Mr. ----, -[here we do not feel justified in indicating more fully the name -mentioned by Mr. M.] touching a chambermaid, nor to Mr. ----, in -relation to a character. On the contrary, I have adapted my means to -my ends. I have--I have--in short, sir, I have accomplished many great -and glorious things, all of which you shall behold in the sequel." We -bowed, and our visiter continued. - -"The autographs here included are, you will perceive, the autographs -of our principal _literati_. They will prove interesting to the -public. It would be as well to insert the letters in your Messenger, -with facsimiles of the signatures. Of my own letters eliciting these -replies I have unfortunately preserved no copies." Here Mr. M. handed -us the MSS. - -{206} "Mr. Joseph S. Miller"--we began, deeply penetrated by his -kindness. - -"Joseph _T_. Miller, if you please," interrupted he, with an emphasis -on the T. - -"Well, sir," said we--"so be it; Mr. Joseph V. Miller, then, since you -will have it so, we are highly sensible of your noble, of your -disinterested generosity. We are ----" - -"Say no more," interrupted our friend, with a sigh--"say no more, I -beseech you. The MSS. are entirely at your service. You have been very -kind to me, and when I forget a kindness my name is no longer Joseph -W. Miller." - -"Then your name _is_--is positively Joseph W. Miller?"--we inquired -with some hesitation. - -"It is"--he replied, with a toss of the head, which we thought -slightly supercilious--"It is--Joseph X. Miller. But why do you ask? -Good day! In a style epistolary and non-epistolary I must bid you -adieu--that is to say I must depart (and _not_ remain) your obedient -servant, Joseph Y. Miller." - -"Extremely ambiguous!" we thought, as he whipped out of the room--"Mr. -Miller! Mr. Miller!"--and we hallooed after him at the top of our -voice. Mr. Miller returned at the call, but most unfortunately we had -forgotten what we had been so anxious to say. - -"Mr. Miller," said we, at length, "shall we not send you a number of -the Magazine containing your correspondence?" - -"Certainly!"--he replied--"drop it in the Post Office." - -"But, sir," said we, highly embarrassed,--"to what--to what address -shall we direct it?" - -"Address!" ejaculated he--"you astonish me! Address _me_, sir, if you -please--Joseph Z. Miller." - -The package handed us by Mr. M. we inspected with a great deal of -pleasure. The letters were neatly arranged and endorsed, and numbered -from one to twenty-four. We print them _verbatim_, and with facsimiles -of the signatures, in compliance with our friend's suggestion. The -dates, throughout, were overscored, and we have been forced, -accordingly, to leave them blank. The remarks appended to each letter -are our own. - - -LETTER I. - -_Philadelphia_, ----. - -_Dear Sir_,--I regret that you had the trouble of addressing me twice -respecting the Review of your publication. The truth is it was only -yesterday I enjoyed the opportunity of reading it, and bearing public -testimony to its merits. I think the work might have a wider -circulation if, in the next edition, it were printed _without_ the -preface. Of your talents and other merits I have long entertained a -high opinion. - -Respectfully, your faithful servant, - -[Illustration: Robert Walsh] - -JOSEPH A. MILLER, ESQ. - - -There is nothing very peculiar in the _physique_ of this letter. The -hand-writing is bold, large, sprawling, and irregular. It is rather -rotund than angular, and is by no means illegible. One would suppose -it written in a violent hurry. The t's are crossed with a sweeping -scratch of the pen, giving the whole letter an odd appearance if held -upside-down, or in any position other than the proper one. The whole -air of the letter is _dictatorial_. The paper is of good but not -superior quality. The seal is of brown wax mingled with gold, and -bears a Latin motto, of which only the words _trans_ and _mortuus_ are -legible. - - -LETTER II. - -_Hartford_, ----. - -_My Dear Sir_,--Your letter of the -- ult. with the accompanying -parcel, reached me in safety, and I thank you for that polite -attention, which is the more gratifying, as I have hitherto not had -the pleasure of your acquaintance. The perusal of the pamphlet -afforded me great delight, and I think it displays so much good sense, -mingled with so much fine taste, as would render it an acceptable -present to readers even more fastidious than myself. The purely -Christian opinions with which the work abounds, will not fail of -recommending it to all lovers of virtue, and of the truth. - -I remain yours, with respect and esteem, - -[Illustration: L. H. Sigourney] - -JOSEPH B. MILLER, ESQ. - - -Much pains seem to have been taken in the MS. of this epistle. _Black -lines_ have been used, apparently. Every t is crossed and every i -dotted with precision. The punctuation is faultless. Yet the -_tout-ensemble_ of the letter has nothing of formality or undue -effeminacy. The characters are free, well-sized, and handsomely -formed, preserving throughout a perfectly uniform and beautiful -appearance, although generally unconnected with each other. Were one -to form an estimate of the character of Mrs. Sigourney's compositions -from the character of her hand writing, the estimate would not be very -far from the truth. Freedom, dignity, precision, and grace of thought, -without abrupt or startling transitions, might be attributed to her -with propriety. The paper is good, the seal small--of green and gold -wax--and without impression. - - -{207} LETTER III. - -_New York_, ----. - -_Dear Sir_,--I have delayed replying to your letter of the -- ult. -until I could find time to make the necessary inquiries about the -circumstances to which you allude. I am sorry to inform you that these -inquiries have been altogether fruitless, and that I am consequently -unable, at present, to give you the desired information. If, -hereafter, any thing shall come to light which may aid you in your -researches, it will give me great pleasure to communicate with you -upon the subject. - -I am, Dear Sir, your friend and servant, - -[Illustration: JK Paulding] - -JOSEPH C. MILLER, ESQ. - - -There is much in the hand-writing here like that of Mrs. Sigourney, -and yet, as a whole, it is very different. In both MSS. perfect -uniformity and regularity exist, and in both, the character of the -writing is _formed_--that is to say, _decided_. Both are beautiful, -and, at a casual glance, both have a somewhat similar _effect_. But -Mrs. Sigourney's MS. is one of the most legible, and Mr. Paulding's -one of the most illegible in the world. His small a's, t's and c's are -all alike, and the _style_ of the characters generally is French. No -correct notion of Mr. Paulding's literary peculiarities could be -obtained from an inspection of his MS. It has probably been modified -by strong adventitious circumstances. The paper is of a very fine -glossy texture, and of a blue tint, with gilt edges. - - -LETTER IV. - -_Boston_, ----. - -It is due from me to advise you that the communication of the -- ult. -addressed by you to myself involves some error. It is evident that you -have mistaken me for some other person of the same surname, as I am -altogether ignorant of the circumstances to which you refer. - -I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, - -[Illustration: J. G. Palfrey] - -JOSEPH D. MILLER, ESQ. - - -The hand writing here is of an odd appearance. The capitals and _long_ -letters extend far above or below the line, and the rest have a -running and diminutive formation, rendering it difficult to -distinguish one from another. The words are unusually far apart, and -but little matter is contained in much space. At first sight the MS. -appears to be hurried--but a few moments' examination will prove that -this is not the case. The capital I's might be mistaken for T's. The -whole has a clean and uniform appearance. The paper is common, and the -seal (of red wax) is oval in shape--probably a shield--the device -illegible. - - -LETTER V. - -_St. Mark's Place, New York_, ----. - -_Dear Sir_,--Your obliging letter of the ---- was received in due -course of mail, and I am gratified by your good opinion. At the same -time my numerous engagements will render it out of my power to send -you any communication for your valuable Magazine, 'The Humdrum,' for -some months to come at least. Wishing you all success, and with many -thanks for your attention. - -I remain, sir, your humble servant, - -[Illustration: J. Fenimore Cooper] - -JOSEPH E. MILLER, ESQ. - - -Mr. Cooper's MS. is bad--very bad. There is no distinctive character -about it, and it appears to be _unformed_. The writing will probably -be different in other letters. Upon reference we find this to be the -fact. In the letter to Mr. Miller, the MS. is of a _petite_ and -finicky appearance, and looks as if scratched with a steel pen--the -lines are crooked. The paper is fine, and of a bluish tint. A wafer is -used. - - -LETTER VI. - -_New York_, ----. - -_My Dear Sir_,--I owe you a very humble apology for not answering -sooner your flattering epistle of the -- ult. The truth is, being from -home when your letter reached my residence, my reply fell into the -ever open grave of deferred duties. - -As regards the information you desire I regret that it is out of my -power to aid you. My studies and pursuits {208} have been directed, of -late years, in so very different a channel, that I am by no means _au -fait_ on the particular subject you mention. Believe me, with earnest -wishes for your success, - -Very respectfully yours, - -[Illustration: CM Sedgwick] - -JOSEPH F. MILLER, ESQ. - - -The penmanship of Miss Sedgwick is excellent. The characters are -well-sized, distinct, elegantly, but not ostentatiously formed; and, -with perfect freedom of manner, are still sufficiently feminine. The -hair strokes of the pen differ little in thickness from the other -parts of the MS.--which has thus a uniform appearance it might not -otherwise have. Strong common sense, and a scorn of superfluous -ornament, one might suppose, from Miss Sedgwick's hand writing, to be -the characteristics of her literary style. The paper is very good, -blue in tint, and ruled by machine. The seal of red wax, plain. - - -LETTER VII. - -_New York_, ----. - -_Dear Sir_,--I have received your favor of the ----. The report to -which it alludes was entirely without foundation. I have never had, -and have not _now_, any intention of editing a Magazine. The -Bookseller's statement on this subject originated in a -misunderstanding. - -Your Poem on "Things in General," I have not had the pleasure of -seeing. I have not, however, the least doubt of its--of its--that is -to say, of its extreme delicacy of sentiment, and highly original -style of thinking--to say nothing at present of that--of that -extraordinary and felicitous manner of expression which so -particularly characterizes all that--that I have seen of your -writings. I shall endeavor, sir, to procure your Poem, and anticipate -much pleasure in its perusal. - -Very respectfully, your obedient servant, - -[Illustration: Fitz-Greene Halleck] - -JOSEPH G. MILLER, ESQ. - - -Mr. Halleck's is a free, mercantile hand, and evinces a love for the -graceful rather than for the picturesque. There is some _force_, too, -in its expression. The _tout ensemble_ is pleasing. Mr. H.'s letter is -probably written _currente calamo_--but without hurry. The paper is -very good, and bluish--the seal of red wax. - - -LETTER VIII. - -_Alexandria, Red River_, ----, _Louisiana_. - -_Dear Sir_,--Your polite letter of the -- is before me, and the view -which you present of the estimation in which you hold my poor labors -is every way gratifying. It would afford me great pleasure to send you -a few trifles for the Hum-drum, which I have no doubt will prove a -very useful periodical if its design is well carried out--but the -truth is my time is entirely occupied. - -Yours, - -[Illustration: Timothy Flint] - -JOSEPH H. MILLER, ESQ. - - -The writing in this letter has a _fidgetty_ appearance, and would seem -to indicate a mind without settled aims--restless and full of -activity. Few of the characters are written twice in the same manner, -and their _direction_ varies continually. Sometimes the words lie -perpendicularly on the page--then slope to the right--then, with a -jerk, fly off in an opposite way. The thickness, also, of the MS. is -changeable--sometimes the letters are very light and fine--sometimes -excessively heavy. Upon a casual glance at Mr. F.'s epistle, one might -mistake it for an imitation of a written letter by a child. The paper -is bad--and wafered. - - -LETTER IX. - -_Philadelphia_, ----. - -[Illustration: Miss Leslie's] - -compliments to Mr. Miller. She has no knowledge of the person spoken -of in Mr. Miller's note, and is quite certain there must be some -mistake in the statement alluded to. - -JOSEPH I. MILLER, ESQ. - - -Several persons of our acquaintance, between whose mental character -and that of Miss Leslie we have fancied a strong similitude, write a -hand almost identical with this lady's--yet we are unable to point out -much in the MS. itself according with the literary peculiarities of -Miss L. Neatness and finish, without over-effeminacy, are, perhaps, -the only features of resemblance. We might, also, by straining a -point, imagine (from the MS.) that Miss L. regards rather _the effect -of her writings as a whole_ than the polishing of their constituent -parts. The penmanship is rotund, and the words are always finished -with an inward twirl. The paper tolerable--and wafered. - - -{209} LETTER X. - -_Boston_, ----. - -_Dear Sir_,--I have your favor of the ----. For the present I must -decline replying to the queries you have propounded. Be pleased to -accept my thanks for the flattering manner in which you speak of my -Lecture. - -I am, Dear Sir, very faithfully, yours, - -[Illustration: Edward Everett.] - -JOSEPH K. MILLER, ESQ. - - -Here is a noble MS. It has an air of deliberate precision about it -emblematic of the statesman; and a mingled solidity and grace speaking -the scholar. Nothing can be more legible. The words are at proper -intervals--the lines also are at proper intervals, and perfectly -straight. There are no superfluous flourishes. The man who writes thus -will never grossly err in judgment or otherwise. We may venture to -say, however, that he will not attain the loftiest pinnacles of -renown. The paper is excellent--stout yet soft--with gilt edges. The -seal of red wax, with an oval device bearing the initials E. E. and -surrounded with a scroll, on which are legible only the word _cum_ and -the letters c. o. r. d. a. - - -LETTER XI. - -_New York_, ----. - -_My Dear Sir_,--I must be pardoned for refusing your request touching -your MS. "Treatise on Pigs." I was obliged, some years ago, to come to -the resolution not to express opinions of works sent to me. A candid -opinion of those whose merit seemed to me small, gave offence, and I -found it the best way to avoid a judgment in any case. I hope this -will be satisfactory. - -I am, my Dear Sir, very respectfully yours, - -[Illustration: Washington Irving] - -JOSEPH L. MILLER, ESQ. - - -Mr. Irving's hand writing is common-place. There is nothing indicative -of genius about it. Neither could any one suspect, from such -penmanship, a _high finish_ in the author's compositions. This style -of writing is more frequently met with than any other. It is a very -usual clerk's hand--scratchy and _tapering_ in appearance, showing -(strange to say)--an eye deficient in a due sense of the -_picturesque_. There may be something, however, in the circumstance -that the epistle to Mr. Miller is evidently written in a desperate -hurry. Paper very indifferent, and wafered. - - -LETTER XII. - -_Boston_, ----. - -_Sir_,--In reply to your note of the ----, in which you demand if I am -"the author of a certain scurrilous attack upon Joseph M. Miller, in -the Daily Polyglot of the -- ult." I have to say that I am happy in -knowing nothing about the attack, the Polyglot, or yourself. - -[Illustration: John Neal] - -JOSEPH M. MILLER. - - -Mr. Neal's MS. is exceedingly illegible, and very careless. It is -necessary to read one half his epistle and guess at the balance. The -capitals and long letters, like those of Mr. Palfrey, extend far above -and below the line, while the small letters are generally nothing but -dots and scratches. Many of the words are run together--so that what -is actually a sentence is frequently mistaken for a single word. One -might suppose Mr. Neal's mind (from his penmanship) to be bold, -excessively active, energetic, and irregular. Paper very common, and -wafered. - - -LETTER XIII. - -_Baltimore_, ----. - -_Dear Sir_,--I have received your note of the -- ult. and its contents -puzzle me no little. I fear it will be impossible to give a definitive -reply to an epistle so enigmatically worded. Please write again. - -Yours truly, - -[Illustration: John P. Kennedy] - -JOSEPH N. MILLER, ESQ. - - -{210} This is our _beau ideal_ of penmanship. Its prevailing character -is _picturesque_. This appearance is given by terminating every letter -abruptly, without _tapering_, and by using no perfect angles, and none -at all which are not spherical. Great uniformity is preserved in the -whole air of the MS.--with great variety in the constituent parts. -Every character has the clearness and blackness of a bold wood-cut, -and appears to be _placed upon the paper_ with singular precision. The -long letters do not rise or fall in an undue degree above the line. -From this specimen of his hand writing, we should suppose Mr. Kennedy -to have the eye of a painter, more especially in regard to the -picturesque--to have refined tastes generally--to be exquisitely alive -to the proprieties of life--to possess energy, decision, and great -talent--to have a penchant also for the _bizarre_. The paper is very -fine, clear and white, with gilt edges--the seal neat and much in -keeping with the MS. Just sufficient wax, and no more than sufficient, -is used for the impression, which is nearly square, with a lion's head -in full _alto relievo_, surrounded by the motto "_il parle par tout_." - - -LETTER XIV. - -_Philadelphia_, ----. - -_Dear Sir_,--Enclosed is your letter of the -- ult. addressed to Dr. -Robert M. Bird, Philadelphia. From the contents of the note it is -evidently not intended for myself. There is, I believe, a Dr. Robert -Bird, who resides somewhere in the Northern Liberties--also several -Robert Birds in different parts of the city. - -Very respectfully, your obedient, humble servant, - -[Illustration: Robt. M. Bird] - -JOSEPH O. MILLER, ESQ. - - -Dr. Bird's chirography is by no means bad--still it cannot be called -good. It is very legible and has force. There is some degree of -nervousness about it. It bears a slight resemblance to the writing of -Miss Leslie, especially in the curling of the final letters--but is -more open, and occupies more space. The characters have the air of not -being able to keep pace with the thought, and an uneasy want of finish -seems to have been the consequence. A restless and vivid imagination -might be deduced from this MS. It has no little of the _picturesque_ -also. The paper good--_wafered and sealed_. - - -LETTER XV. - -_Oak Hill_, ----. - -_Dear Sir_,--I have received your polite letter of the ----, and will -have no objection to aid you in your enterprise by such information as -I can afford. There are many others, however, who would be much better -able to assist you in this matter than myself. When I get a little -leisure you shall hear from me again. - -I am, Dear Sir, with respect, your obedient, - -[Illustration: J Marshall] - -JOSEPH P. MILLER, ESQ. - - -The hand writing of the Chief Justice is not unlike that of Neal--but -much better and more legible. The habit of running two words into one -(a habit which we noticed in Neal) is also observable in the Chief -Justice. The characters are utterly devoid of ornament or unnecessary -flourish, and there is a good deal of abruptness about them. They are -heavy and black, with very little hair stroke. The lines are -exceedingly crooked, running diagonally across the paper. A wide -margin is on the left side of the page, with none at all on the right. -The whole air of the MS. in its utter simplicity, is strikingly -indicative of the man. The paper is a half sheet of coarse foolscap, -wafered. - - -LETTER XVI. - -_Baltimore_, ----. - -_Dear Sir_,--I have received your letter of the -- ult. in which you -do me the honor of requesting an autograph. In reply, I have to say, -that if this scrawl will answer your purpose it is entirely at your -service. - -Yours respectfully, - -[Illustration: Wm. Wirt] - -JOSEPH Q. MILLER, ESQ. - - -Mr. Wirt's hand writing has a strong resemblance to that of his friend -John P. Kennedy--it is by no means, however, as good, and has too much -_tapering_ about it to be thoroughly picturesque. The writing is -black, strong, clear, and very neat. It is, upon the whole, little in -accordance with the character of Mr. W.'s compositions. The lines are -crooked. The paper bluish and English--wafered. - - -{211} LETTER XVII. - -_Washington_, ----. - -_Dear Sir_,--In answer to your kind inquiries concerning my health, I -am happy to inform you that I was never better in my life. I cannot -conceive in what manner the report to which you allude could have -originated. - -Believe me with the highest respect, your much obliged friend and -servant, - -[Illustration: Joseph Story] - -JOSEPH R. MILLER, ESQ. - - -Judge Story's is a very excellent hand, and has the air of being -written with great rapidity and ease. It is rotund, and might be -characterized as a _rolling hand_. The direction of the letters -occasionally varies from right to left, and from left to right. The -same peculiarity was observable in Mr. Flint's. Judge Story's MS. is -decidedly picturesque. The lines are at equal distances, but lie -diagonally on the page. The paper good, of a bluish tint, and folded -to form a marginal line. The seal of red wax, and stamped with a -common compting-house stamp. - - -LETTER XVIII. - -_New York_, ----. - -_My Dear Sir_,--I thank you for the hints you have been so kind as to -give me in relation to my next edition of the "_Voyage_," but as that -edition has already gone to press, it will be impossible to avail -myself of your attention until the sixth impression. - -Very respectfully, your obedient servant, - -[Illustration: J. N. Reynolds] - -JOSEPH S. MILLER, ESQ. - - -We are not partial to Mr. Reynolds' style of chirography. It is a -common mercantile hand, in which the words taper off from their -beginning to their end. There is much freedom, but no strength about -it. The paper good, and wafered. - - -LETTER XIX. - -_Portland_, ----. - -_Dear Sir_,--I have no knowledge of your owing me the small sum sent -in your letter of the ----, and consequently I re-enclose you the -amount. You will no doubt be able to discover and rectify the mistake. - -Very truly yours, - -[Illustration: James Brooks] - -JOSEPH T. MILLER, ESQ. - - -Mr. Brooks writes a very good hand, strong, bold, and abrupt--highly -indicative of the author's peculiar features of mind. These are -nervous common sense, without tinsel or artificiality, and a straight -forward directness of conception. The lines are even--and the words at -proper intervals. The paper good--and wafered. - - -LETTER XX. - -_Washington_, ----. - -_Sir_,--I shall be better enabled to answer your letter about "certain -mysterious occurrences," of which you desire an explanation, when you -inform me explicitly (and I request you will do this) what _are_ the -mysterious occurrences to which you allude. - -[Illustration: J. Q. Adams] - -JOSEPH V. MILLER, ESQ. - - -The chirography of the Ex-President is legible--but has an odd -appearance, on account of the _wavering_ of the capitals and long -letters. The writing is clear, somewhat heavy, and -_picturesque_--without ornament. Black lines seem to have been used. A -margin is preserved to the right and left. The proportion of the -letters is well maintained throughout. The paper common, and wafered. - - -LETTER XXI. - -_Philadelphia_, ----. - -_Dear Sir_,--I have just received your letter of the ----, in which -you complain of my neglect in not replying to your favors of the ---- -of the ---- and of the ---- ult. I do assure you, sir, that the -letters have never come {212} to hand. If you will be so good as to -repeat their contents, it will give me great pleasure to answer them, -each and all. The Post Office is in a very bad condition. - -Yours respectfully, - -[Illustration: Mathew Carey] - -JOSEPH W. MILLER, ESQ. - - -Mr. Carey does not write a legible hand--although in other respects a -good one. It resembles that of Neal very nearly. Several of the words -in the letter to Mr. Miller are run together. The i's are seldom -dotted. The lines are at equal distances, and straight. The paper very -good--wafered. - - -LETTER XXII. - -_Boston_, ----. - -_Dear Sir_,--No such person as Philip Philpot has ever been in my -employ as a coachman, or otherwise. The name is an odd one, and not -likely to be forgotten. The man must have reference to some other Dr. -Channing. It would be as well to question him closely. - -Respectfully yours, - -[Illustration: W. E. Channing] - -JOSEPH X. MILLER, ESQ. - - -Dr. Channing's MS. is very excellent. The letters are bold, -well-sized, and beautifully formed. They are, perhaps, too closely -crowded upon one another. One might, with some little acumen, detect -the high finish of Dr. C.'s style of composition in the character of -his chirography. Boldness and accuracy are united with elegance in -both. The paper very good, and wafered. - - -LETTER XXIII. - -_Philadelphia_, ----. - -_Dear Sir_,--I must be pardoned for declining to loan the books you -mention. The fact is, I have lost many volumes in this way--and as you -are personally unknown to me you will excuse my complying with your -request. - -Yours, &c. - -[Illustration: Jos. Hopkinson] - -JOSEPH Y. MILLER, ESQ. - - -This is a very good MS.--forcible, neat, legible, and devoid of -superfluous ornament. Some of the words are run together. The writing -slopes considerably. It is too uniform to be picturesque. The lines -are at equal distances, and a broad margin is on the left of the page. -The chirography is as good at the conclusion as at the commencement of -the letter--a rare quality in MSS.--and evincing _indefatigability_ of -temperament. - - -LETTER XXIV. - -_Washington_, ----. - -_Sir_,--Yours of the ---- came duly to hand. I cannot send you what -you wish. The fact is, I have been so pestered with applications for -my autograph, that I have made a resolution to grant one in no case -whatsoever. - -Yours, &c. - -[Illustration: Wm. Emmons] - -JOSEPH Z. MILLER, ESQ. - - -The writing of the orator is bold, dashing, and chivalrous--the few -words addressed to Mr. Miller occupying a full page. The lines are at -unequal distances, and run diagonally across the letter. Each sentence -is terminated by a long dash--black and heavy. Such an epistle might -write the Grand Mogul. The paper is what the English call silver -paper--very beautiful and wafered. - - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SOUTHERN LITERARY -MESSENGER, VOL. II., NO. 3, FEBRUARY, 1836 *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following -the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use -of the Project Gutenberg trademark. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online -at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> -</div> - -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: <span lang='' xml:lang=''>The Southern Literary Messenger, Vol. II., No. 3, February, 1836</span></p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Various</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: May 21, 2022 [eBook #68141]</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</p> - <p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; text-align:left'>Produced by: Ron Swanson</p> -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK <span lang='' xml:lang=''>THE SOUTHERN LITERARY MESSENGER, VOL. II., NO. 3, FEBRUARY, 1836</span> ***</div> -<center>THE</center> -<h2>SOUTHERN LITERARY MESSENGER:</h2> -<center>DEVOTED TO</center> -<h3>EVERY DEPARTMENT OF</h3> -<h1>LITERATURE AND THE FINE ARTS.</h1> -<br> -<br> -<table align="center" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" summary="poem1"> - <tr><td><small>Au gré de nos desirs bien plus qu'au gré des vents. </small></td></tr> - <tr><td align="right"><small><i>Crebillon's Electre</i>.</small></td></tr> - <tr><td><small> </small></td></tr> - <tr><td><small>As <i>we</i> will, and not as the winds will.</small></td></tr> -</table><br> -<br> -<center><small>RICHMOND:<br> -T. W. WHITE, PUBLISHER AND PROPRIETOR.<br> -1835-6.</small></center> -<br><br><br><br> -<h3>CONTENTS OF VOLUME II, NUMBER 3</h3> - -<p><a href="#sect01">S<small>ELECTION IN</small> R<small>EADING</small></a></p> - -<p><a href="#sect02">S<small>KETCHES OF THE</small> H<small>ISTORY</small> and -Present Condition of Tripoli, with some accounts of the other -Barbary States (No. X)</a>: by R. G.</p> - -<p><a href="#sect03">A L<small>AY OF</small> R<small>UIN</small></a>: by Miss Draper</p> - -<p><a href="#sect04">B<small>ALLAD</small></a>: by W. M. R.</p> - -<p><a href="#sect05">T<small>HE</small> G<small>OURD OF</small> J<small>ONAH</small></a></p> - -<p><a href="#sect06">T<small>HE</small> C<small>OUSIN OF THE</small> M<small>ARRIED</small></a>, -and the Cousin of the Dead: from the French</p> - -<p><a href="#sect07">T<small>HE</small> D<small>UC DE</small> L'O<small>MELETTE</small></a>: by Edgar A. Poe</p> - -<p><a href="#sect08">T<small>HE</small> I<small>LIAD</small></a></p> - -<p><a href="#sect09">R<small>USTIC</small> C<small>OURTSHIP IN</small> N<small>EW</small> E<small>NGLAND</small></a></p> - -<p><a href="#sect10">P<small>ALÆSTINE</small></a>: by P.</p> - -<p><a href="#sect11">M<small>ARTORELLI</small></a></p> - -<p><a href="#sect12">L<small>IVING</small> A<small>LONE</small></a>: by T. Flint</p> - -<p><a href="#sect13">T<small>HE</small> V<small>ALLEY</small> N<small>IS</small></a>: by E. A. Poe</p> - -<p><a href="#sect14">N<small>EW</small> T<small>ESTAMENT</small></a></p> - -<p><a href="#sect15">C<small>ASTELLANUS</small></a>, or the Castle-Builder turned Farmer: by Nugator</p> - -<p><a href="#sect16">S<small>ONG</small></a>: by M. M.</p> - -<p><a href="#sect17">L<small>INES</small></a> to Miss M——t W——s, of P. Edward</p> - -<p><a href="#sect18">L<small>IBERIAN</small> L<small>ITERATURE</small></a></p> - -<p><a href="#sect19">G<small>IBBON AND</small> F<small>OX</small></a></p> - -<p><a href="#sect20">S<small>TATIUS</small></a></p> - -<p><a href="#sect21">L<small>IONEL</small> G<small>RANBY</small></a>, Chapter VIII: by Theta</p> - -<p><a href="#sect22">B<small>IOGRAPHICAL</small> S<small>KETCH</small></a>, of Jonathan P. Cushing</p> - -<p><a href="#sect23">L<small>INES</small></a> on reaching the banks of the Mississippi at the junction of the Ohio, -1st July, 1818: by H. R. S.</p> - -<p><a href="#sect24">S<small>KETCHES OF</small> L<small>AKE</small> S<small>UPERIOR</small></a>: by M. L. W.</p> - -<p><a href="#sect25">G<small>REECE</small></a>: by Eliza</p> - -<p><a href="#sect26">R<small>EADINGS WITH MY</small> P<small>ENCIL</small></a>, No. I: by J. F. O.</p> - -<p>C<small>RITICAL</small> N<small>OTICES</small><br> - <a href="#sect27">P<small>AUL</small> U<small>LRIC</small></a>, or the Adventures of an Enthusiast: -by Morris Mattson, Esq.<br> - <a href="#sect28">M<small>ARTIN'S</small> G<small>AZETTEER</small></a>: by Joseph Martin<br> - <a href="#sect29">R<small>OSE-HILL</small></a>: by a Virginian<br> - <a href="#sect30">C<small>HIEF</small> J<small>USTICE</small> M<small>ARSHALL</small></a><br> - An Eulogy on the Life and Character of John Marshall: by Horace Binney<br> - A Discourse on the Life, &c. of John Marshall, L.L.D.: by Joseph Story, L.L.D.<br> - An Oration on the Life and Character of John Marshall: by Edgar Snowden<br> - <a href="#sect31">T<small>HE</small> C<small>ONFESSIONS OF</small> -E<small>MILIA</small> H<small>ARRINGTON</small></a>: by Lambert A. Wilmer<br> - <a href="#sect32">T<small>HE</small> A<small>MERICAN IN</small> -E<small>NGLAND</small></a> by Lieutenant Slidell<br> - <a href="#sect33">C<small>ONTI THE</small> D<small>ISCARDED</small></a>: -with Other Tales and Fancies: by Henry F. Chorley<br> - <a href="#sect34">N<small>OBLE</small> D<small>EEDS OF</small> W<small>OMAN</small></a><br> - <a href="#sect35">R<small>IENZI</small>, <small>THE</small> L<small>AST OF -THE</small> T<small>RIBUNES</small></a>: by Edward Lytton Bulwer<br> - <a href="#sect36">A<small>NIMAL AND</small> V<small>EGETABLE</small> -P<small>HYSIOLOGY</small></a>, considered with reference to Natural Theology: by -Peter Mark Roget, M.D.<br> - <a href="#sect37">C<small>AREY'S</small> A<small>UTOBIOGRAPHY</small></a></p> - -<p><a href="#sect38">A<small>UTOGRAPHY</small></a></p> -<br> -<br> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page141"><small><small>[p. 141]</small></small></a></span> -<br> -<br> -<hr> -<h3>SOUTHERN LITERARY MESSENGER.</h3> -<hr> -<center>V<small>OL</small>. II. RICHMOND, FEBRUARY, -1836. N<small>O</small>. III.</center> -<hr> -<center><small>T. W. WHITE, PROPRIETOR. FIVE -DOLLARS PER ANNUM.</small></center> -<a name="sect01"></a> -<hr> -<br> -<br> -<h4>SELECTION IN READING.</h4> -<br> -<p>Go to the Library of one of our Colleges; survey its five, or ten -thousand volumes. You are astonished, that human thought or human -industry could have produced such an accumulation of quarto upon -folio, of duodecimo upon octavo—of Science, Literature—of History, -Fiction—of Prose, and Poetry. But look into other collections -northward of us, and in each, of several, you find more than forty -thousand volumes! When you have wondered sufficiently at these, turn -your 'mind's eye' to Europe; and behold, libraries containing each one -hundred, or even one hundred and fifty thousand books! Look around -you, then, and see how many hundreds every week is adding to the mass -of tomes already in existence. Glance at the book-sellers' -catalogues—at their notices in the gazette—at the <i>monthly and -quarterly</i> "Lists of New Publications," in Magazines and Reviews—at -the countless host of Reviews and Magazines themselves, and of -newspapers, tracts, pamphlets, speeches, addresses—effusions of ten -thousand various forms and merits—craving your attention and -bewildering your choice! Go forth into society: in one circle, -politics—in another, canalling, or railroad lore—in a third, some -point touching the Campaigns of Bonaparte, the Wars of the League, the -American Revolution, or the Conquests of Tamerlane—in a fourth, the -beauties of Greek and Roman literature—in a fifth, some topic in -Chemistry or Geology—in a sixth, Byron, Campbell, Moore and -Wordsworth—in a seventh, the fifty last novels—are discussed by -their respective coteries, each, as if <i>that</i> subject alone threw all -others into the shade. And if you are not so torpid as to be incapable -of excitement by sympathy with others, and by themes inherently -interesting, or so self-possessed as to curb and regulate discreetly, -the curiosity and proneness to imitation which will on such occasions -be kindled in any but a blockhead—you cannot, for your life, help -wishing to be familiar with each theme. You go home; and plunge -headlong into a dozen different studies. Your acquisitions are huddled -chaotically into your knowledge-box, so that you have a full, distinct -idea, of no one subject: you can never get hold of what you want, at -the moment when you need it; but must rummage over an immense pile of -trumpery, with a bare <i>hope</i>, after all, of finding the useful article -you want. <i>You are a shallow smatterer.</i></p> - -<p>If you would be otherwise, <small>DARE</small> <i>to be ignorant</i> of all books, and all -things, which you are not sure will repay your trouble in reading -them, or which are not parts of a pre-arranged course, laid down for -you by yourself, or by some judicious friend. D<small>ARE</small> to disavow an -acquaintance with a fashionable novel, or even with a fashionable -science, if it fall not within your plan. Always reflect, when the -claims of a new book are pressed upon your notice,—that, <i>if you have -forty years to employ in reading, and can read fifty pages a day, you -will be able, in those forty years, to accomplish only about</i> <small>SIXTEEN -HUNDRED VOLUMES</small>, <i>of 500 pages each</i>. Yes—out of the millions of -tomes that litter the world, you can read, in twice the time that -most, even of the studious, employ in reading—only sixteen hundred -volumes! Surely, the motto of every one who reads for improvement, -ought to be "<small>SELECT WELL</small>!"</p> - -<p>"It is a great, nay the <i>greatest</i> part of wisdom," says an old -philosopher, "to rest content with not knowing some things."<small><small><sup>1</sup></small></small></p> - -<blockquote><small><small><sup>1</sup></small> ——"magna, immo, maxima, pars sapientiæ est, quædam -æquo animo nescire velle."</small></blockquote> - -<p>Dugald Stewart justly observes, that by confining our ambition to -pursue the truth with modesty and candor, and learning to value our -acquisitions only so far as they contribute to make us wiser and -happier, we may perhaps be obliged to sacrifice the temporary -admiration of the common dispensers of literary fame; but, we may rest -assured, it is thus only we can hope to make real progress in -knowledge, or to enrich the world with useful inventions.</p> - -<p>"'It requires courage indeed' (as Helvetius has remarked,) 'to remain -ignorant of those useless subjects which are generally valued:' but it -is a courage necessary to men who either love the truth, or aspire to -establish a permanent reputation."<small><small><sup>2</sup></small></small></p> - -<blockquote><small><small><sup>2</sup></small> Philosophy of the Human Mind, Vol. I.</small></blockquote> -<br> -<br> -<hr align="center" width="100"><a name="sect02"></a> -<br> -<br> -<h4>SKETCHES OF THE HISTORY</h4> -<h5>AND PRESENT CONDITION OF TRIPOLI, WITH SOME -ACCOUNTS OF THE OTHER BARBARY STATES.</h5> -<center>N<small>O</small>. X.—(Continued.)</center> -<br> - -<p>To return to Algiers. The Dey having as he conceived, effectually -closed every avenue to reconciliation with France, actively prepared -to resist the attack which he had every reason to believe would soon -be made on him. The fortifications of his capital had been much -enlarged and strengthened since the bombardment by Lord Exmouth in -1816; the arsenal was well provided with naval stores and munitions of -every description; the treasury was filled with specie, men were not -wanting, and provisions could be procured in abundance from the -interior. In this condition, he had no reason to dread an attack from -a naval force, nor the consequences of a blockade however rigorously -maintained. Against internal commotions he also felt himself secure. -From the commencement of his reign, he had steadily though cautiously -pursued the plan in which so many of his predecessors had failed, of -preventing the enrolment of foreigners, and supplying their places by -native troops; in this he had so far succeeded, that the number of the -former in 1827 was less than seven thousand, while he had more than -sixteen thousand Moorish soldiers, regularly disciplined and attached -to his system, by the strongest ties of interest. When the whole -military force of the country, consisted of a few foreigners, any one -of whom might be raised to the highest offices of the State at the -will of the remainder, <span class="pagenum"><a name="page142"><small><small>[p. 142]</small></small></a></span> -it is not surprising that dissatisfaction -and turbulence should have constantly prevailed; for under such -circumstances the election of a new chief only caused a change in the -ranks of the malcontents, without diminishing their numbers or their -violence. That the alteration made by Hussein would contribute vastly -to ensure the stability of his power, it is unnecessary to -demonstrate; it had been often attempted by his predecessors and it is -only extraordinary that it had not been effected long before.</p> - -<p>Having secured this important object, Hussein no longer took pains to -conceal his views with regard to rendering the Sovereignty hereditary -in his family; he had no son, but his eldest daughter was married to -Ibrahim, whom he raised to the office of Aga or Commander of the -troops and Minister of War, and who appears to have been his intended -successor; that officer having no children, his nephew was married to -the Dey's youngest daughter, who was for that purpose divorced from -her husband. It was also probably in furtherance of the same ends, -that Hussein maintained a degree of state unusual in Algiers, -manifesting in his intercourse with the ministers and officers, that -he was a Prince, and not the mere chief of the Janizaries. In order to -insure his personal safety he seldom appeared in public, but remained -within the walls of the Casauba, surrounded by a chosen guard of -Moors, sufficiently strong to defend that fortress against any attack -which could be expected.</p> - -<p>The French appeared by no means disposed to drive Hussein to -extremities; their squadron generally consisted of two frigates, and -four or five smaller vessels, which hovered before the entrance to the -bay, but offered little or no impediment to the passage of vessels -either outwards or inwards. Within a few days after the declaration of -war, several Algerine cruisers quitted the harbor, and committed great -ravages upon the unprotected commerce of France, sending their prizes -into various ports of Barbary, and even of Spain. The prisoners were -generally spared and brought to Algiers, in consequence of the Dey's -humane or politic proclamation, that he would give for each living -Frenchman twice as much as for his head alone. The inactivity and want -of skill thus displayed by the blockading squadron, at length -encouraged Hussein to bolder attempts. By great exertions, he had been -enabled at the end of September 1827, to have ready a frigate, two -corvettes, two brigs and six schooners in addition to the vessels at -sea; this force however not being sufficient either in size or in -weight of metal, to authorize a regular engagement with the heavy -ships of the French, his plan was to surprise some one of them at a -distance from the others, and endeavor to carry her by boarding. With -this intention, which was kept secret until the moment for carrying it -into execution, a number of soldiers accustomed to the sea having on -the morning of the 4th of October, been suddenly embarked in the -vessels, they set sail immediately and bore down upon the nearest -French ship. The movement was immediately perceived by the rest of the -squadron, and a general action, or at least a general discharge of -guns on both sides ensued; this having continued for some hours, -without any notable damage to either party, the Algerine Commander -found that it was impossible to board any of the French vessels as -they had the weather gauge of him, and in consequence he returned with -his whole force into port. This action is duly noticed in the French -papers; the commander of the squadron in his despatch, compliments his -officers highly for the success of their efforts in preventing the -Algerine flotilla from getting out of the harbor, and assures the -Minister of Marine, that nothing but the heaviness of the sea -prevented his destroying the greater part of them.</p> - -<p>In the following spring, (1828) an offer was made by Admiral Collet to -renew the negotiations for peace; and after some difficulties, Captain -Bézart who commanded one of the French brigs, was allowed to enter -Algiers and communicate with the Sardinian Consul on the subject. He -subsequently had a conference with the Algerine Minister of Foreign -Affairs, the results of which induced the Admiral to despatch him to -Paris, in order to receive the instructions of their Government.</p> - -<p>The French government probably received with satisfaction, the account -that the Algerines were disposed to treat for peace. The Martignac -Ministry which had just come into power, were employing every means to -secure the tottering throne of Charles the Tenth against the efforts -of the Liberal party, and they were anxious for the adjustment of a -dispute, which occasioned an enormous addition to the budget of -expenses without any return whatever. Dignity, or rather the fear of -wounding the vanity of the nation, however forbade their seeming to -make any advances after the Dey's insulting rejection of the demands -first proposed to him. Great care was therefore taken to avoid any -appearance of direct communication with the Algerine government; but -the Admiral was instructed unofficially to hint, that if the Dey would -send an ambassador to Paris, the differences between the two countries -might be accommodated.</p> - -<p>With these instructions Bézart returned to the African coast. During -his absence Admiral Collet worn down with disease had retired to -Toulon where he shortly after died; Admiral Botherel de la Bretonniere -who succeeded to the command, on learning the views of the Ministers, -instantly wrote a letter to the Dey in the sense enjoined by them, and -despatched the Captain with it to Algiers. He arrived there on the -11th of September 1828, but when it was known that he only bore a -communication from the Admiral, he was not suffered to proceed farther -than the landing place on the mole, where he was required to await the -answer. A Barbary Prince of a more pliable character than Hussein, -might probably have gratified the French Ministers by sending an -Ambassador to Paris, who would have figured in the pages of the -Moniteur as a supplicant for peace; but the Dey was made of stubborn -stuff. He had expected a direct communication from the French -government, and was indignant at being addressed instead, by one of -its officers not even an authorized agent; moreover the letter -contained a proposition that he should take a humiliating step, -without any assurance that it would be attended with favorable -results. Seeing at once through the whole manœuvre of the French -government, his reply was a peremptory order to Bézart instantly to -quit Algiers.</p> - -<p>A few days after, the same proposition was conveyed more distinctly to -the Dey through the Sardinian Consul, with an assurance on the part of -the Admiral, that his Government no longer expected apology or -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page143"><small><small>[p. 143]</small></small></a></span> -reparation, but wished merely to place affairs between the two nations -on their former footing. Hussein however remained firm in his refusal -to make any advances, only telling the Consul, that after Peace had -been signed at Algiers, he might perhaps to please the Ministers, send -them an Ambassador. The French Government finding its recommendations -thus treated, authorized the Sardinian Consul to inform the Dey, that -no farther overtures would be made by it towards reconciliation, and -that measures would be soon taken to obtain complete satisfaction for -the injury committed against France. Hussein coolly answered, that he -had men and ammunition in abundance, and that he preferred the fortune -of war to making or seeming to make any apology.</p> - -<p>The destruction of three Algerine feluccas of six guns each, was the -next event worthy of note in the history of the war. These vessels -were returning from a successful cruise and endeavoring to enter the -harbor of Algiers on the 1st of October 1828, when they were -discovered and chased into the adjacent Bay of Sidi Ferruch. The prize -was soon recaptured; the other vessels took refuge close to the shore, -under a small and ruinous battery mounting twelve guns, where they -were attacked by the whole of the blockading squadron. After the first -fire, the feluccas and the battery were abandoned; boats were then -sent by the Admiral to destroy the vessels, which having been effected -the fire was continued on the battery until it was nearly demolished. -The loss on the side of the Algerines is believed to have been very -small; the French had six men killed and seventeen wounded, by the -bursting of a gun on board the Admiral's ship the Provence. This -trifling affair was made the subject of a special report by the -Minister of the Marine to the King of France, which may be found at -length in the Moniteur of the 17th of October; it was so far -important, as it enabled His Majesty to say in his Address to the -Legislative Chambers in January following, that—"most striking -examples had already taught the Algerines, that it was neither easy -nor safe to brave the vigilance of his ships."</p> - -<p>Another attempt on the part of the French to teach the Algerines -prudence, was not attended with equal success; for on the 19th of June -1829, twenty-four of their men, who had landed in pursuit of the crew -of a stranded Algerine vessel, were surrounded by Arabs and put to -death. The heads of these unfortunate men were carried to Algiers, -where the Dey paid for them according to the tariff established; they -were however on the application of the Sardinian Consul immediately -delivered to him for burial.</p> - -<p>The Government of France was by this time convinced of the futility of -the measures which had been for two years pursued with regard to -Algiers. The blockade had produced none of the results which were -anticipated; it had been maintained at an annual expense of more than -seven millions of francs, and although the number of persons killed in -action was small, yet many had fallen victims to the diseases -occasioned by the climate; in return the Dey appeared less inclined -than ever to agree to satisfactory terms of peace, and the commerce of -France in the Mediterranean had been severely injured by his cruisers. -The opposition had also taken advantage of the circumstances, and the -Ministry were frequently denounced in the Legislature and in the -public journals of Paris, for their vacillating and dishonoring -conduct in the affair.</p> - -<p>Unable to resist these demonstrations of their own inefficiency, the -French Ministry prepared for more decisive operations, by assembling -troops in the Southern Departments of the Kingdom and collecting -vessels for their transportation. Before employing these extreme -measures however, they were induced to make one more attempt at -negotiation; the circumstances which led them thus to recede from the -determination expressed in the previous year, are reported to have -been the following.</p> - -<p>The Dey had several times expressed to the Sardinian Consul, his -admiration of the form and sailings of a brig called the Alerte -belonging to the blockading squadron; something in his manner at -length induced the Consul to inform M. de la Bretonniere, that -possibly His Highness might be inclined to negotiate for peace, in the -manner desired by the French Government, if it were understood that -the brig would be presented to him after the signature of the treaty. -The Admiral eagerly accepted this overture as he considered it, and -authorized the Consul to say in general terms, that he had no doubt -the Government of France would willingly accede to the Dey's wishes in -this particular, if an arrangement of the difficulties between the two -countries could be effected. Hussein's reply was encouraging, and the -Admiral in consequence sailed for France to receive in person the -instructions of his Government. He found the Ministers anxious to have -the affair peaceably adjusted; they were ready to treat with the Dey -provided it could be made to appear that he had himself proposed the -negotiation, and were willing to promise the brig in return for the -mission of an Algerine Ambassador to Paris. The Admiral was -accordingly instructed to assure the Dey, that if he would comply with -this formality, peace would be immediately signed and the brig would -be presented to him; but in order that no proofs might exist of the -advances made by the French Ministry, the whole negotiation at Algiers -was to be conducted verbally, through an interpreter chosen for the -purpose from the School of Oriental Languages at Paris.</p> - -<p>With these instructions, and accompanied by M. Bianchi the -interpreter, M. de la Bretonniere returned to the Bay of Algiers. The -Sardinian Consul, who undertook to arrange the preliminaries of the -negotiation proposed to the Dey that it should be conducted in -conferences between His Highness and the French interpreter, who had -arrived at Algiers for the purpose on the 23d of July. This, Hussein -immediately refused to allow, and the Admiral was thrown into the very -dilemma which he wished to avoid; that is to say he was obliged to -write a letter, or to abandon the attempt at negotiation. In order to -avoid this difficulty a letter was written in the Turkish language, -proposing in very general terms the renewal of former relations -between the two Governments, but saying nothing either about the -Ambassador or the brig. Hussein in reply expressed his satisfaction at -the offer which had been made by the French Admiral, whom he invited -to come on shore and confer personally with himself on the subject. M. -de la Bretonniere accepted this invitation, and accordingly entered -the harbor on the 30th of September 1829, in his flag ship the -Provence of eighty guns, <span class="pagenum"><a name="page144"><small><small>[p. 144]</small></small></a></span> -accompanied by the brig which had been -the proximate cause of the negotiation. He landed on the following -morning, and had a long conference with the Dey, of which the -particulars have not transpired. On the 3d of August they had another -conference, which lasted but a short time; on this occasion it is said -the Admiral insisted on the mission of an ambassador as an act of -reparation to France, at which the Dey became so enraged, that he -ordered him immediately to leave Algiers; certain it is that the -conference was suddenly broken up, and the parties separated, each in -a state of high excitement. M. de la Bretonniere immediately embarked, -and sailed with his ships out of the harbor; on passing by the Mole -the Provence received a shot from the fort, and although the flag of -truce was displayed at her mast head, the firing was continued until -she was beyond their reach. The ship is said to have received eighty -balls; her port holes were however kept closed, for had she returned -the fire, it is probable that she would have been sunk. That this -flagrant violation of good faith was the result of the Dey's orders, -no one in Algiers at the time for a moment doubted; Hussein however -pretended that it arose from a mistake, and that he had only ordered a -gun to be fired in case the ship should approach too near to the -batteries, as a signal for her to keep off. He moreover dismissed from -office the Minister of Marine, on whom the responsibility of the act -rested; in so doing however, he only advanced one of his own ends, for -the vacancy was immediately filled by the appointment of his -son-in-law Ibrahim Kara-Dengirzli, the nephew of the Aga Ibrahim.</p> - -<p>The feeble and distracted Ministry which authorized this negotiation, -had been dissolved ere the news of its result arrived in France; and -those who succeeded to power in that country, though possessing energy -and union of purpose, were for some time wholly occupied in preparing -to confront the liberal party at the ensuing session of the -Legislature. No decisive measures were therefore taken with regard to -Algiers during the remainder of 1829; the blockade was indeed -maintained, but with so little rigor as to be scarcely more than -nominal; the Algerine cruisers were spread over the western part of -the Mediterranean, and occasionally appeared before Marseilles, while -the French Admiral with the greater part of his ships remained -generally at Port Mahon.</p> - -<p>Attempts were made at this period, to effect an adjustment of the -differences, by the Governments of Great Britain and Turkey, which -were the most interested in preventing any change in the political -condition of the Barbary States. When the British Government received -the news of Hussein's flagrant violation of good faith, in firing upon -the French Admiral, the Pelorus sloop of war was despatched to -Algiers, where her commander Captain Quin united with the British -Consul Mr. St. John, in endeavoring to prevail upon the Dey to propose -terms of peace. This effort proving vain, the Pelorus sailed to -Constantinople, where it was agreed between the Ambassadors of France -and England, that the Sultan should be requested to interpose; to this -the Turkish Government readily assented, and Halil Effendi a venerable -and respectable Turk, who had long known Hussein and been much -esteemed by him, was ordered to proceed to Algiers, and to entreat or -command the Dey no longer to provoke the vengeance of his powerful -enemies. Halil arrived in the Pelorus on the 28th of November at -Algiers, where he was received with great kindness and affection by -the Dey and by all classes of the inhabitants. His arguments and -entreaties soon produced effects, from which the mediators augured the -most favorable consequences; for Hussein after some days of reflection -and consultation with his Ministers, agreed to propose to M. de la -Bretonniere the renewal of the negotiations, offering him every -assurance of honorable treatment in case he should come to Algiers, -and as an earnest of the sincerity of his intentions, promising the -surrender of all the French prisoners. The Pelorus sailed with these -proposals on the 10th of December for Mahon, where she was detained -nearly three months in expectation of the Admiral's reply; at length -M. de la Bretonniere declared, that as he was still bound by the first -instructions from his Government, he could admit of negotiation on no -other terms, than the mission of an Ambassador to Paris to bear the -explanations of the Dey. With this answer Captain Quin returned to -Algiers on the 1st of April 1830; but no arguments could induce -Hussein to adopt the measure proposed: "God is Great!" said he, "Let -the French come."</p> - -<p>In the mean time the French Ministry had taken a most serious -determination. The insult offered by the Dey in firing upon M. de la -Bretonniere, was concealed from the public as completely as possible; -no mention of it was made in the Moniteur, yet it finally became -known, and the opposition press of Paris eagerly seized the -opportunity, to vilify the hated Ministry of Polignac for delaying to -avenge the insulted honor of France. In this condition of things it -became absolutely necessary for the Government to take some decisive -step towards a conclusion of the war, in order to relieve itself from -a heavy and increasing burthen of popular odium on this account. To -effect this purpose, two plans were proposed in the Ministerial -Council. Count de Bourmont the bold and active chief of the War -Department, was in favor of an expedition sent directly from France, -against the capital city of the offending Sovereign. Prince Polignac -the head of the Ministry, was doubtful of the propriety of risking -such an attempt upon a place defended by nature, by art, and above all -by the savage fanaticism of the surrounding population; he moreover -conceived that even if Algiers were to fall into the hands of the -French, it would be impossible for them to retain it, without a -constant expenditure of force and treasure, for which no return could -be reasonably expected. His plan was therefore to arm against the -Algerines, an enemy professing the same faith with themselves, who in -the event of success might be bound by his interests, to pursue a -policy accordant with the wishes of France and of Europe in general.</p> - -<p>The ideas of Polignac were adopted by the King, and the French -Ambassador at Constantinople was instructed to propose to the -ambitious Pasha of Egypt, that he should undertake the conquest of -Algiers, or even of all Barbary, in which France would under certain -conditions aid him by the co-operation of its naval force. The -Ambassador accordingly despatched M. Huder one of the officers of his -Embassy to Cairo in order to submit this proposition to the Pasha; -Mehemet Ali readily acceded to it, the projet of a Convention on the -subject was drawn up, and the French agent arrived -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page145"><small><small>[p. 145]</small></small></a></span> in Paris with -it about the end of January 1830. The British Government had however -by this time penetrated the secret of the negotiation, and ever -jealous with regard to the occupation of the Barbary coast by any -strong Power, its Ambassador at Paris was immediately instructed to -protest against the plan. As the correspondence on this subject was -never published, we have no means of knowing precisely the grounds of -opposition taken by the British Ministry; they probably had reference -only to the interests of the Sultan, which might be seriously affected -by so great an addition to the force of his refractory Viceroy. -Whatever may have been the influence of this opposition, the project -of a co-operation with Mehemet Ali was abandoned, and it was -determined that an expedition should with the least possible delay, be -sent from France against Algiers.</p> - -<p>Preparations for carrying this resolution into effect were immediately -commenced in all the ports and arsenals in France, and they were -prosecuted with a degree of vigor which excited the admiration of -Europe. The various branches of the service were placed under the -superintendence of the most experienced persons, apparently without -reference to their known political inclinations; and all the resources -of mechanical and medical, as well as military and naval science, were -employed to add to the health and comforts of the soldiers and to give -efficiency to their operations. Works relating to Northern Africa were -examined with attention, and the records of preceding expeditions -against Algiers were studied, in order to discover and provide against -the circumstances which occasioned their failure. Toulon having been -chosen as the place from which the armament was to sail, troops were -collected in its vicinity, and prepared by peculiar exercises for the -duties which they would be required to perform. Ships of war lying at -the different naval establishments, were ordered to be fully equipped, -and as soon as ready to be sent to the rendezvous, where a number of -merchant vessels for the transportation of men and materials were -bound by contract to assemble at the appointed time.</p> - -<p>The object of these preparations after having been communicated in -general terms to the Governments of the other great European nations, -were publicly announced by the King in his address at the opening of -the Legislative session on the 2d of March 1830. The reply made by the -Chamber of Deputies, shewed clearly that the Ministry would find no -favor with that body; this had been anticipated and the session was -accordingly prorogued, with a view to the ulterior dissolution of the -intractable Chamber. The Liberal Party having by this time taken the -alarm, their journals which had been previously filled with invectives -against the Ministers for their apathy under the insults of a -Barbarian, now loudly condemned the objects of the expedition and -prophesied that it would be fruitless. The violence of these -denunciations induced the Ministry to insert an article in the -Moniteur of April 20th, which although unofficial, was afterwards -formally acknowledged to be the expression of the sentiments of the -Government. This article was composed with much care, and although no -one of its statements taken separately can be contradicted, yet their -arrangement, the omissions of important circumstances and the studied -obscurity of the language on certain points, renders the result of the -whole the opposite of that which would arise from a candid exposition. -General Alexandre de Laborde made an able reply in the Constitutionnel -of the 26th of the same month; he fully demonstrated the unimportance -of the African Concessions, the seizure of which was made the -principal grounds of the difference, in the Ministerial declaration; -he shewed that the bad faith of the Government and of its agents had -given the Dey just cause of discontent, that the weakness and -indecision of the late Ministry had provoked and encouraged his -insults, and that the real end of the expedition then in preparation, -was to subdue, not the barbarians of Africa, but the friends of true -liberty in France. Motives of patriotism, and feeling for the honor of -the country may indeed have influenced the Ministry in adopting this -resolution; but there can be no doubt that its principal object was to -sustain the despotic party in France, by reproducing in the people -that admiration for military glory, which experience has shewn to be -incompatible with respect for institutions founded on equality of rights.</p> - -<p>To the announcement of its intentions with regard to Algiers, the -French Ministry received the most satisfactory answers from many of -the Powers of the European Continent. The British Government however, -which had manifested its disapprobation of the plan for establishing -the Egyptian authority in Barbary, was still more unwilling that -France should possess a country, "which in the hands of a more -civilized and enlightened Government, could not fail to exercise an -important influence over the commerce and maritime interests of the -Mediterranean Powers." The French Ambassador at London, when requested -to explain more fully, replied by "the most positive assurances of the -entirely disinterested views of the Cabinet of the Tuilleries;" and -the British Ambassador at Paris on addressing the same demand to -Prince Polignac, was informed "that a satisfactory answer would soon -be given respecting the objects of the expedition, and the future -destiny of the Regency of Algiers in case of success."</p> - -<p>Accordingly on the 20th of March the French Ambassador at London -communicated to Lord Aberdeen then Secretary for Foreign Affairs, a -letter from Prince Polignac, in which after enumerating the various -grievances suffered by France from Algiers, and stating the conviction -of his Government that treaties would be of no avail in preventing -their recurrence, he declared that his Sovereign had resolved to seek -redress by force, and at the same time to advance the interests of -humanity, by abolishing piracy, Christian slavery and the payment of -tribute to the Barbary Regencies; "and if," concludes the Prince, "in -the approaching struggle, the Government now existing at Algiers -should be dissolved, the King whose views in this question are -entirely disinterested, will concert with his Allies respecting the -new order of things, which should for the greatest advantage of the -Christian world replace the system overthrown, and be most proper to -secure the ends thus proposed by His Majesty." This letter was -considered by the British Cabinet, as "scarcely affording that entire -satisfaction which might be reasonably expected;" and its Ambassador -at Paris was in consequence instructed to insist upon an official -assurance from the <span class="pagenum"><a name="page146"><small><small>[p. 146]</small></small></a></span> -French Government, that it "renounced all -views of territorial possession or aggrandizement." The despatch -containing this instruction was read to Prince Polignac, who repeated -in general terms that "the expedition was not undertaken with a view -to obtain territorial acquisitions," adding however that "he had no -objection to give any assurance, which might be calculated to remove -the uneasiness of the British Government."</p> - -<p>For this assurance Lord Aberdeen waited for some time in vain; on the -21st of April the French Ambassador read to him a letter from the -Prince containing a declaration sufficiently explicit and -satisfactory; but he was not authorized to give a copy of it, and -applications were again made to the French Government. Polignac whose -only object was to gain time, evaded these applications by the liberal -employment of petty artifices; at length on the 17th of May, when the -expedition was about to sail, the French Ambassador delivered to Lord -Aberdeen an official copy of a despatch addressed to him by his -Government in the form of a circular to the different courts of -Europe. In this circular the King of France declared to his Allies -that his objects were to obtain redress for the injuries committed by -Algiers, to secure the French possessions in Africa from future -aggressions, and to receive indemnification for the expenses of the -war, as well as to effect the abolition of piracy Christian slavery -and the exaction of tribute; and that until these ends should be -attained and sufficiently secured he would not lay down his arms nor -recall his troops from Africa. In case the existing Government of -Algiers should be overthrown, he would immediately concert with the -other Powers as to the new order of things to be there established, -for the greatest advantage of the Christian world; and as it was -probable that they might soon be required to give their opinions on -this subject, he invited each Government without delay to furnish its -Representative in France with the proper instructions. "His majesty," -says the French Minister in the despatch, "will appear at these -deliberations, ready to furnish every additional explanation which may -be desired, disposed to take into consideration the rights and -interests of all, not bound by anterior engagements, at liberty to -accept any proposition which may tend to assure the attainment of the -result indicated, and free from all feelings of personal interest."</p> - -<p>Not satisfied with such vague promises, the British Minister replied -through the Ambassador at Paris, that although "no further suspicion -could be entertained of any design on the part of the French -Government to establish a military occupation of the Regency, or to -accomplish such a change in the state of territorial possession on the -shores of the Mediterranean, as should affect the interest of European -Powers," yet "he could not avoid calling the attention of Prince -Polignac to the peculiar situation of Algiers in its relation to the -Ottoman Porte;" that although "many Governments of Europe had -contracted engagements with that Regency as an independent State," and -others "continued to regard the Barbary States as essentially -dependant on the Turkish Empire," yet "the supremacy of the Sultan was -allowed by all;" he therefore "submitted to the serious consideration -of the Prince, what must be the effect of a precedent, which thus -disposes of the rights of a third party, against whom no complaint -whatever has been alleged." To this no reply was made, and the -negotiation or rather the discussion ended.</p> - -<p>The preceding statement of the correspondence between the French and -British Governments, relative to the disposition to be made of Algiers -in the event of its conquest, is drawn from the official letters which -passed on the occasion; they were published in compliance with a call -made by Lord Aberdeen in the House of Peers of Great Britain on the 3d -of May 1833. From an examination of those documents, it appears that -no engagement was entered into by the French Government to recall its -troops from Algiers at any period; equally unfounded is the assertion -made by the French historical writers, respecting the reply of Prince -Polignac to the British Ambassador, that "France when insulted asked -the aid of no power in avenging its honor, and would be accountable to -none for the disposal of its conquests." It would be impossible to -give a summary of the results of the negotiation more satisfactory, or -drawn from a source entitled to greater consideration, than that -presented by Lord Aberdeen when he called for the production of the -Correspondence in the House of Lords; "no Convention was signed on the -subject, nor was any express stipulation entered into for the -evacuation of Algiers by the French force; but important engagements -were contracted, which in reference to all the Powers interested in -the commerce of the Mediterranean, and in the territorial arrangements -of that part of the world, were calculated to allay apprehensions -which might reasonably have existed respecting the occupation of -Algiers by the French."</p> - -<p>There were difficulties also within the Ministerial Council. The -preparations for the expedition were nearly completed, before it was -known who was to command it. Three Marshals and six Lieutenant -Generals are said to have been successively proposed and rejected; at -length the Moniteur of the 20th of April, the same which contained the -defence of the objects of the expedition, announced that the King had -appointed Count de Bourmont the Minister of War, to the command of the -<i>Army of Africa</i>, as it was termed. The appointment to a station so -responsible of a man who had betrayed every cause in which he engaged -is said to have received the unwilling assent of the King; it was -considered a fortunate circumstance by the Liberal Party, as it -contributed to excite the indignation of the whole country, and to -deprive the Government of the popularity, which it might otherwise -have gained by the expedition.</p> - -<p>On the day when his nomination was published, Bourmont left Paris for -Toulon, the affairs of his Department having been committed during his -absence to Prince Polignac. He was followed by the Minister of the -Marine, and soon after by the Duke d'Angouleme, who as grand Admiral -of France came to review the armament before its departure.</p> - -<p>Certainly never did the harbor of Toulon, nor any other harbor exhibit -a more gallant spectacle.</p> - -<p>The Army of Africa was composed of thirty-seven thousand six hundred -and fifty men; the number of horses employed in the different branches -of its service was three thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, and -the artillery consisted of one hundred and eighty pieces of cannon. -This force was arranged in three divisions, which were placed -severally under the commands of -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page147"><small><small>[p. 147]</small></small></a></span> -Lieutenant Generals the Baron de -Barthezène, Count de Loverdo, and the Duke d'Escars; the Chief -Engineer was General Valazé and the artillery was directed by Count de -la Hitte. The number of ships of war was one hundred and three, -including eleven of the line, twenty-three frigates and seven steam -ships; they were manned by twenty-seven thousand seamen, and carried -more than three thousand guns. They were arranged in three squadrons; -the <i>Squadron of Battle</i> commanded by Admiral Duperré, who conducted -the naval operations of the expedition; the <i>Squadron of -Disembarkation</i> by Admiral Rosamel, and the <i>Squadron of Reserve</i> by -Captain Lemoine. Between four and five hundred merchant vessels were -engaged for the transportation of horses, provisions and materials, -and many others were allowed to accompany the fleet, laden with -various articles which might be needed. Of the equipments and -accompaniments of this force, it would be difficult to convey an -adequate idea, without entering into details which might not prove -generally interesting; suffice it to say that no expense was spared to -render them complete, and that nothing was neglected, which could -contribute to the attainment of the end proposed. Upon the whole, the -armament was superior to any other which in modern times has crossed a -sea; those led by Charles the Fifth against Tunis and Algiers, the -famed <i>Spanish Armada</i> sent by Philip the Second for the invasion of -England, and even the mighty expedition conducted by Napoleon to Egypt -being each inferior to it in appointments, in naval force, and in the -numerical amount of the persons engaged.</p> - -<p>All things being in readiness the embarkation of the troops was -commenced on the 11th of May, and having been conducted with the -utmost order and precision, it was terminated in a week. On the 25th -the wind being favorable the first squadron sailed out of the harbor; -the second followed on the 26th, and the third on the 27th. They -directed their course for Algiers; it was however arranged that in -case of separation by storm or other unexpected occurrence, the place -of rendezvous would be Palma the capital of the Island of Majorca.</p> - -<p>Scarcely had the first squadron quitted Toulon, ere it was met by a -Turkish frigate escorted by one of the ships of the squadron which was -blockading Algiers. The Turkish frigate bore no less a personage than -Tahir Pasha the Capudan Pasha or High Admiral of Turkey, who had been -sent by the Sultan with full powers to arrange the differences between -France and the Dey. He had sailed first to Algiers, where he intended -to command Hussein to accept the terms required by the French, and in -case of refusal to depose him and take possession of the place in the -name of the Sultan; but the commander of the blockading squadron off -that place had received orders to suffer no ship to enter the harbor, -and Tahir finding it impossible to land, hastened to Toulon in hopes -that his representations might prevent the sailing of the expedition. -Well was it for the Pasha, that he was not permitted to enter Algiers, -for Hussein who knew of his approach and of the objects of his visit, -had prepared to have him strangled as soon as he landed.</p> - -<p>The Turkish Ambassador on meeting the French fleet, boarded the -Admiral's ship, and had a conference with Bourmont which of course -proved ineffectual; he then continued his voyage to Toulon, where he -was placed in quarantine immediately on his arrival. Thence he -attempted to transmit his communications to the Government, but great -care had been taken to prevent them from reaching their destination. -The British Ambassador asked explanations from the French Minister as -to the objects of his visit, and endeavored to procure a hearing for -him; but Prince Polignac adroitly evaded the questions, by confessing -with the greatest apparent frankness, that he was entirely ignorant -for what purpose the Turkish Ambassador was sent. Tahir at length -seeing that it was useless to remain longer, and have "his beard thus -laughed at," went back to Constantinople.</p> - -<p>Before the scene of the history is changed to Africa, it may be -stated, that on the 15th of May, while all France was intent upon the -preparations for the departure of the expedition, an ordinance -appeared in the Moniteur dissolving the Chamber of Deputies. A few -days after a partial change was made in the Ministerial Body by the -introduction of persons still more opposed to liberal institutions -than those whom they replaced, and still more odious to the nation at -large. The French Ministry subsisted as thus organized until the 28th -of July, when Charles the Tenth ceased to reign.</p> -<br> -<br> -<hr align="center" width="100"><a name="sect03"></a> -<br> -<br> -<h4>A LAY OF RUIN.</h4> -<center><small>BY MISS DRAPER.</small></center> -<br> -<br> -<table align="center" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" summary="poem2"> - <tr><td> 'Twas nightfall—and the stars their pale light threw<br> - Upon the Cortées, and her joyous crew,<br> - Propitious heaven a friendly cool wind gave,<br> - That fanned them gently o'er the silvery wave:<br> - Upon the deck, mingled the gay and young,<br> - In giddy motion—while the pleasant sound,<br> - The lively note of merry music rung<br> - In lightsome echoes, on the water round.<br> - Oh! it is glorious, when on ocean far,<br> - A prosperous crew their jovial revels keep,<br> - Gazing on Beauty 'neath the midnight star,<br> - And dancing on the bosom of the deep.<br> -<br> - Amid his mates, thick gather'd round the mast,<br> - The laughing sailor whistles loud, and sings<br> - Of storm, and shipwreck, and strange dangers past,<br> - Of sharks, and crocodile, and all such things<br> - As eat men up at sea—and then anon,<br> - Of Heathen temples, and of Christian domes,<br> - Of Greenland Beauties, in a freezing zone,<br> - And dark-ey'd Donnas, in their sunny homes.<br> -<br> - Far from the rest—pensive, and silently,<br> - Mute as a statue, Sobieski stood,<br> - A banish'd Pole—a gallant soldier he,<br> - Of noble aspect, and of noble blood.<br> - It wanted not the aid of tongue to speak,<br> - All Sobieski had been—or was now:<br> - The silent tear, upon his manly cheek,<br> - The thick, deep furrows of his lofty brow,—<br> - His faded lip, his melancholy gaze,<br> - Told the sad history of gone-by days.<br> - And closely by his side a frail girl clung,<br> - The proud Pole's daughter: with a tearless eye,<br> - And pensive smile—upon his arm she hung,<br> - Like some pale being from the distant sky.<br> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page148"><small><small>[p. 148]</small></small></a></span> -<br> - A breeze arose—it was a joyous breeze—<br> - And as they hurry through the parting seas,<br> - From highest mast the anxious tars look out:<br> - "Land, land ahead!" the hopeful sailors shout.<br> - It blew a gale—it blew a heavy gale—<br> - With dexterous hand they furl the rattling sail.<br> - A tempest came—against a frightful rock<br> - The Cortées struck—hearts quiver'd with the shock.<br> - "Down with the life-boat,"—'twas a fearful cry;<br> - And oaths, and prayers, went mingling through the sky.<br> - By raging winds and furious breakers lash'd,<br> - 'Gainst the tall cliffs again the Cortées dash'd—<br> - On the white waves a scatter'd wreck she lay,<br> - And the wild billows roll'd her mast away.<br> -<br> - Slowly, but safe, the crowded life-boat bore<br> - Its precious burden, to the nearing shore—<br> - And as with breathless haste the thankful crew<br> - Leapt on the land, all hands were safe but two;<br> - But two were wanting, two, and two alone,<br> - The Polish Maiden! and the exiled one!<br> -<br> - They two had linger'd on the Cortées, till<br> - The hardy Captain, seeing all must fly,<br> - Tore down a light boat; with a dismal cry,<br> - And frantic rush, the slender bark they fill.<br> - For life—for life—the weary sailors row'd.<br> - For life—for life—Oh! 'twas a vain endeavor;<br> - The little skiff o'erburden'd with its load,<br> - Was slowly sinking in the waves forever—<br> - Ah! which of them, with land in sight, could bear<br> - To meet Death thus? Hope makes a coward brave,<br> - And they who might have shudder'd in despair,<br> - Kept fearlessly above the billowy wave—<br> - The dexterous swimmers, reach'd the life-boat's crew,<br> - And Sobieski could have reach'd it too;<br> - But in one arm his terror'd child he bore,<br> - And with the other battled with the sea:<br> - Bravely he toil'd to gain the distant shore;<br> - The rest were there already—only he,<br> - And his wan daughter, with exhausted breath,<br> - Were flying from the watery jaws of Death.<br> - At length, the frenzied Pole beheld the land,<br> - And eager, with a Father's tender hand,<br> - Fondly, he raised Pascobi's drooping head;<br> - She trembled not—her terror all had fled—<br> - The Polish maid was with the fearless dead!<br> -<br> - The distant thunder murmur'd through the air,<br> - The lightning gleam'd amid the clouds afar,<br> - The hollow wind went whistling—low, away<br> - On unknown journies. Light, and lovely day<br> - Were brightly dawning on that lonely spot,<br> - Where lay the victim of the direful storm,<br> - So still—so pale—so beautiful—with not<br> - An eye to weep for her. In holy calm,<br> - And silent grief, her sire was kneeling by—<br> - Pascobi slept, as free from care as pain—<br> - And 'twere a sin that e'en a father's sigh<br> - Should wake that daughter into life again.<br> -<br> - Once, Sobieski under Poland's sun<br> - Had proudly lorded over lands his own—<br> - And now, his Spirit could not stoop to ask<br> - A Stranger to bestow on him a grave—<br> - He took his pale child, 'twas a bitter task,<br> - And buried her beneath the quiet wave.</td></tr> -</table><br> -<br> -<br> -<hr align="center" width="100"><a name="sect04"></a> -<br> -<br> -<h4>BALLAD.</h4> -<br> -<table align="center" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" summary="poem3"> - <tr><td>Far 'neath the dim mountains<br> - The daylight dies—<br> - And Heaven is opening<br> - Her starry eyes;<br> - The Moon o'er the tree-tops<br> - Looks down on the stream,<br> - Where the castle's broad shadow<br> - Sleeps—dark as a dream.<br> -<br> - From the Oriel-lattice<br> - A bright Lady gazed—<br> - Her eyes—sad—though tearless,<br> - To heaven upraised.<br> - Her brow was all paleness—<br> - Yet beauty dwelt there—<br> - A picture of sorrow<br> - With raven dark hair.<br> -<br> - She marked not the softness<br> - Of dim vale and stream—<br> - The mist on the mountain—<br> - The lake's distant gleam—<br> - She saw not the mimic<br> - Dew-star in the grass,<br> - Nor the pale damp that hung o'er<br> - The haunted morass.<br> -<br> - She heard not the owlet's<br> - Sad song from the wood—<br> - Nor the rush of his wings as<br> - He sailed o'er the flood—<br> - Nor rapid hoofs ringing,<br> - And neigh echoed shrill,<br> - As the hurrying horseman<br> - Spurred over the hill.<br> -<br> - Oh! her thoughts were far distant<br> - Far—far—in the land,<br> - Where her gallant crusader<br> - Held knightly command.<br> - She prays for his safety,<br> - Who sleeps in his gore<br> - By the crimson-dyed sands of<br> - Far Galilee's shore.<br> -<br> - The dark waving cypress<br> - O'ershadows his grave—<br> - A cross tells the pilgrim<br> - Where sleepeth the brave—<br> - And the horseman who knocks at<br> - The castle-gate,<br> - Hath a tale for its Lady,<br> - A seal for her fate.</td></tr> -</table> -<div align="right"><small>W. M. R. </small></div> -<br> -<br> -<hr align="center" width="100"><a name="sect05"></a> -<br> -<br> -<h4>THE GOURD OF JONAH.</h4> -<br> - -<p>The gourd mentioned in Jonah as springing up in one night, is in the -Hebrew 'Kikajon.' St. Jerom and many others call it ivy. St. Jerom, -however, acknowledges ivy to be an improper translation. The Kikajon, -according to Galmêt, is a non-parasitical shrub found in the sandy -places of Palestine. It grows with rapidity, and has thick leaves -resembling those of a vine.</p> -<br> -<br><span class="pagenum"><a name="page149"><small><small>[p. 149]</small></small></a></span> -<hr align="center" width="100"><a name="sect06"></a> -<br> -<br> -<h4>THE COUSIN OF THE MARRIED,</h4> -<center><small>AND THE COUSIN OF THE DEAD.<br> -<br> -[From the French.]</small></center> -<br> -<br> -<p>There was found, under the Restoration, a man who was surnamed <i>The -Cousin of the Married</i>, and who merited the appellation by a course of -industry and ingenuity truly singular. He repaired every morning to -the office of the Mayor of the twelve districts of Paris, and -stationed himself before the little grate, where are endorsed notices -of all marriages about to take place. He read attentively the names of -the affianced persons, learned their qualities, and informed himself -of their fortune. When he obtained all this information, the ingenious -Cousin made his choice, always deciding, however, in favor of that -marriage which was expected to attract the greatest number of guests, -and which promised the most sumptuous dinner. He would then buy an -enormous <i>bouquet</i>, put on his fine black coat, a pair of open-work -stockings and light pumps, and then take from his bandbox his new hat; -so attired he would proceed cautiously among the carriages, with a -buoyant step, to the church where the marriage ceremony was to be -performed, join the crowd of attendants, and officiously offer to hold -the nuptial veil. When the benediction was pronounced, he created -himself <i>Master of Ceremonies</i>, leading the way to the carriages, -giving his hand to the ladies, carefully lifting their dresses to -prevent them from coming in contact with the coach wheels, shutting -the coach doors and bidding the drivers proceed to the appointed -hotel. For himself he was no less careful, as he always contrived to -secure a place for himself in one of the carriages, so as to arrive -with the rest of the company. It was then that he was brilliant, and -then that his liveliness and gaiety served to beguile, with the -company, the tedious hour before dinner. He had for all some remark to -excite laughter—he repeated a pleasant little story, adapted to the -time and circumstance of the assembly—he hastened the preparations -for the repast—humorously recommended the guests to be patient, and -to prepare their appetites for eating, and when all was ready he would -announce the fact himself. He was the Major Domo of the house—the man -indispensable—the commissary of the feast. Every voice was in his -praise—"<i>that gentleman is very amiable</i>"—and if any one -indiscreetly inquired his name, it was answered that he was presumed -to be the parent or friend of the bride, or a cousin or an intimate -friend of the groom.</p> - -<p>But it was at the table that his efforts to please were particularly -conspicuous. He would post himself in the place of honor—seize the -great carving-knife—cut up the meats with admirable promptness and -dexterity, and carefully and politely wait upon every guest. He -directed the servants, overlooked the courses, and tasted the wines. -Then when the dessert was brought, he would take from his pocket a -piece of pink paper, mysteriously unfold it, and sing from it a stanza -in honor of the newly married couple, composed by himself expressly -for the occasion. The good fellow knew but one little story and but -one stanza, but he served them up every morning in a new edition.</p> - -<p>Unfortunately this witty sharper was one day detected in his career of -imposition. Seduced by the attraction of great names, he went to the -marriage festival of a rich nobleman of the Fauborg St. Germain. He -had assisted at the mass—returned in an elegant barouche to the -hotel—had glided unobserved into the parlor, and stood waiting for a -suitable opportunity to rehearse his amusing little story, and to -commence his <i>impromptu</i> remarks, so often before repeated. All at -once he became the object of general attention; all at once he found -all eyes fixed upon him. The mistress of the feast had counted her -plates and her guests, and had ascertained that of the latter there -was one too many. She was astonished to find on inquiring the name of -the Cousin, that no one knew him, and that no one recognized him as a -friend. For the first time the <i>Cousin of the Married</i> lost his -self-possession and his assurance. How was he to escape the gaze of -the eyes fixed upon him? How was he to answer the questions which -might be addressed to him? Presently, a gentleman advances towards him -and asks—"By which of the married couple were you invited—on which -side are you?"</p> - -<p>"On which side?" said the Cousin of the Married, taking his hat, "on -the side of the door;" and so saying, he quickly descended the stairs -and left the house. Since that day no one has heard tell of him.</p> - -<p>But if we have no longer the Cousin of the Married, we have now the -<i>Cousin of the Dead</i>, an expression equally as significant as the -first.</p> - -<p>Ruined by the Revolution of 1793, the Count of V***, was obliged to -accept of a very modest employment. In consequence of a change in the -Ministry, the old clerk was compelled to leave his office, with no -other resource to sustain life, than a miserable income of 400 francs -per annum. He was old, and alone in the world. His strength did not -permit him to labor, and by constantly dwelling on his poverty, he -became melancholy, and subsequently fell dangerously sick. By -carefully attending to the advice of a physician, who generously -refused to accept the small sum the old man offered to give for his -services, he became, in time, somewhat restored. This physician -prescribed for his patient, on pain of a relapse, frequent exercise -and a daily ride. You may judge of the poor man's embarrassment! How -could he ride every day in a carriage, when his little income was -scarcely sufficient to procure the essentials of life? The smallest -excursion in a cabriolet cost twenty-five sous—one excursion per day -would be four hundred and fifty francs per annum, and his whole yearly -income amounted to only four hundred. At that time omnibusses were not -invented.</p> - -<p>He was beginning to despond when the heavens sent him succor. In -passing near St. Rock, he observed that the gate of the church was -hung in black, and that a long line of vehicles were in waiting to -conduct a funeral procession to <i>Père La Chaise</i>. The coachmen were on -their seats, and their strong and beautiful horses, covered with the -trappings of mourning, were awaiting with impatience, the moment of -departure. The advice of the physician recurred with great force to -the mind of poor V***—a feeling of jealousy glided into his -inoffensive heart. He envied the fortune of those who could thus ride -gratis—he envied, for one instant, the happy destiny of the deceased, -in being conveyed to his last earthly home, in a splendid hearse, -drawn by four magnificent horses. Feeling a curiosity to know the name -and history of one upon whom fortune had so lavished -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page150"><small><small>[p. 150]</small></small></a></span> her favors, -he entered the church and piously knelt down among the mourners. V*** -had on his only black coat, and he was immediately taken for one of -the friends of the deceased, and after the ceremonies in the church, -was offered a place in one of the funeral carriages. The occasion was -too opportune to be neglected, and he gladly jumped into the -wished-for carriage.</p> - -<p>On the way, a thousand ideas passed through his imagination. He -thanked heaven for having furnished him with the means to fulfil, in -so economical a manner, the recommendation of his physician. He -accompanied the corpse to the grave—saw the coffin laid in the tomb, -and on leaving the churchyard, he found the coach in waiting, and the -coachman ready to convey him home.</p> - -<p>Since that event V*** has become the willing assistant of all public -interments; and what was, at first, only useful as a means of -exercise, has become for him a pleasure and a delight. He goes to a -funeral as others go to the theatre, to a ball, or to a festival. He -daily reads the lists of deaths in the city, and these lists are to -him a journal, and the only one for which he conceives there is any -use. Still more, he has taken lodgings opposite the dwelling of the -undertaker, and every morning he crosses the street to converse with -the undertaker, and inform himself of the burials of the day. He puts -on his blue surtout or his black dress, according to the rank and -fortune of the deceased, the expenses of the funeral, &c., and for all -grand ceremonies he wears crape on his arm. V*** is now generally -known by the title of <i>the Cousin of the Dead</i>. For fifteen years he -has not missed a single funeral. His views are too liberal to adopt -party feelings; he has assisted to inter Bellart and Manuel, Talma and -the Bishop of Beauvais, a female follower of St. Simon and the lady -Superior of the Convent of Minimes, and he hopes to live to inter many -other characters equally distinguished. He once presented to the -Chamber of Deputies, a petition for a law interdicting the embalming -of infants, by which the number of funeral processions is materially -lessened.</p> - -<p>The Cousin of the Dead possesses a remarkably expansive sensibility, -and an extraordinary quantity of sympathy for the afflictions of -others. He feels the grief of a bereaved mother, the despair of a -heart-broken widow, the sorrow of a childless father, with the -poignancy of truth. Many a legator, in noticing his sorrow at the -grave, has taken him for a disinherited relative; many a mother has -been gratified to see him shed tears over her favorite son, and many -an husband, on losing a beloved wife, has been astonished at his grief -over her remains. He composes funeral orations for all illustrious -persons; the burial place is his life and his world. At times, struck -with the appearance of grief depicted on his countenance, the friends -of the dead have desired him to be the principal mourner.</p> - -<p>One day, during the burial of a personage of considerable importance, -the Cousin of the Dead was observed to shed an abundance of tears. One -of the mourners approached him and desired that he would make a few -appropriate remarks—<i>jeter quelques fleurs sur le cercueil</i>—on the -individual whose remains they had just deposited in the cold grave. -The procession closed around him as he prepared to speak.</p> - -<p>"The tomb," said he, "is again about to enclose the remains of a -distinguished citizen." He stopped for a moment, and inquired, in a -low voice, the name of the deceased. He was answered, "Augustin -Leger."</p> - -<p>"Augustin Leger," he resumed, "was a man, grave and austere. His long -life was but a continued series of virtuous and benevolent acts. He -was entirely devoted to the holy, the legitimate cause of——"</p> - -<p><i>He was a regicide!</i></p> - -<p>"The rights of the sovereign people. His disinterestedness——"</p> - -<p><i>He was a usurer!</i></p> - -<p>"His laudable economy, his aversion to luxury, his unassuming and -modest deportment, had gained for him universal esteem. But still more -worthy of admiration were his virtues in private life—his patience, -his humility, and his devoted and unchangeable attachment to the wife -of his bosom, the lady of his choice."</p> - -<p><i>He had been divorced!</i></p> - -<p>"For his children he cherished the most affectionate and tender -regard."</p> - -<p><i>He had driven them from his house!</i></p> - -<p>"Virtuous friend! May the earth rest lightly on thy coffin!"</p> -<br> -<br> -<hr align="center" width="100"><a name="sect07"></a> -<br> -<br> -<h4>THE DUC DE L'OMELETTE.</h4> - -<center><small>BY EDGAR A. POE.</small></center> -<br> -<table align="center" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" summary="poem4"> - <tr><td><small>And stepped at once into a cooler clime.<br> - - - - <i>Cowper</i>.</small></td></tr> -</table> -<br> -<br> -<p>Keats fell by a criticism. Who was it died of <i>The Andromache?</i><small><small><sup>1</sup></small></small> -Ignoble souls!—De L'Omelette perished of an ortolan. <i>L'histoire en -est breve</i>—assist me Spirit of Apicius!</p> - -<blockquote><small><small><sup>1</sup></small> Montfleury. The author of the <i>Parnasse Reformé</i> makes -him thus express himself in the shades. "The man then who would know -of what I died, let him not ask if it were of the fever, the dropsy, -or the gout; but let him know that it was of The Andromache."</small></blockquote> - -<p>A golden cage bore the little winged wanderer, enamored, melting, -indolent, to the <i>Chaussée D'Antin</i>, from its home in far Peru. From -its queenly possessor La Bellissima, to the Duc De L'Omelette, six -peers of the empire conveyed the happy bird. It was "All for Love."</p> - -<p>That night the Duc was to sup alone. In the privacy of his bureau, he -reclined languidly on that ottoman for which he sacrificed his loyalty -in outbidding his king—the notorious ottoman of Cadêt.</p> - -<p>He buries his face in the pillow—the clock strikes! Unable to -restrain his feelings, his Grace swallows an olive. At this moment the -door gently opens to the sound of soft music, and lo! the most -delicate of birds is before the most enamored of men! But what -inexpressible dismay now overshadows the countenance of the -Duc?——"<i>Horreur!</i>—<i>chien!</i>—<i>Baptiste!</i>—<i>l'oiseau! ah, bon Dieu! -cet oiseau modeste que tu as deshabillé de ses plumes, et que tu as -servi sans papier!</i>" It is superfluous to say more—the Duc expired in -a paroxysm of disgust.</p> - -<center>* * - * - * - *</center> - -<p>"Ha! ha! ha!"—said his Grace on the third day after his decease.</p> - -<p>"He! he! he!"—replied the Devil faintly, drawing himself up with an -air of hauteur.</p> - -<p>"Why, surely you are not serious"—retorted De L'Omelette. "I have -sinned—<i>c'est vrai</i>—but, my good -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page151"><small><small>[p. 151]</small></small></a></span> -sir, consider!—you have no -actual intention of putting such—such—barbarous threats into -execution."</p> - -<p>"No <i>what?</i>"—said His Majesty—"come sir, strip!"</p> - -<p>"Strip indeed!—very pretty i' faith!—no, sir, I shall <i>not</i> strip. -Who are you, pray, that I, Duc De L'Omelette, Prince de Foie-Gras, -just come of age, author of the 'Mazurkiad,' and Member of the -Academy, should divest myself at your bidding of the sweetest -pantaloons ever made by Bourdon, the daintiest <i>robe-de-chambre</i> ever -put together by Rombêrt—to say nothing of the taking my hair out of -paper—not to mention the trouble I should have in drawing off my -gloves?"</p> - -<p>"Who am I?—ah, true! I am Baal-Zebub, Prince of the Fly. I took thee -just now from a rose-wood coffin inlaid with ivory. Thou wast -curiously scented, and labelled as per invoice. Belial sent thee—my -Inspector of Cemeteries. The pantaloons, which thou sayest were made -by Bourdon, are an excellent pair of linen drawers, and thy -<i>robe-de-chambre</i> is a shroud of no scanty dimensions."</p> - -<p>"Sir!" replied the Duc, "I am not to be insulted with impunity!—Sir! -I shall take the earliest opportunity of avenging this insult!—Sir! -you shall hear from me! In the meantime <i>au revoir!</i>"—and the Duc was -bowing himself out of the Satanic presence, when he was interrupted -and brought back by a gentleman in waiting. Hereupon his Grace rubbed -his eyes, yawned, shrugged his shoulders, reflected. Having become -satisfied of his identity, he took a bird's eye view of his -whereabouts.</p> - -<p>The apartment was superb. Even De L'Omelette pronounced it <i>bien comme -il faut</i>. It was not very long, nor very broad,—but its height—ah, -that was appalling! There was no ceiling—certainly none—but a dense, -whirling mass of fiery-colored clouds. His Grace's brain reeled as he -glanced upwards. From above, hung a chain of an unknown blood-red -metal—its upper end lost, like C——, <i>parmi les nues</i>. From its -nether extremity hung a large cresset. The Duc knew it to be a -ruby—but from it there poured a light so intense, so still, so -terrible, Persia never worshipped such—Gheber never imagined -such—Mussulman never dreamed of such when drugged with opium he has -tottered to a bed of poppies, his back to the flowers, and his face to -the God Apollo! The Duc muttered a slight oath decidedly approbatory.</p> - -<p>The corners of the room were rounded into niches. Three of these were -filled with statues of gigantic proportions. Their beauty was Grecian, -their deformity Egyptian, their <i>tout ensemble</i> French. In the fourth -niche the statue was veiled—it was not colossal. But then there was a -taper ankle, a sandalled foot. De L'Omelette laid his hand upon his -heart, closed his eyes, raised them, and caught his Satanic -Majesty—in a blush.</p> - -<p>But the paintings!—Kupris! Astarte! Astoreth!—a thousand and the -same! And Rafaelle has beheld them! Yes, Rafaelle has been here; for -did he not paint the —— ? and was he not consequently damned? The -paintings!—the paintings! O Luxury! O Love!—who gazing on those -forbidden beauties shall have eyes for the dainty devices of the -golden frames that lie imbedded and asleep against those swellings -walls of eider down?</p> - -<p>But the Duc's heart is fainting within him. He is not, however, as you -suppose, dizzy with magnificence, nor drunk with the ecstatic breath -of those innumerable censers. <i>C'est vrai que de toutes ces choses il -a pensé beaucoup—mais!</i> The Duc De L'Omelette is terror-stricken; for -through the lurid vista which a single uncurtained window is -affording, lo! gleams the most ghastly of all fires!</p> - -<p><i>Le Pauvre Duc!</i> He could not help imagining that the glorious, the -voluptuous, the never-dying melodies which pervaded that hall, as they -passed filtered and transmuted through the alchemy of the enchanted -window panes, were the wailings and the howlings of the hopeless and -the damned! And there too—there—upon that ottoman!—who could <i>he</i> -be?—he, the <i>petit-maitre</i>—no, the Deity—who sat as if carved in -marble, <i>et qui sourit</i>, with his pale countenance, <i>si amerement</i>.</p> - -<center>* * - * - * - *</center> - -<p><i>Mais il faut agir</i>—that is to say a Frenchman never faints outright. -Besides, his Grace hated a scene—De L'Omelette is himself again. -There were some foils upon a table—some points also. The Duc had -studied under B——, <i>il avait tué ses six hommes</i>. Now then <i>il peut -s'echapper</i>. He measures two points, and, with a grace inimitable, -offers his Majesty the choice. <i>Horreur!</i> his Majesty does not fence!</p> - -<p><i>Mais il joue!</i>—what a happy thought! But his Grace had always an -excellent memory. He had dipped in the "<i>Diable</i>" of the Abbé -Gualtier. Therein it is said "<i>que le Diable n'ose pas refuser un jeu -d'Ecarté</i>."</p> - -<p>But the chances—the chances! True—desperate: but not more desperate -than the Duc. Besides, was he not in the secret?—had he not skimmed -over Pere Le Brun? was he not a member of the Club Vingt-un? "<i>Si Je -perds</i>," said he, "<i>Je serai deux fois perdu</i>," I shall be doubly -damned—<i>voila tout!</i> (Here his Grace shrugged his shoulders) <i>Si Je -gagne Je serai libre,—que les cartes soient prepareés!</i></p> - -<center>* * - * - * - *</center> - -<p>His Grace was all care, all attention—his Majesty all confidence. A -spectator would have thought of Francis and Charles. His Grace thought -of his game. His Majesty did not think—he shuffled. The Duc <i>coupa</i>.</p> - -<p>The cards are dealt. The trump is turned—it is—it is—the king! -No—it was the queen. His Majesty cursed her masculine habiliments. De -L'Omelette laid his hand upon his heart.</p> - -<p>They play. The Duc counts. The hand is out. His Majesty counts -heavily, smiles, and is taking wine. The Duc slips a card.</p> - -<p>"<i>C'est à vous à faire</i>"—said his Majesty cutting. His Grace bowed, -dealt, and arose from the table <i>en presentant le Roi</i>.</p> - -<p>His Majesty looked chagrined.</p> - -<p>Had the drunkard not been Alexander, he would have been Diogenes; and -the Duc assured his Majesty in taking leave "<i>que s'il n'etait pas De -L'Omelette il n'aurait point d'objection d'etre le Diable</i>."</p> -<br> -<br> -<hr align="center" width="100"><a name="sect08"></a> -<br> -<br> -<h4>THE ILIAD.</h4> -<br> -<p>Mr. H. N. Coleridge says there would be no difficulty in composing a -complete epic poem with as much symmetry of parts as is seen in the -Iliad, from the English ballads on Robin Hood.</p> -<br> -<br><hr align="center" width="100"><a name="sect09"></a> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page152"><small><small>[p. 152]</small></small></a></span> -<br> -<br> -<h4>RUSTIC COURTSHIP</h4> -<h5>IN NEW ENGLAND.</h5> -<center><small>[<i>From the lips of an Octogenarian</i>.]</small></center> -<br> -<table align="center" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" summary="poem5"> - <tr><td><small> - Won by the charms<br> - Of goodness irresistible.<br> - - - - -<i>Thomson</i>.</small></td></tr> -</table> -<br> -<br> -<p>"You see, ma'am," said the old man, "my mother died when I was twelve -years old. About that time old Mr. C—— came down, and set up for a -great <i>marchant</i>. Well, his wife was sick, and she sent to ——, where -she came from, for a widow-woman to come and take care of her. This -widow-woman had three children. Her husband, had been a sea-faring -man, and he was <i>wracked</i> and lost down there at Halifax,—and left -his wife with nothing at all, and these three children to take care of."</p> - -<p>"Well, my daddy, ma'am, fell in with her, some how or other, and -married her. She was a nice woman—as good a mother as ever was,—and -had great <i>larning</i>, and knew how to do every thing,—only she didn't -know <i>nothing</i> about country-work, you see. Well, her oldest daughter -came down, (for my dad had agreed to take one of the children,) and -she was a nice <i>gal;</i> and a while after the boy came down. Well, there -was nothing said; we all worked along; and the daughter she got -married—married Mr. H——, (you know his folks?—) he broke his neck -afterwards, falling from his horse."</p> - -<p>"Well, a while after this tother daughter came down. Debby was -dreadful plain!—I thought she was <i>dreadful plain!!</i>—but she was a -nice <i>gal</i>—smart, working—and good to every body. You see, there -were four young children of the second crop, and they had got ragged; -and Debby spun, and wove, and clothed, and mended them up. Well, she -went back,—but they couldn't live without her, and sent for her -again, and so she came. She took care of every thing—saw to my -things, and had them all in order,—and every thing comfortable for me -in the winter, when I went in the woods,—but I thought nothing, no -more than if she'd been my sister."</p> - -<p>"Well, by this time I was a youngish man; and in my day, the young -folks had a sort of a frolic every night. I used to go,—and sometimes -went home with one <i>gal</i>, sometimes with another,—but never thought -of Debby. Well, there was a Mr. —— came to see her, but she wouldn't -have nothing to say to him; and after that, one came from the -Shoals—a rich man's son; his father gave him a complete new vessel, -and every thing to load her; but Debby wouldn't have nothing to do -with him <i>nother</i>. <i>Then I wasn't worth so much as this stick!</i>—Well, -I wondered, and so I says to mother, 'Mother, what's the reason Debby -wont take this man?—she'll never better herself!'—'Don't you know, -John?' says mother. 'No.' So I says to Debby—'Why don't you have him, -Debby?' 'Because,' says Debby, says she, 'if I can't have the one I -want, I wont have nobody!'"</p> - -<p>"Well, I thought nothing,—but went on, frolicking here, and -frolicking there, till one night as I was going home, just towards -day, with one of my mates, says I, 'Tom,' says I, 'I wont go to -another frolic these two months! If I do, I'll give you a -dollar!'—'You?' says he—'you'll go afore two nights!' 'Well, you'll -see,' says I.—Well, I stayed at home <i>steady;</i> and after a while says -father, says he to mother, 'Suzy,' says he, (for that was the way he -always spoke to her—) 'Suzy,' says he, 'I guess John has got tired of -raking about so,—and I'm glad of it.' 'I hope he has,' says mother."</p> - -<p>"Well, one day we were all sitting at table,—mother <i>sot</i> there,—and -father <i>sot there</i>,—and the hired man next him,—(for we had a hired -man, and hired <i>gal</i>,) and Debby was next to mother, and the <i>gal</i> -next, and I between the hired man and hired <i>gal</i>. Well, mother was -joking the hired man and <i>gal</i>,—(she was a great hand to joke,) and I -cast an eye at Debby, and I thought, 'I never see any body alter as -you have, Debby!'—She looked handsome!—Well, Debby was weaving up -stairs; and I was mowing down by the well, close by the house; and I -felt kind of uneasy, and made an excuse to go in for a drink of water. -Well, I went in;—and I went up stairs, and into tother chamber—not -the one where Debby was weaving,—(for I was kind of bashful, you -see,—) and then I went in where Debby was—but said nothing,—for I -had never laid the weight of my finger on the <i>gal</i> in my life. At -last, 'Debby,' says I, 'what sort of a weaver are you, Debby?' 'O, I -guess I can get off as many yards as any body,' says she; 'and I want -to get my web out, to go up on the hill to sister's, this afternoon.' -'Well,' says I, 'tell her to have something nice, for I shall be up -there.' 'We shan't see you there, I guess,' says Debby. 'You will -though,' says I; 'see if you don't!' Father had a great pasture on the -hill,—a kind of farm like, (for my father was a rich man!—) so just -afore night up I goes, and they had every thing in order. So a while -after supper I says to Debby, 'Debby, 'tis time for us to go, for -'twill be milking-time, by the time we get home.' So we went right -down across,—and on the way we talked the business over. I married -her—and a better wife never wore shoe-leather!"</p> -<br> -<br><hr align="center" width="100"><a name="sect10"></a> -<br> -<br> -<h4>PALÆSTINE.</h4> -<br> -<p>Palæstine derives its name from the Philistæi, who inhabited the coast -of Judæa. It has also been called "The Holy Land" as being the scene -of the birth, sufferings and death of our Redeemer. It was bounded on -the north by Syria, on the east by Arabia Deserta, on the south by -Arabia Petrea, and on the west by the Mediterranean. The principal -divisions of the country were Galilea in the north, Samaria in the -middle, and Judæa in the south. This country is at present under the -Turkish yoke; and the oppression which it now experiences, as well as -the visible effects of the divine displeasure, not only during the -reign of Titus, and afterwards in the inundations of the northern -barbarians, but also of the Saracens and Crusaders, are more than -sufficient to have reduced this country, which has been extolled by -Moses, and even by Julian the Apostate, for its fecundity, to its -present condition of a desert. Galilea, the northern division, is -divided by Josephus into Upper Galilea, called Galilea of the Gentiles -because inhabited by heathen nations—and Lower Galilea which was -adjacent to the sea of Tiberias, and which contained the tribes of -Zebulon and Ashur. Galilea was a very populous country: containing, -according to Josephus 204 cities, and towns, and paying 200 talents in -tribute.</p> - -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page153"><small><small>[p. 153]</small></small></a></span> -<p>The middle district, Samaria, had its origin in a division of -the people of Israel into two distinct kingdoms, during the reign of -Jeroboam. One of these kingdoms, called Judah, consisted of such as -adhered to the house of David, comprising the two tribes of Judah and -Benjamin. The other ten tribes retained the name of Israelites under -Jeroboam. Their capital was Samaria, which also became the name of -their country. The Samaritans and people of Judæa were bitter enemies. -The former differed in many respects from the strictness of the Mosaic -law. Among the Judæans, the name of Samaritan was a term of reproach.</p> - -<p>The southern division, Judæa, did not assume that name until after the -return of the Jews from the Babylonian captivity—though it had been -called long before "the kingdom of Judah," in opposition to that of -Israel. After the return, the tribe of Judah settled first at -Jerusalem; but afterwards spreading over the whole country, gave it -the name of "Judæa."</p> - -<p>The only rivers of any note in Palæstine are the Jordanes, and the -Leontes, which latter passes through the northern extremity of -Galilea. The Jordan, according to a curious story of Philip the -Tetrarch, has its origin in a lake called Phiala, about ten miles -north of Cæsarea of Samochon. This is said to have been ascertained by -throwing into the lake some straw which came out where the river -emerges from the ground, after having run fifteen miles beneath the -surface of the earth—Mannert the German, thinks this fabulous, and -places the source of the river in Mount Paneas, in the province of -Dan. The Jordan holds a south-westerly course—flows through the lake -Samochon, or Samochonites, or as it is called in the Bible, Merom; -after which, proceeding onwards till received by the sea of Tiberias, -or lake of Genesareth, it emerges from this, and is finally lost in -the Dead Sea. In ancient times it overflowed its banks annually, about -the period of early harvest; and thus differing from most other -rivers, which generally swell in the winter, it was supposed to have a -subterraneous communication with the Nile. But now, we can perceive no -rise, which is probably owing to the channel having been deepened by -the swiftness of the current. The name is supposed to be derived from -the Hebrew "Jarden," on account of the river's rapid "<i>descent</i>" -through the country.</p> - -<p>The Dead Sea, called also Asphaltites, from the "asphaltos," or -bitumen, which it throws up, is situated in Judæa, and near 100 miles -long and 25 broad: but is called by Tacitus "Lacus immenso ambitu." -Its waters are extremely salt; but the vapors exhaled from them are -found not to be so pestilential as they have been usually represented. -It is supposed that the thirteen cities, of which Sodom and Gomorrah, -as mentioned in the Bible, are the chief, were destroyed by a volcano, -and once occupied the site of the Dead Sea. Earthquakes are now -frequent in the country. Volumes of smoke are observed to issue from -the lake, and new crevices are daily found on its margin.</p> - -<p>The country is mountainous. The range of Libanus, so named on account -of their snowy summits, from the Hebrew "Lebanon," <i>white</i>, is -imperfectly defined. The principal part of them lies towards the north -of Galilea, but the name of Libanus is sometimes given to several -parallel chains, which run through the whole extent of Palæstine. -Between two of these ranges lay a valley so beautiful that some have -called it a terrestrial Paradise; though situated in a much higher -region than the greater part of the country, it enjoys perpetual -spring—the trees are always green, and the orchards full of fruit. -Libanus has been famed for its cedars. Mount Carmel is a celebrated -mountain, properly belonging to Samaria, but on which the Syrians had -an altar, <i>but not a temple</i>, dedicated to their god Carmelus. A -priest of this deity, according to Tacitus, (Lib. 2, cap. 78,) -foretold the accession of Vespasian to the throne.</p> - -<p>The principal towns in Galilea were Dio-Cæsarea, Jotapata or Gath, -Genesareth, and Tiberias. Tiberias was built by Herod, near the lake -of the same name, and called after the emperor. After the taking of -Jerusalem, there was at Tiberias a succession of Hebrew judges, till -about the time of the abdication of Dioclesian and Maximinianus. -Epiphanius, bishop of Salamis, says that a Hebrew copy of St. John, -and the Acts of the Apostles, was kept in this city.</p> - -<p>The chief cities of Samaria were Neapolis, Antipatris, Archelais, -Apollonia, Samaria, and Cæsarea. Cæsarea, was the principal, and was -anciently called "Turris Stratonis." It was much embellished by Herod, -who named it Cæsarea in honor of Augustus—and was the station of the -Roman governors. Samaria was situated on Mount Sameron, and was the -residence of the kings of Israel, from the time of Omri, its founder, -to the overthrow of the kingdom.</p> - -<p>In Judæa, were the cities of Engedi, Herodium, Hebron, Beersheba, -Jericho, and Jerusalem. Jericho was in the tribe of Benjamin, near the -river Jordan; and is called by Moses the city of palm-trees, from the -palms in the adjacent plain, which are also noticed by Tacitus. It was -destroyed by Joshua, but afterwards rebuilt. Jerusalem, the capital, -was anciently called Salem, or Jebus, by the Jebusites, who were in -possession of it till the time of David; but it was then called by the -Hebrews Jeruschalaim, signifying "the possession of the inheritance of -peace." The Greeks and Romans called it by the name of Hierosolyma. It -was built on several hills, of which Mount Sion, in the southern part -of the city, was the largest. To the north was Acra, called the -"second," or "lower city"—on the east of which was Solomon's temple, -built on Mount Moriah. North-east of this was the Mount of Olives, and -north of it Mount Calvary, the place of the crucifixion. This city was -taken by Pompey, who thence derived his name of Hierosolymarius. It -was also taken and destroyed by Titus, (in the year of our Lord 71, by -the account of Tacitus—but according to Josephus,) on the 8th of -Sept. A.D. 70—2177 years after its foundation.</p> - -<p>In this siege 110,000 persons are said to have perished, and 97,000 to -have been made prisoners, and as Josephus relates, sold as slaves, or -thrown to wild beasts for the sport of the conquerors.</p> - -<div align="right"><small>P. </small></div> -<br> -<br> -<hr align="center" width="100"><a name="sect11"></a> -<br> -<br> -<h4>MARTORELLI.</h4> -<br> -<p>Martorelli was occupied for two years in a treatise to prove that the -use of glass for windows was unknown to the ancients. Fifteen days -after the publication of his folio, a house was found in Pompeii all -whose windows were paned with glass.<p> -<br> -<br><hr align="center" width="100"><a name="sect12"></a> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page154"><small><small>[p. 154]</small></small></a></span> -<br> -<br> -<h4>LIVING ALONE.</h4> -<center><small>BY T. FLINT.</small></center> -<br> -<br> -<table align="center" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" summary="poem6"> - <tr><td>There are, to whom to live alone,<br> - Sounds in their ear the funeral moan<br> - Of winter's night breeze, sad and deep,<br> - A prelude of sepulchral sleep.<br> - To live alone I have no dread,<br> - And careless hear upon my bed,<br> - Between the wintry night wind's howl,<br> - The hootings of the forest owl;<br> - Reckless I wrap myself in gloom,<br> - And court endurance for the tomb.<br> - Time was, my feelings were not so:<br> - When Spring upon the drifted snow<br> - Breath'd warm, and bade the waters flow;<br> - When turtles coo'd; on the green hills<br> - Skip'd the spring lambs, murmur'd the rills,<br> - And spread their cups the daffodils,<br> - I was as gay, and with me played<br> - Full many a budding, blue-eyed maid;<br> - My heart, the merriest thing of all,<br> - Bounded within me at the call<br> - Of laughing nature. Ah! 'twas then<br> - The thought of living far from men,<br> - And festive throngs, and social glee,<br> - Had seemed a living death to me.<br> - I loved; but I was plain and poor—<br> - My fair one rich—and from the door<br> - She sign'd my passport—bade me go,<br> - And, as I might, digest my wo.<br> - One shrug'd, and said, "he must confess,<br> - To cling to one so purposeless,<br> - Would be a folly all would blame<br> - As more than due to friendship's claim."<br> - Another cut our feeble tye,<br> - Because I pass'd all chances by<br> - To mend my fortunes, unimprov'd,<br> - Too weak to be sustain'd, or lov'd.<br> - At last I found a pretty one,<br> - Who lov'd me for myself alone.<br> - I was thrice dear to her, but she<br> - A thousand times more dear to me:<br> - I was the happiest one that liv'd,<br> - And should have been, while she surviv'd.<br> - I saw her suffering, saw her fail—<br> - And in my eye the sun grew pale;<br> - Nature's stern debt she early paid,<br> - And in the earth my gem was laid:<br> - My heart then grew, as marble, cold—<br> - And, fortune's worst endur'd, grew bold.<br> - Supine in nature's busy hive,<br> - Men deem'd me dead, though still alive.<br> - One and another slid away,<br> - And left me lonely, old and gray.<br> - 'Tis all a vanity, I said,<br> - And to my lot bow'd down my head—<br> - Found pensive gladness in my gloom,<br> - A prelude requiem of the tomb,<br> - And felt myself too sternly wise<br> - With useless grief to blear my eyes.<br> - As my slow hours still strike their knell,<br> - I fancy it my passing bell,<br> - And strive, ere yet I pass away,<br> - To grow insensible as clay.</td></tr> -</table><br> -<br> -<br><hr align="center" width="100"><a name="sect13"></a> -<br> -<br> -<h4>THE VALLEY NIS.</h4> -<center><small>BY E. A. POE.</small></center> -<br> -<br> -<table align="center" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" summary="poem7"> - <tr><td>Far away—far away—<br> - Far away—as far at least<br> - Lies that valley as the day<br> - Down within the golden East—<br> - All things lovely—are not they<br> - One and all, too far away?<br> -<br> - It is called the valley Nis:<br> - And a Syriac tale there is<br> - Thereabout which Time hath said<br> - Shall not be interpreted:<br> - Something about Satan's dart<br> - Something about angel wings—<br> - Much about a broken heart—<br> - All about unhappy things:<br> - But "the valley Nis" at best<br> - Means "the valley of unrest."<br> -<br> - <i>Once</i> it smil'd a silent dell<br> - Where the people did not dwell,<br> - Having gone unto the wars—<br> - And the sly, mysterious stars,<br> - With a visage full of meaning,<br> - O'er th' unguarded flowers were leaning,<br> - Or the sun-ray dripp'd all red<br> - Thro' tall tulips overhead,<br> - Then grew paler as it fell<br> - On the quiet Asphodel.<br> -<br> - <i>Now</i> each visiter shall confess<br> - Nothing there is motionless:<br> - Nothing save the airs that brood<br> - O'er the enchanted solitude,<br> - Save the airs with pinions furled<br> - That slumber o'er that valley-world.<br> - No wind in Heaven, and lo! the trees<br> - Do roll like seas, in Northern breeze,<br> - Around the stormy Hebrides—<br> - No wind in Heaven, and clouds do fly,<br> - Rustling everlastingly,<br> - Thro' the terror-stricken sky,<br> - Rolling, like a waterfall,<br> - O'er th' horizon's fiery wall—<br> - And Helen, like thy human eye,<br> - Low crouched on Earth, some violets lie,<br> - And, nearer Heaven, some lilies wave<br> - All banner-like, above <i>a grave</i>.<br> - And one by one, from out their tops<br> - Eternal dews come down in drops,<br> - Ah, one by one, from off their stems<br> - Eternal dews come down in gems!</td></tr> -</table><br> -<br> -<br> -<hr align="center" width="100"><a name="sect14"></a> -<br> -<br> -<h4>NEW TESTAMENT.</h4> -<br> -<p>The Greek of the New Testament is by no means, whatever some zealots -assert, the Greek of Homer, of Anacreon, or of Thucydides. It is -thickly interspersed with Hebraisms, barbarisms, and theological -expressions. The Evangelists differ much in style among themselves. -St. Matthew is not as pure as St. John, nor he as St. Paul. St. Luke -is the most correct—especially in the Acts.<p> -<br> -<br><hr align="center" width="100"><a name="sect15"></a> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page155"><small><small>[p. 155]</small></small></a></span> -<br> -<br> -<h4>CASTELLANUS,</h4> -<center><small>OR THE CASTLE-BUILDER TURNED FARMER.</small></center> -<br> -<table align="center" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" summary="poem8"> - <tr><td><small>A pleasing land of drowsy head it was<br> - Of dreams that wave before the half shut eye,<br> - And of gay castles in the clouds that pass<br> - Forever flushing round a summer sky.<br> - - - - -<i>Thomson</i>.</small></td></tr> -</table> -<br> -<br> -<p>M<small>R</small>. W<small>HITE</small>,—It is a long time since I threw my mite into the treasury -of your book; Nugator's occupation's gone! was my ejaculation when -last I wrote to you. The same devouring element which has recently -plunged New York in misery and gloom, had just then triumphed over -much of my earthly possessions, but over none more foolishly prized -than sundry small wares which were intended for your market. As there -was no prospect of getting Congress to extend the time of the payment -of <i>my bonds</i>, to which one would think I was as justly entitled as -the rich merchant, I had to set to work as best I might to repair the -ravages of fire. In the midst of saws and hammers, of bricks and -mortar, my ideas have been so vulgarized, that you must not expect to -see a Phoenix rise from my ashes. From me you must never expect any -thing but trifles, as my signature portends; yet when I reflect that -this world is made up of small things as well as great, and that the -former are as essential to constitute a whole as the latter, and that -your book ought no more than the world to consist altogether of the -grand, but should sometimes admit the trifling, I am encouraged to -begin again, although already scorched by more fires than one, having -encountered the fire of some of your critics. As the mouse sets off to -greater advantage the bulk of the mammoth, the critics should rather -be pleased than otherwise, to see my wretched skeleton in contrast -with the vast proportions of some of your contributors,—but enough.</p> - -<p>Romances and novels made my neighbor Castellanus a castle-builder; -nothing can be more dissimilar than the world he inhabits and that -ideal one in which he has always lived; like certain persons who shall -be nameless, he has been literally <i>in</i> the world and <i>out</i> of it at -the same time, and his experience therefore might justify a seeming -paradox. I think it was Godwin in his Fleetwood, who drew so beautiful -a contrast between our <i>night</i> dreams and <i>day</i> dreams. Castellanus -never could bear the former, attended by hag and night mare, where we -are forever struggling to attain some goal, which we can never reach; -he did not like to start affrighted out of sleep; to sink through -chasms yawning beneath his feet;</p> - -<center><small>"Nor toss on shatter'd plank far out upon some deep."</small></center> - -<p>No, I have heard him exclaim, "Give me the dreams of day; let me -recline upon some bank in summer shade, supine, where fancy fits her -wings for pleasant flight, and quickly ushers me into her radiant -halls. No hope defeated can there make me grieve; no cup untasted from -my lips be dashed; no light, receding ever, there can shine, but -whatsoever there be of joy or love to mortals known, is seized at once -and easily made my own." There are few persons, perhaps, who do not at -some period of life, construct these gay castles, yclept in air, and -well indeed is the appellation bestowed, for though more splendid far -than the works of old; more passing rare than all of which we -read;—Balbec's! Palmyra's!—none could excel them,—yet in a moment -they will topple down, nor leave one marble column, spared as if to -point to the scene of desolation and to mourn for its brethren, -broken, ruined, and overthrown. Such monuments are sometimes seen -standing amid that decay, produced by Goths and Vandals; and Goths and -Vandals still in modern times will break, <i>irruptive</i>, on the -castle-builder's chosen spot—misfortunes! griefs! pale care! -tormenting debt!—Then fancy, all thy revelry is forgotten; -reluctantly from our sweet couch, we rise and homeward frowning hie to -toil and writhe and fret. But such is the skill of the artist, that he -has but to ramble forth where all is still and wave his wand, when in -an instant, like the enchantment of old, his shining palaces will -upward climb. It is not so, alas! with those works barbarians -overturned; none know how to raise them to such sublime heights; lost -are those arts by which they towering rose, and we but gaze on them to -sigh and curse the hands which slew them.</p> - -<p>This practice of castle-building had been the habit of Castellanus -from his boyhood. It gave him a strange unsocial turn and made him -shun the inmates of his father's house. He fled all company, and the -pleasures which others pursue were rarely pleasures to him. One -enjoyment he had which never palled. Some lonely seat beside a -"wimpling burn" or waterfall, where human sounds fell distantly; there -with book in hand, he drank in the lulling music with which such a -place is fraught; there would he draw forth, unseen, some old romance -with worn and dusky lid, of "haunted Priories" with bloody hand, or -dark "Udolpho" with its deep mysteries, its gliding ghosts, and secret -pannels. Then would fall the curtain on this mortal vale and all its -hateful realities, and his rapt soul would revel in the high wrought -tale of fancy. For him these fictions had an unspeakable -charm—gallant youths were his companions. He trod with them over Alps -and Appenines, where banditti lurked amid the dreary forests and -lights were seen to glance and disappear. Soft maidens, too, were -there, whose superhuman charms won every heart; encompassed by ten -thousand dangers, he could not leave them, until he saw them safely -locked in love's triumphant arms. Though a very ugly fellow, he had -deceived himself into the belief that he should one day or other marry -one of these delightful creatures, and had even settled that her name -should be Julia, and thought he should be one of the happiest fellows -upon earth; but, Mr. Editor, who do you think he now is? a -clodhopper!! aye a miserable clodhopper! The owner of land and -negroes!! In that one sentence, I sum up all of human misery—and what -do you think is his wife's name? Peggy! Phœbus what a name!</p> - -<center><small>"Cobblers! take warning by this cobbler's end."</small></center> - -<p>Yes, ye castle-builders! look upon his undone condition and take -warning. Take warning, parents, and bring up your children to suit the -sphere in which they are to move. I shall not trouble you with the why -and the wherefore of his present condition, but suffice it to say that -such it is, and then picture to yourself the untold miseries he must -endure when I depict to you the sort of life he is leading, with such -passions as I have already described his ruling ones to be. -<i>Imprimis:</i> there is Peg—but I had better say as little as possible -of her, <span class="pagenum"><a name="page156"><small><small>[p. 156]</small></small></a></span> -out of respect for the ladies and out of regard for my -friend, because in truth like "Jerry Sneak," he has not eaten a "<i>bit -of under crust since he was married</i>," but follow me if you please -upon his farm, and let me introduce you to his plagues and tormentors. -Let us look for the overseer—we shall find him, if at home, which is -seldom the case, seated on a <i>stump</i>, with the symbol of his office -under his arm. There he is, you see, mounted on his throne lazily -looking at the laborers; working the land to death by injudicious -cultivation; extorting the last drop of vitality from it; a foe to -every species of improvement, and obstinately bent upon going on in -the jog trot of his predecessors. This is Castellanus' companion <i>ex -necessitate</i>. Shades of the Orvilles and Mortimers! pity him. What can -there be in common between them? What can they talk about? About -Evelina and Amanda?—cottages covered with woodbine and -honeysuckle?—landscapes and glorious sunsets?—the warbling of -birds?—Oh no, Suk and Sall, negro cabins or pig-styes, corn fields -and——yes, they <i>can</i> talk of birds, but they are blackbirds and -crows, and devil take their warbling—of sunset, but only to lament -the shortness of the days. His (the overseer's) themes are rogues and -runaways—he is eloquent upon hog-stealing, and neither Simon -Sensitive nor Timothy Testy could recount more readily the miseries of -human life. His are the miseries of Geoponies. Rot—rust—weevil—fly -and cutworm, haunt his imagination and dwell upon his tongue. -Castellanus had rather be a dog and bay the moon than discuss such -subjects. But my friend's delight was once in horses; it was one of -the few pleasures he had. His fancy was early captivated by Alexander -mounting Bucephalus; a horse gaily caparisoned and mounted by a steel -clad knight, was a sight upon which his imagination feasted. The red -roan charger of Marmion at the battle of Flodden had thrilled his -every nerve,</p> - -<table align="center" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" summary="poem9"> - <tr><td><small>"Blood shot his eyes—his nostril spread<br> - The loose rein, dangling from his head<br> - Housing and saddle bloody red."</small></td></tr> -</table> - -<p>Oh what a picture! and that I should be obliged to exhibit to your -view the counterfeit presentment. The ploughboys are just coming out -of the stable with their master's horses going to plough. Here, sir, -is Buck-e-fallus, as the negro boys call Bucephalus. There is no -difficulty in mounting <i>him;</i> they have knocked out one of his eyes; -he has a blind side and cannot see the shadow cast by the sun. If his -spirit was ever as high as his namesake's, he has lost it now—that -little ragged urchin can ride him with a grape-vine—raw-boned, -spavined and wind-galled! let him pass and let us see the next. This -is Smiler! "Lucus a non lucendo," I suppose; alas! <i>he</i> never -smiles—he reminds one of Irving's wall eyed horse looking out of the -stable window on a rainy day. His look is disconsolate in the extreme; -from the imperturbable gravity of his manners, you perceive he is dead -to hope; melancholy has marked him for her own; bad feeding, constant -toil, and a lost currycomb, have made him "what thou well may'st -hate," although he once "set down" as "shapely a shank" as Burns' Auld -mare Maggie ever did. Do you see that long legged fellow, that -Brobdignag, mounted upon the little mare mule? His legs almost drag -the ground, and he ought in justice to <i>toat</i> (aye, sir, <i>toat</i>, a -good word, an excellent word, and one upon which I mean to send you an -etymological essay some of these days,) the animal he bestrides. There -are some singular traits about that mule <i>Golliver</i>, as the boys by a -singular misnomer call her. She keeps fat "while other nags are poor;" -it is because she lives in the corn-field. She can open the -stable-door by some inscrutable means, some sort of open sessame; -gates are no impediments to her, and even ten rails and a rider cannot -arrest her progress. She seems to have a vow upon her never to leave -the plantation; she will go as far as the outer gate with her rider, -but if he attempt to pass that boundary his fate is sealed. He is -canted most unceremoniously over her head and made to bite the dust; -that gate is her <i>ultima Thule;</i> her ne plus ultra; the utmost bound -of her ambition. She has acquaintances enough, as Old Oliver says, and -wishes not to extend the circle. Her policy is Chinese, or perhaps -like Rasselas, she once escaped from her happy valley and was -disappointed in the world—"<i>one fatal remembrance</i>" perhaps casts its -"bleak shade" beyond that gate.—I know not in sooth, but heaven help -me! what am I doing? If I go on thus, with the whole <i>stud</i> of my -neighbor, and write at large upon every thing which torments him, I -shall never have done. Suffice it then, that I give you a hasty, -panoramic sketch of what he has to encounter in his rides over his -farm. See him mounted on his little switch tailed grey, which has the -high sounding title of White Surrey, and whose tail is nearly cut off -at the root by the crupper—the mane in most admired disorder, and -fetlocks long and bushy. Now what does he behold? Barren -fields—broken fences—gates unhinged—starving cattle—ragged -sheep—and jades so galled that they make <i>him</i> wince—hogs that eat -their own pigs and devastate his crops—mares that sometimes cripple -their own colts—cows on the contrary which have so much of the milk -of <i>vaccine kindness</i>, that they suffer their offspring to suck after -being broken to the cart—bulls even, that suck—rams, so pugnacious, -that they butt his mules down, as the aforesaid Gulliver can attest, -for often have I seen her knocked down as fast as she could rise—upon -my life it's true, Mr. Editor, and you need not add with Major -Longbow, what will you lay it's a lie? It was amusing to see the ram, -with head erect and fixed eye, moving round in a small circle and -watching his opportunity to plant his blows, with all the pugilistic -dexterity of Crib or Molyneux. I once knew my unfortunate neighbor to -have a fine blooded colt, foaled in the pasture with his mules. These -vicious devils had no sooner perceived that the colt was without those -long ears which characterize their species, than they set to work with -one accord to demolish the <i>monstrous</i> production, and in spite of all -the efforts of the mother, which fought with a desperation worthy of -some old Roman, beset by a host of foes, succeeded in trampling to -death her beautiful offspring. What a picture this is of some -political zealots and envenomed critics, who no sooner perceive that a -man has not <i>asses ears</i>, like themselves, than they commence a -senseless outcry against him and compass his destruction. I have -somewhere read of a madman, and perhaps he was right, who, when -confined, protested he was not mad; that all mankind were madder than -he, and that they were envious of his superior intellect and therefore -wished to put him out of the way. Castellanus goes to ride out with -Cecilia, Camilla, the <span class="pagenum"><a name="page157"><small><small>[p. 157]</small></small></a></span> -Children of the Abbey, or some such book -in his pocket, and so engrossed is his mind with the elegance and -refinement of those personages, that he can scarcely bear to go where -his overseer is. He shuns him as much as Lovel did Captain Mirvan, or -old Mr. Delville Mr. Briggs. He turns with horror from the pictures of -desolation and mismanagement around him, and hastens home to find -consolation in the bosom of his heroines, not of his Peggy, for he -cannot yet say "<i>Non clamosa mea mulier jam percutit -aures</i>"<small><small><sup>1</sup></small></small>—and -in truth that virtuous lady has a tongue, and with it can ring such a -peal about the above mentioned unproductive state of things, that he -had rather hear the "grating on a scrannel-reed of wretched -straw;"—or, to be less poetical, and to come back to what he hears -every day, he had rather listen to the music of his own cart-wheels, -which grate so harshly and scream so loudly that they may be heard a -mile off. The inevitable result of all I have told you, Mr. Editor, -is, that my neighbor is actually sinking three or four per cent. upon -his capital every year, and must come to beggary unless you can arouse -him from his ridiculous castle-building and novel reading. I wish you -could see the style in which he moves with his <i>cara sposa</i> to church; -they have <i>come down</i>, as we say, to an old gig, which cannot be quite -as old as Noah's ark, because no two of the kind were ever seen in -this world, and therefore could not have been preserved at the time of -the Deluge, although the brass mountings on the muddy and -rain-stiffened harness are of so antique a fashion, that we might well -suppose the ingenuity of that celebrated artificer in brass, Tubal -Cain, was employed in their construction. This crazy vehicle is drawn -by the overseer's horse, which is borrowed for the "nonce,"—because -neither Buck-e-fallus nor Smiler, nor any of the stud are <i>fit to go</i>, -and Gulliver, besides being a mule, has declined, as I have already -shewn, having any thing to do with our "external relations;" and -furthermore, because this is the only conceivable mode in which my -neighbor can obtain a return for that unlimited control which the said -horse exercises over the corn in his corn-house. The contrast between -the long lean figure, and rueful and cadaverous countenance of -Castellanus, and the short figure resembling "<i>the fat squab upon a -Chinese fan</i>," and the ruddy countenance of Mrs. Castellanus, is very -striking;</p> - -<table align="center" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" summary="poem10"> - <tr><td><small>They sit, side by side, in the gig, sir, as solemn<br> - As Marriage and Death in a newspaper column.</small></td></tr> -</table> - -<p>How they ever came together, except by the fortuitous concourse of -atoms, I cannot divine, for certainly without disrespect, I may say, -that however charming Mrs. Castellanus may be, she is not</p> - -<table align="center" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" summary="poem11"> - <tr><td><small>A beauty ripe as harvest,<br> - Whose skin is whiter than a swan all over,<br> - Than silver, snow, or lilies—</small></td></tr> -</table> - -<p>nor has she</p> - -<table align="center" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" summary="poem12"> - <tr><td><small> -————————a soft lip<br> - Would tempt you to eternity of kissing,<br> - And flesh that melteth in the touch to blood.</small></td></tr> -</table> - -<p>But we may cease to wonder at their union, when we reflect on the -couples we see every day,—so totally dissimilar in taste and external -appearance, that we may almost believe with St. Pierre that we love -only those who form a contrast to ourselves. "Love," he says, "results -only from contrasts, and the greater they are, the more powerful is -its energy. I could easily demonstrate this by the evidence of a -thousand historical facts. It is well known, for example, to what mad -excess of passion that tall and clumsy soldier, Mark Anthony, loved -and was beloved by Cleopatra; not the person whom our sculptors -represent of a tall, portly, Sabine figure, but the Cleopatra whom -historians paint as little, lively and sprightly, carried in disguise -about the streets of Alexandria, in the night time, packed up in a -parcel of goods on the shoulders of Apollodorus, to keep an -assignation with Julius Cæsar."</p> - -<div align="right"><small>NUGATOR. </small></div> -<br> -<table align="center" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" summary="poem13"> - <tr><td><small><small><sup>1</sup></small> Nay, what's incredible, alack!<br> - I hardly hear a woman's clack.—<i>Swift</i>.</small></td></tr> -</table><br> -<br> -<br><hr align="center" width="100"><a name="sect16"></a> -<br> -<br> -<h4>SONG.</h4> -<br> -<table align="center" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" summary="poem14"> - <tr><td>This is <i>no</i> "dark and dreary world,"<br> - 'Tis full of life and beauty—<br> - Yet not to him, all "primrose path"<br> - Who's in the way of duty—<br> - And yet, to cheer him on the road,<br> - The way-side flower is springing,<br> - While to the charms of Nature's day<br> - The wild-bird's sweetly singing.<br> - There is a bliss in Virtue's path<br> - Above all sensual thinking—<br> - Would he might prove it, he who hath<br> - "Joy"—<i>Is</i> there "<i>joy</i> in drinking?"<br> -<br> - Believe it not—for who hath wo?<br> - Oh, who hath saddest "sorrow?"<br> - "Contentions," "wounds," night-revels show,<br> - That blush to face the morrow.<br> - "The wine is red," but "look not thou<br> - Upon it;" false and glowing,<br> - "'Twill sting thee like a serpent's tooth,"<br> - While brightly it is flowing.<br> - Eschew the joys of sense; they are<br> - Unto my <i>sober</i> thinking,<br> - But glozing o'er the black despair,<br> - The deep, deep <i>wo</i> of drinking.<br> -<br> - Look ye around where frowns "the curse"—<br> - 'Tis but disguised blessing;<br> - The heart that trusts the living God,<br> - Feels not its "doom" oppressing.<br> - Thine, thine the heart, and thine the doom,<br> - When done this earth's probation,<br> - To realms of endless light and joy<br> - A sure and bright translation.<br> - Yet, e'en "the light that's now in thee,"<br> - (Ah! 'tis no idle thinking,)<br> - Will darken'd by "a demon" be,<br> - If thou hast "joy in drinking."</td></tr> -</table> -<div align="right"><small>M. M. </small></div> -<br> -<br><hr align="center" width="100"><a name="sect17"></a> -<br> -<br> -<h4>LINES</h4> - -<center><small>To Miss M——t W——s, of P. Edward.</small></center> -<br> -<table align="center" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" summary="poem15"> - <tr><td> From her own garden Nature chose,<br> - In all its blooming pride the Rose,<br> - And from the feathered race the Dove:<br> - Then Margaret, on thy cheek she threw<br> - The blushing flower's most beauteous hue,<br> - And formed thy temper from the bird of love!<br> -<br> - Oh! what delight it is to trace<br> - The modest sweetness of thy face—<br> - Thy simple elegance and ease—<br> - Thy smile, disclosing orient pearl—<br> - Thy locks, profuse of many a curl—<br> - And hear thy gentle voice, that <i>never</i> fails to please!</td></tr> -</table><br> -<br> -<br><hr align="center" width="100"><a name="sect18"></a> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page158"><small><small>[p. 158]</small></small></a></span> -<br> -<br> -<h4>LIBERIAN LITERATURE.</h4> -<br> -<p>We are perfectly serious in speaking of <i>Liberian Literature</i>. Yes—in -Liberia, a province on the coast of Africa, where, thirteen years and -a half ago, the tangled and pathless forest frowned in a silence -unbroken save by the roar of wild beasts, the fury of the tornado, the -whoop of the man-stealer, or the agonizing shrieks of his victims on -being torn from their homes to brave the horrors of the Middle Passage -and of the West Indies—in Liberia, the English language is now -spoken; the English spirit is breathed; English Literature exists; and -with it, exist those comforts, virtues, and pleasures, which the -existence of Literature necessarily implies. -Plantations—farm-houses—villages, built of brick, stone, and -wood—glass windows, carpeted floors, papered walls, and neat if not -elegant furniture—well-supplied tables—stores, filled with various -merchandize—churches, where neatly dressed throngs devoutly send up -the note of praise—bands of infantry and artillery, properly -organized, armed, and trained—schools, in which hundreds are inducted -into the pleasant pathway of knowledge—and (the most expressive sign -of all) a <small>NEWSPAPER</small>, filled with instructive and entertaining -matter—all these, amid an industrious and thriving population of -three or four thousand, have taken place of the savage forest and its -unlovely concomitants. What heightens—indeed what <i>constitutes</i> the -wonder—is, that the main <i>operatives</i> in this great change are <i>not -white men</i>. The printer and the editor of the newspaper—the -merchants—most of the teachers and all the pupils—the owners and -cultivators of the farms—the officers and soldiers in the military -companies—the throng in the churches—are all <i>colored people</i>, -except some score of whites, whom the climate, generally fatal to -white men, spares yet awhile, as if in gratitude for their -benefactions to Africa.</p> - -<p>What we especially had in view, however, when we began this article, -was neither rhapsody nor dissertation upon the march of Liberia to -prosperity and civilization—unparalleled as that march is, in the -annals of colonization—but a notice (a <i>critical notice</i>, if the -reader please) of the aforesaid newspaper; by way of <i>instancing</i> the -literary condition of the settlement. Cowper calls a newspaper, "a map -of busy life—its fluctuations, and its vast concerns:" and indeed we -can imagine no surer index to the moral and intellectual character of -a people, than the 'folio of four pages,' which periodically ministers -to, and constantly takes its tone from, their prevailing tastes, -tempers, and opinions.—We have before us half a dozen numbers of the -"L<small>IBERIA</small> H<small>ERALD</small>;" coming down to No. 4, of the sixth volume, dated -October 31, 1835, whence we learn that it has existed for more than -five years. It is printed on a sheet as large as many of our village -papers, and larger than several which we occasionally see.</p> - -<p>Its contents (considering where, and by whom they are selected, -composed, and printed) are in the highest degree curious and -interesting.</p> - -<p>The <i>shipping list</i> for August, exhibits eleven arrivals, and six -departures—that for April, five arrivals, and three departures—for -February, 1835, six arrivals, and four departures—for October, three -arrivals, and two departures. In the August number, are four distinct -paragraphs, each mentioning a ship arrived with emigrants to the colony.</p> - -<p>A striking feature in the Herald, is the great quantity of original -matter which it contains—either editorial, or communicated. The -number whence the above quotation is made, has four columns of -editorial articles; and three sensible communications from -correspondents—one of them detailing the murderous attack of the -natives, in June last, upon the new settlement at Edina. Another tells -of an excursion, on which we dare say it will please our readers to -accompany the "peregrinator." If he does twaddle, he twaddles to the -full as agreeably as many correspondents of American newspapers, and -more usefully.</p> - -<center>"<i>For the Liberia Herald</i>.</center> - -<blockquote>"Mr. Editor: I was induced, a few days since, by special invitation, -to visit Caldwell. The occasion was one of the most honorable: the -interchange of conjugal vows; the celebration of the nuptials of a -couple, who conscious of mutual affection, made their offering at the -hymeneal altar. The ceremonies were performed at 7 o'clock, P.M.; -after which, the company (small but agreeable) enjoyed the flow of -soul and social innocent merriment, until 9, when the happy pair -returned, and the company dispersed. I repaired to Mr. Snetter's -quarters, where I obtained lodging, comfortable in itself, but -rendered much more so, by his peculiarly agreable manners. After -breakfast, on the ensuing day, we peregrinated the settlement. Mr. -Jameison's farm particularly attracted my attention. The quantity of -land he has under cultivation, as also the advanced state of the -produce, equally excited astonishment. He has potatoes, cassada, -beans, peas, and rice, &c., growing with a luxuriance that I never -before witnessed in this country. The cultivation of the latter -article has not been much attended to, until lately; its culture has -been supposed to be attended with so much difficulty and labor, as to -deter from the attempt. The apprehension however, was groundless, and -the perseverance of Messrs. Palm and Nixon, has given us evidence, in -the most extensive field of rice ever before cultivated in this -country, that the difficulties are such only as attend every -experiment where there is the want of resolution to undertake it. The -settlement of Caldwell is assuming the feature of a regular, farming -village. The Agency Farm under the management of Mr. Snetter, is in -forward condition.</blockquote> - -<div align="right">Yours, &c. - L. R. J." - </div> - -<p>But the greatest curiosity in this August number, is a <i>critique</i> upon -Miss Fanny Kemble's Journal. Yes, reader—think of Mrs. Butler, and -all the "terrifying exactions" of her redoubtable book, subjected, on -the very margin of Guinea, to the criticism of an African Editor, who -treats her as unceremoniously, if not as justly, as any critics on -this side of the Atlantic, or on the north side of the Mediterranean. -Imagine him in his elbow chair at Monrovia, his broad nose dilating -and his thick lips swelling with conscious dignity, while he thus -passes judgment upon one who perhaps would hardly suffer him to clean -her shoes. The errors of spelling and syntax (the unsexing of the -authoress included) are doubtless attributable to the printer: but -there are some queer expressions, which seem the editor's own, and -which are rather characteristic of African magniloquence.</p> - -<blockquote>"<i>Francis Ann Butler</i>.—To the politeness of the supercargo of the -Brig Eliza, we have been indebted for a peep at the Journal of Miss -Kemble, or as announced by the title page, <i>Francis Ann Butler</i>. From -the celebrity of the tourist, we had anticipated much; but a perusal -of the book treated us to a most vexatious disappointment. On the -literary merit of the work, we do not feel ourselves competent to -decide. But as it is an immunity allowed ignorance, to admire where it -cannot comprehend, we avail ourselves of the privilege, and put in our -share of admiration at the bold and beautiful figures which adorn the -pages; such as 'Miniature Hell:' 'ghastly smiles of the Devil;' 'Blue -Devils,' &c. These are certainly beauties of which we had no -conceptions, until we got hold of the work. We may be allowed to say, -as we pass, that they are not -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page159"><small><small>[p. 159]</small></small></a></span> -exactly in unison with that soft -and tender delicacy, of which our imagination had composed the fair -sex, of the higher order. We regret much that the work is not -accompanied by a Lexicon, adapted to the style. The want of one has -deprived us of much gratification; as doubtless the excellences of the -work is locked up in such words as 'daudle,' 'twaddle,' &c., which are -to us 'daudles' indeed, or in plain English, unexplorable regions. -Such works may be of utility in communities, where there is sufficient -discrimination to separate the little grain from the redundancy of -chaff, without being chocked [choked] by it, but we can see no earthly -advantage to us in reading them.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"We will venture to say, however, that if the notes are by the same -hand, the authoress possesses a pretty considerable share of what may -be called sound discriminating judgment on some particulars."</blockquote> - -<p>One number of the Herald contains some very sensible observations -(editorial) upon the "<i>Relations between France and the United -States;</i>" in which the probability of war is spoken of, and its -occurrence earnestly deprecated. The danger from it, to Liberia, is -considered: fears having been entertained by some, lest France might -involve that colony, as she once did the British settlement at -Freetown, in her quarrel with the mother country.</p> - -<blockquote>"The case, however," says the editor, "is not exactly parallel: -Freetown and the whole colony of Sierra Leone, ever since their -establishment, have been under the British flag, and as such, -considered a member of the British empire—and therefore, its -destruction, it might be argued, was perfectly in unison with the -established principles of war. Ours is an experiment for political -existence;—having a distinct and peculiar flag, owing allegiance to -no government, but to that which is represented by the flag that -floats over Liberia.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"We recollect having read, that at the time the great Navigator -Captain Cook, was on his voyage of discovery, war broke out between -England and France, and it was requested that Capt. Cook, should the -enemy fall in with him, be allowed an unmolested passage. The French -king replied, that he warred not on science, nor with the principles -of humanity; and that an expedition undertaken for the benefit of all, -should never meet obstruction from the flag of France."</blockquote> - -<p>A paragraph in the same number, announcing the organization of a Court -of Appeals, with appellate jurisdiction in cases where the sum in -dispute exceeds $100, expresses the orthodox republican sentiment, -that "Laws are made for the benefit of the poor, as well as the rich; -and in legislating, the former should be more especially kept in -view."</p> - -<p>And in the next column is mentioned the establishment, at Caldwell, of -a <small>FIFTH</small> <i>Baptist Church</i> in the Colony.</p> - -<p>Another number states important and cheering facts in regard to the -progress of T<small>EMPERANCE</small>. <i>Five hundred and three persons had signed the -pledge of total abstinence from the use or sale of spirits, in the -space of one month.</i></p> - -<blockquote>"So great an influence have these Societies exerted upon the community -at large, that a sight of the liquid death has become rare.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"To Liberia's honor be it <i>trumped</i>, that for <i>ten</i> gallons sold in -the Colony four months back, there is not <i>one</i> now. There are a few -that advocate the cause of alcohol; but they cannot support their -opposition long. Public opinion is issuing her imperious edicts, and -every opposer will soon be awed into silence."</blockquote> - -<p>From the October number we extract the following item.</p> - -<blockquote>"<i>Sabbath School</i>.—On Sunday the 19th instant, a Sabbath School was -opened in the Second Baptist Chapel: 33 children and 3 adults -presented themselves, and had their names registered as scholars. -Suitable books, such as would enable us to arrange the children in -classes, are very much wanting. As it is, each having a different -book, we are obliged to hear them singly, which makes it extremely -laborious, and precludes the possibility of more than one lesson each, -during the hours of school."</blockquote> - -<p>We would gladly copy a perspicuous and rational account which is given -in several chapters, of the <i>climate</i> and <i>seasons of Africa</i>, the -<i>soil of Liberia</i>, and the <i>method of clearing lands;</i> besides many -other sensible and interesting articles, which say a great deal for -the editor, correspondents, and readers, of the Herald: but we have so -far exceeded the space we had allotted for this subject, that we must -here close our remarks.</p> - -<p>No one can read the Liberia Herald, without not only wonder, that so -much intellect should emanate from such a source, but the strongest -persuasion, that a colony, which in so brief a time has given such -striking evidences of advancement in whatever distinguishes civilized -from savage man, <i>must succeed</i>.</p> -<br> -<br><hr align="center" width="100"><a name="sect19"></a> -<br> -<br> -<h4>GIBBON AND FOX.</h4> -<br> - -<p>Gibbon, the historian, was at one time a zealous partizan of Charles -Fox. No man denounced Mr. Pitt with a keener sarcasm, or more bitter -malignity. But he had his price. A lucrative office won him over to -the ministry. A week before his appointment he had said in Mr. Fox's -presence, "that public indignation should not be appeased, until the -heads of at least six of the ministers were laid on the table of the -House of Commons."</p> - -<p>This fact is found stated in the hand writing of Mr. Fox, on a blank -leaf of a copy of Gibbon's History of the Decline and Fall of the -Roman Empire, which was purchased after Mr. F's death, at a sale of -his effects. The anecdote is followed by these lines, also in Mr. F's -hand writing.</p> - -<table align="center" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" summary="poem16"> - <tr><td> King George, in a fright,<br> - Lest Gibbon should write<br> - The story of Britain's disgrace,<br> - Thought no means so sure<br> - His pen to secure,<br> - As to give the Historian a place.<br> -<br> - But the caution was vain—<br> - 'Tis the curse of his reign,<br> - That his projects should never succeed.<br> - Though he write not a line,<br> - Yet a cause of decline<br> - In the Author's example we read.<br> -<br> - His book well describes<br> - How corruption and bribes<br> - Overthrew the great Empire of Rome;<br> - And his writings declare<br> - A degeneracy there<br> - Which his conduct exhibits at home.</td></tr> -</table><br> -<br> -<br><hr align="center" width="100"><a name="sect20"></a> -<br> -<br> -<h4>STATIUS.</h4> -<br> - -<p>In Statius' Poem on the Via Domitiana, are these lines.</p> - -<table align="center" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" summary="poem17"> - <tr><td><small>Qui primo Tiberim reliquit ortu,<br> - Primo vespere navigat Lucrinum—</small></td></tr> -</table> - -<p>making a distance of one hundred and twenty-seven miles commonly -travelled by the Romans in one day.</p> -<br> -<br><hr align="center" width="100"><a name="sect21"></a> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page160"><small><small>[p. 160]</small></small></a></span> -<br> -<br> -<h4>LIONEL GRANBY.</h4> - -<center>CHAPTER VIII.</center> -<br> -<table align="center" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" summary="poem18"> - <tr><td><small>——The yews project their shade; the green<br> - Spreads her soft lap; the waters whisper sleep:<br> - Here thou mayest rest secure.<br> - - - -<i>Vacuna, by Sneyd Davies</i>.</small>.</td></tr> -</table><br> -<br> - -<p>Leaving with speed the painful spectacle of my wounded friend, I fled -into the close and matted undergrowth of the forest, and pausing for a -moment to deliberate, I resolved to return to Chalgrave, and brave the -remote risk of a criminal prosecution for an offence which juries -tolerate with mercy, and courts with connivance. I was willing to -trust to that deep-seated public opinion which enacts laws through one -principle, and controls their execution from another; and from whose -opiate breath the grim repose of the duelling law has never awakened. -I passed through many of the classic paths of the old college, and -suddenly diverging from the view of its rude and grotesque steeple, -advanced into the broad road. I had not walked far before I perceived -that I was pursued. Reasoning upon the principle that retreat is more -or less allied to meanness, I soon found the hand of my pursuer firmly -fixed on my shoulder, while he said, with a stern voice, "Mr. Granby, -you are my prisoner! I arrest you in the name of the Commonwealth."</p> - -<p>The powerful and iron grasp which was rivetted to my shoulder, -declared the utter folly of resistance. Through the fading twilight I -could discern the form of a roughly-built, and the countenance of a -brave man; while the odd mixture of his apparel, coarse boots and a -gaudy watch-chain, white ruffles and broad plated buttons, told the -brief history of many a struggling argument between his purse and gentility.</p> - -<p>"Release me," said I, "and this (showing a purse, through the net-work -of which a golden sea leaped up to the eye,) shall be your reward."</p> - -<p>"Mr. Granby," he replied, throwing his hand suddenly from me, as if a -serpent had stung him, "we are now equal. I will teach you that I am -as far above dishonor as you are. Put up your purse, for I solemnly -swear that you shall not leave this spot until you have satisfied me -for your gross and ungenerous insult. Take this pistol—I have -another; either make an apology or fight. I will measure the distance, -and you may give the word."</p> - -<p>I was struck at once by the innate honor and Virginian feeling of the -man; and throwing the pistol aside, I tendered him my hand, expressing -at the same time my regret in having acted so indiscreetly.</p> - -<p>"Why do you arrest me?" continued I. "It was an open duel, and Mr. -Ludwell is not dead."</p> - -<p>"Is that then the case?" he replied. "Will you pledge me your honor -that such is the truth? I was told that it was an unfair duel, and I -have put myself to great inconvenience to arrest you."</p> - -<p>I gave the pledge required, and I was immediately released from the -grasp of the Commonwealth; her chivalric man of law professing himself -satisfied of my innocence, complimenting me on being a gentleman, and -wishing me good night with a profound and dignified bow. I was in no -humor to moralize on this singular scene; yet I could not forbear to -smile at this strangest of all paradoxes—that he who was prepared to -enforce the duelling law, should be so far elevated above its vulgar -penalty, that he could at pleasure either neutralize its severity, or -trample on its express ordinances, lending a credulous heart to the -dreamy nonsense of chivalry, and a deaf ear to the trumpet-tongued -voice of <i>Be it enacted</i>. Such is public opinion, and such are laws; -when in conflict, a Mezentian union—when acting in harmony, the -firmest and most durable base for the fabric of government.</p> - -<p>Pursuing my course, I fortunately encountered Scipio, who was going to -the college with his accustomed budget of letters, and dismounting -him, with orders to go and attend the sick couch of Arthur, I took his -horse, and rode rapidly on to Chalgrave. The night wore sullenly and -gloomily away, and ere morning, one of those fast, yet light -snow-storms, which rush on with a momentary though softened -fierceness, had thrown a spotless mantle around the trees, the hills -and plains of Virginia. I passed two or three of our negroes on the -skirts of the plantation, standing with slouched hats and folded arms, -like so many statues of ebony on a marble floor. 'Tis then that -melancholy spreads its deepest gloom over a Virginian farm—a solitude -fearful, still, and echoless—while all nature bows to its stern -influence. The cattle are gathered to the <i>farm-pen</i>, to ruminate over -a rasping <i>shuck</i>, or a marrowless corn-stalk. From a pool in the -stable yard, a dense and curling vapor overshadows a motley group of -ducks and geese, who are quarrelling and floundering in undisputed -possession of their odorous empire; while the lengthened face of the -prisoned plough-horse takes a more pallid hue from the sympathy of -melancholy, and is protruded on the scene like that eternal spectre of -death which is ever flitting athwart the path of life. Within the -house there is a confused hurrying to and fro of menials in search of -wood, carpets, and rugs, while the mistress fairly frets herself into -philosophy amid the snow, mud, and her own contradictory orders. A -glance from the window will disclose a crowd of negroes collected -around the wood-yard, waiting to carry the logs cut by one, who with a -heavy whirl of his ponderous axe, and a loud moan, scatters his -wounded chips at every stroke. He is then on the crest of the highest -wave of vanity, and will ever and anon rest his axe to tell of the -broad <i>clearings</i> which have opened beneath his giant arm. I looked on -this quiet and familiar scene with an aching eye and a throbbing -heart; yet I was soothed into peace by that witching spell which -spreads its empire from "Indus to the Pole." It was <i>home</i>—that spot -over whose fairy circle my heart, like the gnomon, had dialled all its -sunlit hours of joy and happiness; and in the gushing memory of -childhood's romance, I almost forgot that the stain of blood was on my hands.</p> - -<p>I did not disturb the family until they were seated at breakfast; and -in reply to my mother's inquiries concerning Arthur's health, I -hesitated not to relate to her the whole detail of the tragic meeting. -Lucy entered the room ere I had finished my sad narrative, and -catching the truth of my tale, suddenly stared at me with a full and -lustreless eye, and looking up for a moment, fell with an hysteric -shriek on the floor. My mother's stern pride subdued her swelling -feelings, and rising from her seat, with a starting tear in her eye, -she led Lucy from the room. Frederick remained cold and unmoved, -throwing his fork into his plate, and playing -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page161"><small><small>[p. 161]</small></small></a></span> with his tea-spoon -with an air of frigid indifference. My uncle alone advanced to me, and -seizing my hand, exclaimed in a generous though quivering voice, "<i>I</i> -will not forsake you, my dear boy! You have been indiscreet and -passionate, but your honor is untainted! I knew that you could not -wilfully kill Arthur. Come with me; an express shall be sent to the -college instantly. The odds are greatly in favor of his recovery. I -have in the library a table of fifty duels, prepared by my pen, and -strengthened by my experience. Out of that number but four were -killed, and ten wounded. There is only one bad sign in the whole -affair, and that is the fact that Arthur fell too soon. I have known -many a man carry two balls in his body before he would droop. No -wadding entered his body, for my pistols do not bear it; and you may -hope for the best."</p> - -<p>My uncle's plan of sending an express to the college was approved by -the whole family, and in a short time the house re-echoed to repeated -calls for the ostler. He soon made his appearance, and in reply to my -mother's directions, he gave the usual stable diary of a Virginian farm.</p> - -<p>"Why, ma'am, there is not a horse on the land fit to ride. Mass -Charles sent the mare out of the county on yesterday to Col. C.'s for -a pointer puppy, and as the boy did not come back in time, he has sent -another on the black horse to look for him. The chariot horses Mass -Charles sent to the court house, with a barrel of cider royal to Capt. -R.; and Miss Lucy's pony has not got a shoe to his foot."</p> - -<p>"Where is the overseer?" said my mother, who was too much accustomed -to scenes of this character to lose any of the calmness of her temper.</p> - -<p>"Oh, he went to the warrant-trying yesterday evening to dispute the -blacksmith's account; and I heard him say that he would stay at the -shop till he could have the beards of two of Mass Charles' Levier -fishing hooks altered. Now, if mistress must send, I will get one of -the blooded plough-horses, and he will make out as well as any."</p> - -<p>This ready auxiliary of a Virginian hurry was necessarily adopted; and -in a short time the old servant, encased in a pair of ponderous boots, -enveloped in an overcoat which fitted him like a shroud, and mounted -on a plough-horse—the gaunt anatomy of poverty—wended his way to -fulfil a mission of charity and repentance.</p> - -<p>The return of the messenger brought the agreeable tidings of Arthur's -convalescence; and when, at the expiration of a week, Scipio delivered -me a letter from Arthur, full of undiminished friendship, the spirits -of our whole household rose to unusual elevation. They were satisfied -that he was now secure from every burst of my dangerous temper; and -when I told them that I was guiltless of his blood, I found my -recompense in the blush of mingled pride and gratitude which mantled -over the cheek of Lucy. My misfortune, in humbling my pride, had the -happy effect of silencing that "fearful felicity" of elocution (as Sir -Philip Sidney terms it) which made my uncle the zealous annalist of -duels, pistols, chivalry, and arrangements.</p> - -<p>How naturally does the heart, when oppressed by disease, or humbled by -misfortune, turn, like the wounded deer, to the silent refuge of -solitude—invoking, under its peaceful shade, that balm of -life—woman's love—that rare medicinal, which pours its rosy health -into the wounds of manhood's fretted existence. Ambition—the quick -pulse of bloated avarice—the rotten pageantry of the world—and the -fret and faction of life, may for a while lure us from its sacred -altar; yet in our moments of despair, we turn to its holy shrine with -renewed devotion, and ever find its radiance, like the brightness of -the tropic-lights, flitting its steady blaze around the darkness of -our destiny. I was so deeply cursed by temper, and depraved by its -exercise, that the love which commonly cheats us into happiness, or -obliterates ennui, brought no relief to my lacerated spirit. Romance -no longer culled its flattering trophies from the memory of Isa -Gordon. I looked on her as one who was too proud to bow to my despotic -love, while I had gained by absence from her at college a spirit of -freedom and independence. She was my <i>first love;</i> and, despite the -dictates of common sense, I was almost compelled to believe that such -love was of the purest and firmest character, merely because I had -fallen into it in the ignorance and inexperience of boyhood. What a -paradox! and how fondly does stupidity cherish it! The boy's heart is -a tablet on which is shadowed the outline of an April day—a gorgeous -sunshine plays around his imagination, and the fleeting clouds which -disturb it, never dim the horizon before him. He loves from nature—he -is ever a poligamist—and mistakes the fervor of passion for the truth -of love; while his youth, which cures every disease, soon cicatrizes -the wound of despised affection. 'Tis manhood's destiny to writhe -under the slow and searching poison of unrequited constancy. He lays -all the powers of his heart, mind, and education, at the foot of -woman; and the blow which prostrates him, shakes to its base a granite -fabric. He knows the value of the priceless feeling which he offers, -and demands in return a heart which must make him the god of its -idolatry. I was egotistical and selfish in my reasoning; yet that very -reasoning, in teaching me to forget Isa Gordon, made my heart loiter -with a holy enthusiasm around the memory of Ellen Pilton. She had -written to me in a style of affectionate and confiding attachment; and -though I did not answer her letters, she still continued to write, and -wondered why I did not receive them. No dream of my treachery ever -entered her guileless heart, and she knew not that her letters were -the harvest of my revenge. Suddenly I ceased to hear from her, and I -then found that the darkest passion of our nature loses its poisoned -fang when struck by the magic wand of love. Could I forget her purity -and gentleness of character—the impassioned tenderness with which she -had entrusted the destiny of her life—the aspirations of her -untainted youth—and all the faith and fervor of her virgin -innocence—to whom? to one who had gained this unique gem, as the -plaything of a fiend.</p> - -<p>Stimulated by jealousy, and prompted by a desire to satisfy myself of -Ellen's truth, I resolved to visit a college friend who lived in the -immediate vicinity of her father's residence, and there patiently wait -until I might have an opportunity of seeing her. My uncle was my -confidant; and when I entered his room for the purpose of disclosing -my intentions, I found him seated as usual amid a crowd of antique -volumes, while his eyes were keenly gloating over the original-brained -tittle-tattle of "Howel's Letters." His large centre table displayed a -motley mixture of the stable, chase, and library. On a copy of the -<i>Divine Legation</i> lay a -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page162"><small><small>[p. 162]</small></small></a></span> -curb-bit. The <i>Castle of Indolence</i> was -crowded into an old-fashioned stirrup. A dog collar belonging to one -of King Charles' breed, surmounted <i>Clarendon</i>. Two broken -throat-lashes were placed on <i>State Trials</i>, and a pair of spurs had -worked their rowels deep into the binding of <i>Stith's History of -Virginia</i>. The <i>Defence of Poesy</i>, <i>Rhymer's Foedera</i>, <i>Fuller's Holy -State</i>, <i>Catullus</i>, and <i>Tom Jones</i>, were tied together with a bridle -rein; while a full record (<i>tested</i> by the clerk of the council, and -dated July 9th, 1630,) of the trial of Doctor John Pott, late Governor -of Virginia, for cattle stealing, spread its broad pages over the -whole table. I caught a glimpse of a long and copious commentary which -my uncle had written at the foot of it, in which he had proved the -innocence of the Ex-Governor, and the perjury of Kingsmell, the -principal witness, whom as the record narrates, "Doctor Pott -endeavored to prove an hypocrite by a story of Gusman of Alfrach the -rogue."</p> - -<p>I soon declared the purpose of my visit, and that I was determined to -see Ellen Pilton.</p> - -<p>"I do not like her name," said my uncle; "it would have a plebeian -sound in any part of the world; yet her mother bore a proud title, and -as she loves you, do not act dishonorably. I take it for granted that -she loves you merely because you affirm it, but you may rest assured -that she will yet make a goose of you. Coquetry—arrant coquetry, is -the business, the pursuit, the occupation of woman's life. They learn -its treacheries when they dress their first doll; its edge is -sharpened by every lover; and many a belle who dies in early glory, -coquettes with the priest who shrives her. Venus commenced its -practice the moment she was born; and though untaught in its -mysteries, she laughingly bid the Tritons to look some other way. -Horace reads us many a fine truth about it, and Tibullus and -Propertius tell in trembling lines of the fascinations of that female -garb which was brought from the Coian Isle. Our Virginian girls have a -prescriptive right to all its prerogatives. Oh, there was rare -coquetry when that gentle ship landed its blushing freight at -Jamestown! Old "<i>Dust and Ashes</i>,"<small><small><sup>1</sup></small></small> that fast friend of the colony, -and he who stole this title from a sexton, that under its shade he -might nobly endow a <i>free school</i> in Virginia, made their invoice in a -gay doublet, and copied the bill of lading with a smile on his -care-worn cheek, and a fresh posy in his bosom. Our proud ancestor, -Sir Eyre Granby, was present when they landed, and saw them leaping -and gambolling about the shore like young minnows in a mountain -stream. One fair girl, with a dove-like face and a sparkling eye, gave -Sir Eyre a silver tobacco pipe, which she had brought from home for -the stranger who should most interest her maiden heart. Alas! he was a -married man; and all he could do was to kiss her hand and give her a -bunch of flowers. The anxious bachelors who found a wife on that day, -imitated his example; and to this hour, Virginia's maidens ask no -better declaration of love than this silly compliment. Take care, my -dear boy, of their hands; do not look at their rings; and let the -flowers grow where God planted them. If they should be sick, do not -show too much tenderness. I have known coquetry assume every type of -fierce fever and pining atrophy; and remember, that the last dyke in -the fortress of coquetry, is the coral cheek of consumption. Go, and -learn from experience, and may Cupid prosper you."</p> - -<blockquote><small><small><sup>1</sup></small> "Mr. Nathaniel Barber, the chief manager and book-keeper -of the Company's lotteries." <i>Stith</i> 216. Even at that dark period -public education though a puling was a lusty child—'tis <i>now</i> a paper -mummy.</small></blockquote> - -<p>Early on the next morning I left Chalgrave; and finding the outer gate -of the plantation closely barred with fence rails, I was about to -dismount and open it, when my old nurse made her appearance, -exclaiming, "Let it alone, Mass Lionel; I barred it—for I did not -want you to go from home to-day till I could see you. Bad luck is -hanging over our family. Is not this the seventh day of the -month?—the day on which your stout old grandfather died, and on which -your father sickened unto death. Did I not last night gather the wild -hemlock from his grave; and with a lock of his hair, and a piece of -the caul which covered your baby face, try seven times the charm which -an Obi man taught my mother? Oh! it was a dreadful sight; I saw you -mangled and wounded, and your white hand was red with blood. I heard -an owl shriek seven times on the wall of our graveyard; it flew in at -my window, put out my light, and left me in darkness. Do not go away -now."</p> - -<p>"Do you still take me for a child? I must go; farewell, dear mammy."</p> - -<p>"Oh! call me dear mammy once more," she replied, "and let me kiss you -for the last time."</p> - -<p>I granted her request, and rode rapidly away, while I vainly -endeavored to keep down the fear and superstition with which her -narrative had filled my bosom. My journey was long and tedious, and -ere night I had lost myself in the mazes and tortuous paths of a -forest road. On every side I was met by gates, drawbars, and -<i>gaps</i>—the necessary appendages in the economy of Virginian -idleness,—and wandered about until I was finally fairly lost in a -broad thicket of luxuriant myrtle. Trusting to the sagacity of my -horse, he brought me into an open road, at the extremity of which a -feeble light caught my eye. Advancing to it, I found a crowd of -negroes gathered in a cabin, and dancing with that joyous flush of -elastic carelessness which a negro only feels, to the music of a -banjo, triangle, and squirrel-skin fiddle. All of them offered to show -me the way, and each invariably decreased the distance in proportion -to the anxiety which my inquiries expressed. I took the direction -which I had thus received, and late at night I passed by an -old-fashioned house, from a lower window of which shot a feeble and -fluttering light. Here I met a negro who informed me that I was on the -Pilton plantation—that the mansion-house was before me—that he was -the best axe-man on the land—that his Mass Edmund had just come home -on a fine horse—and that Miss Ellen was sick and poorly. A pang of -remorse passed through my bosom; and reckless of every principle of -honor, I determined to approach nearer to the house, and gaze, like -the pilgrim, on that shrine which held the worshipped idol of my -heart. Riding rapidly away from the negro, I suddenly turned my -course, and dismounting from my horse, leaped over the garden wall. -Cautiously threading my path through tangled shrubbery, leafless -rosebushes, and crooked hedges, I quickly turned, as the light from -the house streamed before me, and looking -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page163"><small><small>[p. 163]</small></small></a></span> up to the window, I -beheld the form of Ellen Pilton in an attitude which arrested my -attention, and chained my footsteps to the earth. Her head was resting -on her right hand, while in her left she held the fatal evergreen -which had marked with tenderness our earliest acquaintance. A dark and -fleecy cloud of long and luxuriant hair swept over her marbled brow. -Her cheek was illuminated with a vermillion glow, like those bright -colors which decorate the holiness of some antique missal, while the -ardent gaze which she bestowed on this memorial of my treachery, -mingled itself with the patient melancholy which disease had written -on her face. I saw her weep like a child, as she replaced it in her -bosom; and at that moment the giant voice of conscience rang through -my heart, pealing the knell of my perfidy and duplicity. Chastened by -contrition—humbled by the consciousness of my own falsehood—and -elevated by this unerring indication of her singleness of heart, I -felt the contagion of resistless sympathy, and on that silent spot I -poured out the pure orisons of a love which had sprung from the -blackest passion of my nature. I continued in a fixed posture for many -moments, inebriated into utter forgetfulness of my flagrant violation -of honor. A feeling of debasement came over me, and yielding to its -influence, I turned away from the window. My position was no sooner -changed, than I was met by Edmund Pilton,—his face almost touching my -shoulder.</p> - -<p>"Mr. Granby," said he, in a voice of stifled anger, "an -eavesdropper!—a cowardly intruder on female privacy!—I wish him -profit in his honorable profession, and may darkness ever hide his -blush of shame."</p> - -<p>I staggered back with fear and agitation; and for the only time in my -life I felt as a coward. Nature had given me courage, and education -had endowed me with that chivalry which feared only the shame of fear; -yet that consciousness of disgrace which wrecks the proudest heart, -left me the shuddering craven of its withering power.</p> - -<p>"Mr. Pilton must excuse me," I replied; "I was endeavoring to find the -way to—" here I half uttered a rising falsehood. "I will satisfy him -at another time of my innocence—I must now retire."</p> - -<p>"Certainly, sir," said he, "you may retire, and rest in the shade of -your victorious laurels; but remember—" and here his hollow voice -increased in volume, and quivered with passion, "that if ever you -again approach my sister in any shape or form, I will put you to -death, even in her hallowed presence. I refused your foolish -challenge; but there is a point beyond which prudence loses all its -virtues, and the next time I chastise you for an insult to a sister, -your blood shall write the record. Neither darkness shall conceal, -cowardice protect, nor lunacy excuse you!"</p> - -<p>I might have been more humbled by my own sense of degradation, but the -last word was a talisman which awoke into frenzy the demoniac hate -which had long rioted in my bosom; and approaching nearer to Pilton, I -leaped at him, and grasped his throat with the fierceness of the -tiger. He was better built, more athletic, and stronger than myself, -and in the struggle that ensued, I found myself fast wasting away; yet -I could hear his short and strangled breath laboring under the iron -grasp of my fingers. He now drew a small knife, and began to cut the -hand which held his throat. I felt the warm blood trickling over its -relaxed strength; and releasing my hold, I sunk upon the ground. He -instantly fell upon me; and after a long and violent scuffle, I -succeeded in rescuing myself. We were again on our feet, and I now had -time to draw a small dirk from my bosom. He was ignorant that I was -armed; and approaching him, as he leaned breathless and exhausted -against a tree, I struck him with the weapon just below his shoulder. -He gave one groan, and reeled to the earth. I was about to repeat the -blow, when a piercing shriek burst upon my ear,—and Ellen Pilton fell -upon the body of her prostrate brother.</p> - -<p>"Oh, God!" she cried, "kill him not—spare him!—take my life! Is it -you, Lionel?" she screamed, as she looked up and recognized my -features—"and would <i>you</i> murder my brother—you would not, dear -Lionel."</p> - -<p>I was silent.</p> - -<p>"Go away—I loathe, I abhor, I hate you!"</p> - -<p>Ere the first light of day had kissed the tranquil waters of the -Chesapeake, my jaded horse was browzing on the fertile meadows of the -Rappahannock, and I found a refuge on board the good ship "Tobacco -Plant," Capt. Z., bound to London.</p> -<br> -<br><hr align="center" width="100"><a name="sect22"></a> -<br> -<br> -<h4>BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH.</h4> -<br> - -<p>J<small>ONATHAN</small> P. C<small>USHING</small> was born March 12, 1793, at Rochester, -New-Hampshire, and, like most of the eminent men of our country, in -humble circumstances. He was early left an orphan to the care of a -guardian, who seems to have been both negligent and unfaithful. By -this man he was carried to his own residence, in a remote part of the -State, where the population was scanty, and there were few schools. In -his immediate vicinity there were none. There he was employed in doing -the drudgery of his guardian's farm and mill until his thirteenth or -fourteenth year. It was an improvement in his situation, when at that -time he was bound apprentice to a saddler, especially as in New -Hampshire by law, or custom equally imperative with law, it is the -duty of a master to send his apprentices to school for six months of -the term for which they are bound. This advantage Mr. Cushing enjoyed, -and it seems to have been the only regular instruction he received -before his eighteenth year. But even that germ, falling on a good -soil, fructified. He began to feel the thirst for learning, which was -to be the reigning impulse of his later years, and to loathe the -prospect of a life spent in mere bodily labor. His mind, conscious of -its own powers, and having once tasted of the sweets flowing from -their exercise, could not submit to sink back again to the state of -lethargy from which it had just been roused. The fruit of such -thoughts and feelings was a resolution which he formed and very -suddenly announced while at work one day, with another apprentice. -Starting up from his seat he said "I am determined to have a liberal -education, if it cost me forty years of my life to get it." He bought -out the remainder of his term, and entered himself at an academy at -Exeter, in his native State. There he prosecuted his studies with -great diligence, supporting himself meanwhile by laboring at his -trade, until he was prepared to enter Dartmouth College. He became a -member of the Junior Class in that institution in 1815, and obtained -his first degree in 1817. His standing in his class was highly -respectable, though not so -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page164"><small><small>[p. 164]</small></small></a></span> -elevated as would naturally be -supposed by his acquaintances in after life, who knew nothing of the -deficiencies of his early education, and only adverted to his -acknowledged talents, his literary zeal, and the strength and -constancy of his character. On leaving the walls of College, the world -was all before him. Go where he would, he must look to his labors, not -merely for fame and fortune, but for subsistence; and in every -direction around him (thanks to the good Being who has so abundantly -blessed our country) he saw fields of usefulness and distinction -inviting, and promising liberally to reward, his exertions. The -intensity of his studies, however, for the last few years, had -impaired his constitution, and he had reason to believe that a -southern residence would be more propitious to the restoration of his -health, and at least equally favorable to his success in other -respects. With these views he left his native State, determined to -establish himself as a lawyer at Charleston, S. C. On reaching -Richmond, he met with an acquaintance from New England, who had been -engaged as a tutor at Hampden Sidney College, (an institution of which -until that time Mr. Cushing had never heard) but who from ill health -was not able to enter on the discharge of his duties. At his -solicitation, strengthened by that of the late Dr. Rice, ("<i>clarum et -venerabile nomen</i>") with whom Mr. C. then became acquainted, the -latter was induced to undertake for a few weeks the fulfilment of his -friend's engagement. Before even that brief time had expired, the -young man died, and Mr. Cushing became, by a train of circumstances -apparently fortuitous, and almost without his own agency, a member of -the Faculty of H. S. College. There was but little in the condition of -the institution at that time to induce such a man, young, of energetic -character, and conscious ability, to desire to cast in his lot there. -No class had graduated regularly for several years, and the degrees -occasionally conferred on individuals, who had gone through the whole -course, were not respected at other Colleges. There was hardly the -name of a Library or Philosophical Apparatus; and the buildings were -to the last degree unsightly and inadequate. It had, however, one -recommendation, which with Mr. Cushing, would outweigh many defects. -It was a seminary of learning, where he could gratify the strong -passion of his soul for acquiring and communicating instruction, more -delightful to him, as he often declared, than food to a hungry man. -With all this, however, he could not readily forego the advantages -attending the line of life he had chalked out for himself. Twice he -determined to dissolve the connexion he had formed with the College, -and once he had gone to the tavern for the purpose of taking his seat -in the stage which was to carry him away. On this occasion he was -induced to return by Dr. Hoge, the then President, to whom he looked -up with affectionate veneration, and his acquaintance with whom he was -accustomed to regard as one of the most fortunate events of his life. -So soon as he considered himself established at Hampden Sidney, he set -to work with characteristic vigor and singleness of purpose, to raise -the standing of the institution. He prevailed on the Trustees to -introduce a new system of discipline and study, and being soon -appointed Professor of Natural Philosophy and Chemistry, and -experiencing the disadvantages of the very deficient apparatus, he -made large additions to it at his own expense, trusting to the future -ability of the College to repay him. Dr. Hoge dying in 1820, Mr. -Cushing was elected President, and from that time till his own death -within the last twelve months, the events of his life were little more -than a series of efforts, the most judicious, untiring, and -self-sacrificing, to foster the interests of the College over which he -presided. One of his first objects, necessarily, was to improve and -enlarge the College buildings, which at that time were probably by far -the most indifferent belonging to any institution of the kind in the -Union. But while it was obvious that the prosperity, perhaps the -existence of the College depended on making this improvement, the -means of making it were far from being equally apparent.</p> - -<p>The institution possessing very little corporate property, and having -never been a favorite with the Legislature, the possible munificence -of individuals seemed to offer the only hope of success. That this -would avail, was so little expected, that in the expressive language -of one of its friends, his plans were looked on by the trustees as the -dreams of youth. He was the man, however, to change such dreams into -realities. His appeals to the liberality of the friends of the College -were so well responded to, that in a short time he had caused to be -erected the centre and one wing of a stately and commodious building, -altogether suited to the purposes intended; and in the years 1829, -'30, and '31, he procured additional subscriptions to the amount of -$30,000, with which that building was completed, others erected, and a -permanent fund established to aid in the support of the Professors. -From time to time he continued to make additions to the philosophical -apparatus, and carried the students of the College through a regular -course of literary and scientific study, having early obtained for his -graduates an admission "<i>ad eundem gradum</i>" at other Colleges without -examination. While thus efficiently discharging his duties as -President, he did not neglect those of Professor. On the contrary, all -who knew him will bear witness to the study and labor with which he -extended his researches into those branches of learning which it was -his province to teach. His lectures were thus the overflowings of a -mind filled with the results of previous investigation and meditation; -not, as we sometimes see in the case of indolent Professors, themes -prepared for the occasion, and exhausting the scanty stock of science -which had been accumulated on the subject. But while justice is thus -done to Mr. Cushing's real ability, and to the admirable use which he -made of it, (his strength of purpose, like a hard master, exacting its -full quota of exertion from every faculty,) it yet cannot be -maintained that his mind was of the highest order. His case well -illustrated the distinction which has been taken between genius and -talent. The former original and creative; the latter acquiring, -modifying, and adapting to general use the productions of the first. -While it is the prerogative of genius to discover fields of science -hitherto unknown, it is the more humble, but perhaps not less useful -province of talent, to cultivate what is thus brought to light, and -prepare it to be possessed by the public mind. The love of -communicating knowledge, which has been already mentioned as one of -Mr. Cushing's most striking characteristics, indicated, or at least -happily coincided with, the line of -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page165"><small><small>[p. 165]</small></small></a></span> usefulness for which, -according to this view of his mental constitution, nature had fitted -him. And it may well be questioned whether any of those who have -sounded the profoundest depths of science, and first brought into -light great truths previously unknown, would, if placed in the same -circumstances with himself, have effected so much, and discharged the -manifold and peculiar duties devolving on him, with equal skill and -success. As a disciplinarian, he was mild and lenient, even to an -extent considered by some as approaching to laxity. But such persons -do not seem sufficiently to have adverted to the difficulties of his -situation. He was not the Rector of Christ Church, or of Trinity—not -even the President of Harvard or of Yale, but the head of a feeble -institution, struggling almost for existence, and dependent on public -patronage for support. With him, forbearance was among the first and -most essential duties. Moreover, it was well understood by his -students that his mildness was the result of principle, not of -feebleness of character, and that there was a point beyond which they -could not with impunity transgress. Such zeal, tempered by such -prudence, could not be fruitless. The result of his labors and his -cares, of what he did, and what he forebore to do, was, that in a few -years after his induction into the Presidency, Hampden Sidney might -fairly be pronounced the most flourishing literary institution in the -Commonwealth. Its tide of success, however, was soon checked, and its -onward progress stayed, by the opening of the halls of the University -to students, an event which, however auspicious to the literary -interests of the community at large, could not fail to be unfavorable -to another seminary of learning in the same region of country, and -dependent in a great degree on the same population for its supply of -pupils. Visible as this was in the thinned ranks of his students, it -does not seem to have caused Mr. Cushing to "bate one jot of heart or -hope," but rather to have stimulated him to renewed exertions. For it -was soon after this that he undertook and effected the improvement of -the College buildings and the acquisition of a permanent fund. Nor did -he cease to urge on the Legislature the just claims of the College to -some share of the public favor. But the bills introduced for that -purpose, though generally zealously supported and sustained, on -grounds which ought to have insured their success, were always gotten -rid of—most usually by the parliamentary manœuvre of tacking to them -other subjects more or less incongruous, until they broke down under -their own weight.</p> - -<p>It is our purpose to consider the character of President Cushing, -mainly as one of the scholars and public men of Virginia. We shall -therefore dwell but little on his private affairs. But in a sketch of -his life, even so brief as this, we cannot omit a fact which exerted -the strongest influence on the happiness of his latter years. In the -year 1827 he <i>married</i>, in an adjoining county, a pious, intelligent, -and interesting young lady, of whom, as she survives to mourn his -loss, delicacy forbids that we should speak in terms of stronger -panegyric. A good Providence crowned their union with lovely children; -and in the bosom of a family so interesting, President Cushing found a -felicity which he well knew how to enjoy, and a relaxation from his -incessant toils and harassing cares equally necessary to his body and -to his mind. Though to the world chiefly known as a scholar and the -President of a College, it was perhaps in the mild and mellow light of -domestic retirement that his character shone with the most attractive -lustre. As a friend he made few professions, but when self-denying -service was needed, his zeal prompted him to exertions the most -strenuous, persevering, and efficient. He knew how to feel for the -bereavement of the widow's heart, and with tender sympathy to wipe the -tear from the widow's eye. May He who seeth in secret reward him for -these deeds of love, by pouring consolation into that cup of -affliction which His providence has presented to the lip of her who -was once too happy in being her husband's helpmate in ministering -consolation to others.</p> - -<p>Although a native of another State, Mr. Cushing was, in his connexions -and his feelings, thoroughly a Virginian; and, as might be supposed -from the nature of his pursuits, peculiarly regardful of the literary -interests of the Commonwealth. He therefore hailed with joy, and -actively engaged in establishing and fostering the Society for the -promotion of those interests, formed in Richmond four or five years -ago, of which he continued a zealous and efficient member the short -residue of his days. For Hampden Sidney, however, he continued to feel -a peculiar regard, which he evinced not only by the faithful -performance of his duties as its President, but by repeatedly refusing -very advantageous offers made him of Professorships in other Colleges, -and by expressions of warm attachment to that institution, at that -last solemn period of his life, when affectation of such regard, if -ever possible with him, would have been effectually checked by the -near prospect of the awful realities of the eternal world. His death, -though an untimely, was not a sudden event. His constitution had -perhaps never entirely recovered from the injury inflicted by intense -application whilst a college student; and as his habits of study -continued the same, the effects became gradually more apparent, until -at length the unprecedented rigor of the last winter prostrated the -structure which had been so long undermined. Early in the spring, -being advised by his physicians to seek a milder climate, he set out -for the south, accompanied by a part of his family. But on reaching -Raleigh, his journey and his earthly pilgrimage were both cut short. -There, surrounded by those whom he loved best on earth, and who he -knew well returned his love, looking back on a life of useful and -honorable exertion, rewarded by distinguished success; and looking -forward in the full assurance of hope to an eternity of happiness, -secured to him by a Savior in whom he cordially believed, and whom he -had long found precious to his soul, he met death not with calmness -and fortitude merely, but with triumph! He had just entered on his -forty-third year, and it may be supposed had hardly obtained the -maturity of his powers and the full limits of his influence. To our -eyes, it would seem his sun went down at noonday. His death was a -source of the truest and deepest grief, not only to a family more than -ordinarily devoted to him, but to a large circle of friends his -virtues had gained to him throughout Virginia, and to those especially -who had at heart the prosperity of the College over which he had so -ably presided. He died in the communion of the Episcopal Church, which -with many inducements to bias him in -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page166"><small><small>[p. 166]</small></small></a></span> another direction, he had -chosen for his spiritual mother at the commencement of his religious -life, and which with decided, and it is believed increasing affection, -he continued to love even unto death. Yet no man possessed a spirit -more truly Catholic, and no man delighted more to enjoy Christian -communion with the followers of his master, though they might in some -less essential particulars, understand the will of that master -differently from himself. Like the Apostle Paul, he rejoiced in the -spread of the gospel, by whomsoever preached; and he was far more -desirous to see his Savior honored, and to learn that sinners had -repented and believed, through whatever instrumentality it pleased God -to use, than to see the tokens of divine favor confined even to that -church which he best loved. In his last days, like the illustrious -Grotius, he suspected that even science, with all her loveliness and -her benificence, had engrossed more of his affections and more of his -thoughts than should have been given to aught below the skies; and as -he drew nearer to the eternal world, his soul was more and more rapt -in the beatific contemplation of that incomprehensible glory which God -hath prepared for them that love his Son.</p> - -<p>His remains are interred in the burying-ground of the Episcopal Church -in the city of Raleigh. The spot which contains them is marked by a -monument erected by the Trustees of Hampden Sidney College, and -designed, while it commemorates his merits, to testify their sorrow -for his loss, and their gratitude for his services. But a more -enduring monument, and that which he would have prized far above any -other, will be found, as we trust, in the abiding and brightening -glories of the Institution to which his best years were devoted, and -which shared, with the partner of his bosom and the children of his -affection, the last anxieties of his ebbing life.</p> -<br> -<br><hr align="center" width="100"><a name="sect23"></a> -<br> -<br> -<h4>LINES</h4> -<center><small>On reaching the banks of the Mississippi at the junction of the Ohio, -1st July, 1818.</small></center> -<br> -<br> -<table align="center" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" summary="poem19"> - <tr><td>Mighty stream, I see thee rushing<br> - Proudly, madly, wild along—<br> - Like a summer torrent, gushing<br> - Sudden, rapid, swift and strong.<br> -<br> - Now my prow is on thy waters,<br> - And I gaze with secret aim,<br> - To discover wherein centered,<br> - Lies the secret of thy fame.<br> -<br> - But I gaze in vain—thy billows<br> - Gurgle as they haste away;<br> - Could their sounds my soul unriddle,<br> - I might learn wherein it lay.<br> -<br> - I might learn that riven mountains,<br> - Headlong falls, unpencilled yet,<br> - Plains untravelled, thou hast wandered,<br> - Ere thy weary waters met.<br> -<br> - Plains! where still the Bison feeding,<br> - Paws in ire the solid ground—<br> - Or the fiery Bear, in fury,<br> - Sudden pours his lion-sound.<br> -<br> - In thy rushing roar of waters<br> - I might learn that rivers speak;<br> - Great Missouri cries—I mingle,<br> - Konza—ho! the sea I seek.<br> -<br> - Mild Ohio, sweet and mighty,<br> - In thy onward wave is lost,<br> - And a thousand lesser fountains,<br> - Pouring down a varied coast.<br> -<br> - In a region, drear and polar,<br> - Thou hast thy unnoticed rise,<br> - And dost issue where the solar<br> - Burning heats pervade the skies.<br> -<br> - Far beyond the white man's daring<br> - Sits the lordly Indian lone,<br> - Gazing on that rich creation<br> - Heaven, he deems, hath made his own.<br> -<br> - Length, and depth, and speed, and volume,<br> - All that swell o'er swell, create—<br> - These, perchance, thy sounds would tell me,<br> - These, these only, make thee great.<br> -<br> - 'Tis not clearness—'tis not brightness,<br> - Such as dwell in mountain brooks—<br> - 'Tis thy big, big, boiling torrent—<br> - 'Tis thy wild and angry looks.<br> -<br> - Flow then, river—rushing river—<br> - Flow, till thou invade the sea;<br> - Many millions, uncreated,<br> - Shall desire thy waves to see.<br> -<br> - But while millions uncreated,<br> - Sigh o'er millions pass'd away,<br> - Thou shalt roll, in all thy splendor,<br> - Till thy Maker bids thee stay.</td></tr> -</table> - -<div align="right"><small>H. R. S. </small></div> - -<blockquote><i>Washington</i>.</blockquote> -<br> -<br><hr align="center" width="100"><a name="sect24"></a> -<br> -<br> -<h4>SKETCHES OF LAKE SUPERIOR.</h4> -<br> -<p>No part of America presents a more ample field of scenic attractions -than the lake referred to. In some respects these attractions are -peculiar. It is not only the largest body of fresh water on the -continent, but pre-eminently so, the largest in the world. Titicaca, -the greatest lake of South America, is computed to be two hundred and -forty miles in circumference—a circle less than Ontario, and falling -infinitely short of Erie, Huron or Michigan.</p> - -<p>Superior is about ten miles short of five hundred, in its most direct -line of coast, and may be computed at fifteen hundred miles in -circumference.<small><small><sup>1</sup></small></small> About one third of this is caused by its -promontories and inlets, which give it a striking irregularity of -outline. The direct line of inland navigation, which would be opened -were the rapids at St. Mary's overcome, would be about twelve hundred -and sixty miles in the outward voyage. It possesses several fine -harbors and anchorage grounds. Its general features may be inferred -from the maps, but no existing map can be relied on for the accuracy -of its delineations. Its basin consists of massy formations of -primitive rock, with dykes of trap, and horizontal walls of sandstone, -giving rise to much variety in its features. Islands, mountains and -cliffs, pass the eye of the voyager, with an animating succession, and -appear as if they were suspended in the pellucid waters, for which -this lake has been noted from the earliest times. This purity may be -noticed in connexion with the absence of limestone among its -formations, no locality of which -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page167"><small><small>[p. 167]</small></small></a></span> has hitherto been discovered. -It has, apparently, been the theatre of extensive geological -convulsions, which have lifted up its horizontal rocks for a hundred -and twenty miles in extent. Other portions bear striking evidences of -having been submitted to oceanic action, the effect of which has been -to break down its sandstone coasts, and deposit the <i>debris</i> in -extensive plains, or sand mountains. Peaks, of a black basaltic -aspect, cast their angular shadows over some of the more westerly -portions of the lake; and the prospect from some of the higher points -of those on which we have stood, is such as to excite the most exalted -and transporting conceptions.</p> - -<blockquote><small><small><sup>1</sup></small> Mackenzie says seventeen hundred.</small></blockquote> - -<p>The Porcupine mountains may be distinguished, from all that is known -of them, as a volcanic group. They are situated in latitude 46° 52'. -It would be practicable, in the range of American mountain scenery, to -indicate points which have a higher elevation above the sea. Some of -the peaks of New England or Virginia lift the observer into the mid -heavens. But they are entirely wanting in the effect produced by a -transparent mirror of water at their base—for it must be remembered, -that no increase of altitude or magnitude can compensate for the -absence of water. There is a single precipice, in these mountains, -which the Indians represent to be one thousand feet in perpendicular -height, having a deep, crater-shaped lake at its base.</p> - -<p>The peninsula of Kewena extends into lake Superior about forty-five -miles from its southern shore—the last ten or fifteen of which -exhibit the shape of a lofty comb of the trap formations. Two points -of this, which are sometimes called the Mamelles, have been descried, -in clear weather, sixty-five miles. From the top of this ridge, the -spectator looks to the east, and the west, and the north, and beholds -one interminable sheet of crystal water. It seems, from the height, -that the action of a single tempest, on so vast a mass of water, would -be sufficient to prostrate the whole in ruins. Yet there is a breadth -of several miles of solid rock, which has resisted the storms of ages. -The effects of the action of the water, are the most striking on its -western coast, which has been fretted into bays and inlets, leaving -huge, castellated portions of unbroken rock standing in the water. -These isolated masses, in misty weather, assume a spectral aspect. The -Indians, who find aliment to their superstitions in scenes of awe, -formerly deemed this part of the peninsula sacred, and never passed -around it in their canoes.</p> - -<p>The splendid formation of graywacke rocks on Presque Isle river, is -worth the whole journey from St. Mary's, to behold. In its spring -floods this river is a torrent rushing from a mountain. When drained -to the minimum of its summer level, an extensive area of denuded rock -is exposed to view, arranged in a stair-like form, and partaking of an -air of gloom, from the dark hue of the deeply excavated banks.</p> - -<p>Iron river has its course through a similar formation, being <i>east</i>, -as the Presque Isle is <i>west</i>, of the Porcupine range. This river has -no striking perpendicular falls, but flows down a hackly, rocky bed, -in which the water, in its summer phase, stands in pools, or trickles -from one triangular tank to another.</p> - -<p>The Breast, or Potoash, and the Cradle Top mountains, are two -prominent elevations in the primitive range west of the Grand Island. -No one, we venture to predict, from our own experience, will ever -ascend them without labor, or reach their summits without high -gratification.</p> - -<p>The outer coast of Grand Island presents the north westerly front of -that magnificent sandstone formation, called Ishpábica by the Indians, -and Picture Rocks by the whites, which assumes so imposing an outline -in the range of coast ruins immediately east of that island. The Great -Sand Downs,<small><small><sup>2</sup></small></small> form a continuation of this coast toward the east, and -renew in this lighter form, a most picturesque series of elevations, -which the former range exhibits in rock. Minuter sections of the -coast, and of the banks of the rivers that intersect it, are of a -character to arrest attention, and will furnish, in after years, a -tissue of glowing themes for the pen and pencil. Among these, we may -notice the falls of the Taquimenon, the Monia, and the St. Louis.</p> - -<blockquote><small><small><sup>2</sup></small> <i>Les Grandes Sables</i>.</small></blockquote> - -<p>Up to the year 1820, very little was known, even by report, of this -interesting and romantic region. The scanty notices of it in the -colonial writers were of the most vague and unsatisfactory character. -The tale of the massacre of the garrison of Michilimackinac, and of a -far off region in which Pontiac exerted his power, had been -occasionally heard. But as these events were to be found only in the -works of the early French writers, few took the trouble to examine -them. Still fewer knew aught of its topography and natural resources, -or of the interesting communities of men, women and children, to whom -it was "a home and a country" long before Columbus reached St. -Salvador. In the year referred to, the gentleman who at present fills -the chair of the War Department conducted an exploratory expedition -through the region. Its capacities for military occupation, and the -character and disposition of its native population and mineral -topography, constituted the principal objects of attention. But no one -who was a member of that expedition, could remain an indifferent -spectator of the striking scenery, and the varied forms of thrilling -interest which it threw before the eye. It may be regretted that Mr. -Cass himself has given so little of his attention to descriptions of -these rife scenes. His graphic notice of the "Pictured Rocks," and his -historical illustrations of ancient Indian institutions, will be -remembered by the reader.</p> - -<p>We have merely adverted to this era, to notice the apathy which has -succeeded. The "far West" and the sunny "South," have engaged the pens -of genius. But much of the area to which we have called attention, -remains, as to its description, <i>a terra incognita</i>. We have given -most of the time we have ourselves spent in its solitudes, to the -consideration of its phenomena, as mere physical facts, and to the -history and language of its native inhabitants. But aside from these -objects, we think it a rich field for the future tourist. We -anticipate the time, as not far distant, when it will not only attract -frequent visits from the literary and scientific, but from all classes -who possess the means of enjoying out door health and intellectual -pleasure.</p> - -<p>We submit the following letters, embracing sketches of some prominent -portions of the scenery of this lake, as a sequel to these remarks. -They are from the pen of a young man who accompanied the writer of -this notice on a tour through that lake in 1831. His mind -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page168"><small><small>[p. 168]</small></small></a></span> was -much engrossed with the beauty and grandeur of the scenes he daily -witnessed, and he wrote these unpretending letters, at snatches of -time, by the way. Soon after his return from this tour, he visited one -of our Atlantic cities, where he suddenly sickened and died. This -circumstance is mentioned, as the motive for retaining the name of the -individual, which is associated with recollections of modest worth and -ingenuous sensibility.</p> - -<center>I.</center> - -<div align="right"><small>Granite Point, Lake Superior, July 3, 1831. - </small></div> - -<blockquote><i>Esteemed Friend</i>,—While looking over the life of Dr. Payson, at your -house, I was pleased with a remark of his, in which he says "that a -formal letter to a friend, is like 'Madam, I hope I have the pleasure -to see you in good health,' addressed by a son to his mother, after a -year's absence." These may not be the exact words, but they convey the -sentiment. Had I the disposition to write to you such a letter, the -circumstances of my situation would most effectually preclude its -gratification.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>One week has now elapsed since we were climbing the rugged sides of -the Iroquois mountain, and together gazing upon the peaceful lake -whose waters reposed in quietness at its base. During that week you -may well imagine that scenes have passed before me, as diverse and -varied in interest and excitement as the vicissitudes of human life. -We have glided over the limpid waters of the Superior, when its broad -surface lay stretched out before us with all the placidity of a -polished mirror, and anon our slender barks have been tossed like a -feather upon the rushing billows. We have rambled along the sandy -beach, or the gravelled shore, or bounded from rock to rock in search -of new objects of attraction. We have ascended the sliding sands of -the Grande Sable, viewed with admiration and awe the variegated walls -of the Pictured Rocks, passed under the Doric arches, and scaled its -summit, and last but not least, climbed a weary way up the mountain of -the Breast. But I shall not be thanked for filling up my sheet with -such general observations.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>Very little of interest is to be found upon the coast from Point -Iroquois to the Grande Marais. Nothing but a continuous sandy beach -meets the eye, which at length becomes tedious in the extreme. At the -Grande Marais, however, the scene changes. Here the lofty mountains of -Sable commence, which in themselves are sufficient to occupy the mind -until new wonders are presented. Mr. Johnston and myself, accompanied -by two of the Indian lads, ascended them near the beginning of the -range. Upon arriving at the summit, the prospect was at once -impressive and sublime. Behind us was the Superior, bounded but by the -horizon,—before us a gigantic amphitheatre, whose walls on either -side rose into the magnitude of mountains. We descended into the area, -and it was one in which the Olympian combatants would have delighted -to wage their contests for a false and short-lived fame. It was early -when we embarked, and being invigorated by the night's repose, we felt -inclined, despite fatigue, to make a survey of all that might prove -interesting. Passing on, we found that the winds had disposed of the -sand alternately in hills and valleys. Nothing but an arid waste met -the eye, except when here and there a hardy plant had reared its head -above the yellow surface, or a little islet <i>oasis</i> of green was -observed on a hillock's side, struggling with surrounding desolation. -Being informed that a small lake lay beyond the Grande Sable, we -immediately resolved upon paying it a visit. The distance we had to -traverse was about a mile; and as we wound our way along, I -involuntarily drew the comparison between the journey of life and our -morning's excursion. How true is it that the great portion of our -existence in this world, is filled up with events that but leave the -soul in bitterness, while at times some bright flower, some sunny spot -will appear, to which memory can recur with pleasure, and draw new -hopes for the future. How miserable the condition of those whose ideas -of happiness are bounded by present enjoyment; to them, futurity -appears a something gloomy and undefinable, the very thoughts of which -are unwelcome. But the Christian can look into a world beyond the -grave, and the vista, like the green forest around this miniature -Zahara, is pleasant to the sight. And even here, although his course -may be over a desert, yet every bud of promise, every opening flower, -serve but as a source of new excitement, and from them he gathers -strength to press his onward march amid the many thorns that beset his -path. But ere I had concluded moralizing,—upon gaining the top of a -sand hill, a scene opened to the view, of the most romantic beauty. -Unconsciously I stopped, lest I should too soon rush upon a prospect -of such quiet loveliness. We had passed over a desert whose only -attraction consisted in the novelty of its character and the majesty -of its outline, but the repetition of its barrenness began to pall -upon the sight, and oppress the mind with a sensation of weariness, -when instantly the entire scene was changed. Instead of sterile -heights, every thing bloomed in the vigor and freshness of vegetation. -The forest resounded with "the sweet notes of the summer birds," and -as the eye sought for the merry warblers, it caught a glimpse of the -blue water as its ripples sparkled in the morning sun. My hesitation -was but for a moment,—and bounding down the precipitous sand hills, -the isolated lake, that seemed to exult in its wild solitude, with its -richly diversified and picturesque enclosures, was spread before me. -O, it was a scene that the poet and the painter would love to dwell -upon. Cold must be the heart, ungrateful the affections of that being, -who, blessed with intelligence, can behold the fairest of Nature's -works, and not adore the God of Nature. My fancy might have been -highly wrought,—but it all appeared more like a pleasant dream that -fills the mind, when slumber steals over the senses as we are thinking -upon absent friends, and the haunts of happy hours.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>The lake itself is about nine miles in circumference, and in general -form, as near as a comparison can be made, resembles a heart. The -shores are deeply indented and irregular, now projecting into the -water in small semi-circular promontories, and again retiring, as if -half afraid of the embraces of the limpid element. On the south and -west, as far as the eye can reach, the land rises into mountainous -elevations; on the north, stand the lofty sand banks, affording a fine -contrast with the fertility around, while on the east, it is bounded -by lower grounds, that in one instance descend to a beautiful grassy -lawn. The water appears to be very deep, and as we sent a shout over -its surface we were answered by a startled water fowl, that seldom, -very seldom, hears the sound of a human voice in its wild -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page169"><small><small>[p. 169]</small></small></a></span> -retreat. Every thing seemed to conspire to render this one of the most -enchanting spots in nature, and it was with regret that we turned to -regain our canoe.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>Such is lake <i>Leelinau;</i> and while the breeze that moved over its -waters sent its waves to my feet, I thought of the friend after whom I -named it, and from my heart wished that her life might be as calm and -joyous as the bright prospect before me. By that name it <i>shall</i> be -known; and if this faint description of the beauties it unfolds, will -serve to beguile a passing moment, a double object will have been -achieved.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>As we hurried along on our return, George pointed out to me the fairy -tracks that occasionally are seen on these hills. They were, in fact, -exact representations of the print of the human foot, and about the -size of your Chinese lady's. But alas! how unpoetical! we were forced -to come to the conclusion that our fairy was nothing more than a -<i>porcupine</i>. Although the 30th of June, we stopped at a <i>snow bank</i>, -and after indulging for a moment in a winter's sport, filled one of -our Indian's hats with specimens for Mr. S. We travelled over nearly -four miles of these sandy mountains. Their summit, near the lake, is -covered with pebbles, among which I found several carnelians.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>It was nearly <i>six</i> o'clock when we descended to our canoes; and the -thought crossed my mind, that <i>probably</i> our friends at St. Mary's -were beginning to shake the poppies from their eyes, and seriously -think of taking a peep at the sunny sky. At eight we landed to -breakfast, and need I tell you that <i>consumption</i> presided at the -board—not the arch fiend with the bright though sunken eye, the -hectic cough, and the delicate but death-boding tint, but a -consumption that caused the solid viands before us to disappear with a -marvellous quickness.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>But to ensure the perusal of any future production, I must tax your -patience no farther now. Suffice it to say that the farther I advance -the better am I pleased with the tour I have undertaken. Let the issue -be what it may, the commencement has introduced to me a friend, whom I -shall <i>never</i> forget. May the blessing of the Christian's God attend -you.</blockquote> - -<div align="right"><small>MELANCTHON L. WOOLSEY. - </small></div> - -<blockquote><blockquote>To —— ——.</blockquote></blockquote> - -<center>II.</center> - -<div align="right"><small>Lake Superior, July 5, 1831. - </small></div> - -<blockquote>It was my intention to have had a letter for you in readiness to send -by Mr. Aikin, but we met him sooner than we expected, and I was -obliged to postpone the fulfilment of my promise until the Indian boys -returned.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>In my letter to Mrs. S., I conducted her as far as Lake Leelinau. -Supposing that an account of our further progress would be as -acceptable as any thing I can write, I will give you an invitation to -a seat in our canoe, as we depart for the Pictured Rocks. These you -have often heard described, and nothing can be added by my poor pen to -what has already been said about them. They were all, and more than an -excited imagination had conceived them to be. As we approach them the -mind is struck with awe at their lofty battlements, and in comparison -the most stupendous of the works of art sink into insignificance. Near -their commencement a beautiful cascade comes tumbling down the rocks, -and finally makes a leap of about thirty feet into the waters below. -Passing on from this, we soon come to a most singular arrangement of -rocks and arches, and the first thought that strikes the mind is, to -ascend and give them an examination. It is the work but of a moment, -for the eye is unsatisfied until it has drunk in all the wonders -before it. Our first resting place was under the main arch, from which -we had a bird's-eye view of the world of woods, and waters, and rocks, -by which we were surrounded. While here, Mr. Clary with his barge came -along, and jumping upon the rocks, he soon made one of our party, when -we commenced a minute examination of the celebrated Doric Rock. The -principal arch, under which we were, is about twenty feet in height; -and while standing under its crumbling walls, our sensations were not -lessened by the idea that in an instant it might be said of us, <i>we -had been</i>. At our left, and in the centre of one of the large pillars -another arch is formed,—upon entering this we still find one more at -our right, and which commands a view of the lake. Between the two -stands a pillar of stone, near four feet in height, entirely detached -at the sides, and composed of thin plates of sand rock. As we go out -from these, for the purpose of ascending the roof, a large urn of -nature's own design and workmanship, appears before us. It might be a -fit depository for the ashes of some of those mighty men, who before -the children "with a white, white face," overran their country, strode -through these forests, or in their light canoes bounded over these -vast waters—but alas, their graves and those of their fathers are -mingling with the common dust! Near this urn are the remains of an -Indian's fire, which he had lighted at the close of his fast, when -propitiating his Manito—a place well calculated to foster the -wildness of superstition, and which to a mind more enlightened than -that of the poor wanderer of the wilderness, would not be deficient in -suggestions of mystery. Who can wonder that the untaught natives of a -region like this, should make to themselves a Deity in the rushing -stream or the beetling cliff? They act from the impulse of nature, and -well will it be for those who enjoy every advantage that civilization -and Christianity can bestow, if when weighed in the balance, even with -the pagan Indian, they are not found wanting. We were soon at the top -of the Doric Rock, and from its dizzy height the prospect was such as -to preclude all attempt at delineation, at least by language. Your -brother expressed his emotion as well as it was in the power of any -mortal to do. Clapping his hands together, and putting a peculiar -emphasis upon the last syllable, he exclaimed "Oh! <i>Oh!</i>" Nothing more -could be said. But while enjoying the grandeur of the scene, I wished -that M. was at my side, for my pleasure would have been increased -tenfold by sharing it with her. The summit of the arch is itself a -curiosity. It does not appear to be more than three feet in thickness, -and yet it supports and nourishes several lofty pine trees, whose -weight alone I should think would crush it to atoms. The root of one -of them winds around the outer edge of the rock, as if to support the -source of its existence. But we had not long to indulge our -admiration, for our table was spread under the shade of one of these -immense rocks, and all the sublimity around us could not satisfy the -imperious demands of appetite; so after regaling ourselves on some of -the dainties furnished by our excellent friends at the Sault, we -departed to behold new wonders, and utter repeated exclamations of -<i>Oh! Oh!</i> Turning a point of the rocks, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page170"><small><small>[p. 170]</small></small></a></span> we came in view of those -natural excavations that have excited so much astonishment. It was our -intention to pass through one of them, but the entrance was blocked up -by the falling of an arch, the ruins of which were scattered around. -We were obliged to content ourselves with an outside view; but this -surpassed every thing of the kind I had before seen. We were in a bay -formed by a semi-circle in the rocks. Above us the cliff, at the -height of upwards of a hundred feet, projected far beyond our canoes, -and formed a canopy of the most terrific description. We could not -behold it without a shudder of awe. Upon leaving it we discharged our -gun, and the reverberations were almost deafening. The sound rolled -through these vast ramparts, and seemed to shake them to their -foundations. It was like the groaning of an imprisoned spirit in its -struggle to be free. At every stage of our progress we had new cause -for amazement; and when we left them it was with the impression that -we "ne'er should look upon their like again." Our encampment was at -Grand Island. The next day we reached the <i>Riviere des Moines</i>,—here -we pitched our tents, and immediately commenced a search for some of -the precious minerals. The locality proved so interesting that it was -determined we should devote a day or two to its examination. For the -first time we were compelled to resort to our musquito bars, and it -afforded me infinite amusement upon waking in the morning, to see -about fifty of these insects puzzling their brains to discover the -meaning of certain initials that seemed to attract their attention. -This day we removed our encampment four miles. In so doing we passed a -rocky mountain, that filled us instantly with a desire to ascend to -its summit. This was resolved on, and at five in the afternoon we -procured an Indian guide, and were soon clinging to the roots and -branches that overhung its precipitous sides, as we scrambled up the -ascent. We were amply repaid for our fatigue, by the prospect from its -peak. Immediately before us was a beautiful bay, studded with numerous -islands, some of which were crowned with verdure, while others were -immense masses of rock. The bay was formed by the projections of -Granite Point and Presque Isle, both of which terminated in circular -mountainous elevations that were connected to the main land, but by -very narrow isthmuses. At the distance of fifty miles were seen Grand -Island and the Pictured Rocks. To the north-west are seen seven large -bays, and Point Kewena, from which we are 65 miles distant. In the -back ground, mountain rises on mountain, as far as the eye can reach. -Here and there, to add variety to the scene, a lofty peak of massy, -naked granite, rears its head high above its less aspiring neighbors; -and to soften the asperity of the view, there are two beautiful open -spots of level green, that might be taken for fairy playgrounds—so -secluded, and so environed, that even the spirits of the air in them -could find a resting place. And think you not when my eyes were gazing -at the splendor of this scene, glowing as it was in the last rays of a -glorious sun-set, that my mind wandered to the Being who is the author -of these creations?</blockquote> - -<blockquote>When we have occasionally met the traders, as they were returning from -their year's residence among the Indians, I have asked myself what -mysterious excitement there could be in the spirit of gain, that will -cause men to separate themselves from society, and voluntarily -renounce those privileges incident to an intercourse with the world? -But as I pass along my wonder ceases. There is such an union of beauty -and grandeur in all the works of nature throughout this region, that -it is impossible to be acquainted with them, and not wish to pass a -life in their admiration. Following the impulse of my present -feelings, I could joyfully make my home among these hills and valleys, -and I should want no other. 'Tis true, the busy hum of men would not -reach such a wild retreat, neither would their faithlessness and cold -deceit.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>And now, let me tell you how I have written this letter. We are -waiting, at the Kewena Bay, for the arrival of some Indians to -transport part of our baggage to the Ontonagon. Mr. S., and Mr. -Houghton, with Lt. Clary, are by this time over the traverse. It was -uncertain how soon we might be able to embark, but I resolved to -devote what time I had to you. Accordingly at 5 o'clock this morning, -I turned a chest upside down for a desk, planted myself against the -tent-pole, and with the stump of a pen commenced operations. But alas! -the sand flies and musquitoes made such a desperate onset that I was -obliged to haul down my colors, and ingloriously fly for my life. I -then waited until after breakfast, and commenced again with no better -success. I then resorted to the open air; and placing my paper on a -small bank, and standing on the stones below, with the sun at 90, -pouring its rays upon my head, while with one hand and sometimes two, -I battled insects of divers descriptions, at last have made <i>black -marks</i>, over the greater part of this sheet. Should you in decyphering -these hieroglyphics, come to any place where the subject was suddenly -dropped and another commenced, without any apology, attribute it to a -huge horse-fly, which lighting on my nasal protuberance, caused me to -drop my pen, and with it my ideas. But here come a dozen of them, so -good bye till you hear from me again.</blockquote> - -<div align="right"><small>M. L. WOOLSEY. - </small></div> - -<blockquote><blockquote>To —— ——.</blockquote></blockquote> - -<center>III.</center> - -<div align="right"><small>La Pointe, Lake Superior, July 17, 1831. - </small></div> - -<blockquote>Instead of a sand bank for a writing desk, I am now seated by the side -of a good table in your brother's house, and surrounded by comforts -and conveniences that would be no discredit to a place less out of the -world than La Pointe. We have luxuries that even the inhabitants of -St. Mary's might envy. Our table groans beneath its load of white-fish -and trout, veal and pigeons, rice-puddings and strawberries, all of -which are served up <i>à la mode</i>, in Joseph's best style, assisted by -the culinary skill of <i>Plufe</i>, the cook. We at present adopt the -maxim, "Live while you may," for we well know that soon we will be out -of the reach of every thing of this sort, and be glad to get our dish -of corn-soup. This is a very pleasant island, and presents quite a -village-like appearance. There are several large dwelling houses, -besides the trading establishment, and cultivated fields, with cattle -strolling about, that altogether make up a scene quite different from -any thing I expected to see before arriving at Green Bay.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>Since my <i>first</i> and <i>last</i> letter to you, we have passed through a -variety of interesting incidents. As I closed my letter our Indians -arrived, and in a short time we were on our way across the Kewena -traverse. But now a fresh breeze had supplanted the calm atmosphere -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page171"><small><small>[p. 171]</small></small></a></span> -of the morning, and before we were half-way over the Bay, we -began to anticipate a second edition of the troubles and danger -experienced by Mr. S. in 1820. But we fortunately escaped, with no -inconvenience but a slight wetting, and at 12 at night came up to the -encampment of our friends,—when not wishing to disturb them, we -spread our blankets upon the gravel, with the heavens for our canopy, -and sought a few hours repose, previous to commencing an examination -of Kewena Point. In this we promised ourselves an abundance of -interest, and we suffered no disappointment. Such a banging the rocks -have not experienced for many a day, and we robbed them of no -inconsiderable quantity of their precious contents. The "King of the -metals" will be under the necessity of holding another -convention,<small><small><sup>3</sup></small></small> -and if some of the delegates do not appear with battered visages, and -broken bones, then there is no virtue in our well-tried hammers. Now -you know, as we go skipping down the vale of life, that it is not -every circumstance that assumes a serious cast, but that we have a -mixture, or a kind of dish which in Scotland, and by Dr. Johnson, -would be called <i>hodge-podge</i>. So with us—after wearying ourselves in -discovering copper mines, and hunting from their dark and stony -enclosures the precious gems which here abounded, we would join with -no little zest in the pleasures of the chase. One or two opportunities -of doing this occurred while going round this Point. This was in the -pursuit of <i>quacks;</i> and impelled by the purest <i>patriotism</i>, we were -determined upon the extirpation of all that might fall in our way. -What, ask you, is it possible, that the <i>pro</i>scribed <i>pre</i>scribers of -"roots and herbs," and steam restoratives, have found their way to the -lone regions of the north? Why no, not exactly <i>this</i> kind of quacks, -but a species more honest, who tell us beforehand what they are, and -which, of themselves, when properly prepared by a <i>suitable</i> -apothecary, form an excellent remedy for a well-known disease, and -which those in particular are apt to contract who labor for hours -together among rocks and over mountains. But to tell a plain -story:—while in our canoes we surprised several large broods of -ducks, which happened to be in that state when their unfledged wings -forbade them to fly, but when they were sufficiently large to furnish -excellent game for the table. Consequently it was a trial of skill -between our canoe-men and the poor quacklings, to see who could paddle -the fastest; but like the boys and the frogs, while it was sport to -the former, it was death to the latter. Although at first they -literally walked over the water, yet their strength was soon -exhausted; and what with the shouts of the men, which of themselves -were sufficient to scare a duck out of its senses, and their own -fatigue, they fell an easy prey to their enemies. But to secure the -victims after they were run down, afforded us the most amusement. The -men seemed to have given up their whole souls to the chase, and as the -ducks would dive to escape being taken, they would endeavor to spear -them with their poles and paddles, and these proving ineffectual, -plunge in themselves regardless of the consequences. Their zeal was -rewarded by the capture of twelve or fifteen of the unfortunate birds. -The only fear I experienced during this enlivening scene, was that the -Doctor would exhaust his stock of risibility, and in future we should -be deprived of his hearty ha, ha, that makes one join in sympathy with -him, <i>before the story comes</i>. He surrendered himself entirely to the -power of Momus; but we have had abundant demonstration since, that he -is still a subject of the laughing deity. But the afterpiece was the -most interesting to us individually; what that was you must guess. But -luckily the clouds now "began to gather blackness;" and before we had -proceeded many miles, we were favored with a couple of smart showers, -and finally obliged by the rain to go on shore—<i>luckily</i>, because -this spot proved to be the richest in minerals and metals, that we had -yet visited. Your brother discovered two rich veins of copper ore, and -we found agates and other gems in quantities. While we were thumping -about us, the Doctor got into the canoe for the purpose of seeking an -encamping place. This was found at the bottom of a very pretty bay, -but which nevertheless we dignified with the name of Musquito Cove. -Here we were wind-bound, and I spent a half hour very pleasantly on -the rocks, witnessing the foaming and dashing of the waves, that -seemed enraged at the resistance which they met, while the rocks -themselves groaned at the rencounter as if fearful of being shaken -from their solid foundations. Here was a place for melancholy, and a -mind like yours would have held a revelry with the wildness of the -scene. My curiosity to witness the onset of the waters, prompted me to -venture too near them, as I found by a salute, not very friendly, that -left me in rather a moist condition; but although experience is the -best school, yet forgetting myself, I was again reminded that being -but a spectator, it would be well to retire from the influence of the -battle shock.</blockquote> - -<blockquote><blockquote><small><small><sup>3</sup></small> Alludes to a jeu d' esprit poem.</small></blockquote></blockquote> - -<center>* * - * - * - *</center> - -<blockquote>This ceremony over, we turned our faces homewards, but stopped for a -moment on the way to take a peep at the Superior. This was so pleasing -that I felt no disposition to quit it, and continued my way over the -rocks, until weariness alone induced me to return. My path was through -a pleasant wood, and as I was loitering along, I was startled by the -report of a gun, repeated three or four times in quick succession; and -upon making up to the place from whence the sound proceeded, found -that two of the men had been sent out to search for the supposed lost -one. The wind had abated, and we left our camp as the sun began to dip -below the horizon. The rest of my story I hope to have the pleasure of -communicating to you by word of mouth.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>You will not probably hear from us again until our arrival at the -Sault.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>In the meantime remember me to William, and the young gentlemen of -your household.</blockquote> - -<div align="right"><small>M. L. W. - </small></div> -<br> -<br><hr align="center" width="100"><a name="sect25"></a> -<br> -<br> -<h4>GREECE.</h4> - -<blockquote><small>"Amphyction erected a Temple at Athens in honor of the Hours, in which -those citizens who knew the value of time and opportunity habitually -offered their sacrifices."</small></blockquote> -<br> -<table align="center" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" summary="poem20"> - <tr><td>"To the Temple of the Hours! Let us early pay the vow;<br> - Aurora's bright and blushing kiss is on Hymettus' brow—<br> - And the Hours, that lead the dapple morn thro' trembling rays of light,<br> - Glance tow'rds the past eternity, with pinions stretch'd for flight.<br> -<br> - "To the Temple of the Hours! Deeper grows the orient blush,<br> - The light shafts of the polished Fane reflect the rosy flush;<br> - While dews are on the cypress bough and blooming myrtle spray,<br> - A sacrifice, as fresh and fair, we'll on their altar lay.<br> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page172"><small><small>[p. 172]</small></small></a></span> -<br> - "With offering we'll propitiate—invoke with lyre and song—<br> - And rich shall be the sacrifice—the music loud and long;<br> - Then, Hours, as lightly over us you wing your noiseless flight,<br> - Pour on our pathway, graciously, a flood of love and light."<br> -<br> - Thus Athens' sons. How vainly wise!—The scathing foot hath trod,<br> - Where many a costly Temple rose, to many an 'unknown God;'<br> - And Hours, with retribution fraught, on pinions bathed in woes,<br> - Long lingered where their beauteous Fane of tintless marble rose.<br> -<br> - And have those retributive Hours passed o'er, with leaden flight?<br> - On Athens breaks a brighter day? Dawns there a purer light?<br> - Rejoice! The "Star of Bethlehem" leads on a perfect day,<br> - And fades the Crescent from the skies, lost in its brighter ray.<br> -<br> - The altar 'To the unknown God,' the Temple to the Hours,<br> - 'The Prophets' crescent-mounted Mosques, fail from her cypress bowers;<br> - The Tissue from the Cross shall fall, by error wreathed so fair,<br> - Fall—and the shrinking drapery's folds reveal a Saviour there.<br> -<br> - <i>Then, Greece</i>, shall smile propitiously, the bright, the favoring Hours—<br> - Then praise shall rise, as sweet as breath from Tempe's vale of Flowers;<br> - Rise, from that heart of love—of woe—of poesy profound—<br> - The heart of Greece!—her sons are free—the noble mind unbound.</td></tr> -</table> - -<div align="right"><small>ELIZA. </small></div> - -<blockquote><i>Maine</i>.</blockquote> -<br> -<br><hr align="center" width="100"><a name="sect26"></a> -<br> -<br> -<h4>READINGS WITH MY PENCIL.</h4> - -<center>NO. I.<br> -<br> -<small>"Legere sine calamo est dormire."—<i>Quintilian</i>.</small></center> -<br> -<br> -<blockquote><small>1. "I am resolved, by the grace of God, always to make my heart and -tongue go together: so as never to speak with the one what I do not -think with the other."—<i>Bishop Beveridge</i>.</small></blockquote> - -<p>There is a fine philosophy in the above excellent determination of the -pious and learned bishop: it is but a paraphrase of the homely maxim, -"Honesty is the best policy." But the most striking idea conveyed by -it is its negative character: the resolution being, not to speak all -that the heart thinketh, but never to speak what it thinketh not.</p> - -<blockquote><small>2. "I deny the lawfulness of telling a lie to a sick man for fear of -alarming him. You have no business with consequences: you are to tell -the truth."—<i>Dr. Johnson</i>.</small></blockquote> - -<p>Boswell says that the Doctor said this to him. I do not doubt it. It -is nothing new. <i>St. Paul</i> said it before Dr. Johnson. "What then? -Shall we do evil that good may come? God forbid!" Now, a lie of this -kind would be venial, where other lies, told upon occasions of less -magnitude and importance, would be unpardonable. And the Doctor's idea -seems to be very well explained in the next passage.</p> - -<blockquote><small>3. "All truth is not of equal importance; but if little violations be -allowed, all violations will, in time, be thought little."—<i>Dr. -Johnson</i>.</small></blockquote> - -<p>So much for Truth; which, according to Herodotus, was one of the three -lessons inculcated by the ancient Persians upon their children. - -<blockquote><small>4. "The Four Elements are the Four Volumes in which all Nature's works -are written."—<i>Jeremy Taylor</i>.</small></blockquote> - -<p>What is that volume, red-bound and glittering with golden tooling, -more brilliant than the highest reach of Art has ever approached; -dazzling with its illuminated pages, which none can read but the -eagle-eye of him who has learned to gaze upon the living light of -heavenly Truth, as written by the finger of the Almighty Omniscient? -It is the volume of <i>Fire</i>—Nature's <i>Philosophy</i>. That beautiful -volume, delicately bound in soft cerulean, sparkling with starry -splendors, and redolent of "that odor within the sense, so delicate, -soft, and intense," which gives its pages the fragrance no less than -the shining beauty of Paradise—that volume is <i>Air</i>—and it is -Nature's <i>Music and Poetry</i>. See Nature's <i>History</i> in those two -immense volumes, <i>Earth</i> and <i>Water</i>. In them read the History of -Empires, their rise, decline, and fall: the History of Man; his birth, -his life, and death: the History of Passion; its conception, -development, and disappointment: the History of Evil; its origin, -dominion, and decay: the History of Good; its slow and steady, yet -neglected and uncultured growth—its secret yet secure and strong -dominion—its lasting and undying strength: and the History of all -Nature and her works—recording all her beauties, all her glories, all -her triumphs, all her lessons, all her immortal lore!</p> - -<table align="center" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" summary="poem21"> - <tr><td><small>5. "Not only by the warmth,<br> - And soothing sunshine of delightful things,<br> - Do minds grow up and flourish."—<i>Akenside</i>.</small></td></tr> -</table> - -<p>No more than flowers grow up and flourish best, when reared in a -hot-house. Those flowers may have more beauty, but where is the -strength which the free blowing blossom of the wilderness alone -possesses? The corolla is delicate, its petals each a separate -loveliness: but where is the noble stalk sustaining many and more -voluminous, though less gaudy blossoms, which rears its enduring head -aloft, living when the other is dead—fragrant when the other is -withered upon the dewless earth around its drooping stem? Adversity -has been the parent of master minds. Homer and Milton, and Shakspeare, -and Burns—these were no hot-house plants in Nature's garden: they -were born in obscurity; their upward growth was watered with the -dew-like tears of adversity; they were reared in the great wilderness -of the world, amid its storms, its tempests, and its fitful gleams of -sunshine: and <i>so</i> "do minds grow up and flourish."</p> - -<blockquote><small>6. "Renewed friendships are to be conducted with greater nicety than -such as have never been broken."—<i>Rochefoucault</i>.</small></blockquote> - -<p>Yes: just as one should handle a porcelain vase, once fractured and -repaired, more carefully than before it was injured.</p> - -<blockquote><small>7. "I do not subscribe to the notion that poets are <i>born</i>," said -Herbert.—<i>Private Life</i>.</small></blockquote> - -<p>Horace thought otherwise. I never agreed with the Venusian poet. -Walter Scott was not a <i>born</i> poet: he was <i>made</i> by the scenes around -him from his birth. Byron was not a native poet: his early "poetry" -(?) proves the fact abundantly. His only true poetry was the result of -circumstances. His first good poem was <i>made</i> by an article in the -Edinburgh Review. His next was <i>made</i> by an unhappy marriage, and all -the rest that deserved the name have an origin of the kind. Would -Burns the cit have ever turned out what Burns the Ayrshire ploughman -proved, think ye? And was Pope <i>born</i> a poet? No more than Napoleon -was <i>born</i> Emperor of the French!</p> - -<div align="right"><small>J. F. O. </small></div> -<br> -<br> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page173"><small><small>[p. 173]</small></small></a></span> -<hr align="center" width="100"> -<h3><i>EDITORIAL</i>.</h3> -<hr align="center" width="100"><a name="sect27"></a> -<br> -<br> -<h4>CRITICAL NOTICES.</h4> -<hr align="center" width="25"> -<br> -<center>PAUL ULRIC.</center> - -<p><i>Paul Ulric: Or the Adventures of an Enthusiast. New York: Published -by Harper & Brothers.</i></p> - -<p>These two volumes are by Morris Mattson, Esq. of Philadelphia, and we -presume that Mr. Mattson is a very young man. Be this as it may, when -we called Norman Leslie the silliest book in the world we had -certainly never seen Paul Ulric. <i>One</i> sentence in the latter, -however, is worthy of our serious attention. "We want a few faithful -laborers in the vineyard of literature, to root out the noxious weeds -which infest it." See page 116, vol. ii.</p> - -<p>In itself, the book before us is too purely imbecile to merit an -extended critique—but as a portion of our daily literary food—as an -American work published by the Harpers—as one of a class of -absurdities with an inundation of which our country is grievously -threatened—we shall have no hesitation, and shall spare no pains, in -exposing fully before the public eye its four hundred and forty-three -pages of utter folly, bombast, and inanity.</p> - -<p>"My name," commences Mr. Mattson, "is Paul Ulric. Thus much, gentle -reader, you already know of one whose history is about to be recorded -for the benefit of the world. I was always an enthusiast, but of this -I deem it inexpedient to say much at present. I will merely remark -that I possessed by nature a wild and adventurous spirit which has led -me on blindly and hurriedly, from object to object, without any -definite or specific aim. My life has been one of continual -excitement, and in my wild career I have tasted of joy as well as of -sorrow. [Oh remarkable Mr. Ulric!] At one moment I have been elevated -to the very pinnacle of human happiness, at the next I have sunk to -the lowest depths of despair. Still I fancied there was always an -equilibrium. This may seem a strange philosophy to some, but is it the -less true? The human mind is so constituted as always to seek a -level—if it is depressed it will be proportionately elevated, if -elevated it will be proportionately depressed. But" says Mr. U., -interrupting himself, "I am growing metaphysical!" We had thought he -was only growing absurd.</p> - -<p>He proceeds to tell us of his father who was born in Lower Saxony—who -went, when only a year old, to England—who, being thrown upon the -parish, was initiated into the mysteries of boot cleaning—who, at the -age of ten, became a vender of newspapers in the city of London—at -twelve sold potatoes in Covent Garden—at fifteen absconded from a -soap-boiler in the Strand to whom he had been apprenticed—at eighteen -sold old clothes—at twenty became the proprietor of a mock auction in -Cheapside—at twenty-five was owner of a house in Regent Street, and -had several thousand pounds in the Funds—and before thirty was -created a Baronet, with the title of Sir John Augustus Frederick -Geoffry Ulric, Bart., for merely picking up and carrying home his -Majesty King George the Fourth, whom Mr. U. assures us upon his word -and honor, his father found lying beastly drunk, one fine day, in some -gutter, in some particular thoroughfare of London.</p> - -<p>Our hero himself was born, we are told, on the borders of the Thames, -not far from Greenwich. When a well grown lad he accompanies his -father to the continent. In Florence he falls in love with a Countess -in her thirty-fifth year, who curls his hair and gives him -sugar-plums. The issue of the adventure with the Countess is thus told.</p> - -<blockquote>"You have chosen them with much taste," said the Countess; "a -beautiful flower is this!" she continued, selecting one from among the -number, "its vermillion is in your cheeks, its blue in your eyes, and -for this pretty compliment I deserve a —— you resist eh! My pretty, -pretty lad, I <i>will!</i> There! Another, and you may go free. Still -perverse? Oh, you stubborn boy! How can you refuse? One—two—three! I -shall <i>devour</i> you with kisses!"</blockquote> - -<center>* * - * - * - *<br> -* * - * - * - *</center> - -<p>We have printed the passage precisely as we find it in the book—notes -of admiration—dashes—Italics—and all. Two rows of stars wind up the -matter, and stand for the catastrophe—for we hear no more of the -Countess. Now if any person over curious should demand why Morris -Mattson, Esq. has mistaken notes of admiration for sense—dashes, -kisses, stars and Italics for sentiment—the answer is very simple -indeed. The author of Vivian Grey made the same mistake before him.</p> - -<p>Indeed we have made up our minds to forward Ben D'Israeli a copy of -Paul Ulric. He will read it, and if he do not expire upon the spot, it -will do him more real service than the crutch. Never was there a more -laughable burlesque of any man's manner. Had Mr. Mattson only -<i>intended it</i> as a burlesque we would have called him a clever fellow. -But unfortunately this is not the case. No jackdaw was ever more -soberly serious in fancying herself a peacock, than our author in -thinking himself D'Israeli the second.</p> - -<p>"Every day," says Paul after the kissing scene, "filled me with a new -spirit of romance. I had sailed upon the winding streams of Germany; I -had walked beneath the bright skies of Italy; I had clambered the -majestic mountains of Switzerland." His father, however, determines -upon visiting the United States, and taking his family with him. His -reasons for so doing should be recorded. "His republicanism" says -Paul, "had long rendered him an object of aversion to the aristocracy. -He had had the hardihood to compare the <i>salary</i> of the President with -the <i>civil list</i> of the king—<i>consequently he was threatened with an -indictment for treason!</i> My mother suggested the propriety of -immediately quitting the country."</p> - -<p>Mr. Mattson does not give us an account of the voyage. "I have no -disposition," says his hero, "to describe a trip across the -Atlantic—particularly as I am not in a sentimental mood—otherwise I -might turn over the poets, and make up a long chapter of extracts from -Moore, Byron, and Rogers of the Old World, or Percival, Bryant, and -Halleck of the New." A range of stars accordingly, is introduced at -this crisis of affairs, and we must understand them to express all the -little matters which our author is too fastidious to detail. Having -sufficiently admired the stars, we turn over the next leaf and "Land -ho!" shouts one of the seamen on the fore-topsail yard.</p> - -<p>Arrived in Philadelphia, Mr. Ulric (our hero's father) -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page174"><small><small>[p. 174]</small></small></a></span> "is -divided," so says Mr. Mattson, "between the charms of a city and -country life." His family at this time, we are told, consisted of five -persons; and Mr. U. Jr. takes this opportunity of formally introducing -to us, his two sisters Eleanor and Rosaline. This introduction, -however, is evidently to little purpose, for we hear no more, -throughout the two volumes, of either the one young lady or the other. -After much deliberation the family fix their residence in "Essex, a -delightful country village in the interior of Pennsylvania;" and we -beg our readers to bear in mind that the surprising adventures of Paul -Ulric are, for the most part, perpetrated in the immediate vicinity of -this village.</p> - -<p>The young gentleman (notwithstanding his late love affair with the -Countess) is now, very properly, sent to school—or rather a private -tutor is engaged for him—one Lionel Wafer. A rapid proficiency in -Latin, Greek, Hebrew, music, dancing, and fencing, is the result; "and -with these accomplishments," says the young calf, "I believed myself -fitted for the noise and bustle of the world." Accordingly, his father -having given him a flogging one afternoon, he determines upon running -away. In two days he "arrives in one of the Atlantic cities." Rambling -about the streets he enters into conversation with a sharper, who -succeeds in selling him, for forty dollars, a watch made of tinsel and -put together with paste. This and subsequent adventures in the city -form the best portion of the book—if <i>best</i> should be applied, in any -way, to what is altogether abominable. Mr. Ulric goes to the theatre, -and the play is Romeo and Juliet. The orchestra "breaks forth in full -chorus" and our hero soliloquizes. We copy his soliloquy with the end -of placing before our readers what we consider the finest passage in -Mr. Mattson's novel. We wish to do that gentleman every possible act -of justice; and when we write down the few words to which we allude, -and when we say that they are not absolutely intolerable, we have done -all, in the way of commendation, which lies in our power. We have not -one other word of praise to throw away upon Paul Ulric.</p> - -<blockquote>"Oh Music!—the theme of bards from time immemorial—who can sing of -thee as thou deservest? What wondrous miracles hast thou not -accomplished? The war-drum beats—the clarion gives forth its piercing -notes—and legions of armed men rush headlong to the fierce and -devastating battle. Again, the drum is muffled, and its deep notes -break heavily upon the air, while the dead warrior is borne along upon -his bier, and thousands mingle their tears to his memory. The tender -lute sounds upon the silvery waters, and the lover throws aside his -oar, and imprints a kiss upon the lips of his beloved. The bugle rings -in the mountain's recesses, and a thousand spears are uplifted for a -fearful and desperate conflict. And now the organ peals, and, with its -swelling notes, the soul leaps into the very presence of the Deity."</blockquote> - -<p>Our hero decides upon adopting the stage as a profession, and with -this view takes lessons in elocution. Having perfected himself in this -art, he applies to a manager, by note, for permission to display his -abilities, but is informed that the nights are engaged for two months -ahead, and it would be impossible for him to appear during the season. -By the influence, however, of some hanger-on of the theatre, his -wishes are at length gratified, and he is announced in the bills as -"the celebrated Master Le Brun, the son of a distinguished English -nobleman, whose success was so unprecedented in London as to have -performed fifty nights in succession at the Theatre Royal, Drury -Lane"—a sentence in which we are at a loss to discover whether the -English nobleman, or the English nobleman's son, or the success of the -English nobleman's son is the distinguished performer in question.</p> - -<p>Our adventurer succeeds in his debût, and is in a fair way of becoming -a popular performer, when his prospects are suddenly nipped in the -bud. His valet one morning announces a Sir Thomas Le Brun, and Sir -Thomas Le Brun proves to be that worthy gentleman Sir John Augustus -Frederick Geoffry Ulric, Baronet. A scene ensues. Paul screams, and -Sir John clenches his fist. The father makes a speech, and the son -makes a speech and a bow. At length they fly into each other's arms, -and the drama closes by the old personage taking the young personage -home in his carriage. In all this balderdash about the stage, there is -not one original incident or idea. The same anecdotes are told, but in -infinitely better language, in every book of dramatic reminiscences -since the flood.</p> - -<p>Our author now indulges in what we suppose to be satire. The arrows of -his wit are directed, with much pertinacity at least, against one -Borel Bunting, by which name it strikes us that Mr. M. wishes to -indicate some poor devil of an editor in bonâ fide existence—perhaps -some infatuated young person who could not be prevailed upon, by love -or money, to look over the MS. of Paul Ulric. If our supposition be -true, we could wish Mr. Borel Bunting no better revenge than what the -novelist has himself afforded by this public exposure of his -imbecility. We must do our readers the favor of copying for their -especial perusal, a portion of this vehement attack.</p> - - -<blockquote>There has been much speculation as to the birthplace of Borel; (in -this respect he somewhat resembled Homer) but if I have been correctly -informed it was in one of the New England States. Further than this I -cannot particularize. When he came to Essex he managed to procure a -situation in a counting-house, which afforded him the means of support -as well as leisure for study. He did not overlook these advantages, -and gradually rose in public estimation until he became the editor of -the Literary Herald. This gentleman was deeply read in the classics, -and had also perused every novel and volume of poetry from the -earliest period of English literature down to the present. Such had -been his indefatigable research, that there was not a remarkable -passage in the whole range of the Waverley fictions, or indeed any -other fictions, to which he could not instantly turn. As to poetry, he -was an oracle. He could repeat the whole of Shelley, Moore, and -Wordsworth, <i>verbatim</i>. He was a very Sidrophel in his acquirements. -He could tell</blockquote> - -<center><small>"How many scores a flea would jump;"</small></center> - -<blockquote>he could prove, also, "that the man in the moon's a sea -Mediterranean," and</blockquote> - -<table align="center" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" summary="poem22"> - <tr><td><small>"In lyric numbers write an ode on<br> - His mistress eating a black pudding."</small></td></tr> -</table> - -<blockquote>He composed acrostics extempore by the dozen; we say <i>extempore</i>, -though it was once remarked that he was months in bringing them to -maturity. He was inimitable, moreover, in his pictures of natural -scenery. When a river, or a mountain, or a waterfall was to be -sketched, Borel Bunting, of all others, was the man to guide the -pencil. He had the rare faculty of bringing every thing distinctly -before the mind of the reader—a compliment to which a majority of his -brother scribes are not entitled.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>Borel Bunting possessed also a considerable degree -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page175"><small><small>[p. 175]</small></small></a></span> of critical -acumen. Southey was a mere doggerelist; Cooper and Irving were not men -of genius: so said Borel. Pope, he declared, was the first of poets, -because Lord Byron said so before him. Tom Jones, he contended, was -the most perfect specimen of a novel extant. He was also willing to -admit that Goldsmith had shown some talent in his Vicar of Wakefield.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>In a word, Borel's wonderful acquirements secured him the favorable -attention of many distinguished men; and at length (as a reward of his -industry and merit) he was regularly installed in the chair editorial -of the "<i>Literary Herald</i>," an important weekly periodical, fifteen -inches in diameter. His salary, it is supposed, was something less -than that received by the President of the United States.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>The Literary Herald, Borel (or rather, Mr. Bunting—we beg his -pardon) considered the paragon of perfection. No one could ever hope -to be distinguished in literature who was not a contributor to its -columns. It was the only sure medium through which young Ambition -could make its way to immortality. In short, (to use one of Bunting's -favorite words,) it was the "<i>nonpareil</i>" of learning, literature, -wit, philosophy, and science.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>Mr. Bunting corresponded regularly with many distinguished -individuals in Europe. I called upon him one morning, just after the -arrival of a foreign mail, when he read me portions of seven letters -which he had just received. One was from Lafayette, another from -Charles X., a third from the author of a fashionable novel, a fourth -from Miss L——, a beautiful poetess in London, a fifth from a German -count, a sixth from an Italian prince, and a seventh from -Stpqrstuwsptrsm, (I vouch not for the orthography, not being so well -acquainted with the art of spelling as the learned Borel,) a -distinguished Russian general in the service of the great "Northern -Bear."</blockquote> - -<blockquote>The most unfortunate charge that was ever preferred against Borel, in -his editorial capacity, was that of <i>plagiarism</i>. He had inserted an -article in his paper over his acknowledged signature, entitled -"<i>Desultory Musings</i>," which some one boldly asserted was an extract -from Zimmerman on Solitude; and, upon its being denied by the editor, -reference was given to the identical page whence it was taken. These -things boded no good to the reputation of the scribe; nevertheless, he -continued his career without interruption, and, had he lived in the -days of Pope, the latter might well have asked,</blockquote> - -<table align="center" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" summary="poem23"> - <tr><td><small>"Who shames a scribbler? break one cobweb through,<br> - He spins the slight, self-pleasing thread anew:<br> - Destroy his fib or sophistry, in vain,<br> - The creature's at his dirty work again—<br> - * - * - * - * - * -<br> - Proud of a vast extent of flimsy lines."</small></td></tr> -</table> - -<p>Mr. Ulric now indulges us with another love affair, beginning as -follows: "Oh thou strange and incomprehensible passion! to what canst -thou be compared? At times thou art gentle as the zephyr; at others -thou art mighty as the tempest. Thou canst calm the throbbing bosom, -or thou canst fill it with wilder commotion. A single smile of thy -benign countenance calleth new rapture to the anguished heart, and -scattereth every doubt, every fear, every perplexity. But enough of -this." True.</p> - -<p>A young lady falls into a river or a ditch, (our author says she was -fishing for a water-lily) and Mr. Ulric is at the trouble of pulling -her out. "What a charming incident!" says Mr. Mattson. Her name is -Violet, and our susceptible youth falls in love with her. "Shall I -ever," quoth Paul, "shall I ever forget my sensations at that -period?—never!!" Among other methods of evincing his passion he -writes a copy of verses "To Violet," and sends them to the <i>Literary -Herald</i>. All, however, is to little purpose. The lady is no fool, and -very properly does not wish a fool for a husband.</p> - -<p>Our hero now places his affections upon the wife of a silk-dyer. He -has a rival, however, in the person of the redoubted editor, Borel -Bunting, and a duel ensues, in which, although the matter is a hoax, -and the pistols have no load in them, Mr. Mattson assures us that the -editor "in firing, lodged the <i>contents</i> of his weapon in the ground a -few inches from his feet." The chapter immediately following this -adventure is headed with poetical quotations occupying two-thirds of a -page. One is from <i>Byron</i>—another from <i>All's Well that Ends -Well</i>—and the third from <i>Brown's Lecture on Perpetual Motion</i>. The -chapter itself would form not quite half a column such as we are now -writing, and in it we are informed that Bunting, having discovered the -perpetual motion, determines upon a tour in Europe.</p> - -<p>The editor being thus disposed of, Mr. Mattson now enters seriously -upon the business of his novel. We beg the attention of our readers -while we detail a tissue of such absurdity, as we did not believe it -possible, at this day, for any respectable bookseller to publish, or -the very youngest of young gentlemen to indite.</p> - -<p>Let us bear in mind that the scene of the following events is in the -vicinity of Philadelphia, and the epoch, the present day. Mr. Ulric -takes a stroll one May morning with his gun. "Nature seems to be at -rest," &c.—"the warbling of birds," &c.—"perched among trees," &c. -was all very fine, &c. "While gazing," says Paul, "upon these -objects," (that is to say, the warbling of the birds) "I beheld a -young and beautiful female trip lightly over the grass, and seat -herself beneath a willow which stood in the middle of a park." -Whereupon our adventurer throws himself into an attitude, and -soliloquizes as follows.</p> - - -<blockquote>"It seems that there is an indescribable something in the features of -many women—a look, a smile, or a glance of the eye—that sends the -blood thrilling to the heart, and involuntarily kindles the flame of -love upon its altar. It is no wonder that sages and philosophers have -worshipped with such mad devotion at the shrine of beauty! It is no -wonder that the mighty Pericles knelt at the feet of his beloved -Aspasia! It is no wonder that the once powerful Antony sacrificed his -country to the fatal embraces of the bewitching Cleopatra! It is no -wonder that the thirst for glory cooled in the heart of the -philosophic Abelard, when he beheld the beauty of the exquisite -Heloise! It is no wonder, indeed, that he quitted the dry maxims of -Aristotle to practise the more pleasing precepts of Ovid! But this is -rhapsody!" It is.</blockquote> - -<p>The lady is dressed in white, (probably cambric muslin,) and Mr. -Mattson assures us that her features he shall not attempt to describe. -He proceeds, however, to say that her "eyes are hazel, but very dark," -"her complexion pure as alabaster," her lips like the lips of Canova's -Venus, and her forehead like—something very fine. Mr. Ulric attempts -to speak, but his embarrassment prevents him. The young lady "turns to -depart," and our adventurer goes home as he came. - -<p>The next chapter commences with "How mysterious is human -existence!"—which means, when translated, "How original is Mr. -Mattson!" This initial paragraph concludes with a solemn assurance -that we are perishable creatures, and that it is very possible we may -all die—every mother's son of us. But as Mr. M. hath it—"to our -story." Paul has discovered the mansion of the young lady—but can see -no more of the young lady herself. He therefore stands sentinel before -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page176"><small><small>[p. 176]</small></small></a></span> -the door, with the purpose "of making observations." While thus -engaged, he perceives a tall fellow, "with huge black whiskers and a -most forbidding aspect," enter the house, in a familiar manner. Our -hero is, of course, in despair. The tall gentleman could be no other -than the accepted lover of the young lady. Having arrived at this -conclusion, Paul espies a column of smoke in the woods, and after some -trouble discovers it to proceed from "a log dwelling which stood -alone, with its roof of moss, amid the silence and solitude of -nature." A dog barks, and an old woman makes her appearance.</p> - -<p>This old lady is a most portentous being. She is, however, a little -given to drinking; and offers our hero a dram, of which Mr. Mattson -positively assures us that gentleman did not accept.</p> - -<blockquote>"Can you tell me," says Paul, "who lives in the stone house?"</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"Do you mean the Florence mansion," she asked.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"Very like—who is its owner?"</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"A man of the same name—Richard Florence."</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"Who is Richard Florence?"</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"An Englishman; he came to this country a year or two ago."</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"Has he a wife?"</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"Not that I know of."</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"Children?"</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"An only daughter."</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"What is her name?"</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"Emily."</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"Emily!—Is she beautiful?"</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"Very beautiful!"</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"And amiable?"</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"Her like is not to be found."</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"What," [exclaims our hero, perhaps starting back and running his -fingers through his hair]—"what are all the fleeting and fickle -pleasures of the world! what the magnificent palaces of kings, with -their imperial banquetings and gorgeous processions! what, indeed, are -all the treasures of the earth or the sea, in comparison with the -pure, the bright, the beautiful object of our young and innocent -affections!!!"</blockquote> - -<p>The name of the old hag is Meg Lawler, and she favors Mr. Ulric with -her private history. The morality of her disclosures is -questionable—but "morals, at the present day, quoth Mr. Mattson, are -rarely sought in works of fiction, and perhaps <i>less</i> rarely found." -The gentleman means <i>more</i> rarely. But let us proceed. Meg Lawler -relates a tale of seduction. It ends in the most approved form. "I -knew," says she, "that the day of sorrow and tribulation was at hand, -but alas, there was no saving power!" Here follows a double range of -stars—after which, the narrative is resumed as follows.</p> - -<blockquote>Dame Lawler paused, and turning upon me her glaring and blood-shot -eyes exclaimed—</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"Do you think there is a punishment hereafter for the evil deeds done -in the body?"</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"Such," I replied, "the divines have long taught us."</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"<i>Then is my destroyer writhing in the agonies of hell!!</i>"</blockquote> - -<p>Mr. Ulric is, of course, electrified, and the chapter closes.</p> - -<p>Our hero, some time after this, succeeds in making the acquaintance of -Miss Emily Florence. The scene of the first interview is the cottage -of Meg Lawler. Mr. U. proposes a walk—the lady at first refuses, but -finally consents.</p> - -<p>"There were two paths," says our hero, "either of which we might have -chosen: one led into the forest, the other towards her father's house. -I struck into the latter—but she abruptly paused."</p> - -<p>"Shall we continue our walk?" I asked, observing that she still -hesitated.</p> - -<p>"Yes," she at length answered; "but I would prefer the other -path"—that is to say the path through the woods—O fi, Miss Emily -Florence! During the walk, our hero arrives at the conclusion that his -beloved is "some unfortunate captive whose fears, or whose sense of -dependence, might render it imprudent for her to be seen in the -society of a stranger." In addition to all this, Dame Lawler has told -Mr. U. that "she did not believe Emily was the daughter of Mr. -Florence"—hereby filling the interesting youth with suspicions, which -Mr. Mattson assures us "were materials for the most painful -reflection."</p> - -<p>On their way home our lovers meet with an adventure. Mr. Ulric happens -to espy a—man. Miss Emily Florence thus explains this momentous -occurrence. <i>"There is a band of robbers who have their retreat in the -neighboring hills—and this was no doubt one of them. They are headed -by a brave and reckless fellow of the name of Elmo—Captain Elmo I -think they call him. They have been the terror of the inhabitants for -a long time. My father went out sometime ago with an armed force in -pursuit of them, but could not discover their hiding place. I have -heard it said that they steal away the children of wealthy parents -that they may exact a ransom."</i> Once more we beg our readers to -remember that Mr. Mattson's novel is a Tale of the Present Times, and -that its scene is in the near vicinity of the city of Brotherly Love.</p> - -<p>Having convinced her lover that the man so portentously seen can be -nobody in the world but "that brave and reckless fellow" Captain Elmo, -Miss Florence proceeds to assure Mr. U. that she (Miss Florence) is -neither afraid of man nor the devil—and forthwith brandishes in the -eyes of our adventurer an ivory-hilted dagger, or a carving-knife, or -some such murderous affair. "Scarcely knowing what I did," says our -gallant friend, "I imprinted a kiss (the first—burning, passionate, -and full of rapture) upon her innocent lips, and—<i>darted into the -woods!!!</i>" It was impossible to stand the carving-knife.</p> - -<p>As Mr. U. takes his way home after this memorable adventure, he is -waylaid by an old woman, who turns out to be a robber in disguise. A -scuffle ensues, and our hero knocks down his antagonist—what less -could such a hero do? Instead however of putting an end at once to his -robbership, our friend merely stands over him and requests him to -recite his adventures. This the old woman does. Her name is Dingee -O'Dougherty, or perhaps Dingy O'Dirty—and she proves to be one and -the same personage with the little man in gray who sold Mr. U. the -tinsel watch spoken of in the beginning of the history. During the -catechism, however, a second robber comes up, and the odds are now -against our hero. But on account of his affectionate forbearance to -Dingy O'Dirty no farther molestation is offered—and the three part -with an amicable understanding.</p> - -<p>Mr. Ulric is now taken ill of a fever—and during his illness a -servant of Mr. Florence having left that gentleman's service, calls -upon his heroship to communicate some most astounding intelligence. -Miss Florence, it appears, has been missing for some days, and her -father receives a letter (purporting to be from the captain of -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page177"><small><small>[p. 177]</small></small></a></span> -the banditti) in which it is stated that they have carried her away, -and would only return her in consideration of a ransom. Florence is -requested to meet them at a certain spot and hour, when they propose -to make known their conditions. Upon hearing this extraordinary news -our adventurer jumps out of bed, throws himself into attitude No. 2, -and swears a round oath that he will deliver Miss Emily himself. Thus -ends the first volume.</p> - -<p>Volume the second commences with spirit. Mr. U. hires "three fearless -and able-bodied men to accompany and render him assistance in the -event of danger. Each of them was supplied with a belt containing a -brace of pistols, and a large Spanish knife." With these terrible -desperadoes, our friend arrives at the spot designated by the bandit. -Leaving his companions near at hand, he advances, and recognizes the -redoubted Captain Elmo, who demands a thousand pounds as the ransom of -Miss Emily Florence. Our hero considers this too much, and the Captain -consents to take five hundred. This too Mr. U. refuses to give, and -with his three friends makes an attack upon the bandit. But a posse of -robbers coming to the aid of their leader, our hero is about to meet -with his deserts when he is rescued by no less a personage than our -old acquaintance Dingy O'Dirty, who proves to be one of the banditti. -Through the intercession of this friend, Mr. U. and his trio are -permitted to go home in safety—but our hero, in a private -conversation with Dingy, prevails upon that gentleman to aid him in -the rescue of Miss Emily. A plot is arranged between the two worthies, -the most important point of which is that Mr. U. is to become one of -the robber fraternity.</p> - -<p>In a week's time, accordingly, we behold Paul Ulric, Esq. in a cavern -of banditti, somewhere in the neighborhood of Philadelphia!! His -doings in this cavern, as related by Mr. Mattson, we must be allowed -to consider the most laughable piece of plagiarism on record—with the -exception perhaps of something in this same book which we shall speak -of hereafter. Our author, it appears, has read Gil Blas, Pelham, and -Anne of Gierstein, and has concocted, from diverse passages in the -three, a banditti scene for his own especial use, and for the readers -of Paul Ulric. The <i>imitations</i> (let us be courteous!) from Pelham are -not so palpable as those from the other two novels. It will be -remembered that Bulwer's hero introduces himself into a nest of London -rogues with the end of proving his friend's innocence of murder. Paul -joins a band of robbers <i>near Philadelphia</i>, for the purpose of -rescuing a mistress—the chief similarity will be found in the -circumstances of the blindfold introduction, and in the slang dialect -made use of by either novelist. The slang in Pelham is stupid -enough—but still very natural in the mouths of the cutthroats of -Cockaigne. Mr. Mattson, however, has thought proper to bring it over, -will I nill I, into Pennsylvania, and to make the pickpockets of -Yankeeland discourse in the most learned manner of nothing less than -"<i>flat-catching</i>," "<i>velvet</i>," "<i>dubbing up possibles</i>," "<i>shelling -out</i>," "<i>twisting French lace</i>," "<i>wakeful winkers</i>," "<i>white wool</i>," -"<i>pig's whispers</i>," and "<i>horses' nightcaps!</i>"</p> - -<p>Having introduced his adventurer <i>à la</i> Pelham, Mr. Mattson entertains -him <i>à la</i> Gil Blas. The hero of Santillane finds his cavern a -pleasant residence, and so does the hero of our novel. Captain Rolando -is a fine fellow, and so is Captain Elmo. In Gil Blas, the robbers -amuse themselves by reciting their adventures—so they do in Paul -Ulric. In both the Captain tells his own history first. In the one -there is a rheumatic old cook—in the other there is a rheumatic old -cook. In the one there is a porter who is the main obstacle to -escape—in the other ditto. In the one there is a lady in durance—in -the other ditto. In the one the hero determines to release the -lady—in the other ditto. In the one Gil Blas feigns illness to effect -his end, in the other Mr. Ulric feigns illness for the same object. In -the one, advantage is taken of the robbers' absence to escape—so in -the other. The cook is sick, at the time, in both.</p> - -<p>In regard to Anne of Gierstein the plagiarism is still more laughable. -We must all remember the proceedings of the <i>Secret Tribunal</i> in -Scott's novel. Mr. Mattson has evidently been ignorant that the Great -Unknown's account of these proceedings was principally based on fact. -He has supposed them imaginary <i>in toto</i>, and, seeing no good reason -to the contrary, determined to have a Secret Tribunal of his own -manufacture, and could think of no better location for it than a -cavern somewhere about the suburbs of Philadelphia. We must be -pardoned for giving Mr. Mattson's account of this matter in his own -words.</p> - - -<blockquote>Dingee disappeared, [this is our old friend Dingy O'Dirty] Dingee, -[quoth Mr. Mattson,] disappeared—leaving me for a time alone. When he -returned, he said every thing was in readiness for the ceremony, [the -ceremony of Mr. Ulric's initiation as a robber.] The place appointed -for this purpose was called the '<i>Room of Sculls</i>'—and thither, -blindfolded, I was led.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>'A candidate for our order!' said a voice, which I recognized as -O'Dougherty's.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>'Let him see the light!' exclaimed another in an opposite direction. -The mandate was obeyed, and I was restored to sight.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>I looked wildly and fearfully around—but no living object was -perceptible. Before me stood an altar, hung about with red curtains, -and ornamented with fringe of the same color. Above it, on a white -Banner, was a painting of the human heart, with a dagger struck to the -hilt, and the blood streaming from the wound. Directly under this -horrible device, was written, in large letters,</blockquote> - -<center>T<small>HE</small> P<small>UNISHMENT OF THE</small> U<small>NFAITHFUL</small>.</center> - -<blockquote>Around, wherever I turned my eyes, there was little else to be seen -but skeletons of human bodies—with their arms uplifted, and -stretching forward—suspended in every direction from the walls. One -of them I involuntarily touched, and down it came with a fearful -crash—its dry bones rattling upon the granite floor, until the whole -cavern reverberated with the sound. I turned from this spectacle, and -opposite beheld a guillotine—the fatal axe smeared with blood; and -near it was a head—looking as if it had just been severed from the -body—with the countenance ghastly—the lips parted—and the eyes -staring wide open. There, also, was the body, covered, however, with a -cloth, so that little was seen except the neck, mangled and bloody, -and a small portion of the hand, hanging out from its shroud, grasping -in its fingers a tablet with the following inscription:</blockquote> - -<center>T<small>HE</small> E<small>ND OF THE</small> B<small>ETRAYER</small>.</center> - -<blockquote>I sickened and fell. When I awoke to consciousness I found myself in -the arms of O'Dougherty. He was bathing my temples with a fragrant -liquor. When I had sufficiently recovered, he put his mouth close to -my ear and whispered—'Where is your courage man? Do you know there is -a score of eyes upon you?'</blockquote> - -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page178"><small><small>[p. 178]</small></small></a></span> -<blockquote>'Alas! I am unused to such scenes—I confess they have unmanned -me. But now I am firm; you have only to command, and I will obey.'</blockquote> - -<blockquote>'Bravo!' exclaimed O'Dougherty, 'you must now be introduced to the -high priest of our order. He has taken his seat at the altar—prepared -for your reception. I will retire that you may do him -reverence—trusting soon to hail you as a brother.'</blockquote> - -<blockquote>The curtains about the altar had been grouped up, and there, indeed, -sat the high dignitary in all his splendor. He was closely masked, and -reclined in a high-backed chair, with his head turned carelessly to -one side, with an expression of the most singular good humor. At that -moment, also, there issued from numerous recesses, which I had not -hitherto observed, a number of grotesque-looking shapes, not unlike -the weird sisters in Macbeth, who quietly took their stations around -the apartment, and fixed upon me their fearful and startling gaze. -Their garments were hanging in shreds—an emblem, perhaps, of their -own desperate pursuits. Their faces were daubed with paint of various -colors, which gave them a wild and fiendish aspect. Each one grasped a -long knife, which he brandished furiously above his head, the blades -sometimes striking heavily together. They then sprang simultaneously -forward, forming themselves into a circle, while one stationed himself -as the centre, around whom they slowly moved with dismal and -half-suppressed groans. They continued this ceremony until some one -exclaimed—</blockquote> - -<blockquote>'Bring forth the dead!'</blockquote> - -<blockquote>'Bring forth the dead!'—they all repeated, until the cavern rang with -a thousand echoes.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>The banditti now stood in a line, stretching from one end of the room -to the other, and remained some time in silence. Directly a dead -body—mutilated and bloody—was borne by some invisible agency into -our presence. It rested upon a bier—without pall or other covering—a -spectacle too horrible for description. I thought, at first, that it -was some optical delusion—but, alas! it proved a fearful reality—a -dread and reckless assassination, prompted by that hellish and -vindictive spirit, which appeared so exclusively to govern the -ruffians with whom I was voluntarily associated. The victim before me -was a transgressor of their laws; and this punishment had been dealt -out to him as the reward of his perfidy. Life, to all appearance, was -extinct; but the sluggish and inert clay still remained, as if in -mockery of all law—all humanity—all mercy.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>'Behold the traitor!'—exclaimed one of the number.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>'Behold the traitor!'—they all repeated in concert.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>'Bear away the dead!'—commanded the priest at the altar.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>'Bear away the dead! bear away the dead!'—was reiterated in -succession by every tongue, until the lifeless body disappeared—and -with it the fiendish revellers who had sported so terrifically in its -presence.</blockquote> - -<p>We have only to say, that if our readers are not absolutely petrified -after all this conglomeration of horrors, it is no fault either of -Paul Ulric's, Morris Mattson's, or Dingy O'Dirty's.</p> - -<p>Miss Emily Florence is at length rescued, and with her lover, is rowed -down some river in a skiff by Dingy, who thus discourses on the way. -We quote the passage as a specimen of exquisite morality.</p> - -<blockquote>"Had I the sensibility of many men, a recollection of my crimes would -sink me into the dust—but as it is, I can almost fancy them to be so -many virtues. I see you smile; but is it not a truth, that every thing -of good and evil exists altogether in idea? The highwayman is driven -by necessity to attack the traveller, and demand his purse. This is a -crime—so says the law—so says society—and must be punished as our -wise men have decreed. Nations go to war with each other—they -plunder—burn—destroy—and murder—yet there is nothing wrong in -this, because nations sanction it. But where is the difference between -the highwayman, in the exercise of a profession by which he is to -obtain a livelihood, and a nation, with perhaps less adequate cause, -which despoils another of its treasures, and deluges it in blood? Is -not this a proof that our ideas of immorality and wickedness are -derived in a great measure from habit and education?" "The -metaphysical outlaw," [says our hero,] "the metaphysical outlaw here -concluded his discourse." [What an excessively funny idea Mr. Mattson -must have of metaphysics!]</blockquote> - -<p>Having left the boat, taken leave of Dingy O'Dirty, and put on a pair -of breeches, Miss Florence now accompanies our adventurer to a village -hard by. Entering a tavern the lovers seat themselves at the breakfast -table with two or three other persons. The conversation turns upon one -Mr. Crawford, a great favorite in the village. In the midst of his own -praises the gentleman himself enters—"and lo!" says Mr. Ulric, "in -the person of Mr. Crawford, I recognized the notorious Captain Elmo!" -The hue and cry is immediately raised, but the Captain makes his -escape through a window. Our hero pursues him to no purpose, and in -returning from the pursuit is near being run over by a carriage and -six. The carriage doors happen to be wide open, and in the vehicle Mr. -Ulric discovers—oh horrible!—Miss Emily Florence in the embrace of -the fellow with the big whiskers!</p> - -<p>Having lost his sweetheart a second time, our adventurer is in -despair. But despair, or indeed any thing else, is of little -consequence to a hero. "It is true," says Paul, "I was sometimes -melancholy; but melancholy with me is as the radiant sunlight, -imparting a hue of gladness to every thing around!!" Being, therefore, -in excellent spirits with his melancholy, Mr. Ulric determines upon -writing a novel. The novel is written, printed, published, and puffed. -Why not?—we have even seen "<i>Paul Ulric</i>" puffed. But let us hasten -to the <i>dénouement</i> of our tale. The hero receives a letter from his -guardian angel, Dingy O'Dirty, who, it appears, is in England. He -informs Mr. U. that Miss Florence is in London, for he (Dingy O'Dirty) -has seen her. Hereupon our friend takes shipping for that city. Of -course he is shipwrecked—and, of course, every soul on board perishes -but himself. He, indeed, is a most fortunate young man. Some person -pulls him on shore, and this person proves to be the very person he -was going all the way to London to look for—it was Richard Florence -himself. What is more to the purpose, Mr. F. has repented of promising -Miss Emily to the fellow with the big whiskers. Every thing now -happens precisely as it should. Miss E. is proved to be an heiress, -and no daughter of Florence's after all. Our hero leads her to the -altar. Matters come rapidly to a crisis. All the good characters are -made excessively happy people, and all the bad characters die sudden -deaths, and go, post haste, to the devil.</p> - -<p>Mr. Mattson is a very generous young man, and is not above patronizing -a fellow-writer occasionally. Some person having sent him a MS. poem -for perusal and an opinion, our author consigns the new candidate for -fame to immortality at once, by heading a chapter in Paul Ulric with -four entire lines from the MS., and appending the following note at -the bottom of the page.</p> - -<blockquote>From a MS. poem entitled "<i>Drusilla</i>," with which we have been -politely favored for perusal. It is a delightful work, and shows the -writer to be a man of <span class="pagenum"><a name="page179"><small><small>[p. 179]</small></small></a></span> -genius and reflection. We hope it will not -be long before the lovers of poetry are favored with this production; -it will win deserved celebrity for its author.</blockquote> - -<p>And as a farther instance of disinterestedness, see this conversation -between Mr. Mattson's hero, and a young lady in London who wrote for -the annuals.</p> - -<blockquote>"What do you think of D'Israeli's novels?"—asked she.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"Excellent! Excellent!" I replied, "especially Vivian Grey: take for -example the scene in the long gallery between Vivian, and Mrs. Felix -Lorraine."</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"Admirable!"—returned the young lady, "but, by the way, how do you -like Bulwer?"</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"Well enough," I answered.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"Pray, Mr. Ulric, how many female writers of distinction have you in -America? Honest old Blackwood tells us of but two or three."</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"And who are they?"</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"Miss Gould, Miss Sedgwick, and Mrs. Sigourney."</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"He should have added another—Miss Leslie."</blockquote> - -<p>We fancy it is long since Miss Leslie, Miss Gould, Miss Sedgwick, Mrs. -Sigourney, Lytton Bulwer, and Ben D'Israeli have been so -affectionately patted on the back.</p> - -<p>Of Mr. Mattson's <i>style</i> the less we say the better. It is quite good -enough for Mr. Mattson's matter. Besides—all fine writers have pet -words and phrases. Mr. Fay had his "<i>blisters</i>"—Mr. Simms had his -"<i>coils</i>," "<i>hugs</i>," and "<i>old-times</i>"—and Mr. M. must be allowed his -"<i>suches</i>" and "<i>so muches</i>." Such is genius!—and so much for the -Adventures of an Enthusiast! But we must positively say a word in -regard to Mr. Mattson's <i>erudition</i>. On page 97, vol. ii, our author -is discoursing of the novel which his hero is about to indite. He is -speaking more particularly of <i>titles</i>. Let us see what he says.</p> - -<blockquote>"An ill-chosen title is sufficient to condemn the best of books. Never -does an author exhibit his taste and skill more than in this -particular. Just think for a moment of <i>the Frenchman's version of -Doctor Johnson's 'Rambler' into 'Le Chevalier Errant,' and what was -still more laughable, his innocently addressing the author by the -appellation of Mr. Vagabond!</i> By the way, the modern fanatics were -somewhat remarkable in the choice of their titles. Take for example -the following—<i>'The Shop of the Spiritual Apothecary' and 'Some fine -Baskets baked in the Oven of Charity, carefully conserved for the -Chickens of the Church, the Sparrows of the Spirit, and the Sweet -Swallows of Salvation.'</i>"</blockquote> - -<p>Having admired this specimen of deep research, let us turn to page -125, vol. ii. Mr. Ulric is here vindicating himself from some charges -brought against his book. Have patience, gentle reader, while we copy -what he says.</p> - -<blockquote>"In the first place we are accused of <i>vulgarity</i>. In this respect we -certainly bear a strong resemblance to Plautus, who was censured by -the satirical Horace for the same thing. Next come <i>Ignorance</i>, -<i>Vanity</i>, and <i>Stupidity</i>. Of the first two, the classic reader will -not forget that Aristotle (who wrote not less than four hundred -volumes) was calumniated by Cicero and Plutarch, both of whom -endeavored to make it appear that he was <i>ignorant</i> as well as <i>vain</i>. -But what of our stupidity? Socrates himself was treated by Athenæus as -<i>illiterate;</i> the divine Plato, called by some the philosopher of the -Christians, by others the god of philosophers, was accused by -Theopompus of <i>lying</i>, by Aristophanes of <i>impiety</i>, and by Aulus -Gellius of <i>robbery</i>. The fifth charge is a <i>want of invention</i>. Pliny -has alleged the same thing of Virgil—and surely it is some -consolation to know that we have such excellent company. And last, -though not least, is <i>plagiarism</i>. Here again Naucrates tells us that -Homer pillaged some of his best thoughts from the library at Memphis. -It is recorded, moreover, that Horace plundered from the minor Greek -poets, and Virgil from his great prototype, Homer, as well as -Nicander, and Apollonius Rhodius. Why then should we trouble ourselves -about these sweeping denunciations?"</blockquote> - -<p>What a learned man is Morris Mattson, Esq.! He is intimately versed -not only in Horace, Aristotle, Cicero, Plutarch, Virgil, Homer, Plato, -Pliny, and Aristophanes—but (<i>credat Judæus!</i>) in Nicander, Aulus -Gellius, Naucrates, Athenæus, Theopompus, and Apollonius Rhodius! I. -D'Israeli, however, the father of Ben D'Israeli aforesaid, is (we have -no hesitation in saying it,) one of the most scoundrelly plagiarists -in Christendom. He has not scrupled to steal entire passages verbatim -from Paul Ulric! On page 1, vol. ii, second edition, of '<i>The -Curiosities of Literature</i>,' in a chapter on <i>Titles</i>, we have all -about Dr. Johnson, Le Chevalier Errant, and Mr. Vagabond, precisely in -the language of Mr. Mattson. O thou abandoned robber, D'Israeli! Here -is the sentence. It will be seen, that it corresponds with the first -sentence italicized in the paragraph (above) beginning 'An ill-chosen -title, &c.' "The Rambler was so little understood, at the time of its -appearance, that a French Journalist has translated it 'Le Chevalier -Errant,' and a foreigner drank Johnson's health one day, by innocently -addressing him by the appellation of Mr. Vagabond!" And on page 11, of -the same volume, we perceive the following, which answers to the -<i>second</i> sentence italicized in the paragraph above mentioned. "A -collection of passages from the Fathers is called 'The Shop of the -Spiritual Apothecary'—one of these works bears the elaborate title -'Some fine Baskets baked in the Oven of Charity, carefully conserved -for the Chickens of the Church, the Sparrows of the Spirit, and the -Sweet Swallows of Salvation.'" There can be no doubt whatever of -D'Israeli's having pilfered this thing from Paul Ulric, for Mr. -Mattson having, inadvertently we suppose, written <i>Baskets</i> for -<i>Biscuits</i>, the error is adopted by the plagiarist. But we have a -still more impudent piece of robbery to mention. The whole of the -<i>erudition</i>, and two-thirds of the words in the paragraph above, -beginning 'In the first place we are accused of vulgarity,' &c. is to -be found on page 42, vol. i, second edition, of The '<i>Curiosities!</i>' -Let us transcribe some of D'Israeli's words in illustration of our -remark. We refer the reader for more particular information to the -book itself.</p> - -<blockquote>"Horace censures the coarse humor of Plautus—Aristotle (whose -industry composed more than four hundred volumes) has not been less -spared by the critics. Diogenes Laertius, Cicero and Plutarch have -forgotten nothing that can tend to show his ignorance, his ambition, -and his vanity—Socrates, considered as the wisest, and most moral of -men, Cicero treated as an usurer, and the pedant Athenæus as -illiterate—Plato, who has been called, by Clement of Alexandria, the -Moses of Athens; the philosopher of the Christians by Arnobius, and -the god of philosophers by Cicero; Athenæus accuses of envy; -Theopompus of lying; Suidas of avarice; Aulus Gellius of robbery; -Porphyry of incontinence, and Aristophanes of impiety—Virgil is -destitute of invention, if we are to give credit to Pliny—Naucrates -points out the source (of the Iliad and Odyssey,) in the library at -Memphis, which, according to him, the blind bard completely -pillaged—Horace has been blamed for the free use he made of the minor -Greek <span class="pagenum"><a name="page180"><small><small>[p. 180]</small></small></a></span> -poets. Even the author of his (Virgil's) apology, has -confessed that he has stolen, from Homer, his greatest beauties, from -Apollonius Rhodius many of his pathetic passages, and from Nicander -hints for his Georgics."</blockquote> - -<p>Well, Mr. Mattson, what have you to say for yourself? Is not I. -D'Israeli the most impudent thief since the days of Prometheus?</p> - -<p>In summing up an opinion of Paul Ulric, it is by no means our -intention to mince the matter at all. The book is despicable in every -respect. Such are the works which bring daily discredit upon our -national literature. We have no right to complain of being laughed at -abroad when so villainous a compound, as the thing we now hold in our -hand, of incongruous folly, plagiarism, immorality, inanity, and -bombast, can command at any moment both a puff and a publisher. To Mr. -Mattson himself we have only one word to say before throwing his book -into the fire. Dress it up, good sir, for the nursery, and call it the -"Life and Surprising Adventures of Dingy O'Dirty." Humph!—Only think -of Plato, Pliny, Aristotle, Aristophanes, Nicander, Aulus Gellius, -Naucrates, Athenæus, Theopompus and Apollonius Rhodius!!</p> - -<hr align="center" width="25"><a name="sect28"></a> -<br> -<center>MARTIN'S GAZETTEER.</center> - -<p><i>A New and Comprehensive Gazetteer of Virginia, and the District of -Columbia: containing a copious collection of Geographical, -Statistical, Political, Commercial, Religious, Moral and Miscellaneous -Information, collected and compiled from the most respectable, and -chiefly from original sources; by Joseph Martin. To which is added a -History of Virginia from its first settlement to the year 1754: with -an abstract of the principal events from that period to the -independence of Virginia, written expressly for the work, by a citizen -of Virginia. Charlottesville: Published by Joseph Martin. 1835.</i></p> - -<p>We ought to have noticed this book sooner. Mr. Martin deserves well of -the country for having laid the foundation, amidst numerous obstacles, -of a work of great utility and importance. In his preface, he disavows -all pretension to literary attainment, and claims only the merit of -enterprise and perseverance in the execution of his design. He is -entitled to all the rewards of a bold pioneer, struggling with -pecuniary difficulties, and, we might add, with public indifference, -in amassing a large amount of valuable information—interesting to -almost every man in the Commonwealth. It is one of the evils attendant -upon a high state of political excitement in any country, that what is -really and substantially good, is forgotten or neglected. The -resources of our great Commonwealth are immense, and if we could once -get the public mind into a condition favorable to their full -development, the most important consequences might be expected to -follow. Societies and associations for collecting information in the -various departments of moral and physical science, have abounded in -most countries having the least pretension to civilization; and even -in some of the States of our confederacy, it is known that an -enlightened spirit of inquiry exists on the same subject. Our own -state indeed, boastful as it is of its early history, the renown of -some of its sons, and its abundant natural advantages, has -nevertheless, we are pained to admit, manifested too little of that -public spirit which has animated other communities. Of late, indeed, -some signs have been exhibited of a more liberal and resolute course -of action, and we are not without hope that these efforts will be -crowned by highly useful and practical results.</p> - -<p>It is because Mr. Martin has been obliged to rely principally upon -individual contributions, in order to obtain which he must necessarily -have used great diligence, and submitted to much pecuniary sacrifice, -that we think him entitled to a double portion of praise. Few -individuals would, under such circumstances, have incurred the risk of -failure; and our wonder is, not that the work is not perfect, but -that, contending with so many disadvantages, it should have so nearly -accomplished what has been long a <i>desideratum</i> in Virginia -literature. Our limits will not permit any thing like a minute -analysis of its contents. The arrangement of the volume strikes us as -superior to the ordinary alphabetical plan; and although there is much -repetition even in its present form, much more we think has been -avoided. That part of the General Description of the State, which -especially treats of the climate, is admirably well written; and, -considering the scantiness of the author's materials, owing to the -general neglect of meteorological observations in Virginia, his -reasoning is clear, forcible, and philosophical. In the Sketch which -is given of the county of Louisa, we think we can recognize a pen -which has not unfrequently adorned the pages of the "Messenger"—and -the History of the State from its earliest settlement, appended to the -work, is written with vigor and ability, and, as far as we can judge, -with accuracy. If Mr. Martin is sustained by public liberality, which -we earnestly hope will be the case, he will not only be enabled, in -the next edition, to correct such imperfections as may be found to -exist in the present, but to engraft a large amount of additional -information, derived from authentic sources. The report of Professor -Rogers, for example, on the Geology of Virginia, made to the present -Legislature, will shed much light on the mineral resources of the -State; and the report of the President and Directors of the Literary -Fund, embracing as it does, detailed information with respect to all -our literary institutions, will greatly illustrate the means in -operation for diffusing the blessings and benefits of education. The -statistical tables, too, can be revised and corrected in another -edition; and we doubt not that many individuals into whose hands the -work may fall, will voluntarily contribute such suggestions and -improvements as their means of information will authorize. Such a work -to the man of business, and to the traveller, and indeed to the -general reader, is invaluable, and we heartily recommend it to public -patronage.</p> - -<hr align="center" width="25"><a name="sect29"></a> -<br> -<center>ROSE-HILL.</center> - -<p><i>Rose-Hill: A Tale of the Old Dominion. By a Virginian. Philadelphia: -Key & Biddle.</i></p> - -<p>This is an unpretending little duodecimo of about two hundred pages. -It embraces some events connected with two (fictitious) families in -the Western section of Virginia during the Revolution. The chief merit -of the work consists in a vein of piety and strict morality pervading -its pages. The story itself is interesting, but not very well put -together, while the <i>style</i> might be amended in many respects. We wish -the book, however, every success.</p> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page181"><small><small>[p. 181]</small></small></a></span> -<hr align="center" width="25"><a name="sect30"></a> -<br> -<center>CHIEF JUSTICE MARSHALL.</center> - -<p>1. <i>An Eulogy on the Life and Character of John Marshall. Delivered at -the request of the Councils of Philadelphia, on the 24th of September, -1835. By Horace Binney. pp. 55.</i></p> - -<p>2. <i>A Discourse on the Life, &c. of John Marshall, L.L.D. Pronounced -on the 15th of October, 1835, at the request of the Suffolk Bar -(Boston.) By Joseph Story, L.L.D., and published at their request, pp. -70.</i></p> - -<p>3. <i>An Oration on the Life and Character of John Marshall, late Chief -Justice of the United States, pronounced before the Citizens of -Alexandria, D. C. August 12, 1835. By Edgar Snowden. Published by -request of the Committee of Arrangements.</i><small><small><sup>1</sup></small></small></p> - -<blockquote><small><small><sup>1</sup></small> The late hour at which we have received this pamphlet, -has prevented us from speaking as fully as we intended of its -distinguished merits. It would have given us great pleasure to have -embodied, in the text of this article, portions of Mr. Snowden's -Oration—an Oration justly entitled to companionship with the -Discourse of Judge Story, and the Eulogy of Mr. Binney. We must now, -however, at this late day, confine ourselves to a general expression -of commendation, and a short extract from the conclusion of the -Oration.</small></blockquote> - -<blockquote><small>"But the 'good' of Marshall is not interred with his bones. It lives -after him, and will live after him in all time to come. The incense of -virtue which he burned upon his country's altar, will continue to rise -to heaven, and diffuse itself throughout the land for all following -generations. When our children shall read the story of his life, they -will find it one which, in its purity and beauty, cannot be surpassed -by the history of any other man of our age. And who can calculate the -extent of the influence of such a character upon the hearts and minds -of this people, and even upon the future destinies of this country, in -regulating the dispositions of those who aspire and those who are -called to the high places of the nation? Who can say that it will not -pervade the moral atmosphere, so as to correct many of those evil -tendencies which we now see constantly developing themselves. We want -such men as Marshall to rise up in our midst, and shed around the -chastened light of their influence. The glare of military fame, and -the glittering trappings of power, dazzle but too often to delude -those who gaze at them with admiration. But upon the mellow radiance -of his virtues we can all look with unclouded eyes—we can all dwell -with unmingled satisfaction."</small></blockquote> - -<p>A formal criticism upon these discourses, is the least of our -intentions in placing them at the head of this article. Not that they -are either unworthy of criticism, or incapable of abiding its test: -but that, slight and unpretending as they are in their form and guise, -the consideration which their uncommon literary merits would otherwise -ensure them, is in great part lost, in the overshadowing magnitude of -their subject. To be engrossed by beauties or defects (if there are -defects) in the <i>style</i> of a shilling pamphlet, when its theme is "the -Life, Character and Services" of one who blended the benevolence and -purity of Hale, the piercing and comprehensive genius of Mansfield, -and the logical power of Erskine; and who, in the majestic simplicity -of varied yet harmonious greatness, as we verily believe, is next to -Washington; would be to imitate Seneca's grammarian, who in reading -Virgil, thinks only of <i>longs and shorts</i>—disregarding all the charms -of incident, and all the glories of imagery. What we have to say of -the discourses, therefore, shall be little more, than that they are -worthy of their authors; who by these productions, if <small>THESE</small> stood -alone, have shown minds proof against the cramping tendencies of a -profession, so much better fitted (according to Mr. Burke) to <i>quicken -and invigorate</i>, than to <i>open and liberalize</i> the intellect. All of -them have given narratives, crowded with interesting particulars; and, -what might not have been expected from his less intimate association -with the deceased, Mr. Binney seems to have acquired a larger store of -these, than Judge Story. The latter, however, (what might have been as -little expected from his grave judicial station, so long occupied) has -adorned his pages more highly, with the flowers and graces of style.</p> - -<p>But our main design in bringing them before our readers, is to -present, at the smallest possible expense of labor to ourselves, an -outline of <i>his</i> life, and a just view of <i>his</i> character, whose -talents and virtues they have both so successfully commemorated. With -this intent, we purpose making large extracts from the discourses; and -even where we do not literally <i>quote</i>, we are willing to be regarded -as merely paraphrasing them,—for by far the most of the incidents we -are about to give, are drawn from no other source. We agree, with Lord -Bacon, that in general, it is "only the meaner sort of books" that -should be thus <i>hashed</i> and read at second-hand; and that "distilled -books are, like common distilled waters, flashy things." But stinted -time and space oblige us here to be content with a <i>rifacimento</i>, in -which we trust our readers may still find much of the savor of the -viands whence we make our extracts.</p> - -<p>J<small>OHN</small> M<small>ARSHALL</small> was born Sept. 24th, 1755, in Fauquier County, -Virginia—a little more than two months after Braddock's defeat; and -was the eldest of fifteen children, of Thomas Marshall, who was a -colonel in the continental line of the Revolutionary Army, remarkable -for courage, and for strength of mind. His courage was signalized at -the Battles of Trenton and Brandywine; his regiment, at the latter, -bearing the brunt of the attacking column led by Cornwallis in person. -Though greatly outnumbered, it "maintained its position without losing -an inch of ground, until both its flanks were turned, its ammunition -nearly expended, and more than half the officers and one third of the -soldiers were killed or wounded. Col. Marshall, whose horse had -received two balls, then retired in good order to resume his position -on the right of his division, but it had already -retreated."<small><small><sup>2</sup></small></small> The -heroism of such a father, could not be lost upon the son.</p> - -<blockquote><small><small><sup>2</sup></small> 1. Marshall's Washington, 158.</small></blockquote> - -<p>The sparsely peopled region in which he lived, co-operating with a -narrow fortune, afforded Col. Marshall but little opportunity for -sending his children to school; and he was compelled to be almost -exclusively himself their teacher. In his eldest son he early -implanted a taste for English literature; "especially for poetry and -history." At the age of twelve, John had <i>transcribed</i> the whole of -Pope's Essay on Man, and some of his Moral Essays; and had <i>committed -to memory</i> many of the most interesting passages of that distinguished -poet.</p> - -<blockquote>"The love of poetry, thus awakened in his warm and vigorous mind, soon -exerted a commanding influence over it. He became enamored of the -classical writers of the old English school, of Milton, and -Shakspeare, and Dryden, and Pope; and was instructed by their solid -sense and beautiful imagery. In the enthusiasm of youth, he often -indulged himself in poetical compositions, and freely gave up his -leisure hours to those delicious dreamings with the muses, which (say -what we may) constitute with many the purest source of pleasure in the -gayer scenes of life, and the sweetest consolation in the hours of -adversity.</blockquote> - -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page182"><small><small>[p. 182]</small></small></a></span> -<blockquote>"One of the best recommendations, indeed, of the early -cultivation of a taste for poetry, and the kindred branches of -literature, is, that it does not expire with youth. It affords to -maturer years a refreshing relaxation from the severe cares of -business, and to old age a quiet and welcome employment, always within -reach, and always bringing with it, if not the charms of novelty, at -least the soothing reminiscences of other days. The votary of the -muses may not always tread upon enchanted ground; but the gentle -influences of fiction and song will steal over his thoughts, and -breathe, as it were, into his soul the fragrance of a second spring of life.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"Throughout the whole of his life, and down to its very close, Mr. -Marshall continued to cultivate a taste for general literature, and -especially for those departments of it, which had been the favorite -studies of his youth. He was familiar with all its light, as well as -its more recondite, productions. He read with intense interest, as his -leisure would allow, all the higher literature of modern times; and, -especially, the works of the great masters of the art were his -constant delight."—[<i>Judge Story</i>.]</blockquote> - -<p>The entire compatibility of such a love for elegant literature with -"the severe logic and closeness of thought, which belonged to" Judge -Marshall's character, is well vindicated by Judge Story's -observations, as well as by many illustrious examples. Among them may -be named William Wirt. The flowery complexion of his writings, his -evident delight in works of fancy, and the extraordinary graces of his -oratory, made the multitude believe him to be "of imagination all -compact." But he was in truth far more profoundly versed in the dry, -intricate lore of his profession, and by far more capable of thridding -its nicest subtleties, than thousands, whose whole minds have been -occupied with its "mystic, dark, discordant" tomes. We have been told -by one who knew him intimately, that there were few harder students -than Mr. Wirt: and that our informant had known him repeatedly sit for -six or seven hours at a time, intensely engaged in examining a single -question of law; and this too, at a period of his life when the world -thought him little more than a frothy declaimer, a spouter of poetry, -and an inditer of light newspaper essays. But to return—Judge Story -presents us most pleasing views of Col. Marshall's character, derived -from conversations with his more distinguished son:</p> - -<p>"I have often heard the Chief Justice speak of him in terms of the -deepest affection and reverence."... "Indeed, he never named his -father, without dwelling on his character with a fond and winning -enthusiasm. It was a theme, on which he broke out with spontaneous -eloquence; and in the spirit of the most persuasive confidence, he -would delight to expatiate on his virtues and talents. 'My father,' he -would say with kindled feelings and emphasis, 'my father was a far -abler man than any of his sons. To him I owe the solid foundation of -all my own success in life.' Such praise from such lips is -inexpressibly precious. I know not whether it be most honorable to the -parent, or to the child. It warms, while it elevates our admiration of -both."</p> - -<p>There is great truth in the remark, that children reared among -numerous brothers and sisters are the more apt, on that account, to -make good men and women. The kindly affections are more exercised; -emulation, tempered by such love as prevents its festering into -malignity, stimulates to greater activity of body and of mind; each -one has less expectation of hereditary fortune—that great palsier of -useful energies; and each comes in for less of that parental fondness, -which, when concentrated upon one, or two, or three children, so often -spoils their characters, and embitters their lives. To the influence -of this truth upon young Marshall's destinies, add the judicious -training and admirable example of an intelligent father, and the -hardy, active life he led, in a wild and mountainous region abounding -in game—and many of the best traits in his character, as well as much -of his subsequent eminence, are at once accounted for.</p> - -<p>At fourteen, he was sent to Westmoreland, one hundred miles off, where -for a year he was instructed in Latin by a clergyman named Campbell, -and where James Monroe was one of his fellow students. Returning then -to his father's house, he, for another year, received instruction in -Latin from a Scotch clergyman named Thompson; "and this was the whole -of the classical tuition he ever obtained."<small><small><sup>3</sup></small></small> By the assistance of -his father, however, and the persevering efforts of his own mind, he -continued to enlarge his knowledge, while he strengthened his body by -"hardy, athletic exercises in the open air. He engaged in field -sports; he wandered in the deep woods; he indulged his solitary -meditations amidst the wildest scenery of nature; he delighted to -brush away the earliest dew of the morning."... "It was to these early -habits in a mountainous region, that he probably owed that robust and -vigorous constitution, which carried him almost to the close of his -life with the freshness and firmness of manhood."<small><small><sup>4</sup></small></small></p> - -<blockquote><small><small><sup>3</sup></small> Mr. Binney.</small></blockquote> - -<blockquote><small><small><sup>4</sup></small> Judge Story.</small></blockquote> - -<p>About his eighteenth year, when he had commenced the study of the Law, -the lowering aspect of affairs between the Colonies and Great Britain -attracted his notice, and he devoted himself chiefly to the acquiring -of military skill, in a volunteer corps of the neighborhood. At length -news came, of the battle of Lexington. A militia company, in which he -held a commission, was ordered to assemble at a place ten miles from -his father's house. Mr. Binney says, "A kinsman and contemporary, who -was an eye witness of this scene, has thus described it to me:—"</p> - -<blockquote>"It was in May, 1775. He was then a youth of nineteen. The muster -field was some twenty miles distant from the Court House, and a -section of country peopled by tillers of the earth. Rumors of the -occurrences near Boston, had circulated with the effect of alarm and -agitation, but without the means of ascertaining the truth, for not a -newspaper was printed nearer than Williamsburg, nor was one taken -within the bounds of the militia company, though large. The Captain -had called the company together, and was expected to attend, but did -not. John Marshall had been appointed Lieutenant to it. His father had -formerly commanded it. Soon after Lieutenant Marshall's appearance on -the ground, those who knew him clustered about him to greet him, -others from curiosity and to hear the news.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"He proceeded to inform the company that the Captain would not be -there, and that he had been appointed Lieutenant instead of a -better:—that he had come to meet them as fellow soldiers, who were -likely to be called on to defend their country, and their own rights -and liberties invaded by the British:—that there had been a battle at -Lexington in Massachusetts, between the British and Americans, in -which the Americans were victorious, but that more fighting was -expected:—that soldiers were called for, and that it was time to -brighten their fire arms, and learn to use them in the field;—and -that if they would fall into a single line, he would show them the new -manual exercise, for which purpose he had brought his gun,—bringing -it up to his shoulder. The sergeants put the men in line, and their -fugleman presented himself in front to the right. His figure, says his -venerable kinsman, I have now before me. He was about six feet high, -straight and rather slender, of dark complexion—showing little if any -rosy red, yet good health, the outline of the face nearly a circle, -and within that, eyes dark to blackness, strong and penetrating, -beaming with intelligence and good nature; an upright forehead, rather -low, was terminated in a <span class="pagenum"><a name="page183"><small><small>[p. 183]</small></small></a></span> -horizontal line by a mass of -raven-black hair of unusual thickness and strength—the features of -the face were in harmony with this outline, and the temples fully -developed. The result of this combination was interesting and very -agreeable. The body and limbs indicated agility, rather than strength, -in which, however, he was by no means deficient. He wore a purple or -pale-blue hunting-shirt, and trowsers of the same material fringed -with white. A round black hat, mounted with the bucks-tail for a -cockade, crowned the figure and the man.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"He went through the manual exercise by word and motion deliberately -pronounced and performed, in the presence of the company, before he -required the men to imitate him; and then proceeded to exercise them, -with the most perfect temper. Never did man possess a temper more -happy, or if otherwise, more subdued or better disciplined.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"After a few lessons, the company were dismissed, and informed that if -they wished to hear more about the war, and would form a circle around -him, he would tell them what he understood about it. The circle was -formed, and he addressed the company for something like an hour. I -remember, for I was near him, that he spoke at the close of his speech -of the Minute Battalion, about to be raised, and said he was going -into it, and expected to be joined by many of his hearers. He then -challenged an acquaintance to a game of quoits, and they closed the -day with foot races, and other athletic exercises, <i>at which there was -no betting</i>. He had walked ten miles to the muster field, and returned -the same distance on foot to his father's house at Oak Hill, where he -arrived a little after sunset."</blockquote> - -<p>"This is a portrait," to which, as we can testify with Mr. Binney, "in -simplicity, gaiety of heart, and manliness of spirit," John Marshall -"never lost his resemblance. All who knew him well, will recognize its -truth to nature."</p> - -<p>In the summer of 1775, he was appointed a Lieutenant in the "Minute -Battalion;" and having been sent, in the next autumn, to defend the -country around Norfolk against a predatory force under Lord Dunmore, -he, on the 9th of December, had a full and honorable share in the -successful action at the Great Bridge, which resulted in Lord D.'s -defeat, and flight to his ships. In July 1776, being made lieutenant -in the 11th Virginia Regiment in the Continental Service, he marched -to the Middle States, where, in May 1777, he was promoted to a -captaincy. Remaining constantly in service from this time until the -close of 1779, he participated largely and actively in the most trying -difficulties of the darkest period of the Revolution. He was in the -skirmish at Iron Hill, and the battles of Brandywine, Germantown, and -Monmouth. "He was one of that body of men, never surpassed in the -history of the world, who, unpaid, unclothed, unfed,—tracked the -snows of Valley Forge with the blood of their footsteps in the -rigorous winter of 1778, and yet turned not their faces from their -country in resentment, or from their enemies in fear."<small><small><sup>5</sup></small></small> Acting often -as Deputy Judge Advocate, he formed a wide acquaintance and influence -among his brother officers. "I myself," says Judge Story, "have often -heard him spoken of by these veterans in terms of the highest praise. -In an especial manner, the officers of the Virginia Line, (now, 'few -and faint, but fearless still') appeared almost to idolize him." -During this period of his service he became acquainted with Gen. -Washington and Col. Hamilton.</p> - -<blockquote><small><small><sup>5</sup></small> Mr. Binney.</small></blockquote> - -<p>In the winter of 1779, Captain Marshall was sent to Virginia as a -supernumerary, to take the command of such men as the State -Legislature might entrust to him. He used this opportunity, to attend -a course of Law-Lectures, delivered by Mr. (afterwards Chancellor) -Wythe, in William & Mary College; and Mr. (afterwards Bishop) -Madison's Lectures on Natural Philosophy. In the following summer, he -was licensed to practise Law; and in October, rejoined the army. It -was probably on this occasion, that he went on foot from Virginia to -Philadelphia, in order to be inoculated for the small pox; travelling -at the rate of thirty-five miles daily. On his arrival, (as we learn -from one to whom he related the incident,) he was refused admittance -into one of the hotels, on account of his long beard and shabby -clothing. He continued in the army till the end of Arnold's invasion -of Virginia; when, there being still a redundancy of officers in the -Virginia line, he resigned his commission, and devoted himself to his -Law studies. The courts were then silenced in Virginia, by the tumult -of War. As soon as they were opened, after the capture of Cornwallis, -Mr. Marshall commenced practice.</p> - -<blockquote>"But a short time elapsed after his appearance at the bar of Virginia, -before he attracted the notice of the public. His placidity, -moderation, and calmness, irresistibly won the esteem of men, and -invited them to intercourse with him;—his benevolent heart, and his -serene and at times joyous temper, made him the cherished companion of -his friends;—his candor and integrity attracted the confidence of the -bar;—and that extraordinary comprehension and grasp of mind, by which -difficulties were seized and overcome without effort or parade, -commanded the attention and respect of the Courts of Justice. This is -the traditionary account of the first professional years of John -Marshall. He accordingly rose rapidly to distinction, and to a -distinction which nobody envied, because he seemed neither to wish it, -nor to be conscious of it himself."<small><small><sup>6</sup></small></small></blockquote> - -<blockquote><blockquote> -<small><small><sup>6</sup></small> Mr. Binney.</small></blockquote></blockquote> - -<p>In April 1782, he was chosen a member of the House of Delegates, in -the Virginia Legislature; and in the next autumn, of the Executive -Council. In January 1783, he married Miss Ambler, daughter of -Jacquelin Ambler, then Treasurer of Virginia. To this lady he had -become attached while in the army; and their union of nearly fifty -years, amid the most devoted affection, was broken by her death, about -three years before his own. Having fixed his residence in Richmond, he -resigned his seat in the Council, the more closely to pursue his -profession; but his friends and former constituents in Fauquier, -nevertheless, elected him again to represent them in the Legislature. -In 1787, he was chosen to represent the city of Richmond.</p> - -<p>Times of civil trouble had now come, teeming with dangers hardly less -than those which had beset the country ten years before. The -Confederation, by which the States were united, was found too feeble a -bond of union, and a still feebler means of concurrent action. It -could resolve, legislate, and make requisitions upon the States; but -had no power to effectuate its resolutions, laws, or requisitions. It -could contract debts, but not lay taxes of any kind to pay them. It -could declare war, but not raise armies to wage it. It could make -treaties, but not so as to regulate commerce—perhaps the most -frequent and important aim of treaties. Each State had the determining -of its own scale of duties on imports; the power of coining money, and -of emitting paper-money at pleasure: conflicting revenue-laws, -therefore, and a disordered currency, made "confusion worse -confounded." The public debt, incurred by the revolution, was unpaid. -More than three hundred millions of continental paper money were -unredeemed; and <span class="pagenum"><a name="page184"><small><small>[p. 184]</small></small></a></span> -having depreciated to the value of one dollar -for every hundred, had ceased to circulate. Public credit was nearly -at an end: private credit, by the frequent violation of contracts, was -at an equally low ebb: the administration of civil justice was -suspended, sometimes by the wilful delinquency of the courts, -sometimes by state-laws, restraining their proceedings. Commerce, -Agriculture, Manufactures—industry of every kind,—were crippled. -"Laws suspending the collection of debts; insolvent laws; instalment -laws; tender laws; and other expedients of a like nature, which, every -reflecting man knew would only aggravate the evils, were familiarly -adopted, or openly and boldly vindicated. Popular leaders, as well as -men of desperate fortunes, availed themselves (as is usual on such -occasions) of this agitating state of things to inflame the public -mind, and to bring into public odium those wiser statesmen, who -labored to support the public faith, and to preserve the inviolability -of private contracts." To strengthen the arm of the general -government, and invest it with larger powers over the commerce, the -money, and the foreign and mutual relations of the States—was -believed by most people to be the only remedy for these intolerable -evils. Mr. Marshall concurred with Gen. Washington, Mr. Madison, and -the majority of their countrymen, in approving of this remedy; and as -a member of the State Legislature, advocated the call of a Convention, -to revise the Articles of Confederation. Whether they should be so -altered, as to increase materially the powers of the Federal -Government—was a question which in most of the State Legislatures -elicited strenuous debates; and no where more, than in the Legislature -of Virginia. The men of this day have little idea, how strong were the -gusts of discussion at that momentous period. "It is scarcely -possible," says Judge Story, "to conceive the zeal, and even -animosity, with which the opposing opinions were maintained." The -dissolution or continuance of the Union, was freely discussed: one -party boldly advocating the former, as necessary to prevent the -destruction of State-sovereignty; the other party pleading for U<small>NION</small>, -as not only the sole cure for the immeasurable ills which were then -afflicting the land, but as indispensable to the preservation of -Liberty itself, in the several States. And <i>Union</i>, it was alleged, -could not be preserved but by a more vigorous central government.</p> - -<p>Mr. Marshall, not then thirty years old, shared largely in the -discussions which shook both the Legislative hall, and the popular -assemblies, of Virginia, on this great question. Mr. Madison, with -whom he served several years in the House of Delegates, fought "side -by side, and shoulder to shoulder" with him, through the contest: and -"the friendship, thus formed between them, was never extinguished. The -recollection of their co-operation at that period served, when other -measures had widely separated them from each other, still to keep up a -lively sense of each other's merits. Nothing, indeed, could be more -touching to an ingenuous mind, than to hear from their lips, in their -latter years, expressions of mutual respect and confidence; or to -witness their earnest testimony to the talents, the virtues, and the -services of each other."<small><small><sup>7</sup></small></small></p> - -<blockquote><small><small><sup>7</sup></small> Judge Story.</small></blockquote> - -<p>It was in these debates, that Mr. Marshall's mind acquired the skill -in political discussion, which afterwards distinguished him, and which -would of itself have made him conspicuous as a parliamentarian, had -not that talent been overshadowed by his renown in a more soberly -illustrious, though less dazzling career. Here, too, it was, that he -conceived that deep dread of disunion, and that profound conviction of -the necessity for closer bonds between the States, which gave the -coloring to the whole texture of his opinions, upon federal politics -in after life.</p> - -<p>The Convention was at length called; and its product, the present -Federal Constitution, was submitted for ratification to the States. In -most of them, Conventions were likewise called, to adopt or reject it. -Mr. Marshall, though the people of his county were decidedly opposed -to the new Constitution, and though he avowed on the hustings his -determination to support it, was elected to the Virginia Convention by -a considerable majority. In that body, he took an effective, if not a -leading part. Three able speeches of his, in behalf of the -Constitution, appear in Mr. Robertson's report of the Debates: -Speeches, seconding with "masculine logic, the persuasive talents of -George Nicholas, the animated flow of Governor Randolph, the grave and -sententious sagacity of Pendleton, the consummate skill and various -knowledge of Madison."<small><small><sup>8</sup></small></small> After an earnest and powerful struggle of 25 -days, the Constitution was agreed to, by a majority of but ten -votes—89 to 79. This result is supposed to have been promoted, by the -news, received while the Convention sat, that nine states had come to -a similar decision. The accession of Virginia to that number, already -large enough to give the instrument validity among the adopting -states, ensured its complete success; and was hailed by its friends -with the liveliest joy.</p> - -<blockquote><small><small><sup>8</sup></small> Judge Story.</small></blockquote> - -<p>Judge Story depicts in vivid colors, the happy effects of the -Government thus established, upon our prosperity: and exults over the -falsified apprehensions of those who, clinging "with an insane -attachment" to the former confederation, and "accustomed to have all -their affections concentrated upon the State governments," saw in the -new system "but another name for an overwhelming despotism." -Undoubtedly, the state of things which preceded the change, was as bad -as, with such a people, it could well be. Undoubtedly, the new -government did <i>very</i> much, to retrieve our national credit and honor; -to make us respected abroad, tranquil and prosperous at home. But -still, not <i>all</i> is due to the Government. A people, animated with the -spirit of freedom, enlightened enough to see their interests, and -enterprising enough to pursue them strenuously,—inhabiting, too, a -country not peopled to the extent of a thousandth part of its immense -capabilities—would thrive and grow powerful <i>in spite</i> of what almost -any government could do to impede their onward march. In the body -politic there is, what physicians ascribe to the body natural, a <i>vis -medicatrix Naturæ</i>, by which the wounds of War, the desolations of -Pestilence, and all the ills flowing from the blunders of <i>charlatan</i> -statesmen, are healed and made amends for. Few are so bigoted as not -to admit, that the self-healing energies of our country have thus at -some times prevailed over the hurtful tendencies of the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page185"><small><small>[p. 185]</small></small></a></span> measures -adopted by her rulers. There is nevertheless a force and beauty in -Judge Story's picture of her happiness, that make it worthy of -insertion:</p> - -<blockquote>"We have lived," says he, "to see all their fears and prophecies of -evil scattered to the winds. We have witnessed the solid growth and -prosperity of the whole country, under the auspices of the National -Government, to an extent never even imagined by its warmest friends. -We have seen our agriculture pour forth its various products, created -by a generous, I had almost said, a profuse industry. The miserable -exports, scarcely amounting in the times, of which I have been -speaking, in the aggregate, to the sum of one or two hundred thousand -dollars, now almost reach to forty<small><small><sup>9</sup></small></small> millions a year in a single -staple. We have seen our commerce, which scarcely crept along our -noiseless docks, and stood motionless and withering, while the breezes -of the ocean moaned through the crevices of our ruined wharves and -deserted warehouses, spread its white canvass in every clime; and, -laden with its rich returns, spring buoyant on the waves of the home -ports; and cloud the very shores with forests of masts, over which the -stars and stripes are gallantly streaming. We have seen our -manufactures, awakening from a deathlike lethargy, crowd every street -of our towns and cities with their busy workmen, and their busier -machinery; and startling the silence of our wide streams, and deep -dells, and sequestered valleys. We have seen our wild waterfalls, -subdued by the power of man, become the mere instruments of his will, -and, under the guidance of mechanical genius, now driving with -unerring certainty the flying shuttle, now weaving the mysterious -threads of the most delicate fabrics, and now pressing the reluctant -metals into form, as if they were but playthings in the hands of -giants. We have seen our rivers bear upon their bright waters the -swelling sails of our coasters, and the sleepless wheels of our -steamboats in endless progress. Nay, the very tides of the ocean, in -their regular ebb and flow in our ports, seem now but heralds to -announce the arrival and departure of our uncounted navigation. We -have seen all these things; and we can scarcely believe, that there -were days and nights, nay, months and years, in which our wisest -patriots and statesmen sat down, in anxious meditation to devise the -measures which should save the country from impending ruin."</blockquote> - -<blockquote><blockquote> -<small><small><sup>9</sup></small> The exports of cotton alone, in the year ending Sept. -30th, 1834, were $49,448,000—<i>Reviewer</i>.</small></blockquote></blockquote> - -<p>The Constitution being adopted, Mr. Marshall was prevailed on by his -countrymen, to serve again in the Legislature till 1792; although the -claims of a growing family and a slender fortune had made him wish, -and resolve, to quit public life, and devote himself exclusively to -his profession. He was wanted there by the friends of the new system, -to defend its administration against the incessant attacks made upon -it by a powerful and hostile party. This party consisted of those who -had resisted the change, because they thought the proposed government -too strong. Now that it was adopted, they naturally sought, by -construing the grants of power to it with literal strictness, to -prevent, as far possible, the dangers to Liberty with which they -deemed it pregnant. Their opponents, on the other hand, having long -regarded <i>weakness in the centre</i> as the great subject of just -apprehension, constantly aimed, by an enlarged and liberal (or, as it -has since been called a <i>latitudinous</i>) interpretation of those grants -of power, to render them in the highest degree counteractive of the -centrifugal tendency, which they so much dreaded. This controversy -probably raged most hotly in Virginia. It is hard to forbear a smile -at the characteristic fact, that "almost every important measure of -President Washington's administration was discussed in her Legislature -with great freedom, and no small degree of warmth and acrimony."<small><small><sup>10</sup></small></small> -We applaud and honor the stand which Virginia has always taken, as a -centinel on the watch-tower of popular liberty and state-sovereignty, -to guard against federal usurpation. It is a duty, allotted to the -State Legislatures by the enlightened advocates of the Constitution -who wrote "The Federalist:" a duty which it were well if her sister -states had performed with something like Virginia's fidelity and zeal. -But she has indiscreetly suffered this one subject too much to -monopolize her attention: and we are amongst those who think this a -main reason, why, with a surface and resources the most propitious of -all the states to internal improvement, she lags so far behind the -rest in works of that kind; and why, with a people pre-eminently -<i>instinct</i> with the spirit of liberty, and enjoying unwonted leisure -for acquiring knowledge, she has five times as many ignorant sons and -daughters, as New York or Massachusetts. She ought to have looked well -to her foreign relations, without losing sight of her domestic -interests. We hail, with joy, the change which is now taking place in -this respect. We trust that she and her statesmen, hereafter, when -<i>all</i> attention is claimed for any one point in the vast field of -their duties, will adopt the spirit of the reply which Mr. Pope (not -Homer) puts into Hector's mouth, when he was advised to fix himself as -a guard at one particular gate of Troy:</p> - -<table align="center" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" summary="poem24"> - <tr><td><small>———"That post shall be my care;<br> - Nor that alone, but <i>all</i> the works of war."</small></td></tr> -</table> - -<blockquote><small><small><sup>10</sup></small> Judge Story.</small></blockquote> - -<p>From 1792 to 1795, Mr. Marshall devoted himself exclusively and -successfully to his profession. Washington's Reports, shew him to have -enjoyed an extensive practice in the Court of Appeals of Virginia. -During this time, also, he did not withdraw himself from politics so -entirely, but that he took a prominent part at public meetings, in -support of Gen. Washington's Proclamation of Neutrality. He advocated -this measure, orally and in writing: and Resolutions approving it, -drawn up by him, were adopted by a meeting of the people of Richmond. -In 1795, when Jay's Treaty was the absorbing theme of bitter -controversy, Mr. Marshall was again elected to the House of Delegates, -"not only without his approbation, but against his known wishes." -Virginia, as usual, was the <i>Flanders</i> of the war. Her popular -meetings, and her Legislature, rung with angry discussions. Even the -name of Washington could not screen the treaty from reprobation. It -was denounced at a meeting in Richmond, at which Chancellor Wythe -presided, as <i>insulting, injurious, dangerous, and unconstitutional:</i> -but the same citizens, at a subsequent meeting, were prevailed upon by -a masterly speech of Mr. Marshall, to adopt resolutions of a contrary -tenor, "by a handsome majority."<small><small><sup>11</sup></small></small> Lest his <i>popularity</i> might -suffer, he was urged by his friends not to engage in any Legislative -debates upon the obnoxious Treaty. He answered, that he would make no -movement to excite such a debate; but if others did so, he would -assert his opinions at every hazard. The opposition party soon -introduced condemnatory resolutions. Among other arguments against the -treaty, it was alleged, that the executive could not, -constitutionally, make a commercial treaty; since it would infringe -the power given to Congress, to <i>regulate commerce:</i> and this was -relied upon as a favorite and an unanswerable position. "The speech of -Mr. Marshall on this occasion," says Judge -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page186"><small><small>[p. 186]</small></small></a></span> Story, "has always -been represented as one of the noblest efforts of his genius. His vast -powers of reasoning were displayed with the most gratifying success. -He demonstrated, not only from the words of the Constitution and the -<i>universal practice of nations</i>,<small><small><sup>12</sup></small></small> that a commercial treaty was -within the scope of the constitutional powers of the executive; but -that this opinion had been maintained and sanctioned by Mr. Jefferson, -by the Virginia delegation in Congress, and by the leading members of -the Convention on both sides. The argument was decisive. The -constitutional ground was abandoned; and the resolutions of the -assembly were confined to a simple disapprobation of the treaty in -point of expediency.... The fame of this admirable argument spread -through the union. Even with his political enemies, it enhanced the -estimate of his character; and it brought him at once to the notice of -some of the most eminent statesmen, who then graced the councils of -the nation."</p> - -<blockquote><small><small><sup>11</sup></small> Judge Story.</small></blockquote> - -<blockquote><small><small><sup>12</sup></small> We confess a little surprise, at seeing, here, any -deduction of authority to the American Executive "<i>from the practice -of other nations</i>." If we mistake not, a certain famous <i>Protest</i> of a -certain President, was censured mainly for deducing power to its -author from that source.—<i>Reviewer</i>.</small></blockquote> - -<p>Being called to Philadelphia in 1796, as counsel in an important case -before the Supreme Court of the United States, he became personally -acquainted with many distinguished members of Congress. He expressed -himself delighted with Messrs. Cabot, Ames, Sedgwick, and Dexter of -Massachusetts, Wadsworth of Connecticut, and King of New York. To -these, his great speech on the treaty could not fail to recommend him: -and (as he says in a letter) "a Virginian, who supported, with any -sort of reputation, the measures of the government, was such a <i>rara -avis</i>, that I was received by them all with a degree of kindness, -which I had not anticipated. I was particularly intimate with Mr. -Ames; and could scarcely gain credit with him, when I assured him, -that the appropriations [for the treaty] would be seriously opposed in -Congress." They <i>were</i> opposed; and passed only after a stormy debate -of several weeks: and passed even then, with a declaration of a right, -in Congress, to withhold them if it pleased. President Washington -about this time offered him the post of Attorney General of the United -States; which he declined, as interfering with his lucrative practice. -But he continued in the Virginia Legislature. There, federal politics -occupied the usual share of attention. A resolution being moved, -expressing confidence in the virtue, patriotism, and wisdom of -Washington, a member proposed to strike out the word <i>wisdom</i>. "In the -debate," says the Chief Justice himself, "the whole course of the -Administration was reviewed, and the whole talent of each party -brought into action. Will it be believed, that the word was retained -by a very small majority? A very small majority of the Virginia -Legislature, acknowledged the wisdom of General Washington!"</p> - -<p>The appointment of Minister to France, as successor to Mr. Monroe, was -offered him by the President, and declined. The French Government, -however, refusing to receive General Pinckney, who was appointed in -his stead, Messrs. Marshall, Pinckney, and Gerry, were sent by -President Adams as envoys extraordinary to that country. The Directory -refused to negotiate. But though the direct object of the embassy was -thus foiled, much was effected in showing France to be in the wrong, -by the official papers which the envoys addressed to her minister of -foreign relations—the since famous Talleyrand: "Models of skilful -reasoning, clear illustration, accurate detail, and urbane and -dignified moderation."<small><small><sup>13</sup></small></small> "They have always been attributed to Mr. -Marshall. They bear internal marks of it. We have since become -familiar with his simple and masculine style,—his direct, connected, -and demonstrative reasoning—the infrequency of his resort to -illustrations, and the pertinency and truth of the few which he -uses—the absence of all violent assertion—the impersonal form of his -positions, and especially with the candor, as much the character of -the man as of his writings, with which he allows to the opposing -argument its fair strength, without attempting to elude it, or escape -from it, by a subtlety. Every line that he has written, bears the -stamp of sincerity; and if his arguments fail to produce conviction, -they never raise a doubt, nor the shadow of a doubt, that they proceed -from it.</p> - -<blockquote><small><small><sup>13</sup></small> Judge Story.</small></blockquote> - -<p>"The impression made, by the despatches of the American ministers was -immediate and extensive. Mr. Marshall arrived in New York on the 17th -of June, 1798. His entrance into this city on the 19th, had the eclat -of a triumph. The military corps escorted him from Frankford to the -city, where the citizens crowded his lodgings to testify their -veneration and gratitude. Public addresses were made to him, breathing -sentiments of the liveliest affection and respect. A public dinner was -given to him by members of both houses of Congress 'as an evidence of -affection for his person, and of their grateful approbation of the -patriotic firmness with which he sustained the dignity of his country -during his important mission;' and the country at large responded with -one voice to the sentiment pronounced at this celebration, 'Millions -for defence, but not a cent for tribute.'"<small><small><sup>14</sup></small></small></p> - -<blockquote><small><small><sup>14</sup></small> Mr. Binney.</small></blockquote> - -<p>Once more, he resumed his practice of the Law, with renewed -determination to leave it no more. He was, however, so urgently -entreated by General Washington (who sent for him to Mount Vernon for -the purpose) to become a candidate for Congress, that he did so; and -was elected, in 1799, after a severe contest. Whilst a candidate, -President Adams offered him a seat upon the Bench of the Supreme -Court; but he declined it. He had not been three weeks in Congress, -when, by a fortune as striking as it was mournful, it became his lot -to announce to the House, the death of Washington. Never could such an -event have been told in language more impressive or more appropriate.</p> - -<p>"Mr. Speaker—The melancholy event, which was yesterday announced with -doubt, has been rendered but too certain. Our Washington is no more. -The hero, the patriot, and the sage of America; the man on whom in -times of danger every eye was turned, and all hopes were placed, lives -now, only in his own great actions, and in the hearts of an -affectionate and afflicted people."</p> - -<p>Having briefly alluded to the achievements and services of the -deceased, he concluded by offering suitable resolutions, for honoring -"the memory of the <span class="pagenum"><a name="page187"><small><small>[p. 187]</small></small></a></span> -man, first in war, first in peace, and first -in the hearts of his countrymen." The resolutions had been drawn by -General Henry Lee, whom a temporary absence hindered from presenting -them. With characteristic modesty, Mr. Marshall, in the account of -this transaction given by him as biographer of Washington, omits all -mention of his own name; saying only, that "<i>a member</i> rose in his -place," &c. That House of Representatives abounded in talents of the -first order for debate: and none were more conspicuous than those of -John Marshall. Indeed, where the law or constitution was to be -discussed, "he was confessedly the first man in the House. When he -discussed them, he exhausted them: nothing more remained to be said; -and the impression of his argument effaced that of every one else."... -"Upon such topics, however dark to others, his mind could by its own -clear light</p> - -<center><small>———'sit in the centre, and enjoy bright -day.'"<small><sup>15</sup></small></small></center> - -<blockquote><small><small><sup>15</sup></small> Mr. Binney.</small></blockquote> - -<p>His speech upon the case of Jonathan Robbins, was a striking example. -This man, a subject of Great Britain, had committed a murder on board -a British frigate, and then fled to the United States. Being demanded -by the British Government, President Adams caused him to be -surrendered, under a clause in Jay's treaty. The act was furiously -assailed by the opposition: and a resolution of censure was introduced -into the House of Representatives by Mr. Livingston. The speech of Mr. -Marshall on this occasion was perhaps one of the most masterly ever -delivered in Congress. "It has all the merits, and nearly all the -weight of a judicial sentence."<small><small><sup>16</sup></small></small> "It may be said of that speech, as -was said of Lord Mansfield's celebrated Answer to the Prussian -Memorial, it was <i>Reponse sans replique</i>—an answer so irresistible, -that it admitted of no reply. It silenced opposition; and settled -then, and forever, the points of national law, upon which the -controversy hinged."<small><small><sup>17</sup></small></small></p> - -<blockquote><small><small><sup>16</sup></small> Ib.</small></blockquote> - -<blockquote><small><small><sup>17</sup></small> Judge Story.</small></blockquote> - -<p>He was not in Congress when the famous <i>Sedition Law</i> passed: but he -had the merit of voting to repeal the most obnoxious section of it; in -opposition to all those, with whom he generally concurred. In May, -1800, he was appointed Secretary of War: but before his entry upon the -duties of that office, a rupture occurring between the President and -Col. Pickering, he was made Secretary of State in lieu of the latter. -It is honorable both to him and his predecessor, that the delicate -position in which they stood towards each other, did not interrupt -their harmony: but they retained, while both lived, a warm and cordial -friendship. Even during the few months that he held this office, Mr. -Marshall evinced great ability, in discussing several important -questions between our country and England. "It is impossible to -imagine a finer spirit, more fearless, more dignified, more -conciliatory, more true to his country, than animates his instructions -to Mr. King,"<small><small><sup>18</sup></small></small> the American Minister in London. "His despatch of -September 20th, 1800, is a noble specimen of the first order of State -papers, and shows the most finished adaptation of parts for the -station of an American Secretary of State."<small><small><sup>19</sup></small></small></p> - -<blockquote><small><small><sup>18</sup></small> Mr. Binney.</small></blockquote> - -<blockquote><small><small><sup>19</sup></small> Ib.</small></blockquote> - -<p>On the 31st of January, 1801, he was appointed Chief Justice of the -Supreme Court of the United States: "not only without his own -solicitation, (for he had in fact recommended another for the office,) -but by the prompt and spontaneous choice of President Adams, upon his -own unassisted judgment. The nomination was unanimously confirmed by -the Senate."<small><small><sup>20</sup></small></small></p> - -<blockquote><small><small><sup>20</sup></small> Judge Story.</small></blockquote> - -<p>It is a remarkable, yet not an extraordinary fact, that his induction -into that high office which he so illustriously filled, is precisely -the juncture in his life at which, for the purposes of striking -narrative, his biography ends. That part of his career, the most -signalized by enduring monuments of his intellectual power, and the -most adorned by the winning graces of his daily actions, is precisely -that in which it is hardest to find glaring incidents, that stand -forth boldly on the page, and rivet the reader's mind. "Peace" indeed, -as Milton said to Cromwell,—</p> - -<table align="center" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" summary="poem25"> - <tr><td><small> -"Peace hath her victories<br> -No less renowned than War;"</small></td></tr> -</table> - -<p>and few men have achieved more signal ones, than he who may be said to -have built up a national Jurisprudence for the Union, by the strength -of his own genius: but such triumphs ring not in the common ear, and -glitter not in the common eye. Even History often forgets to chronicle -them in her bloodstained page: that page, which is too mere a picture -of crimes and misery—where the peaceful and innocent crowd never -appear, but give place to the profligate votaries of perverted -ambition—and which, like tragedy, is languid and distasteful, unless -enlivened by atrocious deeds, and horrid sufferings.<small><small><sup>21</sup></small></small> We shall not -attempt, then, to protract our account of the last thirty-five years -of Judge Marshall's life. It was spent in the diligent, and upright, -as well as able discharge of his official duties; sometimes presiding -in the Supreme Court at Washington, sometimes assisting to hold the -<i>Circuit Federal Courts</i>, in Virginia, and North Carolina. His -residence was in Richmond, whence it was his frequent custom to walk -out, a distance of three or four miles, to his farm, in the county of -Henrico. He also had a farm in his native county, Fauquier; which he -annually visited, and where he always enjoyed a delightful intercourse -with numerous relations and friends. Twice, in these thirty-five -years, he may be said to have mingled in political life, but not in -party politics.</p> - -<blockquote><small><small><sup>21</sup></small> "En effet l'histoire n'est que le tableau des crimes et -des malheurs: la foule des hommes innocents et paisibles disparait -toujours sur ces vastes théâtres: les personnages ne sont que des -ambitieux pervers. Il semble que l'histoire ne plaise que comme la -tragedie, qui languit si elle n'est animée par les passions, les -forfaits, et les grandes infortunes."—<i>L'Ingenu, Ch. 10</i>.</small></blockquote> - -<p>In 1828, he was delegated, with others from the city of Richmond, to a -convention held in Charlottesville, for the purpose of devising a -proper system of internal improvements, for the State; to be -recommended to the Legislature: and he took a becoming part in the -deliberations of that enlightened body.</p> - -<p>In 1829, he was chosen to represent the city in the Convention which -met in October of that year, to revise and amend the State -Constitution. Here was exhibited a spectacle, one of the most -affecting in our day, of three men—Madison, Monroe, and -Marshall,—who having assisted in establishing the liberties and -creating the government of their country, and having filled her -highest stations, were now consulting with a later generation, upon -the means of rendering that government -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page188"><small><small>[p. 188]</small></small></a></span> purer, more durable, and -more productive of happiness. Mr. Monroe was nominated by Mr. Madison -as President of the Convention; and, having been unanimously chosen, -was conducted by Mr. Madison and Mr. Marshall to the chair. During the -three months of the session, Judge Marshall repeatedly engaged in -debate: displaying still that power of reasoning, with that bland -courtesy of manner, which had always distinguished him. His voice was -now become extremely feeble; so that those who sat far off could not -hear him: no sooner therefore did he rise, than the members would -press towards him, and strain with outstretched necks and eager ears, -to catch his words. The basis of representation, and the structure of -the judiciary, were the subjects upon which he chiefly spoke. The -difficulties of adjusting the former, so as to satisfy both the east -and the west—the irritated feelings which began to appear on both -sides—and the imminent dread which the patriot felt, of a division of -the state—will not soon be forgotten. It was when a <i>compromise</i> of -the difference was proposed, that the Chief Justice displayed his -greatest power. Towards the close of a speech, which was at the time -regarded as an unrivalled specimen of lucid and conclusive reasoning, -he said, he "hailed that auspicious appearance, with all the joy with -which an inhabitant of the polar regions hails the re-appearance of -the sun, after his long absence of six tedious months." It was of a -position maintained by him in this speech, and which, an opposing -orator said, had been <i>overthrown</i> by Mr. —— of Augusta, that John -Randolph declared, "The argument of the Chief Justice is unshaken, and -unanswerable. It is as strong as the fortress of Gibraltar. Sir, the -fortress of Gibraltar would be as much injured by <i>battering it with a -pocket pistol</i>, as that argument has been affected by the abortive and -puny assault of the gentleman from Augusta." The great Roanoke -orator's esteem and admiration for the Chief Justice (although, on -federal politics, they widely differed) amounted almost to idolatry. -An amicable contest between them one day, on the floor of the -Convention, furnished him an occasion for paying to the latter a -tribute as beautiful, as it was simple and just. The Chief Justice, -thinking that some remark of his had been understood by Mr. Randolph -as personally unkind, arose with earnestness to assure him that it was -not so intended. Mr. R. as earnestly strove to quiet Judge M.'s -uneasiness, by assuring him that he had not understood the remark as -offensive. In their eagerness, the one to apologize, and the other to -show that no apology was necessary, they interrupted each other two or -three times: at length Mr. R. effectually silenced his friend, by -saying, "I know the goodness of his heart too well to have supposed it -possible that he could have intended to give me pain. Sir, I believe, -that like 'My Uncle Toby,' <i>he would not even hurt a fly</i>."</p> - -<p>A visiter in Richmond during the Convention, being at the market one -morning before sunrise, saw the Chief Justice of the United States, in -the blue-mixed woollen stockings and the plain black suit (far from -superfine) which he usually wore, striding along between the rows of -meat and vegetables, catering for his household; and depositing his -purchases in a basket, carried by a servant. But it was his frequent -custom to go on this errand, unattended; and nothing was more usual, -than to see him returning from market at sunrise, with poultry in one -hand, and a basket of vegetables in the other. So beautifully, by a -simplicity which pervaded his words, his actions, his whole life, did -he illustrate the character of a republican citizen and magistrate!</p> - -<p>No man more highly relished social, and even convivial enjoyments. He -was a member of the club, which for 48 summers has met once a -fortnight near Richmond, to pitch quoits and mingle in relaxing -conversation: and there was not one more delightedly punctual in his -attendance at these meetings, or who contributed more to their -pleasantness: scarcely one, who excelled him in the manly game, from -which the "Quoit-Club" drew its designation. He would hurl his iron -ring of two pound's weight, with rarely erring aim, fifty-five or -sixty feet; and, at some <i>chef-d'œuvre</i> of skill in himself or his -<i>partner</i>, would spring up and clap his hands, with all the -light-hearted enthusiasm of boyhood. Such is the old age, which -follows a temperate, an innocent, and a useful life! We extract from -the American Turf Register of 1829, the following entertaining account -of this Club.</p> - -<blockquote>During a recent visit to Richmond, in Virginia, I was invited to a -"Barbecue Club," held under the shade of some fine oaks, near -"Buchanan's Spring," about a mile distant from the town. I there met -with about thirty of the respectable inhabitants of Richmond, with a -few guests. The day was a fine one, and the free and social -intercourse of the members rendered it peculiarly pleasant.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>This Club is probably the most ancient one of the sort in the United -States, having existed upwards of forty years. It originated in a -meeting, every other Saturday, from the first of May until the month -of October, of some of the Scotch merchants who were early settlers in -that town. They agreed each to take out some cold meats for their -repast, and to provide a due quantity of drinkables, and enjoy -relaxation in that way after the labors of the week. They occasionally -invited some others of the inhabitants, who finding the time passed -pleasantly, proposed in the year 1788 to form a regular club, -consisting of thirty members, under a written constitution, limiting -their expenses each day by a sort of sumptuary law which prohibited -the use of wine and porter.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>The Virginians, you know, have always been great <i>limitarians</i> as to -constitutional matters. Whenever a member died or resigned, (but there -have been very few resignations,) his place was filled by balloting -for a new one, who could not be elected without the concurrence of -two-thirds of the club. It is said that for many years no vacancy -occurred, and a sort of superstitious sentiment was prevalent, that to -become a member of the club, was to insure longevity. The Arch -Destroyer, however, at length appeared in all his strength, and made -such havoc, that only one of the original members (the venerable Chief -Justice of the United States,) is now surviving.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>The club consists of judges, lawyers, doctors, and merchants, and the -Governor of the Commonwealth has a general invitation when he enters -into office. What gave additional interest to this body, some years -ago, was the constant attendance (as honorary members) of two -venerable clergymen—one of the Episcopal, and the other of the -Presbyterian church, who joined in the innocent pastime of the day. -They were pious and exemplary men, who discerned no sin in harmless -gaiety. Quoits and backgammon are the only games indulged in, and one -of the clergymen was for many years "cock of the walk" in throwing the -<i>discus</i>. They are gone to their account, and have left a chasm that -has not been filled.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>Some years ago, an amendment was made to the constitution, which -admits the use of porter. Great opposition was made to this -innovation, and the destruction of the club was predicted as the -consequence. The oppositionists, however, soon became as great -consumers of malt and hops as their associates, and now they even -consent to the introduction of wine at the last meeting of every year, -provided there be "a shot in the locker." The members each advance ten -dollars to the treasurer at the beginning of the season, and every -member is entitled to invite any -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page189"><small><small>[p. 189]</small></small></a></span> strangers as guests, on paying -into the general fund one dollar for each; while the caterers of the -day, consisting of two members in rotation, preside, and have the -privilege of bringing each a guest (either citizen or non-resident,) -at free cost. On the day I was present, dinner was ready at half past -three o'clock, and consisted of excellent meats and fish, well -prepared and well served, with the vegetables of the season. Your -veritable gourmand never fails to regale himself on his favorite -<i>barbecue</i>—which is a fine fat pig, called "shoot," cooked on the -coals, and highly seasoned with cayenne—a dessert of melons and -fruits follows, and punch, porter and toddy are the table liquors; but -with the fruits comes on the favorite beverage of the Virginians, mint -julep, in place of wine. I never witnessed more festivity and good -humor than prevail at this club. By the constitution, the subject of -politics is forbidden, and each man strives to make the time pleasant -to his companions. The members think they can offer no higher -compliment to a distinguished stranger, than to introduce him to the -club, and all feel it a duty to contribute to his entertainment. It -was refreshing to see such a man as Chief Justice Marshall, laying -aside the reserve of his dignified station, and contending with the -young men at a game of quoits, with all the emulation of a youth.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>Many anecdotes are told of occurrences at these meetings. Such is the -partiality for the Chief Justice, that it is said the greatest anxiety -is felt for his success in the game by the bystanders; and on one -occasion an old Scotch gentleman was called on to decide between his -quoit and that of another member, who after seemingly careful -measurement, announced, "Mister <i>Mareshall</i> has it a <i>leattle</i>," when -it was visible to all that the contrary was the fact. A French -gentleman (Baron Quenet,) was at one time a guest, when the Governor, -the Chief Justice, and several of the Judges of the High Court of -Appeals, were engaged with others, <i>with coats off</i>, in a -well-contested game. He asked, "if it was possible that the -dignitaries of the land could thus intermix with private citizens," -and when assured of the fact, he observed, with true Gallican -enthusiasm, that "he had never before seen the real beauty of -republicanism."</blockquote> - -<p>In Judge Marshall's yearly visits to Fauquier, where the proper -implements of his favorite sport were not to be had, he still -practised it among his rustic friends, with <i>flat stones</i> for quoits. -A casual guest at a <i>barbecue</i> in that county—one of those rural -entertainments so frequent among the country people of Virginia—soon -after his arrival at the spot, saw an old man emerge from a thicket -which bordered the neighboring brook, carrying as large a pile of -these flat stones as he could hold between his right arm and his chin: -he stepped briskly up to the company, and threw down his load among -them, exclaiming, "There! Here are quoits enough for us all!" The -stranger's surprise may be imagined, when he found that this plain and -cheerful old man was the Chief Justice of the United States! Nor was -the <i>bonhommie</i>, with which he could descend to the level of common -life, restricted to his intercourse with men and women: he was often a -pleasing companion even to children. One, whose first recollection of -him referred to his triumphal entry (for such it was) into Richmond, -on his return from France, and who, as a printer's boy, afterwards for -several years was carrier of a newspaper to him, describes him as -"remarkably fond of boys' company—always chatty—and always -pleasant." The reminiscent, having been transferred to Washington in -1800, while Mr. M. was Secretary of State, says, "again did the -pleasing office of serving him with the 'Washington Federalist' -devolve on me. He resided in a brick building hardly larger than most -of the kitchens now in use. I found him still the same plain, -unostentatious John Marshall: always accessible, and always with a -smile on his countenance when I handed him the 'Federalist.' His -kindness of manner won my affections; and I became devotedly attached -to him."</p> - -<p>Even from this early period the reminiscent may date the commencement -of an intercourse and correspondence with the Chief Justice, which -endured uninterruptedly for many years, until the period of his -lamented death. The unaffected and childlike simplicity of manner, -action, and thought which pervaded, as the sunlight pervades the -atmosphere, every moment of this truly great man's existence, and -which, indeed, formed, in no little degree, the basis of his -greatness, sufficed to render the intercourse of which we speak, an -intercourse of the most kindly, unembarrassed, and intimate nature; -and one which afforded opportunities for a more particular knowledge -of the strictly private and familiar habitudes of the man, than has -fallen to the lot of many who, perhaps, were better entitled to his -confidence. The reminiscent would here acknowledge, not only with -gratitude, but with pride, the innumerable, yet unobtrusive acts of -generous assistance and advice, for which he is indebted to the -friendship of Chief Justice Marshall.</p> - -<p>When, to all these engaging traits of character, we add that his -charitable benefactions were as large as his mind, and as -unostentatious as his life; and that in his dealings he was so -scrupulously just, as always to prefer his own loss to the possibility -of his wronging another; it can be no wonder, that despite the -unpopularity of his federo-political opinions, he was the most beloved -and esteemed of all men in Virginia.</p> - -<p>The influence of Judge Marshall upon the decisions of the Supreme -Court, in cases requiring a determination of the limits set by the -Constitution to federal power, will be deemed salutary or pernicious, -according as the mind which contemplates it is biassed towards the one -or the other school of opinions on that subject—towards the <i>strict</i>, -or towards the <i>liberal</i> (what its opponents term the <i>licentious</i>) -construction. Having been profoundly—perhaps exaggeratedly—impressed -with a dread of the evils attending a feeble government for the Union, -he had advocated the new Constitution originally, and maintained the -<i>liberal</i> interpretation of it afterwards, as indispensable to the -integrity and wholesome action of our system. Opinions which he had -thus held for thirteen years, and which had become fixed more and more -deeply in his mind by his numberless able vindications of them, he -could not be expected to throw aside when he ascended the Bench. They -pervaded his decisions there; and such was the influence of his -gigantic intellect, that, although, as Chief Justice, his vote had no -more legal authority than that of any other Judge, and although most -of his associates were deemed, at their appointments, maintainers of -the <i>strict construction</i>,—the Supreme Court took its tone from him; -and in almost every instance where the controversy turned upon the -boundaries between <i>federal</i> and <i>state</i> authority, as fixed by the -Constitution, its determination tended to enlarge the former, and to -circumscribe the latter. Never, probably, did any judge, who had six -associates equal to himself in judicial authority, so effectually -stamp their adjudications with the impress of his own mind. This may -be read, in the generous pleasure with which the best and ablest<small><small><sup>22</sup></small></small> -of those associates dwells upon the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page190"><small><small>[p. 190]</small></small></a></span> inestimable service done to -the country, in establishing a code of Constitutional Law so perfect, -that "His proudest epitaph may be written in a single line—Here lies -the Expounder of the Constitution of the United States." It may be -read in the glowing page, where Mr. Binney, resolving the glory of the -Court in having "explained, defended and enforced the Constitution," -into the merits of its presiding judge, declares himself "lost in -admiration of the man, and in gratitude to Heaven for his beneficent -life." It may be read in the many volumes of Reports, where, -whensoever a question of constitutional law was to be determined, the -opinion of Judge Marshall is found, almost without exception, to be -the opinion of the Supreme Court.</p> - -<blockquote><small><small><sup>22</sup></small> Judge Story.</small></blockquote> - -<p>We shall make but one more extract from Mr. Binney's admirable Eulogy.</p> - -<blockquote>He was endued by nature with a patience that was never -surpassed;—patience to hear that which he knew already, that which he -disapproved, that which questioned himself. When he ceased to hear, it -was not because his patience was exhausted, but because it ceased to -be a virtue.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>His carriage in the discharge of his judicial business, was faultless. -Whether the argument was animated or dull, instructive or superficial, -the regard of his expressive eye was an assurance that nothing that -ought to affect the cause, was lost by inattention or indifference; -and the courtesy of his general manner was only so far restrained on -the Bench, as was necessary for the dignity of office, and for the -suppression of familiarity.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>His industry and powers of labor, when contemplated in connection with -his social temper, show a facility that does not generally belong to -parts of such strength. There remain behind him nearly thirty volumes -of copiously reasoned decisions, greater in difficulty and labor, than -probably have been made in any other court during the life of a single -judge! yet he participated in them all; and in those of greatest -difficulty, his pen has most frequently drawn up the judgment; and in -the midst of his judicial duties, he composed and published in the -year 1804, a copious biography of Washington, surpassing in -authenticity and minute accuracy, any public history with which we are -acquainted. He found time also to revise it, and to publish a second -edition, separating the History of the American Colonies from the -Biography, and to prepare with his own pen an edition of the latter -for the use of schools. Every part of it is marked with the scrupulous -veracity of a judicial exposition; and it shows moreover, how deeply -the writer was imbued with that spirit which will live after all the -compositions of men shall be forgotten,—the spirit of charity, which -could indite a history of the Revolution and of parties, in which he -was a conspicuous actor, without discoloring his pages with the -slightest infusion of gall. It could not be written with more candor -an hundred years hence. It has not been challenged for the want of it, -but in a single instance, and that has been refuted by himself with -irresistible force of argument, as well as with unexhausted benignity -of temper.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>To qualities such as these, he joined an immoveable firmness befitting -the office of presiding judge, in the highest tribunal of the country. -It was not the result of excited feeling, and consequently never rose -or fell with the emotions of the day. It was the constitution of his -nature, and sprung from the composure of a mind undisturbed by doubt, -and of a heart unsusceptible of fear. He thought not of the fleeting -judgments and commentaries of men; and although he was not indifferent -to their approbation, it was not the compass by which he was directed, -nor the haven in which he looked for safety.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>His learning was great, and his faculty of applying it of the very -first order.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>But it is not by these qualities that he is so much distinguished from -the judges of his time. In learning and industry, in patience, -firmness, and fidelity, he has had his equals. But there is no judge, -living or dead, whose claims are disparaged by assigning the first -place in the department of constitutional law to Chief Justice -Marshall.</blockquote> - -<p>For several years past, Judge Marshall had suffered under a most -excruciating malady. A surgical operation by Dr. Physick of -Philadelphia, at length procured him relief; but a hurt received in -travelling, last spring, seems to have caused a return of the former -complaint, with circumstances of aggravated pain and danger. Having -revisited Philadelphia, in the hope of again finding a cure, his -disease there overpowered him; and he died, on the 6th of July, 1835, -in the 80th year of his age, surrounded by three of his children. His -eldest son, Thomas, journeying to attend his death bed, had been -killed by the fall of a chimney in Baltimore, but eight days before.</p> - -<p>The love of simplicity and the dislike of ostentation, which had -marked Chief Justice Marshall's life, displayed itself also in his -last days. Apprehensive that his remains might be encumbered with the -vain pomp of a costly monument and a laudatory epitaph, he, only two -days before his death, directed the common grave of himself and his -consort, to be indicated by a plain stone, with this simple and modest -inscription:</p> - -<blockquote>"John Marshall, son of Thomas and Mary Marshall, was born on the 24th -of September, 1755, intermarried with Mary Willis Ambler the 3d of -January, 1783, departed this life the —— day of —— 18—."</blockquote> - -<p>All the just renown with which his great name might have been -emblazoned, simplified into the three circumstances, of <i>birth</i>, -<i>marriage</i>, and <i>death</i>, which would equally suit the grave-stone of -the humblest villager!</p> - -<p>We cannot better conclude this article than by copying two -delineations of its subject, sketched by hands which, years before -him, were mouldering in the grave: sketched, it seems to us, with so -much elegance and truth, that any extended account of Judge Marshall -could hardly be deemed complete without them. The first was drawn -thirty years ago: the other, less than twenty.</p> - -<p>"The ..... ....... of the United States," says Mr. Wirt, in <i>The British -Spy</i>, "is, in his person, tall, meager, emaciated: his muscles -relaxed, and his joints so loosely connected, as not only to -disqualify him, apparently, for any vigorous exertion of body, but to -destroy every thing like harmony in his air and movements. Indeed, in -his whole appearance, and demeanor; dress, attitudes, gesture; -sitting, standing, or walking; he is as far removed from the idolized -graces of Lord Chesterfield, as any other gentleman on earth. His head -and face are small in proportion to his height: his complexion -swarthy; the muscles of his face, being relaxed, make him appear to be -fifty years of age, nor can he be much younger: his countenance has a -faithful expression of great good humor and hilarity; while his black -eyes—that unerring index—possess an irradiating spirit, which -proclaims the imperial powers of the mind that sits enthroned within.</p> - -<p>"This extraordinary man, without the aid of fancy, without the -advantages of person, voice, attitude, gesture, or any of the -ornaments of an orator, deserves to be considered as one of the most -eloquent men in the world; if eloquence may be said to consist in the -power of seizing the attention with irresistible force, and never -permitting it to elude the grasp, until the hearer has received the -conviction which the speaker intends.</p> - -<p>"His voice is dry and hard; his attitude, in his most effective -orations, was often extremely awkward; while all his gesture proceeded -from his right arm, and consisted merely in a perpendicular swing of -it, from about <span class="pagenum"><a name="page191"><small><small>[p. 191]</small></small></a></span> -the elevation of his head, to the bar, behind -which he was accustomed to stand.</p> - -<p>"As to fancy, if she hold a seat in his mind at all, his gigantic -genius tramples with disdain, on all her flower-decked plats and -blooming parterres. How then, you will ask, how is it possible, that -such a man can hold the attention of an audience enchained, through a -speech of even ordinary length? I will tell you.</p> - -<p>"He possesses one original, and almost supernatural faculty: the -faculty of developing a subject by a single glance of his mind, and -detecting at once, the very point on which every controversy depends. -No matter, what the question: though ten times more knotty than 'the -gnarled oak,' the lightning of heaven is not more rapid or more -resistless, than his astonishing penetration. Nor does the exercise of -it seem to cost him an effort. On the contrary, it is as easy as -vision. I am persuaded, that his eyes do not fly over a landscape and -take in its various objects with more promptitude and facility, than -his mind embraces and analyzes the most complex subject.</p> - -<p>"Possessing while at the bar, this intellectual elevation, which -enabled him to look down and comprehend the whole ground at once, he -determined immediately and without difficulty, on which side the -question might be most advantageously approached and assailed. In a -bad cause, his art consisted in laying his premises so remotely from -the point directly in debate, or else in terms so general and so -specious, that the hearer, seeing no consequence which could be drawn -from them, was just as willing to admit them as not; but, his premises -once admitted, the demonstration, however distant, followed as -certainly, as cogently, as inevitably, as any demonstration in Euclid.</p> - -<p>"All his eloquence consists in the apparently deep self-conviction, -and emphatic earnestness of his manner; the correspondent simplicity -and energy of his style; the close and logical connexion of his -thoughts; and the easy gradations by which he opens his lights on the -attentive minds of his hearers. The audience are never permitted to -pause for a moment. There is no stopping to weave garlands of flowers, -to hang in festoons, around a favorite argument. On the contrary, -every sentence is progressive; every idea sheds new light on the -subject; the listener is kept perpetually in that sweetly pleasurable -vibration, with which the mind of man always receives new truths; the -dawn advances with easy but unremitting pace; the subject opens -gradually on the view; until, rising, in high relief, in all its -native colors and proportions, the argument is consummated, by the -conviction of the delighted hearer."</p> - -<p>The following observations on the intellectual character of Judge -Marshall, are from the pen of F<small>RANCIS</small> W. G<small>ILMER</small>—one who, had he not -been prematurely cut off by the hand of death, would have ranked with -the foremost men of his age and country.</p> - -<p>"His mind is not very richly stored with knowledge; but it is so -creative, so well organized by nature, or disciplined by early -education, and constant habits of systematic thinking, that he -embraces every subject with the clearness and facility of one prepared -by previous study to comprehend and explain it. So perfect is his -analysis, that he extracts the whole matter, the kernel of inquiry, -unbroken, clean, and entire. In this process, such are the instinctive -neatness and precision of his mind, that no superfluous thought, or -even word, ever presents itself, and still he says every thing that -seems appropriate to the subject. This perfect exemption from needless -incumbrance of matter or ornament, is in some degree the effect of an -aversion to the labor of thinking. So great a mind, perhaps, like -large bodies in the physical world, is with difficulty set in motion. -That this is the case with Mr. Marshall's, is manifest, from his mode -of entering on an argument, both in conversation and in public debate. -It is difficult to rouse his faculties: he begins with reluctance, -hesitation, and vacancy of eye: presently, his articulation becomes -less broken, his eye more fixed, until, finally, his voice is full, -clear, and rapid, his manner bold, and his whole face lighted up, with -the mingled fires of genius and passion: and he pours forth the -unbroken stream of eloquence, in a current deep, majestic, smooth and -strong. He reminds one of some great bird, which flounders and -flounces on the earth for a while, before it acquires <i>impetus</i> to -sustain its soaring flight."</p> -<hr align="center" width="25"><a name="sect31"></a> -<br> -<center>EMILIA HARRINGTON.</center> - -<p><i>The Confessions of Emilia Harrington. By Lambert A. Wilmer. -Baltimore.</i></p> - -<p>This is a duodecimo of about two hundred pages. We have read it with -that deep interest always excited by works written in a similar -manner—be the subject matter what it may—works in which the author -utterly loses sight of himself in his theme, and, for the time, -identifies his own thoughts and feelings with the thoughts and -feelings of fictitious existences. Than the power of accomplishing -this perfect identification, there is no surer mark of genius. It is -the spell of Defoe. It is the wand of Boccacio. It is the proper -enchantment of the Arabian Tales—the gramarye of Scott, and the magic -of the Bard of Avon. Had, therefore, the Emilia Harrington of Mr. -Wilmer not one other quality to recommend it, we should have been -satisfied of the author's genius from the simple <i>verisimilitude</i> of -his narrative. Yet, unhappily, books thus written are not the books by -which men acquire a contemporaneous reputation. What we said on this -subject in the last number of the Messenger, may be repeated here -without impropriety. We spoke of the Robinson Crusoe. "What better -possible species of fame could the author have desired for that book -than the species which it has so long enjoyed? It has become a -household thing in nearly every family in Christendom. Yet never was -admiration of any work—universal admiration—more indiscriminately or -more inappropriately bestowed. Not one person in ten—nay, not one -person in five hundred has, during the perusal of Robinson Crusoe, the -most remote conception that any particle of genius, or even of common -talent, has been employed in its creation. Men do not look upon it in -the light of a literary performance. Defoe has none of their thoughts; -Robinson all. The powers which have wrought the wonder, have been -thrown into obscurity by the very stupendousness of the wonder they -have wrought. We read, and become perfect abstractions in the -intensity of our interest—we close the book, and are quite satisfied -we could have written as well ourselves."</p> - -<p>Emilia Harrington will render essential services to virtue in the -unveiling of the deformities of vice. This -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page192"><small><small>[p. 192]</small></small></a></span> is a deed of no -questionable utility. We fully agree with our author that ignorance of -wrong is not security for the right; and Mr. Wilmer has obviated every -possible objection to the "Confessions," by a so cautious wording of -his disclosures as not to startle, in warning, the virtuous. That the -memoirs are not wholly fictitious is more than probable. There is much -internal evidence of authenticity in the book itself, and the preface -seems to hint that a portion at least of the narrative is true—yet -for the sake of human nature it is to be hoped that <i>some</i> passages -are overcolored. The <i>style</i> of Mr. Wilmer is not only good in itself, -but exceedingly well adapted to his subjects. The letter to <i>Augustus -Harrington</i> is vigorously written, and many long extracts might be -taken from the book evincing powers of no ordinary kind.</p> - -<p>Within a circle of <i>private</i> friends, whom Mr. Wilmer's talents and -many virtues have attached devotedly to himself, and among whom we are -very proud in being ranked, his writings have been long properly -appreciated, and we sincerely hope the days are not far in futurity -when he will occupy that full station in the <i>public</i> eye to which his -merits so decidedly entitle him. Our readers must all remember the -touching lines <i>To Mira</i>, in the first number of our second -volume—lines which called forth the highest encomiums from many whose -opinions are of value. Their exquisite tenderness of sentiment—their -vein of deep and <i>unaffected</i> melancholy—and their antique strength, -and high polish of versification, struck us, upon a first perusal, -with force, and subsequent readings have not weakened the impression. -Mr. W. has written many other similar things. Among his longer pieces -we may particularize <i>Merlin</i>, a drama—some portions of which are -full of the truest poetic fire. His prose tales and other short -publications are numerous; and as Editor of the Philadelphia Saturday -Evening Post, he has boldly and skilfully asserted the rights of -independent criticism, speaking, in all instances—the truth. His -Satiric Odes in the Post, over the signature of<i> Horace in -Philadelphia</i>, have attracted great attention, and have been -deservedly admired.</p> - -<p>We copy with true pleasure from the editorial columns of a Baltimore -contemporary, (for whose opinions we have the highest respect, even -when they differ from our own,) the following notice of <i>Emilia -Harrington</i>. It will supersede the necessity of any farther comment -from ourselves.</p> - -<blockquote>"This book is one of a class the publication of which is considered by -many as objectionable. The lifting up of the veil which covers crime; -crime of the most disgusting and debasing character—is thought by -moralists of the present day to be an act of questionable utility. -This opinion has gained strength from the intemperate zeal of too many -who have thought fit to publish flauntingly to the world the result of -their startling discoveries while penetrating the haunts of corruption -and vice, instead of silently moving on in the cause of Christian -benevolence, and, when called upon for disclosures, giving information -in such a way as not to startle the virtuous into shrinking, nor cause -the vicious to raise the hue and cry against them. From the objection -of ultraism the 'Confessions' are to a great extent free—although in -some few instances the author has allowed himself a latitude which it -would have been as well not to have taken.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"Apart from the character of the book, it possesses for us no trifling -interest. Our thoughts run back continually from its pages to the -gifted young author, prematurely gray; nor can we conquer a gathering -sadness of feeling as we contemplate him bending wearily beneath the -accumulating weight of adverse circumstances—broken in spirit, and -yet uncomplaining. That the writer of this book possesses talents of -an order far superior to many of twice his reputation, we have long -been convinced, and yet he is scarcely known. Ten years ago his -promise of future success in the walks of literary fame was -flattering, almost beyond example; but, who can struggle against the -ills of life—its cares, its privations and disappointments—with the -added evils which petty jealousy and vindictive malice bring in to -crush the spirit,—and not, in the very feebleness of humanity, grow -weak and weary. And thus it seems in a measure to have been with the -author of this book; he has not now the healthy vigor which once -marked his production—the playful humor, nor the sparkling wit; and -why—as continual dropping will wear away the hardest rock, so will -continued neglect, and disappointment, and care, wear away the mind's -healthy tone and strength of action. And yet, after all, may we not be -mistaken in this. Is not the unobtrusive volume before us a strong -evidence of unfailing powers of mind, which, though aiming at no -brilliant display, acts with order, conciseness, and a nicely balanced -energy? It is even so. One great attribute of genius is its power of -identifying itself with its hero, and never losing sight of all the -relations which it now holds to the world in its new character; and -this identity has been well kept up by Mr. Wilmer—so much so, that in -but few instances do we forget that the writer is other than the -heroine of the tale."</blockquote> - -<hr align="center" width="25"><a name="sect32"></a> -<br> -<center>AMERICAN IN ENGLAND.</center> - -<p><i>The American in England. By the Author of "A Year in Spain." 2 vols. -New York. Harper and Brothers.</i></p> - -<p>Lieutenant Slidell's very excellent book, "A Year in Spain," was in -some danger of being overlooked by his countrymen when a benignant -star directed Murray's attention to its merits. Fate and Regent Street -prevailed. Cockney octavos carried the day. A man is nothing if not -hot-pressed; and the clever young writer who was cut dead in his -Yankee-land habiliments, met with bows innumerable in the gala dress -of a London <i>imprimatur</i>. The "Year in Spain" well deserved the -popularity thus inauspiciously attained. It was the work of a man of -genius; and passing through several editions, prepared the public -attention for any subsequent production of its author. As regards "The -American in England," we have not only read it with deep interest from -beginning to end, but have been at the trouble of seeking out and -perusing a great variety of critical <i>dicta</i> concerning it. Nearly all -of these are in its favor, and we are happy in being able to concur -heartily with the popular voice—if indeed these <i>dicta</i> be its echoes.</p> - -<p>We have somewhere said—or we should have somewhere said—that the old -adage about "Truth in a well" (we mean the adage in its modern and -improper—not in its antique and proper acceptation) should be -swallowed <i>cum grano salis</i> at times. To be profound is not always to -be sensible. The depth of an argument is not, necessarily, its -wisdom—this depth lying where Truth is sought more often than where -she is found. As the touches of a painting which, to minute -inspection, are 'confusion worse confounded' will not fail to start -boldly out to the cursory glance of a connoisseur—or as a star may be -seen more distinctly in a sidelong survey than in any direct gaze -however penetrating and <span class="pagenum"><a name="page193"><small><small>[p. 193]</small></small></a></span> -intense—so there are, not unfrequently, -times and methods, in which, and by means of which, a richer -philosophy may be gathered on the surface of things than can be drawn -up, even with great labor, <i>c profundis</i>. It appears to us that Mr. -Slidell has written a wiser book than his neighbors merely by not -disdaining to write a more superficial one.</p> - -<p>The work is dedicated to John Duer, Esq. The Preface is a very -sensible and a sufficiently well-written performance, in which the -Lieutenant while "begging, at the outset, to be acquitted of any -injurious prejudices" still pleads guilty to "that ardent patriotism -which is the common attribute of Americans, a feeling of nationality -inherited with the laws, the language, and the manners of the country -from which we derive our origin, and which is sanctioned not less by -the comparison of the blessings we enjoy with those of other lands, -than by the promptings of good feeling, and the dictates of good -taste." It is in the body of the book, however, that we must seek, and -where we shall most assuredly find, strong indications of a genius not -the less rich, rare, and altogether estimable for the simplicity of -its <i>modus operandi</i>.</p> - -<p>Commencing with his embarkation at New York, our author succeeds, at -once, in rivetting the attention of his readers by <i>a succession of -minute details</i>. But there is this vast difference between the details -of Mr. Slidell, and the details of many of his contemporaries. -They—the many—impressed, apparently, with the belief that mere -minuteness is sufficient to constitute force, and that to be accurate -is, of necessity, to be verisimilar—have not hesitated in putting in -upon their canvass all the <i>actual</i> lines which might be discovered in -their subject. This Mr. Slidell has known better than to do. He has -felt that the apparent, not the real, is the province of a -painter—and that <i>to give</i> (speaking technically) <i>the idea of any -desired object, the toning down, or the utter neglect of certain -portions of that object is absolutely necessary to the proper bringing -out of other portions—portions by whose sole instrumentality the idea -of the object is afforded</i>. With a fine eye then for the picturesque, -and with that strong sense of propriety which is inseparable from true -genius, our American has crossed the water, dallied a week in London, -and given us, as the result of his observations, a few masterly -sketches, with all the spirit, vigor, raciness and illusion of a panorama.</p> - -<p>Very rarely have we seen any thing of the kind superior to the -"American in England." The interest begins with the beginning of the -book, and abides with us, unabated, to the end. From the scenes in the -Yankee harbor, to the departure of the traveller from England, his -arrival in France, and installment among the comforts of the Hotel -Quillacq, all is terse, nervous, brilliant and original. The review of -the ship's company, in the initial chapter of the book is exceedingly -entertaining. The last character thus introduced is so peculiarly -sketched that we must copy what the author says about him. It will -serve to exemplify some of our own prior remarks.</p> - -<blockquote>"Let me not forget to make honorable mention of the white-headed -little raggamuffin who was working his passage, and who, in this -capacity, had the decks to sweep, ropes to haul, chickens and pigs to -feed, the cow to milk, and the dishes to wash, as well as all other -jobs to do that belonged to no one in particular. As a proof of good -will, he had chopped off the tails of a dandy, velvet-collared, blue -coat, with the cook's axe, the very first day out. This was performed -at the windlass-bits, in full conclave of the crew, and I suspected at -the suggestion of a roguish man-of-war's-man, a shipmate of mine. The -tails were cut just below the pocket flaps, which gave them a sort of -razee look, and, in conjunction with the velvet collar, made the -oddest appearance in the world, as he would creep, stern first, out of -the long-boat after milking the cow. Blow high or blow low, the poor -boy had no time to be sea-sick. Sometimes he would get adrift in the -lee scuppers and roll over in the water, keeping fast hold of the -plates he was carying to the galley."</blockquote> - -<p>Some incidents at sea—such as the narrow escape from running down a -brig, and the imminent danger incurred by an English pilot—are told -with all the gusto of a seaman. Among other fine passages we may -particularize an account of British sailors on shore at Portsmouth—of -a family group on board a steamer—of the appearance of the Kentish -coast—of the dangers of the Thames—of the Dover coach—of some -groups in a London coffee-room—of a stand of hackney-coaches—of St. -James' Park—of a midnight scene in the streets—of the Strand—of -Temple-Bar—of St. Paul's and the view from the summit—of -Rothschild—of Barclay and Perkins' Brewery—of the Thames' Tunnel—of -the Tower—of the Zoological Gardens—of Robert Owen—of the habits of -retired citizens—and of the rural tastes of Englishmen. A parallel -between Regent Street and Broadway brings the two thoroughfares with -singular distinctness to the eye of the mind—and in the way of -animated and vivid description we can, at this moment, remember -nothing in the whole range of fact or fiction much superior to the -Lieutenant's narrative of his midnight entrance into London. Indeed we -can almost pardon a contemporary for speaking of this picture as -sublime. A small portion of it we copy—but no just idea of its total -effect can be thus gathered—an effect depending in a great measure -upon the gradual manner in which it is brought about.</p> - -<blockquote>"I know nothing more exhilirating than to be suddenly ushered in the -night into a populous quarter of a great city. My recollection readily -conjures up the impressions made upon me under similar circumstances -in entering Paris, Madrid, Brussels, Milan, or gay and lively Naples. -The lower classes, with their good humor, their quaint drollery and -sprightliness, there offer the most agreeable objects of -contemplation. Here, however, there was in the corresponding classes -nothing pleasing, or even picturesque. All seemed in search of food, -of the means of intemperance, and of gratifying low and brutal -passions. The idea of amusement had evidently no place. The streets -swarmed with abandoned women, filthy in their dress, open, brutal, and -indecent in their advances. In the places of the guitar, the serenade, -the musical cries of chesnut-women, lemonade-sellers, and watermen, -the sounds here were harsh and grating: uttered in words ill -pronounced and nasally prolonged, or in an unintelligible and -discordant slang which I no longer recognized as belonging to my own -language. In the place of skilful musicians performing the favorite -airs of Mozart or Rossini, or the witty colloquies of the sententious -Punchinello, the poor were invited, in the nasal twang of clamorous -mountebanks to amuse themselves by a sight of the latest cases of -seduction, murder, suicide, and hanging, represented in the shadows of -the camera obscura. The dark masses of dwelling-houses had a confined, -narrow, gloomy, and lugubrious aspect. They were of brick, without -window-sills of marble or other colored stone; unpainted, and -unenlivened by blinds. They were closely shut, and the glimpses of -cheerfulness and domestic comfort -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page194"><small><small>[p. 194]</small></small></a></span> exhibited in our streets were -here unseen. All the shops were open to the weather: Many of them -having the whole front removed, and gas-lights blazing and streaming -like great torches, rather than with the puny and flickering -illumination seen in ours. The articles were completely exposed to -view at the side of the street; clothing, provisions, crockery, -hardware; whatever is necessary to the wants of man. The druggists, -with their variegated vases, as with us, cast the Iris hues of their -nauseous mixtures into the street. Sellers of cheap goods exposed them -in the windows, with their price labelled. The butchers hung out beef, -pork, sausages, and enormous coarse sheep, in a nearly whole state, -with sometimes the price affixed to the inferior portions, in order -that the poor might judge whether the price they had received for -their day's labor, would compass a meal of meat; or whether they -should seek a diet more suited to their means, of a neighboring -potato-merchant: or whether to turn in despair, as many of the most -wretched seemed to do, to accept the flattering invitation of the -magnificent gin-palace at the corner. It was the most splendid -building in the neighborhood; built with some little architectural -elegance, whose effect was magnified by the unadorned character and -gloomy air of the surrounding edifices. A beautiful gas-light, in a -richly ornamented lamp, stood as an inviting beacon, visible in many -diverging directions. The windows were glazed with costly plate-glass, -bearing inscribed, in illuminated letters, the words—gin at -three-pence—generous wines hot-spiced;—and the door surrounded by -stained panes of rich dye, having rosettes, bunches of grapes, and gay -devices."</blockquote> - -<p>There are some few <i>niaiseries</i> in the work before us, which, although -insufficient to affect its character as a whole, yet constitute a weak -point in what otherwise is beautiful, and cause us to regret -sincerely, the accidents which have admitted them. We may mention, in -especial, the too frequent introduction of the monosyllable "<i>how</i>," -in such sentences as "they told how"—"it was related how"—"I was -informed how," &c. Mr. Slidell will find, upon self-scrutiny, that he -has fallen into this habit through the sin of imitation. The -Lieutenant, too, suffers his work to savor far too strongly of the -ship, and lets slip him no opportunity of thrusting upon the public -attention the fact of his particular vocation—insisting, indeed, upon -this matter with a pertinacity even ludicrous—a pertinacity which -will be exemplified in the following passage:</p> - -<blockquote>"<i>Unaccustomed as I had been in the larger vessels, in which I had -sailed of late</i>, to be thus unceremoniously boarded <i>on the hallowed -region of the quarter-deck</i>, this seemed to me quite a superfluous -piece of impertinence. The remains of my sentiment were at once washed -away, and <i>not minding a little honest salt-water</i>, I betook myself -forthwith to the substantial comfortings of the repast, which I found -smoking on the cabin table. Dinner was over: tea and conversation had -followed; the evening was already far advanced, and I began to yield -to the sleepy sensation <i>which the familiar roll of the sea inspired</i>. -Before turning in I ascended to the companionway to breathe the fresh -air, and see what progress we were making. <i>Familiar as I was with the -sight of ships in every possible situation</i>, I was much struck with -the beauty of the scene."</blockquote> - -<p>Again. Although the author evinces, in theory, a very laudable -contempt for that silly vanity so often inducing men to blazon forth -their intimacy with the distinguished; and although, in the volumes -now before us, he more than once directs the arrows of his satire at -the infirmity—still he is found not altogether free from it himself; -and, in one especial instance, is even awkwardly uneasy, lest we -should remain ignorant of his acquaintance with Washington Irving. "I -thought," quoth the Lieutenant, when there was no necessity for -thinking about any such matter, "I thought of the 'spectral box-coats' -of my inimitable friend Geoffrey Crayon; and would have given the -world in that moment of despondency, for one of his quiet unwritten -jokes, or one friendly pressure of his hand."</p> - -<p>Upon Mr. Slidell's mechanical style we cannot bring ourselves to look -with favor. Indeed while running over, with some astonishment, a few -of his singularly ill-constructed sentences, we begin to think that -the sentiments expressed in the conclusion of his Preface are not, as -we at first suspected, merely the common cant of the <i>literateur</i>, and -that his book is actually, as he represents it to be, "the result of -an up-hill journey," and "a work which he regards with a feeling of -aversion." What else than great tedium and utter weariness with his -labor, could have induced our author to trust such passages as the -following to the critical eye of the public?</p> - -<blockquote>"The absence of intellectual and moral culture, in occupations which -rendered it unnecessary for those who worked only to administer food -to themselves and profit or luxury to the class of masters, could only -account for the absence of forehead, of the ornamental parts of that -face which was moulded after a divine model."</blockquote> - -<p>We perused this sentence more than once before we could fathom its -meaning. Mr. Slidell wishes to say, that <i>narrowness of forehead in -the rabble is owing to want of mental exercise—they being laborers -not thinkers</i>. But from the words of our author we are led to conclude -that some occupations (certainly very strange ones) rendered it -unnecessary for those who worked, to administer food to -themselves—that is, to eat. The pronoun "<i>it</i>," however, will be -found, upon examination, to refer to "moral culture." The repetition -of the word "only" is also disagreeable, and the entire passage is -overloaded with verbiage. A rigid scrutiny will show that all -essential portions of the intended idea are embodied in the lines -Italicised. In the original sentence are <i>fifty-four</i> words—in our -own <i>eighteen</i>—or precisely one third. It follows, that if all the -Lieutenant's sentences had been abridged in a similar manner—a -process which would have redounded greatly to their advantage—we -might have been spared much trouble, and the public much time, -trouble, and expense—the "American in England" making its appearance -in a duodecimo of one hundred and ninety-two pages, rather than in two -octavos of five hundred and seventy-six.</p> - -<p>At page 122, vol. I, we have what follows.</p> - -<blockquote>"My situation here was uncomfortable enough; if I were softly -cushioned on one side, this only tended, by the contrast, to increase -the obduracy of a small iron rod, which served as a parapet to protect -me from falling off the precipice, over which I hung toppling, and -against which I was forced with a pressure proportioned to the -circumstances of my being compressed into a space somewhat narrower -than myself; the seat having doubtless been contrived to accommodate -five men, and there being no greater anatomical mistake than to -suppose there would be more room because four of them were women."</blockquote> - -<p>'<i>If I were</i>,' in this sentence, is not English—but there are few -persons who will believe that "<i>if</i>" does not in <i>all</i> instances -require the subjunctive. In the words "<i>a small iron rod which served -as a parapet to protect me from falling off the precipice over which I -hung, and against which I was forced," &c.</i> let us say nothing of the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page195"><small><small>[p. 195]</small></small></a></span> -injudicious use of the word <i>parapet</i> as applied to <i>a small -iron rod</i>. Passing over this, it is evident, that the second relative -pronoun "<i>which</i>," has for its antecedent, in strict syntactical -arrangement, the same noun as the first relative pronoun -"<i>which</i>"—that is to say, it has the word "<i>precipice</i>" for its -antecedent. The sentence would thus imply that Mr. Slidell was forced -against the precipice. But the actual meaning (at which we arrive by -guessing) is, that Mr. Slidell was forced against the iron rod. In the -words "<i>I was forced with a pressure proportioned to the circumstances -of my being compressed into a space," &c.</i> let us again be indulgent, -and say as little as possible of the tautology in "<i>pressure</i>" and -"<i>compressed</i>." But we ask where are the <i>circumstances</i> spoken of? -There is only <i>one</i> circumstance—the circumstance of being -compressed. In the conclusion of the passage where the Lieutenant -speaks of "a seat having doubtless been contrived to accommodate five -men, and there being no greater anatomical mistake than to suppose -there would be more room because four of them were women," it is quite -unnecessary to point out the "bull egregious"—a bull which could have -been readily avoided by the simple substitute of "<i>persons</i>" for -"<i>men</i>."</p> - -<p>We must be pardoned for copying yet another sentence. We will do so -with the single remark that it is one of the most ludicrously -ill-arranged, and altogether ungainly pieces of composition which it -has ever been our ill fortune to encounter.</p> - -<blockquote>"I was not long in discovering that the different personages scattered -about the room in such an unsocial and misanthropic manner, instead of -being collected about the same board, as in France or my own country, -and, in the spirit of good fellowship and of boon companions, -relieving each other of their mutual ennuis, though they did not speak -a word to each other, by which they might hereafter be compromised and -socially ruined, by discovering that they had made the acquaintance of -an individual several grades below them in the scale of rank, or haply -as disagreeably undeceived by the abstraction of a pocket-book, still -kept up a certain interchange of sentiment, by occasional glances and -mutual observation."</blockquote> - -<p>Such passages as the foregoing may be discovered <i>passim</i> in "The -American in England." Yet we have heard Mr. Slidell's English called -equal to the English of Mr. Irving—than which nothing can be more -improbable. The Lieutenant's book is an excellent book—but then it is -excellent <i>in spite of its style</i>. So great are the triumphs of -genius!</p> - -<hr align="center" width="25"><a name="sect33"></a> -<br> -<center>CONTI.</center> - -<p><i>Conti the Discarded: with Other Tales and Fancies. By Henry F. -Chorley. 2 vols. New York: Published by Harper and Brothers.</i></p> - -<p>Mr. Chorley has hitherto written nothing of any great length. His -name, however, is familiar to all readers of English Annuals, and in -whatever we have seen from his pen, evidences of a rare genius have -been perceptible. In Conti, and in the "Other Tales and Fancies" which -accompany it, these evidences are more distinct, more brilliant, and -more openly developed. Neither are these pieces wanting in a noble, -and, to us, a most thrillingly interesting <i>purpose</i>. In saying that -our whole heart is with the author—that the deepest, and we trust, -the purest emotions are enkindled within us by his chivalric and -magnanimous <i>design</i>—we present but a feeble picture of our -individual feelings as influenced by the perusal of Conti. We repeat -it—our whole heart is with the author. When <i>shall</i> the artist assume -his proper situation in society—in a society of thinking beings? How -long shall he be enslaved? How long shall mind succumb to the grossest -materiality? How long shall the veriest vermin of the Earth, who crawl -around the altar of Mammon, be more esteemed of men than they, the -gifted ministers to those exalted emotions which link us with the -mysteries of Heaven? To our own query we may venture a reply. Not -long. Not long will such rank injustice be committed or permitted. A -spirit is already abroad at war with it. And in every billow of the -unceasing sea of Change—and in every breath, however gentle, of the -wide atmosphere of Revolution encircling us, is that spirit steadily -yet irresistibly at work.</p> - -<p>"Who has not looked," says Mr. Chorley in his Preface, "with painful -interest on the unreckoned-up account of misunderstanding and -suspicion which exists between the World and the Artist? Who has not -grieved to see the former willing to degrade Art into a mere -plaything—to be enjoyed without respect, and then cast aside—instead -of receiving her high works as among the most humanizing blessings -ever vouchsafed to man by a beneficent Creator? Who has not suffered -shame in observing the Artist bring his own calling into contempt by -coarsely regarding it as a mere engine of money getting, or holding it -up to reproach by making it the excuse for such eccentricities or -grave errors as separate him from the rest of society?"</p> - -<p>That genius should not and indeed cannot be bound down to the vulgar -common-places of existence, is a maxim which, however true, has been -too often repeated; and there have appeared on earth enough spirits of -the loftiest and most brilliant order who have worthily taken their -part in life as useful citizens, affectionate husbands, faithful -friends, to deprive of their excuse all such as hold, that to despise -and alienate the world is the inevitable and painfully glorious -destiny of the highly gifted.</p> - -<p>Very few of our readers, it may be, are acquainted with a particular -class of works which has long exercised a very powerful influence on -the private habits and character, as well as on the literature of the -Germans. We speak of the <i>Art Novels</i>—the Kunstromanen—books written -not so much in immediate defence, or in illustration, as in -personification of individual portions of the Fine Arts—books which, -in the guise of Romance, labor to the sole end of reasoning men into -admiration and study of the beautiful, by a tissue of <i>bizarre</i> -fiction, partly allegorical, and partly metaphysical. In Germany alone -could so mad—or perhaps so profound—an idea have originated. From -the statement of Mr. Chorley, we find that his original intention was -to attempt something in the style of the <i>Kunstromanen</i>, with such -modifications as might seem called for by the peculiar spirit of the -British national tastes and literature. "It occurred to me, however," -says he, "that the very speculations and reveries which appeared to -myself so delicious and significant, might be rejected by the rest of -the world as fantastic and overstrained." Mr. C. could never have -persevered in a scheme so radically erroneous for more than a dozen -pages; and neither the world nor himself will have -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page196"><small><small>[p. 196]</small></small></a></span> cause to -regret that he thought proper to abandon the <i>Art Novels</i>, and embody -his fine powers and lofty design in so stirring and so efficient a -series of paintings as may be found in the present volumes.</p> - -<p>A single passage near the commencement of Conti, will afford to all -those who feel and think, direct evidence of the extraordinary -abilities of Mr. Chorley. Madame Zerlini is an Italian <i>prima donna</i>, -who becoming enamored of Colonel Hardwycke, an Englishman, accompanies -him to England as his mistress, and after living with him for twelve -years, and bearing him a son, Julius, dies suddenly upon hearing of -his intention to marry.</p> - -<blockquote>"A strange scene greeted his eyes (those of Julius) as he entered the -spacious hall, which, as its windows fronted the east, was already -beginning to be dusky with the shadows of twilight. On the lowest step -of the stairs lay, in violent hysterics, one of the women -servants—she was raving and weeping, half supported by two others, -themselves trembling so as to be almost powerless.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"'And here's Master Julius, too!' exclaimed one of the group which -obstructed his passage, 'and my master gone away—no one knows for how -long. Lord have mercy upon us!—what are we to do, I wonder?'</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"'Don't go up stairs!' shrieked the other, leaving her charge, and -endeavoring to stop him. 'Don't go up stairs—it is all over!'</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"But the boy, whose mind was full of other matters, and who, having -wandered away in the morning, before the delirium became so violent, -had no idea of his mother's imminent danger, broke from them without -catching the meaning of their words, and forced his way up stairs, -towards the great drawing room, the folding doors of which were -swinging open.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"He went in. Madame Zerlini was there—flung down upon a sofa, in an -attitude which, in life, it would have been impossible for her to -maintain for many moments. Her head was cast back over one of the -pillows, so far, that her long hair, which had been imperfectly -fastened, had disengaged itself by its own weight, and was now -sweeping heavily downward, with a crushed wreath of passion flowers -and myrtles half buried among it. Every thing about her told how -fiercely the spirit had passed. Her robe of scarlet muslin was -entirely torn off on one shoulder, and disclosed its exquisitely -rounded proportions. Her glittering <i>negligé</i> was unclasped, and one -end of it clenched firmly in the small left hand, which there was now -hardly any possibility of unclosing. Her glazed eyes were wide -open—her mouth set in an unnatural, yet fascinating smile; her cheek -still flushed with a more delicate, yet intense red than belongs to -health; and the excited boy, who was rushing hastily into the room, -with the rapid inquiry, 'Where is Father Vanezzi?' stood as fixed on -the threshhold, with sudden and conscious horror, as if he had been a -thing of marble."</blockquote> - -<p>It is not our intention to analyze, or even to give a compend of the -Tale of Conti. Such are not the means by which any idea of its -singular power can be afforded. We will content ourselves with saying -that, in its prevailing tone, it bears no little resemblance to that -purest, and most enthralling of fictions, the Bride of Lammermuir; and -we have once before expressed our opinion of this, the master novel of -Scott. It is not too much to say that no modern composition, and -perhaps no composition whatever, with the single exception of -Cervantes' Destruction of Numantia, approaches so nearly to the proper -character of the dramas of Æschylus, as the magic tale of which -Ravenswood is the hero. We are not aware of being sustained by any -authority in this opinion—yet we do not believe it the less -intrinsically correct.</p> - -<p>The other pieces in the volumes of Mr. Chorley are, <i>Margaret Sterne</i>, -or <i>The Organist's Journey</i>—an <i>Essay on the Popular Love of -Music</i>—<i>Rossini's Otello</i>—<i>The Imaginative Instrumental Writers, -Haydn, Beethoven, &c.</i>—<i>The Village Beauty's Wedding</i>—<i>Handel's -Messiah</i>—and <i>A few words upon National Music</i>—all of which papers -evince literary powers of a high order, an intimate acquaintance with -the science of music, and a lofty and passionate devotion to its -interests.</p> - -<hr align="center" width="25"><a name="sect34"></a> -<br> -<center>NOBLE DEEDS OF WOMAN.</center> - -<p><i>Noble Deeds of Woman. 2 vols. Philadelphia: Carey, Lea and -Blanchard.</i></p> - -<p>These are two neat little volumes devoted to a theme of rich interest. -From the Preface, or rather from the date and place of date of the -Preface, we may form a guess that the work was originally published in -London, and that the present edition is merely a reprint. There is -nothing in the title-page or in the body of the book indicative of its -derivation. But be the "Noble Deeds of Woman" English or American, we -recommend them heartily to public attention.</p> - -<p>The content-table is thus subdivided: Maternal Affection—Filial -Affection—Sisterly Affection—Conjugal -Affection—Humanity—Integrity—Benevolence—Fortitude. Under each of -these separate heads are collected numerous anecdotes in the manner of -the Brothers Percy. Of course it will be impossible to speak of them -as a whole. Some are a little <i>passés</i>—for the most part they are -piquant and well selected—a few are exceedingly entertaining and -<i>recherchés</i>. From page 139, vol. i, we select one or two paragraphs -which will be sure to find favor with all our readers. We rejoice in -so excellent an opportunity of transferring to our columns a document -well deserving preservation.</p> - -<blockquote>During the late war between the Turks and the Greeks, some American -ladies, touched by the hardships and sufferings of the latter people, -presented them with a ship containing money, and various articles of -wearing apparel, wrought by their own hands; an offering which, under -their forlorn situation, must have been highly acceptable to the -unfortunate Greeks.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>The letter of Mrs. Sigourney, of Hartford, Connecticut, to the Ladies' -Greek Committee of that place, to accompany the contributions prepared -for the Archipelago, was as follows:</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"United States of America, March 12, 1828. The ladies of Hartford, in -Connecticut, to the ladies of Greece.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"Sisters and Friends,—From the years of childhood your native clime -has been the theme of our admiration: together with our brothers and -our husbands we early learned to love the country of Homer, Aristides, -of Solon, and of Socrates. That enthusiasm which the glory of ancient -Greece enkindled in our bosoms, has preserved a fervent friendship for -her descendants. We have beheld with deep sympathy the horrors of -Turkish domination, and the struggle so long and nobly sustained by -them for existence and for liberty.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"The communications of Dr. Howe, since his return from your land, have -made us more intimately acquainted with your personal sufferings. He -has presented many of you to us in his vivid descriptions, as seeking -refuge in caves, and, under the branches of olive trees, listening for -the footsteps of the destroyer, and mourning over your dearest ones -slain in battle.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"Sisters and friends, our hearts bleed for you. Deprived of your -protectors by the fortune of war, and continually in fear of evils -worse than death, our prayers are with you, in all your wanderings, -your wants and your griefs. In this vessel (which may God send in -safety to your shores) you will receive a portion of that bounty -wherewith He hath blessed us. The poor among us have given according -to their ability, and our little children -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page197"><small><small>[p. 197]</small></small></a></span> have cheerfully aided, -that some of you and your children might have bread to eat, and -raiment to put on. Could you but behold the faces of our little ones -brighten, and their eyes sparkle with joy, while they give up their -holidays, that they might work with their needles for Greece; could -you see those females who earn a subsistence by labor, gladly casting -their mite into our treasury, and taking hours from their repose that -an additional garment might be furnished for you; could you witness -the active spirit that pervades all classes of our community, it would -cheer for a moment the darkness and misery of your lot.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"We are inhabitants of a part of one of the smallest of the United -States, and our donations must therefore, of necessity, be more -limited than those from the larger and more wealthy cities; yet such -as we have, we give in the name of our dear Saviour, with our -blessings and our prayers.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"We know the value of sympathy—how it arms the heart to endure—how -it plucks the sting from sorrow—therefore we have written these few -lines to assure you, that in the remoter parts of our country, as well -as in her high places, you are remembered with pity and with -affection.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"Sisters and friends, we extend across the ocean our hands to you in -the fellowship of Christ. We pray that His Cross and the banner of -your land may rise together over the Crescent and the Minaret—that -your sons may hail the freedom of ancient Greece restored, and build -again the waste places which the oppressor hath trodden down; and that -you, admitted once more to the felicities of home, may gather from -past perils and adversities a brighter wreath for the kingdom of -Heaven.</blockquote> - -<div align="right">"L<small>YDIA</small> H. S<small>IGOURNEY</small>, - </div> - -<blockquote>"Secretary of the Greek Committee of Hartford, Connecticut."</blockquote> - -<hr align="center" width="25"><a name="sect35"></a> -<br> -<center>BULWER'S RIENZI.</center> - -<p><i>Rienzi, The Last of the Tribunes. By the Author of "Eugene Aram," -"Last Days of Pompeii," &c. &c. Two Volumes in one. Philadelphia: -Republished by E. L. Carey and A. Hart.</i></p> - -<p>We have long learned to reverence the fine intellect of Bulwer. We -take up any production of his pen with a positive certainty that, in -reading it, the wildest passions of our nature, the most profound of -our thoughts, the brightest visions of our fancy, and the most -ennobling and lofty of our aspirations will, in due turn, be enkindled -within us. We feel sure of rising from the perusal a wiser if not a -better man. In no instance are we deceived. From the brief Tale—from -the "Monos and Daimonos" of the author—to his most ponderous and -labored novels—all is richly, and glowingly intellectual—all is -energetic, or astute, or brilliant, or profound. There <i>may</i> be men -now living who possess the power of Bulwer—but it is quite evident -that very few have made that power so palpably manifest. Indeed we -know of <i>none</i>. Viewing him as a novelist—a point of view exceedingly -unfavorable (if we hold to the common acceptation of "the novel") for -a proper contemplation of his genius—he is unsurpassed by any writer -living or dead. Why should we hesitate to say this, feeling, as we do, -thoroughly persuaded of its truth. Scott has excelled him in <i>many</i> -points, and "The Bride of Lammormuir" is a better book than any -individual work by the author of Pelham—"Ivanhoe" is, perhaps, equal -to any. Descending to particulars, D'Israeli has a more brilliant, a -more lofty, and a more delicate (we do not say a <i>wilder</i>) -imagination. Lady Dacre has written Ellen Wareham, a more forcible -tale of Passion. In some species of wit Theodore Hook rivals, and in -broad humor our own Paulding surpasses him. The writer of "Godolphin" -equals him in energy. Banim is a better sketcher of character. Hope is -a richer colorist. Captain Trelawney is as original—Moore is as -fanciful, and Horace Smith is as learned. But who is there uniting in -one person the imagination, the passion, the humor, the energy, the -knowledge of the heart, the artist-like eye, the originality, the -fancy and the learning of Edward Lytton Bulwer? In a vivid wit—in -profundity and a Gothic massiveness of thought—in style—in a calm -certainty and definitiveness of purpose—in industry—and above all in -the power of controlling and regulating by volition his illimitable -faculties of mind, he is unequalled—he is unapproached.</p> - -<p>As Rienzi is the last, so it is the best novel of Bulwer. In the -Preface we are informed that the work was commenced two years ago at -Rome, but abandoned upon the author's removing to Naples, for the -"Last days of Pompeii"—a subject requiring, more than Rienzi, the -advantage of a personal residence within reach of the scenes -described. The idea of the present work, however, was never dismissed -from the writer's mind, and soon after the publication of "Pompeii" he -resumed his original undertaking. We are told that having had occasion -to look into the original authorities whence are derived all the -accounts of modern historians touching Rienzi, Mr. B. was induced to -believe that no just picture of the Life or Times of that most -remarkable man was at present in the hands of the people. Under this -impression the novelist had at first meditated a work of History -rather than of Fiction. We doubt, however, whether the spirit of the -author's intention is not better fulfilled as it is. He has adhered -with scrupulous fidelity to all the main events in the <i>public</i> life -of his hero; and by means of the relief afforded through the -personages of pure romance which form the filling in of the picture, -he has been enabled more fully to develop the <i>private</i> character of -the noble Roman. The reader may indeed be startled at the vast -difference between the Rienzi of Mr. Bulwer, and the Rienzi of -Sismondi, of Gibbon, and of Miss Mitford. But by neither of the two -latter are we disposed to swear—and of Sismondi's impartiality we can -at no moment be certain. Mr. B., moreover, very justly observes that -as, in the work before us, all the <i>acts</i> are given from which is -derived his interpretation of the principal agent, the public, having -sufficient data for its own judgment, may fashion an opinion for itself.</p> - -<p>Generally, the true chronology of Rienzi's life is preserved. In -regard to the story—or that chain of fictitious incident usually -binding up together the constituent parts of a Romance—there is very -little of it in the book. This follows necessarily from the character -of the composition—which is essentially Epic rather than Dramatic. -The author's apology seems to us therefore supererogative when he says -that a work which takes for its subject the crimes and errors of a -nation and which ventures to seek the actual and the real in the -highest stage of action or passion can rarely adopt with advantage the -melo-dramatic effects produced by a vulgar mystery. In his pictures of -the Roman populace, and in those of the Roman nobles of the fourteenth -century—pictures full at all times of an enthralling interest—Mr. B. -professes to have followed literally the descriptions left to us.</p> - -<p>Miss Mitford's Rienzi will of course be remembered in reading that of -Bulwer. There is however but one point of coincidence—a love-intrigue -between a relative of the hero and one of the party of the nobles. -This, it will be recollected, forms the basis of the plot of Miss -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page198"><small><small>[p. 198]</small></small></a></span> -M. In the Rienzi of Bulwer, it is an Episode not affecting in -any manner either the story itself, or the destinies of the Tribune.</p> - -<p>It is by no means our intention to give an analysis of the volume -before us. Every person who reads at all will read Rienzi, and indeed -the book is already in the hands of many millions of people. Any -thing, therefore, like our usual custom of a digest of the narrative -would be superfluous. The principal characters who figure in the novel -are Rienzi himself—his brother, whose slaughter by a noble at the -commencement of the story, is the immediate cause of Rienzi's change -of temper and consequent exaltation—Adrian di Castello, a young noble -of the family of Colonna but attached to the cause of the -people—Martino di Porto the chief of the house of the Orsini—Stephen -Colonna, the chief of the house of the Colonna—Walter de Montreal, a -gentleman of Provence, a knight of St. John, and one of the formidable -freebooters who at the head of large "Companies" invaded states and -pillaged towns at the period of Rienzi's Revolution—Pandulfo di Guido -a student, whom, under the appellation of Pandolficcio di Guido, -Gibbon styles "the most virtuous citizen of Rome"—Cecco del Vecchio a -smith—Giles D'Albornoz of the royal race of Arragon—Petrarch the -poet, and the friend of Rienzi—Angelo Villani—Irene, the sister of -the Tribune and betrothed to Adrian di Castello—Nina, Rienzi's -wife—and Adeline, the mistress of Walter de Montreal.</p> - -<p>But as was said before, we should err radically if we regard Rienzi -altogether in the light of Romance. Undoubtedly as such—as a fiction, -and coming under the title of a novel, it is a glorious, a wonderful -conception, and not the less wonderfully and gloriously carried out. -What else could we say of a book over which the mind so delightedly -lingers in perusal? In its delineations of passion and character—in -the fine blending and contrasting of its incidents—in the rich and -brilliant tints of its feudal paintings—in a pervading air of -chivalry, and grace, and sentiment—in all that can throw a charm over -the pages of Romance, the last novel of Bulwer is equal, if not -superior, to any of his former productions. Still we should look at -the work in a different point of view. It is History. We hesitate not -to say that it is History in its truest—in its only true, proper, and -philosophical garb. Sismondi's works—were not. There is no greater -error than dignifying with the name of History a tissue of dates and -details, though the dates be ordinarily correct, and the details -indisputably true. Not even with the aid of acute comment will such a -tissue satisfy our individual notions of History. To the effect let us -look—to the impression rather than to the seal. And how very seldom -is any definite impression left upon the mind of the historical -reader! How few bear away—even from the pages of Gibbon—Rome and the -Romans. Vastly different was the genius of Niebuhr—than whom no man -possessed a more discriminative understanding of the uses and the -purposes of the pen of the historiographer. But we digress. Bearing in -mind that "to contemplate"—<i>ιςορειν</i><small><small><sup>1</sup></small></small>—should and must be -allowed a more noble and a more expansive acceptation than has been -usually given it, we shall often discover in Fiction the essential -spirit and vitality of Historic Truth—while Truth itself, in many a -dull and lumbering Archive, shall be found guilty of all the -inefficiency of Fiction.</p> - -<blockquote><small><small><sup>1</sup></small> History, from <i>ιςορειν</i>, to contemplate, seems, -among the Greeks, to have embraced not only the knowledge of past -events, but also Mythology, Esopian, and Milesian fables, <i>Romance</i>, -Tragedy and Comedy. But our business is with things, not words.</small></blockquote> - -<p>Rienzi, then, is History. But there are other aspects in which it may -be regarded with advantage. Let us survey it as a profound and lucid -exposition of the <i>morale</i> of Government—of the Philosophies of Rule -and Misrule—of the absolute incompatibility of Freedom and -Ignorance—Tyranny in the few and Virtue in the many. Let us consider -it as something akin to direct evidence that a people is not a mob, -nor a mob a people, nor a mob's idol the idol of a people—that in a -nation's self is the only security for a nation—and that it is -absolutely necessary to model upon the <i>character</i> of the governed, -the machinery, whether simple or complex, of the governmental -legislation.</p> - -<p>It is proper—we are persuaded—that Rienzi should be held up in these -many different points of view, if we desire fully to appreciate its -own merits and the talents of Mr. Bulwer. But regard it as we will, it -is an extraordinary work—and one which leaves nothing farther to -accomplish in its own particular region. It is vastly superior to the -"Last Days of Pompeii"—more rich—more glowing, and more vigorous. -With all and more than all the distinguishing merits of its noble -predecessor, it has none of its <i>chilliness</i>—none of that platitude -which (it would not be difficult to say why) is the inevitable result -of every attempt at infusing warmth among the marble wildernesses, and -vitality into the statue-like existences, of the too-distantly -antique.</p> - -<p>We will conclude our notice of Rienzi with an Extract. We choose it -not with any view of commending it above others—for the book has many -equally good and some better—but to give our readers—such of them as -have not yet seen the novel, an opportunity of comparing the passage -with some similar things in Boccaccio. We may as well say that in all -which constitutes good writing the Englishman is infinitely the -superior. What we select is Chapter V, of the sixth Book. Irene, the -betrothed of the noble Roman Adrian di Castello, being in Florence -during the time of the Great Plague, is sought by her lover at the -peril of his life. Overpowered by a fever he meets with Irene—but his -delirium prevents a recognition. She conveys him to one of the -deserted mansions, and officiates as his nurse. Having thrown aside -her mantle, under the impression that it retained the infection of the -Pestilence, it is found and worn by another.</p> - -<center>THE ERROR.</center> - -<blockquote>For three days, the three fatal days, did Adrian remain bereft of -strength and sense. But he was not smitten by the scourge which his -devoted and generous nurse had anticipated. It was a fierce and -dangerous fever, brought on by the great fatigue, restlessness, and -terrible agitation he had undergone.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>No professional mediciner could be found to attend him but a good -friar, better perhaps skilled in the healing art than many who claimed -its monopoly, visited him daily. And in the long and frequent absences -to which his other and numerous duties compelled the monk, there was -one ever at hand to smooth the pillow, to wipe the brow, to listen to -the moan, to watch the sleep. And even in that dismal office, when, in -the frenzy of the sufferer, her name, coupled with terms of passionate -endearment, broke from his lips, a thrill of -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page199"><small><small>[p. 199]</small></small></a></span> strange pleasure -crossed the heart of the betrothed, which she chid as if it were a -crime. But even the most unearthly love is selfish in the rapture of -being loved! Words cannot tell, heart cannot divine, the mingled -emotions that broke over her when, in some of those incoherent -ravings, she dimly understood that <i>for her</i> the city had been sought, -the death dared, the danger incurred. And as then bending passionately -to kiss that burning brow, her tears fell fast over the idol of her -youth, the fountains from which they gushed were those, fathomless and -countless, which a life could not weep away. Not an impulse of the -human and the woman heart that was not stirred; the adoring gratitude, -the meek wonder thus to <i>be</i> loved, while deeming it so simple a merit -thus <i>to</i> love;—as if all sacrifice <i>in</i> her were a thing of -course,—<i>to</i> her, a virtue nature could not paragon, worlds could not -repay! And there he lay, the victim to his own fearless faith, -helpless—dependent upon her—a thing between life and death, to -thank, to serve—to be proud of, yet to protect—to compassionate, yet -revere—the saver, to be saved! Never seemed one object to demand at -once from a single heart so many and so profound emotions; the -romantic enthusiasm of the girl!—the fond idolatry of the bride—the -watchful providence of the mother over her child.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>And strange to say, with all the excitement of that lonely watch, -scarcely stirring from his side, taking food only that her strength -might not fail her,—unable to close her eyes—though, from the same -cause, she would fain have taken rest, when slumber fell upon her -charge—with all such wear and tear of frame and heart, she seemed -wonderfully supported. And the holy man marvelled, in each visit, to -see the cheek of the nurse still fresh, and her eye still bright. In -her own superstition she thought and felt that Heaven gifted her with -a preternatural power to be true to so sacred a charge: and in this -fancy she did not wholly err;—for Heaven <i>did</i> gift her with that -diviner power, when it planted in so soft a heart the enduring might -and energy of Affection! The friar had visited the sick man, late on -the third night, and administered to him a strong sedative—"This -night," said he to Irene, "will be the crisis—should he awaken, as I -trust he may, with a returning consciousness, and a calm pulse, he -will live—if not, young daughter, prepare for the worst. But should -you note any turn in the disease, that may excite alarm, or require my -attendance, this scroll will inform you where I am if God spare me -still, at each hour of the night and morning."</blockquote> - -<blockquote>The monk retired and Irene resumed her watch.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>The sleep of Adrian was at first broken and interrupted—his features, -his exclamations, his gestures, all evinced great agony whether mental -or bodily—it seemed, as perhaps it was, a fierce and doubtful -struggle between life and death for the conquest of the sleeper. -Patient, silent, breathing but by long-drawn gasps, Irene sate at the -bed-head. The lamp was removed to the further end of the chamber, and -its ray, shaded by the draperies, did not suffice to give to her gaze -more than the outline of the countenance she watched. In that awful -suspense, all the thoughts that hitherto had stirred her mind lay -hushed and mute. She was only sensible to that unutterable fear which -few of us have been happy enough not to know. That crushing weight -under which we can scarcely breathe or move, the avalanche over us, -freezing and suspended, which we cannot escape from, with which, every -moment, we may be buried and overwhelmed. The whole destiny of life -was in the chances of that single night! It was just as Adrian at last -seemed to glide into a deeper and serener slumber, that the bells of -the death-cart broke with their boding knell the palpable silence of -the streets. Now hushed, now revived, as the cart stopped for its -gloomy passengers, and coming nearer and nearer after every pause. At -length she heard the heavy wheels stop under the very casement, and a -voice deep and muffled calling aloud "Bring out the dead!" She rose, -and with a noiseless step, passed to secure the door, when the dull -lamp gleamed upon the dark and shrouded forms of the Becchini.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"You have not marked the door, nor set out the body," said one -gruffly, "but this is the <i>third night!</i> He is ready for us!"</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"Hush, he sleeps—away, quick, it is not the Plague that seized him."</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"Not the Plague," growled the Becchino in a disappointed tone, "I -thought no other illness dared encroach upon the rights of the -gavocciolo!"</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"Go, here's money, leave us."</blockquote> - -<blockquote>And the grisly carrier sullenly withdrew. The cart moved on, the bell -renewed its summons, till slowly and faintly the dreadful larum died -in the distance.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>Shading the lamp with her hand, Irene stole to the bed-side, fearful -that the sound and the intrusion had disturbed the slumberer. But his -face was still locked, as in a vice, with that iron sleep. He stirred -not—his breath scarcely passed his lips—she felt his pulse, as the -wand lay on the coverlid—there was a slight heat—she was -contented—removed the light, and, retiring to a corner of the room, -placed the little cross suspended round her neck upon the table, and -prayed—in her intense suffering—to Him who had known death, and -who—Son of Heaven though he was, and Sovereign of the Seraphim—had -also prayed, in his earthly travail, that the cup might pass away.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>The morning broke, not, as in the north, slowly and through shadow, -but with the sudden glory with which in those climates Day leaps upon -earth—like a giant from his sleep. A sudden smile—a burnished -glow—and night had vanished. Adrian still slept; not a muscle seemed -to have stirred; the sleep was even heavier than before; the silence -became a burthen upon the air. Now, in that exceeding torpor so like -unto death, the solitary watcher became alarmed and terrified. Time -passed—morning glided to noon—still not a sound nor motion. The sun -was mid-way in heaven—the friar came not. And now again touching -Adrian's pulse, she felt no flutter—she gazed on him, appalled and -confounded; surely nought living could be so still and pale. "Was it -indeed sleep, might it not be ——." She turned away, sick and frozen; -her tongue clove to her lips. Why did the father tarry—she would go -to him—she would learn the worst—she could forbear no longer. She -glanced over the scroll the monk had left her: "From sunrise," it -said, "I shall be at the Convent of the Dominicans. Death has stricken -many of the brethren." The Convent was at some distance, but she knew -the spot, and fear would wing her steps. She gave one wistful look at -the sleeper, and rushed from the house. "I shall see thee again -presently," she murmured. Alas! what hope can calculate beyond the -moment. And who shall claim the tenure of "<i>The Again!</i>"</blockquote> - -<blockquote>It was not many minutes after Irene had left the room, ere, with a -long sigh, Adrian opened his eyes—an altered and another man; the -fever was gone, the reviving pulse beat low indeed, but calm. His mind -was once more master of his body, and, though weak and feeble, the -danger was past, and life and intellect regained.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"I have slept long," he muttered—"and oh such dreams—and methought I -saw Irene, but could not speak to her; and while I attempted to grasp -her, her face changed, her form dilated, and I was in the clutch of -the foul grave-digger. It is late—the sun is high—I must be up and -stirring. Irene is in Lombardy. No, no; that was a lie, a wicked -lie—she is at Florence—I must renew my search."</blockquote> - -<blockquote>As this duty came to his remembrance, he rose from the bed—he was -amazed at his own debility; at first he could not stand without -support from the wall—by degrees, however, he so far regained the -mastery of his limbs, as to walk, though with effort and pain. A -ravening hunger preyed upon him; he found some scanty and light food -in the chamber, which he devoured eagerly. And with scarce less -eagerness laved his <span class="pagenum"><a name="page200"><small><small>[p. 200]</small></small></a></span> -enfeebled form and haggard face with the -water that stood at hand. He now felt refreshed and invigorated, and -began to indue his garments, which he found thrown on a heap beside -the bed. He gazed with surprise and a kind of self-compassion upon his -emaciated hands and shrunken limbs, and began now to comprehend that -he must have had some severe but unconscious illness. "Alone too," -thought he, "no one near to tend me! Nature my only nurse! But alas! -alas! how long a time may thus have been wasted, and my adored -Irene——quick, quick, not a moment more will I lose."</blockquote> - -<blockquote>He soon found himself in the open street; the air revived him; and -that morning, the first known for weeks, had sprung up the blessed -breeze. He wandered on very slowly and feebly till he came to a broad -square, from which, in the vista, might be seen one of the principal -gates of Florence, and the fig-trees and olive-groves beyond. It was -then that a pilgrim of tall stature approached towards him as from the -gate; his hood was thrown back, and gave to view a countenance of -great but sad command; a face, in whose high features, massive brow, -and proud, unshrinking gaze, shaded by an expression of melancholy -more stern than soft, Nature seemed to have written majesty, and Fate -disaster. As in that silent and dreary place, these two, the only -tenants of the street, now encountered, Adrian stopped abruptly, and -said in a startled and doubting voice: "Do I dream still, or do I -behold Rienzi?"</blockquote> - -<blockquote>The pilgrim paused also, as he heard the name, and gazing long on the -attenuated features of the young lord, said: "I am he that was Rienzi! -and you, pale shadow, is it in this grave of Italy that I meet with -the gay and high Colonna? Alas, young friend," he added in a more -relaxed and kindly voice, "hath the Plague not spared the flower of -the Roman nobles? Come, I, the cruel and the harsh tribune, <i>I</i> will -be thy nurse: he who might have been my brother, shall yet claim from -me a brother's care."</blockquote> - -<blockquote>With these words, he wound his arm tenderly round Adrian; and the -young noble, touched by his compassion, and agitated by the surprize, -leant upon Rienzi's breast in silence.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"Poor youth," resumed the Tribune, for so since rather fallen than -deposed he may yet be called, "I ever loved the young; (my brother -died young!) and you more than most. What fatality brought thee -hither?"</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"Irene!" replied Adrian falteringly.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"Is it so, really? Art thou a Colonna, and yet prize the fallen? The -same duty has brought me also to the City of Death. From the farthest -south—over the mountains of the robber—through the fastnesses of my -foes—through towns in which the herald proclaimed in my ear the price -of my head—I have passed hither, on foot and alone, safe under the -wings of the Almighty One. Young man, thou shouldst have left this -task to one who bears a wizard's life, and whom Heaven and Earth yet -reserve for an appointed end!"</blockquote> - -<blockquote>The Tribune said this in a deep and inward voice; and in his raised -eye and solemn brow might be seen how much his reverses had deepened -his fanaticism, and added even to the sanguineness of his hopes.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"But," asked Adrian, withdrawing gently from Rienzi's arm, "thou -knowest, then, where Irene is to be found, let us go together. Lose -not a moment in this talk—time is of inestimable value, and a moment -in this city is often but the border to eternity."</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"Right," said Rienzi, awakening to his object. "But fear not; I <i>have -dreamt</i> that I shall save her, the gem and darling of my house. Fear -not—<i>I</i> have no fear."</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"Know you where to seek," said Adrian, impatiently; "the convent holds -far other guests."</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"Ha! so said my dream!"</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"Talk not now of dreams," said the lover, "but if you have no other -guide, let us part at once in quest of her; I will take yonder street, -you take the opposite, and at sunset let us meet in the same spot."</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"Rash man," said the Tribune, with great solemnity, "scoff not at the -visions which Heaven makes a parable to its Chosen. Thou seekest -counsel of thy human wisdom; I, less presumptuous, follow the hand of -the mysterious Providence, moving even now before my gaze as a pillar -of light, through the wilderness of dread. Ay, meet we here at sunset, -and prove whose guide is the most unerring. If my dream tell me true, -I shall see my sister living, ere the sun reach yonder hill, and by a -church dedicated to St. Mark."</blockquote> - -<blockquote>The grave earnestness with which Rienzi spoke, impressed Adrian with a -hope his reason would not acknowledge. He saw him depart with that -proud and stately step to which his sweeping garments gave a yet more -imposing dignity, and then passed up the street to the right hand. He -had not got half way when he felt himself pulled by the mantle. He -turned and saw the shapeless mask of a Becchino.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"I feared you were sped, and that another had cheated me of my -office," said the grave-digger, "seeing that you returned not to the -old prince's palace. You don't know me from the rest of us, I see, but -I am the one you told to seek——"</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"Irene!"</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"Yes, Irene di Gabrini, you promised ample reward."</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"You shall have it."</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"Follow me."</blockquote> - -<blockquote>The Becchino strode on, and soon arrived at a mansion. He knocked -twice at the porter's entrance; an old woman cautiously opened the -door. "Fear not, good aunt," said the grave-digger, "this is the young -lord I spoke to thee of. Thou sayest thou hadst two ladies in the -palace, who alone survived of all the lodgers, and their names were -Bianca di Medici, and—what was the other?"</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"Irene di Gabrini, a Roman lady. But I told thee this was the fourth -day they left the house, terrified by the deaths within it."</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"Thou didst so—and was there any thing remarkable in the dress of the -Signora di Gabrini?"</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"Yes, I have told thee, a blue mantle, such as I have rarely seen, -wrought with silver."</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"Was the broidery that of stars, silver stars," exclaimed Adrian, -"with a sun in the centre."</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"It was!"</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"Alas! alas! the arms of the Tribune's family! I remember how I -praised the mantle the first day she wore it—the day on which we were -betrothed!" And the lover at once conjectured the secret sentiment -which had induced Irene to retain so carefully a robe so endeared by -association.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"You know no more of your lodgers?"</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"Nothing."</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"And is this all you have learnt, knave?" cried Adrian.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"Patience. I must bring you from proof to proof, and link to link, in -order to win my reward. Follow, Signor."</blockquote> - -<blockquote>The Becchino then passing through the several lanes and streets, -arrived at another house of less magnificent size and architecture. -Again he tapped thrice at the parlor door, and this time came forth a -man withered, old, and palsied, whom death seemed to disdain to -strike.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"Signor Astuccio," said the Becchino, "pardon me; but I told thee I -might trouble thee again. This is the gentleman who wants to know, -what is often best unknown—but that's not my affair. Did a -lady—young and beautiful—with dark hair, and of a slender form, -enter this house, stricken with the first symptom of the plague, three -days since?"</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"Ay, thou knowest that well enough—and thou knowest still -better—that she has departed these two days; it was quick work with -her, quicker than with most!"</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"Did she wear any thing remarkable?"</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"Yes, troublesome man, a blue cloak with stars of silver."</blockquote> - -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page201"><small><small>[p. 201]</small></small></a></span> -<blockquote>"Couldst thou guess aught of her previous circumstances?"</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"No, save that she raved much about the nunnery of Santa Maria dei -Pazza, and bravos, and sacrilege."</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"Are you satisfied, Signor?" asked the grave-digger, with an air of -triumph, turning to Adrian. "But no, I will satisfy thee better, if -thou hast courage. Wilt thou follow?"</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"I comprehend thee; lead on. Courage! what is there on earth now to -fear?"</blockquote> - -<blockquote>Muttering to himself—"Ay, leave me alone. I have a head worth -something; I ask no gentleman to go by my word; I will make his own -eyes the judge of what my trouble is worth." The grave-digger now led -the way through one of the gates a little out of the city. And here -under a shed sat six of his ghastly and ill-omened brethren, with -spades and pick-axes at their feet.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>His guide now turned round to Adrian, whose face was set and resolute -in despair.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"Fair Signor," said he, with some touch of lingering compassion, -"wouldst thou really convince thine own eyes and heart; the sight may -appal, the contagion may destroy thee,—if, indeed, as it seems to me, -Death has not already written '<i>mine</i>' upon thee."</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"Raven of bode and woe," answered Adrian, "seest thou not that all I -shrink from is thy voice and aspect? Show me her I seek, living or -dead."</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"I will show her to you, then," said the Becchino, sullenly, "such as -two nights since she was committed to my charge. Line and lineament -may already be swept away, for the Plague hath a rapid besom; but I -have left that upon her by which you will know the Becchino is no -liar. Bring hither the torches, comrades, and lift the door. Never -stare; it's the gentleman's whim, and he'll pay it well."</blockquote> - -<blockquote>Turning to the right, while Adrian mechanically followed his -conductors,—a spectacle whose dire philosophy crushes as with a wheel -all the pride of mortal man—the spectacle of that vault in which -earth hides all that on earth flourished, rejoiced, exulted—awaited -his eye!</blockquote> - -<blockquote>The Becchino lifted a ponderous grate, lowered their torches (scarcely -needed, for through the aperture rushed, with a hideous glare, the -light of the burning sun,) and motioned to Adrian to advance. He stood -upon the summit of the abyss and gazed below.</blockquote> - -<center>* * - * - * - *<br> -* * - * - * - *</center> - -<blockquote>It was a large, deep and circular space, like the bottom of an -exhausted well. In niches cut into the walls of earth around, lay, -duly confined, those who had been the earliest victims of the plague, -when the Becchino's market was not yet glutted, and priest followed, -and friend mourned, the dead. But on the floor below, <i>there</i> was the -loathsome horror! Huddled and matted together,—some naked, some in -shrouds already black and rotten,—lay the later guests, the unshriven -and unblest! The torches, the sun, streamed broad and red over -corruption in all its stages, from the pale blue tint and swollen -shape, to the moistened undistinguishable mass, or the riddled bones, -where yet clung, in strips and tatters, the black and mangled flesh. -In many the face remained almost perfect, while the rest of the body -was but bone; the long hair, the human face, surmounting the grisly -skeleton. There, was the infant, still on the mother's breast; there, -was the lover stretched across the dainty limbs of his adored! The -rats (for they clustered in numbers to that feast,) disturbed, not -scared, sate up from their horrid meal as the light glimmered over -them, and thousands of them lay round, stark and dead, poisoned by -that they fed on! There, too, the wild satire of the grave-diggers had -cast, though stripped of their gold and jewels, the emblems that spoke -of departed rank;—the broken wand of the Councillor; the General's -baton; the Priestly Mitre! The foul and livid exhalations gathered -like flesh itself, fungous and putrid, upon the walls, and the——</blockquote> - -<center>* * - * - * - *<br> -* * - * - * - *</center> - -<blockquote>But who shall detail the ineffable and unimaginable horrors that -reigned over the Palace where the Great King received the prisoners -whom the sword of the Pestilence had subdued.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>But through all that crowded court—crowded with beauty and with -birth, with the strength of the young and the honors of the old, and -the valor of the brave, and the wisdom of the learned, and the wit of -the scorner, and the piety of the faithful—one only figure attracted -Adrian's eye. Apart from the rest, a late comer—the long locks -streaming far and dark over arm and breast—lay a female, the face -turned partially aside, the little seen not recognisable even by the -mother of the dead,—but wrapped round in that fatal mantle, on which, -though blackened and tarnished, was yet visible the starry heraldry -assumed by those who claimed the name of the proud Tribune of Rome. -Adrian saw no more—he fell back in the arms of the grave diggers: -when he recovered, he was still without the gates of -Florence—reclined upon a green mound—his guide stood beside -him—holding his steed by the bridle as it grazed patiently on the -neglected grass. The other brethren of the axe had resumed their seat -under the shed.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"So you have revived; ah! I thought it was only the effluvia; few -stand it as we do. And so, as your search is over, deeming you would -not be quitting Florence if you have any sense left to you, I went for -your good horse. I have fed him since your departure from the palace. -Indeed I fancied he would be my perquisite, but there are plenty as -good. Come, young Sir, mount. I feel a pity for you, I know not why, -except that you are the only one I have met for weeks who seem to care -for another more than for yourself. I hope you are satisfied now that -I showed some brains, eh! in your service, and as I have kept my -promise, you'll keep yours."</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"Friend," said Adrian, "here is gold enough to make thee rich; here -too is a jewel that merchants will tell thee princes might vie to -purchase. Thou seemest honest, despite thy calling, or thou mightest -have robbed and murdered me long since. Do me one favor more."</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"By my poor mother's soul, yes."</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"Take yon—yon clay from that fearful place. Inter it in some quiet -and remote spot—apart—alone! You promise me—you swear it—it is -well. And now help me on my horse."</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"Farewell Italy, and if I die not with this stroke, may I die as -befits at once honor and despair—with trumpet and banner round me—in -a well-fought field against a worthy foe!—save a knightly death -nothing is left to live for!"</blockquote> - -<p>Here, in many incidents of extraordinary force—in the call of the -Becchini on the third night—in the most agonizing circumstance of -Irene's abandonment of Adrian—in the bodily weakness and mental -prostration of that young nobleman—in the desolation of the -streets—in the meeting with Rienzi—in the colossal dignity of the -words, "I am he that was Rienzi!"—in the affectionate attention of -the fallen hero—and lastly, in the appalling horror of the vault and -its details—may be seen and will be felt much, but not all, of the -exceeding power of the "<i>Last of the Tribunes</i>."</p> - -<hr align="center" width="25"><a name="sect36"></a> -<br> -<center>ROGET'S PHYSIOLOGY.</center> - -<p><i>Animal and Vegetable Physiology, considered with reference to Natural -Theology. By Peter Mark Roget, M.D. Secretary to the Royal Society, -&c. &c. 2 vols, large octavo. Philadelphia: Republished by Carey, Lea, -and Blanchard.</i></p> - -<p>As we have no doubt that the great majority of our readers are -acquainted with the circumstances attending -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page202"><small><small>[p. 202]</small></small></a></span> the publication of -the Bridgewater Treatises, we shall content ourselves with a very -brief statement of those circumstances, by way of introduction to some -few observations respecting this, the fifth of the Series.</p> - -<p>Francis Henry, Earl of Bridgewater, who died some time in the -beginning of the year 1829, directed certain Trustees mentioned in his -Will, to invest eight thousand pounds sterling in the public funds, -which eight thousand pounds, with the interest accruing, was to be -under the control of the President, for the time being, of the Royal -Society of London. The money thus invested, was to be paid by the -President to such person <i>or persons</i> as he, the President, should -appoint to "write, print and publish, one thousand copies of a work, -<i>On the Power, Wisdom, and Goodness of God, as manifested in the -Creation; illustrating such work by all reasonable arguments, as, for -instance, the variety and formation of God's creatures, in the animal, -vegetable, and mineral kingdoms; the effect of digestion, and thereby -of conversion; the construction of the hand of man, and an infinite -variety of other arguments; as also by discoveries ancient and modern, -in arts, sciences, and the whole extent of literature</i>." The profits -of the works were to be paid to the authors.</p> - -<p>Davies Gilbert, Esq. being President of the Royal Society, advised -with the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Bishop of London, and "<i>a -nobleman immediately connected with the deceased</i>," in regard to the -best mode of carrying into effect the design of the testator. It was -finally resolved to divide the eight thousand pounds among eight -gentlemen, who were to compose eight Treatises as follows. Thomas -Chalmers, D.D. Professor of Divinity in the University of Edinburgh, -was to write on "The Power, Wisdom, and Goodness of God, as manifested -in the Adaptation of External Nature to the Moral and Intellectual -Constitution of Man,"—John Kidd, M.D. F. R. S. Regius Professor of -Medicine in the University of Oxford, on "The Adaptation of External -Nature to the Physical Condition of Man,"—William Whewell, M.A. F. R. -S. Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, on "Astronomy and General -Physics considered with reference to Natural Theology,"—Sir Charles -Bell, K. G. H. F. R. S. L. and E. on "The Hand: its Mechanism and -Vital Endowments as Evincing Design,"—Peter Mark Roget, M.D. Fellow -of and Secretary to the Royal Society, on "Animal and Vegetable -Physiology,"—William Buckland, D.D. F. R. S. Professor of Geology in -the University of Oxford, on "Geology and Mineralogy,"—William Kirby, -M.A. F. R. S., on "The History, Habits, and Instincts of Animals"—and -William Prout, M.D. F. R. S., on "Chemistry, Meteorology, and the -Function of Digestion, considered with Reference to Natural Theology."</p> - -<p>However excellent and praiseworthy the intention of the Earl of -Bridgewater, and however liberal the sum bequeathed, there can be -little doubt that in the wording of his bequest, in the encumbering of -the work so nobly proposed with a <i>specification of the arguments to -be employed in its execution</i>, he has offered a very serious -impediment to the fulfilment of the spirit of his design. It is -perhaps, too, a matter of regret, that the introduction of the words -"person or persons" in the paragraph touching the contemplated -publication, should have left it optional with the President of the -Royal Society to divide the eight thousand pounds among so many. We -are sorry that the eight treatises were determined upon for several -reasons. First, we do not believe any such arrangement to have been -contemplated by the testator—his words "write, print, and publish one -thousand copies of <i>a work</i>," &c., inducing the opinion that one -single book or treatise was intended: and we the rather hold to this -belief, as it might easily be proved (we will speak farther of this -hereafter,) that the whole argument set forth in the words of the -Testament, and indeed the whole arguments of the whole eight Treatises -now published, might have been readily discussed in one connected work -of no greater bulk than the <i>Physiology</i> whose title forms the heading -of this article. In the second place—the bequest of the eight -thousand pounds, which <i>en masse</i>, is magnificent, and which might -thus have operated as a sufficient inducement for some one competent -person to devote a <i>sufficiency of time</i> to the steady and gradual -completion of a noble and extraordinary work—this bequest, we say, is -somewhat of a common-place affair when we regard it in its -subdivision. Thirdly, one thousand pounds is but little for the labor -necessary in a work like any one of the Treatises, and we are mistaken -if the "profits of the sales" meet in any degree either the merits or -the expectations of the respective authors. If they do, however, it is -a matter altogether foreign to and apart from the liberality of the -testator—a liberality whose proper development should have been -scrupulously borne in view by the Trustee. Fourthly—the result of the -combination of a number of intellects is seldom in any case—never in -a case like the present—equal to the sum of the results of the same -intellects laboring individually—the difference, generally, being in -precise ratio with the number of the intellects engaged. It follows -that each writer of a Bridgewater Treatise has been employed at a -disadvantage. Lastly—an accurate examination of the nature and -argument of each Treatise as allotted, will convince one <i>a priori</i> -that the whole must, in any attempt at a full discussion, unavoidably -run one into the other—this indeed in so very great a degree that -each Treatise respectively would embody a vast quantity of matter, -(handled in a style necessarily similar) to be found in each and all -of the remaining seven Treatises. Here again is not only labor wasted -by the writers—but, by the readers of the works, much time and -trouble unprofitably thrown away. We say that this might have been -proved <i>a priori</i> by an inspection of the arguments of the Treatises. -It has been fully proved, <i>a posteriori</i>, by the fact: and this fact -will go far in establishing what we asserted in our first reason for -disapproving of the subdivision—to wit: that the whole argument of -the whole eight Treatises might have been readily discussed in one -connected work of no greater bulk than the <i>Physiology</i> now before us.</p> - -<p>We cannot bring ourselves to think Dr. Roget's book the <i>best</i> of the -Bridgewater series, although we have heard it so called. Indeed in the -very singular and too partial arrangement of the subjects, it would -have been really a matter for wonder if Dr. Whewell had not written -the <i>best</i>, and Sir Charles Bell the worst of the Treatises. The -talents of Dr. Roget, however, are a sufficient guarantee that he has -furnished no ordinary work. We are grieved to learn from the Preface -that his progress has been greatly impeded by "long protracted -anxieties and afflictions, and by the almost overwhelming pressure of -domestic calamity."</p> - -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page203"><small><small>[p. 203]</small></small></a></span> -<p>The chief difficulty of the Physiologist in handling a subject -of so vast and almost interminable extent as the science to which his -labors have been devoted—a science comprehending all the animal and -vegetable beings in existence—has evidently been the difficulty of -selection from an exuberance of materials. He has excluded from the -Treatise—(it was necessary to exclude a great deal)—"all those -particulars of the natural history both of animals and plants, and all -description of those structures, of which the relation to final causes -cannot be distinctly traced." In a word, he has admitted such facts -alone as afford palpable evidence of Almighty design. He has also -abstained from entering into historical accounts of the progress of -discovery—the present state of Physiological science being his only -aim. The work is illustrated by nearly 500 wood cuts by Mr. Byfield, -and references in the Index to passages in the volumes where terms of -mere technical science have been explained. Appended are also a -catalogue of the engravings, and a tabular view of the classification -of animals adopted by Cuvier in his "<i>Regne Animal</i>" with examples -included. This Table is reprinted from that in the author's -"Introductory Lecture on Human and Comparative Physiology," published -in 1826. Such alterations, however, have been introduced as were -requisite to make the Table correspond with Cuvier's second edition.</p> - -<hr align="center" width="25"><a name="sect37"></a> -<br> -<center>CAREY'S AUTOBIOGRAPHY.</center> - -<p>We have been delighted with the perusal of this book, and consider it -one of the most instructive as well as one of the most amusing of -autobiographies. The ruling feature of the work is candor—a candor of -the rarest and noblest description. The author has not scrupled, or -even hesitated, in a single instance to declare, without -prevarication, the truth and the whole truth, however little -redounding to his own credit. Nor in the details so frankly laid -before the eye of the public, are the many—very many other excellent -qualities less manifest, which have exalted the autobiographer to so -enviable a station in the opinions of his fellow-citizens. In the -whole private and public course of Mr. Mathew Carey, from that -chivalrous Essay against Duelling, of which he has rendered so amusing -an account in the commencement of his "Life," to the more important -yet equally Quixottic publication of the Olive Branch, the strictest -scrutiny can detect nothing derogatory to the character of "the -noblest work of God, an honest man." His energy, his high-mindedness, -and his indomitable perseverance, will force themselves upon the most -casual observer. It is not surprising that, with qualifications so -well adapted for success in life, Mr. C. should have been enabled -finally to set at defiance the innumerable obstacles which obstructed -his path. Indeed, although few men have labored under greater -incidental disadvantages, very few have been better prepared to -overcome them by both moral and physical constitution.</p> - -<p>There is much in these Memoirs of Mr. Carey, which will bring to the -mind of the reader Benjamin Franklin, his shrewdness, his -difficulties, and his indefatigability. It is therefore almost -unnecessary to add, that apart from its other merits, the -Autobiography now before us has all the value so unequivocally due to -<i>good example</i>. Its perusal cannot well fail of having a salutary -effect upon those who struggle with adversity—of imparting a salutary -strength to all who grow feeble under the pressure of the innumerable -harassing cares which encumber and weigh so ponderously upon the "man -of the world." It may, indeed, if rightly considered, have a still -more beneficial influence. It may incite to good deeds. It may induce -a love of our fellow-men, in many bosoms hitherto self-hardened -against the urgent demands of philanthropy. What so likely to bring -about a kindly spirit in any human heart as the contemplation of a -kindly spirit in others?</p> - -<p>It is perhaps already known to many that Mr. Carey was born in Dublin -in 1760. His hatred of oppression, which broke out, as early as his -seventeenth year, in the "Essay against Duelling," to which we have -already alluded, and which, in 1779, rendered him obnoxious to the -British Government, and forced him into a temporary exile, at length, -in 1784, made it necessary for him to abandon his country altogether, -and seek an asylum in America. He arrived in Philadelphia, greatly -embarrassed in his pecuniary circumstances; and an incident by means -of which he obtained relief, has proved of so deep interest to -ourselves, that we cannot but think it may prove equally so to our -readers. We copy the following from page 10 of the Autobiography.</p> - -<blockquote>Behold me now landed in Philadelphia, with about a dozen guineas in my -pocket, without relation, or friend, and even without an acquaintance, -except my <i>compagnons de voyage</i>, of whom very few were eligible -associates.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>While I was contemplating a removal into the country, where I could -have boarded at about a dollar or a dollar and a quarter a week, -intending to wait the arrival of my funds, a most extraordinary and -unlooked-for circumstance occurred, which changed my purpose, gave a -new direction to my views, and, in some degree, colored the course of -my future life. It reflects great credit on the Marquess de La -Fayette, who was then at Mount Vernon, to take leave of Gen. -Washington. A young gentleman of the name of Wallace, a fellow -passenger of mine, had brought letters of recommendation to the -General; and having gone to his seat to deliver them, fell into the -Marquess's company, and in the course of conversation, the affairs of -Ireland came on the tapis. The Marquess, who had, in the Philadelphia -papers, seen an account of my adventures with the Parliament, and the -persecution I had undergone, inquired of Wallace, what had become of -the poor persecuted Dublin printer? He replied, "he came passenger -with me, and is now in Philadelphia," stating the boarding house where -I had pitched my tent. On the arrival of the Marquess in this city, he -sent me a billet, requesting to see me at his lodgings, whither I -went. He received me with great kindness; condoled with me on the -persecution I had undergone; inquired into my prospects;—and having -told him that I proposed, on receipt of my funds, to set up a -newspaper, he approved the idea, and promised to recommend me to his -friends, Robert Morris, Thomas Fitzsimons, &c. &c. After half an -hour's conversation, we parted. Next morning, while I was at -breakfast, a letter from him was handed me, which, to my very great -surprise, contained four one hundred dollar notes of the Bank of North -America. This was the more extraordinary and liberal, as not a word -had passed between us on the subject of giving or receiving, borrowing -or lending money. And a remarkable feature in the affair was, that the -letter did not contain a word of reference to the enclosure.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>In the course of the day I went to his lodgings, and found that he -had, an hour or two previously, departed for Princeton, where Congress -then sat, having been in some measure driven from Philadelphia, by a -mutiny <span class="pagenum"><a name="page204"><small><small>[p. 204]</small></small></a></span> -among the soldiers, who were clamorous for their pay, and -had kept them in a state of siege for three hours in the State House. -I wrote to him to New York, whither, I understood, he had gone from -Princeton, expressive of my gratitude in the strongest terms, and -received a very kind and friendly answer.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>I cannot pass over this noble trait in the character of the -illustrious Marquess, without urging it strongly on the overgrown -wealthy of our country, as an example worthy of imitation. Here was a -foreign nobleman, who had devoted years of the prime of his life, and -greatly impaired his fortune, in the service of a country, separated -by thousands of miles distance from his native land. After these -mighty sacrifices, he meets, by an extraordinary accident, with a poor -persecuted young man, destitute of friends and protectors—his heart -expands towards him—he freely gives him means of making a living -without the most remote expectation of return, or of ever again seeing -the object of his bounty. He withdraws from the city to avoid the -expression of the gratitude of the beneficiary. I have more than once -assumed, and I now repeat, that I doubt whether in the whole life of -this (I had almost said) unparalleled man, there is to be found any -thing, which, all the circumstances of the case considered, more -highly elevates his character.<small><small><sup>1</sup></small></small></blockquote> - -<blockquote><blockquote> -<small><small><sup>1</sup></small> It is due to myself to state, that though this was in -every sense of the word a gift, I regarded it as a loan, payable to -the Marquess's countrymen, according to the exalted sentiment of Dr. -Franklin, who, when he presented a bill for ten pounds to the Rev. Mr. -Nixon, an Irish Clergyman, (who was in distress in Paris, and wanted -to migrate to America,) told him to pay the sum to any Americans whom -he might find in distress, and thus "<i>let good offices go round</i>." I -fully paid the debt to Frenchmen in distress—consigned one or two -hogsheads of tobacco to the Marquess, (I believe it was two, but am -uncertain,) and, moreover, when in 1824, he reached this country, with -shattered fortunes, sent him to New York, a check for the full sum of -four hundred dollars, which he retained till he reached Philadelphia, -and was very reluctant to use, and finally consented only at my -earnest instance.</small></blockquote></blockquote> - -<p>The annexed little anecdote, which Mr. Carey justly considers an -instance of the truest pathos, we must be pardoned for inserting as an -appropriate <i>pendant</i> to the above.</p> - -<blockquote>To an importunate mendicant, whom I had sometimes relieved, I said one -day, on giving him a trifle—"<i>Do not let me see you again for a long -time.</i>" He conformed to the direction, and refrained from applying for -about seven months. At length he ventured to bring and hand me a -billet, of which I annex a copy verbatim et literatim.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"Sir—You desired me, last time you relieved me, not to call <i>for a -long time</i>. It was a few days after Easter. To a wretch in distress -'<i>it is a very long time</i>.'</blockquote> - -<div align="right">Yours gratefully, - - </div> - -<blockquote>Nov. 14.</blockquote> - -<div align="right">R. W." </div> - -<p>At page 21, is an account of a publication, some of whose predictions -were certainly imbued with a rare spirit of prophecy.</p> - -<blockquote>In October 1786, I commenced, in partnership with T. Siddons, Charles -Cist, C. Talbot, W. Spotswood, and J. Trenchard, the Columbian -Magazine. In the first number, I wrote four pieces, "The Life of -General Greene," "The Shipwreck, a Lamentable Story, Founded on Fact," -"A Philosophical Dream," and "Hard Times, a Fragment."</blockquote> - -<blockquote>The Philosophical Dream was an anticipation of the state of the -country in the year 1850, on the plan of Mercier's celebrated work, -"The Year 2500." Some of the predictions, which at that period must -have been regarded as farcical, have been wonderfully fulfilled, and -others are likely to be realized previous to the arrival of the year -1850. I annex a few of them, which may serve to amuse the reader.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"<i>Pittsburg, Jan. 15, 1850</i>. The canal which is making from the river -Ohio, to the Susquehanna, and thence to the Delaware, will be of -immense advantage to the United States. If the same progress continues -to be made hereafter as has been for some time past, it will be -completed in less than two years."</blockquote> - -<blockquote>This was probably the first suggestion of the grand project of uniting -the waters of the Delaware with those of the Ohio. It preceded by four -years the project of the financier, Robert Morris, and his friends, to -unite the Delaware with the Schuylkill and the Susquehanna, which was -broached in 1790.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"<i>Pittsburg, Jan. 15</i>. Delegates from the thirtieth new state, laid -off a few months since by order of Congress, lately arrived at -Columbia; and on producing their credentials, were received into the -Federal Council.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"<i>Charleston, April 15</i>. No less than 10,000 blacks have been -transported from this state and Virginia, during the last two years, -to Africa, where they have formed a settlement near the mouth of the -river Goree. Very few blacks remain in this country now: and we -sincerely hope that in a few years every vestige of the infamous -traffic carried on by our ancestors in the human species, will be done -away.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"<i>Richmond, April 30</i>. By authentic advices from Kentucky, we are -informed,—that 'no less than 150 vessels have been built on the river -Ohio, during the last year, and sent down that river and the -Mississippi, laden with valuable produce, which has been carried to -the West Indies, where the vessels and their cargoes have been -disposed of to great advantage.'</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"<i>Boston, April 30</i>. At length the canal across the Isthmus of Darien -is completed. It is about sixty miles long. First-rate vessels of war -can with ease sail through. Two vessels belonging to this port, two to -Philadelphia, and one to New York, sailed through on the 20th of -January last, bound for Canton, in China.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>"<i>Columbia, May 1</i>. Extract from the Journals of Congress.—'Ordered -that there be twenty professors in the University of Columbia, in this -city; viz. of Divinity, of Church History, of Hebrew, of Greek, of -Humanity, of Logic, of Moral Philosophy, of Natural Philosophy, of -Mathematics, of Civil History, of Natural History, of Common and Civil -Law, of the Law of Nature and Nations, of Rhetoric and Belles Lettres, -of Botany, of Materia Medica, of Physic, of Chemistry, of Anatomy, and -of Midwifery.'"</blockquote> - -<blockquote><i>Philadelphia, Oct. 1, 1786</i>.</blockquote> - -<p>There is much characteristic simplicity in Mr. Carey's manner of -telling the anecdote annexed.</p> - -<blockquote>In travelling from New York to Philadelphia, some years since, the -slenderness of my knowledge of the French led me into a most egregious -error, and excited the displeasure of a splendid French lady who was -in the stage. She had lived a long time in New York, and yet spoke the -English language very imperfectly. I told her she ought to speak -English constantly, when she was in company with English or Americans: -that this was the only way in which she could acquire it. "Monsieur," -says she, "<i>j'ai honte</i>," I am ashamed; literally, "I have shame." -Reiterating her own word, I replied, "<i>Madame, je croyais que les -dames Françoises n' avaient pas de honte</i>"—whereas I ought to have -said, as I really meant, "<i>mauvaise honte</i>." She was exasperated, and -told me indignantly that the French ladies had as much "<i>shame</i>" -(meaning modesty) as the Americans; and that there was more immorality -practised in New York than in Marseilles, of which she was a native, -or in Martinique, where she had long resided. It was in vain that I -repeatedly pledged my honor that I had not meant to affront her; that -I was led into error solely by repeating her own word. It was equally -in vain that I appealed to some of the passengers who understood -French, who testified that the mistake was perfectly natural, and was -justified by the imperfection of my knowledge of her language. Nothing -could pacify her, and after several vain attempts, I relinquished the -hope of soothing her feelings, and she scarcely spoke another word -during the rest of the journey.</blockquote> -<br> -<br><span class="pagenum"><a name="page205"><small><small>[p. 205]</small></small></a></span> -<hr align="center" width="100"><a name="sect38"></a> -<br> -<br> -<h4>AUTOGRAPHY.</h4> -<br> -<p>Our friend and particular acquaintance, Joseph Miller, Esq. (who, by -the way, signs his name, we think, Joseph A. Miller, or Joseph B. -Miller, or at least Joseph C. Miller) paid us a visit a few days ago. -His behavior was excessively odd. Walking into our <i>sanctum</i> without -saying a word, he seated himself with a dogged air in our own -exclusive arm-chair, and surveyed us, for some minutes, in silence, -and in a very suspicious manner, over the rim of his spectacles. There -was evidently something in the wind. "What <i>can</i> the man want?" -thought we, without saying so.</p> - -<p>"I will tell you," said Joseph Miller, Esq.—that is to say, Joseph D. -Miller, Joseph E. Miller, or possibly Joseph F. Miller, Esq. "I will -tell you," said he. Now, it is a positive fact that we had not so much -as attempted to open any of our mouths.</p> - -<p>"I will tell you," said he, reading our thoughts.</p> - -<p>"Ah, thank you!" we replied, slightly smiling, and feeling excessively -uncomfortable—"thank you!—we should like to know."</p> - -<p>"I believe," resumed he—resumed Joseph G. Miller—"I believe you are -not altogether unacquainted with our family."</p> - -<p>"Why, <i>not</i> altogether, certainly—pray, sir, proceed."</p> - -<p>"It is one of the oldest families in —— in ——"</p> - -<p>"In Great Britain," we interposed, seeing him at a loss.</p> - -<p>"In the United States," said Mr. Miller—that is, Joseph H. Miller, -Esq.</p> - -<p>"In the United States!—why, sir, you are joking surely: we thought -the Miller family were particularly British—The Jest-Book you -know ——"</p> - -<p>"You are in error," interrupted he—interrupted Joseph I. Miller—"we -are British, but not particularly British. You should know that the -Miller family are indigenous every where, and have little connection -with either time or place. This is a riddle which you may be able to -read hereafter. At present let it pass, and listen to me. You know I -have many peculiar notions and opinions—many particularly bright -fancies which, by the way, the rabble have thought proper to call -whims, oddities, and eccentricities. But, sir, they are not. You have -heard of my passion for autographs?"</p> - -<p>"We have."</p> - -<p>"Well, sir, to be brief. Have you, or have you not, seen a certain -rascally piece of business in the London Athenæum?"</p> - -<p>"Very possible," we replied.</p> - -<p>"And, pray sir, what do you think of it?"</p> - -<p>"Think of what?"</p> - -<p>"No, sir, not of <i>what</i>," said he—said Joseph K. Miller, Esq. getting -very angry, "not of <i>what</i> at all; but of that absurd, nefarious, and -superfluous piece of autographical rascality therein—that is to say -in the London Athenæum—deliberately, falsely, and maliciously -fathered upon me, and laid to my charge—to the charge of <i>me</i>, I say, -Joseph L. Miller." Here, Mr. M. arose, and, unbuttoning his coat in a -great rage, took from his breast pocket a bundle of MSS. and laid them -emphatically upon the table.</p> - -<p>"Ah ha!" said we, getting particularly nervous, "we begin to -understand you. We comprehend. Sit down! You, Joseph M.—that is to -say, Joseph N. Miller—have had—that is to say, ought to have had, -eh?—and the London Athenæum is—that is to say, it is not, -&c.—and—and—and—oh, precisely!"</p> - -<p>"My <i>dear</i> sir," said Mr. Miller, affectionately, "you are a fool—a -confounded fool. Hold your tongue! <i>This</i> is the state of the case. I, -Joseph O. Miller, being smitten, as all the world knows, with a -passion for autographs, am supposed, in that detestable article to -which I am alluding, and which appeared some time ago in the London -Athenæum,—am supposed, I say, to have indited sundry epistles, to -several and sundry characters of literary notoriety about London, with -the sinister design, hope, and intention, of thereby eliciting -autograph replies—the said epistles, presumed to be indited by me, -each and individually being neither more nor less than one and the -same thing, and consisting——"</p> - -<p>"Yes sir," said we, "and consisting——"</p> - -<p>"And consisting," resumed Mr. Joseph P. Miller, "of certain silly -inquiries respecting the character of certain ——"</p> - -<p>"Of certain cooks, scullions, and chambermaids," said we, having now -some faint recollection of the article alluded to.</p> - -<p>"Precisely," said our visiter—"of certain cooks, scullions, -chambermaids, and boot-blacks."</p> - -<p>"And concerning whose character you are supposed to be excessively -anxious."</p> - -<p>"Yes, sir—<i>I</i>—excessively anxious!—only think of that!—I, Joseph Q. -Miller, excessively anxious!"</p> - -<p>"Horrible!" we ejaculated.</p> - -<p>"Damnable!" said Mr. M.</p> - -<p>"But what papers are <i>these?</i>" demanded we, taking courage, and eyeing -the bundle of MSS. which our friend had thrown upon the table.</p> - -<p>"Those papers," said Mr. Miller, after a pause, and with considerable -dignity of manner, "those papers are, to tell you the truth, the -result of some—of some ingenuity on the part of your humble servant. -They are autographs—but they are <i>American</i> autographs, and as such -may be of some little value in your eyes. Pray accept them—they are -entirely at your service. I beg leave, however, to assure you that I -have resorted to no petty arts for the consummation of a glorious -purpose. No man can accuse <i>me</i>, sir, <i>me</i>, Joseph R. Miller, of -meanness or of superficiality. My letters have invariably been—have -been—that is to say, have been every thing they should be. Moreover, -they have not been what they should not be. I have propounded no -inquiries about scullions. I wrote not to the sublimated Mr. ——, -[here we do not feel justified in indicating more fully the name -mentioned by Mr. M.] touching a chambermaid, nor to Mr. ——, in -relation to a character. On the contrary, I have adapted my means to -my ends. I have—I have—in short, sir, I have accomplished many great -and glorious things, all of which you shall behold in the sequel." We -bowed, and our visiter continued.</p> - -<p>"The autographs here included are, you will perceive, the autographs -of our principal <i>literati</i>. They will prove interesting to the -public. It would be as well to insert the letters in your Messenger, -with facsimiles of the signatures. Of my own letters eliciting these -replies I have unfortunately preserved no copies." Here Mr. M. handed -us the MSS.</p> - -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page206"><small><small>[p. 206]</small></small></a></span> -<p>"Mr. Joseph S. Miller"—we began, deeply penetrated by his -kindness.</p> - -<p>"Joseph <i>T</i>. Miller, if you please," interrupted he, with an emphasis -on the T.</p> - -<p>"Well, sir," said we—"so be it; Mr. Joseph V. Miller, then, since you -will have it so, we are highly sensible of your noble, of your -disinterested generosity. We are ——"</p> - -<p>"Say no more," interrupted our friend, with a sigh—"say no more, I -beseech you. The MSS. are entirely at your service. You have been very -kind to me, and when I forget a kindness my name is no longer Joseph -W. Miller."</p> - -<p>"Then your name <i>is</i>—is positively Joseph W. Miller?"—we inquired -with some hesitation.</p> - -<p>"It is"—he replied, with a toss of the head, which we thought -slightly supercilious—"It is—Joseph X. Miller. But why do you ask? -Good day! In a style epistolary and non-epistolary I must bid you -adieu—that is to say I must depart (and <i>not</i> remain) your obedient -servant, Joseph Y. Miller."</p> - -<p>"Extremely ambiguous!" we thought, as he whipped out of the room—"Mr. -Miller! Mr. Miller!"—and we hallooed after him at the top of our -voice. Mr. Miller returned at the call, but most unfortunately we had -forgotten what we had been so anxious to say.</p> - -<p>"Mr. Miller," said we, at length, "shall we not send you a number of -the Magazine containing your correspondence?"</p> - -<p>"Certainly!"—he replied—"drop it in the Post Office."</p> - -<p>"But, sir," said we, highly embarrassed,—"to what—to what address -shall we direct it?"</p> - -<p>"Address!" ejaculated he—"you astonish me! Address <i>me</i>, sir, if you -please—Joseph Z. Miller."</p> - -<p>The package handed us by Mr. M. we inspected with a great deal of -pleasure. The letters were neatly arranged and endorsed, and numbered -from one to twenty-four. We print them <i>verbatim</i>, and with facsimiles -of the signatures, in compliance with our friend's suggestion. The -dates, throughout, were overscored, and we have been forced, -accordingly, to leave them blank. The remarks appended to each letter -are our own.</p> -<br> -<center>LETTER I.</center> - -<div align="right"><i>Philadelphia</i>, -——. </div> - -<blockquote><i>Dear Sir</i>,—I regret that you had the trouble of addressing me twice -respecting the Review of your publication. The truth is it was only -yesterday I enjoyed the opportunity of reading it, and bearing public -testimony to its merits. I think the work might have a wider -circulation if, in the next edition, it were printed <i>without</i> the -preface. Of your talents and other merits I have long entertained a -high opinion.</blockquote> - -<div align="right">Respectfully, your faithful servant, - - - <br> - -<img src="images/01.jpg" alt="Robert Walsh"> - - </div> - -<blockquote><blockquote>J<small>OSEPH</small> A. M<small>ILLER</small>, E<small>SQ</small>.</blockquote></blockquote> - -<p>There is nothing very peculiar in the <i>physique</i> of this letter. The -hand-writing is bold, large, sprawling, and irregular. It is rather -rotund than angular, and is by no means illegible. One would suppose -it written in a violent hurry. The t's are crossed with a sweeping -scratch of the pen, giving the whole letter an odd appearance if held -upside-down, or in any position other than the proper one. The whole -air of the letter is <i>dictatorial</i>. The paper is of good but not -superior quality. The seal is of brown wax mingled with gold, and -bears a Latin motto, of which only the words <i>trans</i> and <i>mortuus</i> are -legible.</p> -<br> -<center>LETTER II.</center> - -<div align="right"><i>Hartford</i>, -——. </div> - -<blockquote><i>My Dear Sir</i>,—Your letter of the — ult. with the accompanying -parcel, reached me in safety, and I thank you for that polite -attention, which is the more gratifying, as I have hitherto not had -the pleasure of your acquaintance. The perusal of the pamphlet -afforded me great delight, and I think it displays so much good sense, -mingled with so much fine taste, as would render it an acceptable -present to readers even more fastidious than myself. The purely -Christian opinions with which the work abounds, will not fail of -recommending it to all lovers of virtue, and of the truth.</blockquote> - -<div align="right">I remain yours, with respect and esteem, - - - <br> - -<img src="images/02.jpg" alt="L. H. Sigourney"> - - </div> - -<blockquote><blockquote>J<small>OSEPH</small> B. M<small>ILLER</small>, E<small>SQ</small>.</blockquote></blockquote> - -<p>Much pains seem to have been taken in the MS. of this epistle. <i>Black -lines</i> have been used, apparently. Every t is crossed and every i -dotted with precision. The punctuation is faultless. Yet the -<i>tout-ensemble</i> of the letter has nothing of formality or undue -effeminacy. The characters are free, well-sized, and handsomely -formed, preserving throughout a perfectly uniform and beautiful -appearance, although generally unconnected with each other. Were one -to form an estimate of the character of Mrs. Sigourney's compositions -from the character of her hand writing, the estimate would not be very -far from the truth. Freedom, dignity, precision, and grace of thought, -without abrupt or startling transitions, might be attributed to her -with propriety. The paper is good, the seal small—of green and gold -wax—and without impression.</p> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page207"><small><small>[p. 207]</small></small></a></span> -<br> -<center>LETTER III.</center> - -<div align="right"><i>New York</i>, -——. </div> - -<blockquote><i>Dear Sir</i>,—I have delayed replying to your letter of the — ult. -until I could find time to make the necessary inquiries about the -circumstances to which you allude. I am sorry to inform you that these -inquiries have been altogether fruitless, and that I am consequently -unable, at present, to give you the desired information. If, -hereafter, any thing shall come to light which may aid you in your -researches, it will give me great pleasure to communicate with you -upon the subject.</blockquote> - -<div align="right">I am, Dear Sir, your friend and servant, - - - <br> - -<img src="images/03.jpg" alt="J. K. Paulding"> - - </div> - -<blockquote><blockquote>J<small>OSEPH</small> C. M<small>ILLER</small>, E<small>SQ</small>.</blockquote></blockquote> - -<p>There is much in the hand-writing here like that of Mrs. Sigourney, -and yet, as a whole, it is very different. In both MSS. perfect -uniformity and regularity exist, and in both, the character of the -writing is <i>formed</i>—that is to say, <i>decided</i>. Both are beautiful, -and, at a casual glance, both have a somewhat similar <i>effect</i>. But -Mrs. Sigourney's MS. is one of the most legible, and Mr. Paulding's -one of the most illegible in the world. His small a's, t's and c's are -all alike, and the <i>style</i> of the characters generally is French. No -correct notion of Mr. Paulding's literary peculiarities could be -obtained from an inspection of his MS. It has probably been modified -by strong adventitious circumstances. The paper is of a very fine -glossy texture, and of a blue tint, with gilt edges.</p> -<br> -<center>LETTER IV.</center> - -<div align="right"><i>Boston</i>, -——. </div> - -<blockquote>It is due from me to advise you that the communication of the — ult. -addressed by you to myself involves some error. It is evident that you -have mistaken me for some other person of the same surname, as I am -altogether ignorant of the circumstances to which you refer.</blockquote> - -<div align="right">I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, - - <br> - -<img src="images/04.jpg" alt="J. G. Palfrey"> - - </div> - -<blockquote><blockquote>J<small>OSEPH</small> D. M<small>ILLER</small>, E<small>SQ</small>.</blockquote></blockquote> - -<p>The hand writing here is of an odd appearance. The capitals and <i>long</i> -letters extend far above or below the line, and the rest have a -running and diminutive formation, rendering it difficult to -distinguish one from another. The words are unusually far apart, and -but little matter is contained in much space. At first sight the MS. -appears to be hurried—but a few moments' examination will prove that -this is not the case. The capital I's might be mistaken for T's. The -whole has a clean and uniform appearance. The paper is common, and the -seal (of red wax) is oval in shape—probably a shield—the device -illegible.</p> -<br> -<center>LETTER V.</center> - -<div align="right"><i>St. Mark's Place, New York</i>, -——. </div> - -<blockquote><i>Dear Sir</i>,—Your obliging letter of the —— was received in due -course of mail, and I am gratified by your good opinion. At the same -time my numerous engagements will render it out of my power to send -you any communication for your valuable Magazine, 'The Humdrum,' for -some months to come at least. Wishing you all success, and with many -thanks for your attention.</blockquote> - -<div align="right">I remain, sir, your humble servant, - - - <br> - -<img src="images/05.jpg" alt="J. Fenimore Cooper"> - - </div> - -<blockquote><blockquote>J<small>OSEPH</small> E. M<small>ILLER</small>, E<small>SQ</small>.</blockquote></blockquote> - -<p>Mr. Cooper's MS. is bad—very bad. There is no distinctive character -about it, and it appears to be <i>unformed</i>. The writing will probably -be different in other letters. Upon reference we find this to be the -fact. In the letter to Mr. Miller, the MS. is of a <i>petite</i> and -finicky appearance, and looks as if scratched with a steel pen—the -lines are crooked. The paper is fine, and of a bluish tint. A wafer is used.</p> -<br> -<center>LETTER VI.</center> - -<div align="right"><i>New York</i>, -——. </div> - -<blockquote><i>My Dear Sir</i>,—I owe you a very humble apology for not answering -sooner your flattering epistle of the — ult. The truth is, being from -home when your letter reached my residence, my reply fell into the -ever open grave of deferred duties.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>As regards the information you desire I regret that it is out of my -power to aid you. My studies and pursuits -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page208"><small><small>[p. 208]</small></small></a></span> have been directed, of -late years, in so very different a channel, that I am by no means <i>au -fait</i> on the particular subject you mention. Believe me, with earnest -wishes for your success,</blockquote> - -<div align="right">Very respectfully yours, - - - <br> - -<img src="images/06.jpg" alt="C. M. Sedgwick"> - - </div> - -<blockquote><blockquote>J<small>OSEPH</small> F. M<small>ILLER</small>, E<small>SQ</small>.</blockquote></blockquote> - -<p>The penmanship of Miss Sedgwick is excellent. The characters are -well-sized, distinct, elegantly, but not ostentatiously formed; and, -with perfect freedom of manner, are still sufficiently feminine. The -hair strokes of the pen differ little in thickness from the other -parts of the MS.—which has thus a uniform appearance it might not -otherwise have. Strong common sense, and a scorn of superfluous -ornament, one might suppose, from Miss Sedgwick's hand writing, to be -the characteristics of her literary style. The paper is very good, -blue in tint, and ruled by machine. The seal of red wax, plain.</p> -<br> -<center>LETTER VII.</center> - -<div align="right"><i>New York</i>, -——. </div> - -<blockquote><i>Dear Sir</i>,—I have received your favor of the ——. The report to -which it alludes was entirely without foundation. I have never had, -and have not <i>now</i>, any intention of editing a Magazine. The -Bookseller's statement on this subject originated in a -misunderstanding.</blockquote> - -<blockquote>Your Poem on "Things in General," I have not had the pleasure of -seeing. I have not, however, the least doubt of its—of its—that is -to say, of its extreme delicacy of sentiment, and highly original -style of thinking—to say nothing at present of that—of that -extraordinary and felicitous manner of expression which so -particularly characterizes all that—that I have seen of your -writings. I shall endeavor, sir, to procure your Poem, and anticipate -much pleasure in its perusal.</blockquote> - -<div align="right">Very respectfully, your obedient servant, - - - <br> - -<img src="images/07.jpg" alt="Fitz-Greene Halleck"> - - </div> - -<blockquote><blockquote>J<small>OSEPH</small> G. M<small>ILLER</small>, E<small>SQ</small>.</blockquote></blockquote> - -<p>Mr. Halleck's is a free, mercantile hand, and evinces a love for the -graceful rather than for the picturesque. There is some <i>force</i>, too, -in its expression. The <i>tout ensemble</i> is pleasing. Mr. H.'s letter is -probably written <i>currente calamo</i>—but without hurry. The paper is -very good, and bluish—the seal of red wax.</p> -<br> -<center>LETTER VIII.</center> - -<div align="right"><i>Alexandria, Red River</i>, ——, <i>Louisiana</i>. - </div> - -<blockquote><i>Dear Sir</i>,—Your polite letter of the — is before me, and the view -which you present of the estimation in which you hold my poor labors -is every way gratifying. It would afford me great pleasure to send you -a few trifles for the Hum-drum, which I have no doubt will prove a -very useful periodical if its design is well carried out—but the -truth is my time is entirely occupied.</blockquote> - -<div align="right">Yours, - - - <br> - -<img src="images/08.jpg" alt="Timothy Flint"> - - </div> - -<blockquote><blockquote>J<small>OSEPH</small> H. M<small>ILLER</small>, E<small>SQ</small>.</blockquote></blockquote> - -<p>The writing in this letter has a <i>fidgetty</i> appearance, and would seem -to indicate a mind without settled aims—restless and full of -activity. Few of the characters are written twice in the same manner, -and their <i>direction</i> varies continually. Sometimes the words lie -perpendicularly on the page—then slope to the right—then, with a -jerk, fly off in an opposite way. The thickness, also, of the MS. is -changeable—sometimes the letters are very light and fine—sometimes -excessively heavy. Upon a casual glance at Mr. F.'s epistle, one might -mistake it for an imitation of a written letter by a child. The paper -is bad—and wafered.</p> -<br> -<center>LETTER IX.</center> - -<div align="right"><i>Philadelphia</i>, -——. </div> -<blockquote> -<table align="left" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" summary="Miss Leslie"> - <tr> - <td width="179"> - <img src="images/09.jpg" alt="Miss Leslie"> - </td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p>compliments to Mr. Miller. She has no knowledge of the person spoken -of in Mr. Miller's note, and is quite certain there must be some -mistake in the statement alluded to.</p> - -<blockquote>J<small>OSEPH</small> I. M<small>ILLER</small>, E<small>SQ</small>.</blockquote></blockquote> - -<p>Several persons of our acquaintance, between whose mental character -and that of Miss Leslie we have fancied a strong similitude, write a -hand almost identical with this lady's—yet we are unable to point out -much in the MS. itself according with the literary peculiarities of -Miss L. Neatness and finish, without over-effeminacy, are, perhaps, -the only features of resemblance. We might, also, by straining a -point, imagine (from the MS.) that Miss L. regards rather <i>the effect -of her writings as a whole</i> than the polishing of their constituent -parts. The penmanship is rotund, and the words are always finished -with an inward twirl. The paper tolerable—and wafered.</p> - -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page209"><small><small>[p. 209]</small></small></a></span> -<br> -<center>LETTER X.</center> - -<div align="right"><i>Boston</i>, -——. </div> - -<blockquote><i>Dear Sir</i>,—I have your favor of the ——. For the present I must -decline replying to the queries you have propounded. Be pleased to -accept my thanks for the flattering manner in which you speak of my -Lecture.</blockquote> - -<div align="right">I am, Dear Sir, very faithfully, yours, - - - <br> - -<img src="images/10.jpg" alt="Edward Everett"> - - </div> - -<blockquote><blockquote>J<small>OSEPH</small> K. M<small>ILLER</small>, E<small>SQ</small>.</blockquote></blockquote> - -<p>Here is a noble MS. It has an air of deliberate precision about it -emblematic of the statesman; and a mingled solidity and grace speaking -the scholar. Nothing can be more legible. The words are at proper -intervals—the lines also are at proper intervals, and perfectly -straight. There are no superfluous flourishes. The man who writes thus -will never grossly err in judgment or otherwise. We may venture to -say, however, that he will not attain the loftiest pinnacles of -renown. The paper is excellent—stout yet soft—with gilt edges. The -seal of red wax, with an oval device bearing the initials E. E. and -surrounded with a scroll, on which are legible only the word <i>cum</i> and -the letters c. o. r. d. a.</p> -<br> -<center>LETTER XI.</center> - -<div align="right"><i>New York</i>, -——. </div> - -<blockquote><i>My Dear Sir</i>,—I must be pardoned for refusing your request touching -your MS. "Treatise on Pigs." I was obliged, some years ago, to come to -the resolution not to express opinions of works sent to me. A candid -opinion of those whose merit seemed to me small, gave offence, and I -found it the best way to avoid a judgment in any case. I hope this -will be satisfactory.</blockquote> - -<div align="right">I am, my Dear Sir, very respectfully yours, - - - <br> - -<img src="images/11.jpg" alt="Washington Irving"> - - </div> - -<blockquote><blockquote>J<small>OSEPH</small> L. M<small>ILLER</small>, E<small>SQ</small>.</blockquote></blockquote> - -<p>Mr. Irving's hand writing is common-place. There is nothing indicative -of genius about it. Neither could any one suspect, from such -penmanship, a <i>high finish</i> in the author's compositions. This style -of writing is more frequently met with than any other. It is a very -usual clerk's hand—scratchy and <i>tapering</i> in appearance, showing -(strange to say)—an eye deficient in a due sense of the -<i>picturesque</i>. There may be something, however, in the circumstance -that the epistle to Mr. Miller is evidently written in a desperate -hurry. Paper very indifferent, and wafered.</p> -<br> -<center>LETTER XII.</center> - -<div align="right"><i>Boston</i>, -——. </div> - -<blockquote><i>Sir</i>,—In reply to your note of the ——, in which you demand if I am -"the author of a certain scurrilous attack upon Joseph M. Miller, in -the Daily Polyglot of the — ult." I have to say that I am happy in -knowing nothing about the attack, the Polyglot, or yourself.</blockquote> - -<div align="right"><img src="images/12.jpg" alt="John Neal"> - - </div> - -<blockquote><blockquote>J<small>OSEPH</small> M. M<small>ILLER</small>.</blockquote></blockquote> - -<p>Mr. Neal's MS. is exceedingly illegible, and very careless. It is -necessary to read one half his epistle and guess at the balance. The -capitals and long letters, like those of Mr. Palfrey, extend far above -and below the line, while the small letters are generally nothing but -dots and scratches. Many of the words are run together—so that what -is actually a sentence is frequently mistaken for a single word. One -might suppose Mr. Neal's mind (from his penmanship) to be bold, -excessively active, energetic, and irregular. Paper very common, and -wafered.</p> -<br> -<center>LETTER XIII.</center> - -<div align="right"><i>Baltimore</i>, -——. </div> - -<blockquote><i>Dear Sir</i>,—I have received your note of the — ult. and its contents -puzzle me no little. I fear it will be impossible to give a definitive -reply to an epistle so enigmatically worded. Please write again.</blockquote> - -<div align="right">Yours truly, - - - <br> - -<img src="images/13.jpg" alt="John P. Kennedy"> - - </div> - -<blockquote><blockquote>J<small>OSEPH</small> N. M<small>ILLER</small>, E<small>SQ</small>.</blockquote></blockquote> - -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page210"><small><small>[p. 210]</small></small></a></span> -<p>This is our <i>beau ideal</i> of penmanship. Its prevailing character -is <i>picturesque</i>. This appearance is given by terminating every letter -abruptly, without <i>tapering</i>, and by using no perfect angles, and none -at all which are not spherical. Great uniformity is preserved in the -whole air of the MS.—with great variety in the constituent parts. -Every character has the clearness and blackness of a bold wood-cut, -and appears to be <i>placed upon the paper</i> with singular precision. The -long letters do not rise or fall in an undue degree above the line. -From this specimen of his hand writing, we should suppose Mr. Kennedy -to have the eye of a painter, more especially in regard to the -picturesque—to have refined tastes generally—to be exquisitely alive -to the proprieties of life—to possess energy, decision, and great -talent—to have a penchant also for the <i>bizarre</i>. The paper is very -fine, clear and white, with gilt edges—the seal neat and much in -keeping with the MS. Just sufficient wax, and no more than sufficient, -is used for the impression, which is nearly square, with a lion's head -in full <i>alto relievo</i>, surrounded by the motto "<i>il parle par tout</i>."</p> -<br> -<center>LETTER XIV.</center> - -<div align="right"><i>Philadelphia</i>, -——. </div> - -<blockquote><i>Dear Sir</i>,—Enclosed is your letter of the — ult. addressed to Dr. -Robert M. Bird, Philadelphia. From the contents of the note it is -evidently not intended for myself. There is, I believe, a Dr. Robert -Bird, who resides somewhere in the Northern Liberties—also several -Robert Birds in different parts of the city.</blockquote> - -<div align="right">Very respectfully, your obedient, humble servant, - - <br> - -<img src="images/14.jpg" alt="Robt. M. Bird"> - - </div> - -<blockquote><blockquote>J<small>OSEPH</small> O. M<small>ILLER</small>, E<small>SQ</small>.</blockquote></blockquote> - -<p>Dr. Bird's chirography is by no means bad—still it cannot be called -good. It is very legible and has force. There is some degree of -nervousness about it. It bears a slight resemblance to the writing of -Miss Leslie, especially in the curling of the final letters—but is -more open, and occupies more space. The characters have the air of not -being able to keep pace with the thought, and an uneasy want of finish -seems to have been the consequence. A restless and vivid imagination -might be deduced from this MS. It has no little of the <i>picturesque</i> -also. The paper good—<i>wafered and sealed</i>.</p> -<br> -<center>LETTER XV.</center> - -<div align="right"><i>Oak Hill</i>, -——. </div> - -<blockquote><i>Dear Sir</i>,—I have received your polite letter of the ——, and will -have no objection to aid you in your enterprise by such information as -I can afford. There are many others, however, who would be much better -able to assist you in this matter than myself. When I get a little -leisure you shall hear from me again.</blockquote> - -<div align="right">I am, Dear Sir, with respect, your obedient, - - - <br> - -<img src="images/15.jpg" alt="J. Marshall"> - - </div> - -<blockquote><blockquote>J<small>OSEPH</small> P. M<small>ILLER</small>, E<small>SQ</small>.</blockquote></blockquote> - -<p>The hand writing of the Chief Justice is not unlike that of Neal—but -much better and more legible. The habit of running two words into one -(a habit which we noticed in Neal) is also observable in the Chief -Justice. The characters are utterly devoid of ornament or unnecessary -flourish, and there is a good deal of abruptness about them. They are -heavy and black, with very little hair stroke. The lines are -exceedingly crooked, running diagonally across the paper. A wide -margin is on the left side of the page, with none at all on the right. -The whole air of the MS. in its utter simplicity, is strikingly -indicative of the man. The paper is a half sheet of coarse foolscap, -wafered.</p> -<br> -<center>LETTER XVI.</center> - -<div align="right"><i>Baltimore</i>, -——. </div> - -<blockquote><i>Dear Sir</i>,—I have received your letter of the — ult. in which you -do me the honor of requesting an autograph. In reply, I have to say, -that if this scrawl will answer your purpose it is entirely at your -service.</blockquote> - -<div align="right">Yours respectfully, - - - <br> - -<img src="images/16.jpg" alt="Wm. Wirt"> - - </div> - -<blockquote><blockquote>J<small>OSEPH</small> Q. M<small>ILLER</small>, E<small>SQ</small>.</blockquote></blockquote> - -<p>Mr. Wirt's hand writing has a strong resemblance to that of his friend -John P. Kennedy—it is by no means, however, as good, and has too much -<i>tapering</i> about it to be thoroughly picturesque. The writing is -black, strong, clear, and very neat. It is, upon the whole, little in -accordance with the character of Mr. W.'s compositions. The lines are -crooked. The paper bluish and English—wafered.</p> - -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page211"><small><small>[p. 211]</small></small></a></span> -<br> -<center>LETTER XVII.</center> - -<div align="right"><i>Washington</i>, -——. </div> - -<blockquote><i>Dear Sir</i>,—In answer to your kind inquiries concerning my health, I -am happy to inform you that I was never better in my life. I cannot -conceive in what manner the report to which you allude could have -originated.</blockquote> - -<div align="right">Believe me with the highest respect, your much obliged friend and -servant, - <br> - -<img src="images/17.jpg" alt="Joseph Story"> - - </div> - -<blockquote><blockquote>J<small>OSEPH</small> R. M<small>ILLER</small>, E<small>SQ</small>.</blockquote></blockquote> - -<p>Judge Story's is a very excellent hand, and has the air of being -written with great rapidity and ease. It is rotund, and might be -characterized as a <i>rolling hand</i>. The direction of the letters -occasionally varies from right to left, and from left to right. The -same peculiarity was observable in Mr. Flint's. Judge Story's MS. is -decidedly picturesque. The lines are at equal distances, but lie -diagonally on the page. The paper good, of a bluish tint, and folded -to form a marginal line. The seal of red wax, and stamped with a -common compting-house stamp.</p> -<br> -<center>LETTER XVIII.</center> - -<div align="right"><i>New York</i>, -——. </div> - -<blockquote><i>My Dear Sir</i>,—I thank you for the hints you have been so kind as to -give me in relation to my next edition of the "<i>Voyage</i>," but as that -edition has already gone to press, it will be impossible to avail -myself of your attention until the sixth impression.</blockquote> - -<div align="right">Very respectfully, your obedient servant, - - - <br> - -<img src="images/18.jpg" alt="J. N. Reynolds"> - - </div> - -<blockquote><blockquote>J<small>OSEPH</small> S. M<small>ILLER</small>, E<small>SQ</small>.</blockquote></blockquote> - -<p>We are not partial to Mr. Reynolds' style of chirography. It is a -common mercantile hand, in which the words taper off from their -beginning to their end. There is much freedom, but no strength about -it. The paper good, and wafered.</p> -<br> -<center>LETTER XIX.</center> - -<div align="right"><i>Portland</i>, -——. </div> - -<blockquote><i>Dear Sir</i>,—I have no knowledge of your owing me the small sum sent -in your letter of the ——, and consequently I re-enclose you the -amount. You will no doubt be able to discover and rectify the mistake.</blockquote> - -<div align="right">Very truly yours, - - - <br> - -<img src="images/19.jpg" alt="James Brooks"> - - </div> - -<blockquote><blockquote>J<small>OSEPH</small> T. M<small>ILLER</small>, E<small>SQ</small>.</blockquote></blockquote> - -<p>Mr. Brooks writes a very good hand, strong, bold, and abrupt—highly -indicative of the author's peculiar features of mind. These are -nervous common sense, without tinsel or artificiality, and a straight -forward directness of conception. The lines are even—and the words at -proper intervals. The paper good—and wafered.</p> -<br> -<center>LETTER XX.</center> - -<div align="right"><i>Washington</i>, -——. </div> - -<blockquote><i>Sir</i>,—I shall be better enabled to answer your letter about "certain -mysterious occurrences," of which you desire an explanation, when you -inform me explicitly (and I request you will do this) what <i>are</i> the -mysterious occurrences to which you allude.</blockquote> - -<div align="right"> - -<img src="images/20.jpg" alt="J. Q. Adams"> - - </div> - -<blockquote><blockquote>J<small>OSEPH</small> V. M<small>ILLER</small>, E<small>SQ</small>.</blockquote></blockquote> - -<p>The chirography of the Ex-President is legible—but has an odd -appearance, on account of the <i>wavering</i> of the capitals and long -letters. The writing is clear, somewhat heavy, and -<i>picturesque</i>—without ornament. Black lines seem to have been used. A -margin is preserved to the right and left. The proportion of the -letters is well maintained throughout. The paper common, and wafered.</p> -<br> -<center>LETTER XXI.</center> - -<div align="right"><i>Philadelphia</i>, -——. </div> - -<blockquote><i>Dear Sir</i>,—I have just received your letter of the ——, in which -you complain of my neglect in not replying to your favors of the —— -of the —— and of the —— ult. I do assure you, sir, that the -letters have never come <span class="pagenum"><a name="page212"><small><small>[p. 212]</small></small></a></span> -to hand. If you will be so good as to -repeat their contents, it will give me great pleasure to answer them, -each and all. The Post Office is in a very bad condition.</blockquote> - -<div align="right">Yours respectfully, - - - <br> - -<img src="images/21.jpg" alt="Mathew Carey"> - - </div> - -<blockquote><blockquote>J<small>OSEPH</small> W. M<small>ILLER</small>, E<small>SQ</small>.</blockquote></blockquote> - -<p>Mr. Carey does not write a legible hand—although in other respects a -good one. It resembles that of Neal very nearly. Several of the words -in the letter to Mr. Miller are run together. The i's are seldom -dotted. The lines are at equal distances, and straight. The paper very -good—wafered.</p> -<br> -<center>LETTER XXII.</center> - -<div align="right"><i>Boston</i>, -——. </div> - -<blockquote><i>Dear Sir</i>,—No such person as Philip Philpot has ever been in my -employ as a coachman, or otherwise. The name is an odd one, and not -likely to be forgotten. The man must have reference to some other Dr. -Channing. It would be as well to question him closely.</blockquote> - -<div align="right">Respectfully yours, - - - <br> - -<img src="images/22.jpg" alt="W. E. Channing"> - - </div> - -<blockquote><blockquote>J<small>OSEPH</small> X. M<small>ILLER</small>, E<small>SQ</small>.</blockquote></blockquote> - -<p>Dr. Channing's MS. is very excellent. The letters are bold, -well-sized, and beautifully formed. They are, perhaps, too closely -crowded upon one another. One might, with some little acumen, detect -the high finish of Dr. C.'s style of composition in the character of -his chirography. Boldness and accuracy are united with elegance in -both. The paper very good, and wafered.</p> -<br> -<center>LETTER XXIII.</center> - -<div align="right"><i>Philadelphia</i>, -——. </div> - -<blockquote><i>Dear Sir</i>,—I must be pardoned for declining to loan the books you -mention. The fact is, I have lost many volumes in this way—and as you -are personally unknown to me you will excuse my complying with your -request.</blockquote> - -<div align="right">Yours, &c. - - - - <br> - -<img src="images/23.jpg" alt="Jos. Hopkinson"> - - </div> - -<blockquote><blockquote>J<small>OSEPH</small> Y. M<small>ILLER</small>, E<small>SQ</small>.</blockquote></blockquote> - -<p>This is a very good MS.—forcible, neat, legible, and devoid of -superfluous ornament. Some of the words are run together. The writing -slopes considerably. It is too uniform to be picturesque. The lines -are at equal distances, and a broad margin is on the left of the page. -The chirography is as good at the conclusion as at the commencement of -the letter—a rare quality in MSS.—and evincing <i>indefatigability</i> of -temperament.</p> -<br> -<center>LETTER XXIV.</center> - -<div align="right"><i>Washington</i>, -——. </div> - -<blockquote><i>Sir</i>,—Yours of the —— came duly to hand. I cannot send you what -you wish. The fact is, I have been so pestered with applications for -my autograph, that I have made a resolution to grant one in no case -whatsoever.</blockquote> - -<div align="right">Yours, &c. - - - - <br> - -<img src="images/24.jpg" alt="Wm. Emmons"> - - </div> - -<blockquote><blockquote>J<small>OSEPH</small> Z. M<small>ILLER</small>, E<small>SQ</small>.</blockquote></blockquote> - -<p>The writing of the orator is bold, dashing, and chivalrous—the few -words addressed to Mr. Miller occupying a full page. The lines are at -unequal distances, and run diagonally across the letter. Each sentence -is terminated by a long dash—black and heavy. Such an epistle might -write the Grand Mogul. The paper is what the English call silver -paper—very beautiful and wafered.</p> - -<div lang='en' xml:lang='en'> -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK <span lang='' xml:lang=''>THE SOUTHERN LITERARY MESSENGER, VOL. 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