The Press. — London, England, 1853-10-15 00:00:00

OCTOBER 13, 1853. by no means underrate the trouble bestowed on I its compilation, while we admit that authenti city in a work of this kind is of more value than vivacity of style. In justice to the author we will quote the following extract from his preface : I and much indebted to the kindness of Mr. Ttarww for allowing me to look over the Naval Records in the Admi ralty ; and. in ease any doubt should *ASO a% to the Originality of the design of my work. he will. I aim sure, gladly bear w it lies,: that my visitsthere for the object of eolleeting matteriak preceded by several months the appearanee of a littl, I written by one of the clerks in his Ake, and hearing the very title which 1 than menti dit was my intention to prelix to mine as a :would title. The Act of Mr. Kingston retelling to the re cords at the Admiralty has made us read with attention many of the 1111Mr0118 unocdotcs of courage and seamanship here preserved. It may be difficult to make a selection, but we find the author awards the palm for superiority to Lieutenant Pe Courcy's capture of the Cunha genan fleet in Is-11. The eireninstunees of this Nelsonian feat appear like one of the startling incidents in Captain Marryat's Per cival Keene." We will extract the narrative of this brilliant action as told hero. W e nee d only premise that sonic English merchant ships had been plundered by sonic Carthagenan men-of war, and the British Consul demanded the assistance of Lieutenant De Convey, of the Charybdis. The afthir took Owe in February, Isi I : - - - As soon as the British officer hail returned on board the ( rybdi.. awl reported these eiretionstalices. I .ioutentint lie Convey determined to compel attention to his commit niestions. 'Fite eharybdix was rated 114 a ti gun brig. lint site carried only one long gun i.. i . Iships and two ciliur . tides, and her full complement Or I officers and men was lint fifty-tile. Nothing daunted, however. lie Isildly en tered the 'mil, MO WIN passing up to an iniehornge, When, witlnott any provocation, he was tired into by tin , corvette.. the eiroinntalore's vessel, and the forestay of the ltoryinfi, , was 51144 away. TIIIS Was all illstlll not tor 1111 111stallt to be borne. and, in spite of the small size of his vessel. moil the apparently overwhel • g Puree oppinteil to him, he ini inediately took up St paaitiurl , sled opened Ida tire no the corvette. officers and erew enthusiastically se con•le•l him, and working their guns with a will, so ratiblly was the tire delivered, awl so well was it that in 8 short tine t'w c wvette hauled down her coliturs awl surrendervil, when, on taking pusutessi 111 l of her, it was fintiol that the eotininshire and twent y-tive of his wwit had Mlle& the mean time a brig-of war hail been coming 111)1%11 to the assistance of the eiwyette, by three schooners, anal scaieeiy had the first been disposed of when she came into action. Unethainded by Ifnir exeiiions, the gallant erew of the Charybdis fought their guns as before, 14111 in five minutes after they had been brought to bear on the brig she sank, and in a short time the sehininers, after , Ac t litt igilig a few shots, also surrendered. Thos. iu the emirs,. of less than all hour the whole of the t 'wihng+ matt sipiallr•in was captured mid ilestniyed—the victor mumbling nt anchor in their port, with his prizes, to await the acid . • of the admiral Olt the station as to their dispinial. Althinigh, proltably, the vessels of the enemy '111 . 1‘• 11441144* Well 11)11111 • well manned, still their rOll . l. wax so im mensely superior to that of the British brig. that we must allow that not not a more spirited or gallant action Ilan been performed sine'(' her !tiniest) came to the throne that of Lieutenant De l'imey's capture of the Carthagenan 11,44. Ile, in consequence, at once received his ',munition to the rank of commander. --- In ease this wmit should reach a second edition we would recommend the author to give a fuller account of the Polar Expeditions. II is anecdotes of personal courage of the " blue jackets" might be published separately for po pular circulation. The lieliyions Aspect of the OM War in Chino. By the Rev. William IL Rule. London: Partridge and Oakey. THE present civil war in China is interesting from various points of view. Directly it is of importance, as relating to the eommercial interests of the British merchants settled in several of the chief cities in China, along with those of the American, French, and other European residents in Hong-Kong and the five ports. lint the moral interest suggested by a religions insurrection amongst the Chinese is infinitely greater, uuel hues excited much curiosity amongst reflective persons. It is too soon, perhaps, to generalise with err faulty upon the ehanteter of these revolution ary eommotions, and we must wait for better information before we can possibly eongratu bite ourselves on the bounds of aristendom being permanently enlarged in China. Me know nothing of the reverend writer of this pamphlet except that he appears to be a Methodist clergyman. lie takes a sceptical view of the alleged triumphs of Christianity in THE PRESS. the Chinese revolution. and cautions upon the real character of the insurrection. Alluding to the sanguine speculations of some 11101111 enthusiasts, the writer says : Mani . persons imagine that it is a t • IlliStl4ll 1110Veinrett, g 1141141 awakening of the greate.t empire of the world. -a manifestation of tin. power 4 1 f .%Itinglity t ;oil to co erw helm the idolatry of ages alder 41114. vast flood of imlignation. The icasity. of till. MOIIIIIOO they stlllllOSe to he 11t1 tt mem or enlightened, 01% at 11•1124. lialletilittlitemal. Ito 4iiiireiN idler tenth. Tien•teli, or Titi•ping-wang.— for. in the present vontission of ideas. 114'0140 11111V4` 1144 co •to distinguish between the living and the dead.—they hail as 1111 4•11\1 1 , of the kinploin of heaven, one sent of 044 to .et up that king,loin in the solid. Now, they inynnise thentseli the millentniunt i. to begin. Five years ago the more sanguine thought they situ the millennial glory in the dowilfal of I . :nrollean Sovereigns but that was an illusion. Now they think they see the milk Ig;ali u, the kingilom of Boil coming with 01 , ml - intim', not than the West. tis in NIS, but 1 . 11/111 Iho East. Uniluestionably there may be much extra vagance of speculation about this insurrection, but that does not invalidate the important fact of there being a menu movement, of a remarkable description. amongst the Chinese. There never yet, was any great popular change without its full share of violence and absurdity. but we must, not, theref►re, be blind to the good, while we reeal the h►ul, results of a reel,- lett' . It is well, however, to her both sides on this Chinese revolt. Mr. Huh. writes : 111 eggimmin with most of their profession, they not only •111 l kit the sin of h iug tt idiom ea ia all, but the) avow' it witlegitt shame; and it it he ihint. with a relig . intention.—let lut• be forgiven this ant iplintsis,—ille) gl,,ry in it. What shall we think. then, of ilke morality of it people guided la) such l e achers lin, even in England, pub• Holt their frauds without a blush ? What, think we, may la• the litniiilaral of l'lnistianitv where men Ill'e 1111141 . C 11614411 1 4? 111• how east wi. trust those emissaries to frame a stanilaril liar the neophytes they make. N They are lint to he trusted. They Mat lilllr 01' 4 . .il lies( inenleatiou et•en of their alWil allael rine. but s' one of their insist felieitions diw•mrlit•a iu Mil , , ii/11111') ' , Malice 111 In* the lira• of the apionge figi baptising surreptitious') ; and to that gild the) hat a . latterly obtained SIN igIN CP alit al 141 (he eglillitiort ill . their agents, and the admiration of t Antl on the ieonochisni "of thy insurrection he thus says As for the iconoclasts' %Melt has appearesl, in the eyes of some, to Is, a clianieteristie of Protestantism, a };lance at the operations of Runtish missions in all 1011:41111 011111. (lit'!" might suffice tio eon ince any 11111 . that the worship pers of the crucifix are, sit all othiseN ill the world, 1114'11111A artiVe its demolishing ON( 114 . 1 . 01Ulicil sacred by Idler iilolithaa. With them iconoclasm is carri e d 4ml to the lib Ills•mt iiraeticablis extent. X 1111 1 .1% f.ar c‘ftiftlily, used to delight 'dimwit' in seeing triama of children sally forth to break down and shatter the goils of their fathers+ gin the coast of Corium:mold, and in solos,. parts of hitlill. Tsi destroy Idols is taught as a part of I 'hi isnot' education by the etiiiKaltlil.l4 thinl this. The Isistssry AllWriei furnishes innumerable examples of the same kind ; wheareas it in equally well known that Protestant missionaries exercise a tenderness awl caution iii sill such matters which fully exonerate them from aitspieisai is this came. A great trimmilt over idolatry tins hotly been aellievell in Western Allica, by the grnee of I issil ; but there, following the advice of the Wl•4l4 , ,ftft mimfti•onftriem. advice reitenitisil through a periial of many years, the con verted heathen have solemnly surrendered the olsksists4 ut their former worship. lost wit hout Vi(111 . 111 . 1 . , and eceu w ith out levity. Popular assoootles4 isn other temple*. altars, sussi idol% than their own are mashe soul gloried in by Pionismists and Pagans; but such Villll . lll . e has never yet been envois raged by us. leonochun, therefore, does PrOteStillit agency, whether it loges in the provinces China, or any where elite. We think it not improbable that his anti- Romanist feelings may mislead Mr. Rule. Ile does not distinguish sufficiently lwtween pure and corrupt Christianity. The history of the Chun+ ought to teach him that, unlike all the false religions, Christianity (even when perverted by gross superstition) has a ten dency to regenerate itself. Notwithstanding his deprecatory criticisms, we are inclined to believe that there is very much that is remark able in this Chinese imivenit at, and we look with interest to its progress. Sep The Irish Quarierly Reriew. XI. tember. W. R. Kelly. Tuts periodival journal is one that merits the attention of all interested in the carious forms of " the lush question." It is eon ducted upon a principle perfectly novel in Irish literature—namely, the entire avoidance of party polities and religious controversy. It hats both general and local aims ; and we oh serve that nearly one half of its Friec is de voted to literary criticism, and the remainder given to original illustration of Irish historical tied social SllltilletS. In the Belles Lewes of the present number there is an interesting essay 011 " 1 1 114`114 of Fashioti," in which the author passes in review the writings of Sir Chitties Danbury Williams, l'aptain Morris, Speneer. Monk I,t4vim, Luttrell, James smith. Theodore Iltsok. and Haynes Bayley. The classiliestion oil pied is too arbitrary. " Poets of Pashion " not eonimenee with Sir I I atiloary Williams, and neither Monk L e wis nor James Smith hail tine special claim," to be ranged with Luttrell and William Spencer. In alluding to 11.101n-11'm " Advice to Julia " the reviewer ought not to have omitted what Kenney the dramatist said of it — namely, that " as a poem it was tots long, and not broad enough" ! The writer sloes not know the exact style of several of the soc ial celebrities introduced ill his essay, which, it' intended sits we suspect) for future reprint, should be carefully leviaed. For example, it is it great blunder to elates " Historic Fancies " in the eategmy of works discussed by the essayist. The series of papers called " Thu Streets of Dublin " litts evidently been sug gested by Mr. Peter Cmininglitim's excellent " Handbook of London," but it has Move of a IlibtOlieltl diameter than its prototype ; we observe with pleasure that it contains flinch 11011 . 4.1.11 y 111.101m1 matter. When com pleted, these papers will form a animistie his tory of Dulain, its which shape they may again l'llllll` 11(401V us for 'wiliest notice. One of the reasons why Irish history is 50 11111Vallilldt' in frOln the paucity of illustrative works deplet ing the l iersonuel of !limb p ublic lift'. in s style similar to the memoirs of Dill' Evelyn, Pepys, IValpole, and others. The author Of those papers on " The Streets of Dublin " is very likely to fill up that great blank in his coun try's literature. The work of Mr. Maguire, the member fits. Dintgarxitis, on 'lite Develop• ment of Irish Industry," is reviewed at great length. lint the reviewer is not Vaillal to the subject., and is deficient. in scientific know ledge. The writer titlarks Sir Archibald Alison for his strictures on the felts, and thus says in it style that we thought was :-- " iv slue in I rcl i ;wapiti stilAireclion ill' sit movial iuq,rove Ito lit 1' In se is .111.1. MO in learning 810 Kirwan, last Pin is and I:11s4, eid K an,•, inferior? I are Ii rat tan, I liotrke. situ 1%8141441. atilt Mill K irwan the preacher, mad 11'1 inferior ? 111 g a, an. 'ongrove and Farquhar, awl Shut iduu, and NI noir, and Itaniut, awl Lover, mot Slici Mon 110 itl lI'S, its In art, lll's' Harry, anti ltteeli.e, and I tatiby , toil Mogan, anti NI • I Wows I, inferior'' In ant iikotarian know. bag... nye o'll •sii. I Corry. awl Paine, awl 11 o'4 'al litOtan tit's rior ? lit medical awl poirgival learning. not I's. !dim, and 'ilaitek • and '4 0111g1411, NMI Ktloker, inferior'.' In iusair, an. Caiolati awl oils. °blur lambi, tad rb•ven• non, aid 111116% sinus ‘t al lave, inferior ? Its arms, al lei's le I nie. at 4' women', at lon Iv Hoy, were we infErior \re Willing'. at awl Bough inferior I lora I I tool v t h e I 'cirtitio ar War ' Wellington's emotes .how no we so. interior To which tvc reply, that, Ho one ever denied that Celtic tribes prothieell poets, orators, warriors, and philosophers ; for the 411111010- gleel question at issue in the problem is essentially one of the ciaispanttive degree, upon the contrast with the developments 01 other races. Ilut the passage we have cited teems with particular blunders iii enumerating cele brated Irish 11111111'14 its belonging to 4' Celts." The family of Parsons, to which I eonl 11111040 1/001101, is one of English descent, and vililicd in Mr. Duffy's " of the North," where the writer talks of " Parsons' rulliatii sword." Moyle, the philosopher, was Intim at !Anneals Castle, but hit was essentially of English parentage ; and we have to 11'11111111 this care less essayist that it is not the but the blitinl inherited, that classifies it 11111114.11 snl'jrct t', it II It lanliii•111111' Mrs'. tie, 1111S11, " 1.11111111 Mill Were MIL The first had El /1' his 1111 /1111'1' 1/11' Of the secs' (11 . Nlerlay, itw witch gave Ireland many men of worth and eminence in the last evistury ; 111111 011 1110111 iris parents' slits' 111111.1 w i ts descended fllllll Anglo-Normans fitrefittliers who Lad settled in Ireland. Con greve tool Farquhar were no Celts." Samin was sprung from French Huguenots ; and if we hail space we might go over very nearly 0v „. 1 . v nom , its the list, and show that its owner had mixed blood in his veins, and that some . like Wellinut ns and others, had no Celtic blood at all. I I