The Press. — London, England, 1855-11-03 00:00:00

Novglop4 4,1855. and Croly, and Maginn, and Mackintosh, and Cunningham, and Kennedy, and Stabbings, and St. Ledger, and Knight, and Praed, and Lord Dudley and Ward, and Lord L. Gower, and Charles Grant, and liobliouse, and lilunt, and Milman, and Carlyle, and Macaulay, and the two Moira, and Jerdan, and Talfourd, and Dowring, and North, and Hogg, and Tickler, and twenty—forty—fifty--other crack contributors to the reviews, magazines, and gazettes, who have said more tender, and true, and fine, and deep things in the way of criticism, than ever was said before since the reign of Cadmus, ten thousand times over,—not in long, dull, heavy, formal, prosy theories,—but flung offhand, out of the glowing mint—a mitiuge of the purest ore—and stamped with the ineffaceable impress of genius. Who so elevated in intellectual rank as to be entitled to despise such a periodical literature ? " Fifty other crack contributors !" A touch of pfsise should have been reserved for the a4iniriug anal equally admirable readers ! A great celebrity of our times, Mr. gacaulay, is thus treated : North : No doubt seems to have entered the mind of the young gentleman, that, while in fact he was merely attempt ing, without much point, to stick a pin into the calf of one of lir. Southey's literary legs, he was planting a dagger in the brain of the Laureate. Shepherd • A Liliputian atween the spa* o' Gulliver. Yet one canna but admire the courage o' the cretur in the inverse ratio o' its impotence. Only suppose Soothe y to stir in his sleep—but to gie a sneeze or a snore—and boo the bit barrister—for I remember what the bit body is noo— would wriggle awa like a worm, and diving intil sonic dung, hide himsel amang the grubs. North : He's a clever lad, James- Shepherd : Evidently, and a clever lad he'll remain, de• pend ye upon that, a' the days o' his life. A clever lad o' thirty year sold and some odds, is to ma mind the waist melancholy sicht in nature —only think o' a clever lad o' threescore-and-ten on his death-bed, wha can look back on nue greater achievement than ha'in ance—or aiblins ten times—abused Mr. Soothey in the Embro' Review. Mr. Macaulay was even then more than " a clever lad. But it seems absurd to hold the brilliant supper-eaters of the "Noctes" respon siblefor their dicta. Although chopped into dialoglig, the matter in the present volume is too much of a mono logue all through. As four volumes have been assigned to the " Noctes," a portion at least ought to be given to some of the contributors, who imparted variety of every kind. One of the best of them is thus alluded to: — As for the Doctor — Shepherd: He hasna his match in a' England, I'm sure, for wut, satire, and fun, and deevil tak me if he's no alio a waist poo'rfu reasoner. Wut and Intellect are twun brithers, and sae like that, but for a sort o' smile native to the face o' the first, I'll defy you to tell the ane free the other. But might not some of Maginn's papers be printed ? The song of " Dermot O'Fig "in the first volume was attributed by the learned editor to the late Crofton Croker. We have been assured on high literary authority that it was from the pen of " the Doctor." It is a most admirable comic song, full of life and animal vivacity, and it is certainly more like Magiun's than Crofton Croker's composition. PERIODICAL LITERATURE. IN Blackwood we have "Zaidee" as charming as ever. She is, however, as usual, in sad tribulation. There is no nearer approach to the Yivians accepting the estate than before, and, further than that, Aunt Vivian becomes seriously ill, and poor Zaidee fancies it is all her doing. The most important feature, however, in this number is, that Mary Cumberland has discovered Zaidee's secret, which, like a prudent girl, she keeps to herself. We must not, however, say too much about her, or we shall be spoiling the reader's appetite "An Old Contributor at the Sea side" is full of genial fun. The section entitled " Tickler Missing "is especially good. How the con tributor took him to bathe, how he assisted "in squeezing the salt water out of his dear little pepper and-salt jacket, how be left him asleep on his own clothes and found him gone when he came out of the water, how " Tickler," " Teekel," " Teek," " Teekleur," " Taklar," resounded for hours in the neighbourhood in every variety of Norman• French which the inhabitants, stimulated by a reward of five francs, could devise, is narrated with kindly and de lightful humour. The section on creature comforts is also excellent : What with all this, one gets quite ready for dinner, ay, and now and then looks at one's watch as the hour draws near, and that's the truth, and I can't help it, and I don't care. Now look at to-day, for instance. If all go well, you may at five p.m., military time, see a very splendid red mullet, caught off the rocks this morning by one of my friends down below, who has taken a fancy to me because If admire his little boy, and sent him up with the prize as a present for Monsieur; who secretly resolved to give a franc and a half as a present in return, on some pretence or other :—Well—there's that mullet (I had to give the ar entire *beet of the nice paper on 1%44 I am THE PRESS. writing to you, that the aforesaid mullet might come to table in due state) : then (lest it should not be enough for five), two dozen nod a half of curried oysters (I intend to eat some of both) ; then some hashed mutton, and a little piece of cold corned beef; to be eaten to the tune of pickled gherkins, a jar of which, with admirable fore. thought, I had brought from England. " Modem Light Literature " consists this month of a review of " Traveller's Tales," embracing Lieutenant Burton, Mr. Wilkie Collins, Mr. Beste, and Mr. Bayle St. John. The two first are applauded, the third is treated with some good-humoured raillery, and the fourth we think deservedly chastised. The purple of the grape is the only purple in Mr. Bayle St. John's "Tints of Paris." "The Story of the Campaign " progresses to the thirty-first chapter, but, like the concluding article of the number on " War Politics," is too important to be noticed here. We may possibly have something to say to them on another occasion. The current number of Fraser opens with a new story, edited by Wilkie Collins, entitled " The Monk tons of Wincot Abbey." The first number promises well, though we question whether it be not pitched on rather too high a key to be sustained. The Monktons are a family in which insanity is supposed to be he reditary. The uncle of the young owner of Wincot has been slain in a duel in Italy, and his ghost having appeared to his nephew Alfred, the latter sets out on a pilgrimage to discover his remains, which he is convinced are unburied. lie is aware, likewise, of an old family prophecy which says that the line of the Monktops shall end when one of the family is not buried in the Wincot vault. lie leaves behind him in England a young lady, Ada Elmslie, to whom he is engaged, and to whom he has confided his secret, and at the termination of the last chapter he is just about to commence a fresh search in com pany with au old Mend, whom he had accidentally met at Naples. Here is no lack of materials for romance, yet we have observed that Mr. Collins is more happy in exciting than in realising our expecta tions. May his present story prove an exception. "American Parties, Past and Present," is a clear and instructive article, containing a brief sketch of the pro.slavery and anti-slavery, the temperance, the democratic, and the know-nothing parties. The de scription of the American slaveholder " who boasts " tohe descended from the English cavalier, and to " perpetuate in his person the type of a gentleman "derived from the old times of chivalry" (p. 525), strikes us as very good ; while the writer's remarks on the connection between democracy and Romanism are worth the consideration of all who take an interest in the present attitude assumed by the Papacy. But the truth is, that the Romanist hates every thing approaching to constitutional government, and he is not paore friendly to the democrats of Ire land or America than to the despots of Italy. " Clavering St. Mary" is a pleasant gossiping article about the worthies of Devon, evidently written by one deep in the enthusiasm which characterised " Westward Ho !" The Carews, the Gilberts, Lord John Holland, and John Oxenham, are the heroes of this article, which we should not be sorry to see con tinued on a future occasion. "A Campaign with the Russian Army " is a - very vivid and graphic picture, but we should question the accuracy of its statements. At all events, we should like some stronger evidence before believing that the respectable inhabitants of Sebastopol were under the idea that our artillery would kill at ten or twelve miles, and other marvels of the like character. The opinion which is stated to have been theirs concerning the operations of our cavalry, and our " grand awkwardness " on more than one occasion, is too probable for us to gainsay. "An Imaginary Conversation between Asipius Polio and Licinius Calvus," by Walter Savage Landor, will be read with pleasure and interest by all those to whom the names of Catullus, Caesar, Livy, and Cicero are still magic sounds. Not that we think it is free from errors. And in the first place, we may observe that it is scarcely justifiable in Mr. Landor, notwithstanding all the licence his subject gives him, to introduce Calvus as speaking familiarly about events which occurred after his own death. Calvus died certainly not later than B.C. 40, Casar was murdered B.C. 44, the fourth eclogue of Virgil was written B.C. 40, and Horace's "Journey to Brundusium " B.C. 37. Yet Calvus converses about there freely. Surely there was no necessity for this. In the next place, we do not think lie has quite fairly stated the truth about "birth and rank" in ancient Rome ; but let that pass. Both Calvus and Pollio came of plebeian gentes, and though we do not think any Roman would have used exactly the language put into the mouth of Pollio on this sub ject, yet, as great licence is permitted on these occa sions, we will say no more about it. Here is Pollio's apology for Caesar's usurpation, and Calvus's reply : My dear Licinius ! there are still poetical visions floating round about your head. Consitution I Has the dead man any? Proconsulates and commands were given to the mercenary and rapacious. Military spirit existed yet ; and it wafted at last by its strong aspiration a vigorous and a rise man to the Capitol, and the shotiM of the aol, 1053 diery shook down the rotten fabric that encumbered it. States, like men, have their growth, their manhood, their decrepitude, their decay. Caine Julius, oven had he been willing, could not have propt up so wornr•eaten a fabric. He called stout workmen in, and pulled it down. It was time that ssmething better should be substituted. No death ever was so deplorable to his country as Caesar's. am far from being an admirer of Cicero's polity, much as 1 admire his eloquence. He excited the murderers of the greatest man the world had ever seen, of the man who would have protected his life and preserved his dignity. He fell by ungrateful hands, as Julius had fallen; yes, poor Cicero fell by hands equally ungrateful and inure ignoble. Calvus ; Neither so vindictive as Sulla nor so sangui nary as Marius, yet Caius Julius cared little for human blood, whether it ran upon the earth or stagnated and col , rupted under ; and in these sentiments he found conge- niality among the Gauls, than whom no people is more indifferent to the duration of life, or less indifferent to its enjoyments. Never had leader more faithful relievers, followers a more indulgent leader. Mr. Landor's criticisms on the style of Livy, Cicero, and Catullus we think are just, though we cannot help fancying the reader will smile at the turn given to the address of Tarquiz to Lucretia : Note the order of words. " Simms Tarquinius sum; ferrum in manu oat; moriere si emiseris vocem." I have remarked to many this admirable collocation. He would win her to compliance by his name, which bore al mg with it his royal rank, his martial courage, his lofty stature, and that prowess of limb which in woman's eyes is manly beauty. The verb follows the noun—not a syllable pre cedes it. He then intimidates her—the sword is there— the verb again stands behind. She must see at once the whole extent of her danger—death is announced—uncon ditional, inevitable ? No ; but, "si emiseris rot:ern." Wo know in what manner our friend Cicero would have fabri cated the sentence ; ,we are quite certain his ear (par don the expression) would have overlapped his under standing, and the sentence would have been this:—"Ego sum Sextus Tarquiuitis ; in mann autem ferruni eat; at vocem emiseris moriere." In the middle of this oration the girl would have jumped out of bed, and have run down stairs before it ended. The remaining articles comprise "The Early History of 'Russia," a review of "My Schools and School masters," by Hugh Miller, and a paper on "The Condition of France." This latter contains several pages of commercial statistics, which we dare say are valuable, and a review of the various French govern ments from Louis XIV. downwards, which is remark able for doing more justice than usual to the old Bourbon dynasty:— - - Under the monarchy of Louis XV. there was undoubtedly the germ of a free and liberal, and of a firm and constitu• lions], government. That germ required great dexterity and a considerable period fur its expansion. But in that crisis of French destiny there was no masterband to guide tile vessel through the storm, and when once wrecked in the tumult of revolution Its efficient reconstruction was totally chimerical. We now reap the result. Of the Dublin University, to say that it is a very good number would be to say nothing distinctive, for we think it has for some time past contained more genuine magazine articles of a superior class than most of its contemporaries. The present number contains two long historical papers—one on " The Progress of Russia," the other a review of Helps's " Spanish Conquests in America;" a dashing Eastern story, something in the style of "Frank Hilton," called " Sultan Akbar's Love ; or, the Siege of Chittorer the concluding chapters of " Alberico Porro : a Tale of the Italian Insurrection, 1848 ;" and the opening ones of a new story, entitled " The Old House of Darkbrothers." These last are written with very great merit indeed, though the scene at the hall, when the rioters assemble on the lawn, is, perhaps, a little too near that inimitable chapter is " Sybil,' to be entirely free from a suspicion of plagiarism. However, we dare say it was quite un intentional, and the writer, at all events, shows that he is thoroughly competent to shine without bor• rowed plumes. But the most interesting article of the whole number is No. U of the "Dramatic Writers of Ireland," containing sketches of Sheil, Griffin, and Banim. Shell's dramatic success was not ftist.rate ; nevertheless, during the eight years he wrote for the stage, or from 1814 to 1822, he netted 2,0001. An amusing anecdote is told of him in connection with his fiisit play, Adelaide ; or, the Emigrants, brought out at Covent Garden on the 23rd of May, 1814. Sheil, it appears, was behind the scenes, and, observing that his piece was received with a dead silence, perhaps rather un like what he hail been accustomed to in Dublin, asked abruptly, " Pray, when do they usually begin to damn a new " piece here ?" (Hazlitt said of Adelaide, that. "if it " had had one good passage it would infallibly have " been damned.") His second play, The Apostate, was, however, much more successful, and his profits amounted to 7901., the largest sum which he ever received for one performance. Though Shell for mally ceased to write for the stage in 1822, be had a band in many pieces produced subsequently, and it was not ell the year 1835 that big connection with the drama finally terminated. It is difficult," bays the reviewer, "to fix the exact rack which, as a " dramatic writer, Sheil is entitled to hold. Id.