The Sun. — London, England, 1836-11-01 00:00:00

.~=~ f AGAZINE DAY .~~_ BLACKWOOD T S MAGAZINE. " The House of Peers," which is the most charac teristic diatribe in this month's Blackwood, is by no Means so remarkable for its logic as for its rampant clerical orthodoxy. That the writer is a clergyman, We hav e li tt l e or no doubt, from his frequent allusions to the " Property of the Church," which he appears to think would lunig etc this have been confiscated, had it not been for the decided conduct of the House of Lords. Of course, therefore, he sets no bounds to his admiration of this institution ; and asks in the very first instance, " where would England now have been, but for the House of Peers r" —to which we make answer, infinite!v farther advanced on the road to poli tical i m p rovement t h an s h e i s at present , oris likely to be for some time to come. The writer goes on to state— " In the insolence consequent on Catholic triumph—in the open announcement of the objects of Popish ambition min the virulence and animosity of the Roman Priesthood and their nominees in the British Parliament is to be found the cause of the general resurrection of the religious spirit of the nation. All true friends of the Church—all genuine Protestants in the ranks of the Dissenters—all Christians in sincerity and truth, have now combined with the friends of the monarchy in combating the efforts of the coalition of Papists and infidels who have united for the destruction of the Protestant establishment. Insensibly the contest has assumed a religious character. Whig and Tory, Reformer a nd Anti-R e f ormer , are b ecom i ng merge d in the one grand di stinction of Popish and Protestant. Matters are coming back to the issue between Rome and England as in 1642 ; the train is preparing for a repetition of the unanimous Protestant effort of 1688. The bridge of union between the higher and the lower orders of England, cut away by the Relief Bill of 1829, has been restored by the violence and ambition of the Popsh demagogues. O'Connell con fesses that the majority of England—of England so recently C onvulsed with Reform transports—is against him." The writer must be sadly pressed for the means of offenc e or defence when he is obliged to draw his s hafts from Mr. O'Connell's .quiver. The remark of this gentleman, that England was opposed to the in terests of Ireland, was one which he made in haste, and has repented of at leisure ; for it has been triumphantly refuted by almost every Liberal Journal in the kingdom. Yet here we find it again endeavoured to be turned to account, just as if it were an indisputable truth, instead of a hasty fallacy. As regards the remark, that the Present contest between the two parties of Reformers and Conservatives " has assumed a religious character," !lone but a clergyman, who is also a pedant, would h ave ventured to put forth such an absurdity. Reli gion has no more to do with the matter, than it has w ith Mortimer O'Sullivan's Exeter Hall sermons ; the struggle is purely political, being an attempt on the Part of the one party to cripple the rational freedom of t he subject, and on the other to promote it by the ap- Plication of constitutional remedies to acknowledged grievances. " The World we Live in," is a rambling, desultory p aper , h a lf- a necdotical, half-satirical ; had it b een a little more condensed, it would have been more effective in the reading. With the " Metaphysician" we will not meddle, for it is a paper that demands more 'close attention than we can afford to bestow on it in th ese brief, hasty notices. There are many subtle !noughts in it, and an approach to ingenious paradox n , r ere and there, which would have delighted Hazlitt. he " Great Unknown" is a lively tale, in which the c haracter of a city tourist among the Highlands is not u naruusingly hit off. " Alcibiades the Man" improves greatly on acquaintance ; it is dashed off in a free, bold spirit, without the slightest appearance of effort. Whoever is the author of this energetic series of papers, Is unquestionably a scholar of no mean pretensions, and who is well read in that most puzzling of all Greek historians, Thucydides. " Historical Painting" con tains some sensible truths which those who take an interest in the Fine Arts will do well to read with at tention. " State Education" is the result of much Patient research, though a Conservative bias is too evident throughout it. FRASER'S MAGAZINE. " Sir Egerton Brydges's notes on WTraxall's Posthu mous Memoirs" are a treasure. They are the vivid re rniniscences of great men by a man of genius, pos sessed of the faculty of conveying with individual dis tinctness his every impression of all with whom he c arne in contact. There is no mistaking these " Notes" f 'r the production of a young man writing only what he hea r d an d rea d o f statesmen of a preceding age. n f Pitt, Fox, Sheridan, Burke, Tierney, Yorke, b ‘ i 'ankes, and Wilberforce, Sir Egerton Brydges writes as if they were among the number of his school-boy associates. It is evident, however, that Pitt and Burke fill a greater space in his mind than all the men wh o figured in England during the lon g reign of G eo rge the Third. The political career of the heaven-born Minister" is the theme u p on wh ich he lov es to d we ll w ith the greatest complacency. He is never weary of gossipping about Pitt, a making s ultnis • hi es wit', respect to the origin and soundness of tLs policy. When he leaves the Minister to examine he strength of the opposition, he does so with evident reluctance, and lie is uneasy till lie returns to the 'astir," Benches. He says that though Pitt was a tua nof transendant talents, yet he wanted genius— nPini ( I, on which hardly requires corroboration. He d oes not believe that Pitt was a truly great Minister ; f o t ' t he doubt s if even a greater would have done more 13 : the country. He describes him as regardless of the f at st ' and incapable of penetrating the mysteries of the ur e--as the Statesman of his own time, and one who 4ti s t Pised the prejudices in favour of old established in- , portitions. W e are no admirers of Sir E. Brydges l es it leal r eason i ng. W e cou ld w i s h hi s " Notes were ti ad sta ken up with disquisitions on banking and currency, ...,, ' that we h a d st ill more o f hi s d e li g h t f u l goss i p . iBo -t t 4 " secret history of the " Irish Insurrection of e ver " contains the best and fullest account we have ev en ,7 e n of the occurrences in Ireland during that 4, 1 -411 period. Whatever may be thought by the %tr an , auts of a Government of the conduct of men whjg' i ing to cast off its yoke, a day will yet come fr e ., d l t he nam es o f these martyrs to the cause of an n , (4l ' will be enrolled among the brightest in the ; 1 7 of Ireland. of a 11 ,,, e "Last of the Lairds," and the' Reminiscences Th i l. %Ably Nurse," are tales of considerable merit. itt e e l ' n es on , " Peel Castle," are sad trash. Such lines A rO3 lll Y fit f or kindling a kitchen fire. " State and th e P e eta of Whiegism," is a furious invective against ()li,, Pres ent Government. Every body knows that seasorke's politics are ultra-Tory, and we need tt ravv Y add, that for the same reason nobody cares three is, h s about them The Number, take it all in all, t hat °l7 ,. e c'=r, excellent. The portrait for November is t h rio t t` e 4 r. Lodge, author of the " Portraits of Illus 'rle certainly h atacters," in his regal robes as Norroy. looks " every inch a king." Th il e i l ''S MAGAZINE E.—Sinwkin and Marshall. th e cir euects of the reduction of the Stamp duty on 41)1 e art e . u i la tion of the liberal Press is the subject of an writer i le 'e in Tait for the present month. The L N . r eeth la s evidently taken great trouble to ascertain the "ov v , ": 88 of his statements ; .9nd all that we ourselves r have trai eonfi heard on the subject, tends to their tes s rination. The circulation of the liberal he due increased amazingly since the reduction of Pir atio4 an d we hav e no d ou bt b u t th a t, b e f ore th e ex r ° t l tth a nother year its total circulation will be one th e gr eat __ c oNts __ Fi r than it is at present. We asserted from as ta tie "' r e ,cenient that a penny stamp would produce t f lf 4rl C, sti a v enu e to the Government as the four-penny any• l , I , l c t to a dis count ; an d b e f ore t h e expiration Tlitest.bla nths, th at assertion will be borne out by e eviden e u "elu • e. ston of Humphrey Hawkins, " who could not see things in that light," is better than the beginning. The writer, whoever he may be, is an ac quisition to Tait. The most interesting article in the present Number, is the Review of " Hazlitt's Life of Napoleon"—a masterly, but most unequal production. Hazlitt adored the memory of Napoleon—the hero of a hundred battles was, in his opinion, something more than man. There were years of his life during which he scarcely can be said to have thought of anything but the astounding achievements of the mighty Conqueror. But he had not the materials, where with to write a complete life of Napoleon, and even if he had had all that he wanted, there were por tions of the life of the Emperor to which Hazlitt's feelings would not allow him to do justice. " Lord Brougham, the Citizens of Edinburgh, and the London Press," is a searching exposure of the ma lignant attacks that have been recently directed against that eminent statesman by certain of our Tory and Ra dical contemporaries. The article on the " Reports of Parliamentary Committees on Agriculture," contains some very lucid observations on the probable effect of the introduction of Poor Laws into Ireland. We en tirely agree with every thing put forth by the writer on this subject. We are convinced that a sound system of Poor Laws would work the social regeneration of Ireland. There is a tolerable sprinkling of verses scattered over Tait, but of these effusions none rise above mediocrity. NEW MONTHLY. There is a clever portrait—clever so far as the en graving is concerned, for we cannot speak to the like ness—of Mr. Horace Smith in this Number, an author, who after all his literary experiments must be content to rest his fame on the share he took in that first-rate jeux d'esprit, the " Rejected Addresses." His novels are all dead, without hope of resurrection ; but many of' his "livelier'EsSays in this Magazine still live, though they give, we believe, but faint signs of of animation. " The History of a Radical" promises well, though, as the tale is but just commenced, and bids fair to fill a volume, we forbear till we see more of it from offering a decided opinion. But is it true, as the author states, that the Oxford servitors are still compelled to wait at table ? We had thought this barbarism had been long since done away with. " Wayside Flowers," by Mrs. Hall, are plea santly written. Nothing can be juster than her remark that " there is something about Wales and the Welsh which gives me the impression that I am far far away , from dear England." We who have traversed the Principality on foot from one end to the other, can speak to the truth of this. " Great People" is a lively article, redolent of Poole and Poole-isms. From the " Records of a Stage Veteran" we select a few agreeable anecdotes:— Young Grimaldi and T. Dibdin.—The late young Gri maldi boasted a vernacular peculiarly his own. If he had had a companion to cope with him, in six weeks they would have forgotten the English language, and framed an entirely new tongue. He ( Grimaldi) never used any phrase reco:nised by so ciety ; for example, Mr. T. Dibdin, during the frequent illnesses of Mr. Grimaldi senior, one day asked the son very earnestly after his father. "Oh 1 the old buffer's as stiff as pitch," said the young clown. " Good God, Sir," said Dibdin, " you don't, —you cannot mean to say he is no more ?" "No more I" said Grimaldi, " he's more than you are, he's all drawn up of a heap." "Am Ito infer that he is better?" " Why, don't I tell you so ?—he's as right as a trivet." " Shall we have the pleasure of seeing. him this evening ?" " 'Course you will," replied Joe, " he's coming at darkey just to see the beauty of things." [lt may be necessary to say that Mr. Grimaldi meant to imply that his father had thrown aside his crutches, could stand upright (" all of a heap"), and was coming that night to witness the performances.]" L—, when at Cambridge, was alike remarkable for his enormous obesity and his exceeding dulness ; an acquaintance impugning L—'s scholarship, Cooke defended it ;—" I have no doubt he's a capital classic," said Tom, " for I am told he was reckoned the greatest sizar in the college." Once, whilst at Plymouth, a very juvenile midshipman, flourishing his dirk, swaggered into the theatre. "My dear sir," said Liston to the door-keeper, " why don't you attend to the announcement at the bottom of your bills—Children in arms not admitted?" Liston asked Mathews to play for his benefit • the latter excused himself, as he had to act elsewhere. " I would if I could," said the mimic, " but I can't split myself in half." " Unaph I don't know that," said Liston, " I hare often seen you play in two pieces." A Pertinent Query—Mrs. W ---, notwithstanding her pro fessional powers, displays so little knowledge on general sub jects as to have obtained the sobriquet of the " inspired sim pleton." She had the misfortune to meet an accident in tra velling which accelerated her accouchement, and she became the mother of a seven-months' child. She was weeping, and exclaiming that the infant would not live, when Mr. W-- consoled her by assuring her that his own grandfather was a seven-months' child. " Very likely, my dear," said the weep ing beauty. " but did he live F" Richardson the Showman.—This person, who is the last of the real race of itinerant dramatic showmen, amassed a fortune by unwearied industry ; for upwards of forty years he has reigned supreme in Smithfield and other fairs. It happened some years since, at the time of the fair at St. Alban's, that a dreadful fire occurred ; Richardson and his company did their utmost to extinguish it, and their services were considered valuable. Some time afterwards a subscription was raised for the uninsured sufferers; a plain-looking man, in a rusty black coat, red waistcoat, corduroy inexpressibles, and worsted stockings, entered the committee-room and gave in his sub scription, 100/. " What name shall we sa y, s i r ?" as k e d t h e astonished clerk. "Richardson, the penny showman," was the proud reply. This gentleman's acquaintance with Johnson and Boyer is very limited. Whilst at St. Alban's (where, in consequence of his liberality, he received a perpetual permission to act plays during and three days after the fair) some ladies came to take places, and the younger ones asked him if the pieces were interesting, and more especially if love were the theme— Oh all about that, Miss," replied Richardson, " for you see, the first piece is Lovers' Wows,' and the second un is Rondy-vows.' " Charles Bannister.__Bannistor and a military friend were regaling at " Sir Ralph Abercromby's Head," and the con versation turned upon the hero whose name had been given to the tavern ; he had just fallen at Aboukir, and it was the fashion for every one to relate some personal anecdote of him. The military gentleman did so, but Bannister denied the cor rectness or one or two of his assertions. " Zounds," said the soldier, " I ought to know ; I have served with the man, and have known Abercromby ever since he was a lieutenant." And what of that," said Charles, coolly, " nhen I have known him ever since he was an inn-sign r Jew Davis.—Bashfulness is not the badge of his tribe, and it certainly formed no part of his character; he had a sort of celebrity for non-payment. One of his creditors, thinking to shame him out of the money he owed, stood up in the pit of Sadler's Wells, and said, " Air. Davis, I said I would expose you; you owe me seventeen and sixpence." " So I do," said Davis, perfectly coolly, and advanchsg to the foot-lights, " oblige lite with half-a-crown, and it will make an even pound." We need . not add that the creditor took nothing by his motion. A Broad Hint—When the case of Chambers, in connexion with the Opera House, was brought before Lord Brougham, the Court was crowded with theatrical persons, many of whom were foreigners, The hum of conversation seriously inter rupted the business. His Lordship complained of it once or twice, and at last said to the ulber—" If this noise does not cease, I shill be obliged to speak to your successor." The silence the next moment was avi ful. Destinations of a family.—When Kean came to London, and was the idol of Drury, hia mother and brother were acting in a barn at Peckham, Surrey ; and his sister, under the name of Carey, at the West London Theatre, Tottenham-street, then under the management of Mr. Beverley. THE PICKTVICK CLUB. Our friend " Boz " keeps up his reminiscences of the bland old Cockney, Mr. Pickwick, with remark able spirit. Though full of humour, this character never once transgresses propriety—a great merit, when we consider the temptations it offers for whimsical ex aggeration. But decidedly our favourite is Sam Wel ler, a sketch made up of many individuals, assisted by a lively and fertile fancy, and which none but a true comic genius could have ventured to tamper with. " Boz " not unfrequently reminds us of old Mundell ; he has the same quiet, oily humour, and the same inveterate love of detail in his portraits. Ho conceives strongly, and his execution answers to his conceptions, We subjoin a favourable specimen of his more vigorous and graphic style, and may just observe by the way, that the engravings are as admirable as the lite- f 2 ry portion of the " Pickwick Club." The author : and the artist play into each other's hands—under stand pitch other's pealiatittes thor oug hl y Ah a p , said OP old man i , a brief description of whose . citwipk--‘! - 14; * cr yi ng manner and appearance conao4ded the last c h apter , " Ah a ! Pi who wag talking about the pinx?'? war, Sir," replied what singular odd pJaces they are.' . ' Tom " sad th,e eld malt, pontemptu ous l y— " Wh at d o you know of the time when young men shut themselves up in those lonely rooms, and read and read, hour after hour, and night after night, till their reason wandered beneath their mid night studies; till their mental powers were exhausted ; till morning's light brought no freshness or health to them ; and they sunk beneath the unnatural devotion of their youthful energies to their dry old books? Coming down to a later time, and a very different day, what do you know of the gra • dual sinking beneath consumption, or the quick wasting of fever—the grand results of ' life' and dissipation—which men have undergone in those same rooms ? How many vain pleaders for mercy, do you think have turned away heart-sick from the lawyer's office, to find a resting-place in the Thames, or a re fuge in the gaol ? They are no ordinary houses, those. There is not a panne] in the old wainscotting, but what, if it were endowed with the powers of speech and memory, could start from the wall, and tell its tale of horror—the romance of life, Sir, the romance of life. Common-place as they may seem now, I tell you they are strange old places, and I would rather hear many a legend with a terrific-sounding name, than the true history of one old set of chambers." There was something so cdd in the old man's sudden energy, and the subject which bad called it forth, that Mr. Pickwick was prep7red with no observation in reply ; and the old man checking his impetuosity, and resuming the leer, which had disappeared during his previous excitement, said— " Look at them in another light : their most common-place and least romantic : what fine places of slow torture they are. Think of the needy man who has spent his all, beggared him. self, and pinched his friends, to enter the profession, which is destined never to yield a morsel of bread to him. The wait ing--the hope—the disappointment—the fear—the misery_ the poverty—the blight on his hopes, and end to his career-- the suicide perhaps, or, better still, the shabby, slip-shod drunkard. Am I not right about them, eh ?" And the old man rubbed his hands, and leered as if in delight at having found another point of view in which to placo his favourite subject. " Mr. Pickwick eyed the old man with great curiosity, and he remainder of the company smiled, and looked on in silence." " Talk of your German universities," said the little old man—" Pooh, pooh there's romance enough at home, with out going half a mile for it; only people never think of it." " I never thought of the romance of this particular subject before, certainly," said Mr. Pickwick, laughing. " To be sure you didn't," said the little old man, "of course not. As a friend of mine used to say to me, What is there in chambers, in particular ?" Queer old places,' said I. Not at all,' said he. Lonely,' said I. ' Not a bit of it,' said he. He died one morning of apoplexy, as he was going to open his outer door. Fell with his head in his own letter. box, and there he lay for eighteen months. Every body thought he'd gone out of town." " And how was he found at last ?" inquired Mr. Pickwick. " The benchers determined to break his door open, as he hadn't paid any rent fo r t wo y ears . S o th ey did. Forced the lock ; and a very dusty skeleton in a blue coat, black knee-shorts, and silks, fell forward in the arms of the porter who opened the door. Queer, that. Rather, perhaps ; rather, eh ?" And the little old men put his head more on one side, and rubbed his hands with unspeakable glee. " I know another case," said the little old man, when his chuckles had in some degree subsided—" It occurred in Clif ford's Inn. Tenant of a top set—bad character—shut himself up in his bed-room closet, and took a dose of arsenic. The steward thought Ise had run away : opened the door, and put a bill up. Another man came, took the chambers, furnished them, and went to live there. Somehow or other he couldn't sleep—always restless and uncomfortable. ' Odd,' says he. I'll make the other room my bed-chamber, and this my sit ting-room.' He made the change, and slept very well at night, but suddenly found that somehow he couldn't read in the evening : he got nervous and uncomfortable, and used to be always snuffing his candles and staring about him. I can't make this out,' said he, when he came home from the play one night, and was drinking a glass of cold grog, with his back to the wall, in order that he mightn't be able to fancy there was any one behind I can't make it out,' said he ; and just then his eyes rested on the little closet that had been always locked up, and a shudder ran through his whole frame from top to toe. ' I have felt this strange feeling before,' said he—' I cannot help thinking there's something wrong about that closet.' He made a strong effort, plucked up his courage, shivered the lock with a blow or two of the poker, opened the door, and there, sure enough, standing bolt upright in the corner, was the last tenant, with a little bottle clasped firmly in his hand, and his face livid with the hue of a painful death." As the little old man concluded, ho looked round on the at tentive faces of his wondering auditory with a smile of grim delight." " What strange things these are you tell us of, Sir," said Mr. Pickwick, minutely scanning the old man's countenance, by the aid of his glasses. " Strange I" said the little old man—" Nonsense; you think them strange, because you know nothing about it. They are funny, but not uncommon." " Funny exclaimed Mr. Pickwick, involuntarily. " Yes, funny, are they not ?" replied the little old man, with a diabolical leer; and then, without pausing for an an swer, I he continued— " knew another man—let me see—it's forty years ago now --who took an old, damp, rotten set of chambers, in one of the most ancient Inns, that had been shut up and empty for years and years before. There were lots of old women's sto ries about the place, and it certainly was very far from being a cheerful one ; but he was poor, and the rooms were cheap, and that would have been quite a sufficient reason for him, if they had been ten times worse than they really were. He was obliged to take some mouldering fixtures that were on the place, and, among the rest, was a great lumbering wooden press for papers, with large glass doors, and a green curtain inside ; a pretty useless thing for him, for he had no papers to put in it ; and as to his clothes, he carried them about with him, and that wasn't very hard work, either. Well, he had moved in all his furniture—it wasn't quite a truck full—and sprinkled it about the room, so as to make the four chairs look as much like a dozen as possible, and was sitting down before the fire at night, drinking the first glass of two gallons of whiskey he had ordered on credit, wondering whether it would ever be paid for, and if so, in how many years' time, when his eyes encountered the glass doors of the wooden press. Ah says he—' If I hadn't been obliged to take that ugly article at the old broker's valuation, I might have got something com fortable for the money. I'll tell you what it is, old fellow,' he said, speaking aloud to the press, just because he had got nothing else to speak to—' If it would'n cost more to break up your old carcase, than it would ever be worth afterwards, I'd have a fire out of you, in less than no time.' He had hardly spoken the words, when a sound resembling a faint groan, appeared to issue from the interior of the case. It startled him at first, but thinking, on a moment's reflection, that it must be some young fellow in the next chambers, who had been dining out, he put his feet on the fender, and raised the poker to stir the fire. At that moment, the sound was re peated : and one of the glass doors slowly opening, disclosed a pale and emaciated figure in soiled and worn apparel, standing erect in the press. The figure was tall and thin, and the coup. tenance expressive of care and anxiety; but there wail some, thing in the hue of the skin, and gaunt and unearthly appear ance of the whole form, which no being of this world was ever seen to wear. Who are you ?' said the new tenant, turning very pale, poising the poker in his hand, however, and taking a very decent aim at the countenance of the figure—' Who are you ? Don't throw that poker at rne,' replied the form—' If you hurled it with ever so sure an aim, it would pass through me, without resistance, and expend its force on the wood be- hind. lam a spirit.' And, pary, what do you want here ?' faltered the tenant• In this room,' replied the apparition, my worldly ruin was worked, and I and my children beggared. In this press, the papers in a long, long suit, which accumula ted for years, were deposited. In this room, when I had died of grid, and long-deferred hope, two wily harpies divided the wealth for which I had contested during a wretched existence, and of which, at last, not one farthing was left for my un happy descendants. I terrified them from the spot, and since that day have prowled by night—the only period at which I can re-visit the earth—about the scenes of my long-protracted misery. This apartment is mine : leave it to me.' If you insist upon making your appearance here,' said the tenant, who had time to collect his presence of mind during this prosy statement of the ghost's—' I shall give up possession with the greatest pleasure ; but I should like to ask you one question, if you will allow me.' Say on,' said the apparition, sternly. Well,' said the tenant, I don't apply the observation per sonally to you, because it is equally applicable to all the ghosts I ever heard of; but it does appear to me somewhat inconsistent, that when you have an opportunity of , :, s iti ng the fairest spots of earth—for I suppose space is nothi ng to you—you should always return exactly to the very places where you have been most miserable,' Egad, that's very true ; I never thought of that before,' said the ghost. You see, Sir,' pursued the tenant, ' this is a very uncomfortable room. From the appearance of that press, I should be dis posed to say that it is not wholly free from bugs; and I really think you might find much more comfortable quarters : to say nothing of the climate of London, which is extremely disa greeable.' You are very right, Sir,' said the ghost, po litely, ' it never struck me till now ; I'll try change of air di rectly'—and, in fact, he began to vanish as he spoke; his legs, indeed, had quite disappeared. And if, Sir,' said the tenant, calling after him, ' if you would have the goodness to suggest to the other ladies and gentlemen who are now en gaged in haunting old empty houses, that they might be much more comfortable elsewhere, you will confer a very great be nefit on society.' I will,' replied the ghost; we must be dull fellows—very dull fellows, indeed; I can't imagine how we can have been so stupid.' With these words, the spirit disappeared ; and what is rather remarkable," added the old man, with a shrewd look round the table, " he never came. back again," _ " That ain't bad, if it's true," said the man in the Mosaic studs, lighting a fresh cigar. " If !" exclaimed the old man, with a look of excessive con tempt. " I suppose, lie, added, turning to Lovvten, " he'll say next, that my story about the queer c li ent we h a d , w h en I was in an attorney's office, is not true, either—_l should'ut wonder." " I shan't venture to say anything at all about it, seeing that I never heard the story," observed the owner of tht) 11.104a10 decorations. " I wish you would repeat it, Rir," said Mr. Pickwick. " Ah, do," said Lowten, " nobady hAs heard it but mc, and I have nearly forgotten it," The old man looked round tho table, and leered more bor. ribly than ever, as if in triumph, at the attention which was depicted in every face. Then rubbing his chin with his hand, and looking up to the ceiling as if to recal the circumstances to his memory, he began as follows : SCOTTISH MONTHLY MAGAZINE. This is an infant Periodical, but remarkably pro mising for its years, or rather months, Many of the articleq, especially those on " qur lielatinm with India," and the " Trade of North America," evidence sousiderable research, " Our Menagerie ; Literary THE SUN, LONDON, UPSDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 1836 Lions" is a good idea, spoilt in the handling. It wants ease, and grace, and lightness of touch. Some of the sketches are over-done ; others want character. " Luther under his own Pear-tree "is the composition of a man who has read much, and digested what he has read. " Gentlemeu with Easy Consciences" gives us a curious insight into the mysteries of picture-dealing. " Three of our Teachers" consists of three sonnets, each descriptive of the literary peculiarities of some of our most eminent authors. We subjoin the sketch of Lamb, which is happily characteristic of the idio syncrasy of " Elia" : " A gentle spirit, sweet, and pure, and kind— Though strangely wined, high fantastice_ Who mantles his deep feelings in a pall Of motley hues, harmoniously combined, That seems to hide, yet heightens what's inshrined Beneath ;—who, by a power unknown to all, Save him alone, can summon at a call A thousand jarring elements entwined In strangest brotherhood;—Humour—wild wit— Quips—cranks —puns—sneers—with clear sweet thought profound-- And stinging jests, with honey for the wound ; The subtlest lines of all fine powers split To their last films, then marvellously spun In magic web, whose million hues are ONE 1" THE SPORTING MAGAZINE. Pitman's pleasing and popular periodical of this month fully sustains its long-established and well earned reputation. The Sportsman will find in it a rich vein of sterling ore. The embellishments of the present Number eonsist of a beautiful portrait of Elis, winner of the St. Leger, and a plate representing the Heaton Park Gold Cup. Scott's portraiture of Elis is doubtlessly excellent, although we think that this effort of genius is not the best we have beheld. Amongst the articles there is one from the able pen of Craven on the Epsom October Meeting, which, will amply repay a repusal • nor must we omit making fa vourable'mentiOns of " Remarks on Scent. 7 There is a humanizing philosophy pervading this latter paper that affords us considerable gratification. There are also several other good things in the present Number. It would, however, perhaps, have better pleased the Nimrods (who are generally thorough Exclusives), if, now that the hunting season may be said to have fairly begun, they had been treated with more " runs" anticipative—more about hunters and hounds, and the prospects of the present season. THE DUBLIN UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE. Simpkin and Marshall. The " Life of Lord Charlemont" is continued in this Number. It wants vigour and terseness. The writer is either a very timid or a very cold person indeed. Blackie's translation of Goethe's " Plundersweiller Fair" is an excellent performance. 'We regret that we want space to dwell upon it in terms commensurate with its merit. The " Three Wishes" is a tale worthy of the periodical in which it appears. We have read it with pleasurable feelings. " The Fawn of Spring vale," by the author of " Traits and Stories of the Irish Peasantry," is not yet concluded ; but the Editor informs us that the last of it will appear in the next Number. It is too sentimental for us, though we ex pressed ourselves well pleased with the first part which appeared. The other articles are Reviews of works which have already been favourably noticed in this Journal. COURT MAGAZINE. The embellishments of this trim, courtly Journal, are, as usual, of a superior character. One is a por trait of Lady John Russell, and is executed with in finite delicacy ; the disposition of the glossy and luxu riant ringlets is very natural ; there is nothing stiff or wiry about them, as is so often the case in engraved female portraits. The other embellishment is a view of that magnificent place " Powis Castle," the pride of the Welch marches, and one of the oldest Baronial edifices in the kingdom. Of the literary contents, the majority of which consists of prose taics, we have little to say. They are neither above, nor below, the mark. The most readable is " Plain Sailing on Shore," which is by, the author of the " Invisible Gentleman"—a tale which we read some years since with pleasure. THE UNITED SERVICE JOURNAL. Henry Colburn. We have not seen a better Number of this periodical than the one before us. The articles are all of a readable length, viz., each may be read at a short sit ting ; add to which, they are upon subjects which even those who never smelt gunpowder would delight to become acquainted with. Who, for example, would not be delighted with an opportunity of learn ing the internal economy of a man-of-war ; the dire events of the battle of Jena ; the state of the Spanish belligerents as given by an eye-witness ; the conversations of that most erudite and noisy fraternity, the Drumstick Club ; and the whole theory of British naval construction ? We know the only answer that can be made to such a question. We have, therefore, only to observe, that we have merely enumerated the subjects of the articles contained in the November Number of this periodical. TOWN AND COUNTRY MAGAZINE. A pleasant enough little Magazine, of no great literary pretensions, but possessing the recommendation of short, pointed, and lively articles. The most enter taining is an Essay on the letter " I," by a gentleman who signs himself Maurice Harcourt, and who abuses us, unfortunate " dullards of the diurnal Press," in a style that amuses us by its heartiness. A " Trip to Pairlop" is also a sprightly article, but rather too much spun out. LIBRARY OF FICTISN A very amusing work, cout s lining a tale from the pen of Mr. Douglas klroid, the author of that clever series of papers in Blackwood, entitled " Job Pippins." CHRISTIAN REFORMER. Sherwood, Gilbert, and Piper. We arc sorry that our confined space prevents us from noticing, in the way that they deserve, the con tents of this month's " Christian Reformer." There are, however, two or three articles to which we must direct the attention of our readers—those of them in particular who regard the aspect of the religious world as an object of interesting contemplation. These are the papers respectively entitled, " An accomplished Turk's Explanation and Defence of Mahomedanism, as at present existing ;" " Reformed French Church under the Bishopric of L'Abbe Chatel ;" and " May Meetings." We scarcely need add, that there are other papers that will well repay perusal, and that the department of religious intelligence, both foreign and domestic, is as copious as usual. CG T :he .agazine of Domestic Economy," published by Orr and Co., is a monthly periodical, which all good housewives will find it their interest to patronise. We have submitted it to the judgment of persons well qualified to pronounce upon its merits, and, according to their report, it ought to find its way into every family. LITERA:TUAE. „BRITISH AND FOREIGN REVIEW. No. VI. Ridgway, London, 1836. The article in this Number which will excite the most attention is one headed " Mr. Bulwer and the Lady Novelists," in which the author of " Pelham" is attacked with a degree of acrimony only to be ac counted fur on the presumption that he has given some personal offence to the Reviewer. We reszo this display of vindictiveness, for it wiU tae 44\st assuredly the mean i '44n-iagiikg Ow popularity cif a journal to which we wish well, inasmuch as it is one of the ablesti of the day. - To criticise " Pelham" now:4-dayi superfluous a task as it would be to criticise " Caleb versatility of powers displayed in this animated work of fiction ; while as regards character—that essential requisite in which " Eugene Aram" is so deficient— where in the pages of our living novelists, shall we find two equal, in vigor of conception and brilliancy of execution, to Augustus Tomlinson and Sir William Brandon ? The former is to the full as original as Jonathan Wilde ; and far more interesting, for there is much more of humanity about it. As for " Ri enzi" and " Pompeii," though we entertain no very profou►►d admiration of these hastily penned works, still they are far above the ordinary level of such pro ductions, and not to be sneered into oblivion, even by the "British and Foreign Review." The " Trade and Consular Establishment of the Levant" is a statistic article, abounding in arithmetical calcu lations. By commercial and practical men it will be read with avidity ; for to their tastes it chiefly ap peals. It has, besides, this additional recommendation —namely, that it is written at a seasonable period, when—owing to the intrigues of Russia—public at tention is directed to the East. " Persia" gives a full, and apparently impartial, account of the domestic sys tem of policy, pursued by the . Shah, under whose op pressive-. despotism the financial resources of the coun tryare.yearlY declining. weo g ret . to learii' thi s . f or PeisieS - Wcakness Russia's strength. The "'Briti l sli Association at Bristol," is an admirable Paper, well reasoned, well timed, written in a just spirit, and with a perfect knowledge of the subje , ,A. But perhaps the best, certainly the most clakrate, article in the Num ber, is that on " The State and Tendency of Property in France," to wh.eb, at some more leisure day, we may revert ;but, at present, both space and time forbid. O UTHEY'S LIFE OF CO WPER.—Voi... VIII. Baldwin, London, 1836, Contains the majority of Cowper's Minor Pocms— by no means the most carefully-finished of his produc tions—and two engravings, one of " Cottages at Olney," and the other " Olney from the Poplar Field," in which the poet is represented musing beside a green ditch, with his night-cap on. Both these engravings are well executed. A SERMON. The Evils which may arise to the Constitution of Great Britain, .from the Influence of a Too-Powerful Nobility, Considered in a Sermon, Preached before the University of Cambridge, on Friday, May 29, 1789. Rawdon, Stamford : Longman and Co., London. We do not know who the author of this Sermon is ; but whoever he may be, he deserves well of the com munity for the publication of a discourse not less dis tinguished for the unadorned simplicity of its languaze, than for the liberal spirit which it breathes, and the soundness of the principles which it inculcates. The author avails himself of the anniversary of what is called the Restoration, to point out the evils which spring from vicious or imperfect forms of Government. One of the greatest of those evils he justly considers the influence of a too powerful nobility to be, and he briefly traces this pernicious influence as it affects the Crown, the liberties of the people, the improvement of learning, and the growth of religion. The following extract expresses sentiments in which we fully concur : It requires no great depth of intellect to discern the evils which arise from Aristocracy. Every State subject to this debasing form of government which either past his tory, or the present time exhibits, shows us clearly its internal necessary evils, and its inefficacy to carry on the honest interests of an 'industrious people. To exemplify this would be rather a species of declamation than argument ; the facts would tire our curiosity, and only serve to increase than conviction already fully established. Whether we take the Arehons of Athens, the decemvirs or Senate of Rome, the Council of State of Venice, the equestrian Order of Holland separately, the Nobles of Poland, those of Denmark for merly, the lately extirpated Senate of Sweden, the Lords of Scotland, or the ancient Barons of our own kingdom, they all present us with the same melancholy view : that of de ir,ssing the common subject, and of perplexing the executive power, only to satisfy family quarrels or private ambition. The history of Europe in particular, to about the time of our Henry the Seventh, or when the provinces of Burgundy and Brittany were annexed to the Crown of France, is little else than the squabbles of a set of petty tyrants, in order to tease their Prince or oppress their ♦assals ; what was called liberty in those days had nothing to do with the safety and protection of the individual : it was only a liberty to each Baron to fight his own quarrels, or to subjugate his neighbours and dependants. It is a certain fact that no country ever supported its pub lic character, for any length of time, or grew up to permanent influence, under the conduct of an Aristocracy. MODERNCAMBIST ; Forming a Manual of Foreign Exchanges, in the Direct, In direct, and Cross Operations of Bills of Exchange and Bullion ; jc. BP Wrir,rim TATE. Effingham Wilson, London, 1836. This deservedly popular and eminently useful stan dard work has now reached a third edition. In the new edition we perceive several essential corrections and im- . portant additions, called for by a change in the mone tary regulations of the countries to which they relate, The abolition, for instance, of the paper money of Por tugal, demanded that attention to the efiect of the mea sure on the rakes of exchange anti the valuations of " The Cambist " has so seasonably and ably, given to the Governmental operation. The open ing also of the China trade, and the new coinage ordered by the East India Company for circulation in that part of the world, have afforded Mr. Tate an opportunity of supplying information on these subjects, the impor tance of which will at once be recognised by the com mercial world. In the details throughout the work great care, and not a little of labour and talent, are percep tible. Mr. Tate's " Cambist " has long been consi dered as high authority on the subjects of which he treats ; and the present places it among the most ex tensively useful treatises extant. No commercial man can safely and successfully conduct his business with out " The Cambist," and the price at which it is sold puts its purchase within the reach of every one. Mary Bent, a woman of 60 years of age, drowned herself on Thursday night, under the following circum stances :—She was a native of Ireland, and well known at Exeter as a fortune-teller. Having fallen greatly in ar rears for rent, her landlord took advantage of her absence from home on Monday morning, and put a padlock on hp', door, and on Thursday sold her furniture, Driven from her only shelter, and in a state of the .nost utter destitu tion, she lay in the streets the four ~fights previous to the suicide. On Thursday mornin; the poor wretch, in the most agonizing accents, ask .a for a cup of coffee, after tak ing which she wande: e d about the country until night, when she threw b:erself into a m ill-pond. At the inquest on Friday a verdict of " Found Drowned" was returned. Winter has made an early commencement with us. The temperature y es t er d a y, from compa ra ti ve warmth, suddenly b ecame i ntense l y co ld, and this morning (Friday) we had a sli g ht f a ll o f snow.—Worcester Herald. NATURAL CURIOSITY.—An extraordinary variety of the RAT species has lately appeared in the north of Scotland. It s h ea d i s long a n d i ts nose pointed, its tongue v er y smoo th, but its teeth venomous. It is diffi cult to describe its colour, as, like the chameleon, :it possesses the singular quality o f changing its hue. The last colou r which ' its coat assumed was orange. Some years ago it was a beautiful mixture of buy' and blue, though even then it was pos.s' A ble for an acute observer to discover the ?ran ,gf? oaring beneath the surface ; but the most 4 0.1,6 , 41‘ar appendage to this animal is a very ergo (4 tigib which he has recently acquired, com posed almost entirely of HORNE. It has been found on dissection of some animals of the same species, that the skull is extremely thick.—Caledonian Aferculy.—j [Sir George Sinclair is meant]. There were on ; Thursday.six or .seven large cotton rßills in Oldham and the immediate, vicicity at. a stand, oc- 1 casioned p r i nc i pa ll y ' by the demand of the card-loom workers, for an advance of one shilling- each per week, Williams," or " St. Leon." It has passed the ordeal of criticism, and taken its station in the front rank of modern fictions. We have no prejudice in favour of Mr. Bulwer ; but since his claims to popularity are impugned—since now, after a lapse of seven or eight years, and repeated republications, it is discovered that his novels are little better than common-place—justice compels us to state, that of their kind, they arc first rate, and that modern times have produced no satire equal, if interpreted in a right spirit, to " Paul Clifford." We have always been struck with the invention and FINE ARTS. We have just seen an engraving, entitled " Robinson Crusoe reading the Bible to his man Friday," which is from a painting by Fraser, exhibited, if we mi s t a k e not, at Somerset House, a few years since. The en, graver is Mr. Lewis, who must have spent much timi on his task, as is evident even on a first glance. The figure and attitude of Crusoe are admirably dchned ; nothing can be more easy or more like life than the latter, particularly as regards the position of the right arm. The hermit is represented as seated in a rustic chair, expounding the Scriptures to the half -tamed savage Friday, who looks up to his prer:eptor with an expression of deep reverence : his kneeling posture, and the submissive bend of the head, as if he were listening to some one whose superi(rilty he felt in his inmost soul, are full of the rigl):t expression. This engraving, from its deep, bros:.‘d masses of light and shade, and the vigour with which it is everywhere executed, would frame admirably. " Greenwich Pensioners commemorating the Battle of Trafalgar," is engraved by the same gentle,man who executed 1 4. .1e painting from ‘1 hich it is take o , Mr. John Burnett—a skilful artist, to whom we ar e also indebted for the well-known engraving of the Chelsea Pensioners reading a newspaper containing the official account of the Battle of Waterloo. The 'present production is full of character. A vast num.'der of figures are introduced prominently in the foreground, an d eac h has that air of individuality aborit him that leads us to conclude he is a portrait from. life. One timber -toed old fellow,•in particular, w}-, o is seated at a corner of the table, smok ing a blael stump of a pipe, and .evidently rubbing up lra re'collection of the battles in, whj,ch he has been en ,o.ed under Nelson, is so like lif e , th at we can scarcely ,persuade ourselves that we have _not seen the, original pacing the court-yard Of Greenwich Hospital. On the this engraving is worthy to -vie with the very best that has appeared for years. Colonel Lyster, of the Guards, has been appointed a Gentleman Usher to his Majesty. Lord Henry Fitzmaurice, brother of the late Earl of Kerry, intends to take the title of the Earl of Shelburne instead of that of Kerry. Despatches were forwarded yesterday from the Fo eign Department for Lord P onson b y, at C onstanti n opl e ; or Lord Durham, at St. Petcrsburgh ; and for Mr. Vil. iers, at Madrid. On Tuesday night Mr. Carter, the surgeon, •of Billericay, not finding Phillip Sucklin g , his gr oom , i n t h e house, pr ocee d e d to put up hi s horse for the night, when the groom entered the stable in a state of intoxication, and seeing his master thus engaged, seized the pitchfork then in his master's hand, and attempted. to wrest it from him. Mr. Carter endeavoured to defend himself as well as be could, but in the scuffle he fell to the ground. The as sistant, hearing cries for help, came to Mr. Carter's relief, end he was felled to the ground 'ay a blow from the pitch fork. Curtis, the constable, being near the spot, came in, and found all three lying on the ground, the blood flowing from the assistant's head, Curtis had great difficulty in se curing the groom, who resisted violently, nor did he succeed before receiving several severe blows on the head. He was taken before the magistrate, but Mr. Carter would not press tbn charge arrinst him, resting satisfied with discharging him.—lpszt2ch Journal. Lord and Lady Willoughby d'Eresby, after a long visit at Drummond Castle, have arrived at Grinisthorpe, Lincoln, where they will sojourn for some time. HOMICIDE.—An occurrence of a very serious and fatal nature took place on Tuesday night in the neigh bourhood of Biggar. Three young men called at a farm house, one of whom was the sweetheart of a female servant in the family. The young men went away together, but the one particularly alluded to returned, against the wish of his companions, to mention something to the young woman, and meeting the master in the barn yard, the latter dis charged a pistol at him, and shot him dead. The deceased was the son of a respectable carpenter in Biggar, whose oc cupation he also followed. It was past midnight when the occurrence took place, and next day the farmer was taken into custody, and conveyed to Lanark gaol.—Edinburgh Advertiser. We are sorry to have to record a file in the quiet little village of Frant, near Tunbridge Wells, which was, no doubt, the work of an incendiary. On Wednesday night, about nine o'clock, a large harp, the property of Sheffield Grace, Esq., filled with hay, corn, and straw, was discovered to be on fire, and was soon in a complete blaze. There being no hope of saving any part of it, all exertions were directed to sa , .e the building contiguous, which, we are happy to say, after two or three hours' in cessant labour on the part of the inhabitants and poor of the parish, was effected. There being plenty of water, the fire was subdued in the adjoining lodge, and confined entirely to the barn. Providentially the wind aided the exertions of the people, as the little that was stirring blew directly from the house, and in a great measure from the lodge ; had there been a strong wind at the time in the di rection of the house, the whole must have been consumed, as the flames were very rapid, and rose to a great height. Great exertions have been used to trace the miscreant, but we believe as yet without effect. We understand that it is not supposed to be caused by any one in the parish.— Brighton Gazette. At an early hour yesterday nv,,,rning the keeper of the Receiving House of the Royal Humane Society on the bank of the Serpentine apprehended two men with upwards of 60Ibs. weight of eels in their possession, which they had speared in that part of the river where the bed is being cleared. MYSTERIOUS DIS AprEARA NCE.—On Friday night, information was given to Inspector Fryer, of the B division of police s -o'-; the singular and mysterious disappear ance of a gentliramn named Overa, residing as No. 5, York Street, Steney. It appeared that on that evening, Mrs. Overa w•lnt to chapel, leaving her husband at home, and on her return she found that her husband had gone out, and in few minutes afterwards she perceived a slip of paper on the table, which had very recently been written on by her husband, as the ink was not perfectly dry. It was addressed to his wife, and commenced by saying—" When you will find this I'll b e no more , an d I'll take great care that no person shall find or know where my body will be." This intimation very naturally alarmed his wife, and she at once sent to the nearest station-house to give information of the the police, and a description of his person, so that if they met him they might detain him. It seemed that Mr. Overa had resided for many years in the East Indies, where he had realised some property, and latterly has expressed strong desires to go back there. For several weeks he has been in a melancholy and dejected state of mind, and there is strong reason to suspect that he seriously contemplates? th e act of self-destruction. No tidings have yet been obtained Mr. Hards, of Lewes, Sussex, has invented a method of measuring a ship's progress, by which the heaving of the log may be dispensed with. _ . Shortly before seven o'clock on Ft - 1(1%y night an ex plosion took place at the newly-erected gas-works at Dun stable under the following circumstances :--It is supposed that while the inspector of the works was at tea, one of the three men whom he had le f" in charge incautiously ap proached too near the ti':oe-hole with a lighted candle, when, shocking to r,elpie, a frightful explosion took place, and in an instant t oe whole works were blown into frag ments. Two of t h e three men left in charge of the works were blown ',tit° a field on the opposite side of the turn pike-road,, which is situated on the London and Birmingham line ; these men were killed, and not a feature was visible Winch could be identified. The other man was conveyed to a public-house called the Gasometer ; he is not expecteti to survive. One of the sufferers resided in the town, wh , nse name is Seeley, and has left a wife and five children to de plore his loss. To-morrow (Monday) was the d.ly fixed for lighting the town with gas. The gasomete..• had not been filled more than half an hour when the erplosion took place. Had the accident happened an hc,ur earlier, hun dreds of lives would have been sacrificed, as the good people of Dunstable had mustered numerously to witness the fill ing of the gasometer, and had but just departed. POTASH FROM BEET-ROOT.—The beet -root, says a French paper, is about to acquire an additional title to the attention of agriculturists, by the new produce which, besides molasses and sugar, it is now found can be extractedt from it. One of those productions, potash, will be, like sugar, the rival of an exotic commodity. M. Dubrunfant has been the first to discover the means of advantageously extracting this substance from the residuum left after the distillation of molasses, and which have hitherto been thrown away after the separation of its alcohol. To give some idea of the importance of this new source of national. wealth, it will sufficient to say that the quantity of potash yielded by M. Dubrunfant's process is equal to one-sixth of the quantity of sugar extracted from the beet-root : thlis admitting the fact that 80 millions of pounds of indigenous sugar are annually produced, we may expect to obtain from the primary material J 4 millions of a saline substance, equal in every respect to the best potash imported, besides alcohol, and other prodUctions. At the present .rate of prices the, value of this quantity will be about 'eight or nine millior , s of francs, and these facts furnish an additional argument 'f or the prot ect i on o f our i ndigenous sugar against foreign 9 =- petition.