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

MAGAZINE DAY. BLA.CKWOOD'S MAGAZINE. We have read better'Numbers than the one , before us, which, however, is not amiss, though it were to be wished that it had a little more variety ; and more particularly that it comprised a " Noctes," in which the ghost of the Shepherd might detail his experiences of that spiritual world of which, whedin " the flesh," he was so fond of dreaming. Why should he not be made to furnish us with the particulars of his first interview with Shakspeare, and Burns, and Scott, in the realm of the great and good ? We know one man —and but one—who could put the fitting lan- guage into his mouth, and treat us to as rich and rare a feast of the imagination as ever hungry critic sat down to. In some auspicious moment when fancy i• 3 astir within him, and memory is turning a soft and solemn look on the past, we hope he will bear this in mind, and indulge us again with one of those "nodes ccenteque Deztm," of which the contemplative and the spiritual form the best portion of the intellectual ban quet, as used to be the case when North and the Shepherd held earnest discourse together, on themes purely abstract and imaginative. Meantime, in the absence of the " Noctes," we must make the most of what is placed before us. The notice of " Joanna liaillie's Dramas," is sketchy, but felicitous in its selection of extracts, and does no more than justice to the high faculties of one of the most observant and deep.thoughted of modern writers. Mrs. Baillie is the Only dramatist of the day, of whose works it may be said, that they contain single lines in which as much meaning and power of thought are condensed, as in the very best of Shakspeare's ; and which, once r ead, take an imperishable hold on the memory. Who forgets her colloquy between two ruffians during a midnight thunder-storm, where the one, struck for the first time in his life with a sudden sense of awe by the fearful conflict of the elements about him, replies to the scoffs of his more obdurate companion, with— " All men are honest on a night like this !" If this be not true sublimity, clad in its most appropriate crarb of simplicity, we know not what is. Yet Mrs. Baillie's nam e i s ,scarcely heard of now-a-days—thanks to the march of mind—which, we suppose, has shot a-head of her. However, we are far from sorry that she has Ceased to challenge attention, by any new productions ; she has done quite enough to insure the gratitude of posterity ; and may console herself for her forbearance, by reflecting that— The nightingale if she should sing by day, When every goose is cackling, would be thought No better a musician than the wren. The " Huguenot Otptain" contains some startling facts relative to the closing days of the " Massacre of St. Bartholomew," which, taken in connexion with the atrocities perpetrated during the " Reign of Terror," convince us that craft and ferocity are the chief features in the French character ; though the tiger's paw is covered with the specious velvet of civila zation. Barnaby Palms" is a stern, sarcastic idea Worthy of Swift, but clumsily and hastily worked out. Dramatic tact is evident throughout it, especially in th e abrupt little incident of the "over-fresh eggs," Which would tell with startling effect in a sober comedy of real life, like the " Clandestine Marriage." Still the article is not such as one takes to heart, and recurs to with pleasure. We acknowledge its force, but it leaves a painful impression on the mind. " Foreign Policy" is a' useful essay of the statistic school ; " Edward Lonsdale," a clever but nowise remarkable tale ; and "The Future," amusing from the bonhommie and sim- plicity—say. rather impudence----with which it rebukes the people " for their feverish desire for social ameliora tion," which is quite as good in its way as Lord Castle reagh's objurgations of the same people for " their ig norant impatience of taxation." From the " Journal of an Alpine Traveller" we select a passage or two, which exhibit no ordinary descriptive skill : "We began the descent. The danger, from its steep ness, was so great that we were directed to proceed with caution across the slope towards the passage in the rocks. Garinot led Trag's mule in the course we were to follow. Trag had disputed the propriety of the path we pursued, and descended more abruptly towards the lake to-reconnoi tre, intending to proceed towards the rocks from the bottom of the glacier. Garinot had no confidence in him, and con tinued his march. Soon Trag's voice thundered up the glacier, announcing, that it would be certain destruction to proceed by the course Garinot was taking ; for, from where he was, he could see immediately below us a fissure in the glacier half a mile long, and varying , in width from one to five or si x f eet . Thi s was concealed from us like a hawhaw, because the lower side had sunk 'below the plane of the upper. Garinot, however, persevered, after desiring us to stand firmly where we were. Trag- prayed, entreated, and cursed his obstinacy. At length the syndic saw his danger,. and, getting the lad to assist him, attempted to turn the mule and retrace his steps. In doing so, the poor beast slipped from them, and rolled over and over - down the glacier, to our horror. It crossed the crevice at a spot which was fortunately narrow, but continued its frightful descent towards the lake, imbedding andleaving our luggage in the snow as it rolled over. Garinot lost not a moment ; he dashed downwards in a sitting posture, with greater speed than the mule rolled, and shot safely across the fissure. Trag also slid forward, perfectly understanding Garinot's action. They met below the mule, and, when near the bottom, succeeded in stopping it. Our situation during this scene cannot be imagined. We stood perfectly still ; the lad had rushed down to aid the men with the mule ; and, at length, one lifting it by the bridle, and another by the tail, the poor beast was poised and placed trembling upon its legs, and left there, to allow it time to rest and recover itself. The boy and Garinot then came to assist us down. Retracing part of our path, to avoid the danger of the creVice, we passed it safely. As we proceeded, the syndic was very desirous of impressing us with a knowledge of the danger we had providentially escaped. We climbed up to a part of the fissure, and, when near it, crawled along, and evenlaid ourselves as fiat as possible on the snow, lest, near the edge, the ice should be dangerously thin. At length we looked into the horrible abyss of the crevice, unable to perceive its bottom, probably a hundred feet below us ; but the beautiful and brilliant display of every tint of blue, from th e most delicate azure near the surface, to the intense blue in the darkness of its deptlf, -- was must-ztrikin g . The upper edge along the whole line was fringed with enormous icicles several feet long, and much larger than my arm. With a stick we succeeded in knocking off some, and, as they fell into the caverns of ice below, the noise they occa sioned, until it subsided and was lost in the depth, was most awful." FRASER'S MAGAZINE. Here are not less than.seventy-nine pages of a single I joke, 'yclept the " Fraserian Festival I" Now, really this is being liberal over much. Lady Bountiful herself could not have lavished her good things with more oppressive munificence. Conceive a jeux d'esprit --one, solitary jeux d'csprit . I —consisting of twice as many joints as O'Connell's tail! Has Oliver Yorke no bowels ? Has he no notion that the majority of his readers are industrious, hard-working folks, who must be up betimes in the morning ; and that the effect s of such a lengthy joke as he has furnished them with, cannot be dispersed under a sixteen hours slumb er ? Nevertheless, though we object to its in ordinate long-windedness, WC are from denying that the " Fraserian Festival " has its redeeming points. In places it is replet e with pungency and " sportive malice," which can offend none, while they must amuse all ; and contains more than one clever sample of humourous poetry, which smell, not of the lamp, but of the grape, and afford a. suffiCient refutation of the Old adage—" When the wine is in, the wit is out." The quizzes upon ti4l. literary peculiarities of some of the leading authors of th e day might bring a grin int o t h e ref rac tory phiz of even the cynic Dio gencs ;and for these; we f take for granted, that we arc indebted to O'Doherty. With the srinkbble ;between Frase r and Watts, of which we hate more than enough in the present,fiumber, we h av e nothing to do ; but leave the - parties to settle their disputes themselves. One point, however, is curious. By way of punish ment, Fraser threatens never to abuse Watts again ! This is irresistible. " Regina's Maids of Honour" is an engraving, containing portraits of Miss Mitford, Mrs. Norton, Lady Blessington, Miss Landon, Miss Jane Porter, and others. The latter's fine Siddonian countenance is well hit off. Mrs. Norton, too, is not amiss, though there is too much of theatrical display in the expression of her countenance. The literary ex planation of the engraving is arch and good-humoured. " A few words more to the Conservatives" is, like the " finally" of a prolix preacher, the prelude to a long diatribe against the Whigs and all things Whiggish. Its manner is only less offensive than its matter. But what is to be expected from such a set of incurables as compose the Fraserian Tory clique ? " Can any good come out of Nazareth ?" The translations from the minor Greek Poets—those from " Moschus" espe cially—are executed in an easy, graceful spirit. We are glad to see a taste for this sort of scholarship re viving among us. Blackwood led the way, and now Fraser is following nearly, if not quite " passibus cequis." But the best article in the Number is that devoted to recollections of Sir Walter Scott, whose energies—if what is here stated be true, and we see no reason to doubt it—are without parallel in the annals of literature. Many of his ablest tales, such as " Ivanhoe" and the " Tales of my Landlord," were actually composed in bed, while the author was racked with pain and disease I— " I have dwelt on this period of his life because it is so remarkable that, during the severe conflict with illness, he scarcely for one entire day relinquished his literary tasks. Indeed, they advanced the more quickly, as he had not so much interruption as usual from visitors. The third series of Tales of my Landlord,' which appeared in 1819, was followed so rapidly by the romance of Ivanhoe,' that' it seemed as if, like the German La Fontaine, he had attained the art of dictating to twcr secretaries, and earring. on two stories at one time. To dictating (of original composition) be had always a particular aversion, but was now under the necessity of employing a scribe, his own scrolls being almost quite illegible. Both Ivanhoe' and the ' Bride of Lammermuir' were produced while under that painful dis order ; and the duty of amanuensis was fulfilled alternately by Mr. William Laidlaw and the late Mr. John Ballantyne. Frequently, in the midst of the humourous scenes with old Caleb Balderstone,' the convulsive paroxysm would return, and his sufferings were most acute ; but after the fit, he would cheerfully and quietly take up the story by the catch word, and proceed as if there had been no interruption. " Thus the malady was resisted and overcome ; and in the course of 1820 he appeared so thoroughly renovated in constitution, that his friends fondly trusted he might equal in longevity his friends, Henry Mackenzie or Sir Robert Liston, and continue his literary pursuits for even thirty years more. But, alas ! as Drummond of Hawthorden predicted of his own illness, Truce ta'en to breathe For late-born sorrows augurs swift return.' Only twelve more years of life were granted to hiin ; and, as already said, I doubt whether, in the whole range of biography, an example could be found of another individual Who, in equal space of time, fulfilled so many, so diversified, and conflicting duties. " In 1819 or 1820, I forget which, occurred the marriage of his eldest daughter with Mr. Lockhart, and the appoint ment of the present Sir Walter to a commission in the army. From this date onwards, to the year 1825, his life was spent in assiduous - labour, but also in the most unin terrupted happiness and prosperity. In 1820 appeared the Monastery' and Abbot,' and in January, 1821, Kenil worth :' •so that, not forgetting Ivanhoe,' here were four romances, of three volumes each, completed within twelve months ; and, bad Constable's house been in reality solvent (of which, at this period, no one entertained a shadow of doubt), the dear gain must, without any exaggeration,lave been a very large sum." We remember hearing an anecdote connected with Sir Walter Scott, which we believe, but are not certain, has not yet found its way into print. When lying on the bed of sickness in Sussex-place; it happened that one day he was seized with a fancy for a particular species of fish. Unfortunately it was not to be, pro cured at the West-end, so the servant was dispatched east ward, where, after threading a variety of streets, and meeting with a variety - of disappointments, he at last met with the dainty at a Whitechapel fishmonger's. But his application was made too late. The fish was sold, and the tradesman resolute in his rejection of all terms. At last he enquired whom it was wanted for, and being duly enlightened thereon, replied '‘ for Sir Walter Scott, hey ? Oh, that is a different matter ;" and not only insisted on supplying the fish gratis, but even on trudging up with it himself the whole way to SusSex-plaCe, in order, we conclude,. that in: future times he might be enabled to boast of having " done business" with Sir Walter Scott ! Here is a proof of the talismanic pow . er of genius. To subdue the sense of self-interest in a, Whitechapel fishmonger Was ever such a triumph ?—We shall always think the better of human nature for this one delightful anecdote ; and the very hour at which we pen it is calculated tp quicken, our humanity ; for it is deep, solemn midnight—the old year is all but dead, and the new, within' five minutes of its birth. How mat)) , fine spirits have passed from among us to their great account, since our expiring friend was in the first vigour of his youth ! How many will be still, ere his successor is in the same hopeless state! Truly, these reflections are aught but cheering ; but they have this advantage—namely, that as they teach us to turn our thoughts inwards, and feel more acutely for ourselves, so they exalt and refine, and quicken our sympathies for others. THE DUBLIN UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE Simpkin and Marshall. Our friend' Anthony Poplar commences the new year with all the vigour, elasticity, and freshness of sanguine and happy boyhood ; and with a respect for traditionary usages, beautiful in youth, presents his admirers with a welcome New-year's offering—the first literary portrait of a " Gallery of Illustrious Irishmen." We are pleased to find this series begun with Goldsmith. His is a portrait :3•hich every good man must admire ; and upon which all classes of IriSh Men may look without experiencing a pang...on_the subject of his principles, his pursuits, or the immor tal legacy which he has left to posterity. Still we have to regret that the strict political neutrality which ought to be observed with inviolable fidelity in this depart ment of literature, is here outraged to an extent which nothing can palliate. The right of sanctuary ought never to be abolished in the literary world, how in convenient soever it may be found in the physical. Some shrine should be reared and preserved, in the presence of which the portraits of the mighty dead might be exhibited without reproach to the opinions of the living. What conceivable connexion is there be tween correct delineations of the character of Gold smith, and such passages as this : " His fa ther, indeed, was poor ; but it is worth remarking, that—though an Irish Clergyman— he was not the object of licensed persecution— he was not hunted down by form of -law—he had not the bloodhounds of revolution at his back, with a patriotic Government hallooing the monsters on to their work of destruction : these 'things were not yet in fashion ; so he actually was enabled to send his gifted son to a respectable school ; and though he be longed to the Established Church of the land, he was suffered to live, - to behold the first developement of the, promising talents of his child." And again—" Tired of Lord John Russell% Reform turned out a tragedy, and his tragedies wanting Reform—tired of Lord Mul grave's Novels without novelty, and, indeed, of every . other production of his brain, except his last amusing ' pantomime, the Government of Ireland, and a really laughable farce that is ;—in such a state of all embrac ing weariness, how revert the lingering eyes • of recoilcc• tion to the honest solidity of Johnson ! .Terror of Whigs ! With what circumvolution of contemptuous THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY, JANUAn Y 1, 1836 phrase would thou encircle and stifle their puny poli tics I How would thou lay bare the very heart's core of that despotic liberalism, whose freedom is freedom to plunder our neighbours I" Surely, to write in such a strain as this is virtually to declare oneself utterly disqualified to draw a correct portrait of the amiable, simple, child-like mind of Oliver Goldsmith. We cannot, however, sufficiently express our admi ration of the introductory sketch—from the pen of Anthony Poplar himself—which precedes this por trait of the Irish poet, historian, and essayist. Though rather longer than suits our purpose, we have pleasure in quoting the following passage : " It has been 'mid, perhaps with almost as much truth as bitterness, that Ireland has no history. We look back in vain along her annals to discover anything of which a nation might be proud. They present a dreary and a desolate blank, only stained by the stories of petty oppression, and of miserable dissension. From the earliest period our country seems, as it were, destined to be the prey of faction, and her sons at once the guilty partizans and the wretched victims of lawless and embittered feuds. Wearied and sickened by the humiliating prospect of Ireland as'i she is,' the eye of patriotism turns back with the fondness that the patriot can only feel' to Ireland as she was,' and longs to console its sorrow for her present degradation, by contemplating the glories that are gone. But, alas ! it can discover nothing that the fondest partiality can dignify with the name of history.—Nothing but the same miserable tale of fanatical and misguided insurrections—then their perhaps too cruel suppression, and then again the terrible retaliation of those who were, or fancied themselves, wronged. The page of her annals is stained, it is true, with blood—blood more than might have sufficed for a hundred Marathons and Thermopylms ; but it has been shed, not in the glorious battle-field, but by the cruel hand of midnight Murder—and where it stains it blots with crime. .In these recollections the lover of his country can find but little to reflect on with delight—in vain he looks to the records of the past—until, unwilling to believe that his cherished na tional pride is but a dream, he finds a refuge in the dim traditions of an antediluvian glory, or indulges in equally fond, God grant they may not be equally visionary, specula tions of Ireland as she will be.' " We have not darkened the picture of the past ; it re quires no gloomy colouring from us. One would think that in that picture there was but little to minister to na ional.pride ; and yet, of all nations, the Irish possess the • and withal they have much to be proud of. Acutely as we feel, and deeply as we mourn the degradation of Ire land, we, too, have our national pride ; and we would not exchange the glorious distinction of our birth to be the favoured sons of the richest empire in the world. We are proud of our countrymen. Superstition may keep them in ignorance—ignorance may lead them into crime—want may aggravate the recklessness of their temper, until many of them are bound in the bonds of lawleis conspiracy ; but still there is, amid all this, a nobleness of impulse, a gene rosity of character, that tells you that guilt is not natural to an Irishman. And even when we retrace the past, let us forget the nation, and think of individuals. How many sons have been born to Ireland of whoM she may be proud? This, her worst enemies never have denied to her. Branded as she is with the stigma of crime, and charitably consigned by some to the tender mercies of an imagined evil destiny that dooms her to perpetual misery, no calumny has ever yet refused her the title of TILE LAND or . GENIUS. Proudly have her children vindicated her claim ; in almost all the departments of intellectual exertion they have ,asserted their superiority ; as orators, as statesmen, as poets, Irish-, men have borne the first honours of the British arena ; and this is, to be the conquerors of the world. A foolish and conceited attempt was made to sneer at Irish oratory, as if it was forgotten that Burke, and Grattan, and Sheridan, were Irishmen ; but yet of her orators it may be said, that I their voice is gone out through all lands.' Need we speak of her poets when we are about to write the name of Gold smith ? But we must stop. What Briton forgets Water loo, and who that thinks on Waterloo forgets that to the gigantic mind of an Irishman, Britain owes her existence as a nation ? Well may we be proud of our' country. Her adversity has made Ireland rest her glory on the reputation of her sons ; but nobly have they sustained, or, we should say, created her fame. If she has no history, in their suc cess you read her triumphs. And when we look on the long list of names that fame has blazoned in letters of im mortal light, we feel that Ireland bears a prouder scutcheon than if she could engraifniti — it; tliCeniblans - vf- A thousand battle fields. And this, we repeat, is a glory that never has been denied to her. Ireland has been oppressed—has been insulted—has been neglected—has been pitied— most That base word with which men • Cloke their soul's hoarded triumph—' but, amid all the indignities that ha'e been heaped on her, no one has been found hardy enough to dispute her title of the LAND OF GENIUS. ' " The article entitled " Schiller" is neither pro found nor original. The writer, we presume, is well versed in the German language—at least if we may draw an inference from some peculiarities in the way_in which he expresses himself in his own. But we are bound to state that we think him but au indif- ferent critic. His translations from the poetical works of Schiller are remarkable for their force—a rare ex.- cellence in a translation from any language.: " O'Cro- Icy on Popery in Ireland," and " Political Prospects," are papers which will only find a response in the bo soms of staunch Orangemen ; and much to our own satisfaction, we know nothing of, and have few feelings or opinions in common with, that faction. The other articles are continuations of Series, the first parts of which have already obtained the approbation of the public. NEW MONTHLY MAGAZINE. A pleasant, gossipping Number, light as gossamer, and abounding in varieties. The first article is, of course," Campbell's Letters on Algiers," the most amus- ing passage in which is, that where the author describes his paying a visit to a French officer, just at the very moment when he was busy with a translation of his own poems. This must have been highly flattering to Mr. Campbell's self-love, and he is candid enough to tell us he was in extacies. " Sabbath Morning" is a poem by the Corn Law Rhymer, INIr. Elliott, and contains majiy fine thoughts. In the " Elements of Conversation, or Talking made Easy," we arc re minded of Mr. Paul Pry Poole's—as he delights to call himself—chatty manner. From this amusing paper we quote an anecdote of the celebrated Miss Biffin, who, it may be remembered, was born without arms or legs : " Miss Biffin, before her marriage—for married she is— if alive, and even if dead, was taken to Covent Garden Theatre early in the evening before the performance began, by )laving g g e o n n t i l e : r m ao otherot. t ti o i. je N n v was od fe a po f t on e s o v e afterwards d t s i united. ics fa upper-frontir f chargee in the corn k e h s e c e n a t boxes, whereupon, aided by long dr a pery, such as chil dren in arms wear, and a large shawl, she sat as un moved as immovable; enjoying the play and the farce, not perhaps applauding in the ordinary style by clapping or expressing her impatience at any needless delays by stamping on the floor: The engagements, however, of her beau, proved longer than the performance of the theatre. The audience retired—the lights were extin guished—and still Miss Biain remained—the box-keeper ventured to suggest that, as all the company were out, and most of the lights were out too, it was necessary she should retire. Unwilling to discover her misfortune, and not at all knowing how far she might trust the box keeper, she expressed great uneasiness that her friend had not arrived as he had promised. ' mustWe can't wait holy e ly for your friend, Miss—you really go'—was the on reply she obtained from the obdurate janitor. " At length Mr. Brandon, then box-book and house keeper, hearing the discussion, came to the spot, and insi nuated the absolute necessity of Miss Biffin's departure, hinting something extremely ungallant about a constable. " Sir,' said Miss Biffin, I would give the world to go but I cannot go without my friend.' " You can't have any friend here to-night, Ma'am,' said Mr. Brandon ; for the doors are shut.' " What shall I do, Sir ?' said the lady. " If you will give me your arm, Ma'am,' said Brandon, I'll see you safe down to the stage-door, when you can send for a coach.' " Arm, Sir !' said the lady. I have got no arms.' " Dar me, Ma'am,' said the box, book and housekeeper, how very odd,! However, Ma'am, if you will get upon your legs, I will take every care of you.' " I have not got any legs, Sir,' said Miss Biffin. " This entirely puzzled Mr. Brandon, who professed him self as much astounded at the intelligence as the waiter at the tavern with the three guests.,—of which more under some other head,—and had not Miss B.'s faithful friend arrived just at the moment via the stage-door, it is im possible to- imagine what would have happened. Her :intended, who was perfectly alive to all the little peen !liarities of is beloved, settlei the aff.tir in a moment, by bundling hers up, lift' rig her from her seat, as Caesar died, ' I wish I could, Sir : bu with decency,' and carrying her off u pon his shoulders as a butcher's boy would transport a fillet of veal in his tray:' Mrs. Hall's story of the " (Met Eagle" is clever as this lady's stories are apt to be, and just of a fitting length, so that it may be read, as it was most probably written, at a sitting. The " Rev - enge of the Signor Basil" has some showy passage but is too much elaborated and wire-drawn. We believe it is the production of Mr. Willis, the author of " Pencillings by the 'Way." A‘c New Year's Carol" -is a sprightly poem, penned in an easy, elegant man ner. Some of the rhymes are very ingeniously brought in. In the article " Sir Waite...! Scott, reviewed by him self," the writer insinuates a delicate horror of such an unheard-of atrocity as an author reviewing his own work—just as if the thing were not of constant occur rence I Such cant is exceedingly ill-timed, for in the very Number before us, of which Mr. Hall is the edi tor, we find Mrs. Hall's tale of the " Outlaw" praised in the most lavish terms. 'We sec: nothing objection able in this. The:work is an able one, and deserves praise ; and on the same , principle -Ye see no harm in Sir Walter Scott pointing out the sources from whence he drew his characters in " Old Mortality." Besides, it is well known why he reviewed the work in question. Gifford sent it to him for the express plapose of entrap ping him into a confession of his being the author— thinking, of course, that he would not sit in judgment on his own performance —but Sir Walter turned the tables on him, well-knowing that if he de clined the review, such refusal would have been all but tantamount to a confession of the mystery. There is not a passage in the notice of " Old Mortality " in the slightest degree offensive to geod taste. The praise is measured out, parca, quod satis est mane, and the censure by no means slight. The " Monthly Com mentary" is, as usual, pithy, and apposite. Altogether, the Number is an excellent one. TAIT'S MAGAZINE. The article in the present - Number which will be read with the most interest, from the high celebrity of its author, is Mr. De Quinccy's account of " Toryism, Whiggism, and Radicalism," which shows informa tion and a perfect knowledge of the subject, though it is too much, in places, warped by prejudice. In places also, it is diffuse and slovenly—a defect of by. no means uncommon occurrence in Mr. De Quincey's writings. " Random Recollections of the House of Commons" is one of those well-digested notices of new publications for which this Magazine has always been remarkable. 'We turn to this welcome feature in it with never-failing satisfaction. " Sir Francis Burdett shown to have been for twenty years the same man," records the opinions of a shrewd observer, Mr. - Hulme of Bolton, who twenty years ago found cause to express his apprehensions that the Hon. Baronet was " too much attached to his own importance to do the people any real service." The anecdote is a very curious one. The remaining articles we must, from want of space, dismiss with the remark, that they are of average merit. UNITED SERVICE JOURNAL. Leaves from my Log Book" is an admirable Paper, as full of incident as a turtle-fed Alderman of gout. All naval men will read this article with avidity—for they cannot but recognise the truth and nature that pervade it. Even we, of the unprofes sional, have been delighted with it. " A Midship man's Reminiscences" are not amiss of their kind, although they are sadly too long: We would give an extract rroii one clever portion of them, but space and time and forbid. SPORTING MAGAZINE. Strange to say, the poetry of this Number is better than the prose ; the_ verses in particular on the " New Year" are worthy of any Magazine of the day. The rest of the contents are made up of technical details on the sporting events of the month. The embellishments are two in number. One is a flattering likeness of Mr. Oshaldiston, the well-known sportsman; and the other of Prince George of Cambridge's favourite grey-hounds :.__.that race of dogs to which Mr. O'Connell professes such an unaccountable dislike. LADY'S MAGAZINE AND MUSEMIL There is a very spirited, full length engraving, the first we ever remember to have seen, of that extraor dinary woman,—the Messalina of the North—the Empress Catherine the Second of Russia, so well known by the praises of Voltaire and the French litte rateurs ; by her famous triumphal journey to the Crimea, of which Count Segur has furnished us with such an interesting record ; and most of all, by her own reckless ambition, and scandalous irregularities in private life. She is here represented as a young, fair-, complexioned female, whose countenance however be speaks that mixed libidinousness and cruelty for which she was notorious beyond all the women of her age and country. The Memoir prefixed. to the .portrait ~is copious and accurate in its details, especially as regards the earlier portion of Catherine's life, which are full *of the wildest romance. As regards the remainder of the literary contents of the Number, the best article is the tale entitled " Christmas Eve, or the Last Link of the Chain," which in passages displays considerable dramatic skill. The poetry too on the whole is far better than usual. In the stanzas « Another Year is Gone," an egregious common-plaCe: is redeemed by the feeling with which it is worked up. NEW MONTHLY REPOSITORY. Fox. The public will, no doubt, cordially reciprocate the warm greetings with which the readers'of the " Re pository" are saluted on the commencement of the Ist . cw Year. For our own part, we are delighted with every indication which We discover of the world being in such goad humour with itself. He is not a wise man who can never unbend himself ; - nor is he a good man who knows not how to participate in the sports and the pleasures of childhood at certains seasons in the year. We congratulate the Editor on one improvement in the tone of this Magazine, natnely, the absence of the sectarian spirit which formerly pervaded it. The " Songs for the Bees," by the author of ." Corn-Law Rhymes," partake of the usual characteristics of all Ebenezer Elliott's poetry. They are terse and vigo rous enough, but they embody only one idea--the mi sery of the working classes. It is strange that a man so singularly gifted should perversely harp on a string from which no new note can be drawn. THE ASIATIC JOURNAL. Allen and Co. We have been much struck with a letter addressed by Mr. Wilson, the celebrated Orientalist, to the Editor of this periodical, on the education of the na tives of India. Mr. Wilson's intimate acquaintance with the subject—his long residence in the East—and his well-known zeal in the cause of the education of the natives of all ranks—impart to his opinions a weight and an iMpOrtance which variant us in saying that they merit the attention of the Government and the leading Directors of the East India Company Although most anxious for the diffusion of our lan guage, the establishment of our social 'i nstitutions, and. the triumph of our faith throughout the whole of our Indian possessions, yet we are o pposed to anything like force, or the adoption of any m easure which either morally, religiously, or politically, would lower us as nation in the eyes of the n atives of India. Besides, is a false economy which seeks to save a few thou sands of pounds at the expense of the education of an hundred millions of people. The article on the " Women of India" might have been made much more interesting. The materials for amusing gossip are, abundant, and if skilfully selected, could not fail to excite the wen - der of the ladies. The following morsel of intelligence is not likely to_prove the most gratifying to such European adventurers as have united themselves in the bonds of wedlock with some Indian beauty not over-burthened with rupees : "A woman gets old at five-and-twenty, and at forty, too often becomes a perfect hag. It would be difficult to imagine anything more hideous than an old woman in any part of Hindostan. Some of the men, together with a venerable appearance, preserve the remains _of former good looks ; but the women are altogether frightful—impersonations ofjwitches of the most withered and revolting description." Verily, this, to an Euro pean bridegroom, is not the most agreeable solace for bad temper in his newly acquired Indian spouse. The ReYiew of Mr. Holman's Travels in China is not the least interesting paper in this Number. Of the other articles we can only find space to say, that we think well of them. The Number is a very good one. CHRISTIAN REFORMER. From the very cursory perusal which - we have given to this Number, it to be fully equal to its pre decessors in the variety of subjects introduced to public notice, and the ability with which they are treated. Many of the ablest papers, however, are, from their exclusively religious character, unsuited to the pages of a newspaper. " Proceedings of London Uni versity," contain an interesting correspondence be tween the Chancellor of the . , Exchequer and the Council of that Institution, respecting the constitution of the new University.' FARMERS' MAGAZINE. There is in the present Number a great deal of mis cellaneous information on agricultural subjects, but we find nothing worthy of particular notice. THE MONTHLY MAGAZINE. Gilbert, Sherwood, and Piper. 'There is a very marked improvement in the present number of this periodical. We trust it will be equally perceptible in all forthcoming issues of a publication so long a favourite with the public. With the three pre ceding Numbers of the " Old Monthly," we, in common with our more discerning contemporaries, were by no means satisfied—and we said so. This was neither the result of caprice, nor vexation ; nor the in dulgence of any personal feeling on our part. We neither know the editor, nor the contributors to the Monthly ; and even if we did, we know little of our selves were such a circumstance capable of warping our J udgment. THE BRITISH FARMERS MAGAZINE. Ridgway. _ _ _ This Number is embellished with a group of prize pigs—certainly the most extraordinary looking animals we ever beheld even in an engraving. Small snouts,llArze heads, immense bodies, with legs only a few inches long, and apparentlyincapable of performing the func tion of supporting such masses of flesh—are the cha racteristics of this group of curious looking The letter-press, as usual, is composed principally of c ontributionsfrom the first agriculturists in the country, and articles on the real sources of public wealth. SHIPPING.-(THIS DIY.) (FROM LLOYD'S.) DEAL, DEC. 31.—Wind N.W., hazy.—Sailed this morn ing for the River the Doncaster, Matilda Luckie, and the rest of the homeward bound. Arrived and remain in the Downs, the Hooghly, Bayley, from Canton ; and William Lushing ton, —, from Quebec. Arrived from the River and sailed, the Scoutfield, Tucker, for Jamaica; and Moscow, Pitman, for Havannah. PORTSMOUTH, DEC. 31.—Wind E.N. E. to S.E. PLYMOUTH, DEC. 30.—Wind W. to N.N.W.—Arrived the Brutus, Kafer, from Newfoundland ; and Eagle, --, from Prince Edward Island. FALMOUTH, DEC. 30.—Wind N. W. to N. N. W., moderate, with hazy weather.—Arrived off port the Susannah, Watson; from Zante ; James Winter, Hunter, from Lima ; and Ann, Luckie, from Pernambuco. STA NGA TE CREEK, DEC. 31.—Arrived - the George Anson, Oakcley, from Tarragona ; James EdWard, Beckford, from Chesme ; Dean, Daix, from Cephalonia. DOVER, DEC. 31.—Arrived off port the Ceylon, Gore,. from Batavia. ISLE OF WIGHT, DEC. 31.—Arrived off the Tyrian, Cun ningham, from Valparaiso. COWES, DEC. 30.—Arrived the Charlotte, Huckle, from New York, leaky, and with loss of boats, &c., bound to Ant werp ; and Resolution, Destyre, from Hamburg, leaky, bound to Havannah. SrEVANAGE, DEC. 29.—Arrived off port the Helme, As trape, from Odessa. Tommy, DEC. 29.—Arrived the Louisa, •Cummings, and Queen, James, from St. Michael's. PENZANCE, DEC. 31.—Arrived the Angelique, Barrett, from Plymouth, leaky, and must discharge, bound to Liver pool. SCILLY, DEC. 29.—Arrived cif the Ariadne, Cox, from Berbice ; and Charles George, Hay, from Figueira. B RIST OL, DEC. 31. — Arrived the Ida, Banfield, Messina, LIVERPOOL, DEC. 30.—Arrived the Smyrna, Cornish, from Smyrna. Off port the Casseopia, —, from the Mauritius; and Robert Isaac, from Savannah. Tho Enchantress, Roxburgh, from London to Sydney, was totally wrecked in entering Derwent River about 11th of July —most of the crew drowned, master and passengers saved. The James Bentley, Bells, from Liverpool to Philadelphia, was wrecked near Great Egg Harbour, Ist inst.--crew and materials saved. RAMSGATE, DEC. 30.—Arrived off port the Mary Ann, Budd, from Villaviciosa. This day (New Year's Day) during Divine Servic the Rev. Isaac Saunders, Rector of St. Ann's and St: An. drew's, Blackfriars, iu the middle of his sermon, suddenly dropped down in the pulpit in a fit (supposed apoplexy) ; and although Dr. Powers of Great Carter-lane, and other medical men, were instantly there, no blood would follow the lancet. Thus died one of the best of men, and most able preacher in the City of London. His sermon was on the 2d chap. of Colossians, 10, 11, and 12 verses. Lord Vernon arrived at his residence in Wilton crescent on Tuesday evening from FalMouth, where he landed from the Firefly packet, from Gibraltar. His Lor& ship proceeds to Sudbury Hall to attend .the • obsequies. of his - father, the late Lord, whose remains were brought frcm Gibraltar in the Harlequin yacht. No less than 15 persons were committed, for va rious terms of imprisonment, last week, to the . House of Correction, Devizes, for poaching. * Russia. possesses literally , " a ChUrCh militant," most of the Bishops being invested with military or ders, the insignia of which they wear with their priestly investments. The members of the old Common Council of this borough held their last meeting on Wednesday, when they made up their accounts, preparatory to the surrender of their trust to the new Corporation. Under the new re gime the meetings of the Council will, we presume, be held in public, and we may be able to give a regular account of them. This, like all former meetings, was held in krivate ; what we know, therefore, is from hearsay. We are in formed that within a few weeks past the Corporation have been enabled to pay off debts to the amount of about 7,0001., reducing the encumbrances upon the municipal estate to about 10,0001. ; and that the ,income is about 3,0001. a year ; a sum which, with prudent management, may effect many public improvements. The state of 6( Grammar School was a principal subject of consideration. Preston Paper. POOR LAWS (IRELAND).—On Saturday last a meeting of several parishes was held at Naas, to petition Parliament in favour of Poor' Laws, and against the tithe sys tem. 'At this meeting Mr. Ruthven asserted the right of the people to be delivered from tithes, and relieved by a Poor Rate. The Hon. Gentleman then alluded to the recent affairs connected with the Turf Club, which have excited so much attention, and which had induced twelve of his constituents to call on him to accede to the demand of the stewards of the Turf Club, by producing Leinster and Caroline in Kildare on the 28th. The Hon. Gentle 'man entered into explations of the motives which induced him to decline doing so, and declared that he was, as far as this affair was concerned, in the hands of his legal advisers. He also denounced the attack on him as being concerned with party motives, and aiming at his. expulsion from the Representation of Kildare. He promised that, after a trial by Jury, his bitterest foes would admit his entire in nocence. DECLARATION OF CIRCASSIAN INDEPENDENCE, ADDRESSED TO THE COURTS OF EUROPE. • The inhabitants of the Caucasus, instead of being subject to Russia, are not even at peace with her, but have for many years been engaged in continual war. This war they have maintained single-handed. They have received at no period encouragement or assistance from any Power. While the Pprte held the supremacy of these provinces they were left for their means of defence to themselves, but lately the Porte has in every way betrayed and abandoned_ them. One Pasha opened the gates of Anapa to Muscovite gold, telling the Circassians that the Russians marched as friends to support the Sultan against the Rebel Chiefs of Arminestan. Another Pasha again betrayed them, and left their country by night. Since then the Circassians have sent repeated deputations to the Sultan, to offer their devotion, to request assistanee—they have, however, been treated with coldness. They have also applied to - Persia with no better success, and, finally, to Mehemet Ali, who, although appreciating their devotion, was too far off then to support them. . In all these cases the deputies of Circassia had been in structed to tell to those who, being at a distance, did not know, how intolerable was the oppression of Russia, how hostile she was to the customs, the faith and happiness of all men (or why should the Circassians have fought so long against her), how treacherous were her Generals, and how savage her soldiers,—that, therefore, it was the interest of no one that the Circassians should be destroyed. On the contrary, that it was the interest of all, the Circassians. shoUld he supported. A hundred thousand Muscovite troops occupied uow in fighting with us, or in watching and and blockading us, will then be fighting with you. A hun— dred thousand men now scattered over our barren and steep rocks, and struggling with our hardy Mountaineers, will then be over-running 'cur rich plains, and enslaving your Rayas and yourselves. Our mountains have been the ram parts of Persia and Turkey, they will become, unless sup ported, the gate to both—they are now the only shelter for both. They are the doors of . the house, by closing, which alone the hearth can be defended. But, moreover, our blood, Circassian blood, fills the veins of the Sultan. His mother, his hareM, is Circassian. His slaves arc Circas sians. His Ministers and his Generals are Circassian. He is the chief of our faith, and also of our race, he possesses our hearts, and we offer him our allegiance.By all these tics we claim from him countenance and support, and if he will not or cannot.defend his children and his subjects, let him think of the Khaus of the Crimea whose descendant is among us. Such were the words our deputies were instructed to pronOunce,lut they were unheeded. They would not have been se; if the Sultan knew how many hearts and swords he can command; when he ceases to lie the friend of the Muscovite. We know that Russia is not the only power in the world. We. know that there arc other powers greater than Russia, who, though powerful, are benevolent, who instruct the ignorant, who protect the weak, who are not friends to the .Russians, but -rather their enemies, and who arc not enemies of the Sultan, but his friends. We know that England and France are the first among_the nations of the globe, and were great and powerful when the Russians came in little boats, and got from us permission to catch fish in the Sea of Azof. We thought that England and France would take no interest in a simple and poor people like us, but we did not doubt that such wise nations knew that we were not Rus sians, and though we know little, and have no artillery, generals, discipline, ships, or riches—that we are an honest people, and peaceable when let alone, but that we hate the Russians with good cause, and almost always beat them. It is, therefore, with the profoundest humiliation that we have • learnt that our country is marked, on all the maps printed in Europe, as a portion of Russia ; that treaties, of which we know nothing, should have been signed between Russia and Turkey, pretending to hand over to the Rus sians these warriors that make Russia tremble, and these mountains where her footsteps have never come ; that Russia tells in the West, that the Circassians arc her slaves, or wild bandits and savages, whom no kindness can soften, and no laws- can restrain. We most solemnly protest, in the face of heaven, against such womanish arts and falsehood. We answer words with words, but it is truth against falsehood ; for forty years we have protested triumphantly against accusations with our arms ; this ink, as the blood we have spilt, declares our in dependence ; and these are the seals of men who have known no superior save the decision of their country—men who understand no subtle arguments—but who know how to use their weapons when the Russians come within their reach. "%no has the power to give us away Our allegiance is offered to the Sultan, but if he is at peace with Russia he cannot accept it, for Circassia is at war. Our allegiance is a free offering—he cannot cell it, because he has not bought it. Let not a great nation, like England, to whom our eves arc turned, and our hands arc raised, think of us at all if it be to do us injustice. Let her not open her ear to the wiles of the Russian, while she closes it to the prayer of the Cir cassian. Let her judge by facts•between the people that is called savage and barbarous, and its caluMniator. We are four millions, but we have unfortunately been di , vided into many tribes, languages, and creeds ; we have va rious customs, traditions, interests, alliances, and feuds. We have hitherto never had one purpose, but we have modes of government, and habits of submission and com mand: The chief chosen by each body during the war is implicitly obeyed, and our princes and our elders govern according to the eastern of each ,place with greater autho rity than in the great states around us, but from our want ing a common chief amongst ourselves, we who have ruled throughout - the East have chosen always a foreign leader. We have thus voluntarily submitted to the dominion of the Khans of the Crimea, and afterwards to the .Sultans of Constantinople. Russia has attempted, whenever she had . OverPOwered any portion of our territory, and in some she has - succeeded, to reduce us to the condition of serfs, to enroll us in her armies, to make us spend our'sWeat and our blood to enrich her ; to fight her battles, and to enslave to her others, even our own countrymen and co-religionaries. Hatred has, therefore, grown up between us, and bloodshed is unceasing, other wise we might long ago have submitted to a Muscovite chief, It would be a long and sad story to relate the acts of her cruelty, her faith violated, her promises broken ; how she has encircled our country on every side ; cut us off from the necessaries of life ; how she has intercepted our 'commerce : how she has Caused to fall under the knife of , the hired assassin the last remnants of our ancient houses, and left us without chiefs to obey ; how she has extermi nated whole tribes and villages ; how. she has bought the treacherous agents of .the Porte ; how she has reduced us to poverty, and driven us into hatred and exasperation against all the world, by the horrors she co mmitted--while by her falsehoods she degraded us in the eyes of the Chris tian nations of Europe. We have lost the stocks that formerly could have col lected hundreds of thousands of men under their banners — but we are now at last united all as one man in hatred to Russia-200,000 alone of our people have been subjected by her chiring this long contest, of the remainder not one has voluntarily served Russia. Many,children have been . stolen, and sons of nobles taken as hostages ; but such as could recollect a country, have made their escape. We have amongst us men who have been favoured and flattered and honoured by the Emperor, and who have preferred to that favour the dangers of their country. We have amongst us thousands of Russians, who prefer our barbarism to the `ciVilization of their country. - Russia has built forts on points of our territory, but they dare not venture beyond the reach of their guns-50,000 Russians have lately made an inroad,. and they have been.beaten. It is by arms, not by words, that a country can be con quered. If Russia conquers us, it will .not be . by arms but by cutting off our communications , a nd inakine• use of Tur key and Persia as if they were already hers ; by rendering the sea impassable, as if it were herown-; by blockading our coast ;. by destroying -not only our vessels, but those of other states-which approach us ; by depriving us of a market for our produce ; by preventing us from obtaining salt, gun powder, and other nece:,saries of war—by depriving us of hope. . But we are independent—We are at war—we are victors. The representative of the Emperor, who numbers us in Eu rope as his slaves, who marks this country as his on the map, has lately opened c ommunications with the Circassians—not to offer pardon for rebellion, but to bargain for the r etreat of 20,000 men enveloped by our people, and to make ar rangements le cub on Old Assembly Thursday,f‘ the L s ub o s candrnd a i i: n - THE " STARVING" PARSONS.—The tion in this DioceEe amounts to more thanooo/.—Cani bridge Chronicle. , Mr. Feargus O'Connor,tahieif:xgn, e thei nt o Radical Association, visited H meeting was held, in the evening, in Room, which was excessively crowded. INCENDIARISM.---O n Sunday evening last, a little after five o'clock , the stack-yard of Mr. John Smith, of Newburgh, near E a singwold, was discovered to be on fire,, and a stack of wheat, containing twelve or fourteen quarters, was totally consumed. There is no doubt but this was the work l o y : pd a s n in E York Courant. R c C en Kt— ar 7considerable sensation was excited at yesterday, by intelligence of the loss of the En chantress, bound to Van Diemen's Land, when within a short distance of her destination. She is stated to have been a fine vessel, and her cargo one of the most valuable ever sent to that qaarter. The crew were unfortunately drowned, but the master and passengers escaped.