The Express.
London, England, 1852-10-07 00:00:00

MR. THACSRRATS LECTURES.

The Meoirkeeer Guardian says:—The third lec-
ture of the C..t.fv•—.. Oa the Humorous Writere of the hut
century," wee ihhversd by Mr. Thackney, at th• Athe-
swum, ois W. iy ...ming, its subject Wog Steele.
Altar a pixels! him...lactase to show that in the lighter
works osi Amin then was te he loan more reliable ma-
torials for the formation of as 'piano aa to the inseams sad
metteme of a bygone age than Gould be estraeted from the
more pr. teas..,. and 'heavier works celled hietories, the
butane proceeded to nivii•grepine sketch of society in the
time of We nn Anne . his estimate of the social ernidition of
which limy gathered Inns his di elaratien of belief that •
relined person of the pretreat day could no moss receive late
his di aw ing -room • In lady id the time of Quite boo*,
bear what she said, an see what ski did, than he
null so receive as ancient Briton. The Teller sad the
Apemen the lecturer thought, most hove been received
sail read with an avidity equal to that which the Waverley
Novo Is slunk d ; and as a proof of the trash published at the
Soma the appearance of the periodicals named, he read
several extracts from a seeable journal," published in
1708, entitled the British Apollo." Ibis journal
to sumer guistiesa upon " wit, morality, science, and
religion ;'• and one garnet, refining to the passage, that
a bishop could be the husband of hut one wife. argued,
therefore, that polygamy was justifiable among the laity.
TLc "society of gesitlenien" who conducted the publica-
tion were peed, and promised a " reply in oar neat."
Another goeriet eked, " Why deis hot wet. r freese
sooner than cold ?" mid Apollo ri pled, " Hot water cannot
be said to (rein souarr than rood; but water once heated
and cooled may lie subject to frees* by the evaporation of
the spirituous pens thereof, which readers it ,evis liable to
witheand the power of frosty weather." What a change
It must have been, and bow Apollo's oracle mu.: have been
squat dumb, then the " Tstler " appeared, and the
scholar, the gentleman, the man of the world, the man of
genius, began to spook. Relining to the days when Steele
aa. at the Charter:louse School, the lecturer acid he felt
sure that no good report could be given by the masters and
when of that thick-set, square-faced, and soft-
hearted Itch boy, who, whipped frequently, though he Med
powers of his own, was so idle that he got others to do his
lemons, taking out, so much trouble as be thought would
enable bins to ecuffl: through his exercise* sad escape •
flogging. Besidie being very lazy and idle, tthere could be
no doubt that he went invariably into debt with the tart
woman, entered into all sorts of promissory engage-
vat tots with the lollipop vendor, and borrowed mosey
heti/ all his comrades who had it to lend. There
wasno sort of authority for thew statements as to Swift's'
school-days, except a belief that the child was father to the
man, and if that were so, three could be no doubt as to the
correctness of the picture. Dick Steele imsethave bees ono
of the most generous, good-for-nothing, good little fellows
that:ever conjugatid the verb kto, I bear." Steele never
lost the reverie, which the other boys at a school Lel for
their "kind boy." A: school, and through the world, Addi-
son was always Steele's lieu boy. Addison wrote his
Itititien and .id his beet themes—he ran Addison's me*-
sages, fagged for Lim, blacked his shoes ; to be is Joe's
company ea, Dick's great( s. pleasure; and he took • sermon
or a casing from his mentor with almost bouneleee reve-
rence, acquiescence, and off etion. Although, amitteo with,
• Love of glory, he joined the Life Guards, Steele could
not have wen any actual service; for he who wrote about
leis wife, his moth r, hie sister, his debts, and
the wine he &auk, would have told us of his service if
be had seen any. When he wrote his " Christian Hero"
be was deep in debt, in drink, and all the follies of
the town ; it was said that he was laughed at for his work,
and truth a theologies is liquor was not a respectable ob
bet—a hermit might be out at the elbows, but he must not
is debt at his tailor's. Steele said of himself he
wo. always sinning and repenting. U. beat his breast
most piteously when he did reunt, but as sou as sighing
mole him dry he sinned again. He wrote so richly, so
gracefully often, and so kindly always, with such • gush of
good spirits and good humour, that he. earlier pages might
be compared to Addison's own; awl they might be read
by a male reader at lees: with quite an equal pleasure.
Ho married twice; and. he outlived his place his
uhernes, his wires, his income, his health, almost
everything but his kind heart—that armed to trouble
him is 1729, when he died ; a man won out and forgotten
by his contemporaries in Wales, where he bad a remnant of
property. Posterity hod beep kinder to the amiable crea-
ture. All women were bound to be grateful to him, for he
was the first of our writers who seemed to admire and
respect thus; he paid manly homage to their goodness and
understanding, as well as to their wit sad beauty. He
ad aired their wit, acknowledged their pease, sad adored
their virtae and beauty, with a strength which should win
the goodwill of the sea. It was this feeling which made
his comedies so pleasant, and their heroes such Is. gen-
tlemen. He paid to Lady Elizabeth Flutings the Inset com-
pliment ever offered to a woman ; for he said " that to have
loved her, was • liberal education." He sainted • good and
beautiful woman with his heart as well as his hat. About
children, an all that related to home, he was sot lees
tinder ; and he spoke in terms of apology for kis " soltana,"
as he called it. Hos works were like his life, full of faul.s
and binders ; but both were redeemed by his kind acd
nature. His letters to his wife bore all the
stallita of ers genuineness of • conversation; they wen as
artless as • child's prattle, and as enlideatial m a curtain
lecture. He had in the mune of his life two fortunes,
but he was always is want of money. Oh ! to think
thee • " Christian Hero " should he compelled to be
biding continually from bailiffs, afraid of • dirty sheriff's
officer that the pink sad pride of chivalry should turn
pale before a writ! Tie great charm of his writings
was their saturation ; be wrote so %sickly, that he was
compelled to make his ruder* his confidants. He
saw all phases of ninety, and be wax liked by all kinds
of company, because hi liked them. He was not a
solitary great man ; be admired the world more than
any other mac who ever wrote. full of hearty good
sympathy himself, he woe ups. us by calling upon us
to share his good humour. He had • keen relish for
goodness en beauty wherever be met with it. He admired
Shakesure more than say man of kis time; and he called
wpso all his company to like what he liked \Woolf.
He del son " damn with (slat praise:" he was in the world
of it, and is this respect, his life prooosted a strange con-
trast to that of Swift and Addison. He (the lecturer)
owned to liking Dick Steele the man, mad Disk Steele the
author, mach better than much better men and mach
better authors; the misfortune was that a great porticos of
the esthetic* must take hie amiability upon homey, be-
cause they c..ald sot make hie acquiatanes. Not that
Steele was worse than his tints ; is the sentrary, he was •
far better, truer, and higher-boarted tan than meet who
Lind is it; but things wen dose, sad name gamed, In
company which Sorb kept, which would make mut
shudder sew. Let as thick gently of use minium so gentle,
and speak kindly of ime whine Inert elaborated io beam
kindness. _ _

iis Milani was mainly applauded by • numerous
*adieu,.

~rfiui,& rank 1111 HIGHLAIOII.—Om the
evening Friday last the eleamer ills, leaded at Olaagow
nearly 400 'airframe of all ages, who were comfortab.y
lodged for the sight sad otherwise provided fee by Messrs.
Bethune sad Macelesmild, Jamaica street, the spats for the
Highlaad sad Island Emigration Society. They were
forwarded ea Saturday by the Prisms Royal to Birkaa-
lic Iclorliere they me is meet sae of the ship et the Cele-
nial Land sad limelpeallea Coemaiallows. murk k to
czmvey them to the Mid reek/a& The gnaw paths
of them effilde hen H. Mod of Stye. • of
eight families, gandslierof thirty-4a seals, was
the remote Woad MEL ; this is the gist eraigraties
from that quarter, ad Me think the ware mf bessoily
scald be served went k sailitiased ea* all dee imhabileole
have bees roomed lbs. thee berm reek, ere elm is
sorb 6111.24eshes dlopeelnuof _voted
et. Cala thorn be lonise with aileeseme IBM=
settlement. he poptiatlea of St. Edda bee eahher !s-
-imian DOC decreatY tia memory of the din Man-
tent, sod it is n marked, that wither the *ekes ow the
pet 40 blight ever ellbsel • es %hi War L The
inhabitants live prieeipally es .5 idea en
at the greatest risk and danger. Tle fit ihaV
Edda people was remarkable for the Gerlmem of Reif MM.
pletion, which may be attributed to their Isselei e. sea
OM animal food. and Is the esaperetin else they en-
joy. They were Finis" with every stasaary for
the iong voyage; Mr. Ineed, the beau* pantistor
of the stead, sameto Oirgew to see then, esil wee
eery affecting to observe then send nest kin, sod in
the it own eapreseise lansenige wish fled to di. bin as
each shook him by the beeilL The tip Bielinelms So-
ciety was formed is Virrenbor of Ire , mad three&
the praiseworthy earners's' Preser, of Skye,
IMeRtlllllll were held is Edinburgh mod bodes, the result
of which is that the seciety—sew "the Highland sod
Ishind lisagrration Soeiety"—iepatronised by royalty and
pr. 'sled over by Sir Charles Tnivelyan. Two thousand
souls or upwards have already left Skye ander the
aus;acei of this society, and when it is considered that this
per again the potato crop has fells. in that place as com-
pletely as in the lest year of the famine, we mascot but
roe quirt: the finger of God in working out a great scheme,
which will no doubt ultimately prove to be for great good.
—Glasgow !Inlaid.
Tit?. aux or TVEADAY.—OD T seeming,
et half-Seed, in consequence of the vied le r=
a strong gale from the tooth-west)
to the eamw aril, the spring tide, whirl= bees sea NO
tailed for the last few days, rushed sip the thew with geed
violence, causing considerable damagt, and erestlag es im-
mensity of coolest= amongst the Alp*, be the various
teethes ; sad in the lower pool very few of the vessels
could hold on, dragging their anchors, and routing athwart-
hewn, by which spars, bulwarks, and rigging were senied
awry. Several vessels were obliged to let pie mud washers
to Krieg them up. Fortunately the wind didlasteamala hoe
in that quarter, else the damage mast have bar Iniesse,
in consequence of the terrific rapidity with white Ma war-
rent rushed up ; nevertheless, a very great ..seat
of injury was sustained by market gardeners @mistier',
whose propei tie. are near the waterside. Owing ta • get st
number of the sluices being improperly meared. ll@ water
made its way through, mad overflowed the gods. The
wharfs and water-aide premises on the hurray site of the
river were inundated. Several cellars were sempistaly
filled with water, which had to be pumped eat; mg ea
some instances it was several inches over the ground ions
Vessels tint arrived on Tut "day represent the marshes ea
the Yen sad Essex sides of the river es having the appear-
arm of vast lakes. At high water the mid veered round
again to W.S.W., thus precluding the possibility of any
pest in if water oa the ensuing tide. The land floods,
*slug lolls large quantity of rain that has fallen, are more
refit 'Webb tide than has been kaowa for new time.
Too hop were repeated le be as shore es tbe
Area Soeils with little probability of pttiap of.