Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-11-12 00:00:00

'LITERATURE.

Tun BIOLOW PAPERS By James Russell Lowell.
Newly Edited, with a Preface by the Author of
"Tom BroWn's Scholl-days." Reprinted, with the
Author's sanction, from the Fourth American Edition.
London : Triibner. 1859.

THIS is a very humorous production. Yankee humour,
which it is, has a happy quaintness and raciness about
it; and in this little volume these qualities are predo-
minant. We may give a pretty good idea of the charac-
ter of these "Papers" by referring to the productions
of " Sam Slick," whose style of expression and manner
of moralising they very closely imitate. The Number
One " Paper" is a very keen practical satire upon war,
which is introduced by the following prose, but not
prosaic, letter :

FROM MR. EZEKIEL BILLOW OF JAALAM TO THE HON.
ZPOSEPH T. BUCKINGHAM, EDITOR OF THE BOSTON
COURIER, INCLOSING A POEM OF HIS SON, MR. HOSEA
BILLOW.

Jaylem, june 1846.
MISTER EDDYTER :—ollr Hosea wuz down to Boston
last week, and he see a cruetin Sarjunt a struttin round
as popler as a hen with 1 chickmg, with 2 fellers a
drummin and fifin arter him like all nater. the sarjunt
he thout Hosea hedn't gut his i teeth cut cos he looked
a kindo's though he'd jest corn down, so he cal'lated to
hook him in, but Hosy woodn't take none o' his sarse
for all he hed much as 20 Rooster's tales stuck onto his
hat and eenamost enuf brass a bobbin up and down on
his shoulders and figured on to his coat and trousis, let
alone wut nater hed sot in his festers, to make a 6
pounder out on.
wal, Hosea he com home considerabal riled, and
arter I'd gone to bed I heern Him a thrashin round
like a short-tailed Ball in fli-time. The old Woman
ses she to me ses she, Zekle, ;es she, our Hosee's gut
the cholera or suthin anuther ses she, don't you Bee
skeered, ses I, he's oney amakin pottery* ses i, he's
oilers on hand at that ere busines like Da & martin, and
shure enuf, cam morninc,m, Hosy he cum down stares
full chizzle, hare on eend and cote tales fifin, and sot
rite of to go reed his varies to Parson Wilbur bein ke
haint alley grate shows o' book laming himself, bimeby
he cmn back and sed the parson wuz &Ole tickled with
em as i hoop you will Be, and said they wuz True
grit.
Hosea ses taint hardly fair to call 'em hisn now, cos
the ?arson kind o' slicked off sum o' the last varies, but
he told Howe he didn't want to put his ore in to tetch
to the Rest on 'em, bein they wuz verry well As thay
and then nosy ses he sed suthin a nuther about
Simplex Mundishes or sum sech feller, but I guess
Hosea kind o' didn't hear him, for I never hearn o'
nhody o' that name in this villadge, and I've lived
here man and boy 76 year cum next tater diggin, and
Chair aint no wheres a kitting spryer 'n I be.
If you print 'em I wish you'd jest let folks know who
posy's father is, cos my ant Keziah used to say it's
rater to be curus ses she, she ain't livin though and he's
c likely kind o" lad.
EZEKIEL BIGLOW.

* Aut insanit, ant versus facit.---H. W.

The English editor, in his preface, anticipates an
-.objection which may not unreasonably be taken against
.the poetical "Papers," by what he calls the " combina-
tion of broad keen humour with high Christian purpose
—the association.of humour and Christianity." But we
vdon't think that he-has by any means succeeded in com-
'batting such an objection. It lies, for instance, against
such expressions as the following :

'T'aint your eppyletts an' feathers
Make the thing a grain more right;
afullerin your bell-wethers
Will excuse
.'ye in His sight;
'Ef you take a sword an' dror it,
An' go stick a feller thru,
'Gwv'ment aint to answer for it,
God 'll send the bill to you.
Now, this is not bad reasoning, and there is a moral
in it that may, in certain quarters, convey a good reli-
ious influence; but there is great irreverence notwith-
-standing. Mr. Ezekiel Biglow's objections to war are
~quite as forcibly expressed without the introduction of
'religious allusion-8 and gospel paraphrases, as.the follow-
ing verses testify:—

'Taint by turnin' out to hack folks
You're agoin' to git your right,
Nor by lookin' down on black folks
Coz you 're put upon by wife;
Slavery ainto' nary colour,
'Taint the hide that makes it wits,
All it keers fer in a feller
'S jest to make him fill its pus.
Want to tackle me in, du ye ?
I expect you 'll hev to wait;
Wen cold lead puts-daylight thru ye
You 'll begin to kal'late ;
'Spose tim_erows wun't fall to pickin'
All the carkiss from your bones,
Coz you helped to give a Hokin'
To them poor half-Spanish drones?
Jest go home an' ask our Nancy
Whether I'd be sech a goose.
Ez to jine ye,---guess you'd fancy
The etarnal bung wuz loose!
She wants me fer home consumption:,
Let alone the hay's to mow,—
Ef you 're arter folks o' gumption,
You 've a darned long row to hoe.
Take them editors thet 's
Like a cockerel three months old,---
Don't ketch any on 'em goin',
Thongh they be so blasted bold;
Aint they a prime set o' fellers?
'Fore they think ou't they will sprout
(Like a peach thet's got the yellers),
With the meanness bustin' out.
Wal, go 'long to help 'em stealin'
Bigger pens to cram with slaves,
Help the men thet's oilers dealin'
Insults'on your fathers' graves;
Help the strong to grind the feebe,
Help the many agin the few,
Help the men thet call your people
Whitewashed slaves an'.peddlin' crew !
These brief extracts.will give some idea of the quality
of these "Biglow Papers," and. of their character as
moralising invectives against some of the more notable
evils of the time. We could quote other examples,
perhaps more striking, and upon equally salient topics,
but our space forbids. Wo can only add the expression
of our favourable opinion of these "Papers," as clewr
philippics upon some of the more prevalent follies of the
world, and as instances of broad humour which cannot
but tell upon the popular mind.

BANKRUPTS

James Wycberley, Adderbury, Oston, maltster.
William Cullingford, Jerrard-street, Soho, woollen
drawer.
Edward Gileon, Brook's-mews, Brook-street, Gloucester-
place, • Ilyde-park Gardens, job master and livery-
stable keeper. -
John Jeyes Northampton seedsman.
Robert Oakley Wilkins, Apple, Sussex coin. dealer.
m Thoas Allen, Newport, Monmouth hire, corn factor
and seedsman.
Knapton, York, iron and brass founder.
George, Henry Edwards; Birmingham, victualler.
kathew"George White, formerly of Regent-street, Mid-
dleiex, late of the Strand, picture dealer and news;
paper pr6prictor ; h'it now. of St. George's
St; RI yiet'ore ,