The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-01-17 00:00:00

LI7ER4TURE.

NEW SYSTEM OF " SHOWINO UP" BY AMER-
TISE3I ENT.
Pifff, in Sheridan's admirable farce of the Critie, treats
hi■ subject scientifically, and devrlopea the mysteries of his
art with the most amusing unreserve. It' exaggerated
praise is pardonable, it is because, at least, the fault is on
the right side. It remained frk the malignitz of the pre-
sent day to apply the principle in the opposite direction,
and to introduce, among the various torts of //het, the co/in-
cise libel, and the libel °Moue, or Sy implication. We
deem it essential to the interests nfjustice, as well as to the
cause of literature, to crush this base and dishonourable
practice in the outset, by exposing it publicly to the indig-
nation and contempt which it deserves.
We know not, even by name, who are the persons con-
cerned as the conductors of the London Mazer:2.4e : we
are of course exempt from all influence of pertonal par-
tiality in calling the public attention to the following
advertisement, which appears in the LITE a•sy G•ZP:TT t
and Journal of Relies Leiters, .4rfs, Sciences, 4e. of Satur-
day se'nnight:—

" Tim LONDON SIAGAZINE.
" Speedily wiU be published, an Exposure of the Hoax just
practised on the Subscribers to the London Magazine; by which,
under the plea of a very considerable is crease in %Ise, en additional
Charge of Is. per Number has been made; whereas, by a corn-
pension and caku ation of the new mode of printing with the old.
it will be demonstrated that a number of the New Series, at Ss. Gd.
contains /ear reeding titan one of the old at h. fed.
• The law nenishes the man who, at this season of good cheer.
takes money for the carriage of a basket of rubbish, with the tail of
a cock pheasant and the foot of a hare peeping out. to give the
world usuranee of game and will visit with pains and penalties
the trader who sells his goods under names which do not belong to
them—clicppel hay for tea, and grcund bears fur coffee. But the
correction of literary quattery, such as we have above noted, can
only be effected by the immedime desertion and exposure of the
IToas (we love to use soft weals) an olllce which shall be our pe- '
culler care:—Londou Ma.cosine, Ness Series, Jan. lit.
" Printed by (*fwd.:Us:ire, for the benefit of Me Subscribers,
and sold by M. Ceintibell, Library, 51, Rathbine-place."
The extract from the last number of the London Maga-
zine, appended to this most s xtraordir.ary advertisement,
is taken from the article in that Magazine which contains
some remarks on " MADAM CAMP•N Jopernul ;"we shall
extract these retinal-its at full length, not on account merely
of the wit and talent which they display, but as affhrding a
clue to the above advertisement, which, as a new invented
wade q' libelling, we do not hesitate to denounce as at once
the most insidious and the most despicable that ever yet
was introduced into the republic of letters.
" It would be well tier the reading public, were the sale of books
under false pretences, punishable like other misdemeanours of the
I same stamp. Here is a thitk octavo volume, containing 388
pages. published by .Mr. Colbtini, under the taking title of Journal
de Madame Canman, but the deception cannot, and does not lie
deeper than a Intro( paper; for. on cutting open the first page of
the work, the purchaser discovers that it is no! a journal of Madame
Otman, or a Journal of any body else, and that if by any violence
to language it can be styled a Journal at all, it should be called
51r. Colburn's Journal. for he has made it one—it Is the work of
his hands. He has said to the printer, let it be a Journal, and it is
one—in Me title page. But what says the purchaser, who fancied
It. had bought something more solid than the faithless promise of a
title page ? Thus a worthy gentleman in the country who expects
a pace' of books from his bookseller its town, receives a brown pa-
per parcel, bearing all the outward and visible signs of quartos and
octavos ; and having cheerfully paid the carriage for the saint, an-
ticipatiag a feast of reason, ha opens with an eager hand the en-
velope, and diseuvers a curious selection of brick-bats—some ele-
gant extracts front his own wall ! And the case of this deluded
gentleman seems to us scarcely more pitiable titan that of the too
confiding individual who has purchased the Journal of Madame
Campan, tinder the erroneous impression that it is, what it purports
to be, a Journal of Madame Camper) ; and who finds, on closer
inspection, a mere heap of rubbish, about as much like a Journal
of Madame Campan a. a brick-bat is like a book . • together with
a stale treatise, which is on every stall in Paris, and which is u fa-
miliar to every Frrnch reader RS the tare of the horse-pond was to
por Mrs. Hanlcaatle, on whom the ungracious Tony played a
boonseller's trick, by deluding the good lady into a belief that she
was forty miles off, when she was in the well-known foully slough
at ',crown door.
" The following is an exact copy of this curious title-page :
" Journal A need at ique de Al adame Cam pan ; ou, Conversations
Recueillies dare see Entretiers. Par 111. Maigne. Suivi d'Extraits
dam Coriapoodaace, see Persees sur l'Education, &c. &c.
" ` Paris, et Londres rhea Colburo, New Burlington-street,
1825.'"
" Now, as to the first and prominent part of the title, it is purely
iinaginative, there bring no journal in the book of any description ;
and if the conversations gleaned by 51. Maigne, in his intercourse
with 31adasu Campan, eon, by any secret of quackery. be converted
int a Jounfet of tttatlaily; Isytbe very same meow Corn% Med.
win's conversations of Lord Byron, with the account of his last
hours, borrowed from the Westminster Ilea mess, may be metamor-
phosed by a touch of Mt. Colburn's magical printing rod into it
Journal of Lord Byron, and possibly at this very moment the press
of Burlington-street way be teeming with a treasure of this novel
kind.
" We shall now bestow a few words on the nature of the work
before us. which has been thus passed into circulation. The first
part of the volume, which isheaded Journal Anecilotique,' contains
only 114 pages (less than one-third of the book,) abounding with
tedious relations bearing strong resemblance to Mathews' Scotch
lady's story about nothing, insipid sayings retailed wirh the air of
bon mots, and slip-slop common places. It appears, that from
April 1819, when Madame Campan settled at :Mantes, 31. Maigne
inflicted his tediousness on the poor lady twice a-day, till the hour
arrived when death released her from all worldly troubles. When
recording these diurnal visitations, he bears testimony to the lady's
power of pleasing, and enforces his commendation with this very
prquente anecdote—* Madame la 3larechale de 'Seurat' disait de
Madame Campan Personne n'a jantair micas test le temp 98. e
cettel4mme-le.' —Prodigious !
" The following long story which Madame Campan is surposed
to tell, is a faconrobk specimen of the contents of the Journal Anec-
dotique, as a minute particle of pleasantry lies like a *aliment at
the bottom of the vapid drench of slip-slop.
" ' A Vispoque oil Alesmer hank on si grand bruit 5. Paris avec
son magnimsnie et sex briquets, M. Campan, mon man, Mat de.
venu, cornme presque toot ce qui passait pour avoir bon ton, son
partisan : se faire ruagnetiser emit uns mode ; je cods ore eetait
plus qu'une mode, eiltait use rege. On ne parfait dent-ks salons
que de la brillante dicouverte, on ne devalt plus mourk, les cites
etaient montke, 'lmagination frappee, it ne eagisssit plus que
d'engourdir Is raison : Meaner, avec son langnsge singulter, avert
produit sat effet. Le plus difticile pour terminer cot aka% de folie
itait de faire at-litter par la tour le secret ;le proprietaire portait
fort haut sea pre:conk.' ; cependant on offrait deja cinquatite nu llu
kus. Par on Ward bten extraordinaire, je me movers un beau
jour au milieu des baguets et des somnambules l'enthousissme
des r.ornbreux spectateurs eutit a grand que Is plupart evident la
vue egaree et la figure crispie ; un stranger aurait cru etre au mi-
lieu dos liabitans de Charenton. Etunnee, surprise, de your tent de
monde presque en delire, je me livrai y mes refiexions en me re-
tirant. 11on marl omit malade d'une Minion de poitrine, it se fit
transporter dans la maison de Mesmer. lintallee dans rapparte-
ment que M. Campan y °await, je .lemandai ass thaumaturge quel
traitement it se proposal' d'employer. II me repondit d'un nes-
grand sang-froid qtr it fallait, pour etre certain crone guitison
prompte et sore, mane dans be lit du malade, du er;te gauche. une
jeune femme brine, une pestle noire, oar Bien une bouteille vide.—
' Monsieur, si le choir eat indifferent,' dui dis-je, • servez.vous de
la bouteille vide.' ( I'. 4, b.)
" We give another anecdote, however, which is a fairer specimen
of the general style and materials of the book
Dans one conversation particuliire avec Napoleon, sur
blissement d'Ecoueu, Madame Campus demands des pompiers:
' Vane surveillance dolt suture,' repondit Napoleon.--' Oui, sire,
dans les cu ordinalrest mail puis-je empecher le feu du eiel
• C'est juste;' et Trois pulpier) furent aussit6t accordis. II sen.
tait vivemtntla venue, ii softball de la lui dkouvir. It daft 'italswi
de we point favoir apercite. La justice commandait mime I am
amour prupre.' (P. 20.)
prevailed on Napoleon to
" It does not appear whether Madame
take precautions also against the sky's falling on the Establishment
at Ecouen.
'The next part of the work contains 90 pages of letters from
Madame C11111p613 to her son, of which we cannot give any very
particular account, SS the period of our publication is fast approach-
ing, and as cannot afford to court sleep in our hours of business.
The alleles appear to be a sort of antithesis to strong coffee.
" We now come to the • Pensees sur L'Education, which fills
the remainder or the volume, and which might be b•sught, we are
assured, at a stall in Paris for half a franc--and this is the Journal
of Madame Campan, published by Mr. Colburn !
• The law punishes the man, who, at this season of good cheer,
takes money for the carriage of a basket of rubbish, with the tail
of a cock pheasant and the foot of a hare peeping out, to give the
world assurance of game • and will visit with pains and ()endues
the trader who sells his goods under names which do not belong to
Sheen.—chopped hay for tea, and ground boos for coffee. But the
correction of literary quackery. such as we have above noted, an
only be effected by the Inoue Hate detection and exposure of the
hoax (we love to use son wools), an office which shall be our pecu.

bar care.''
The latter paragraph, it will be seen, is quoted as a
motto to the advertisement, and thus its malicious and re-
vengeful spirit is made to betray the quarter from whence
it originates ;-3fadawie C,'ampan's Menwirs, and the
Literary Gazette, both belong to the same proprietor.
Every threatened exposure contains in itself a charge of
fraud, and is calculated seriously to affect the character of
the party implicated in it. To announce by public adver-
tisement to the subscribers to any work, that a hoax is
fraudulently practised upon them, is a mode of attack on
the ehrt-acter of a public work, and on the integrity of its
publishers, that cannot be too publicly or too pointedly
exposed. It is impossible mot to perceive that this most