The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-10-15 00:00:00

THE WINES OF 1025.

0111.31 AN WINES.
It is the universal opinion on the Rhine that the quality
of the wine of this year will be very fine, but the quanthy
will uct mush exceed an average vintage. The opinion which
s commonly prevails in this country of the necessity of
drinking old Rhenish wine is little known in the country
of its production. The wine, of 1611 are much esteemed,
as well as those of 1414, from the excellence of the vint-
ages ; but except these, there is little, commonly no dis-
tinction oe care as to the ages of the wines.
It is said by the wine-merchants of Cologne and Co-
Mentz, that the introduction of steam-boats nn the Upper
Rhine (in the establishment of which ;hex hare assisted)
will materially benefit their trade. The little boatmen
who hare undertaken hitherto the carriage of the wine to
Holland, were never rssponsibk, and seldom trustworthy
persmis. Besides the slownemof their operations, the wine
intrusted to that was often diminished, or deteriorated
by a mixture of water; and It has happened that casks for
which transit duty has actually been paid in Holland, hare
been foam* full of pure water. The stem-vessels will be
enabled to tow down the steam boats laden with wine ;
acrd the rapidity of transport, and the absence of risk from
d.sliouesty, must together cause a reduction in price.
FRENCH WINES.
Crest efforts are said to be made this year to produce a
large quamity of sparkling burgundy, of which a few
specimens have already been made, and much esteemed by
4nateurs. The quality of wine, both in Burgundy and in
other parts of France, this year, is said to be good, but the
quantity not very great.
The following is an extract of a letter, dated Tours,
Oct. 6:— _ .

- .
" The vaatage of this year is in high repute, and is considered
to be the best which has presented itself for many years past ; the
eantisquence is, thst the prices an oonspanitirely high. The
&whir, is filled with Parisian wine merchants, who ire buying all
they as lay their hands on. They are the more induced to do
bO. ttebUlt, from the excessive beat of the summer, the grape has
produced a very high.eolound wine, and it will consequently bear
a greater mixture. The price of wine in this country is 41. a piece
(about SO gallcosi. mak included. At Orleans it is only half that
pr:ce, bat there the wine it not so good. Further south, the choice
wines have risen to an erwertnaus price; I mean the wines of this
seesaw. La Flue has risen to .3,000 francs. to w%icti must be
added 1110 francs commission for wastife and cellarage ; making
together 4,100 franca for a tonneau of wine, comprising about four
English hog heads, or, In other word*. about 41/. sterling the
liophead ; so high is the reputation of ibis year's vintage."

PORT.
By advice, from Oporto, dated Sept. 27, we learn
that the vintage (for the success of which considerable
fears were entertained for some period past, in consequence
of the heavy and incessant rains experienced there), will
prove a productive one, and it is hoped the quality of the
wine will be very superior to what was anticipated. A
long letter, giving an account of the general view of the
vintage, concludes in the following brief but satisfactory
manner:—" The vintage, after all, will be a famous one ;
the wnther h s tl:artsi up :just in time for us, and all is
going on most prosperously.'

The Ser:nam Jeer ►al of the 29th July contains the'
Proclamation of the Royal Decree of the 2d April, 1623,
which assimilates individuals of the Jewish persuabion in
the colonies of the Low Countries in tl►e West Indies, W
the other inhabitants. It also regulates the organization of
tint worship, and abolishes the privileges the Jews enjoyed
iis that minty, petting them as nearly as possible on a
level with those in the mother conntry. 'l'h►s decree was
put in execution at Paramaribo, the 20th June. 1i,125.
dlr. Courtney. " the American Prodigy," took a flight
I.t lirigliton on iVednealay. The mach►nery was similar 1
to that used at Dover ; but the Brighton people were much
disappointed. When Mr. Courtney shall have broken an'
sun or tw.i, he may became a greater favourite.

LINWARIYS HISTORY OF ENGLAND AND
THE EDINBURGH REVIEW. .

TO THE EDITOR OF THE BRITISH CRESS.

a,—ln the article one LINGARD'II History England,
in the last numbet but one of the Edinburg* Review, the
critic pronounces the MS. history of tie captivity of
Richard 11, preserved in the public library in Pins, a
mere romance. Mr. Lingenl, he is pleased to say—
" Repeatedly refers for events connected with the rap-
ture and misfortunes of Richard 11, to a MS. in the King
of France's library, which he supposes to have been Written
by a person in the suite of that Monarch. The btS. itself
makes no :itch pretension ; and though quoted as authority
by Carte, it is manifestly a collection of tales and hearkays,
embellished by the imagination of the author, and not *tore
worthy of serious credit than the history of Don Carlo's, or
of the conspiracy against Venice. Judging from the num-
ber of copies we have seen of this MS., one of which is in
this country, it seems to have been a favourite work in ,
France during the long contest between the house of Valois
and the house of Lancaster. Richard's marriage with a
French Princess bad made him popular in France • his
misfortunes were pitied, and his successors detested."
The article is written, from beginning to end, with *rich
an evident design to bring this great historical work into
suspicion for the fidelity of its references, and to fasten on
the historian himself the imputation of having sacrificed
Truth to theological and party feeling ; it mixes up so
much of apparent candour with its insinuations, and
the drawback of praise is made so artfully to nen-
tralize the donation, that I was led to doubt, on perus-
ing the above pewee, whether the critic had not pur-
pearly hazarded it, with the hope of thereby discrediting
Lingerers History with the public, not believing it likely
that any one would ever be at the pains of investigating
the MS. upon the spot. It so happens, however, that
during a recent excursion to the continent, I gratified my
curiosity with an examination of the document, and could
not help suspecting that the reviewer had paraded his
knowledge of that which lie hail never seen, and with the
value of which he was totally unacquainted. Unwilling,
however, to rely solely on my own judgment, I requested
the opinion of 'Mr. Buc no s, a gentleman eminently skilled in
that department of literature, who. after a diligent perksatof
Me mannscr;pl, declared it to he his conviction that it was
written by one who was the eye-witness of the greater part
of abet lie relates, and that it bears intrinsic and ample
testimony to the integrity and good-faith of its author.
On what ground then does the reviewer represent it as
unworthy of credit What purpose could such a repre-
sentation answer—what other purpose was it intended to
answer—but to cover anti give effect to the aspersion which
he had thus taken occasion to cast upon the whole con-
tents of the work The writer of the article in the
Edinburgh Reriew is now in Paris with LORD HOLLAND;
he may readily obtain access to the King's library, anti can
find no difficulty In referring to the manuscript. Let him
then repair thither—let him proceed to refer to it—and
having so done let bun Mrs pronounce—if honestly and in
fairness he ens—that it is " a collection of tales and hear-
says embellished by the imagination of the author," and
—if he cannot, let him then make a candid and manly re-
traction of his error.
The article assuming to be a review of Lingard's His-
tory is the wotk of two different hands. The author is as
little indebted to the Saxon as to the ceet,:h critic. The
foolish pedantry of the one is—to say the leastof it—as
bad as the flimsy panegyric of the other. After suffering
the work to lie by them unnoticed for nearly three years,
they usher in their review of it with declaring, that " to
appreciate justly a work like this, would require a more
minute and careful examination of its contents than we
have now leisure to bestow upon them." But after having
so delayed their examination, why do they at length enter
on the task, when they confessedly are not in a condition to
acquit themselves of it as they ought?
" We are aware," says the Reviewer, " that to some of
our readers, the discussions on which we are about to enter,
may appear of too little moment to occupy their time.
But we beg of them t 3 consider, tltt it is not the charac-
ter of a Saxon King, or the truth of a Saxon story, that
we are going to try, hut the degree of confidence that may
be safely placed in Dr. Lingard's History of England."
It is somewhat curious that the Reviewer should enter
on the decision of this great question, after having just
before acknowledged that he could not afford leisure for
its due examinstiou. As to the grave formality with which
he turns over the worst rubbish of the Saxon !muds, and
proceeds through his dry, laboured, frivolous, and tiresome
discussion as to the guilt or innocence of .'deny and Elgiva,
about whose purity or profligacy nobody cares three straws,
and tenders this as a decision of the point he had so delibe-
rately rut in issue, it is a course of proceeding so ridiculous
as to save it from any graver feeling than that of contempt
I am, Sir, yonrs. &c.
I :e VLSTIOA TO R.