The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-07-14 00:00:00

injUring
Reviewer are

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00 "Mr' • IMIIIIIII
. - , . . _ ..
-- - - . - - -- --
.
Waifs ik
weir ii:e twitkuseureswilich are in
itilitoegititiodysm roofo.tThievteltL•tond one
I Jlod the tweiewer den arida, "we cannot help feeliag a sort of pity
feel a traveller whe can have wandered through the singular sepul-
eh". ut gambols, mad have bathed in its hot waters, uncomicions
1 do* those were the tooth, and this the. Bath of Gotlaro." This is
thnefluer instate of the candour of the reviewer. I make those ge-
metal nbservatiens to show that the general u:ndency of the Review
was to degrade and to destroy the reputation of the work; and
miry man of common perceetion must see that it was intended so
film I now come to the cue more immediately in point. You
orM perceive, Oentlemew of the Jury, that this number of the
gaarrerly Review is the last number of a volume, and that it there.
hale contains an Index. It is somewhat curious to observe how in-
' geaionaly this index has been contrived, so as to bring a ithin a
atm§ etimpass all the varied charges against Mr. Buckingham, for
Me purpose of destroying the reputation of the work, and injuring
the character of the whet. The intentions of the Reviewer are
thus made most palpable. The index I will read to you i,; it Cara
1 mentos thus :—" Buettne r= (J. S.), Travels in Palestine—no-
tux of an egragious blunder in the title page of this work—remarks
ea the blunders in the preface—geographical blunders reepecting
-the rite of Ramah—and Bator—specimens of his ignorauce and
boikmakiog—profane and infidel allusions to the scriptutes."—
New I have react fir. Buckin,ghanes• work, and I will say, that as
' fae es I am able to judge, there is no passage In that work which
i
its sacred Scriptures into disrepute. The index thus proceeds—
`• His account of the lake of Tiberias' false—blundering account of
the Ttlial of Omura—ignorance of Arabic—incorrect account of
the convent at Jerusalem. Now I will tell you what this " incor.
tut account of Jerusalem" means. 3lr. Buckingham in his work
i 1 riatea the cook of* certain convent to be a member of the commu-
oity ; and he might very naturally have appeared to be so, as he
wore the cowl and habit of the monks. Mr. Buckingham also
states in his volume, that a piece of land near the convent, on which
bonne were built, which were the property of the monks, were in-
habited by ladies of easy virtue; and he draws the inference that
the landlords had some interest in the welfare of their tenants. But
i saMiem this to be an error, it was not an error of importance to the
work. The index then proceeds, •• illiberal disparagement of Na.
thaniel Pearce—dishonourable conduct of 3lr. Buckingham toward'
I 1 ilia employers, and Mr. Bankes—arrival cf the latter gentleman
Ind of Mr. Buckingham, at what the latter calls the rums of Oman,
I witch most probably are those of Pella—blunders committed by
lb. Buckingham in his account of the antiquities actually disco.
1 I'M! there—hit plan of them, and transcripts of inscriptions pil-
-1111101.bom Mr. Banks—farther specimens of Mr. Buckirmliani s
ruins at Oomkaie, which he gives for those of Ha-
to be the ruins of 6:dant—remarks upon the ignorance
is his plates, which are pilfered from those of former tro-
t - • ors." Now you will observe the word " employers" introduced
te e for the purpose of intimating that Mr. Buckingham was nothing
move than a messenger, although he was a partner in the pmued
i Iro
roneern, and mare interested in its sumees than any ot:i rr. You
will alio observe the comments of the reviewer on the " pilfering
i It
1 ' of plates," but surely no man could be said to " pilfer" who ac.,
knowledge, that he lace copied the designs of his predecessors which
had hectine Public property, and which he, therefore, bails righr
tto rope. This is the termination of the index, and the conclusion
of the libel there contained ; and on this Mr. Buckingham observes, t - You have not been satisfied with attacking my work, but you
...
i ~,,.. here gathered together such a string of attacks on my chin.
rooter, as must make any man who places dependence upon your
representations, consider me as utterly recoilless and disreputable."
I come now to the body of the work, which containsanother portion
of the libel. Some allusion is made to a remark of Mr. Busking-
Paul's on a traveller of the name of Pearce, who had been a cum.
moo sailor, but who, the reviewer observes.i•was nut a comrhon
1 moo " " He has left behind him," adds the reviewer, "journals
clan that passed Outing los long residence in Abyssinia, which,
when given to the press, as we trust they will be, by Mr. Salt, to
whose care he bequeathed them, will, perhaps, throw more light
%mon the actual state of that singular country, than any other work
that has been written. Gladly would we exchange ten such quartos
as this, gm up by this member of so many flourishing literary socie-
ties, fora few pages from this • common sailor, we could hardly read.' "
Tba Learned Sergeant having read the passage contained in page
• Me of thy Review, and observed that every one who read it must
bocontinced that the intention of the Reviewer was to cast obloquy
and rroach on the character of Mr. Buckingham, proceeded in
his address. What did the whole of the libel contained in the in.
dsx alone amount to ? IV hy, it tended to hold the plaintiff up to
•
t I eo
the world aft the most contemptible of men, as a man who was a
- mponnil of ignorance—as a man who betrayed friendship and
vinlated confi.lence; and it was productive of the worst elects.—
Now, were he asked who was the author of this libel, he should say
certainly it was not Mr. 31urray. the defendant, and still more
certainly that it was not Mr. Bankes, because he had the ho-
nourof an acquaintance with that gentleman, and he was sure
that he was a man of too liberal a mind, and of too high a
setae of Mw our, to descend to such a mode of punishing a
Mao by Thom he might consider himself to have been injured.
Hi would, without the least heated of contradiction. affirm, and he
was sure that he should be borne out by all who heard him, that
the business or a reviewer was not to introduce private slander into
a critique on a literary volume. Then, as to the publication in
which it appeared, why it was not in a newspaper, which appeared
use day, was talked of on • second, and which was forgotten on
• the third, but in a literary publication, which was bound and
placed in the library, and which would be looked to as a matter
o. record years hence. Then front this report what might
petiole lieteafte think of the plaintiff'? Not that he was
merely a bad writer, but that he was a base treacherous man,
unit to bee in society, and it was fur such an injury as this,
unjustly inflicted, that ne should in this case say that it was
oat which certainly did call for exemplary damages. Having
thus treated the subject generally. he would now refer to particulars.
It appeared on perusal of the work, that the parties had twice
visited Herata, and it Was net ural to suppose that 31n Buckingham
had made several plans. and be was most undoubtedly at liberty so
. to do ; but, then, it likewise appeared that some understanding ex.
tete& whereby Mr. Buckingham was not to publish the plans. The
Reviewer also bore upon the point of Mr. Hanka being the bene.
e- helm of Mr. Buckingham, and that be had at the same time paid
all Mae:mous. Now, supposing that any thing had passed to
/sad Mr. Bankes to conceive that these plans should not be pub-
lished, of the fact of this mutual understanding the Reviewer
should have made hi rxelf acquainted previously to writing the ob-
servations he had—he should have ascertained whether the elates i
and plans contained in the work were the identical ones made by the
two pardes under the above restrictions. He (i,lr. S.) could tell
one Jury, that these plans, as published in Mr. Buckingham's
tt !
work, were not the same, nor did they bear any affinity to them,
for the following reasons . When Mr. Buckingham had left Mr.
1 . Bankes, he endeavoured to pursue his journey according to the mu-
tual drawn plan ; but he found from the disturbed state of the
country that it was not practicable; he, in consequence, was cram.
pelledlo returned to threats, where lie stayed a short time ; during
1 two .i
which sojourn, he drew fresh plans, correcting those drawn by the
two where he found it requisite, upon a further view of the places;
and these plans it was that were published by Mr. Buckingham in
' his work. This fact could be proved by the evidence of a gentle-
man to whom Mr. B. hod mentioned it when in India. Mr.
Bunke' was allowed on all hands to be a man of fortune, nnd
he therefore on his travels was attended by three persons, who
II 4
acted in various capacities for his convenience or pleasure.
It an chanced that Al r. Buckingham was, on the journey inggestion,
without a horse, and, upon the invitation of Mr. B. he joined the
party. It was pretty generally known that upon the line thematic.'
were going there were very few inns, if any, and the Ataba were of
this character, they would either treat you in the most hospitable
manner, or they would pursue a totally diTerent comae of condi et,
by killing you. There were consequently very few expenses; but
• it An happened that Mr. Buckingham had preserved the identical
hook in which the particulars of those expenses were contained,
.. land what did the gentlemen of the Jury suppose theyamorited
piastres
to ?—)Why to 216 ; the precise value of which in E. 'list
:money the Jury, or at least that part which was not acqua ted
with it, would be rather astonished to hear amounted to the largo
sem of 5L sterling, and of which Mr. Buckingham thinks lie paid
mu half, But, supposing the contrary to be the fact, that he had
not paid his proportion, was it to be supposed that a gentlnmati of
i fectune' who hid risked another gentleman to join his party, claim
. front a feeling of kindness, or from the circumstance of his agree.
able qualities in the shape of conversation, which lie conceived
i would fully recompense him for any extra expenditure he might
• consequently be put to, would afterwards reproach him by telling
. •
t i.. non lie had not paid his portion of twenty shillings? Mr. Danko!
I.e (.Ir. S.) knew too well; he knew him to be too niuch of at
English gentleman either to do it, or to publish it hi a work, the
curcialation of which was such as to render an essential disservice to
Ale. Buckingham olio would again:say he knew that gentleman
not to be capable of such conduct, even had it come to his know.
ledge that Mr. Buckingham wog about to publish a book in which
hie own (Mr. Badkes's) Mari were to figure as those of the amino
.or publisher. 31r. Buckingham likewise had In his possesuon
i the peoiculars of the expenses of the journey to Damascus, the
-whole of which were minutely specified. He would now go to
• 1 another part of the libel; it was stated that the plan and de.
aeviption of the hulloing' at Games Were those of Mr. Sothes's.
'that likewise was untrue, for Mr. Buckingham had, upon these.
cored visit, corrected the ;lens made in conjunction with Mr.
Banker., upon a superficial observation of a first visit, and it wet
even in his power to prove, that during the first visit, when Mr.
Batikes was engaged in making notes of the desctiptions, .Mr.
Socking:ism was making admeasurements amid plans, and upon
which adinessurements and plans Mr. Bankes himself was making
obeerws time and takiegnotoi, and yet this was the person who was
called is common sailor. The Reviewer also stated, that the map
was that of D'Anvilles, as will be seen by the conclodine, sen.
tence :—" The map islit'Anyine's, with aline errors ; for it is one
of the least correct of the productions of that extraordinary genius ;
and the ground plans of Jen:lea:ern are taken out of a translation oi
eiosephits. Upon the whole, we are compelled to say of this dull
and tirevane volume, which we have grnm through with more care
than it .':served, and flue plates are worthy of the lettempoese, and
both of t' on, we verily believe, of the author. •So much tot
Buckingoon !'"--and, at the same time, the author was not only
held up to ridicule, but was shown forth a., a man of ignorance.
I how, Gentlemen, so much for the candour and ignorance of the
reviewer, for the maps are Mr. Buckingham's and not D'Anyille's,
said they ave am correct as they could be. Upon all subjects of din
1 1 fecence between the two parties he would totally abstain, for he
shobid be sorry even to insinuate anything against Mr. Bankes,
. .
He had the means of showing that Mr. Bankes was in the posses-
/lift of tome of Mr. Buckingham's notes, and to which he offer
1 lototreil for informenaSezn,toanidowneorthmingr. enoouoldkoshes
o(Mr. Scarlmettr.
discover had happ
Buckingham's talents ; but to say the least or present
misunderstanding, nueunderstanding, it was an unfortunate mistrke
cadet
tm which
Mr..llankes was labouritig, as regardeded Mr. Buckingham's
ii
lorig published his plans ; at the same time lie was atenfident Mr. 1
goanses was too much of a gentleman to vent his or yen.
glance is the way of a publication like that oom of. Had
. .
• ---.- _