The Sun.
London, England, 1852-05-17 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

----- - - ---
THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF WILLIAM
JERDAN. Vol. I. Arthur Hall,
Virtue, and
Company.
Autobiography—and we are glad to think that in
sayieg this vie ere uttering what will be generally
recognised as a truism—autobiography is, perhaps.the most attractive
among all the various phases of
literature. Through no other channel can we pene-
trate so thoroughly into the inmost recesses of a man's
character. Writing in the third person, that is to say
of another, an author, however subtle in discernment,
becomes necessarily (in comparison with an auto.
biographer) superficial--viewing what ho describer,
so to speak, from the outside. Whereas, whenever an
author writes in the first person, that is to say, of
himself, he writes, as it were, from within—be does
not so much narrate as, to use an old familiar phrase,
he actually thinks aleud—he lays bare the secrets of
his nature, he tells you of his emotions, he
relates the development of his feelings, he opens
up, unconsciously it may be, but none the
less effectually, the various mysteries of humanity,
which charm the curiosity while they bsfile the pene-
tration of the psychologist. One of the principal
attractions in the noblest biography that was ever
written, namely, " Boswell's Johnson," a charac-
teristic, by the way, hitherto overlooked even by the
searching scrutiny of Carlyle and by the vigilant
observation of Macaulay—is the fact, that it par-
takes so much in its very style and colouring of the
autobiographieal. It renders us familiar with the
foibles, and the follies, and the prejudices, and the
well, almost as intimately as with the brown
ever-present and all-devouring inqusitiveness of Bos-
and the grunting, and the treasured scraps of orange-
peel, and the pet-cat Hodge, and the faithful negro
Frank, and quiet old Mr. Levett, and poor, blind,
peevish, tea-making Mrs. Williams, and all the
other well-remembered peculiarities and com-
panions -of the incomparable Johnson. There are
coat,
those among the most popular writers of our
own age, who appear to be so far impressed with the
superior allurements of the autobiographical,even when
it happens to be fictitous, that they have emulated
each other in the very same department of literature.
Thackeray has in this manner told the story of " Pen-
dennis," and Bulwer has related in a similar way the
fortunes of the `• Caxtons." Disraeli has described the
viscissitudes of " Contarini Fleming," and Dickens
has depicted the joys and sorrows of "David Cop-
perfield." Each of them after the fssbien of a verita-
ble autobiography. Pope tells us that "the proper
study of mankind is man," as remembrance assures
us that it is about the most delightful : and by no
other means can we obtain this knowledge more
readily than through either biographies or autobiogra-
phies. Before us is the commencement of a work of the
latter description, "The Autobiography of William
Jerdan," a work extending ,in its reminiscences and
correspondence over the last fifty years, throwing
a ray of light—the light of a clear and faithful me-
mory—over the state of society, of politics, and of
literature during the past half century. The provin-
cials, or more generally speaking, those who are not
acquainted with the literary circles of London (for
there are many, and some of them, moreover, cliques),
may not know that the author of this volume is a
man whose name is thought of only with kindliness
by those who have been admitted to his friendship,
and whore abilities have, during upwards of thirty-
four yenre, been evidenced almost without any inter-
mission in the labours of periodical literature. Al-
among others,
though the author of several volumes enjoying, some
0f,,1,h o
them,N oat
iloaoragle
rshoarrteraoitf
Gallery,"
Ipopularity,ery,, four vets. 4t0.,i
"The Rutland Papers," "The Perth Papers," the
" Voyage to the Isle of Elba," and the three vols.
of "The Paris Spectator," Mr. Jerdan is more
generally known from his position as a critic and a
journalist. That position be has maintained during
years, having been editor of
t7ithnveasrdusn
subse-
quently, after a brief interval had elapsed, editor, up
of
frona thirty-sixlBl to 1817 inclusively, and
to 1850, of the Literary Gazette. From his con•
nexion with this journal—although at a period so
remote, namely, at a distance of forty years from the
mencement—it will be readily derstood, and assu-
redly present moment, dating back to the time of its coin-
redly not less readily pardoned in us, that we acknow-
ledge to a feeling of kindness towards our predecessor
such as might, if the book were more rife with ble-
mishes than it is, interfere with the serene im-
partiality of criticism. This sentiment of ours towards
a work containing the personal recollections of Mr.
Jerdan may be more fully
appreciated and forgiven
when it is remembered that throughout the five
years during which, thirty-five years ago, Mr.
Jerdan occupied our position in the editorship of
The Sun, The Sun was then an avowed Tory
organ, so resolute in its devotion to Mr. Pitt's party,
that (according to a candid admission in the volume
before us, see page 161) it was characterized at the
time as " a paper peculiarly resorted to by Minis-
ters for the propagation of their ideas." How entirely
The Sun has been transformed since that period, our
readers have long since learnt, our earnest endeavour
having been to render this a journal upon which
might, with accuracy, be inscribed those noble words
of Junius—" Ours is not the cause of faction, or of
party, or of prejudice,
but the public interest of
every man in Britain." It is, to employ the phrase
of Mr. Guppy borrowed from the law, " without
prejudice," as it is without subserviency, to either
party or faction, that we would speak as we
have already spoken—greeting with all since-
rity and cordiality the memorial pages of William
Jerdan, some time editor of The Sun newspaper.
Fortunately there is but small room for leniency
towards a volume which embraces within its compass
such ample store of lively and agreeable information,
and written, moreover, throughout, in a style of such
fascinating vivacity. Continued in a similar spirit,
and sustained by the same unflagging liveliness, the
work must, when completed, constitute one of the
most charming of literary autobiographies. The
author possessed peculiar opportunities for the trea-
suring up of facts worthy of ultimate narration, hav-
ing been brought either into personal contact, as an
active man of letters in the metropolis of England, or
into correspondence with almost all the celebrities of
his age, front Lord Byron to Lord Brougham, from
Sir Walter Scott to Sir Balwer Lytton, from George
Colman to Charles Dickens, and so on through
a long catalogue of brilliant names, includ-
ing very many of the renowned in art,
science, and literature. Mr. Jerdan evidently
delights in dragging
the reading world still further
on into what, Mr. Rogers once facetiously called its
" antedotage '—for his
chapters abound with those
PhluemaslisttZ Severalein°ntoe s ofof
thesedeartoehdap
ortn
estriilsle surviving
huniourists. Several of these chapters rise consider-
ably above the level of ordinary interest—one, in
particular, being absolutely enthralling in its charac-
ter. It relates to the murder of Mr. Perceval, when
Prime Minister of England, by the wretched crimi-
nal Bellingham. The whole scene is depicted with a
masterly hand—its vividness, as a description, being
worthy indeed of an eye.
witness—for Mr. Jerdan was
standing close by the unfortunate Minister when he
was assassinated I ilp,
- - by "-s pas, in fact, the last person
greeted in this world Spencer pencer Perceval—the last
upon whom he had smiled the smile of recognition.
The
subjoined passage, describing the moment of the
catastrophe,
oind
ewill be read, we feel assured, with me-
lancholy interest and breathless curiosity :
" On ascending the broad flight of steps which led to
the folding door of the lobby, I perceived the Minister,
with whom I had the honour of _
a slight acquaintance,
bj
immediately behind me, with
his light and lithesome
step following in the same direction. I saluted him, and
was saluted in return, with that benevolent smile which
I was su instantly destined to sec effaced fur ever ,and
pushing open and holding back the half door, to allow
the precedence of entering, I of course made way for
him to go in.
e He did enter, and there was an instant noise, but as
a physical fact it is very remarkable to state that,
though I was all but touching him anti if the ball had
passed
through his body it must have lodged in mine, I
did not hear the report of the pistol. It is true it was
tired in the inside of the lobby, and T
- was just out of it;
hut, considering our close proximity, I have always
found it difficult to account for the phenomenon I have
noticed. I saw a small curling wreath of smoke rise
above his head, as if the breath of a cigar;
I saw him
reel back against the ledge n the inside of the door; I
heard him exclaim, ' Oh Go od!' or .
as re Oh my God!' and
nothing mote or longer (
necses), for even that
exclamation was faint; and then
making an impulsive rush, as it were, to reach the an-
trance to the house on for safety, I saw
him totter forward, not a way, drop dead be-
tween the four pillats which stood there in the centre of
the space, with a slight trace of blood issuing from his
lips.
a All this took place ere with moderate speed you
could count fiver
the confusion in the lobby
Thereupon, of course,
lamented • •
victi
became fearful. The m of this most
diabolical atrocity a minute before crossing with his
" light and lithesome step the very same spot la w ere
by the bullet of
he fell struck downf the murderer,
into the office
was carried, 7
d"
ing' in
in meanwhila othe Speaker's
Secretary. Bellingha
a bench having fired the
shot moved slowly to near the fireplace,
• tly seated when pointed out as the
where he was elute
assassin by Mr. E quietly
and seized by M
as'thwith stripped to r. Jerdan..
The criminal was for
d_the waist in
the discharged •
order to be searelie
taken
npifstol (wits
was tak
another loaded and. primed)apers, and other romhim,
besides an opera- 1 !
g fa."'" payers,
hubbub the ne articles—
and in the midst of all
that the Prime Minister had
from•
exclaimedthe person who
expired. " Villain !"
brought this intellq, ' rence, addressing himself to Bel-
lingham,could you destroy good
" Villain 1
1. how
wfarnily of twelve so
children
a man' and me a Mr Jerdan'
orphans ?" According to e . s account the
agonies of mind endured by the miserable e miserable criminal
during the whole of these proceedings must have been
something appalling to witness., e says :-- ,
"I have alluded to Bolliugham s `frightful agitation'
as he sat on the bench, and all Ibis dreadful work was

going on; and I return to it to describe it as far as words
can convey an idea of the shocking spectacle. I could
onlyimagine something like it in the overweaeght
painting of a powerful romance writer, but never -bfor
could conceive the phastical suffering of a steorinaulscul
hr man, under the tortures of a distracted- mind.
Whilst his language was cool, the agonies which shook
his frame were actually terrible. Ms countenance wore
the hue of the grave, blue aed cadaverous; hugo drop-
of
sweat ran down from his forehead, like rain cnthe
window-pace in a heavy storm, and, coursing his pallid
cheeks, fell upon his person where their moisture was
distinctly visible; and from the bottom of his chest to
his gorge, rose and receded, with almost every breath' a
spasmodic action, as if a body, as large or larger than a
billiard ball, were choking him. The miserable wretch
repeatedly struck his chest with the palm of his hand
to abate this sensation, but it refused to be repressed."
It will be seen from the subsequent narrative of Mr.
Jerdan, that the papers found on the murderer where
handed on the spot to Mr. Hume, who ithntified them
by his initials, J. H. "For myself," says the author,
" I was so shaken by the awfulness of the event, that
I was leaning on the stair-hedluster for support, and
believe I should have fainted but for the kindness of
Mr. (now Sir Charles) Burrell, who procured a
draught of water for me, and himself administered it
to my parched lips. I have a grateful remembrance
of this relief of forty years ago !" He describes the
excitement created by the event in all parts of Lon-
don as extraordinary—the alarm it caused was, says
he, "as if a revolution had broken out and been com-
menced with a foul murder, unparalleled for national
concern since Felton's aesassinution of the Duke of.
Buckingham." The murder of Mr. Perceval cc-
curred on Monday, the 11th, and the execution of
Bellingham on Monday, the 18th of May, 1812
(exactly forty years ago to day, calculating by the
week, and to-morrow calculating by the month), so
ihat, to quote the final remark made upon the crime
by this important eye-witaesF, seven days had " suf-
ficed to fulfil this memorable tragedy." At the close
of a very long "Appendix," including many interest-
ing documents, and among other things the entire
romance of " Lamia ;" a plan of the lobby is traced
by a wood. cut, so that the whole of the letter-press de-
scription is rendered at a glance comprehensible. We
are fain to believe that to our owri readers not the least
attractive portions of this initial volume to Mr. Jerdan's
autobiography will he the chapters headed one " The
Sun Newspaper" and the other " Sun Anecdotes."
From the latter we ere tempted to extract the fol-
lowing sketch of the appearance and peculiarities of
Mr. Proby, forty years since a frequenter of The
Sun office, with other "characters," such, for in-
stance, as John Kemble and Sir Francis Freeling.
The quotation will prove, from its delightful humour,
an admirable contrast to the solemn passages pre-
viously excerpted from the " Autobiography :"
" Proby (says the author) had never been out of
London, never in a boat, never on the back of a horse.
To the end of bag-wigs he wore a bag; he was the last
man that walked with a cane as long as himself, ulti-
mately exchanged for an umbrella, which he was never
seen without in wet weather or dry; yet he usually re-
ported the whole debates in the Peers from memory,
without a note, for the Morning Chronicle, and wrote
two cr three novels, depicting the social manners
of the
times! lie was a strange feeder, and ruined himself in
eating pastry at the confectioners' shops (far one of
whose scores Taylor and I bailed him as related); he
was always in a perspiration, whence George Colman
christened him ' King Porus;' and he was
.always so
punctual to a minute, that when he arrived in sight of
tle office window, the hurry used to be, ' There's Proby
—it is half past two,' and yet he never set his watch.
if
If ever it came to right time I cannot tell; but you
asked him what o'clock it was, he would lock at it, and
calculate something in this sort—' I am twenty-six
minutes past seven—four, twenty-one from twelve, forty
—it is just three minutes past three!",
Speaking of Madame de Stael, with whom he became
acquainted, Mr. Jerdan describes her as "far from
incessant
talker." or attractive, and an almost
talker." After that, we forgive Napoleon for her ex-
patriation, for she must have proved a most intolerable
bore. Having been present at the grand banquet
given at Vauxhall Gardens, in honour of the battle of
Vittoria gained by Wellington, the writer mentions
that the illuminated V.'s and W.'s were very brilliant,
and that the jest was then made of one Cockney ask-
ing another what the letters meant, and receiving for
answer, " Vy, the V.'s stand for Vellington, and the
IV.'s for Wictory, to be sure!" Various literary
curiosities, scarcely less remarkable in their way than
many enshrined in his popular miscellany by Disraeli
the Elder, are scattered through the volume, and in
this manner, at page 172, we meet with the love-
sick rhapsody of verses addressed to Miss Stephens,
now `Countess Dowager of Essex, by—Mr. Adding-
ton ! Altogether, we conceive that it would be un-
necessary, after the comments already passed upon
the work, and after the brief but suggestive extracts
made from its contents, to say more in addition than
that the autobiography gives ample promise of prov-
ing, on its completion, a valuable as well as an amus-
ing contribution to our anecdotal literature.

TO THE SECRETARY OF THE BRADFORD
REFORM ASSOCIATION.
(CONTINUED ON MONDAYS AND WEDNESDAYS.)
Sir,—On Wednesday the 12th, the attempts to obtain
the removal of the duties on Paper, Newspaper Stamps,
and Advertisements, were negatived by majorities which
may be roughly described as being of 2to 1. The time
is not arrived, when a Chancellor of the Enchcquer can
be expected to have reached the pitch of wisdom which
would lead one of your masters of machinery not to try
to turn a penny by cutting abort the supply of oil. Any
man can see half-a crown when it is before him ; but it
is not every man who can see when the half-crown is
raised by the stoppsge of seven and sixpence by half-
pennies at a time in other /Aces.
On Thursday the House did not meet.
Oe Friday the Militia Bat was proceeded with in
Committee. I can profess no great admiration of the
mode in which the opposition to it is conducted; but
having no charge, there is nothing to be done but try
to keep my own horse out of a ditch. For example,
what was the use of dividing against raising men by
voluntary enlistment "in any county immediately ad-
joining,'—when the only effect of it if carried
mast be, to increase the number of men to be forcibly
raised by ballot? But what was a man to do? There
was no likelihood of the thing being carried; as was
proved by the votes against it being finally more then 2
to 1. To have voted against it, therefore, would only
have given the appearance of the opponents of the Bill
being two less than they were. Ido not know whether
any of your friends will call this sinful casuistry. But
it is a kind of difficulty in which a man often finds him-
self, and in which ho can only act to the best of his
judgment at the time.
The same kind of objection may be made to tho divi-
sion with the view of striking out the bounty. If
the bounty were struck out, the immediate prac-
ticsl consequence would apparently be, that all
or the greater proportion of the men must
be raised by ballot ; and who would be the hotter for
that ? " Oh," but it will be replied, " what a nice thing
to get rid of the bounty !" Is it ? Not, I suspect, if the
men are to be taken from you and yours, at an expense
of practical suffering which ten or twenty times your
payments to the bounty would not compensate to you.
Here, then, is the same difficulty again. There appears
no alternative, but leaving it to be said " The Mem-
bers for Bradford voted with the Government on the
Militia Bill."
lam amused with a petition noted in Friday's Pro-
ceedings of the House, which is from the "Proprietors
and drivers of Omnibuses and Cabs, for removal of the
obligation to wear a metal badge upon their person; to
lie on the Table." They are quite right. It is part of
a system of insult to the middle classes who ride in om-
nibuses and cabs. It Coes not proceed from the real
aristocracy, but from that would-be eriseecracy who
think they rise in the social scale by intimating that
the people who ride in omnibuses can never be too
much put under the control of the police. It is not the
driver alone that is hedged; the badge may
be considered as split in fragments, and divided
among the twelve inside and ten out, who are base
enough to take the benefit of his conveyance. There is
no war between the real aristocracy and the people; but
there is a root of bitterness in the class which has been
alluded to. It may be worth noting, that the cab and
omnibus drivers in London, with of course individual
exceptions, exceptions, are very well-behaved men. The
drivers have sometimes been charged with rudeness
to young ladies who insist on being driven
tall round
the metropolis in a somewhat excited state at
morning. But every trade has its temptaton wosi.natnhe
i , .
otherwise, their bands are clean.
I am informed the Leed; Mercury of last westa n
ek makes
ce
some searching examinations into the circumstances
the proposed division of the West Riding. ly
lection is, that the number of electors in the two pro-
posed divisions was stated by the arch projector to be
not vary different. But behind this,
ration; and an inti-
may be an interest-
ing inquiry into the numbers of popu
me
to believe that
mation from a political friend leads
the leading article of the Mercury is the place to look
for it.

I am, Sir, yours eery sincerely,
AN OW REFORMER.

Ilackheath, May 17,1852.

Captain Cuddy arrived in Great ltyder-street, St.
James's, on Thursday last, from Ireland.
Royal Eghibition.•-A
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