The Sun.
London, England, 1837-10-05 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

BRITISH AND FOREIGN REVIEW. No. X.
Ridgway, London, 1837.
This Review is a 'great favourite with us, for it is
temperate and liberal in its tone ; devoid of anything
like an mlusive spirit ; and appeals to the public,
rather than to the coteries. The Number before us is the
best that las• yet appeared. It contains not less than
ten articles, all of which are well selected. The first
on "Bancroft's History of America," gives an enter-
taining account of the founding of some of the more
important English transatlantic colonies, such as Bal-
timore, 'Virginia, New England, and Maryland. In the
time of. Elizabeth, it is well known that there was a
rage for American expeditions, which even blinded the
acute judgment of the virgin Queen herself, who—ob-
serves the Reviewer--" was at one time persuaded that
she was to gather immense returns of gold from the
southern coast of North America; at another, she be-
lieved that the discovery of a north-western passage
would enable her ships to penetrate to the fabled riches
of Cathay ; and again she was absurd enough to hope -
for the discovery of mines of incalculable splendour
amidst the regions of eternal ice." Among the num-
ber of those who distinguished themselves in the co-
lonies of the New World, was Roger Williams, a
young Puritan, thirty years of age, who having been
persecuted in the mother-country, for conscience' sake,
emigrated to Boston, where, amidst all the obloquy to
which he was exposed, and the difficulties with which
he was surrounded, he, at the close of a long life,
succeeded in establishing throughout New England,
that doctrine of perfect equality, the " application of
which has given religious peace to the American con-
tinent." This Williams was a man who is not as much
known as he ought to be. He was remarkable for his
moral and physical intrepidity, his inflexible perseve-
rance, and his determination to give no quarter to
intolerance. His character combined enthusiasm with
sagacity to a degree not often met with in the same
individual, and he abounded in generosity. Alluding
to this last trait, the Reviewer sa) s •
" There is no more touching trait about the character
of Williams than his conduct towards his persecutors. He
was the person to inform them of a deep laid conspiracy of
all the Indian tribes to destroy the settlement of Massa-
chussets by the massacre of the whole of the inhabitants,
and they appealed to him to use his well-earned influe❑ce
with the Indians to break up the dangerous alliance. To
accomplish this task, he exposed himself to the risk of a
horrible death, and the solitary journey through the villages
of the infuriated Indians, by which he succeeded in dissolving
the formidable conspiracy, is recorded as the most intrepid
and skilful achievement in the whole Pequod war. His life
was one continued proof of the value of the principles he so
undauntedly proclaimed and practised, and which he lived
to see etnipletely triumphant. He was chosen by the co-
lony to proceed to England on a mission to the Parliament
to solicit the protection of the mother country and a char-
ter. His mission was successful, and Rhode Island is in-
debted to the Long Parliament, and more especially to the
good offices of the younger Vane for its existence as a po-
litical state."

" Projected Poor Law" urges the introduction of
such a measure into Ireland, and reasons upon the subject
with much acuteness. In this article there is an ably
drawn portrait of the Irish peasant, which we subjoin ;
for we think it far more true to life than those showy,
flippant sketches contained in Sir Jonah Barrington's
history.
"The character of the Irish peasant exhibits peculiari-
ties not less paradoxical. He is easily excited, and easily
depressed ; laborious without being industrious ; ardent,
without being persevering ; active, yet indolent ; instinc-
tively shrewd, yet habitually indiscreet ; good-natured, yet
quarrelsome ; in professions far outstipping his perform-
ance, and yet without had faith ; with little knowledge, and
much acuteness ; he is proverbially generous, improvident,
and brave. It is the axe of die Irish back-woodsman that
has opened so many fertile distriCts of America to the
plough-share ; amid the laborious inhabitants of busy Eng-
land the work requiring the greatest exertion of human la.
hour, and the largest amount of physical endurance, falls to
his share ; wherever enterprise has penetrated, there he is
to be found foremost in the work of toil or in the path of
danger ; it is only at home that he is inert ; the land of his
birth dooms him to destitution or exile."
In the " State of the Jews in Poland," we find se-
veral curious details respecting the manners and cus-
toms of that extraordinary people, who, when the rest
of Europe was daily subjecting them to the most re-
morseless persecutions, enjoyed comparative freedom in
Poland. The most valuable privileges were conferred
on them by the well-known :Casimir, surnamed the
Great, one of the most enlightened Princes of his day,
chiefly, it is said, at the instigation of Esther, a beauti-
ful Jewess, to whom he had formed a sincere attachment,
and by whom he had two sons and several daughters, all
of whom he permitted to follow the creed of their mo-
ther. If we remember rightly—for we have not the
volume by us to refer to—Mr. Fletcher gives a brief
but animated biographical sketch of Ether, in his his-
tory of Poland. In the introductory portion of his
article, the Reviewer observes, " the Jewish nations
present a most interesting subject for the meditation of
a serious mind ; a helpless race of men, whom all na-
tions have endeavoured to exterminate, subsisting du-
ring ages of unrelenting persecution ; separated by a
wonderful destiny from the general mass of mankind.
The Jews are a living and continued miracle—and
their exemption from the common fate of na-
tions affords the strongest evidence to the truth of
the sacred Scriptures." When things can be ex-
plained in a natural way, we dislike to see them re-
ferred to supernatural causes. There is nothing mira-
culous in the isolated condition of the Jews, for it is
the necessary result of the intermixture of their civil
with their religious polity. Their peculiar observances,
which it was a sin against God, as well as a crime
against man, to violate, prevented them from amalga-
mating with other nations, and so kept them a broadly-
marked, distinct class by themselves. German and
French Fiction" is a light, amusing essay on a trite
theme. But why does the Reviewer assert that
" prior to the French Revolution the reading public of
the former country delighted in moral tales ?" The
reverse is the fact. The fictitious writings of that day
were of the most exceptionable character possible, li-
centious in morals, and inculcating scepticism in reli-
gion. Witness the " Candide" and" L'lngenu" of
Voltaire ; the false sentiment of the " Nouvelle Eloise ;"
the obscenities of " Faublas," and " My Uncle Thomas;"
and the deistical tendencies of " James the Fatalist."
Of the merits of the cursory criticism on Goethe
we cannot speak with any confidence, for we
know little of him but his " Faust," of which no
translation—not even Shelley's splendid fragmeut—.
can convey an adequate idea ; and of his " Wilhelm
Meister," the reading of which we gave up in despair,
for we could make neither head nor tail of its constant
metaphysical subtleties. " Trade with Turkey" is an
admirable statistical disquisition, and more interesting
than we ever thought such an essay could have been
made. Its object is to recommend the cultivation of
a strict, friendlycommercial intercourse with the Turks,
for which purpose the Reviewer gives a multitude of •
documents, all of which tend to show the great ad- ,
vantages that would attend such an intercourse. The
subjoined extract is worth attention ;
" The proportion of British produce and manufactures
sent to Turkey, is one twenty-fifth of the whole quantity
exported. It is one fifth of that sent to the United
States of America, one-half of that to Germany, four-fifths
of that to Hovland, Italy, and the Brazils respectively ; it
exceeds by one third the exports to Portugal and France,
the whole to Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Prussia and
Spain together ; it equals the amount to Russia, and nearly
that to our North American colonies ; it falls short little
more than one-third of the exports to our West and East
Indian possessions, anti is double the amount to China by
the returns for 1835, estimating the trade to Turkey at.
its true amount. It is now principally carried on by the
native merchants there, and their commission houses or
partners in England, and shared with English houses.
Close attention to the wants of the market, a proper selee-

- • -
tton of goods; pr"mptnes in the execution of nrders,
perfect confidence between principal and agents are.th,i
great requisiqs for success. When these are combined
considerable and regular profits are usually made, notwith-
standing a vicious currency which the Porte has yet to re-_
form. The rarity of losses from bad debts or violent local
fluctuations of price is owing chiefly to the absence of spe-
culative demand. Real transactions employ capital suffi-
ciently, and interest is high, the usage being one per coot'
per month, sometimes more for short terms, and ten Per
cent. per annum may be obtained with the best security. No
temptations consequently exist for mere gambling sPecula-
tions, and the market does not groan under a load of goods
poured in without regard to the consumption from some
mere casual advance in the price. The natural variations
in supply and demand afford sufficient scope for the exercise
of superior activity and intelligence, and only a decline on
the cost of production causes heavy losses on goods, ilke.
The Reviewer states that " the origin of our trade
with Turkey is but of recent date, as previous to the
last war between England and the Porte, in 1807, but
two or three of our vessels annually proceeded to Con-
stantinople with assorted cargoe,." Surely he is mis-
taken here. A hundred years ago, at least, the
Turkey merchants were notorious in London for their
number and exorbitant wealth, which fact gave rise to
Horne Tooke's admirable witticism, who when asked--
he was a boy at Eton then—by some aristocratic school-
fellows what trade or profession his father, who was a
poulterer, followed, replied that he was a Turkey met"
chant—a reply which wag allowed to constitute bin' a
most respectable member of soclet-. The anecdote
may be found in Stephens's Life of the Brentford
Parson. Of the remaining articles tha best is the
notice of " Charles Lamb',4 L2tiers.”