The Sun.
London, England, 1830-11-01 00:00:00

4

MAGAZINE DAY.

BLACKWOOD'S MAGAZINE.

Political Anticipations," though full of the
'usual vigour which distinguishes the political
. .
diatribes of this Magazine, is lugubrious m its
tone, querulous, and not borne out by proba-
bility in its anticipations. The importance of
Mr. O'Connell is sadly overrated ; this gentle-
man, though mischievous and troublesome, can
never be dangerous to an energetic and well-or,
ganized Government : to a feeble one he would
be a firebrand. 44 A Sunday Pastoral, by the
Ettrick Shepherd," is pleasantly written. " Some
Passages in the Life of Sir Frizzle Pumpkin,
K.C.ll."—the first part only is yet published—
is ingeniously conceived, and will, doubtlesS, as
the sketch deepens, become excessively interest-
ing. It is the biography of a notorious coWard,
who, from the force of circumstances over which
he had no controul, has acquired the reputatitin of
a military man of extraordinary courage and sa•
gacity. 44 First and Last, the First and Last
Birthday,"' by Mr. Mudford, .possesses some
passages of power hut, as a whole, is heavy,
and we May add) uninteresting. The " Itecol-
lections of the Physician" are very clever,
though they have little of .a medical cast about
them but the title. The ,first tale of Consump-
tion is told in a pleasant unaffected spirit, but is
far inferior to an able sketch under the same
name, which was published some years since by
Professor Wilson, in his eloquent and Acting
• " Lights and. Shadows of Scottish Life." The
44 Nodes" are capital frill of fun, frolic, good
sense, and whimsical extravagance. The PAO,-
log graphic extrnt is from an article entitled
" The Opening of the Liverpool and Munches-
Railway." It describes the motion of the
isteltuv-carriages:—
%"fhe signal was repeated, and away we flew, amidst
clouds of steam, while the rocks reechoed with the
*leaking shouts of the myriads above and about us.
Lava said before that the papers have told all that can be
told of sundry particulars, which it wealth be unnecessary
again to notice. Bat no words of theirs or mine can
convey au adequate notion of the magnificence (I cannot
use a smaller wurti) of our progress, At first it was com-
paratively slow; but soon we felt that we were ' indeed
going, and then it was that itery person to whom the eim-
mance was new, must have been sensible that the adapta-
tion of locomotive power was eatablinhine a fresh ere in
the state of society; the final results of which it is imps-
sible to vontemplate. Ott looking over the side, the eat th,
with its iron stripes on which we shot along, seemed like
a vast Otani' unrolling itself rapidly as we went. At one
etaximum of speed the pebbles scarcely, caught the eye;
before the sight was fairly fixed upon them they were far
away and lost in the rear. The shouts of joy which
greeted those in front, fell in their full gladsomeness on is,
who rapidly filled up the intervening space ; while those
which hailed us as we passed, woes dentine(' to be the
eompliment to otbers,who, in another instant occupied
our place. At times it was difficult to recognise or dis-
tinguish the countenances of the long eontinunns lines of
spectators, as they seemed to glide away, like painted
figures 'wilily drawn through the tubes of a magic lantern,
One engine (for what reason I could not exactly ascertain,
Hak(* left free to exhibit its unfettered powers) was plac,(l
on the eorresponding parallel line of railway, so that with.
bat interruption it could move to and, fro at pleasure,—
Wben Yee were at fah' spool, its coming was arinouncesl ;
tar bebiroli I ow 'it as a speck. in the (listener, hut rapidly
lamming in site, it became, if I may use the expression,
in a few seconds, largely visible, and shot by us, as though
we were jogging on quietly in a farmer's market cart. In
a trice, having reached the head of the column, it retro.
graded, and then exhibited what may be termed a frightful
display of velocity, compounded not as before, when over.
taking us, of our velocity to be deducted, but to be added.
There was a loud whiz and 4 rattling of wheels; I could
scarcely' discern its form, as it bore down as if ti crush ail
before glance Iva', all—it came and was gone—with
comparative speed (taking ours at twenty, and its own
at about double) of nearly sixty mike ,an hour !"

MONTIILY MAGAZINE.
There are few periodicals of the day which
keep up their character for spirit, variety, and
intelligence, like the, Monthly Magazine. It
seldom flags, is rarely, if ever, common-place,
and now and then puts forth a really first-rate
number. The present, though not perhaps
first-rate, is yet not many degrees removed from
h. Of variety it has abundance, much vivacity,
much information, and no slight sprinkling of
sarcasm. The leading political article, '' Eng-
land and Europe in October, MO," is ably
written in. point of style, and not deficient in
judgment or sagacity. " My First Lord Mayor's
Show" is an miming enough paper, without,
however, any pretensions to superior excellence.
An attempt is made at pathos in it ; but to be
pathetic on the subject of a Lord Mayor's Show
passeth the ingenuity of mortal man. " A
Chapter on Editors, by the late William flazlitt,"
is not unworthy the genius of that gifted writer.
It is brilliant and paradoxical as usual, batirical
and full of home truth. We subjoin' a specimen
of its manner

" With one exception, then, Editors in general partake
of the usual infirmity of human nature, and of peranoc
placed in high and honorary situations. Like other indi-
viduals raised to authority, they are chosen to fi'l a cer-
tain post for qualities uicful or ornamental to the reading
public; but they soon fancy that the situation been
invented for their own honour and profit, and sink the use
in the abuse. Kings are nut the only servants of the public
who irMigina that they are the state.- Editors are but
men, and easily f. lay the nattering ,unetion to their souls'
that they ate the' magAzine, the newspaper, or the review
they conduct. They have gut a Mao power in their
hands, anti they with to employ that. power (as all power
io employed) to increase the sense of self-importance they
burrow a certain dignity from their situation as arbiters
and judges of taste and elegance, and they are determined
In keep it to the detriment of their employers and of every
one else. They are dreadfully *lrani there tibould be any
thing
.behind the Editor's chair,rgreater than the Editor's
chair. That is a scandal to he prevented atrall risks. The

publication they are entrusted n;ith for the ennivieinent
rdificetion of the town, they convert, in theory and prat.
tire, into a stalking-hotee of their own vanity, whim*,
and prejudicce. They cannot write a whole work them-

soden; !Tut they take care that the whole is such as they
might have written:. it le to have the Editor's mark, dike
the broad it, on every page„ or the N. N. at the Tuilleries;
it is to bear the same image and superscription—every
line is to be upon oath: nothing is to be differently (Ai-
ctived or better expressed than the Etlitor,could have done
it. The whole begins in vanity, and ends too oftiri in
nines sad insipidity.
" It is utterly impassible to persuade an Editor that he
is„nobody. .dts Mr. Home Tooke said, OP him trill-fur
libefore Lord Kenyou, there Ste two parties in this
ratoli—myself and the juri; the Judge and the mitt -of
the Court attend in. their retpettive plecem an ni ,VVtrY
Perk'dio4l inhcettany, there are two eafseettial parties—,the
writers end the public; the Editor and the ptinter's;devil
nes inertly the mechanical instruments to bring them to-
:gethrr. 'There is n aeeret Consciouenete, of this are tlitpisrt
44 the coothietiir of the literary diligence, tbat hie place
Is one for show and form rather than use; end as.he 040'
_nut insintain his pretended auPeriority by what he does
• himself, he thinks to anive at the same end by hindaeing
other' from sloiof their best. "lies iteg-iii.theonanget`
lionicipte comes into full play. If an ertiele has:nothing
to
recommma it, is oils of no msrk or likelholid. it goes
Ili ; there is vo offence in it, If it is likely to *lnky, to
draw attention, to make a noise, thou every ayest4,lB
vaned, every objection it weighed ; if grave, it is too
grave; if witty, it is too Witty. One way or other, It
might be better; and while this nice point is pending, fe
gives piece, as a matter of course, to something that there
is no question about.

The Life, Character, and Behaviour of