The Sun.
London, England, 1838-01-31 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

LONDON AND WESTMINSTER REVIEW.
No. XII. Hooper, London, 1838.

There is an elaborate article in the Number before us,
entitled the " Duke of Wellington," which the editor pre-
faces by saying that it is " by agreement to be considered
as the expression of the writer's sentiments, without in-
volving the opinions of the Review." Certes, this preli-
minary notice is highly necessary, for, on looking into the
article, we find that it belauds the Duke both as a warrior
and a statesman, in a style that must astonish some of the
readers of the Westminster. As a statesman, in particu-
lar, his deserts are insisted on with an emphasis that can-

not fail to bewilder those Liberals who regard him as the
mainspring of Toryism, and, as such, have seen denuncia-

ciation after denunction poured upon him by that very
Review, one of whose best writers has just discovered that
he is the shining political light of the day. The author of
this article, which is far better adapted to the meridian of the
Quarterly than the Westminster, and in its present
strange position wears very much the aspect of grave
irony, is evidently better qualified to discuss the merits of
the Duke as a soldier than a statesman ; for, in his latter
capacity, he contents himself with assuring us that his
Grace is a great man, without giving reasons for the faith
that is in him ; while, as a soldier, he convinces us, in
every page of his eulogium, that he has done no more than
justice to the " hero of a hundred fights." Another pecu-
liarity of this article is, that its writer, while lauding the
Duke's political abilities to the skies, yet professes himself
his opponent in politics. Notwithstanding this discrepancy,
however, he has treated his subject in a very spirited and
able manner, and will be sure to have a multitude of read-
ers, if nut admirers. " The Caricatures of H.B."—a
tempting theme—is an amusingly written essay, but it is
too quaint and crotchetty in places. The author
theorises too much on a light and lively topic, which will
not warrant metaphysical subtleties. We perceive that, in
common with the generality, he terms the famous " Gin
Lane" of Hogarth a caricature. We much doubt the
propriety of this term, for we have always considered the
picture in question as a serious, impressive subject, treated
with corresponding earnestness--as, in fact, a painted tra-
gedy. The aim is evidently not to amuse, but to appal ; not to
create laughter, but disgust and horror. In point of
literal truth and vigor and impressiveness of effect, we
know of but one sketch that can vie with it, and that is,
Richardson's account of the brothel at midday in " Clarissa
Harlowe," which has been executed in a similar spirit,
and with a view to produce the same beneficial results.
The Reviewer's passing notices of the caricatures of Gill-
ray exhibit much tact and keen apprehension of the
ludicrous. We subjoin his brief memoir of that once
famous, but now nearly forgotten, artist :
" There was a very able but brief article on Gillray in the
Athenaum, two or three years back, in which the melancholy
lesson of his life was vigorously brought out, and it produced
a letter from Mr. Landseer, which contained some valuable
information about this extraordinary man. He is supposed to
have been of Scotch origin ; he was a Republican in opinion,
and began his career as a caricaturist against the Government.
A hint of imprisonment if he continued in that course, and of
pecuniary reward if be changed it, is said to have turned all
his satire against the popular party. He was intimately ac-
quainted with Gifford and Canning, the latter of whom sup-
plied him with designs and hints occasionally ; and in one of
his engravings he represents Canning in the complimentary
character of Phaeton alarming, and putting into disastrous
flight and confusion, the whole of the Whigs, represented as
heavenly signs, while he drives triumphantly the car of the
Sun of Antijacobinism.' But, though publicly a Tory, in safe
companies, and in his cups, Mr. Landseer tells us Gillray
would propose the health of David, the Jacobin painter, on
his knees. He lived with a woman, to whom he never was
married, though he went several times to church for the pur-
pose ; it was of no use,' he said, to marry, when they had
all they wanted without it.' We think we see his charac-
ter, even in the portrait he has painted of himself : a fiery
keenness of observation shines in his great grey eyes, to which
even his bold and arched brow seems to direct attention ; irri-
tability, even to fierceness and hatred, appears in the curling
lines about the large nostrils of his straight nose ; his mouth
is large, with full but well-formed lips, expressive both of
sensuality and taste ; his thin angular cheeks, with small tufts
of whiskers, which reach no further down than the tip of his
ears, terminate in a finely-rounded and almost double chin ;
his grey hair on his temples, and his round and compact head,
is bare and scanty; in short, the whole appearance of Gillray,
dressed in a blue cost, with unstuffed collar and large brass
buttons, a red and white striped waistcoat, and white neckcloth
and ruffles, the costume of his class forty years since, presents
an exceedingly striking study to the student of faces, so full
are its lines of energy, fancy, buoyancy, and passion. A great
genius without principle, a man acutely sensitive and con.
sciously degraded, it is little to be wondered at if our re-
searches for biographic accounts of him in the newspaper of
the year 1815, when he died, ended only in finding an account
of his appearing in his shop, in St. James's-street, naked, and
of his head being seen by some members of White's, opposite,
fixed between the iron bars which guarded the attic bed-room
in which he was confined during the several nears of madness
which preceded his death. The lesson of all this is, and we
commend it to any man, if such there be, who six months ago
wrote in the Constitutional, and now writes in the Times, that
self-respect is more necessary to a man than bread, for if he
is without bread, he can but lose life, while, if he wants self-
respect, a man of genius may lose both life and reason.
Gillray, before his apostacy, made a tour in the Netherlands
with another artist, and they were both commanded to show
their sketches to the King, who could see nothing in the
sketches of Gillray ; but when he changed sides, George the
Third sent him substantial proofs of approval—yet the end
was death and madness f"

While speaking of the caricaturists of the last century,
we are surprised that the Reviewer has taken no notice
of Hayman, who, after Hogarth's death, succeeded to
much of his popularity, and whose illustrations of Smollett's
" Don Quixote," are as superior to Cruickshank's in rich,
oily, unexaggerated humour, as " Hyperion to a satyr." The
gaunt, long Don and his plump dwarf Squire appear to as
great advantage in Hayman's prints, as in Cervantes' text.
With the Reviewer's remarks on " H. B."—whose name
we understand is Doyle—we cordially agree. This cari-
caturist is indeed eminently and deservedly remarkable for
his refinement of touch, which has imparted a grace even
to the burly shoulders of Daniel. How much humour,
too, has he not thrown into the features of Peel—those
features which other caricaturists have found so impracti-
cable, so irreconcileable with fun, and given up in despair.
And this triumph—for it is a triumph—H. B. has achieved,
without in the slightest degree distorting or exaggerating
the lineaments. This artist's humour, in its ease and
finish, reminds us of Addison's. It has not breadth, nor
coarseness, nor vigour ; but what it wants in these, it makes
up in grace and propriety. He must have a very thin skin, in-
deed, who is offended with the satire of H. 8., the most
courteous and good-natured of caricaturists. In the

Memoirs of the Life of Scott," we think—judging from
internal evidence—that we can trace the pen of Mr.
Carlyle. The introductory portion of this essay is heavy,
and not a little enigmatical ; but as the Reviewer warms
and is filled with his subject, he becomes more lucid and
animated. His comparison of Scott with Cobbett is in-
genious, and embodies much truth. Both held the pen of
ready writers ; both inherited from nature a salient, vigor-
ous intellect ; and both held the cant of fashion and senti-
mentalism in equal abhorrence. Sterling, practical good
sense, too,wasnot less the characteristic of the Scottish nove-

list, than of the English politician. In speaking of Cobbett,and
of the wonderful fertility of his mind, Mr. Carlyle, we see,
goes out of his way to sneer at old Bayle. " Pierre Bayle,"
says he, " wrote enormous folios, one sees not on what mo-
tive-principle ; he flowed on for ever, a mighty tide of
ditch-water, and even died flowing, with the pen in his
hand." Now this is a very idle sneer against one of the
most learned and gifted men France ever produced—a man
from whom Voltaire stole many of his best and brightest
thoughts, and assuredly the greatest part of his various
knowledge ; and to whom our own Gibbon—as any one
may see who reads the " Decline and Fall" with
attention--lay under the deepest obligations, which
it would have been but common justice in him to
have acknowledged. Bayle's Dictionary is anything
but " ditch-water." It does not trick out ob-
vious thoughts in quaint and fantastic apparel, or mistake
the perplexing for the profound ; but speaks learnedly, and
to the point, in the dialect of common sense. Mr. Car-
lyle is a clever and ingenious, though somewhat wayward,
writer, with full as much smoke as fire, but he should
not sneer at his betters. By the bye, we find that
he has no great opinion of Scott's Napoleon ; but
being charitably given, contents himself with say-
ing of it " Woe is me!" Now, had he applied this
tristful phrase to his own History of the French
Revolution, which is as remarkable for its accu-
rate statements of facts, as for its pedantic and erro-
neous inferences from them, his lamentation would have
been perfectly appropriate ; but Scott's " Napoleon" needs
no such commiseration. That the latter volumes bear
marks of haste, and are too often tinctured with prejudice,
is true ; but we should be puzzled to find in any histo-