The Sun.
London, England, 1836-11-01 00:00:00

FRASER'S MAGAZINE.

" Sir Egerton Brydges's notes on WTraxall's Posthu-
mous Memoirs" are a treasure. They are the vivid
rerniniscences of great men by a man of genius, pos-
sessed of the faculty of conveying with individual dis-
tinctness his every impression of all with whom he
carne in contact. There is no mistaking these " Notes"
f'r the production of a young man writing only what
he heard and read of statesmen of a preceding age.
n f
Pitt, Fox, Sheridan, Burke, Tierney, Yorke,
b‘i
'ankes, and Wilberforce, Sir Egerton Brydges writes
as if they were among the number of his school-boy
associates. It is evident, however, that Pitt and
Burke fill a greater space in his mind than all the men
who figured in England during the long reign of
George the Third. The political career of the
heaven-born Minister" is the theme upon which he
loves to dwell with the greatest complacency. He
is
never weary of gossipping about Pitt, a making
sultnis •
hi es wit', respect to the origin and soundness of
tLs policy. When he leaves the Minister to examine
he strength of the opposition, he does so with evident
reluctance, and lie is uneasy till lie returns to the
'astir," Benches. He says that though Pitt was a
tuanof transendant talents, yet he wanted genius—
nPini
(I, on which hardly requires corroboration. He
does
not believe that Pitt was a truly great Minister ;
fot't he doubts if even a greater would have done more
13: the country. He describes him as regardless of the
fatst' and incapable of penetrating the mysteries of the
ure--as the Statesman of his own time, and one who
4tistPised the prejudices in favour of old established in-,
portitions. We are no admirers of Sir E. Brydges
les itleal reasoning. We could wish his " Notes were
tiadstaken up with disquisitions on banking and currency,
...,,
'that we had still more of his delightful gossip.
iBo-t
t 4 " secret history of the " Irish Insurrection of
ever " contains the best and fullest account we have
even,7en of the occurrences in Ireland during that
4,1-411 period. Whatever may be thought by the
%tran,auts of a Government of the conduct of men
whjg'iing to cast off its yoke, a day will yet come
fre.,dl the names of these martyrs to the cause of
ann,(4l' will be enrolled among the brightest in the
;17 of Ireland.
of a 11,,,e "Last of the Lairds," and the' Reminiscences
Th il. %Ably Nurse," are tales of considerable merit.
ittee l 'nes on," Peel Castle," are sad trash. Such lines
ArO3lllY fit for kindling a kitchen fire. " State and
the Peeta of Whiegism," is a furious invective against
()li,,Present Government. Every body knows that
seasorke's politics are ultra-Tory, and we need
ttravv Y add, that for the same reason nobody cares three
is, hs about them The Number, take it all in all,
that °l7,.ec'=r, excellent. The portrait for November is
thriott`e4r. Lodge, author of the " Portraits of Illus-
'rle certainly hatacters," in his regal robes as Norroy.
looks " every inch a king."
Thileil''S MAGAZINE E.—Sinwkin and Marshall.
the
cireuects of the reduction of the Stamp duty on
41)1e arte.uilation of the liberal Press is the subject of an
writer
ile'e in Tait for the present month. The
LN.reethlas evidently taken great trouble to ascertain the
"ovv, ":88 of his statements ; .9nd all that we ourselves
r have
trai eonfiheard on the subject, tends to their
tess rination. The circulation of the liberal
he due increased amazingly since the reduction of
Piratio4and we have no doubt but that, before the ex-
r °tltth another year its total circulation will be one
the great__
coNts__Fir than it is at present. We asserted from
as tatie"'re ,cenient that a penny stamp would produce
tflf4rlC, sti avenue to the Government as the four-penny
any•l
,I,lct to a discount ; and before the expiration
Tlitest.bla nths, that assertion will be borne out by
e evidene
u"elu • e.
ston of Humphrey Hawkins, " who

could not see things in that light," is better than the
beginning. The writer, whoever he may be, is an ac-
quisition to Tait. The most interesting article in the
present Number, is the Review of " Hazlitt's Life of
Napoleon"—a masterly, but most unequal production.
Hazlitt adored the memory of Napoleon—the hero of
a hundred battles was, in his opinion, something more
than man. There were years of his life during which
he scarcely can be said to have thought of anything
but the astounding achievements of the mighty
Conqueror. But he had not the materials, where-
with to write a complete life of Napoleon, and even
if he had had all that he wanted, there were por-
tions of the life of the Emperor to which Hazlitt's
feelings would not allow him to do justice.
" Lord Brougham, the Citizens of Edinburgh, and
the London Press," is a searching exposure of the ma-
lignant attacks that have been recently directed against
that eminent statesman by certain of our Tory and Ra-
dical contemporaries. The article on the " Reports of
Parliamentary Committees on Agriculture," contains
some very lucid observations on the probable effect of
the introduction of Poor Laws into Ireland. We en-
tirely agree with every thing put forth by the writer on
this subject. We are convinced that a sound system
of Poor Laws would work the social regeneration of
Ireland. There is a tolerable sprinkling of verses
scattered over Tait, but of these effusions none rise
above mediocrity.