The Sun.
London, England, 1814-08-19 00:00:00

(No. X

Mr. 17;DIT6,3,—The present seems to be the age.
of R.evolutior We have had revolutions in po-
lities, poetry, and criticism. It is needless to ex-
p-atia!e- on the, political revolution, as, that has
been, written in, characters of biooi, for, nany

years, in, .most every part ContinOtal En-

'rope; it has overorned several States, shakeirthe,
foundations of all, and may disturb mankind 'as
long as civilized society,shall exist. 'lle poetical
re, (•;iaion is like iy to tie as
,iniarions •,0 rational
a% :he nolatical re,.'olltiOn to national
,secn-
rity. The 2.reat I.lante% Day DEN, PoPer, and-
t' Poets of fortiv.4 days, seem to, be
for:tottcn, amidst the swarm of bards who liaVe
started t‘ithin the last rew years, and their
m'ks 'lre thrown aside. Wild romances in verse,.
Or rather prose run rruicl." or ion!,;vinrifedttale,
which in fact tiny be considered as mere BaiL7:7-
dilties, AFC now all the rage ; and, what may he
"Proper',y called- legitimate poetry, whether, pa,
t hetic 5 ispronounced
of the old scitoat, nmutimated by the flasaies of mo-
cern -reuius'. But trot the least surprizing of
these el'arTes is lie revolution in Criticism.—
.Fornit Fly our perio,lical records of litt:rature gave
us sotne account of• the prodnctions w,hich came
within the ,pherenf their notice, but it is now the•
fitshioti with critical journals to contain disserta
tions upon every thing' but Ole works 'on which
the public might re,lsonahly expect' to receive the
opinion of the Reviewer as, to their respective
merits. 'The Edinburgh Review is generally; and,
I believe, justly considered, as the Journal to
yvhich the,public arc indebted for this'extraordi,
nary revolutio,. in Om world' of criticism. The
Conductor of this Review, -instead of wasting his
time in exatnining the merits of the productions
which come before hiM, and communie'ating the
opinions, sentiments, objects, And arguments of
the author', is so good as to favour the_ world with
his own notions, naturally conceiving, that if the
public want to know the merits of any particular
b 001.7. they can lefer to, the book itself, but,
that it is inipossible for theist to penetrate into
'the ['Mild. of 'a Reviewer, unless he is reo
as to pour forth the' collecftd treasures Of
his obsertation, experience, and reflect ion.—
Hence the Editor of the Edinintrgh-Reoir.w has
very often indulged its Readers with a political
pamphlet, rather than stoop to the drtulgery of
detailintz the opinions of contemPor.ary Writers.
Malty ;os‘tances of thi, practice Inar occurred in
the aforesaid ilevie‘x ; but the most-ext;•aordivar.:,-
.bnethat it- has ever extlibited, is to be found in

its ...ast number. .
The:" tir.,t a: ride announces the three follorrin,
in,
...,.. .-

works : '"A"Sang rf Triumpiz,". hy W. SOTHEBY,
E•H l'ActeConstilutionel.. e:7, la Seance du 9
• Ar.ril 1814 '' aria €•-Of Jiucinfipartc-, the Bons-
bo,,s, and e Neessity of rallying round our Lc-
git:mate Princes, for the Happiness of France and
EttroDe,'' by F. A. 'CHAT;.:AUBWIAND;
Now, Mr. editor, will it he coneeived-possiiile,
that -,fter hat iu ita.maced three works, all in-
tet•:'stiu iii their ropeCtive provinces, the Re-
i!las not, in the course of thirty nine pages
and a 4(0, tnwie even the least allusion •to any
one of t,;;es,e NvOiks, and has absolutely concluded
his re,oadzs withimt ailx lartlici:•relereoce to them
than %% ha? appeal 'la la their titles, as they stand at

the !:e.ul of: the article'. ,
saw in the public prints that the Edin-
,hutOt RP.riew • had " AIStUyED," .for that is (hi;
oi:.!nifieir way in, which this treiisory of taste, ge-
Mos, prolophy, and learning, , is generally an-
nom.ced-to tli'i London world, and read the con-
tents, ,-I.*; dtqajiolin.ad,ertisement, I sent for
the book, ;Ind- opened it 'with eagernesS, wholly
forifetitil of former disappointments. I knew that
Mr. SO-1...1f:8Y, %vas a Man of talents and of learn-
ing,. I had 'read his -Translation of .Vmort.'s
Georgics iwAt pleasure, and his. Obet'on with
lunri.; a d had .pentso several other works Of the
saute Writer, which bore a strong evidence of
poctical tasie,, spirit, and learning. .But in vain
did 1 !ook to the chit of, the-article, from %N'll)eh
expected citations breathing OTspirit. of loyal!v,
and a due tribute froM the Poet to the WisdOUls
perseverance; and lic..toit'mi displayed by this Colin-
' try and its Allies, in the deliverance'ot I;tirope.
.I.Not, a word about' Mr. SOTHEBY'S work could I
find,: oeither.he nor. his point were any more no-
ticed titan if neither the Author nor his work hail
anv existence.
• The saute may be said respecting the other two
works, though CH ATEAUBRIAND'S, at least &mu its
celebrity, and from its being written in a' foreign
language, a.!tl therefore not intelligible_to every
English reader, seems to have challenged particular
notice. I had hoped to derive pleasure and in-
formation from the productions of two ingenious
for:eigners, upOn events in the highest degree in-
ieresting to Europe and future times ; but no—
'Mr. Editor, the iteviever gives us leis own opi-
nions and sentiments, but lie takes trot-tire least
notice of those foreigners. nor their works.
Circumstance reminds rue of-the celebrated Orator
• 1-I.ENLEir, who used to-hold forth at tractive topics,
in his advertisement; .'but rambled away from,
so often, 'that •lie -was recalled to the
subject by the clamours of his audience. On
'one of these occasions, when,
,like our Edin-
ifll Ite4iewers„ he had been_ wholly silent 'tipon
was'most intefestiog to hiS hearers,
and had allured thein to' his room, he, loudly ex-:
clal;ite•(l—"Poes any one here know the .Wit€
• Boar in Holhorti i"—lannediat-ely the audience
'vehemently un.rvered--'",Yes, We do ; what
theif, Orator '!'",=•---," Why; -then," replied
the Orator'„ " are tiA‘y, of you so absurd as
to suppose that the-Landlord of the house sells
Blue Roars he puts up L‘'well-painted sign, i
and induce- them ton
order to make people
stet.,in tor some rctresll3llClit."----This whimsical
-opologyaritarally excited a laugii ;, but the Ora-
tor, accor'd'ing to report,,then thought it but
'to :.:•iratilv Iti.'auditors "with .a•short. discourse on
their lavourite topic. Some excose 11it ytt be
knade,for this exeentric Orator, as his dis.,u;tations,
'Were exte:liporunebus. But What apology can be
ittadelor out Reviewer, who deliberately enters

tipal rto ae&nit i,f
what has'principally includeel us to purchase -his
work, an,!. dot's not even nut its off with a jelie.--
I help considering this .'oueluct, 111 r: Edi-
tor., as a species of. Lae) erg Swindling ; it is cer-
tainly obtabthzg, monv ,tipipz false pretences, and
ouvlit.to be stizoratized With the scorn and con;
tempt of the xvoid; lam i»dneed to conlirinni-
eate toy sentintelJs'to You, I.llrt Etntor, bccmise
I perceive :-hat you hate instituted a IteviCW,
which is found;•ck upon ,a,ditfercut plau,:and he-
ea else you appeal to examine the Works which fall
undcr your notic'e with candour, and by the Co-
pious extracts
,which y.)it present to the• Reader,
enahlo: him to jittlgi: for himself whether pun-
.
nratse or censure. properly (I,rected and 01):.died.,
1 need'ony -refer to the I!intirable Paniphlet
which von have. recently .brOgght to the notice,o!.
your Readers, viz. " The Hight and racti-ee of
-Impressinent,z' lac. &c.-7,0ne.0f the most interest-'
ing and imuortant tracts that has eVer heen given
to the Pubtlic. It exposes the conquet of ohrovily
enemies, th‘7, A'neric•'ns, the most i,oritural that
ever directed hostility against the British Empire,
fully viudi, ales the rights of this cotuftrv, and-
will, 1 this!, be conitlered as a.iessculiA,
`licit n—
lllt'.nt by th Representatives Of Great Brt,in,
ill
the approaching,Coagress: intelded to adjust the
righttol claims of the several Powers cOncertird,
and to effect the consolidation of a general, per-
manent„and houourabk. Veace_
Chapter Coffxt }louse, Aug, X.
P. S. Perhaps think that 114 ace
dered float thy subject towards Ike .end
Letter, but I certainly. need make,no apology On
this score to The Ealinbilrgh