The Sun.
London, England, 1838-08-05 00:00:00

KISSON.

to overrate the effects of this resistance in obstructing
ffissc'eliftreform. Mr. Canning and Lord Dudley es • .pecially, the
men of the greatest talents in the party, were truly formidable
Possessingante-
in an equal degree all the resources of accurate and
gonists.
extensive information, all the powers of acute reasoning and lively
d all the accomplishments of the most finished classical educe-
fancy, an in the degrees to
they differed rather
.
thetprisegdile•• •
which habit and accident had
tion,
in every kind
fitted them for actual business, and in the strength of their understand_
nnuenced by their inclinations, than in thegenins or the acquire_
ight inspire or had trained their oratory. Mr. Canning
ings asswi
inch m
nlwaesnt
the move powerful declaimer—Lord Dudley had the more
fancy and the sharper wit ; although
of wit and humour Mr.' Canning, too, greatly excelled most other
men. Lord Dudley could follow an argument with more sustained
original
acuteness, mobile liar. Canning possessed a skill in statement which
frequently disposed of the matter in dispute before his adversary was
aware that
his flank had been, as it were, turned, and thus sparest him-
self the labour of an elaborate attack by argumentation. Both pre.
pared for their greater exhibitions with extreme care, and wrote more
than almost any other modeLronr,oirDatoocrisi ; but Mr. Canning had powers of
extempore debating which Dudley had either never acquired, or
ventured to exert. In habits of business, and the '
hardly ever vetfaculties
which these whet, or train, or possibly bestow, Mr. Canning had, of
coursacting e, all the advant age which could be derived from a long life in
o
upon abils of so high an order. But that Lord Dudley
ffice
only wanted such training to equal him in these respects, was apparent
from the masterly performance of hisofficial duties, which marked his
•stration of the Foreign department in 15.7 .‘
short admini . Here,
however, all parallel between these eminent individuals ends. In
strength of mind, in that firmness of purpose which makes both a man
V
and a statesman,ere was, indeed, little comparison between them.ent ,
a p sensitive and even irritable temperament Both were of 1' •
end this, while it affected their manner, and followed them into debate,
quitted theta not in the closet or the Cabinet. But in Mr. Canning
the weakness hart limits which were not traced in the nervous tempera-
ment of Lord Dudley. lie suffered all his life under what afterwards
prayed to be a diseased state of the system, and, after making the
misery of part of his existent); and shading the happiness even of its
brightest portions, it ended in adark drawing
and dismal curtain over
his whole faculties towards the close of If • life. T
is The result of the same
morbid temperament .
affeeted
his
judgment
lent was a want of fixed inclination—a wavering that
gtment as well as his feelings—an incapacity to form, or
after forminj
iskoi
saobide by any fixed resolution. With these men was
joined Mr. It' than whom few have ever attained as great in..
fluence in this country,
try, with so few of the advantages which are apt to
captivate Senates or
to win popular applause, and, at the same time,
the
with so few of extrinsic qualities which- in the noble and the
wealthy can always
mina
of
speech make up for such natural deficiencies. Ile was not
naturally, nor had much practice rendered him a ready
speaker; he had none of the graces ofdictien, whether he prepared himself
(ir he ever did sot,
or trusted to the moment. His manner was peculiarly
ungsinly. Hi
• s statements were calculated •tl ra ler to excite distrust than
to win confidence• let, .-
of Commons, rem. II made him as much listened to as the most con-
summate debaters; and upon the questions to which he, generally
speaking, confinedhimself, the great matters of commerce and
finance, he
delivered
Thin
successliwed himself with almost oracular certainty of effect.
to the thorough knowledge which he possessed of
his subjects; the perfect
"clearness of his understanding ; the. keennessdt
with which he could apply his information t\l the purpose of the t
expose
the acuteness with
Weakness,
uwehich he could unraye the argumenlti,tanree
an adversary's vrecpt of
his political purity
yklin :It or expound his own doc.tirines.
rut he
had
id not stand very high with
the same intense love i thaneyvipce party.
his whole
party, and to which tlleofoffice which Ivasarrifice3
reducing
indeed into
a principle, what was onyl have
Made
SU.O
.1
'us *error, 'the source of all un.
worthy compliances, cloakthe‘yanio,sft
for every
proceeding, that no one
.
can effectually serve the 'ae in private station. Yet whoever has
known either of these three'l t i a liell'i and casts his eye on those fol.
lowers whom they have left behind,greatmmay' be 'le:tilled in heas'ing a sigh
as lie exclaims,
.li '
..
v' . '
, /sari,
• 'lot ! quani multo meaus es! cum ), ique6
qua»z tut nee • • , Inillad.

MIL STEPHEN'S.
ga Ye a memorable proof of his public virtue, by at once abandon.
inc the Ministry, and resigning his seat in Parliament, because they
pursued a course which he disapproved, upon the great subject of Colo.
nial Slavery. He retired into private life, abandoned all the political
questions in which he took so warm an interest, gave up the public busi-
ness, in which he still had strength sufficient to bear a very active part,
and relinquished Without a struggle or a sigh all the advantages of pro-
m3tion, both f.,r himself and his family, although agreeing with the
Government in every other part of their policy, because on that which
he believed conscientiously to be the most important of all their prat.
tical views, they differed from his own. It would indeed be well if we
bad now and then instances of so rare a N. Irtue ;
and
down 'lion this eminent and excellent person, as not haviwho looked
ng answered
they
the expectations formed of his Parliamentary career, or sneered at his
enthusiastic real for opinions its his mind of paramount importance,
would have done well to respect at a distance merit which they could
not hope to imitate—perhaps could not well comprehend—merit b2side
which the lustre of the statesman's triumph and the orator's fame
grows 'Ole.

-MR. MILL.
In all the relations of private life he was irreproachable ; and he
afforded a rare eiampie done born in humble circumstances, and strug.
gling, during the greater part of his laborions fife, with the inconveni-
ences of restricted means, nobly maintaining an independence as abso-
lute, in all respects, as that of the first subject in the land—an independ-;
ence indeed, which but few of the pampered children of rank and wealth
are ever seen to enjoy. For he could at all times restrain his wishes
within the limits of his resources; was firmly resolved that his own
hands alone should ever minister to his wants ; and would, at every
period of his useful and virtuous life, have treated with indignation any
Project that should trammel his opinions or his conduct with the re.
straints which external infitienee; of whatever kind, could impose.
THOMAS CLA.RKSON.
—• •

Granville Sharpe ;vas followed in his bright course Thomas Clark-
son, of whom it has been justly said (nor can higher praise be earned
by man), that to the great and good qualities of Las Casas—his bene-
volence—his unwearied perseverance—his inflexible determination of
purpose—piety which would honour a saint—courage which would ac-
complish a martyr--he added the sound judgment lnd strict sense of
justice which were wanting in the otherwise perfect character of the
Spatiish philanthropist. While pursuing his studies at Cambridge, he
made the Slave Trade the subject of an Essay, which gained one of the
University prizes, and this accident having tailed his special attention
to the iniquity of that execrable commerce, he devoted Ms hfe to
waging an implacable hostility with it. The evidence which he col-
lected and brought before a Committee formed to obtain its abolition,
drew the attention of Mr. Wilberforce, and secured at once the ser_
via% of that great man as the leader in the cause. .

LITERATURE,

LONDON AND WESTMINSTER REVIEW.

No. LXI.

There is a striking improvement in this " Review." It
has thrown overboard a vast deal of its flippant arrogance
and Cockney Conceit; and has substituted for them sound
healthy feeling and deep thOUght. The change will recom-
mend it to a wide circle of readers. The thole of the
contents of the present Number is above mediocrity. We
have first a short and exquisite article on wood engraving.
It is full of knowledge and good taste. The writer rightly
appreciates the inestimable value of the beautiful in art,
the cultivation of which he recommends ; and points out
how much some cheap modern publications have promoted
amongst the people a knowledge and a love of art. It is
alttigether written in an admirable spirit, and the closing
recommendation to the ladies of England to cultivate the
art of wood engraving, will be welcomed iu the same kindly
spirit in which it is made. The illustrations by Which the
progress of the art and different styles are made apparent
are all gems, and worth more than the cost Of the
" Review." Those who possess this -Number will have,
at a small expense, a sketch of the art of wood engraving,
illustrated by some of its most exquisite productions. A
disquisition on the characters of the statesmen and cour-
tiers of female reigns follows. It is discriminating, phi-
losophic, and rich in interest. We subscribe not to all
its opinions, but have read it with pleasure and advantage,
and so may most readers. Bolingbroke occupies, as he
deserves, the largest share of it ; for Bolingbroke—wit,
author, orator, and statesmen—was one of the most extra-
ordinary and powerful men who ever lived in England.
From the next article we learn that Mr, Milnes, M.P.
for Pontefract, is a passable poet of the Coleridge school.
He belongs to a class of politicians who are called by the
Reviewer, Coleridgian Tories, and who wish to make the
Church and Aristocracy as practically as they are theoreti-
cally beneficial. Mr. Milnes, however shortcoming may be
his popularity as a poet, will be much more successful in
writing verses than in governing states. The article is
written in a very different spirit from the criticisms in the
Quarterly and Edinburgh, in which the productions of
every author are judged of by his politics not their merit.
The example of praising Mr. Milner's poetry, who is a
thorough Conservative, will not be lost on the older rivals
of the Westminster.
The character of Montaigne, written, apparently,
eon amore, is buried, like a beautiful Greek temple behind a
Turkish mosque, by a somewhat verbose, ambitious, and
tireschne introduction. The outline given of the worthy
old Seigneur and of his house, is a pleasant addition to our
biography.
" England and Brittany" is a notice made up chiefly by
judicious extracts from Howett's " Rural Life " and
Souvestre's " Darniers Bretons," of the manners, tradi-
tions, amusements. and pursuits of the agricultural classes
in England and Brittany. The only comparison which is
drawn between them is much to the advantage of England,
and any Frenchman aware of the existence in Brittany of
the game of Soule, can never venture to reproach the Eng-
lish with brutality. It is quite equal to, if it do not surpass,
an Irish row at a fair. The article is pleasant and in.
structive.

Under the title " Dease and Simpson's Narrative" the re-
cent discoveries made in the Arctic region are distinctly
narrated and illustrated by a map.
The attempt at making a penal cob for India is shortly
described, but we differ from the Reviewer,, denying both
the possibility of making a complete code—and an incom-
plete code leaves all the evil of an unwritten law in full
force on some points--and the utility of such a code, if it
could be made. The Reviewer also considers, contrary to
others—we have formed no opinion on the subject our-
selves—that Mr. Macauley has been eminently successful.
" Domestic Service" makes the unpleasantness of the
existing relation between employer and employed pain-
fully apparent, but by noting the causes of the unplea-
santness, partially suggests the remedy. We learn from
the article that a series of works is in the course of
publication to instruct and prepare young people for
their occupations, and put them in a way of choosing
the one to which they are best adapted—a valuable ob-
ject. To direct philosophic observation to this domes-
tic and intrinsically important relation, is one of the
best signs we have lately seen of that real and benevolent
spirit of improvement which is now busily at work in al-
most every part of the world, but particularly in England.
We presume that this very useful, curious, and well-timed
article is the production of a lady.
We have also a brief and yet comprehensive notice of
the history and wonders of the Tower, including more par-
ticulars of the notorious Blood, " the bully in the bad house
of Charles 1I.," than have yet been collected—a severe but
very short and just attack on Sir Francis Head, and an ad-
mirable disquisition on the philosophy of Mr. Bentham,
which is at length beginning to be justly appreciated by his
disciples. We conclude as we began, by saying that there
is a wonderful improvement in the presiding spirit of this
Review, the present Number of which, for variety, interest,
and information, is the very best Review we have seen for
a long period.