The Sun.
London, England, 1847-01-25 00:00:00

LITER ‘7111117.

ORATORS OF THE AGE, comprising Portraits
Critical, Biographical, and Descriptive by G. H.
Francis, Editor of " Maxims and Opinions of tbc
Duke of lVellington."
Our readers will doubtless recollect certain admirably
Written papers entitled "Contemporary Orators," which
have from time to time appeared in Fraser's Magazine
during the last twelvemonth, and from which a s have
PO': 'lnfrequently given extracts. These papers hs.vii.g
attained a high popularity not only in this country, but
on the continent (several of them have been translated
into French), Mr. Francis has done wisely in collect-
ng them together, for publication in a separate form.
This work, however, is not merely a reprint from Fraser:
each sketch has been subjected to careful revision, and
many of them have been re-written or remodelled. In
his position Mr. Francis possesses great advantages for
collecting materials for such a work as the one now
under notice, and he knows well how to avail himself of
these advantages. He has consequently produced a
"°°k which is decidedly the bet of its sort. His criti-
elarna are acute, yet fair and impartial, and his portraits
are perfect Daguerreotypes—we give the portrait of Lord
John Russell as a specimen.
" Can that little, quiet, fragile, modest, almost insignifi-
cant-looking man, so neat, plain, and formal in his black coat
and snow-white neckcloth, who sits with his legs crossed
`any-how' and his hat overshadowing his sharp features
till
they are scarcely seen,—can that be Lord John Russell ?
Is he really leader of that compact and numerous party ?
And has he the power air the skill to rule and rein them in ; to
amalgamate all their discordant varieties ; to tame their poli-
tical violence, of which you have heard and seen so much; to
Pour the oil of his philosophic spirit on the troubled waters
of their excited passions ; to beguile them into suspending
or giving up their cherished opinions and settled purposes,
Rind cordially uniting in working out his views, and respect-
ing, if not obeying, his will? When yov regard the phy-
sique of Sir Robert Peel ; his full, commanding figure, his
intellectual face and head, his handsome expressive counte-
nance, his erect and manly bearing; you are half tempted
to believe, on trust, all you have heard of his magical in-
fluence over the House of Commons : but no persuasion will
induce you to think that the diminutive model of a man who
bas been pointed out to you as Lord John Russell—whom
Lord Palmerston, his next neighbour, might almost dandle
in his arms—can possess those qualities which history tells
us are necessary in order to sway popular assemblies.
" In a few moments he takes off his hat and rises from his
neat ; advancing to the table to speak. Now, for the first
time, you see something that prepossesses. His head,
though small, is finely shaped ; it is a highly intellectual
head, and the brow is wide and deep. The face, broad and
firm set, sphynx-like in shape, is not of faultless outline, but
it is strongly marked with character. A thoughtful repose,
slightly tinged with melancholy, pervades it. The features
are pale-
ness sharplyofthe
odornefinpeledx;iotullya look more so in the extreme
paleness not of ill health, but of
refined breeding. The mouth is wide, bu
surrounded with a marked line, asthougltf finely shaped ;
peitsiswareeulre. ft
k
made the vehicle of expression, while the i
compressed, as from habitual thought. The ev
intelligent, the nose straight and decided, the eyebrows dark
and well arched, and the whole face, which seems smaller
still than it is, from the absence of whiskers, is surmounted
by dark and scanty hair, which leaves disclosed the whole
depth of an ample and intellectual forehead. A moment
more, and you are struck with the proportions, though
small, of his frame—his attitude erect, his chest expanded.
You begin to perceive that a little man need not of necessity
be insignificant. There is a presence upon him, a firm com-
pactness of outline, a self-possessed manner, a consciousness
of latent strength, that lead you to abandon your unfavour-
able view of his physical attributes, and to hope much from
his moral and intellectual qualities.
“
- no speaks, and for a time your disappointment returns.
You have seen him make one step forward to the table, look
all round the house, then make a step back again into his
old place; then with the right arm stretched partly out, and
his face half turned to his own supporters, he begins. His
voice is feeble in quality and monotonous. It is thin, and
there is a twang upon it which smacks of aristocratic affec-
tation ; but it is distinct. He is, perhaps, about to answer
some speech, or to attack some measure, of Sir Robert Peel.
Ile goes on in level strain, uttering a few of the most ob-
vious commonplaces of apology or of deprecation, till the
I"ea of mediocrity grows irresistibly upon your mind. Yet
the HOLM seem to listen anxiously—they would not do so if
ey did not know the man. Wait a little. A cheer comes
from around him ; it bears in it the efeminate laugh of Mr.
Ward, the deep bassoon note of Mr. Warburton, the shrill
scream of Mr. Sheil, the loud hearty shout of Mr. Wakley,
and the delighted chorus of the Radicals and manufacturers. a
3', even on the opposite side, the ' point' has not been
without its effect, as many a suppressed titter testifies. All
the level commonplace, it seems, was but the stringing of the
I)" ; at the moment when least expected, the cool, prepared
marksman has shot his arrow of keen and polished sarcasm
at Sir Robert Peel, whom it has fleshed, if not transfixed.
You follow the speaker a little longer, now fairly interested
i him, even though opposed to his opinions, and you find
thatTs-velpinhoehgas more of those arrows in his quiver. And then
he proceeds, during a speech of perhaps an hour and a half,
those characteristics of his mind which we have
described in detail ; now earning approval by his enlarged
and statesmanlike views, now lowering himself to the level
of the various prejudices of his party ; alternately compelling
Iteesnret and admiration or provoking something like con- ,
opponentsP now rousing his own side to cheers against their
way, to laugh at or suspect their own leaders ; but trial-
exhibiting power, self-posse.ssion, tact, skill, parlia-
mentary and political knowledge, command of language,
and felicity of diction, surpassed by but a few of the distin-
guished men of the day.
"Meanwhile you have lost sight of the defects of the
maker—defectsof voice, manner, and action, which place
aim as fir below Sir Robert Peel, in the merely mechanical
part of oratory, as his occasional elevation of thought and
taPPy choice of language place him in these respects above
him. If you had not thus been carried away, you would
have been speedily wearied by the drawling monotony of
voice, the hesitation in delivery, the constant catching up
and repetition of words, and even of portions of sentences ;
and you will have noticed that the only action used was a
Constant stepping forwards from the bench to the table and
back again, an occasional thumping of the latter with the
right han4, when not rested permanently on it, a folding of
the arms akimbo, or an action peculiar to this orator when he
rests his left elbow on his right hand, while the left arm,
raised perpendicularly, is held up as if in warning at his op-
ponents."

THE QUARTERLY RE VIEW. No. CLVII.
From the interesting narrative (written in Latin
by the Jesuit Giulio Cordara in 1751) of the expedi-
tion of Charles Edward Stuart, very recently ren-
dered into Italian by Antonio Gussalli, an historical
article of singular beauty has suggested itself to one
of the Quarterly reviewers. That article is contained
in the resent number, and is entitled " The Stuarts
in Italy." Whether it be from the natural sympa-
thies inspired by occurrences of a chivalrous charac-
ter when associated with youth, illustrious lineage,
and extraordinary misfortune, or whether it arise
merely m
erely from the eu:lnstance of these romantic inci-
dents
is
from so 'recent a period in the past cenkin-
, . s certain that no events of a purely national
have so particularly arrested the attention, and
on..
f t'el.the imaginatic ins, and elicited the compassion
last nguslamen as the vicissitudes encountered by the
of the
and, for a while, the noblest of the royal house
_lhe Stuarts, among the tarns and glens of Cale-
donia. Alfred burnir tg the cakes of the forester's
Wife
"—Casur-de-lion N rying in deeds of arms with the
valorous Saladin—He my the Sixth pining in the
wer, in the involuntary guise of an anointed an -
790orite—not one sing its epoch or personage in the
wnole annals of Great . Britain, so entirely fascinates
the Popular mind as ',he epoch of 1745-6, and the
liersonage styled The Young Pretender. The fact
may,, even be recogn* pled in the enthusiasm ex-
eib,, l'ed by the latt et- among his adherents,
nj'e the spontaneous gatherings of the north-
_nj which at one moment promised to restore
the transferred regalia to the possession of the dy-
nasty from which it I ut.d been wrested, by the suffer-
iga endured, the AT( ings borne, the blood spilt, the
fortunes sacrificed, an the hearths desolated in his
veracity
If any testim any were required to prove the
of the histori Ins of this adventurous rising
in Scotland, that testi) mmy is found in the beautiful
_aa.d. passionate poetry , A' the Jacobite ballads—than
winch there are not in e xistence more fervent and re-
markable specimens of party-feelings, party-loyalty
and party-violence. I That can evidence a more
frantic devotion to the cause of an individual than
the famous " Cam' ye b .a) Athol," preserved to us by
the faithful memory and fluent pen of the Ettrick
Shepperd ?—that gallant 1 battle-song which rings to
the last syllable with the g raudium
"Down through the Lowlas ids, down wi' the Whigamore,
Loyal true Highlanderi, i lown wi' them rarely!
Ronald and Donald, drive c n wi' the braid clamore,
Over the necks of the fot •s of Prince Charlie !
Follow thee, follow thee, wi is wadna follow thee !
Lang hest thou loved ant d trusted us fairly ?
Charlie, Charlie, wha wads is follow thee?
King of the Highland he arts, bonnie Prince Charlie?'
Nor is the dynasty of Brt tuswick of that juvenile and
inglorious character, whit th in the times of the first
Georges rendered it dangerous to utter any expres-
sions of sympathy in the fortunes of the exiled
Princes. The truest and a taunchest lieges of our sove-
reign lady Victoria may now, without peril to them-
selves, and without the slightest diminution
of their good name as lo yal subjects participate fully
in those sentiments of ad miration which the conduct
c2f. Prince Charles, throw ghout his unfortunate expe-
dition, enkindled anion g his faithful Highlanders.
With all our ideas as tc " legitimacy," it is impos-
sible to deny that the descent of Charles Edward
upon the kingdom of his ancestors, for the purpose of
re-asserting the claims o f his father to the crown and
the kingship, possessed .o much of the spirit of true
Chivalry and antique pry ,wess, that the fancy reverts
In the scenes of his w; inderings and wretchedness
With
a peculiar and revere nt interest. Beyond the attrac-
tive cast of his intellect,
Prince Charles was endowed
With all those externals
which are most calculated to
ensure the affection an 1 attachment of a generous
race like the Scots. W itness that interesting sketch
ofi his appearance and dis position given of him by Cor-
dara •
b Features of remarkable regularity and
:aatY, with a certain zincely air ; a noble, gener-
ous,o and fervid dispositi on ; a soaring spirit, capable
the loftiest flights - a nimble, yet robust frame, and
an equable t native gifts, to which
he e temperas Del it were
added a studiou a acouaintance with all courtly
habits and observan cel , and an admirably gentleman-
-I,;ke and easy mann at , with an unfailingly joyous and
fluent address." r.l it was the bewitching aspect of
royal adven firer at the commencement of
t. 7
wayward e istence ; little did it augur
the degenerate manhood ; little did the purity
and dignity of 1
adolescence prefigure the drun-
kenness and debr
picture of the ci using scenes in the drama of the
dynasty of the o isement of his degraded age. As a
AncritoictiallepQapeuarr nce puissant Stuarts, this contribu-
tion Review is vivid and picturesque.
upon the ancient Portuguese Drama,
and especially u potsthe works of Gil Vicente, dis-