The Sun.
London, England, 1824-03-05 00:00:00

MARRIED.

On Thursday, the 4th inst., 'William Bulmer, of Watling_
street, eldest son of P. J. Bulmer, Esq., Newcastle-upon-Tvne,
to Mary, only daughter of the late Mr. Robert Johnson,' of
Barnard. castle.

Yesterday, at St. Pancras New Church, Frederick Lock,
Esq., of Arundel-street, youngest son of Rear-Admiral Lock,
to Mary Fielder, only daughter of Edward Grose Smith, Esq.

DIED.

On the 21st January, at his house, Mile-end, Mr. John
Horne, late of Queen-street, Chcapside, in his 64th year.
On the 18th ult., in the 47th year of his age, 111 r. Thomas
Day, solicitor, Woburn, Bedfordshire.
On the 27th ult., Captain David Isbister, aged 54.
At Wisbech, on Saturday last, in the 74th year of his age,
John Eder, Esq., a Magistrate for the Isle of Ely, and one of
the Conservators of the Hon. Corporation of Bedtbrd Level.
At his house, 18, Duke-street, Edinburgh, on the 23d ult.
Richard Hotchkis, Esq., of Templehall, writer to the signet.

FOR THE SUN.
IMAGINATION—METTER II.)
Ma. EDITOR—As you have inserted the letter'
that I addressed to you upon the Imagination, I
trust I shall be excused for troubling you with
another epistle upon this interesting subject.
It can scarcely be denied that our present en-
joyments have their source of happiness in the
operation of the imagination. Yet, as there are
many persons who are not much in the habit °I,
inquiring very deeply into the causes of the varied
emotions they experience, I trust I may be for-
given for giving some illustration of the above
proposition. Every one must, of necessity, admit
that the mind derives gratification from the in'
pressions which external objects make upon our
more refined senses *. The cause of this grati-
fication is novelty; for whatever is new gives
the mind an impulse and energy, which is 3
source of pleasure, because it renders it con'
scions of its own powers of exertion. This
position is proved abundantly by children,
who we ever find to derive most pleasure frog'
the impressions made by sensible objects. Bo t
novelty is necessarily of that duration. The
empire it exerted during the early part of our
life, is gradually weakened as we advance in
years, and the agreeable impressions which ex-
ternal objects once promised, are either greatly
diminished, or perhaps wholly annihilated'
Whenever this happens to be the case, as the
mind preserves its thirst for pleasurable sensa-'
tions, it is obliged to seek for them in a different
source. Nor must we consider this as a misery;
and arraign divine goodness for thus weaning 09
from enjoyments which we are to seek in an'
other and a better world. This life, even when
protracted to its greatest span, is a mere taco'
of our existence. Man is the being of a day,
placed upon the brink of eternity. Life is his
present portion, but eternity is his future inherit'
ance. For this he was created, for this he lives, for
this he dies. A proper sense of religion is highly
conducive of the expansion of the mind. If wederive
gratification from the study of nature, it is chiefly
because we discover, at every step, fresh trace
of the Divine mind which conceived the wonders
of nature. Every idea that has its origin in this
source becomes, when stored in the mind, more
pure and more refined, and forms the proper me"
terials for the imagination to work upon. And
to a due combination of ideas so refined we are
indebted for many of our greatest enjoyments.
The sense of the sublime, which pervades our
mind whenever we contemplate the great objects
of nature, are occasioned by association and itna..
ginatiou. Whatever is awful and stupendous,
whatever plunges the mind in a state of uncer-
tainty and doubt, may be considered as sources
of the sublime. Hence. every feeling soul i 5
alive. The sublimity of the stormy ocean, and
of the scenes which are exhibited amidst the
snow-topt Alps, and the still more elevated
Cordelieras. But in all these cases, it is because the
images we receive from their various parts are in-
distinct, that the imagination is exalted, and the
understanding gratified. Were it in our power
to embrace at once all the component parts Of
such objects, or to receive an impression froenncet ttoniagrhretst our attention,
m
possibly remain,
the
h beauty
e notfl
ythdeisstci
but its sublimity would unquestionably vanish.--
We may be convinced that such is really the case,
by remembering how greatly gloom, or dense
shadows, contribute to increase the sublimity of
a scene, whilst they most assuredly efface all it
had that was beautiful. The imagination derives no
less pleasure from the ear, than it does from the

I organ of vision. Sound is eitherarticulate or musical,
distinctness, and sufficient energy to awaken and
captivate the attention, are all that the former
requires. But musical sound is either a combina-
tion of tones properly and delicately blended one
with the other, or a single succession of notes
passing slowly into each other. The distinctness
upon which the beauty of articulate language
depends precludes the possibilities of its attain-
ing sublimity. It may be made the sourse of
sublimity ; as this can happen only when the
images it describes are embodied by the imagi-
nation. Music, on the contrary, by soothing the
attention, and conveying pleasing sensations to the
mind, necessarily arouses the energies of the imagi-
nation. The delicate blending of the notes, thought
sufficient to captivate the attention, and thus
produce a sensation of pleasure, are yet too faint
to awaken the imagination from the soothing state
of listlessness into which it is plunged. This
being the case, it necessarily follows, that those
who imagine that they will excite either pleasur-
able or sublime emotions by too rapid succession
of distinct notes, or chords, are woefully mistaken.
They may amaze but they cannot please. Ra.-
pidity of execution may deserve our praise ; but
it never can hare the least claims to the appro-
bation which sublimity merits. Though single
melody is more pleasing, because it speaks more
directly to the soul, in masterly hands, harmony
may be made to awaken the most sublime emo-
tions. But in this, as in every former case, the
imagination has the idea of sublimity, because it-
embraces the whole, and does not perceive any'
of the component parts.
From all that has been said it follows, that
most pleasurable sensations have their origin irr
the mere perception of proper objects, whenever
the imagination is kept under by attention ; that
sublime ideas are produced by a proper combine-
, tion of images, which the mind has purified
from all the adventitious circumstances which
degrade sensible objects. Lastly, we shall
conclude, that ideas of sublimity are formed
in our mind, by objects which from it re-
ceives undefined and pleasurable impressions,
not sufficiently strong to awaken the attention/
but enough to excite the imagination. To
this it may be added, that the enjoyments we
derive from the images formed by the imagina-
tion, exceed as much the pleasure we receive
from the contemplation of beautiful objects, as
the operations of the mind are superior, more re-
fined in their nature than those of our senses.

Midhurst. P.
* In speaking of senses, I always feel inclined to distinguish
them into sensual and intellectual. The former are those by
which our sensual appetites are gratified, the latter are the source
of all mental pleasures, and consequently are of the higher
order. _

Priuted and Published for the PRbPRIETO/t5, at the SUIT'
OFFICE, 112, Strand, by J. B. CARsr.raßs.

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