The Sun.
London, England, 1823-11-04 00:00:00

LITERARY NOTICE

---
FORGET ME NOT,"a Christmas and New Year's Proem

for ms.
The Fine Arts are certainly ranch indebted to
the discrimination and euterprizing spirit of Mr.
ActrzassaisN. Hardly a month elapses without
some publication, the production of which, from
the beauty of its embellishments, proves equally
creditable to his taste and experience, and grati-
fying to the Public. The present is the second
nrimber of a work intended to appear annually,
and designed as " 4 Present for the Youth of
both Sexes." Our notice of the first number is
doubtless fresh in the recollection of our readers,
as the favourable mention which we last year
made of this beautiful " Present" precluded an
indifferent perusal. There is obviously no fall-
ing-off in the present volume ;on the contrary,
the number of artists employed, and the superior
literary character of the work, appear indicative
of a determination to justify the favourable re-
ception which it met with on its first appearance.
The prints (twelve in number) are, with one or
two exceptions, beautifully executed by the first
artis ts,and admirably illustrate the different stories.
One of the tales, entitled Mimili, is narrated in
an easy and unaffected style. It is a history of
the progressive love and subsequent marriage of
a young German with a young Swiss girl. We
have entered so completely. into the story of the
interesting heroine, that, magre our editorial
gravity, and our partiality for the comforts of an
_English fire-side, we would cheerfully encounter
the various perils incidental to a ramble among
the mountains of Switzerland, could we have a
reasonable prospect of an equally gratifying ad-
venture. The only fault which we discovered in
the first number is applicahle to the present. We
are again obliged to w sit a whole year for the
continuance of the amusing auto-biography of
FERDINAND FRANCK. We know not if our ob-
servaoons in our last year's notice induced him
to deprecate the censure of his readers for
the long interval which occurs between each
resumption of his entertaining Memoirs, but he
sets out with informing us, " that the plan of the
Forget Me Nut. rendered it unavoidable last
year, and that the same cause preventa the re-
moval of the objection in the present ;" and with
a slight stroke of satire, levelled at the curiosity
which raised the objection, he proceeds with
his amusing story. We must therefore neces-
sarily wait another twelvemonth for the con-
clusion, although the spirit with which it is
written would, in our opinion, justify Mr.
ACKERMANN ill publishing it as a separate work.
We conclude our remarks with extracting- the
introductory verses, by Mr. BERNARD BARTON
whose name is very conspicuous in the poetica
department of the " Forget Me Not."
The Heart's Motto—' Forget me Not.'
Appealing language ! unto me
How much thy words impart !
They seem as if designed to be
The Motto of the Heart;
Whose fondest feelings, still the same,
Whate'er its earthly lot,
Prefer alike this touching claim,
And say—.' Forget me not !'
The soldier who for glory dies,
However bright may seem
The fame he wins in others' eyes,
Would own that fame a dream,
Did be not hope its better part
Would keep him unforgot,
The chosen motto of his heart
Is still—' Forget me not !'
The sailor, tort on stormy seas,
Though far his bark may roam,
Still hears a voice in every breeze
That wakens thoughts of boom.
He thinks upon his distant friends,
His wife, his humble cot ;
And from his inmost heart ascends
The prayer—' Forget me not !'
The sculptor, painter, while they trace
On canvas, or in atone,
Another's figure, form, or face,
Our motto's tiirit own ;
Each thus would like to leave behind
His semblance—and for what?
Taut that the thought which tills his mind
Is this—' Forget roe not!'
The poet too, who, borne along
In thought to distant time,
Pours forth his inmost soul in song,
Holds fast this hope sublime !
He would a glorious name bequeath,
Oblivion shall not blot,
And round that name his thoughts enwreatit
The words—' Forget the not !'
Our motto is, in truth, the voice
Of nature in the heart ;
For who from mortal life, by choice,
Forgotten would depart ?
Nor is the wish by grace abhorr'd,
Or counted as a spot;
Even the language of our Lord
Is Forget me not I'
Within the heart his Spirit speaks
The words of truth divine,
And by its heavenly teaching seeks
To make that heart his shrine.
This is ' the still small voice' which all,
In city or in grot,
May hear add iirc—lts gentle call
Man, forget me net ti

--------7----I FUNERAL OF TUE LATE 1 M ATLI ENV ROSS, ESQ.-
The interment of this eminent laWyer and highly respected in-
dividual took place upon Tuesday last, in the Oreyfriars
church-yard. In the conducting of this solemn ceremony, all
superfluous pomp was dispensed with, as at variance with
that simple dignity of character which distinguished the tie.
ceased. The hearse, containing 'dr. Ross's mortal remains
tt
halftwo pasthatulaabaes,anaperke,viiotaudslyfroamr-
iatud7oienagte.
se:
jeep hci
their ararribveestl,
should
at the
church-yard about half past
set out from his house in Queen-street at two o clocks and;
'
arfanoul legeomwd•beidthat
y taltihenetiirtm,aibicaeuirlityofafm
at
thence proceed to the Greyfnars church. iVhile the
eoffln was being brought into the church-yard, the Fa-
culty, preceded by their officer, bearing hib mace, mounted
with crape, and the Lord Advocate and the Solicitor General,
ibirinengatanegacthip theaside
orfetahre, 11
north west side), and there formed a
by the company who attended it from Queen's-street,
FAlex-
antler Ross, Esq. the decea,seds brother, attended as chief
mourner, and the Lord Justice Clerk, John Clerk, and Francis
Emirs. Prlncipal Clerks
JetrreY,Esqrs. Advocates, James eater and Colin Mackenzie,
among the pall
of ,Session, beirT
bearers. As the mournful procession passe between the luxes
formed by the Faculty, the members of that learned body stood
uncovered. The body was then stleposited in the grave with
the usual soletnnities.—(Edintrargh Ceara's:, Oct. dO.)

SPAIN.

MR. E DITO —T he success which has attended
the unwarrantable attack of the French Bourbons
upon the independence of the Spanish people, is
well deserving the serious attention of the politi-
cian. This success, attained more through the
lukewarmness of the Spaniards themselves, the
treachery of several Commanders, and the abun-
dant dissemination of French gold, than from
any antipathy of the great mass of the people to
a constitutional government, may lead to con-
sequences which will be singularly contrasted
with the spirit that now prevails throughout most
of the countries of Europe. It is indeed most
certain that the cause of independence has
failed ; but it is not equally so that absolute
power has obtained a permanent advantage.—
Much will now necessarily depend upon the line
of conduct which the victorious party will
pursue. If, inflated with success, and listening
only to the seductive voice of vengeance, pro-
scription and death become the order of the day ;
if Spain be now doomed to see its national in- ,
dependence drowned in the blood of its defend-
ers, patriotism may indeed be kept down for a
time, but it will break out with increased fury
whenever a favourable opportunity occurs.
In the late contest, the Spaniards have dis-
played an apathy end an indifference strikingly
contrasted with the energy by which they were
animated when Buonaparte endeavoured to force
upon them his brother as a Sovereign. This
supineness, should be, however, attributed much
less to any general preference for an absolute
form of Goverment, than to the difference in the
nature of the contests, and still more in the cir-
cumstances under which they were placed. Al-
though the gold of Napoleon had seduced many
of the nobility of Spain, still the generality of
the nobles, and above all, the great mass of the
people, were hostile to the Usurper, not only
from a regard for their native Monarch, but
still more from an ardent desire of preserving
their independence as a nation. Hence did
the faithful Spaniards appear no less ready to
shed their blood to preserve Ferdinand upon the
throne, than their forefathers had been to lavish
theirs, to fix the crown upon the head of his
Bourbon ancestor. But powerful as these senti-
ments might be, and great as was the indigna-
lion which they felt at the perfidious conduct of
the French ruler, the bright spark of patriotism
which then burst forth, would soon have been
smothered by the overwhelming power of France,
had not the assistance of the British Government
fanned it into an irresistible flame. Opposed
alone to the power of Buonaparte, Spain must
have been eventually subdued ; but aided by
Great Britain, she succesfully repelled the in-
vasion of her foes.
In the recent contest, feelings of a very mixed,
and of a widely different nature prevailed. It
was no longer in favour of the beloved Ferdinand,
but against him and his defenders, that the nation
was called upon to declare. The Constitution-
alists had to contend not only against a monarch
who had already shewn himself powerful enough
to annihilate the Constitution which he had sworn
to revere : but also against the whole military force
of France, and against a confederacy of the most
powerful sovereigns of Europe by whom all at-
tempts at emancipation had been solemnly pro-
scribed. No friendly power now proffered a
helping hand ; and it. was alone, and while a
prey to intestine broils and want of unanimity,
that Spain was called upon to defend its inde-
pendence against the attacks of a foreign power,
whose eventual successes had been rendered al-
most certain by bribery and corruption. Had
each of the Spanish commanders behaved with the
same fidelity as Mina, even then the termination
of the contest might have been widely different.
Thus favoured by circumstances, though, at
an enormous expellee, the French have proved
eminently successful. The last strong hold of
the Constitutionalists has fallen, the Cortes are
dissolved, and Ferdinand is once more in posses.
sion of absolute power : but we apprehend that
neither his own difficulties, nor those of his allies,
are yet at an end. The former conduct of the
restored Monarch leaves few doubts as to the
line of policy that he will now pursue : but how
are his Allies of France to proceed ? Can the
French Bourbons openly sanction the re-esta-
iilishment of absolute power, in Spain, without
impeaching their own attachment to the Consti.
tution of France ?
In spite of all the efforts of the Holy Alliance,
and notwithstanding the success that has hither-
to attended their operations, there is dessemi-
tinted throughout Europe a spirit of independ-
ence, an aversion to absolute power, which
may be kept down, but which it is scarcely pos-
sible to eradicate. The existence of this off-
spring of the French Revolution, or rather this
natural consequence of a more enlighted state of
society, is known and dreaded by the Conti-
nental Powers ; and it was to curb, if not to
destroy it, that they formed the Holy Alliance.
Public opinion in this country is so decidedly
hostile to the principles of this association, that
no British Ministry can ever give it its sanction ;
whilst its principles are in such direct opposi-
tion to the present more general dissemination of
knowledge, that their eventual triumph may be
reasonably doubted. In their zeal for absolute
power, we find the Members of the Holy Alliance
no less ready to invade the rights of sovereigns,
than those of nations. Hence, at the same time, that
they put down the Constitution of the Cortes in
s'paiti, we see them reprobate the conduct of those
enlightened sovereigns who have spontaneously
granted a Constitutional form of government to
their subjects! Surely this is carrying the prin.'

PRICE SEVENPENC

ciples of absolute authority as far us it carps„
sihly
I The cause of thely Alliance has now tri-
umphed in Spain however as it did in Naples; the
French are victorious. They have paced Fey-
dinand on his absolute throne, but bow will they
maintain him there? What line of policy will the
restored monarch, pursue ! Under circumstances
such as he is now placed in, there are only,two
measures to adopt—amnesty or proscription. Fer.
dinand has proved himself already no less hettst-
less than ungrateful,--his late proclamation shews
that he is not inclined to belie his former CII4-
racer. This 'Proclamation, however, published
so soon after his release, may not express so much
his own sentiments, as those of his kinsman .and
ally. In the latter case the policy of the French
Cabinet is sufficiently obvious. Spain becomes
the vassal of .France; the last two years of its
political existence are blotted out; its public-
faith and national honour are unblushingly sacri-
fised, and it is left without credit, without yes
venue, and in a state of absolute bankruptryi
If the principles of the holy Alliance are effec-
tually maintained in this Proclamation, it must
be confessed that the interests of England are
unhesitatingly sacrificed. So gross, so open a vio-
lation of public faith can, however, scarcely be
contemplated, or intended. To preserve Fer-
dinand upon his absolute throne will require the
presence of a French artily: This army must be
paid by Spain ; but as Spain, in its present int-
poverished state, can neither, bear this burthen,
nor find the resources requisite to carry on the
affairs of government, the Spanish Cabinet will
hardly wantonly insult the only country front
which it can hope to derive pecuniary assistance.
A. P.

TII E LOItD MAYOR EL EC T.

Some time before the arrival of the 9th of No-
.rember on which day the new Lord Mayor enters Upon the per-
formance of the duties of his office, it is customary for the Lord
Chancellor to signify his Majesty's approbation of the choie
made by his faithful subjects the citizens of London. The
period at which this indispensable communication was made,
with respect to the election of Alderman Weidman, was much
later than ever we remember his Majesty's acquiescence on an
occasion of the kind to have been delayed. The Remembrancer
waited upon the Lord Chancellor, and requested in the name of
the Corporation, upon what day his Majesty would be gracious-
ly pleased to express his wish upon the subject of the ap-
pointment. The answer sent back to the Corporation was—
" That the Lord Chancellor had received no commands from
his. Majesty upon the question." SeVeral days elapsed, and
it was thought necessary to send the Remembrancer again to
his Lordship, to ascertain wbether his Majesty had yet been
graciously please to sanction the election made by the citizens.
The Remembrancer a second time returned with an answer
that astonished the Corporation—that his Majesty had not 43
yet honoured him with any commands for the Corporation of
London. This delay occasioned A very painful feel* amongst
the lovers of unanimity in the city; and it was supported that
the Corporation would be put to the inconvenient* of a second
election, which, as Alderman Waltinuan was chosen without
the slightest opposition, would doubtless here been the same
as the first. The Remembrancer, however, upon making a
third experiment, wax enabled to pat a termination to the team
of the Corporation, and was informed that him Majesty would
be graciously pleased to signify to the Corporation, through thy
Lord'Chancellor, his approbation of their choice on Monday.
Yesterday, according to this appointment, the Lord Mayor
Elect, accompanied by Aldermen Wood, Lucas, and Veriableit,
the Mafia, Recorder, Under-sherid; and other officers went in
state to the house of the Lord Chancellor in llamilten-place at
two o'clock.
The Loan CUANcELLon having entered the room in which
they were assembled, with the insignia of his office, and stood--
ing before the Lord Mayor Elect, was addressed -14 the Itt-
commit to the following effect :
lle had, he said, the: honour of presenting Robert Waith-
man, Esq., citizen and frame-work-knitter, as' the gn. entlema
chosen by the Livery of London to be their chief Magistrate
for the ensuing year, and lie felt persuaded that their choice
had fallen upon a gentleman qualified to do Monitor to the
high office to which he had been called. For twenty years the
Lord Mayor Elect had been an active Member orthe corporate
body, and was thus peculiarly capable from his long acquaint-
ance with what constituted the rights and privileges of his
fellow-citizens, to support and maintain those rights and pri-
vileges. He had led a long life of active and. honourable in-
dustry, and the choice the Livery had made had received the
unanimous approbation of his brethren, the Aldermen. The
Recorder, after some further complimentary lunuage, said h
felt convinced that the Lord Mayor Elect would at all times promote the welfare of his fellow-citizens, maintain the dignity
()fhb; high station, and preserve the peace of the first-,city of
this great empire. The choice of' his fellow-citizens would
therefore, he (the Recorder) hoped, be sanctioned through the
Lord Chancellor by his Majesty.
The Lout) CHANCELLOR said he had it la command from
his Majesty to state, that his Majesty bud bun most glocioualy
pleased to approve the choice die citizens of London had made.
The MUD CHANCELLon then complimented the Lord
Mayor Elect. upon being. raised to the high and responsible
situation to which he had been appointed by the unanimous
voice of his fellow.citizens and expressed his conviction that
his Lordship would uphold the rights of his zens,
preserve the peace of the city of London, and, by a wejj.df.,
rested zeal, so discharge his duties, as, at the expiration of his
mayoralty, to be enebled to look back with pleasure and self-
satisfaction at the, course he had puraued. The Lord Chancel-
lor then shook hands with the Lord Mayor Elect, the Alder-
men, Recorder, and Conimon-Serjeant, &c. His Lordship,
upon seeing the Common-Serjeunt, " 4th, Mr. Denman,
how do you do r and gave him a most affectionate shake of the
hand. He then mat between the Lord Mayor Elect and the Re-
corder, and conversed freely with the former.
The procession departed 'before three o'clock, after having
partaken of refreshments.