The Sun.
London, England, 1841-11-19 00:00:00

tion Of 1830 had destroyed all his hopes, for busi-
neSs of every sort was at a complete stand-still.
Under these adverse circumstances he decided
on proceeding to the great seat of manufactures,
Mulhausen, on the Upper Rhine, and repaired
thither, by way of Paris, where he staid eight
days, and saw all the lions of the metropolis;
when, finding his finances reduced to the lowest
possible ebb, he made all possible haste to Mul-
hausen. But trade here was little better than in
Picardy, and Mr. Prince would have starved if
it had not been for the generous kindness of the
Mayor, who gave him such assistance as it was
in his power to give. After a brief stay, our un-
lucky traveller set out on his return homo—not
in the slizlitest depressed, though lie had to walk
many hundred miles threugh a strange land,
without a .ice cf,r4d without money. It was in
the middle of winter when he commenced his
long journey, and purposely kept along the b9-„Is
Of the Rhinel bearing up againstprivaf_ans with
a ch(Tri\Al spirit., hiS poetical entil7tsiasm excited
to the utmost by explorinw the beautiful land-
scapes and ruins that, lie along the course of that
romantic river. On the first night of his arrival
in England he applied for food and shelter at a
workhouse in Kent, and was thrust into a miser-
able garret " with the roof sloping to the floor,"
which was tenanted by eight individuals, all of
whom were serious invalids, and one of whom
died during the night ! Next day Mr. Prince
proceeded, penniless and shoeless, to London,
" begging in the day time, and lying in the fields
at night." ,To allay the cravings of hunger he
went to Rag Fair, and taking oil' his waistcoat,
sold it for eightpence! He then bought a penny
loaf and fourpennywoxth of writing-paper, with
which. he entered a tavern, and calling for some
porter, proceeded to write out as much of his own
poetry, which he had composed during his
travels, as hispaper would contain. As soon as
he had finished his task, lie went to a number
of book Sellers, in the hope of selling his MSS.
for a lbw shillings; but as a matter of course
was repulsed by all, for who would have faith
in the genius of an author without a waistcoat ?
He stayed in London two days, " lying on the
cold stones under gate-ways, or on the hare
steps of rich men's houses," and then started on
his road back to Lancashire, " sleeping by the
way in barns, under hay stacks, and hedges, with
ballad-singers, match-sellers, and mendicants,"
and on reaching his home, found his wife and
children in Wigan poor-house. Thither he im-
mediately repaired, and brought them all to
Manchester, where lie hired a garret "without
food, clothes, or furniture of any kind; and
where he and his family slept on straw for many
months." At length, his circumstances began
to improve; his poetry, some of which was in-
serted in the local newspapers, found admirers;
a volume was soon after published by subscrip-
tion—the volume before us—and he is now, we
understand, comparatively speaking, well off, in
point of worldly matters. It is greatly to the
credit of Mr. Prince's heart, and the divine art
which he pursued with such enthusiasm, that
poverty has had no power to sour, or corrupt his
nature. He has passed through the fiery fur-
nace without so much as a singe. His poems
show an innate refinement of mind, and a sweet,
healthy tone of sensibility, together with a pure
and ennobling morality, which speak volumes in
favour of their author's head and heart. We
cordially wish him success, for no man seems to
have suffered more, or to have borne his suffer-
ing with such exemplary patience, and, we may
even add, magnanimity. We conclude with a
graceful and melodious passage from one of Mr.
Prince's poems, entitled "A Vision of the
Future :"
There Woman moves with beauty-moulded form,
First inspiration of the Poet's song,
Her heart with fondest, purest feelings warm,—
Soul in her eyes, and music on her tongue;
Esteemed and taught, she lives above the storm
Of social discord, poverty, and wrong;
Graceful and good, intelligent and kind,
The loveliest temple of the- mighty mind!
Her offspring, too, unfettered as the fawn,
With elfin eyes, and cheeks that mock the rose,
Chase the wild bees o'er many a flowery lawn,
Or gather pebbles where the brooklet flows:
A little world of purity is drawn
Around their steps; a moral grandeur glows,
Serene in majesty, before their eyes,
Moulding their thoughts and feelings as they rise.
Oh, blest community! calm spot of earth!
Where Love encircles all in his embrace;
Where generous deeds and sentiments havo b
Warming each heart and brightening every face;
Where pure Philosophy, and temperate Mirth,
The lore of Science, and the witching grace
Of never-dying Poesy, combine
To feed the hungry soul with food divine!

THE FORTUNES OF FAITH.
Fox,_London, 1841

The " Fortunes of Faitte3 Is a didactic poem
in the heroic measure, which Pope brought to
to such perfection, and shows facility of versifica-
tion, if not the inspiration of the poet. There
are some nervous passages in it, both as repects
thought and expression; but the author is much
too fond of alliterations, such as " veteran vice"
—" valiant virtue"-=" graceless gaud"—" gain-
ful guile," &c. ; and the subject which he has
chosen, is an unfortunate one, for no genius,
however great, can ever render the question of the
impolicy of the union between Church and State
an attractive theme in poetry.

THE BARD. Simphin and Marshall, London, 1841.
There are several pleasing poems in this col-
lection, possessing both melody and tenderness,
but the author should beware of affecting the
humorous, for there is nothing comic in the turn
of his genius, as is abundantly evidenced by his
would-be-facetious poem entitled " Pasquin's
Pillar," which is nothing but an elaborate failure.