The Sun.
London, England, 1824-11-26 00:00:00

THE INDIAN PERIODICAL PRESS.

The Calcutta Meath* Journal is one of the
most interesting periodtgai 'works published.in
the City of Palaces. Its miscellaneous matter,
and the wit, talent, and humour, which are dis-
played in its columns, by its various corre-
spondents, renders it an agreeable and acceptable
,present to the British Public, for bringing within
a moderate compass every passing event in India.
The contest between the Etonian and a VVy-
kamist, in the last number we have received, as
to the relative character of these two distin:
guished ROYAL Seminaries for learning and man-
ners, amused us exceedingly, and the balls given
to Lady Amherst in February and Mardi last,
notwithstanding the near approach of the Bur-
' mess, with the superb dresses of the Ladies and
Gentlemen, and the elegant suppers and the
energetic speeches of the Presidents and Stewards,
given after the Banquet, must afford to the Old
Asiatics in Great Britain the recollections of
their early years and the gg splendid days,"
which are gone never to return. As a specimen
of the humour which pervades some of the Cal-
cutta Journals, we have made the following ex-
tract from one of March last :--

" Calcutta ought to have hs name changed. Instead of being
called the city of Palaces, it should he denominated the city of
Poets. Parnassus is no longer the hauntof the Muses; they have
fled to Calcutta, and the Hooey has become the Castalian stream.
The readers of the India Gazette cannot but have observed,'
long ere now, the,coplousness and variety of the poetic talent
which has adorned, said to this hour continues to embellish, its
pages. Glad are we that our paper has been made the channel
of such marvellous effusions of genius. Like the rustic, men-
'tioned by Horace, we have at times supposed that the poetic
stream would run itself' otit—but no
Labitur et labetur in omne volubilis revum.
Whenever we could do so without trenching upon what
matter-of-fact readers would call more important matter—we
have hung the matchless jewels of Original Poetry in the
Ethiop's ears of our journal. Numerous, however, as were
the unutterably admirable poetic gems which we have admitted,
they are but few in comparison with the many, many unspeak-
ably exquisite productions, which we have been compelled by
bitter necessity to reject. Notwithstanding this, we trust that
the poets of Calcutta, down from the immortal Crane to that
Phoenix who warbled in our last as A Lover of Liberty, will
confess that we have ever shewn the utmost readiness to act the
part of a humble janitor in the temple of fame. They will do
Its the justice to say, that our Lion's Mouth, if it has not spoken,
has at least looked these words,' Walk in ladies and gentlemen.'
Accordinly walk in they do—witness that, department of our
sheets usually headed Original Poetry—and original it is at
least; that the most cynical dog in the kennels of criticism
must grant.
" Yea, this is truly the Augustan age in Calcutta.. In
walking the streets 'tis ten to one but the observer stumbles
against a poet every ten yards. In Wellington.square, parti-
cularly, poets do so abound that straw ought to be scattered
along the pathways leading through it, and in and out of it, so
as to prevent the rattling of chariots and buggies, the creaking
of hackeries, and the trampling of horses, from disturbing the
heavenly meditations of the Inspired inhabitants, and the ac-
couchment of ideas.

Fire in each eye, and papers in each hand,
They rave, recite, and madden round the land !
As wit begets wit, so poetry begets poetry. In our last, the
hovEtt OF LIBERTY blew such a tremendous blast of inapt-
ration, that Calcutta to her centre shook ; and in our present
number comes a YOUTH FILOM WELLINGTON-SQUARE,
giving blast for blast, rhyme (for reason we had almost said)
for rhyme, and euphony for euphony. Of them it may truly
he said that they are Arcades mho. Mae ! that liberty should
peep about under the huge legs of despotism to find herself a
dishonourable grave, while such poets live in our times, and
light the gloom or shake the spheres of the present .age with
the lighning Hashes of their genius, and the thunder claps of
their inspiration!"
. And an-allusion to the same subject, we select
the folloicing specimen of the poetic talent of
Calcutta:—

" TO THII EDITOR OF TILE INDIA GAZETTE.
Mn. Etwroa—PrUm your paper of Thursday last, I had
the satisfaction to peruse •the sublime enbsions of a Lover of
Liberty. Pardon me, mighty Poet, whoever thou art, that I
have presumed to offend the maids of Helicon by so indecent
an action, but if Air. Editor considers the following lines worthy
of a place in his paper, I sincerely hope that they will wipe
away theimpruden, and avert the wrath of
avenging memoryiiceb4 o
B,ff myrom imprudence,
A YOUTH IN WELLINOTON.SQUARE. I

Wide o'er the world, War shakes his crimson steel
In Freedom's cause,—what vital drop* distil l
Her gen'rous sons, for valour long renown`d,
With reeking weapons, clasp the bloody ground;
The shouts of triumph, or the gleam of arms,
No more shall rouse them to war's loud alarms
Lost and o'erwhelm'd by lux'ry'a pow'rful wave,
Their fame disgrace, their portion in the grave.
Thus on a lonely cliff neath Cynthia's beam,
Halls's genius pour'd the mournful theme;
From rock to rock the echoing notes rebound,
Thy poet, India ! caught the plaintive sound.
Lo. is Gazettes appears his Roman soul,
And wronged Hispania crowns the amnie whole.
Illustrious bard ! thy breast with freedom fled,
And all the muse's energy inspir'd ;
Oh sing Europa's haughty tyrant's fall,
Britannia's glory, and the vanquished (Mul ;
War's Gorgons' horrors, vict'ry's joyful shout,
The dying groan, the wide extended rout ;
The British thunder grumbling thro' the skies,
The widow's sorrows, and the orphan's cries.
Or if heroic canto please thee more,
Let Hyder's armies blacken all the shore;
His sable legions in confusion 'ltalia,
Sink to the chambers of the nether world ;
There in fierce flames, the pathos of thy strain,
May sooth their torments and allay their pain.
Oh then, begin not, let prolong'd delay
Deprive them of a single happy day.—
Hell's king with wakened vengeance may demand
His ravish'il sceptre at thy hostile hand :
But he—e'en he who sways the dark profound,
Must vanquisli'd own thy lyre's persuasive sound ;
And starting front his sable throne of night,
Trembling and faint, give up the unequal fight ;
While on thy brows, triumphant wreathes shall smile,
Tu hail thy emerald of the British Isle."

LITERARY NOVELTIES.—The following inte-
resting Works are announced for early publica-
tion, viz.:—A Second Series of High-ways and
By-ways, or Tales of the Road-side, by a Walk-
ing Gantleman..—The Last Moments of Napoleon,
by Dr. ANTOMMARCIII.—A Second Series of Say.
ings and Doings.--The Spirit of the Age, or
Contemporary Portraits.—The concluding Vo-
lume of Napoleon's Own Memoirs.—And the
Private Journal of Madame Campan.
LORD BYRON'S CONVERSATIONS.—TiIO Lite..
rary Public will be glad to hear that the new
Edition of this interesting Work, though very
beautifully got up, is printed in a more com-
pressed form than its predecessors, and is there-
fore published at so moderate a price as to be
within the purchase of all the reading classes.

The property of the unfortunate Mrs. Cum.'.
toar), otherwise DowATTY,
whose dreadful murder excited
such honor about three years since, bas been divided by direc.
don of the Lords of the Treasury between two females who
declared themselves near of kin to tier, and the relatives of the
late Mr. Donatty, with whom she gohabited, and from whom
by will she derived it at his death.
REMOVAL OF THE PUISONIF:RB.—This day the
prisoners who stand committed on charges of
felony, were removed from the several gaols in
the City of London and County of Middlesex,
to Newgate, Preparatory
to their standing their
trials
samt commence o
nextthe
e Thursday TOldsdßay naileey Sessions, which
will co next, the 2d of De-
cember.