The Sun.
London, England, 1847-09-01 00:00:00

MAG.--I.Z4ti E DAY.
BL :CKWOOD.
An electioneering jest—. kit—squih—gibe—rcrica-
or whatever else vou may please to call it, is
',ll opening article in Blackwood for September. It
scarcely caustic enough for a lampoon, end yet
glitters here
t. an there with sarcastic and satirical al-
• 3. Signor Pasquin might have fathered it, as
far as
.its extravagance is concerned ; and Mr. War-
!"'et might have subscribed his name to it as far as its
homely shrewdness and domestic ingenuity may be
taken into consideration. The paper is headed,
_now I Stoed for the Dreepdaily Burghs," and re-
counts the endeavours of a railway speculator to
release himself from the very awkward responsibility
devolving upon him from the purchase of indifferent
andscrips
.....e the simultaneous panic of the money mar-
ti resolves to defy his creditors by investing
himself,, with the sanctity against bailiffs peculiar to a
Member of Parliament. To this end he schemes
with a brother in distress, and " puts up " for the
I,P.l.'esentation of the Dreepdaily Burghs. The result
? that the candidate ends in becoming a stag ; and
ahillgostus Reginald Dunshunuer pens the narrative of
linslbpolitical and pecuniary vicissitudes from that
e ° of defaulters—Boulogne-sur-Mer. One odd
episode in the story, is where this said Mr.
but
flirts with the daughter of a grocer and
t out leys,
I, the question—whereat he justifies him-
„elf to the reader with the pert enunciation—" I hold
the Individual who dislikes flirtations to be a fool ! "
Premier Pas is a very agreeable rechanfftte of
Q• 1 ttes from the French of the Comte A. de la
,ha,,rdue •
_Here is one about a military rocket that
p from the obscurity of a counting-house to the
ee ')f Parade and the barracks. It might be called
110,, Science of Getting-on-in-the-Army Made
BY, only that every warldie scrivener doesn't fall
inEa
BY,"
rre, snug park of artillery the first time he
tints his regimentals.
_
half, Nleinherr Tetteuborn was passing the weary,
heo:wPllPii hours at a werch let's desk, kicking his
probably, on one of those tall in easy stools which,
,rletat,rae-,
e mockery of disproportion, raise the lowe.a
?es: ,nary to the highest focitig, but which neverthe•
l':..,nc_itiltribute to preserve the due distinctions of society.
?el!, tf cting all possible discomfort on the elevated sitter.
toiletaPs there was some association ot ideas between the
sionalrlY Profession, and the equestrian position he occa
Mae bY found it convenient to assume ; however that
th 4 Meinherr Tettenborn suddenly bethought him,
his tall
blsek
bestride a high-trotting horse instead of
stool. He threw away the pen for the
N " At this time all Europe was uin arms against
aPnlean
the r ;so that, although he entered the• service of
eortli"4lPeror of Russia, he was still but enlisting in the
terest",n cause, in which his own Germany was more iris
sup :u,tharl any other country. He entered, as may be
es :1),-,e", in the lowest rank of officers ; and, as cornet,
of
with some such title, you may picture him at the head
qtlinciaail troop of horse, despatched for forage or some
ductiarY service of the like kind. As he was thus con-
is a :IR, his little troop, he spied something black' lying
The Gel
by the side of the road. He cantered up to it.
of he sif'rnething black was nothing less than a small park
hirxriallery, sixteen gm"' which the enemy had left be-
tters there, perhaps in some false alarm, or for want of
pose of to draw them, but apparently the very pur-
ortiee et being captured by Nleinherr Tettenborn. He
tuo.red up his little troop, harnessed their horses to the
and rode back triumphant to the camp. The Em-
peror himself was present. News was speedily brought
t,iilloucf the capture of a park of artillery, and the illus.
tik s victor was introduced. Many questions were not
har,ecl of the how, or the when, or the where ; the guns
from to be particularly welcome ; the Emperor took
pee., his own-neck the order of-the Iron Cross, and us
it round the neck of the fortunate young soldier,
l'ettet,,in,% him, at the same time, with the title of General
to his The General was a brave mica, was equal
tor .!n,ew position, captured other guns in another man-
th 'Pao rose, we will not venture to say how high, in
e ttsPerial'service
,etr`.)ne thing is certain—that a Tettenborn has never
14.1 Performed deeds such as those of Gustavus Adol-
, h,ll Pomerania, or as Prince Eugene in Provence.
.elB a still better story, and one that is somehow
eithar to us :
olth4ln the palace of a certain Russian prince, whose
off°' course it is impossible to remember, for it is one
boan'" names you do not think of attempting to pro
It tvis'even to yourself—you look at it merely, and use
hinese their more learned combinations of
ttlathraC; where they pass at once from the visible. sign
Pals: juett, without any intermediate oral stage. In the
tpl,te,,,of this prince, you are surprised to see in the most
heh of its splendid suite of apartments, suspended
foredo gilt's case—a set of harness !—common harness
gentle of coach horses, such as you may see in any
tint tejcilt,'` stable. Of course, it attracts mare 'wen-
stio.'"au all the pictures, and st,ttu,s, and marble tables
their porphyry vases and gold clocks.
',The thing you know is neither rich nor rare,
In Rut wonder how the devl it got thare !'
:114h.cl'ire, and are told the following story
Prinee of -- wa, one night led Into
ha't-ra ncl Gsperate play. e hid staked t stste after
toNe• 'lnd lest them ; he had staked tea plate, his pie-
tittra'llis jewels, the furniture of his house, and lost
lea I'l3 retin.ion itself, and lost it. The luck weuld
inR i•,;tn. His miring.. and horses hail beet. lo.ig v. nit-
heti him at the door, he staked thew and lost ! Ile
(.14 etil9t'in!'-', more; he threw up the window, and leant
ht "in utter despair. There stood his carriage and
thit 8, the
y ct of his last wager. He had now tio-
ta.enig le,fte Yes ! There was the harness ! Nothing had
were 814'd of the harness. The carriage and the horses
,this but not the harness. Fits opponent agreed to
,erpretation of the wager. They played for the
110,,"3. He won Th y played for the carriage and
plate '—he won. They played for the palace, for the
for ,:t's pictures, the furniture.—he won. They played
algal ate atter estate,—he still won. He won all back
!at uad rose from that table the same rich man he had
143 rte t° ite Had he not ood reason to suspend that
11 la h.?''
The is very best saloon
heaut.r anecdotes, and another about Napoleon's
Csonti 111.„ sister the Princess Pauline, and a fourth
tui llil\-\"ew and a diamond-ring—such an incident
Could Disraeli with all his Caucasian predilections
of a l not well justify—are merely the preamble
and .(Inger story, entitled "The First Patient,"
of tiletranslated from the same source. One
ing °Pening sentences of this simple but touch-
„at arrative has is singular resemblance to a passage
'e Sketch the thr._ „ "Len, by Box of the poor gentleman in
keeBeve7obare coat, who used to read with so much
ci.the he,anee in the library of the British Museum.
1.,"°111•181;)„ of the piece is supposed to be a physician
o•
non,:"g in Paris, an officer of the Legion of
'tole th-e atud a professor of the Faculty. But at the
the b B ory opens he was very differently situated
lag "OrSes
Il• i,' ea that drew his carriage were not then
"euriqii Ys the writer, " the pole of his landau was
tkoeiautsedr withgreeng in the forest." The circumstances
aeo • i iithe acquisition of the first patient
ee at
of the joys and sorrows of a lottery.
Soh Cobi,'nlise" is a well natured review of Dr.
'Juth ‘er's adventures on the western coast of
°,..,L.,servee,tritherina, although the reviewer very justly
/I"nttett oa,raut,l " after the pungent and admirably
erroan of that accomplished, able seaman,
hulas apn Melville, few books of the same class but
41onth5 'la r
e, "fat and unprofitable." "Three
number
anti is a continuation from the July
tttlated anti " Taxidermy in Rome" is cal-
tion ‘o the afford both amusement and informa-
Aa
elegantcuriosity monger and the naturalist.
I)ito Da. and picturesque tale called "
of 130100aa'e!lnia; introduces us to the student
e other st, in
the fourteenth century, and among
bareb. heroto the glorious and immortal Pe-
``
The s re is the
of him as a stripling :-
3231.1 th very studious able for his beauty, was in his
'hurt velvet cloak ils
of
elegance in his dress; and the
'ace, was, always its border of gold or silver
moulded fig
taiaß. tthbee a painter". over
his
slight,
eyuereo,fwiSi thrownbut firmly
a grace which would have satis-
a, 1,1 seen to brush away,
From time to time he
by "of dust which or to shake off, the
a eonvehad settled on it or to readjust,
,0148 rnent intended to appear unconscious, the
sectilent. th it thener
10t1 r Y. The notion of the delicate re
on
hr. motes of dust is suggested almost in the
Ruage by one of the last chapters of " Dom-
tat it, there Mr. Carter is described as barking like a
ide vit,! sunlight. While we are disposed to coin-
h'ardin_unacitwood in a very great measure, in re-
which flistith
impatience the fragmentary manner in
the Quee Yis now written amongst us—Lines of
”len.„_zin3l,----Lives of the Kings—Lives of oqr States-
of all these
adtxtire th of the Lord Chancellors—we cannot but
c„andour with which the most fragmentary
Zia s
of fragmentary histories, namely, the "Bye-
he it,l,li.story," by Mrs. Percy Sinnett, is praised.
jam" of Henry IV.,' by Mr. G. P.
tn:V, thanes, is commended with equal libera-
Popo._ "gn the critic of Maga remarks that this
of qu747_le novelist "has neither the philosophic glance
neinParab for the military fire of Napier, nor the in-
dee
uting eript,ye powers of Gibbon." Without
of Enti_742l.d to the blernises of Mr. James as a writer
Preeini"L, blemishes arising in the main from the
N4.84:4..'1'11 of perpetual and hurried composition—
shed" the same time, so alive to his very distin-
isata abilities, and especially to the fecundity of
_
sion rintion, the wealth of his diction, the profu-
!leVs of ~11,nlageries and the ingenuity of his inven-
ingsiaidielt°ts--.that we gladly transcribe the follow-
too 0,04171 sentences both of praise and Eleprecia-
l'ather Pages of Blackwood. It has become a
.itiusitll_-"",_Prevaleilt fashion just now to derogate, if
%holes', &pm the literary position of Mr. G. P. R.
tUaterci, ‘S a truthful and generous denial of this
of his taiwee y;ive the subjoined very accurate estimate
entitled
As a ,
nts his manner, and his popularity.
roraai see writer, Mr. James unquestionably is
to a high place. lie has great historical infor
'outitries
olist.acielaPecially of the olden times and their leading
; au accairate personal knowledge of various
land ,more particularly France, Flanders, and Eng.
itud I,eo'great acquaintance with the dress, manners,arms.
able mutrements of former days ; and a very remark-
a'reatsvo:ver of describing as well the ever-changing
tataro story as the varied scenes of inanimate,
tarl. ' M
(1 1115
BUT beat n,ovels, Philip Augustus,,
e, The Robbers, The Smugglers,
.1 E IN Hoary Masterton; are happy sr-

4: •

tc4

eiinene o the historeeil ,Oelatiee Tie e. (tt•
sewed SUCCPSS which his attendee th un,firii edifier' el
his novels now ill course of publication. nay
proves that his reputation rests on a broader and securer
basis than the fleeting patronage of fashion or the
transient interest of individual satire. The great risk
which he runs, is from the number or his works. It is
dangerous to write thirty le. oks. The most prolific itne
gination runs into repetition, when repeatelly tasked
with invention. Homer himself could not hare written
twenty Iliads ; Shakspere's tame has been not a little
enhanced by his having left only twenty seven plays ;
that of Sophocles, by only seven of his having come
down to modern times. Perhaps the best thing that a
good fairy could do for James's fame—as was said of
Dryden—would be to withdraw two-third, of his pro-
ductious from sabsequent times.
"One of the greased charms of Mr. James's writings
is the beautiful ideas, clothed in felicitous language,
which are to be I rund profusely scattered over them. It
is not the general opinion that he excels in this respect ;
on the contrary, nothing is more comma n in conversa-
tion than to hear it remarked, that it is in depth of
thoueht, and knowledge of the human heart, that he is
deficient. But this opinion arises from the frequency,
sometimes, perhaps, redundancy of his pictures of na-
ture, and the brilliant colours in which he never fails to
array her finest scenes. Thoughts the most beautiful
are frequently concealed atniilet prieusien of descrip-
tion, as fruit sometimes amidst luxuriance of leaves
Take tor example the following, on one of the most
familiar objects in nature—a drop of rain :
" < We spoke of the rain, and I foolishly enough, in
mentioning all the annoyance it had cccasioned me,
loaded it with melt dictions.'
‘" Call it not accursed, my son,' said the monk. Oh
no! remember that every drop that tulle bears into the
bosom of the earth a qualiry ef beautiful fertili.y. Re
member that. glorious tree, and herb, and shrub, and
flower, owes to those drops its lee, its freshness, and its
beauty. RemetnberViaf half the Lite line ss of the green
world is ail their gift; and that, without them, we should
wander through a dull desert, as dusty as the grave.
Take but a single drop of rain el iistered in the green
fold of a blade of grass, and pour upon it one ray of the
morning sun, whir. , will )ou get lupidsry, wi h his
wiliest skid, to cut a diem, nd that shall shine like that?
Oh no! blessed for ever be the beautiful drops of the
sky, the retreehing soothers of the seared earth—the
nourishers of the flowers—that calm race of beings,
which are all loveliness and tranquillity, without pas-
sion, or pain, or desire, or disappeintment—whose lie
is beauty, and whose breath is perfume.'"—Henry Mas
terton.
The laborious and learned compilati n by the Se-
cretary of the Fine Arts Commission-- modestly
christened by the author "Materials for the History
of Oil Painting"—obtains a very eulogistic but not
undeserved notice of the September number of
Ebony—a number of peculiar diversity, and, in some
particulars, of great ability. Besides the contribu
tions already enumerated, we must mention the simple
lines by Delta to " La perdona" of Mozart— had Moir
forgotten that Byron's " Fare thee well" had been
set to that same ravishing strain ?—and a charming
piper, half sermon half pastoral, yclepped "The Cru-
sade of the Children."