The Sun.
London, England, 1841-05-21 00:00:00

EDITION

LITE RA '1 U It E.

BUCKINGTIAItrS AMERICA, 3 Vols.
Fisher, London, 1841.
hit, Fisher,
has penned these volumes
In thc. kindliest spirit towards our transatlantic
brethren, though we are not aware that he has
allowed his Partialities to get the better of his
aerise &justice.. On the question of slavery, in
rticittar, xis it exists •at present in the
flitc4 Staten, he speaks out with com-
Ineadable boldness, and laments the " sp-
PParently alniont unconquerable. prejudices so
revalent among persons of all political parties,
ilonthe subject." So imperfect, it seems, are
athan's notions of freedom, as " the natural and
nalienable right of every mar."—according to the
famous national Declaration of Independence—
tthat he scarcely considers it tss be a blot on his re-
iblican escutcheon, that ths... several States of the
nioo, in which slavery still exists, should hold
"PI niany thousands of theii • fellow-men in unjust
'ild unwilling bondage. " But what is the most
surprising; of all," observes Mr. Buckingham, " is
the fact that so large a nur iber of the clergy, but
especially those of the El)iscopal Church, inclu-
"lng those who call themselves evangelical,
should be, not merely pilliators of this state of
6atcrY, but advocate; for its continuance, --'s deprecators of :al public discussion or
fagitation on the . subj,:ct; so that if the Re-
iljhertY but blknns . Understane. civil and 'political
Csors imperfe( ;Hy, the Christian pre-
Cones anseem to understand the liberty of reli-
d justice still less." This serious defect
la their national character excepted, our author
tin uch pleased with the Americans. He found
d
1,1 equick, intelligent, sincere, courteous, an
n-9itable to a degree ; but more sensitive to the
p-Pinions of tbreimiersthan he was prepared to ex-
ect. r,
7118 ""Ptain karyatt, if we remember rightly;
struck by the same national peculiarity; and is can scarely wonder, therefore, that Jonathan
18, not ver-partial to John Bull, considering
holy often the latter hr's made him the sub-
Yee? °f his severest :sarcasm. The present
salvetimes will, we suppose, act as a sort of
brethreton,the wounded. vanity of' our American
fbr unques*.,ionably Mr. Buckingham
Zlnore favourably disposed towards them than
II? of his English -predecessors. Of New York,
1),,,,Ztc he landed, 'lie speaks in high terms of' ap-.
anTi:atioa ; accoy'ding to him it is a most imposing
Iles- lloProving city, all bustle, activity, cheerful-
141o' a" variety, and containing a population little
th -4 of three hundred thousand. The beauty of
``Tehlte wericai, women, too, greatly struck him.
som N. wPrOc,n," be tells us, "are much. hand-
t. -er than the men. They are almost uniformly
ii°(4l7l-I°?lcing--the greater number are what
Ish,:(;),' ,lo'e. called in England pretty women—d
ha,;(7l. 's sonaething between good-looking an
lat'isthrle) in the nice distinctions of beauty. This
al I.•°rraity extends also to their figures, which are
venlost -universally. slender, andofgood symmetry
110,1;,,Y few large or stout women are seen, and
1141 h-it ,tlat We should call masculine. A more than
the uegree of feminine delicacy, enhanced by
q I "aieral paleness of complexion and slightness
riestl;ll,,re, is particularly characteristic of' Ame-
(left, 'Males; and the extreme respect and
/148'•nce shown to them every where by men,
ktik.a • tendency to increase that delicacy, by
kid ilig. them more dependent on the attention
the g. them
of others, than English ladies of
the ittrie class usually are." Of' Washington,
tile-jaPital of the United States, our author
city in in qualified terms of praise. The
iti-,‘„). tt aPpears, is about fourteen English miles
ten,-,reilinference, but the dwellings are scat-
frtit' over it in detached portions, groupes,
thalqients of streets, and isolated buildings, so
exi-;#_it has the appearance of a town rising into
stir'nce, but gradually arrested in its progress,_
the now stationary in its condition. Some of
for llublie buildings, however, are fine, an.
th,e4',.',ost among them is the Capitol, wherein
f- ‘.'oegr.-ess hold their sittings, and which,
Arwe may judge from the engravings of it in the
fiat i plume, timist indeed be a splendid edi-
eih,',* The great Canadian lakes, of course,. exd-
the': 11 tr. Buckingham's curiosity, and he visited
sei,`",l li in succession, amazed at their apparently
settee extent, andi the variety and magnifi-
thi`c,e (Jf the adjacent scenery. His descriptions. o. n
4 °I anch of the subject are replete with spirit,
IN eir aster
.en eloquence. He lauds the beauty of an
te7,.ican autumn,teas its effects are visible on the
1!_f; rests of h. lake district, in the warmest
th u of panegyric., observing. that in some places
he Sl'enery at this period of the year supasscs
411.Ytii 'lug he ever saw in the Old World.
018 vulumes, as being the result of three years'
el a aid patient observation, are worthy of every
attN..
eie.irtion.,and certainly furnish us with the
its es...t ideas we have .yet had, of the present
9,Ct3, of society in:. the United States. We
e ekt curious passage, which will show h
--Xee,.
how
blibien'tltigly sensitive brother Jonathan is on the
w0,,-,;()f sla.very :
Amenc,:ng • our stay at Washington, Mr. Forrest, the great
coo"n a etor, was engaged at the principal theatre; and ,as
lily kil et,i with his performances, some anecdo.tes came to
the scatQ \'le(l,2;e. which, as they are strikingly illustrative of
touelone "f feeling in the slave States, on all matters
After -1,1", ne groes and slavery, deserve to be mentioned.
ative, representation of Othello, the editor of the
as An terican, published here, denounced the play,
Stfttv"e 101.311 y unfit to be permitted in any Southern State
thewb're it was revolting, as he thought, to repre-
()Niel. 'lark Moor Othello, paying his suit to the fair
°f e %°".,-: This was an outrage which he deemed it the duty
et sent ~bite man to resent ; and he shadowed forth the sort
._allian.n.ktrn',l4 which he thought ought to be put in practice, by
''° be; '"a•t." even if Shlkspeare, the writer of the play, were,
hy is, in any Southern State, he ought to be ' Lynched,
4111:18":trnarilY punished by being tarred and fcathFred,)
*4, th 41g Written it !" In strict harmony with this sentiment,
i Paitlleret°lfiesrpianretaideeunsttlitihnatthoeceurred Mi. Forrest bad performed.
huseresented, first
pt,s_an,d, all Thracianplay of the Gladiator ; and in this
the sale of awife and child away from her
fivs at which great horror is ex-
glkiti: by the charyetersr f the' play themselves; and next, the
v,lt , (13, who are all slaves,°
are incited by Spartacus to re-
lairi tVrlst their Illastersvt-hich they do successfully, and ob-
htui,Atqr freedom, On 'the day following this, Mn, Forrest's
a, tri4as attended by the President and his Cabinet, as well
sident% 'ell;:i of both Houses of Congress, and a full share of re-
"ive'l and sttant,ers But the manager of the theatre r.e-
-aßkin,t ocY anoni• ;non; and threatening letters, warning him
4hgairl.; -Oder Pern;:tti this play to be acted in Washington
at-dadtisishae (iir°ell,
okletterng from a -ember of Congress, told him
woolel
le.d to ;let anbnlounceitmfor repetition, a card would be
the ciihket which the manager
11°Pollt':,,Pell,_t• Such is the feverishness-'
of alarm, among a
an(' :41-• ''''uotto iis
ebj ction to any efforts for the quiet
and rO"' exuan.;
IN so glit.ed thata 1;
1p t• constantherof need.toheesresois that they are so happy
f'change ! and that they
nut a,v---"nd with theeirispnreosent condition, that they would
q't "f their freedom if it were offered to them hey
Cp,r7). —s,
, "`-' A CSIIANIC' S 0 AINIBUS.-2, o. I.
If this
Tilt, London, 1841.
at if
~•48 Worlc be carried on with the same spirit
Ire h'itincity with which it has been commenced,
lasst ,'';' little doubt it will realize its projector's
the o,4llguine expectations. As a first Number,
4,1,1 ic.,,,.-t2„.l3,"ibre Its is a highly promising one, both
"Ile ,'Z',"ns its illustrations and its letter-press.
cierlt t -monument to Napoleon" alone is suffi - Plate e„(•1 co3tire its popularity. In this admirable
easql`-raikshaulc has shown much of that grave,
allip. ~r, satire. fbr which Hogarth was so remark-
4ti „ Emperor is represented standing erect
'kele'i yeanid of human skulls; he himself' is a
Jatit_b9th attired in his favourite cocked-hat and
4rins ('''`-;s; and. lie looks about him, with folded
eri,l'i,.‘ritli an air of assumption and superiority
e(stv,;ltelv ironical. Never was a finer moral
fitio,lfti'lltan by ' this sketch ! It reveals at
,rnsr.:-Le
.true character of that glory of which
iii 's'erors •
Q w In all ages leave been so covetous
hie recommend those who may be ena-
-41ve,- of the heroic deeds-as we confess eur-
,411,--i.,!(:" hare once been—of the mighty Nap0k,.1...
k,.1... fix a thoughtful gaze on tliis ghastly
fill e'-, 5 Whieli Will go fitr to cure them of their
titl til"ti"os of heroism. The cap of liberty,
tifsl4eagle, which are affixed to the pyramid
of
it
o's, add g,-neatly to the point and meaning
qlin7 "). 'ktive. The portrait of George Crilik7
1)1s4(i which Accompanies a brief autobiogra-
Nveyiu nletuoir, is a capisil likeness, con-
reg:,,. ilot merely the features, but the exact
eloas Winn of the original's countenance. The
0k; 1)1,11 .eYO, has an earliest and penetrating
Ire ree '-n: a the play of humour It'iout the mouth
ttnist -°g,nize the genuine spirit of the carica-
1/4'osild .r-1.-lic literary contents of the Number
4rtici nrpiquant vitrifies. Among- the cleverest
les. el IvO may mention the rhymed quiz on the
tqs, "ell°ol of portrait pain.tins-. entitled " P
s•r4Phie r-,7
'ltty• • PhenoMena," which is smart, and even
Ili passas-es.
0

. . SCOTT'S LIFE OF SWIFT.
All -,, Cadet!, Edinburgh, 1841.
utl,
r'''t 4re glad to Meet with this re-publication, in
N ;-i' '''(,':l•lls commodious Number, of Scott's Life
Nibil..lrt, which till now, we believe, has not been
11,114,1,51ied apart iroin the voluminous edition to
IN .11 it AVIIS prefixed. In point of style, and
Ntir.;!teneSs and accuracy of details, it is a very
tf) i:„l,table performance, but we are not disposed
litf,' very highly the critical estimate of Swift's
• -ra.i.
Nii ..11 Powers. The biographer, we conceive,
(c .111 I too lavish of his praises of the Dean's
fell .'
morn "t 37 of expression" There are certainly
iit),,,,,,9 ' Pointed neatly turned couplets in his
tn -.!8--which, however, are greatly inferior
pl, ,I...!rior's light, lively rhymes ; but his
;13"; i.s distinguished by nothing- so much
r.,, 48- low, homely, and ungraceful clta-
-1):' Compared with Addison 's style, it is
41,1-y unreadable, and is by no means so terse
Dr(i correct, as it has long been the fashion to
th 4"Aiee it. Many instances of negligence
_1,,,. 1
~.'' be found even in. Swift's most carefully
*«;;tten work the " Tale of a Tub;" and his
'vet,
pic.'ravls of 'Gull' • " decidedly his. master-
; (14 respects invention, abound 111 gross-