The Sun.
London, England, 1841-04-01 00:00:00

MAGAZINE DAY.

BLACKWOOD'S MAGAZINE.
The present chapters of " Ten Thousand a
Year" are among the best that have yet ar
peared of this story. • Laying aside the coarse,
vulgar buffoonery in which he is too prone t°
indulge, and which by a singular infatuation he
mistakes for humour, the author resumes that
earnest tone of sentiment and description
which he is most at home, and developer the ad-
mirably conceived character of Gammon wit!:
great truth and power of analysis. This portrait
is beyond a question Mr. Warren's chef d'efelirt;
It is skilfully individualized and discrirninatet!
in all its phases, and may claim to be considered
g
one of the most vigorous and original conception
of which modern fiction can boast. The scenes
in which this consummate master of finesse figurer
with his victims, Titmouse, Kate Aubrey, and he
deluded brother, are replete with that stirring!
subtle, and natural power which mere ta10.1;
alone can never supply. Testing him by tea
conception, we acknowledge the author to be a
man of decided genius, though so ill-regulate
is his genius, and so little at times under his eoll"
trol, that he is constantly hurrying into CO;
vagances, as in his sketches of Titmouse, and t
Dreddlington family, who resemble nothiq
either "in heaven •above, the earth beneatli,l
the waters under the earth." We bear °()
these grotesque anomalies, however, and aitse
with the pages of dreary twaddle with which the
tale is infested, in consideration of the °lli
striking character of the arch fiend Gal-null;
" Warren Hastings," is a spirited sketch of t
he
public and private career of this eminent State.:
man, all whose misfortunes the biographer attlot
butes to his second marriage, though he does °
condescend to tell us in what; way it influencent
his fortunes; or brought about his impeadOea..
in Westminster Hall. The truth is, the obserstia
tion, though meant to be exceedingly moraLs,
virtuous, is pure fudge. " France versus Vit'of
land," displays more depth and acuteness
thought than are usually to be met with in per° of
cal essays. 'We have been struck with the justieer
alludingthis remark : The writer is to the Pro
sent Constitution of France :—" Here it 51143`c1),
patch of royalty ; there a patch of nel)„"'
.;
licanism ; here a faint colouring of aristoef,,'
there, a strong dash of despotism. 7,°;rs
ofitsaspects have resulted from revolution, et`-.1
from the iron rule which repressed revolatifes;
They are all mutually repellant, because tutv
have not originated in growth but in force-e
force of anarchy and the force of the sword-15
sion and compulsion." The " Holocaust" is a vie
of the Peninsular war. Here is a graphie;ot
count of the destruction of a French detacht°4o
by the famous Cure Merino and his gar/

troops :
Those who attempted to resist, and amongst 6111 foe

the Colonel, who had been wounded, but not -killed. 119ier,
first discharge, were instantly despatched. The reMalrleo;
nearly seven hundred men. suTrendered themselves posoilbeo
and their arms, and the horses of the cavalry, having, igto
taken from them, they were marched down to the corr, the
which they were driven pell-mell, like a flock of sheep Int.°lle'
slaughter-house, and the entrance of the building was, b'chei,
rino's order, immediately blocked up with bushes, bran put'
and trunks of trees, which the Spaniards brought for the rr
be
pose. 'f he diabolical intention of this proceeding s°°°„oo
came apparent. A large stack of firewood, which the Pe—beeo
had built up near the shed, had, by the Cura's orderi' ova
distributed around it. To this had been added branches Pr, had
off the trees, and straw, of which a considerable quantit)d ,0
been brought for the horses. Torches were then aP„Pl'oes
fifty different places, and in an instant the coo ral was in '3 ye'
" Then commenced the most horrible scene which was, for,
haps, ever witnessed or described. The seven hundred ilected
tunate Poles and Frenchmen, who if they Shad not eq e of
quarter, had by no means anticipated the frightful naturtbei
the death reserved for them, uttered frantic yells when, the
became aware of their dreadful situation—when they '91(11
flames rising, and hard the pine planks, of which the berloo,
was composed, crackling and splitting in every direction aro%
them. lacy made desperate efforts to break out of their bu sac'
prison ; but even when, aided by the devouring element, the); firer
seeded in making a breach, on every side was a Noll °of the
and beyond that the naked sabres and fixed bayonets, biaclv
guerillas, by which those who rushed out, scorched and ~,ace.
cued by the flames, were thrust back again into the Itl'oriq
Fortunate were those amongst the number, who, by ho. plat
the sharp steel, procured themselves a speedy and less r
death than that to which they were otherwise destined. gad
" In a few minutes the roof fell in, and the dry Pilaw,
litter which was in great abundance on the floor of the snipii
became ignited. The heat was so violent that the WNW
were obliged to retire to some distance from the Clove'
tion. The beams and planks of v hich the shed was bmloooo
forced inwards by the faggots piled against them. The g eh°
spread vapidly, and attained those of the wretched victireoia gt
had crowded together in the centre of the corral, to acoi.iini
long as possible their inevitable doom. To their ego
shrieks for mercy, their executioners replied by shoe ember
Mueren los Polacos r —Death to the Poles ; rem
Ocana ! to
" At length Merino, either moved by pity, or desir.!tt
hasten his departure, lest a larger force of French veig'irea
sent in quest of their comrades, ordered a volley to bei 04,
amongst. the survivors. Every shot told on the mos °J is'j
forms that were writhing in the midst of what appearev,
a lake of fire. After one or two piercing cries of agd%ot,e?
a few heart-rending groans, a pyramid of bright flame
into the air, and all was over." A fsl'
A " Memoir of Military Life," is a bro,P,'„,grg
cical extravaganza, whose humour in placlorla
too much the appearance of effort. The , tistea
of London" is a passable essay on an ePtralig
theme. Its common-places, however, fire "101111,
together with much adroitness. (4 Littieliticto
Finality" is a sprightly, good-humoured po, 0
squib. " Banking and Currency" is as dry e are
ship biscuit, though we deny not that aloe;
many readers to whom it will be as intere4
a fairy tale.

NEW MON TIILY MAGAZINE. perf
There is-too great a sameness in this SII:11):'
and the majority of the articles are too lell7iii°'
though some of them are clever of their a are
Six prose tales, four of which are unfinisile,°o'oo,l:
really too overpowering a dose for one I,ll' 00''.
even though each be first-rate. Mr. l'fol°
" Friend in Need," in particular, which Prlscled,r
to be animitation of Sterne, is sadly long-,wo,- bIYS,
and ought to have been " pretty consiu,esool
curtailed of its proportions. " Fathers and So
by the Editor, contains a lively sketch ofa!l',„oli;,'
lady of fashion, who was apt—to use Foote's:,,,e:-
phrase—to be " somewhat poetical in herr: 0;
in other words, to tell lies like a Munchatise '
whose details "of every thing connected ,e.
herself and her daughter, Seraphiaey tilt)
full of descriptions of the sensations,l,ol!
created ; of the eclat which glorified , or.",
and of the devoted attentions whiclio,;',
paid them wherever they • went."
Thoughts on the Choice of a Prcle.,:e
mixes up sound common sense with 011'1,011'f
very piquant fashion. There is much nbardee
this remark:—" Your regular prig labotn? 01114
in his vocations, and gets more kicks Ifo,le'a
i°
world in the practice of this art, than the of,/
working artizan, to say nothing of the
.1
the gibbet at the end of the perspective..„,,ll';,
pendently of this last chance of abbreviatii to
the honest people sleep' soundest, and ntt3r
greater age than tile rogues, with all
ning and peryerse ingenuity." A
the Tyrolese war,- entitled, ". Might i—otall,;(l.
Right," introduces us to the nalit`r
of the celebrated Swiss patriots, lite etek
Spechbacher, the former of whom—t° the Yeio;
nal disgrace of Napoleon—was shot in -tifig of
1809, for no worse crime than attenWertieso...
maintain, by an appeal to arms, the libbot )It,
his native land. The tale is not arnis';', jotoief..
Phipps should have thrown more spiritoesl4l!
The " Life and Adventures of Charles of
field " is a caricature, rather than a eclVelt
life. In the " Poacher's Progress"---'v vfolc".o,,
greatly delight country spor tsm en— e s ga,l,e,
sequences ofpoaching are descanted on wnit. 1';
impressive solemnity worthy of the poll)rtatiolloo
story concludes with this pious exr, as 311
" Peasants of England, avoid poach,°;',l
value your temporal and eternal .°','of,t4so
Sound doctrine this, in the estimates! ,
who are proprietors of large preseqiir 184 file;
French Chamber of Deputies in the r"rober•
the most entertaining article in the %aid
briefsketch of Marshal Soult who `` c-oeccb,l
fight a hundred battles than make one, d'excellent; and equally graphic are °cot 0(1"0,!''
the manners, and personal appearance float
Barrot, and Lafitte. But we must e°ber,.o3loo
selves with a description of the Challibe
Thiers is haranguing it, for just n)% the
of the fussy little great men on who'll est P
of Europe are fixed with no slight iater,_ has set; ei
And now M. Thiers is the orator,
for the l: Derui,„l
terminated, the hubbub is once more at an end' to t" 14!
have regained their seats. Mark how he turnsewiraperre g;
r,,
then looks up and smiles at the tribune of the 1',.0 the re, of
porters; then sneers at the centres ; then bows ie.., he oat
dent ; and then looks at himself ! There is 01 lit is tb
seems anxious to meet, but rather seems to avo'"
Guizot. of NI. -0•13 i.
The pale, studious, calm, contemplative
Justface of
is seldom lighted up with a smile; but it was so
.. ' 4/
Thiers talked of his own patriotism and self-deniaiewspare
When Thiers said this. he looked up at tho:is. ButfPer,
stands : he has been talking
porters that they might catch and record his
cro.._ane, be.fse
away for an n,i.u;' aosoo
all sorts of things in the most amusing
fatigued. He has the knack of be,iter tilt • 1'1;
public speaker we ever heard in aoY,_ po:nibus rebu sato'
speech is a fine-spun conversation, ne
• for
a Piece °
would serve for a lecture, a romance, a history, y,
assem;so
her of
tle
biography, or a sermon.
a Ulan- oe,
Now again conies confusion 1--because a the trib
“paierverzun.g,ic
centres contradicted a statement of the orator be'
cia to .0e
a sneer. "cite preten
cLe
Thiers is indignant. The extreme g
of the centre gall
lieve him : the gauche, and a portion
voice °
for him. with the
" Gui !out ! &est vrai !" cries Arago,
tribulte,:,lo
Vulcan. the
,r . ,p
" Vive France!" shrieks a voice inoident , the-
" goes the bell of di,ropcot irej
ene of sucn wove
his eyes are raised towards the se
offender is not di
majority of the Chamber ; but the .
f the Assenab!),
" Silence ! silence!" cry the hutsszel s jrnonigi ,
the secretaries and qumstors aid these o a
securing peace and order.