The Sun.
London, England, 1847-03-09 00:00:00

Iree or

ott
to I :‘•

MA.GAZINES—(CONTINUED.)
TAI T.
Mr' Gi always takes precedence, es he should
of tho contributors to Tait. His Literary Portrait
Ica: March is of' no less eminent. a modern than George
übt'e, who is not inaptly termed " the poet of the
,ilste places of creation." In analysing the genius of
‘"tieraniiir, G.ilfillan evinces his usual keenness of poreep-
laud, eliding our author for inasmuch as he deserves
,ties "ion, and contemning him for inasmuch as the qua-
Paper lee cannot but remard as rather extravagant,
artbeeil7, where the reviewer speaks of Crabbe's calmness
lee The result of the asbestos character of his intel-
t• article, however, is so coloured with enthu-
ira,, so enlivened with illustration, and at times so
(Calmed with eloquent ejaculations, that we can par-
ta such casual eccentricities of phrase. We by no
viiihs regard the disparity of vigour in the minds of
anern and Macaulay as Mr. Gilfillan regards them,
d e he observes that "in Wilson's great shaggy sou!
Aekb°dY there is what might make many Macaulay&
1,1 nuwiedging as we do the genius of old Christopher
thoerth, we
cannot, on that account, so far depreciate
li,tigieLitts,of one of the mellowest writers in the Eng-
o 14,-,angulge. We cannot conceive that the author of
of s,--g'ret Lindsay," and the " Lights and Shadows
author Life," is so immeasurably, it at all, above the
i, of. _
' the "Ccitioal and Historical Essays," and the
igs of Ancient Rome." If at all—we repeat it.
has ire disposed to judge a man rather by the things he
ly-e't (Me than by the things he is capable of doing.. Were
le,„i),do otherwise, our estimate of our insular intellect
Sty " vaccillate with every conjecture, and never acquire
yh "eful permanence, Two fictions are introduced in the
able°f "Luke Willingham" and the "Two Millionaires "
awe restriction to one of these would have been prefer-
.
both in preserving the original quality of the type,
tentsil diminishing the ephemeral character of the
-icon-
UPon a suggestion derived from Loudon's cc+
kut'h4 works, and christened by him " Orthographi-
pros.”eus,” Mr. De Quincey favours us with a long
Ing contribution. His subsequent paper, upon
Pra°,,aa 01 Arc," in reference to M. Michelet's History of
puia-tee, is much superior in point of purpose, and also in
ti-1
of
'thing', It will repay perusal to all interested
Tait e character of that heroic enthusiast. Formerly
de„stlts remarkable for the purity and excellence and
g-tle° of its poetical contributions. It has latterly
tiroerated into doggerel that would go far to beggar
tiu,rimtation of Catnach. We challenge all competi-
ue m absurdity and ill-taste with the two pieces signed
WnYn Barnaby. One of them is inscribed " The
and dashes off in this fashion—
After snort and a tramp, the war horse came."
thunderinitorn us that this war horse wss " like a
y cloud"—a metaphor most un-equine—that his
tettia„,t,t'ere "of flame," that his breath was " a mist
Proceeds and his snort was like a trumpet, the poet
1113 tramp was like march of ten thousand men,
C
ite And its echoes like march of another ten?
thousand' enough : ten and ten, that's twenty
lloofsand4 ' Why the horse must be a very centipede on
3 to sound like twenty thousand.
The
down his flanks, in a streaming flood,
the sweat it ran, and the sweat was blood."
lorrye usweat it ran Was ever pronoun put to a more
Nll- ;se—to patch up a bungling metre. But the
eu,,ie llt4Boos are too precious to be squandered in a
(NI 11zal iu the second, we find them repeated all
again-gait'---the eyes, " two fires of flame"—the snort
13 04-, as "the force of a mighty storm"—and his
,b,reath
villoice more mentioned as being " fiercely warm ; —the
e verse end' with this magnificent couplet of
ockavti..,
~
ja-ici
h.. poesy_
At he s
snort (again !) was the blast of a clarion_, far,
ire hue
sniffed the battle and neighed Ha ha I
say f'te not the patience to examine these silly. lines
Other nailer, or to refer to more than two lines in the
tog production by the same contributor, the first
the "Sunbeams are God's ladders;"
vemul mentioning
iten, " Flower-cups closed up neatly."
Ne tiering the admirable verses which at one time
heaue!l the pages of this magazine—among others the
tiful
J. „ Songs of the Mcnths," by the poet-labourer
tit), are grieved to see this deplorable " falling
of With some judicious and elaborate critical notices
Null% Ilowitt's recent publication of the " Homes and
oasll4 of English Poets " and of the " Romance of
~
and the conclusion of Mr. John O'Connell's ar-
_l4•nts for the Repeal of the Union," the number for
Arch is of average ability.

aaaimin==minmem.
C°4l3 URA' S UNITED SER VICE MAGA-
ZINE.
The article on Portugal with which this number
I)ens is evidently the production of an English Afran-
IQ°,°, and therefore must be taken cam granis, but
en he, Cabralista as he is, admits that Costa Cabral
'11(1 lost the confidence of all honest men because they
tea him enriching himself and his family with the
distinctions
money, " receiving bribes, and selling honorary
`,,il
ltinctioris to the highest bidders;" notwithstanding all
'Qich the writer laments the expulsion of this honest
"'Allister, and denounces as traitors all those by whose
:irons theexpulsion was brought about. The writer
distends
that Costa
iih.4oo such thing. The Court were parties to and
ens in the produce of the bribery and plunder of
vql•ell, Cabral was guilty Not an act did he commit
erditi
had net been previously sanctioned by Dietz and
C. 41:1c1 Coburg, as the Portuguese call the King-
-4h,:°11, and this is according to the instinct of all
hifillheesadn Courts. Following the example of
,Lonis
i 5441,.. %Pao;
ethe Afrancesado Sovereigns of the I enin-
during their whole reign been employed
they 443issing large fortunes, and investing a portion_
any
satil foreign securities, so as to be prepared lowr.
that may chance to arrive. The
writer,
hanho ia
viiiiPel‘.,equainted with Oporto, imagines that
tit not succeed in storming the entrenchments of that
4ti and that afflirs must be settled by an accommodityl
3,„ T,he "history of the British Intercourse w
": is continued, and we have in the present number
f
irtivp`iirugilt copy of the letter written by the Empe.rL,
'atalldb'isjarnes I and also of the charter of privileges.
h e the British subjects trading to
„Irltri Emperor to
settling in the country. Among other articles
uee which Japan used formerly to export to
and
Nl)ti Was tea, the quality of which is re.pre_sepotenad
ri,ll.,RLtriuch superior to that of the tea obtamed,.fr
aszi7,4'ne "History of the Seikhs and the Punjaub' is,wcf.
`4114-",;e2 conclude", bein,, brought down to the period o
the f,`i:eatian of the treaties of Lahore and Umritsir. In
4er'sttee the' fll ing observations, as to the man-
thil: W,h,icl.l the rewards and honours to. those engaged
tribt4te orilliant campaign of the Stale) have been dis
(llatinA ;,,we think all our readers will concur. After re-
ps`e honours and distinctions which were so
I''rit444tennferred on Lords Ilarding
t°4e and Gough, the
lint
‘thile rewards and what a soldier prizes more,
retieand distincti have been showered on those two
r.44-3,"Zundaunted°nnsien,we cannot, and it is evident h
(11.1 th f,,!hsu cannot, refrain from regretting that Sir Harry
".`e
tLaert, wocon queror of Aliwal, sad Sir AN alter Raleigh
3 hnegallendistinguished himself at Feroze-
the fledbraveel th desperate charge at Sobraou,
ttaw,i„laotbrisahvae_ s,SirJohnantly
eLittler and Sir Joseph Thackweit,
trd, Lea in a greter degree the public thanks and
"wered on Siar Henry Hardinge and Sir Hugh

Lee
SHILLING MAGAZINE.
'l,Ve first article in this number is the continuation of
the „se brearner and the Worker," which hardly fulfils
too Frqmiss of its earlier chapters. We have somewhat
ale of the dreamer, and his dreams are occasion-
uonee,;""lnlnn-place. The last article in the number,
snore the continuation of " St Giles and St. Jam, es,'
Dreg then makes up for any short comings in The
tp Comer and the Worker." St. ,
James once more gives
Whiel:enaptation, and instead of obeying his first impulse,
with riwas to release Clarissa, determines to consult
Limb N-rossbone on the subject ; and the advice given to
Y
th,that worthy, as may imagined is, •‘ to take
In the meantime, the 14)')(13 the gods
beenproridebehiewas."
discoNered by Snipeton,
Rho her retreat has Lots bi►ea Tom Blast ten guineas to conduct him to the
that Sn,petott conceals himself in a room adjoining
-. of
Notaries°. .
i•?nipeton had resolved to watch from his biding-place:
Ni_l4en to the words of St. James and his wife, that he
• and so he
Promised himself that he would suffer the interview,
_and
ai 411 Y— very calmly—listen. Such was his thought. Weak
St. James was about to turn the key,
.when Snipeton.
hit4'4l the strength of madness, sprang upon him,
114 from the door. In a moment, St. James's sword
was in
and whirled
gam , who,
reeli g , in the next, through the bod, of Snipeton;
4g4 drew a pistol and tired. St. James was scathless ;
et the ,
stair bullet did its mischief; fur Tom Blast, rushing_ up
tru4,B4 received the unwelcome piece of letd—a sad alloy, it
4 owned, to the ten gulden guineas.of Gild .
now the cottage is filled with visitors for Capstick,
c'faciet'.Bright Jem, and Jerry IN histle7 AN it'll a couple of
kith friends_—arrive at the door. Snipeton, speechless,
Ltris3-°" of mixed agony and hatred, pointed towards S .
si Whistle at once divined the truth.
:1)14 Lord, I ax your pardon,' said
.the polite official.
`4114"41re My prisoner.' St. James slightly bowed, and
m„ away, followed by the two opcers.
qd€.'nd there's another,' cried Tom Blast, there's.
him,
4,11.4----horse stealer—returned convict—you know. hi
Noy; )11 inust know done for—but it's some-
k. to
hang hat dez '
- at do w+ • • St. Giles, you must
to coil 0 mate,' said \\ histle to
4.4\0 trinet.
11°thia 'tit' all my heart !' answered St. Giles. '1 see there's
cag left me but to die; may be at peace
end h Mick tried to speak, when his eyes filledt wn.ith
kt,,we seized St. Giles by the hand, and grasped ittear,si
heart,r)4"--and hoped better—but take heart yetmeaan,:take
".I'l3atieriaid Capstick, VI hilst Bright Jem shook his h d and
I,end'ile in, come in directly.' cried Mrs. Daws, with her
killed fan Upon Crossbone. -411ere's the good
r—murdered.' gentleman
Wi•°3Bborie looked at Snipeton—felt his pulse—end said,
4" have thought it? So he is.'"
I„ a, A
Cu ..gnes Worrall was taught to be Respectableis "
dotne'nded in the present number, and we are afraid it
of iala tut.) true u picture of a too common case. Myriads
ahri:lan hearts are daily sacrificed at die unhallowed
by 1Z ()f the Moloch—respectability. " Prison Pets,"
tho gut not, is a
paper -we would recommend to all
for .who are labouring under the disease of admiration
of
e'ntoresting criminals.l Our friend Paul is the genius
ki)ousltiAta"n sense, and most pleasant is it to see him
koraflYPocrisy of every sort aLd description. " The
fire the Potato Rot" is an eloquent and argumenta-
koret) eading against the present law of real property,
f
tffketzParticularly the law of primogeniture, from the
° which, as this writer observes—
sj heeall
t suffer, even when we are fortunate enough to re-
tteverty of the prophet, and are given' neither
e ei riches' from this distribution of property. All
Nor 4";:ea Latertnediate between the very rich and the very
1141:114httitill Pverty more than crime—for the former is
by
gumB atame, while the latter ef,Citpe,i with a

hort and sharp penalty, and seeking wealth more than
virtue, because it is more highly honoured—make the pur-
suit of riches the one great business of their lives. The great
inequality of !roperty, like a false light held out by a Cornish
wrecker, 4.tiides the v,iyager on the ocean of life to destruc-
tion. Following it, and aspi ing to be verb• rich, we unfairly
trample on one another, and convert the brotherhood of man
into a perpetual contention."
The present distress of Ireland he traces directly to
this cause.

"Nowhere is the vicious distribution more apparent than
in Ireland. Such man as the Duke of Devonshire, the
Marquis of Lansdowne, Earl Fitzwilliam, the Archbishop of
Armagh, with 17,6701. a year, derive immense incomes from
that country; while the peasantry on their estates—in most
favourable seasons—have little else to live on than potatoes,
are lodged in miserable huts of one room, with no more fur-
niture than a kettle and a table, and no bed but straw, and
no clothing but rags. More destitute than the negroes—who
have plenty of food—and a climate which makes nakedness
and an airy dwelling luxuries, it is impossible that they
should lose any of their possessions and continue to live.
Lower in the scale of subsistence they cannot sink. At the
best of times the bulk of the Irish have nothing to spare.
New comes the potato rot, and deprives them of nearly all
their food. They have nothing wherewith to buy food, and
they must be fed, or perish. Interest and humanity alike
forbid the latter. Poor as they are, their toil gives value to
the nobleman's estate. Their labour pays his tent; allow
them to perish, and rent will perish too. If humanity were
dead, interest would plead; and duty, enrorced by the public
voice, comes to the aid of s:ill living humanity.
" Those who have monopolised the land are responsible
for the lives of the people. If they will not allow them to
have the land to feed. themselves, they are bound to feed
them. The source of the obligation on the landowners and
the Government to sustain the people, denied by some on
the ground that naturally one man is as able to provide food
for himself as another, is the monopoly by the Government
and the landowners of the whole soil. Throw it open to all;
throw even the waste and unoccupied land open; give equal
freedom and equal rights to all ; and the obligation---except
AS an act of charity and love for a brother in distress—
would have no existence. The monopoly of the soil—the
main source of inequality of property—carries with it the
obligation to feed and save fro:n starvation the habitually
destitute peasantry of Ireland. It Is only by fulfilling this
obligation, that the landlords can hope to be secured in their
possessions. Duty, humanity, and self-interest, all combine
to make the rich sacrifice their superfluity, and lessen their
own wealth to relieve the poor of Ireland. Because the de-
stitute people can give up nothing more than their lives, the
potato rot inevitably carries with it a reduction of the
wealt:; of the wealthy, and an approximation to equality of
property."
And the moral of the potato rot is, that if we wish to
avoid a constant recurrence of failure we must legislate
in accordance with the laws of nature, and encourage the
distribution rather than the accumulation of landed pro-
perty. This article is of great permanent value. We
should like to see it reprinted as a tract, and circulated
throughout the kingdom.

LITERATURE.

GEORGE LOVELL. 3 Vols. By James Sheridan
Knowles.
When a great dramatic poet undertakes the produc-
tion of a novel—whether it be condensed into a dozen
chapters or expanded into three volumes octavo—he
ensures to that novel a more than ordinary attention.
What, let us imagine for a moment, would not be the
curiosity excited by the discovery of a prose fiction from
the pen of Racine, of Calderon, of Home, of Farquhar,
or of Metastasio? We should turn to the narrative
with feelings rather higher than those of mere inquisi-
tiveness; we should examine the plot, the characters,
the purpose, and the diction of the story with
peculiar and not unpleasant emotions, with a desire
to know how that genius had fared in the enchanted
grounds of romance which had disported itself in the
loftier regions of the tragic and comic drama. But our
curiosity would be marvellously heightened were the
tale found to have particular`allusion to the contempo-
raneous habits, vices, morality, and disposition of the
author. Our anxiety, for example, would be great to
hear from the lips of Racine a description of the pecu-
liarities of the age of Louis Quatorze, to receive
from Calderon a delineation of the Spaniards of
his own generation, from Home an account
of the expanding genius of Scotland in the days of
Robertson and .Macpherson, from Farquhar, a sketch of
the profligacy of London society during the reign of
our third William, and from Metastasio, a portraiture of
the Italians of his century. Whenever a dramatist has
entered upon the arena of romantic liters!sure—und
unhappily there have been these exceptions—they
have found no deficiency of readers, and, in most
instances, no lack of admirers. Who can ever forget
the one domestic fiction written by Oliver Gold-
smith—
that simple bat inimitable tale which in the
work before us (Vol. 1, p. 261.) is called, oddly
enough, but very truthfully, " the sweetest novel and the
gravest tract!" Who again can lose a recollection of
La Esmeralda, of Captain I.'hoshus, or of Quasimodo,
the creatures born of the imagination of the greatest
of the modern dramatists of France I To descend to
the lesser of those who have ventured upon the produc-
,ion of a comedy or a tragedy, who can lose the memory
of Charles Lamb's most exquisite story about
"Rosamond Gray I" Among the many volumes lying
about us and awaiting their turn to pass through the
alembic of criticism we have found this novel in three
volumes by no one less eminent than James Sheridan
Knowles. We welcome the work with cordiality, and
from the distinguished position which its a'ithor has
long since assumed, in, perhaps, the noblest branch of
our
literature, we give his romance the precedence, to
which it is thereby entitled. At once, and without the
smallest hesitation, we will acknowledge the,
we opened the first page of the first volume
of " George Lovell" with a sense very much
akin to that of prejudice in its favour. But who shall
quarrel with us for so doing ? who shall scorn us or de-
ride us tor looking with partiality at any book from
such a source in the first flush of our expectation ?
Admiration for the masterpieces of dramatic art which
owe their existence to the poetic genius of Mr.
Knowles may readily be taken as an excuse for such
a momentary dereliction of our duty as a dispas
sionate reviewer, for the tragedies of Sheridan
Knowles form an epoch in the literary history
of our country. To the impassioned auty of " Vie-
ginius," to the eloquent and patriotic energy of " Wil
liana Tell," to the pathetic grace and various fervour of
the " Hunchback," are mainly to be attributed the pre-
servation, in the popular mind, of a love for
the symmetry, the dignity, and the endless di-
versity of the drama. With the current of opi-
nion strongly opposed to theatrical representation,
excepting it be representations set off by the mere-
tricious decorations of the melodrama, the spectacle,
the opera, the ballet, the burlesque, or the extravaganza,
the dramatic works of Sheridan Knowles have been
principally instrumental in sustaining an affection for
what is termed in the hack phrase " the legitimate
drama." Putting aside the question, however, whether
the plays of Sheridan Knowles are the legitimate or il-
legitimate offspring of his fancy, they are univer-
sally acknowledged to be worthy of a full
and lasting admiration. By the common adjudi-
cation of his contemporaries, the name of Sheridan
Knowles is accorded an eminent place among the most
illustrious dramatic authors in the language, always
with the exception of Shakspere. With Beaumont,
and Nlassinger, and Wycherly, end Fletcher, and Fa. -
quhar, and Jonson, and Congreve, and Vanbrugh, the
name of Sheridan Knowles may be, and has long ago
been, classed without d rogation on either side. It re-
mains, of course, for the dramatic analyst to
award their relative position to each, but it
would be frivolous to deny that among that
famous group of writers Sheridan Knowles has every
right to be enumerated. In some respects he is un-
questionably inferior to these his renowned predeces-
sors; he is in a great measure without the rugged
vigour and daring illustration of the Elizabethan
poets ; his equivoque is without the delicate inge-
nuity of Cougreve, his humour has not the irre-
sistible tartness of Wycherly, and his sarcasm is
not to be compared with the caustic glitter of
Vanbrugh. But in pathos, in enthusiasm, in the ex
pression of scorn, as in Icilius; of depravity, as in
Appius Claudius; of affection, as in Virginia; of arro-
gance, as in Gesler; of patriotism, as in William Tell;
and of stalwart valour, as in Dontatus, Sheridan
I:inowles is their equal, and very frequently their supe
rior. In the fabrication of his plots and the disposition
of his incidents, as well as in the construction of his
.soliloquies and dialogues, he has evinced a perfect
knowledge in the mysteries of composition. He has
shown, indeed, a thorough familiarity with the different
recommendations contained in that sentence of Cicero,
where, in his masterpiece, "De Oratore," he mentions
the husbandry and the classification of ideas (Lib. ii.,
n. 314)—" Ergo za in oratore optimus quisgue, sic et in
oratione (Tully, of course, including here dramatic as
well as forensic declamation) firrnissimum quodque sit
prim= : duni Wed !amen in utroque teneatur, ut ea gum
excellent, serventur etiam ad perorandum : si gum erunt
mediocria, (nam vitiosis nusguam ease
.zportet locum), in
mediam turban', atgue gregem conjicean fur: Upo.n
that beautiful scheme, Knowles has modelled first his
dramas, and then the constituent parts of his dramas—
fur it is the art of a dramatic poetto begin in-
versely with the broad outline of his creation,. and
like a painter, to elaborate its details afterwards.
Knowles has invariably given his several plays, his se-
veral scenes, and his several speeches a certain solidify
and compactness at their commencement ;
i he has n
them, grouped together at their interior, as t were, the
least remarkable excellences of the whole ; and, finally
he has accumulated the utmost stretch of passion in the
catastrophe of his tragedies and the climax of his soli-
loquies—the catastrophe and climax being, to them,
what the peroration is to the harangue of an orator.
That is a gee at part of the secret of his success,
but the main cause of that success is of a
loftier character, arising, as it does, from the
genius with which he has unquestionably been
gifted by nature. The possession of that genius has
been evidenced in the poetic treasures with which he
has adorned the language of his native land ; and the
appearance of these three volumes of " George Lovell"
brings irresistibly to the recollection of us all the ques-
tion—How THE GENIUS OF SHERIDAN KNOWLES HAS
BEEN ACKNOWLEDGED BY HIS COUNTRYMEN, AND HOW
THE LITERARY LABOURS OF THAT GENIUS HAVE BEEN
ANSWERED AND REWARDED? That question, we repeat
it, is necessarily called to mind by the publication of the
novel now under consideration. For we naturally
ask ourselves the reason why such a man as Sheridan
Knowles, after achieving so much fame, and achieving it
by such honourable and laudable means, should be
toiling now at his matured age, when the labours of his
youth and manhood should have ensured him tranquillity
and leisure. The pleasantest recollection in the meagre
records preserved to us of Shaksp?re's life is, that that
immortal man closed his career in the indolence of a
country gentleman in a handsome house in his native
village. We English pride ourselves on not being a half-
barbarian race, like our Elizabethan forefathers. We
boast this, and yet Sheridan Knowles goes unthanked,
untionoured, and unrewarded. Thanked and honoured
he is by every generous and intelligent mind, and re-
warded he is by the celebrity he has acquired ; but
substantially thanked, honoured, and rewarded by

Government, he is not. How comes this ? Thomas
Hood ekes out his subsistence on a sick couch by the
sweat, not of his brow, but his brain. He dies—his
widow and his children have a pension. Haydon, the
historical painter, battles manfully against pecuniary
distress for years, without aid. He blows his brains out
in a paroxysm of despair, and efforts are at once made
for the assistance of his family. Leman Blanchard cuts
his throat with a razor, in a fit of madness, brought on
by incessant work as au author—measures are taken to
alleviate the sorrows of his orphans. Hewlett sinks
down into the grave in the very prime of his life,
through the slow poison of a malaria, and the exhaustion
of his mind and benevolence, is at once actively em
ployed in behalf of his children. Is this, we
ask, as it should be ? Are the gifted beings who sap
the very vigour of their constitutions by adding to our
enjoyments to be offered merely the flatulent sustenance
of " the bubble reputation ? " We by no means depre-
cate the charity which is extended towards their widows
and their offspring. God forbid that that one posthu-
mous solace should be taken from them in their solitude!
Is it not, however, better that men should reap the
fruits of their own sowing themselves, and not by proxy?
Is it not better that the pensions should come to them
directly e hen living than indirectly when dead? Is it
not better that the tew gold guineas in which this after-
glory is reflected should be showered down betimes, in-
stead of falling barrenly when they are in their coffins?
Upon these simple and solemn prineiph s we maintain
that Sheridan Knowles should receive the recompense
of his long and illustrious exertions as a poet, as a pa-
triot, and as a moral instructor of the people.
Of the morality of his writings there can be
no question; for, of Knowles, in regard to English
tragedy, may be said what the eminent German critic
Schlegel said of Coleman in regard to English comedy,
" since that time the morals have been irreproachable,
and much has been done in refined and original charac
terization." If any additional testimony were required
as to the morality of the writings of Sheridan Knowles,
it would be found to he incontestibly exhibited in these
volumes. " George Lovell" is literally a tale founded
upon the Atruggles of vice against virtue, and the ultimate
victory of innocence over guilt. Phcebe, the heroine, is
one of those ideal creatures whom the purest imagination
alone could conceive. Armitage and his profligate as-
sociates, again, form a repulsive group, illustrative of
the licentiousness and depravity still prevalent in this
civilised generation. The novel is of a domestic cha-
racter, and is hence calculated to enlist the sympathies
more readily ; and to instil the truths more
aenerally which it was written to enunciate.
As an interesting and honest-hearted tale, it is excellent;
and, as the production of a dramatic poet of such extra•
ordinary powers, it is a literary curiosity. It can be
compared to no other at ry that we just now remember,
though this is scarcely matter for astonishment, consi-
dering the varieties and fluctuations which are perceptihle
in this species of composition. On this head Voltaire
has already observed, that the arts which depend
solely upon the imagination, have as many revolut ons
as the kingdoms of the earth ; and that they change in
a thousand different ways, even while we are striving to
give them a classification and a stability—" dans les arts
qui dieendent purement, de l'imagination, it y a autant
de rholutions que dans les etats ; ils changent en mills
manieres tandis qu' on cherche A les fixer." An exam-
ple of one of these changes is the novel of " George
Lovell." But that our observations have already ex-
tended so considerably, we should be tempted to make
several quotations from its pages, especially one earnest
paragraph addressed to Rowland Hill. Quotations,
however, we take it, would be superfluous, seeing. that
everyone will, as a matter of course, themselves refer to
" The Last Work by Sheridan Knowles."

The inauguration of his Royal Highness Prince
Albert will probablv take place, in London, on Thursday
week.—Cambridge Independent.
Viscount Palmerston received a large circle of his
Parliamentary friends at dinner on Sunday evening.
Sir Robert and Lady Peel entertained a select
party to dinner on Sunday, at the family residence in White-
hall-gardens.
OPENING OF NEW OXFORD-STREET.—On Satur-
day evening the thoroughfare of New Oxford•street was
opened to the public.
PUSEYISAI AT FALMOUTH.—The church at this
place is now hung with black cloth, the candlesticks on the
"altar," which are usually covered with white lace, are now
covered with black crape, and the worthy clergyman, who
at other periods of the year preaches in white kid gloves,
now preaches in black—these are the outward and visible
signs of humiliation in Lent.—Desonport Telegraph.

SEIZURE OF FOUR ILLICIT STILLS.--41-1e seizure
of unlicensed distilleries by the officers of Excise continue to
be made with gi eat vigilance. On Saturday morning,
Messrs. W. Bayford and J. Lewins, officers of Excise, ac-
companied by Mr. C. Atkinson Davis, one of the •detective
officers of Customs, proceeded to premises in Queen's-road,
Norland-square, Kensington, where they succeeded in gain-
ing an entrance, and found an illict distillery of great magni-
tude. The process of distillation was in full operation, with
two stills running off strong spirits, one of which was capable
of containing upwards of 200 gallons; the other was a smaller
one of nearly 50 gallons. The fittings and 'utensils were of
the most extensive and valuable description, and had evi-
dently been in use for a long period. More than 500 gallons
of molasses fermented wash had keen prepared for the day's
working, which was destroyed on the premises. In another
part of the premises the officers found two more stills, manu-
factured of earthenware, which, there was no doubt, were
intended for the production of spirits •f nitre, but were not
fixed for working, and were of a similar description to some
of them seized at the extensive illicit distillery in the Globe-
road, Stepney. This is the fifth seizure made by Bayford
and Lewins within a few days.
THE GREAT BRITAIN.—BRISTOL, SATURDAY.—
The stormy meeting of the proprietors of the Great Britain,
which has most unexpectedly lasted through three days, was
closed this afternoon. At the meeting a most angry discus-
sion arose as to the directors not having insured the stranded
vessel, which cost nearly 140,0001, for more than 17,0004,
which was nothing like an adequate amount as respected her
value, and the directors were also blamed for having re-
turned the passage money, and for not having taken imme-
diate and efficient measures to get her off. It was con-
tended that in accordance with the ordinary duties of trus-
tees the directors were bound to insure the ship in an
adequate amount, and it was asserted that in addition they
had given a pledge to do so, or to give notice to the pro-
prietary that they might themselves insure their interests
respectively; that it was contrary to mercantile usage to
return the passage-money, and that therefore the directors
should not have done so ; and that as soon as the vessel was
stranded they ought to have obtained the services of the
most eminent engineering talent to get her off, instead of
wasting time as they had done in a correspondence with
the underwriters, whose stake was so small. The directors
in reply stated, that the passage-money having been received
for a voyage from England to New York, and the vessel
having been stranded at the very commencement of that
voyage, that they were bound as honest men to return the
passage-money, and in support of this view they produced
letters from various steam-ship companies, declaring that
they should have done so. With respect to the insurance
they stated that upon the two previous voyages the Great
Britain had been insured for 50,000/. each time, and that they
had used diligent means to insure her on the last voyage, and
that as to the measures which they had taken subsequent to
her unfortunately being stranded, they had taken the best
they could adept. At the second day's meeting Captain
Claxton, R.N., with the view of meeting the views of all
parties, and of obviating the strong objection which had been
manifested to the motion " that the directors' report be re-
ceived and adopted," proposed, " that the report be received
and adopted without prejudice to the protest put in by Mr.
Abbott and others." At the close of the third day's discus-
sion this motion was adopted, and also one proposed by a
director to meet another ground of opposition, " that the list
of the proprietary of the company be open to the inspection
of the shareholders." It is generally understood that the
property of the company will be at once sold, and its affairs
wound up.
FATAL RAILWAY ACCIDENT.—An inqvest was held
yesterday at the Infirmary, by Mr. Chapman, on the body
of John Davies, of Wringle3 ,in the parish of Dean. The de-
ceased was a stoker in the employ of the Manchester and
Leeds Railway Company. On Wednesday morning last he
was on a luggage-train, which was on its way to Bolton, and
at Farnworth, the rails being very slippery on account of the
frost, he got off to sweep them, in order to enable the train to
ascend the incline with greater ease. Having done this he
got up again, and whistled and sang alternately until the
train passed Green-lane-end. Suddenly the voice ceased, the
engineer missed his companion, and heard him cry, " Tom,
stop ;my leg is cut off" The engine was stopped as speedily
as possible, and the stoker was found lying on the rails. Ile
said, "I slipped my leg off the footboard, and went under the
wheel." There had been a drizzling rain, and it is supposed
that the footboard had become slippery. The wheel had
passed over the middle of his right leg. lie was taken home
at his own request, but soon afterwards he was brought to
the Manchester Infirmary, and died there about nine o'clock
the same evening. A verdict of " Accidental death" was re-
turned.—Manchester Eraminer.

BOILER EXPLOSION AT CLIFTON. Yesterday
afternoon an inquest was held by Mr. Rutter, county
coroner, at the Seven Stars Tavern, Clifton, relative to the
death of James Winterbottom. The deceased, who was 72
years of age, was foreman of the engine-house at the
Spindle Point Coal-pit, at Kean;ley, belonging to the
trustees of Mr. Fletcher. On Tuesday, whilst the work-
men were at dinner, and the engine was standing, the
deceased went into the fire-hole, and was pulling a
clinker from between the bars, when a slight " fizzing
noi3e" was heard, and immediately afterwards the boiler
exploded. The deceased was projected from the fire-
holesy.er v oa
him
.hiai
but
us washands.
hTew severely e:eedr
surgeonsel yon scalded
e deer de
calledth
etionfaettelo7
to a distance of five y,ards, into a lodge of water
closenn
b attendorde
Wed-
nesday night. The engineer, William Lomax, was the only
other person in the engine-house at the time; he escaped
unhurt. The engine, after having been thoroughly ex •
amined, was fitted up about two years ago, and had been in
regular work ever since. About a fortnight ago it was ex-
amined again, and a slight repair of the steam pipe, which
seemed all that was necessary, made. The explosion, it
seems, was attributable to the fact of one plate of the boiler
having, from some unknown cause, become exceedingly thin.
The engine is a high pressure one, and at the time of the
explosion, the safety valve indicated a pressure of only Sibs.
to the inch, although it was calculated to carry 40 lbs.
Lawrence Fogg stated that he had been employed at the pit
for '27 years, and that this was the first accident of the kind
which
had occurred there. Verdict—" Accidental death."—
Manchester Examiner.
THE LATE MURDER AT DAGENHAM.-- The
Government have issued instructions for the prosecution of
Sergeant Parsons and the other police-constables belonging
by them
to the K division, for alleged perjury committedhe held
their evidence before the coroner when the. in-
questin
comrade Clarke, who, it will be
on the body of their
found in a corn-field murdere on th
remembere was
f the Treasury, has re-
e
28th of lastd,
June. Mr. Maule, o
ceived directions from the Government to
prosecute the
men to the utmost. During the past week seveal parties
connected with the Government, and Sergeant Kendall,
in
of
the detective police force, have been actileel Cy
rengaged
Mr.
getting up the evidence on behalf of t
Lewis, the coroner for Essex, who held the inquest on Clarke's
body, and the various witnesses who were examined by
that functionary have been subpoenaed by the Government
to be in attendance at the assize court, Chelmsford, to-mo
r-
-1 row (Monday), to prefer a bill against the parties.— Weekly
Paper.
It is understood that the Admiralty have ap-
pointed Mr. Smith, whose screw-propeller is adopted in her
Majesty's vessels, to be superintendent of the works con-
nected with it, and all matters relating to the fitting of the
screw are to be under his directions. The salary to be 6001.
year.--Ilwapshire Telegraph.