The Sun.
London, England, 1847-02-22 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

BENTLEY'S MODERN LITERATURE.—The
Letters of Horace Walpole, 6 Vols. The Letters of
Lord Chesterfield, 4 Vols.
On the first appearance of this serial publication we
took occasion to remark upon the numerous excel-
lences by which it was characterised, and upon the
advantages it afforded those who were desirous of
making substantial and valuable additions to their
libraries. Since then sufficient time has elapsed to
test the merits of the publication, and to show whe-
ther the promises of the prospectus have been capable
of fulfilment. According to the arrangements of the
publisher, the various copyright works comprised in
his plan have continued periodically their course of
publication without any intermission, and without any
abatement in the style of their " getting-up." Twice
every month a separate Part has been issued ; once
every month a Volume, massively bound and ele-
gantly emblazoned, has appeared, so that twenty-four
parts or twelve volumes are forwarded to subscribers
in the year. While the paper is richly glazed, and of
a very durable texture, the type is large and clear,
the printing distinct, the arrangement of the contents
complete in all respects, and the embellishments nu-
merous and appropriate. So many advantages,
coupled with such remarkable moderation in price,
cannot fail to redound to the credit, and to ensure the
compensation of the entrepreneur. It would savour
more of affectation than of judgment to volunteer
any critical remarks upon the epistolary works
here republished by Mr. Bentley, the celebrity
of the letters of Horace Walpole and the Earl
of Chesterfield being erivalent to the extra-
ordinary abilities they display. Of Horace Wal-
pole, Earl of Orford, as a correspondent, it is impos-
sible to speak too highly. His "incomparable let-
ters" are beyond all panegyric. It is upon those
apparently ephemeral, but really immortal, composi-
tions that his fame rests, more particularlf than upon
any of his more laboured productions, although
we have an eminent authority for rating his
other literary pieces at more than their ordinary va-
lue. We remember that Lord Byron, in the preface
to his splendid tragedy of " Marino Faliero," thus
vindicates Horace Walpole from the contempt with
which he is too generally regarded :—" He is the
father," says Byron, "of the first romance and last
tragedy in our language, and surely worthy of a
higher place than any living writer, be he who he may!"
We are not prepared to go so far as Lord Byron has
gone in this momentary ebullition of spleen or enthu-
siasm ; but bating the conduct of Horace Walpole to
the wonderful poet, the author of " .Ella," and his
frivolities at Strawberry Hill, and his ridiculous
jumbling together of oligarchism and democratism,
we regard Horace Walpole as entitled to our esteem
as an author, and to our gratitude as the writer of
his delightful and matchless Letters. The epistles,
again, of Phillip Dormer Stanhope, Earl of
Chesterfield, though redolent with pedantry,
and ludicrous from their aristocratic primness,
are always pleasant, always sparkling, and al-
ways instructive. The present beautiful edition
is illustrated with editorial notes by Lord Mahon.
Both series, namely both the Walpole correspondence
and the Chesterfield correspondence are rendered
peculiarly attractive and interesting from the cir-
cumstance of their being accompanied by numerous
letters now first published from the original manu-
scripts. In the present deteriorated state of the
bulk of periodicals, " Modern Literature " is a
welcome and deserving innovation.

HISTORY of EUROPE from 1789 to 1815. Vol. I.
By Archibald Alison. Seventh Edition.
Any criticism upon this splendid and elaborate
historical composition would be superfluous. The
great work of Archibald Alison, has, both from the
European importance of its subject and from the
eloquence of the narrator, assumed a position in our
national literature as elevated as it is permanent. An
analysis of its character and an examination into its
merits were consequently unnecessary. So much
has already been written upon the dramatic and
elegant style of Alison, as well as upon his endeavour
to maintain throughout his pages a scrupulous im-
partiality, so familiarized is the general public with
his magnificent production, and so fully are the abilities
of our historian appreciated that we shall content our-
selves with simply commenting upon the peculiarities
which exclusively characterise the present edition.
In its publication the utmost care has been taken to
preserve every portion of the original, unmutilated
in
and unabreviated, so that the compass of a most
portable volume are comprised the entire contents of
an octavo, or even of a quarto. The classification,
the arrangement of the chapters, the footnotes, and
the marginal references are singular for their com-
pactness; and this supervision has even extended to
the enumeration of the authorities quoted in the nar-
rative. A merely superficial glance at this catalogue
will be sufficient to show the enormous research and