The Sun.
London, England, 1823-04-19 00:00:00

LITERA RY NOTICE.

OTHER TIMES; or, The MONKS of LEADENHALL.
ft seldom falls to our hit to peruse a Romance
with more unmixed satisfauion than we have de-
rived from the work before us. The author is,
it seems, not unknown to the public, having pro•
duced various other works of a similar descrip-
tion, which have passed the ordeal of literary
criticism in a way highly gratifying to his feel-
ings. The writer of a romance, in some degree
historical, has to contend with many difficulties
unknown in the construction of a tale purely
imaginary, from the laborious research which is
necessary to the acquisition of materials relating
to the state of society at the particular period in
which his. scene is laid, and from the necessity of
not availing ,himself too liberally of those re-
sources which his prseverance may have laid
open to him. These observations our auttpr
himself anticipates, in a neat and unassuming
preface, explanatory of the work.
The principal characters, he informs us, are all
imaginary, and he deprecates censure for some
scenes described, which may be apparently too
iniquitous for belief, by referring to the Chronicles
of the Times, and to the Ifarleian Manuscripts, for
Confirmation of his veracity, asserting that he has
even availed himself with moderation of the faci-
lities thus offered him. The time chosen for
" The Monks of LeadenhaV is the latter
end of the reign of Henry the Eighth, a pe-
riod fertile in materials for the construction
of a tate principally referring to monastic abuses.
The first chapter gives us a minute and interest-
ing description of the ceremonies observed in
those days on the seventh of July, the day of the
translation of Thomas a Becket, and introduces
us to some of the characters who occupy promi-
neat situations on the canvas throughout the
Work. The interest is admirably sustained
throughout, and the changes of scene and occa-
sional retrogressions (generally fatal in works of
this nature to, the preservation of the interest)
are skilfully managed, proceeding naturally, and
without offering any violence to the patience of
the " gentle reader." We would willingly gra-
tify our readers with a detail 'of the plot, but
from the length of the story and the abundance
of incidents, the most abbreviated account would
greatly exceed the limits necessarily observable
in the brief " Literary Notice" of a Newspaper.
We extract the following description of the above-
mentioned
ceremonies of " Translation Day,"
not so much as a specimen of the style in which
the work is composed, as being the only short
connected passage that we could select

" They soon fbund themselves near that spot, so dear to Su.
perstition, to which the body of Thomas a Becket had been
consigned. A splendid shrine, enclosed with an iron grating,
had been raised. This was about five feet in height, and was
built of marble. The erection WAS carried Still higher with
boarding, which was wholly concealed from the view by massy
plates of gold, on which images of angels, the 'Virgin Mary,
and the Saints, had been most elaborately worked. The tilop.
ing and highly decorated top was removed on these occasions,
and the golden chest in which the bones of Becket rested, and
the wooden case in which that was deposited, had been lifted
from the grave. So much of the saint had been carried off at
different times by his votaries, that but little now remained for
exhibition. The skull, crowned with laurel, and surrounded
by a thin transparent substance, intended to resemble the halo
with which painters were accustomed to adorn their represes.
tions of celestial personages, was placed in a most conspicuous
situation, care being taken that the fracture and the piece fitted
into the hole again, together with the point of the sword
broken in the head, should not escape notice.. The vouchers
for the identity of the relics were carefully pointed out by
those who took the lead in conducting the soleninities. Other
bones were deposited around, but it was to the skull that at.
tention was principally directed. On this, those Whose devo.
tion might be languid were ready, from curiosity, to fix their
most ardent gaze. All were anxious to report that they had
seen the wound inflicted on a bishop more than 3AO years be.
fore, whish, though fatal to his life, had procured for his me-
mory lasting renown, and placed the honours rendered to his
name among the most extraordinary incidents recorded in the
history of mankind."

The calm and dignified Statesman is well con-
ceived in the character of Lord Erpingham, and
the impetuous' Ferdinand, and the deliberate
and hypocritical villain Egbert, are equally well
imagined and powerfully portrayed. Were we
to raise any objection we should be inclined to
think, that the natural effect upon an ardent and
susceptible youth of twenty-one, of his mistress's
being devoted to a cloister, would not have been
a determined resolution to seclude himself for ever
in a similar establishment. The jester also is not
a sufficiently facetious personage to justify his
assumption of his mirth-inspiring profession, but
on reflection that May be a pro6f of our author's
excellent conception of the character, as he
makes him tell us that he was discharged from
the service of the Cardinal Wolsey in conse-
quence of growing less diverting.
We also think that the denouement is rather
abrupt, and wish the author had not left the relative
happiness of all parties to the mere supposition
of his readers. From the amusement, however,
which we ourselves have derived from the perusal
of the work, we confidently recommend it to
others, and take our leave of the author with the
assurance, that should he gain as much in profit,
as he is likely to acquire in reputation, he will
have every reason to congratulate himself on the
production of " The Monk: of Leaden/ult."

RICHARDSON Goont.ucx,aud Co. respectfully
acquaint the Publicl, that the Second Day of
Drowing the State Lottery will be next Wed-
nesday, when Two Prizes of 5,0001. are !Awe to
be drawn. The Wheel contains Two Prizes of
20,0001., Two of 520001., Two of 1,0001., and
24 other Capitals. The Holder of a Blank: or
Small Prize drawn on That Day may receive
another Undrawn Ticket or Share in exchange,
gratis, for the Last Day of Drawin,, the Sthof
May. Tickets and Shares, warranted Undrawn,
are on Sale by ItronAttoboN, GoooLucn, and
Co. at their Old Established Office,, 104, Corner
of Bank-buildings, Cornhill.

PARLI AMENT,

HOUSE OF LORDS, APRIL 18.

Lord PowEnscoußT took the oaths and his seat.
A person from the Commissioners of Richmond-bridge pre-
sented their Cash Account for the year 1822.
The Marquis of HUNTLEY presented two petitions from
the County of Inverness, the one complaining of the distressed
state of Agriculture, and the other complaining of the duties on
:the import of barilla being taken off.
The Earl of ESSEX presented a petition from the Gentry,
Freeholders, and Clergy of the County of Essex, complaining
.of the distress of Agriculture.
The Duke of RICHMOND presented a petition from the
Clergy and Archtleaconry of Chichester against the Cathholic
•Claims. The Noble Duke expressed himself of the same opi-
ssion with that of the petitioners.
The Mequis of CAMDEN presented three petitions froin
the Hop-planters of Leominster, Bromyard, and from one of
,the Hundreds of Sussex, complaining of the Duty onflopS.
Lord VALTHORPE presented a petition from the Land-
holders of Suffolk complaining of Agricultural Distress. Also
a petition from the Inhabitants of Gosfortb, in'-the same county,
for a Law for the more speedy recovery of Striall Debts.
Earl FORTESCUE presented a petition froin Tavistock
ay;ainst the Duties on Coal carried Coastwise.
The petitions were read, and ordered to lie on the table.
.FOREIGN AFFAIRS.:

. e Earl of LIVERPOOL said, that consequence of the
questions put to him yesterday, he had availed himself of the
interval. which had elapsed, and should now be. enabled to give
answers to them. And first, with respect to the papers which
were asked for. The answer of the Plenipotentiaries of Aus-
tria, Russia, and Prussia to the three questions submitted by
France, there was an objection in point of form to placing that
document on their Lordship's table. The " copy of all the
dispatches of M. de Chateaubriand to the French Minister at
Madrid, which have been communicated to the Spanish Minis-
ter, and particularly that which the Count de la Garde Tied to
his Catholic Majesty in February last,"^ there would b 6 no ob..
jection to giving. There would be a very material paper rela-
tive to the a declarations made by this country to the 'Allies
since 1820; to induce them to abstain from interference in the
affairs of Spain," which would be laid before the House,
and also the copy. of the instructions prepared for the late
Secretary for Foreign Affairs of which his N4.ble Friend (the
Duke of Wellington) afterwards received. .This would clear
up. any little misunderstanding which might remain on that
point. 'With respect to furnishing copies of all communica-
uotis between the Spanish and English Governments in which
the latter accused the French of fomenting disturbances in Spain,
there but one dispatch in which the subject was alluded to,
and that would be furnished ; but there had been no formal
communication made by the Minister at Madrid to the Se-
cretary of State for Foreign Affairs. This negative, of course
did not apply to general information, but communications from
Government, of which he would repeat there were none, though
the Spanish Government had been courted to make them. The
answer of Mr. Secretary Canning to the Duke of Wellington's
dispatch, containing the three questions of the French Govern.
ment sent before the 6th of December, he (the Earl of Liver-
pool) would beg to defer speaking of until Monday, when, if
it could be pmduced it should be laid on the table. In reply
to the Noble Marquis (Lansdown) last night, he (the Earl of
Liverpool) had said that no information bad been received by
the Duke of 'Wellington after the 30th October, as to the cause
of quarrel between France and Spain. He (the §arl of Liver.
pool) of course meant that no official information had been re-
ceived. The several dispatches, in which the neutrality of
Portugal was assured, would be produced on Monday next, at
which time all the other Papers he had mentioned would be
laid on the table.

The Marquis of LANSDOWN said, he meant to ask for
the communication of any information of an official nature
which had been given to the Duke of Wellington between the
30th October and the 12th November ; for, from the different
wording of the subsequent dispatch, he must have received
'some such information, and it was quite Impossible but he
must have communicated it to his Majesty's Alinisters_, for be
(the Marquis of Lansdown) was quite sure the Noble Duke
would not have been guilty of an omission so gross as the non-
communication would be, when he knew that his Majesty's
Government. were in a state of as great ignorance as he had
been bimSelf. As to the other point—the apparent omission
fur six weeks, by Mr. Secretary Canning, of one of the most
important communications ever made—he meant that of the
22d October, by the Duke of Wellington, he (the Marquis of
Lansdown) now'understood that there were intermediate com-
munications, and which the House might expect to have been
produced. But what he thought the House ought to have was,
the first impression made on the minds of the King's Govern-
ment, and therefore he thought their Lordships ought to have
the first instructions which they had forwarded to the Duke of
Wellington on the occasion. He contended that it would be
giving a most false view of the subject if the first instructions
to the Duke of Wellington at Verona, after the Ministers had
attained a knowledge of the real state of things, were not com-
municated.
Lord ELLENBOROUGFI said, that he had observed in
the newspapers a speech of the Ring of Spain to his Cortes in
1821, in which he told them that the Congress at 'Jaybird'
bad given him assurances that they had no intention of acting
hostilely against Spain. If this had been communicated to
his Majesty's Government, the paper containing it ought to be
laid on the table of the House.
The Earl of LIVERPOOL said, he might have forgotten
it, but he had no recollection of the existence of such a paper,
and he believed that no such paper did exist.
The Earl of DARNLEY said, that he had looked through
all the papers, but could not find any ground for the expecta-
tion that peace would be preserved between France and Spain,
and he could not conceive on what grounds his Majesty's Mi-
nisters had founded their expectations after the meeting of
Parliament; but at last, on the 81st of March, all hopes were
abandoned, and a dispatch was sent to Sir Charles Stuart.
What he (Lord Darnley) wished to know was, whether any
formal protest against the whole of their proceedings was then
delivered by Sir Charles Stuart to the French Minister ? Sdine
such thing, he hoped, had been done, for the honour of the
country ; and if it had, he trusted the document would be laid
on the table.

Lord IIOLLANI) professed no desire to press for the pa-
pers, to the production of which there was an objection in point
of form ; but as to the other point, it clearly appeared from
the dispatch of Mr. Secretary Canning to Sir Charles Stuart, in
page 45 of the papers, that Spain had alleged certain grievances;
the words were—" Spain, on her side, has, or professes to have,
grievances to plead against France of similar intermeddling
with her people and her army. She alleges that France has
encouraged dissension and disaffection at Madrid, and that she
even, by money and other means, fomented and stimulated
the tumult of the 7th of July." Indeed, the transmission of
money to the disaffected in Spain was notorious to every per-
son ; there was not a merchant but what was fully aware of
it ; nay, he believed that Monsieur Villele had had the can-
dour almost to admit it. That being the case, he (Lord Hol-
land) thought it must have reached the knowledge of his Ma-
jesty's Ministers in some shape or other, though perhaps not
in written documents ; and if' so, he hoped the Noble Earl
(Liverpool) would have the candour to state it.
The Earl of LIVERPOOL said, he could only repeat that
there were no such communications, except that would be laid
on the table; hut he (the Earl of Liverpool) did not deny that
such acts had been done as the Noble Lord stated by France ;
but what he Meant to say was, that there was no official cam-
nninication made by the Government of Spain.
Lord HOLLAND said, all he wished to get at was the
grounds of Mr. Secretary Canning's allegations in the letter to
which he had referred. Ile was persuaded that after a careful
reading of the Papers, it would be found that the miscalled
pacific assurances of France was nothing more than obtaining
a little longer time for their experiment of fomenting insur-
revdons.

The Earl of LIVERPOOL said, that he had never denied
that France might have instigated insurrection at Madrid ; all
he denied was, that the Spanish Government had made any
official communication of the fact.
Lord TIOLLAND expressed himself perfectly satisfied with
the answers of the Noble Earl.

Lord ELLENBOROIIOIf said, the Noble Earl (Liver-
pool) on the first day of the Session had stated, that Spain had
declared she never would attempt to extend the principles of
ter Constitution ; and as Papers were on the table, in which
the King of France had disavowed all views of aggression, he
thought it would be hut fair, if it were in a written document,
that the declaration of the Spanish Government should also be
laid on their Lordships' table.
The Earl of LIVERPOOL said, the moat material of the
document.s, in which that declaration of Spain ivairmade, had
heed published ; it was distinctly asserted in the answer of the
Spanish Government to M. de
The Earl of DA RNLEY said, from the Noble Earl's an-
swer he inferred that he (the Earl of Liverpool) had no such
document.
The Earl of LIVERPOOL gave notice of a motion on the
subject of appeals for Friday selmight.
The Earl of DARNLEY gave notice of a motion on the
-.subject of our Naval Force for Monday next.—Adjourned
till Monday,