The Sun.
London, England, 1846-07-31 00:00:00

SUN, LONDON,_ PRIDAY EVENING, JULY 31, 1846.

and Ireland. But the session terminated more abruptly
than was expected, and in consequence this was post-
poned to the present session. When he (the Chancellor
of the Exchequer) was appointed to the situation
which he at present held, he found this Bill lying before
the Llett,e, and he announced to the House that it was
his intention to proceed with the Bill. After that, how-
ever, he had intimation that the Scotch bankers wished
to see him, and on Thursday last he appointed to bring
in the Bill to-night. On Tuesday last he saw these
bankers, and they were all satisfied that the measure, as
it at present stood, should pass into a law.—(Hear,
hear.) As these parties had withdrawn their opposition,
he eves in in pis that it would have passed unopposed ,•
but by the paper he saw that an Hon. Member had
given notice of his intention to oppose the Bill going
into Committee. Ile would, however, reserve himself
till after, and at present more that the Speaker leave
the chair.
On the question bring put,
Mr. FOIII3ES rose to move that the further conside-
ration of the measure be taken that day six months. He
said he would, .at the wishes of his constituents,
and from a sense of public duty, do all that lay in his
power to oppose this Bill, which he regretted the Go-
vernment should have had anything to do with. He
thought it unusual to bring forward at that period of the
session a measure of this kind—a measure which had
slumbered for months—a Bill of the very greatest im-
portance. The House would recollect, or he would remind
it, that this measure was introduced so quietly that
imbed), heard anything of it till it passed the second
readin". At that ti:ue the Scotch Members, Scotch
Peers, and Scotchmen residing in London, became
alarmed. Meetings were held of nn ri of all shades of
*Men, of Peers, Members, and bankers, and the uni-
versal feeling was in opposition to the Bill. It was said
Oat the bankers were satisfied with it, but those who
had constituents, and who looked to the interests of the
country were not. He recollected that many most
eminent individuals expressed a hostile opinion, and
among the rest the Right Hon. Member for Perth and the
Right Hon. Member for Russ-shire. A deputation
waited upon the late Prime Minister, and memo-
rials were presented on the subject, after which
they heard no more about it. He thought,
and many were with him in Scotland, that the Bill ought
not to pass. He had canvassed the public opinion in
Scotland when he was there, and found it generally
hostile to the measure. Ho earnestly hoped her Ma-
jesty's Government would not proceed with so im-
portant a Bill at so late a period of the session.
The motion was negatived without a division. The
House then went into Committee.
On the first clause being read,
Mr. HUME said, he thought it would be better if the
bankers of Scotland were not interfered with by the
Legislature. The interference with the monetary
system in Scotland was pernicious. He had been in-
duce to support that interference as relative to England,
hut he now thought the principle of legislative inter-
ference in these matters was injurious. He would there-
fore Fanpport the motion.
Mr. DUNCAN said he represented a large manufactur-
ing community, he felt bound to oppose the motion.
Mr. GJULBU RN said, it was found necessary in a
former session to introduce a measure to subject joint-
stock bank companies to certain restrictions in this
country. It was found expedient to introduce a similar
measure for Scotland. The measure was not then
pressed, but it was on a distinct understanding that it
should be introduced in the present session.—(Hear,
hear.) lie had given an intimation of his intention with
respect to this measure, and the Hon. Gentleman oppo-
site was one of those who was aware of his intention.
Where, then, was the ground for the Hon. Gentleman's
complaint ? The Right Hon. Gentleman might have
been asleep, but every other Scotchman was wide awake
on the -subject.—(Laughter.) What infraction was
there in the provisions of this Bill of the principle of free
trade.—(Hear, hear.)
Mr. BAINE said the Bill did not propose to affect in
the slightest degree the present system of currency in
Scotland. It did not propose either to interfere with
;,he existing bankers of Scotland. There was another
provision of the Bill to which the bankers of Scotland
objected, and upon some just grounds, that was, the ad-
vancement of money. He considered that position was•
very reasonable.
Mr. NEWDEGATE asked why the late Chancellor
of the Exchequer had not introduced this Bill in the last
session of Parliament.
Mr. GOULBIJRN replied that he had not a fair op-
portunity of so doing.
Mr. NEWDEGA thedsaid that the Bill ought not
to be proceeded with this session, inasmuch as many
Hon. Gentlemen had left town, under the impression
that it would not be pressed forward during the present
session.—(Hear, hear.) Besides he did not see any ne-
cessity for any legislation of this sort. The present
system of banking in Scotland was secure, safe, and
comprehensive, and the people of that country were
perfectly satisfied with it.—(Hear, hear.) At present he
would not enter further into the subject than by simply
saying that this Bill put into the hands of the Govern-
ment the power of sanctioning or refusing the establish-
ment of banks in Scotland, a power hitherto unknown
in the history of banking in Scotland. He had no doubt
that the late Chancellor of the Exchequer had intro-
duced this measure with the purest motives, but it would
certainly, in his (Mr. Newdegate's) opinion, lead to the
worst results, and he sincerely hoped that it would not
be persevered in by the present Chancellor of the Exche-
quer. The most experienced men in Scotland had stated
that in their opinion, if this measure were passed, the
people of that country would be up in arms. He re-
joiced to find that the Hon. Member for Montrose (Mr.
Hume) and the other Scotch members, were on their
guard, and were determined to offer this measure their
most decided opposition.—(Hear, hear.)
Mr. BOUVERIE also opposed the Bill. The banks
at present existing, no doubt, were not opposed to this
Bill, but that was very natural, because it would confer
on them a monopoly which they did not at present
enjoy.—(Hear, hear.) This Bill would create banks of
the weakest kind, and would prevent the establishments
of the safest and most creditable description.—(Hear.)
It was a hard case that banks possessing large capitals
in Scotland should be deprived of the advantages of re-
ceiving public funds, trust moneys, and infant's estates,
&c., which the chartered banks had the advantage of
receiving, but they were not responsible to the Govern-
ment for those funds, nor were the partners of those
banks published, nor could the public compel the pub-
lication of them. The public had therefore no security
against them. Under these circumstances he should vote
against the Bill.—(Hear, hear.)
Mr. HENLEY said it was rather strange to see a
free-trade Government adopting such a monopolising
scheme as this.—(Hear, hear.) The fact was that " free
trade" was sheer humbug; free trade meant, in reality,
cheap commodities, and an increased value of money.—
(Hear, hear.) The Scotch Members had told the Go-
vernment that the present system of banking in Scotland
was as safe as could be desired; he wished to know why
the Government persisted in pressing this ill-considered
measure on the House?—(Hear, hear.) It was first in-
troduced in February last, and had not been again
noticed until July, and the consequence was, that the ma-
jority- of the Scotch Members had left town, under the
impression that it wonld not be again brought under the
consideration of the House during the present session.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER con•
tended that no one had been taken by surprise with re-
spect to this Bill, and then proceeded to speak in favour
of the principles of the Bill, which, he said, were
most wise and just. He did not think that the present
banking system in Scotland was quite so safe and satis-
factory as had been represented by Hon. Gentlemen.—
(Hear, hear.) Indeed he contended that that system
was most unsafe and unparalleled.
Sir R. FERGUSON said the system of joint-stock
banking hail not been fully tested. There was, at pre-
sent, but one joint-stock bank in existence, and it was
upon the precedent of this one bank that the Govern-
ment proposed the present Bill.
Mr. FORBES said that he formed one of a deputation
who waited upon the heads of the Government upon this
question. He stated upon that occasion that he would
oppose the Bill to the utmost of his power. He had
gone to Scotland, thinking that this Bill had been given
up, and that the labour of the session was over ; to his
surprise, he saw that the Bill was about to be revived,
and he hastened up to London, for the purpose of op-
posing the further progress of the Bill.
Mr. STUAIetT objected to a Bill of so much im-
portance being brought forward at the present
period of the session. The Bill was introduced last
session; it was not then proceeded with, but it was pro-
mised by the then Chancellor of the Exchequer that the
Bill should be brought .forward at an early p?riod of the
present session. By this period the suspicions of the
people had been lulled. He would most strenuously re-,
sist this mode of smuggling Bills through the House.
He called upon the House to pause before they passed
the Bill. There were now only two or three Scotch
Members in town, who were alone supposed to be ac-
quainted with the subject, All of theta objected to this
Bill being proceeded with at this late period of the ses-
sion. He did not believe that a single English Member
had read through the whole fifty clauses of the Bill, and
understood their application to Scotland. If the House
passed the Bill in this manner, he charged the Hon.
Members with a gross neglect of their duty.—(lronical
cheers.) It had been stated by the present and former
Chancellors of the Exchequer, that they had received
deputations from Scotland upon the subject of this Bill.
But those deputations consisted exclusively of Scotch
bankers, who wished to establish a monopoly for
themselves. The Members for Scotland declared against
the Bill, and it would be indecent to press it forward
under the circumstances of the case. The bequest of
the late Government to the present of this Act was a
bequest of a monopoly. He did consider that they
would expose themselves to serious reprobation if they
proceeded with the present measure. It had been too
much the habit of the Legislature at the ends of a ses-
sion to crowd the statute books with Acts not properly
discussed nor even properly worded, and the people of
England would not suffer such conduct ; he would,
therefore, support the motion of his Hon. Friend.
Sir GEORGE CLERK said that he had listened
with great attention to the speech of the Hon. Member,
but not one word against the principle of the Bill did he
hear during the whole of his discourse. The only point
he made was that the House was taken by surprise.
Now, he asked the House was such the case ? The Bill
had been before the public since the commencement of
the session, and there were only four petitions presented
against it. Why, if it was detrimental to the people of
Scotland they were sufficiently awake to their own inte-
rests to cover the table of the House with petitions
against it, but such had not been the case.
Mr. FORBES explained.
Mr. HUME said it was no wonder that the Hon.
Member did not enter into the merits of the Bill, for it
did not possess any, and he would undertake to prove
that such was the case.
The Committee then divided, when there appeared—
For the clause. 53
Against it

Majority

,o_

The remaining clauses of the Bill were then agreed to,
and the report ordered to be brought up to-morrow.
The Rateable Property (Ireland) Bill, the Eject-
meats (Ireland) Bill, and the Leases (Ireland) Bill went
severally through Con:in:due-.
ART UNIONS BILL.
This Bill was read a third time.
CONSOLIDATION FUND (4,000,0GOL) BILL.
This Bill went through Committee.
BATHS AND WASIIiIOUSES (IRELAND) BILL.
This Bill went through Ciliviiittee.
SUGAR DUTIES.

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER, in
reply to a question from Mr. Hume, said that the first
business proceeded with to-morrow uould be the reso-
lutions on the suzar duties.
- NEWFOUNDLAND BILL.

On the motion of Mr. HAWES this Bill was read a
;hird time and pascetl.
BURIAL SERVICE (No. 2) BILL.
This Bill passed through Committee, and was ordered
to be read a third time to-morrow,

The other orders of the day were then disposed of,
and the House adjourned at a Quarter past Eleven
o'clock,

LITERATURE.

THE MODERN ORLANDO. Cantos I. to VII.
Very recently we have had the satisfaction of
noticing a revival in the appreciation of poetical
literature, or possibly we should have said a re-
vival of poetical excellence among our contem-
porary bookniene Both. have been singularly mani-
fest of late : excellence in the writers, generous
appreciation in the readers. For a considerable time
there had been an actual decadence on both sides—a
decadence of originality and nerve in the bards, and a
consequent decadence of enthusiasm in the public. And,
saving one illustrious exception, there had been an abso-
lute hiatus in the history of English poetry. Campbell,
after a protracted silence, was dead. The poet laureatewas
the more venerable from that inactivity of the pen which
concentrated the attention of his admirers upon the
effusions of his youth. Southey had dwindled into im-
becility and died. " The tenth muse" wrote but little,
and at long intervals. James Montgomery had alto-
gether vanished from the observation of the world.
Robert Nicoll edited a provincial newspaper, and
breathed his last with the feeblest mockery of sympathy
from his fellow men. Robert Browning falsified the
promises of his first composition, and disappointed the
few who hoped to become his admirers. Buliver's
" Eva ; or, The 111-omened Marriage" was treated
slightly, and justly so, because it was unworthy of his
genius. Of dramatists, there was indeed no positive
deficiency while Sheridan Knowles and the author of
Money continued industrious; and while Talfourd was
still in the full vigour of his intellect. But of poems for
the closet there was either nothing, or something pos-
sibly even worse than nothing. Macaulay's " Lays of
Ancient Rome" possessed, it is true, a golden beauty,
but they were merely of the loosest description of
poetry ; they were fragments of music. A few occa-
sional pieces of verse were also thrown from the press,
intermittently, by Mr. Milnes, Ebenezer Elliot, Thomas
Miller, and others There were, however, two volumes
published during this period which gradually acquired
for themselves the admiration of the multitude, unpuffed,
almost unnoticed by the critics, and scarcely aided
through the medium of advertisements. Nor did they
acquire for themselves merely the idle admiration of the
multitude, they charmed even the most fastidious minds,
and grew upon the partialities of cotemporary men of
letters. They were welcomed with a heart enthusiasm
by a few, like those dainty poems written long ago by
Hood ; they euntained lyrics, also, which soon became
as familiar headings to the chapters of a new novel as
the lyrics composed by Barry Cornwall in his younger
days ; they were placed on the book-shelves side by
side with the " Lamle" and the " Hyperion" of Keats.
These were the two volumes by Alfred Tennyson. The
Government under Sir Robert Peel's administration has
since then held out a boon to poets in pensioning Alfred
Tennyson. We are rejoiced at this for a hundred
reasons, but especially because it will act as an encou-
ragement. AlreadY we would fain believe a change is
developing itself 04 what is commonly called "the. world
of letters." Aspirants for poetical honours are starting
forth, and with a prospect of receiving a generous wel-
come, if they merit such a reception. People are be-
ginning to see now that it is as frivolous and childish to
condemn a book merely because its covers are not worm-
eaten or its leaves mildewed, as it is to reject foreign
corn and foreign cattle because they happen to be
foreign. Foremost amongst those poetical aspirants is
the author of " The New Timon," and upon his merits
and demerits we have already explained ourselves at
considerable length. In the volume now lying before
us, we observe a new aspirant for the same favour.
" The Modern Orlando," in its very title, is suggestive
of the work last mentioned. Like " The New Timon,"
it is also anonymous. Like " The New Timon,"
it is of a satirical character. Like " The New Timon,"
it contains some political pasquinades upon several of
our most eminent statesmen. Beyond this, no compa-
rison whatever can be drawn between these two pro-
ductions. Unlike its predecessor, " The Modern oe-
lando" has neither a plot nor a single character : it
might, for ought we can as yet perceive to the contrary,
have been christened the Modern Heliogabalus, or the
Modern Stagyrite, as " The Modern Orlando." This,
however, may be unravelled on its continuation. To
describe the work simply, we should call it a kind of pil-
grimage through a portion of the Continent (after the
fashion of " Childe Harolde"), interspersed with anec-
dotes and sarcastic reflections upon men and things.
The descriptions are conveyed in the stanza peculiar to
" Beppo," and a glorious stanza it is, too, for comic
writing, and even sometimes for pathetic. Occasion-
ally the reminiscences, or anecdotes, as we have
called them, are not suggested in the most natural man-
ner by the context ; and in two instances the anecdotes
introduced are most wretchedly be-hackneyed, having
appeared in half a dozen guide books and gone the
round of the newspapers more than once. We mean
the story of the Three Monarchs at Canto 1., stanza 43,
and of The Penitents, at Canto V., stanza 40. Never-
theless, this is not the case throughout, as the incident of
the supposed typhoon in the Indian Seas, and which ulti-
mately pi oyes to be the mercury dropping through a
crack in the barometer, is capitally told. There are,
however, two remarkable blemishes in the composition
of this poem, blemishes the more egregious, because they
are more of the manner than of the matter, and might
have been avoided by a moderate exercise of taste and
discrimination. The first is a most intolerable partiality
for italics—every stanza is sprinkled with a little shower
of them. They form not merely an eyesore in the
letterpress, but they deteriorate the piquancy of the
writing. By endeavouring to be especially forcible and
pointed, in thus putting so many of his words into
italics, he has "overshot the mark," and rendered his
composition singularly feeble. In straining so inces-
santly, his real vigour has been almost entirely frittered
away. To prove that our estimate in this respect is not
exaggerated, we have been at the trouble to count the
number of words thus nullified by italics, and in the mere
portion of " The Modern Orlando" already published,
tnere are no less than five hundred and seventy-four!
Again, there are a profusion of parentheses, sometimes
four or five in a single stanza. In these seven cantos,
there are no less than 213 ! Surely 574 instances of the
employment of italics, and 213 parentheses, in so brief a
piece of metrical composition, is sufficient to fritter away
a thousand opportunities of success. In using these very
dangerous instruments of author-craft with such reck-
lessness, the writer has not done justice to his own (or
her own) capabilities. We particularise these blemishes,
because they are so readily avoided, and because we
hope to see the continuation of "The Modern Orlando"
relieved from their incumbrance. The defect, indeed,
of the entire production is that of exaggerated hilarity;
the pleasantry of tone is so violent and pertinacious, the
"nods and becks, and wreathed smiles" remind one,froni
thidr intenseness, so much of the contortions 'produced
by galvanism, the persiflage is so unceasing, and the
witticisms are so importunate in their demands upon our
risibility, as to render the perusal of the whole literally
exhausting. The author has no lack of capacity, indeed
he (or she) has, if possible, an exuberance of it; but it
wants modulation. There is too much glare, too much
gaudy colouring, too much blazonry of conceit at
present : there is a want of subdued tones and neutral
tints. Nevertheless it is impossible, amidst so much of
extravagant sprightliness, not to light upon some few
keen and epigrammatic sentences. The author has some-
thing of the real satirist under his masquerade, and his
satire is as often genial as it is pungent: ex. gr. the sub-
joined allusion. to BroughliA Russell, Lyndhurst, and
Melbourne—
I like Br—gh—in's vigour, terseness, vehemence,
" When his fierce jests around the House he flings;
" (Provided always—not at my expense),
" His hurricane of words, shrewd wit, and bile intense.
" Jack R—ss-11 charms me, with his quiet air,
" His simple phrase, and purpose undesign'd ;
" Smooth without languor, polished without glare;
" Feeling his way, until his coil is twined;
" Then, darting all his meaning on the mind !
" L—ndh—rst's is peerage-language—proud and bold;
" Yet proud howe'er the tongue, the heart is kind ;
" (I know it, and the tale shall yet be told),
" A heart unstain'd by power—a tongue unsway'd by gold.
" Ah, M—lb—rne! pleasantest of pleasant men!
" Without an enemy, though born a wit.
" NllhnatFcaasgneindnt,shygapyiensiot
sunshineninthe Treasury den,
formed to flit?
thou would'st have spoil'd thy style,
" Grown statesmanish, and never o
o
cc
' s Apolloix
months saved t ee from the fate of Pitt.
Inmore,
" Nay, parted with (if possible) thy
w hesmile
nmhe humours a
ys that_ almost
" Earth's a teetotum whirls old Mammon's finger spins ! "
osrteaotev,earnhelasyteonree,in
peaNwirdly the
sparkle both
estimeinster's old pile."
aoHmisonAuceonnwndt nseseeltsieotspstlavininintd. oFfo r instance
asatirical
or again where he calls—
"—• the silver sound of woman's tongue,
Life's sal ea:tile—a Lyre for ever strung !
or again where ho terms Mirabeau—
"-- the hot marrow in Rebellion's bolls p>
There are likewise discoverable in several parts expres-
uesa
inquiry
uh rie di
no c— u h
fs
sions of exceeding beauty, as in the couplet.—
"No Eschylus now shocks our 'fell of hair,'
Smiting the spirit whit his grand despair ! "
and a 1,5,0 in thetiss wmdenwtiliohntiojef a Twoodbilzesn porch
any merit t blushing
trail."
Wear.
few
c cannot,
eoxntrtahva. contrary,ge:,?_ b
riece
nature of diamonds—
"TellOr
me,
glitteringwhatdu
asrte
from
comets coach-wheels filed ?"
,
They are actual anomalies beside a question so nobly
conceived as the following:—
" if each nation had a Marathon,
Think you the world would vegetate with slaves ?"
There are sundry blunders in " The Modern Orlando "
which we can only attribute to a very careless and pre-
cipitate style of coraposittios. For ezeuvle, the author,
i si
a perceive
sn rec
the made a
m eiv s l
n a
cle hit;
crystalized,
y to the


when attributing the phrase (page 19), " what is written
is written," to the Turk, must have entirely forgotten
the Quod scripsi, scripsi, of Pontius Pilate. And like-
wise where he remarks (page 148), that England "never
made a glass of wine," he must have overlooked the
tact that Gloucestershire was former!), the vineyard of
this island. We must take leave, moreover, to differ from
him in the elevated estimate he gives of Beau Bruminell
in a note to Canto VI. He there considers that re-
nowned fop to have been something above a mere trifler
in fashionable life, and actually applies to him the cha-
racteristic of " genius !" We beg to call to the recol-
lection of the author of the Modern Orlando, a passage
which we remember to have met with in Martial, and
which bears very pertinently upon this matter. " Bellus
homo," says Martial—
" l3ellus homo, et magnus vis idem, Cotta, videri ;
Sett qui bellus homo est, Cotta, pusillus homo est !"
Brummell was the greatest fribble, and perhaps the
most heartless fribble that ever existed, but beyond that
possessed no other title to greatness. Indeed, we are
ready to give the aphorism of the Roman poet the
widest application, and to bow to his utterance,—qui
bellus homo est, pusillus homo est,—as something oracular.
Regarding this poem as a whole, it is faulty from its en-
deavours to be over brilliant. Its uninterrupted effort
at smartness renders it wearisome rather than entertain-
ing ; and we think that the author, in struggling to at-
tain the facetiousness of the style of " Don Juan,"
should have remembered that the excellence of that won-
derful work arose principally from its alternation of
pathos and drollery, sentiment and satire, and not from
one unflagging play of jocoseness. Notwithstanding,
however, its many glaring deficiencies, " The Modern
Orlando" evinces no inconsiderable capacity for better
things. In its very effervescence we can detect a
flavour which may mellow and ripen with practice.