The Sun.
London, England, 1846-11-23 00:00:00

, herds carolled their madrigals and the huntsmen
seemed to drink in from the pure atmosphere a na-
tural taste for song. 'But beyond this he has shown
how the greatest of all the masterpieces of poetical
art was produced in an age when knowledge was rife,
he has shown how Milton with all the obstructions of his
erudition, with all the hindrances of his accomplish-
ments, will all the drawbacks of his refined judgment,
and all the obstacles of his fastidious taste, wrote his
colossal poem and thereby achieved his unparalleled
glory. He has shown how Milton was enabled, not-
withstanding so many preventatives, to sing of the
divine magnificence of Heaven, to descend in spirit
to the realms of perdition, to paint the
loveliness of paradise, to span the abysses of
chaos. He has shown how Milton, despite the extra-
ordinary cultivation of his intellect, and the pre-
valence of learning amongst his contemporaries, was
still enabled to produce the tender lamentations of
" Lycidas ;" the fantastic, but not less moving, mask
of " Comus ;" the gladsome and sparkling " Allegro;"
the sombre and touching " Pensoroso." He has
has shown how Milton was enabled to accomplish
all this, and he has shown that he was only
enabled to accomplish it by descending from the
throne of his erudition, by resigning the armour of
gold and adamant by which his scholastic nature was
clad, by throwing aside the sceptre of science and the
crown of knowledge—and becoming for the time a
child. The reasoning employed by Mr. Macaulay in
unravelling the woof of his beautiful theory, the
adroitness with which he distinguishes between
the poetical capacity of the primitive and
civilised poet, the eloquence with which he delineates
the moral conquest gained by Milton, the historian,
the statesman, the politician, the scholar, the courtier;
over himself, are entirely disregarded by the writer
of this article upon " Poetry and Civilisation." The
latter, indeed, endeavours to appropriate to himself
the spoil of the arguments of Mr. Macaulay, and to
introduce that spoil as the result of his own
blundering hypothesis. Instead of acknowledging
that wonderful poems have been written in the
bloom of human intelligence, before nations had been
developed by civilisation, or society modulated by
morality and learning, he undertakes to show that
great poets are incompatible with any but civilised
times or highly-cultivated generations. He regards
Homer as the denizen of such times, and Thespis,
and Pratinax, and Carcinus, and Phrynichus,
and .schylus, and Sophocles. " With Euri-
pides," he observes, " both the virtue and
genius of Athens began to decline." The
effusions of Anacreon, of Sappho, and of Pindar, he
considers to be likewise those of a civilized period.
Although the Roman literature was of an intensely
imitative and plundering character, be insists that its
greatest poets were those who flourished during its
highest state of cultivation. Among these, he con-
siders Virgil, Horace, and Lucretius, to be numbered.
Juvenal is regarded as a companion to Euripedes—as
the antepenultimqtes of Roman and Grecian civi-
lisation. Upon this theory the whole ex-
tension of time would embrace the history of
the highest state of intellectual cultivation.
according to that system, the whole range of our
national history, from Chaucer upwards, has been one
protracted period of national elevation in knowledge.
We cannot perceive either the utility or justice of
such a conclusion. The notion, in fact is absolutely
preposterous. And the consequences of such a diseased'
argument is in keeping with its frivolity ; it closes
with a sweeping condemnation of the " New Timon."
In constructiveness it is very elegantly spoken of as
inferior to " the spawn of the Minerva press." Its
peculiarities of language; metaphor and incident are
mentioned in equally critical terms, and altogether a
very delightful little paragraph of abuse closes a very
long and extravagant paper. The quotation from
Feat's matchless ode to the nightingale is spoilt by
being wrongly given ; the closing couplet is—.
" That I might drink, and leave the world unseen,
And with thee fade away into the forest dim."
In some instances the language of the contributor is
most redundant, as where he speaks of flowers being
"fragrant with odoriferous perfumes." The critical no-
tice of the writings of Sir James Mackintosh is elabo-
rate and intelligent. The chronological arrangement is
admirable. An attempt to disprove the facts of
phrenology is made in this number, and to' say the
very least of it, is most ingenious. We have not the
leisure to enter into the merits of the writer's
curious and original proposal. " The Covenan-
ters in the North of Scotland," and " The Apos-
tolic Fathers," form subjects for two interest-
ing contributions. In articles entitled " Supplies
of Water," and " Popular Education," the sa-
natory elevation and moral improvement of the people
are variously considered, and when we reflect upon
the impetus which has already been given to Go-
vernment in those particulars, we should have re-
garded this Quarterly as almost incomplete without
such papers. As a whole, this number of the British
Quarterly Review is valuable.

THE REPRESENTATION OF
WEYMOUTH.

WEYMOUTH, FRIDAY.—Last night a meeting of the
Liberal electors of this borough was convened at the
Royal Hotel to receive the new Liberal candidate,
Colonel Freestun, and hear his political sentiments.
The late mayor of the borough, Mr. W. Devenish, took
the chair. _ _ _

Mr. CHRISTIE came forward amid loud cheers, and
reminded the electors that on a recent occasion he had
referred to Mr. Gordon's conduct towards himself, and
had stated at a public meeting in Weymouth that he
bad received a letter from Mr. Dodson, avowing that he
had strong reasons for believing that Mr. Gordon had
been engaged in intrigues against him (Mr. Christie),
not there, but elsewhere. He added that, for the sake
of Mr. Gordon's character as well as his own, there
should be inquiries and explanations elsewhere. He was
afterwards called on to explain, and informed that if an
explanation satisfactory to Mr. Gordon was not given,
he must resort to that which was usually understood to
be the resort on these occasions.—(Laughter.) Now he
(Mr. Christie) was not ashamed to say in that public
meeting what he said to the friend who brought him
the message, that he had long since made up his mind
that under no circumstances whatever would he be a
party to aduel.—(Ceeers.) It was a crime forbidden by
the laws of the country and the commands of God; he
considered it his duty to use his utmost influence for the
purpose of preventing others from following it, andwith
these views he had joined the London Association for
the Prevention of Duelling. But, although he would
not fight a duel, he considered it a duty to repair to the
utmost of his power any wrong that he might uninten
tionally have committed, and he therefore placed himself
in the hands of an experienced and discreet friend, Sir
Denis le Marchant, who, being of opinion that the
words amounted to a charge against Mr. Gordon,
he (Mr. Christie) made the amende honorable in the
following words, which he sent to Mr. Gordon:—
" Mr. Christie, having placed himself in Sir Denis le
Marchant's hands, and finding that he views the words
extracted by Mr. Gordon from Mr. Christie's speech as
amounting to a charge of intriguing elsewhere, feels
bound to take upon himself the responsibility which Sir
Denis le Marchant attaches to the words, although he
bad no intention of making a charge, and he therefore
readily states that he had no sufficient ground for the
charge, and expresses his regret that he should have
used words which had that effect."
The Hon. Member then adverted to the part he took in
Parliament last session. He was a friend to the poor-
laws, and believed the principles of the Poor-law Amend-
ment Act to be sound, Just, and benevolent ; but the ad-
ministration of it by the present Commissioners had been
as bad as it could be—(Hear, hear)—and he believed
the Weymouth Union would afford an illustration even
as strong as that of Andovar of the necessity of summary
removal of men whe had so abused their trust. The
Hon. Member concluded by recommending Col. Freestun.
Colonel FREESTIIN thea stood forward, and shortly
addressed the electors in a speech in which he avowed
himself a staunch supporter of the present Government.
He was, he also said, an advocate for a searching inquiry
into and revision of the Poor-laws.
The meeting was afterwards addressed by Mr. Tasker,
Mr. Robens, Admiral Ferris, and Mr. Raggett.
Resolutions pledging the meeting to support Mr.
Christie and Colonel Freestun at the next election, were
carried.

CONDITION OF THE JEWS.—WAItsikw,NNov. B.
Eighty Jews, headed by their Rabbi, arrived recently at
Warsaw, to request the governor to allow them to retain
their costume. They were taken to the police, where
their beards were shaved off and their long hair cut,
and then sent away. Tbey demanded their beards
tiedhair,
r they,
menya,tdhheeoitwro
ebpvaueyrrying-ground, but this
:
received the barber's
wasbill l ,
wr toehf
iuesphel
let
he them
tehye mw e;
THE GOVERNMENT INSPECTOR-GENERAL OF RAIL-
WAYS.—A correspondent informs us that Major Genera
Pasley has ceased to be the Government Inspector-
General of Railways, and that Captain Coddington, the
present deputy-inspector, will, in all probability, be the
gallant General's successor.—Morning Paper.
THE LATE TUNNEL ACCIDENT AT PERTH. We
noticed the week before last a serious accident which
had taken place on the Tuesday previous, at the tunnel,
from the falling in of the roof. The body of the work.
man then supposed to be entombed among the rubbish
was found on Friday, and from appearances his death
must have been instantaneous. He was an Irishman.
On the same day another of the sufferers died in the in
firmary. The others injured on the same occasion art-
convalescent.—Perthshire Courier.
PORTRAIT OF SHAIESPERE•—A picture which is
believed by some, well qualified to judge, to be a con
temporary portrait of the great bard, has come into the
possession of the excellent Bishop of Ely. It was found
in an obscure broker's shop, where nothing could be
learnt of its previous history. It has no name on it, but
cleaning has made apparent in one part, " At. 39, 1603,"
which agrees with the age of Shakspere in that year.
We have not yet seen the picture, and cannot at once,
atter so many disappointments, give implicit credence
to the statement; what we know, however, of those who
have examined the portrait, and of the judgment of the
Right Rev. Bishop himself, induces us to believe it will
e. found correct, and that a great discovery has indeed
been made.—The Builder.
TROTTING MATCH FOR 401.—0 n Friday the trot-
ting match of two miles between Mr. Baker's horse, of
Westminster, and Mr. Reynoldson's mare, of Edmonton,
,vas decided in the Seven Sister's Road, Tottenhate
The mare won easily, and accomplished the two miles
'fader befell minutes,