The Sun.
London, England, 1833-10-23 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

HISTORY AND DESCRIPTION OF
MODERN WINES.—LONDON, 1833.
A Treatise on Wines ! Sure never was a
more inspiring theme. It inflates the imagina-
tion like a balloon ; peoples it with a crowd of
historical, poetic, legendary, and convivial associa•
tions. It bids us think again of Bacchus and
his return from the East, as we see the " jolly
God" reeling from his chariot on Titian's
breathing canvas; of Silenus, dreaming of a full
flagon by the sea-shore ; of Orpheus and the
Bacchantes ; of Swing Thais and her incendiary
" royal feast for Persia won," at Persepolis ; of
drunken Polypheme and his one eye ; of Ana-
creon and his Chian wine ; of Horace and his
Falernian, which he never grudged to a friend
who dropped in to take " pot-luck with him ;" of
Hafiz and his Shiraz ; of Panurge and his
Voyage to the Holy Bottle ; and—last not
least—of Falstaff and his sack, Bardolph and
his brandied nose, Justice Shallow and the
" chimes at midnight !" The art of tippling
and the associations connected with it, are
among the oldest and best on record. It was
the first art practised after the Deluge ; it will be
the last, we doubt not, before the Millennium.
It is humanity's universal religion. A thousand
varying creeds, a thousand varying forms of
devotion, have had their day and passed, but the
worship of the jolly son of Semele is still as
flourishing as ever throughout the universe. In
vain Temperance Societies set their faces against
such pagan idolatry. Humanity is here a Me-
thodist, and will not have its faith shaken.
And why should it ? Without wine, life were
more insipid than Lord Londonderry's best
jokes. It is the spur to wisdom—the soul of
wit--the wet-nurse of love—the right hand of
friendship—the only physician that can " minis-
ter to a mind diseased." How could Blackstone
ever have written his Commentaries without a
bottle at his elbow ? How could we ever have
read them without the same assistance ? Wine
is the very salt of life.
So thinks Mr. Redding, at least if we may
judge from the way in which he has treated his
inspiring theme. He is drily learned, it is true,
at times ; occasionally diffuse, and occasionally
evincing too marked a predilection for the
didactic ; but when he comes to enter fully on
his subject; when he talks to us about Cham-
pagne; initiates us into the fragrant mysteries of
Burgundy ; rambles with us along the banks of
the Rhine, and bids us take a peep at the im-
perial vineyards of Hungary ; nothing can be
more exhilarating than his gossip, or more per-
tinent than his historiettes. Of the ancient
wines he tells us, in a well-written preface, a
queer anecdote. The old Greeks, it seems,
were in the constant habit of adulterating
them with " sea water, pitch, rosin, cypress,
bitter almonds, and tar." What stomachs they
must have had ! Conceive Anacreon discussing
two bottles of such a villanous compost !
Drinking the health of his mistress in tar !
Hob-a-nobbing with his friend Periander over a
glass of pitch—just as if he meant to hocus
him Well does Mr. Redding observe, " A
child will drink pure wine, but not wine and
pitch—the last is an acquired taste." So we
should conceive. Notwithstanding its truth,
we are almost sorry at having read this anecdote.
It has dispelled a world of convivial illusions.
Henceforth, when we think of Chian or Massic
wines, it will be i❑ connection with a dock-
yard. That horrid pitch and tar, to say nothing
of the salt water, has fairly Lurked our enthu
siasm. Such is the sacrifice men must some

mes make to truth.
Of modern wines Mr. Redding gives a far
more attractive account. And first let us hear
him on Champagne. This was long considered
inferior to Burgundy, till the School of Medicine
at Paris, after discussing the comparative merits
of the two tipples for " a hundred and twenty
years," gave a verdict in favour of the former,
which, we believe, is recognized as sound, con-
stitutional law even to this day. '' The oldest
anecdote," adds Mr. Redding,
" Which the French possess relative to the ex-
cel'ence of this wine, dates as far back as 1397
when Vincesilaus, king of Bohemia and the Romans, on
coming to France to negociate with Charles VI., arrived
at Rheims, and having tasted the wine of Champagne, it
is to be presumed for the first time, spun out his diplomatic
errand to the longest possible moment, and then gave up all
that was required of him, in order to prolong his stay,
getting drunk on Champagne daily before dinner."
If anything could excuse breach of duty on
the part of an ambassador, this could. What
monarch could have the heart to be angry with
a Minister whose only " delicate infirmity" was
a love of Champaign ? The temptation jus-
tified the delinquency. It was not in diplomatic,
scarcely in human, nature to resist it. Would
that Lord Palmerston or Prince Talleyrand had
half as handsome an apology to make for their
delay in the settlement of Belgium 1. It is not
the best Champaign, says
~Mr. Redding, that
effervesces the most. This will be news to half
the gentlemen about town who give dinners. On
the subject of Burgundy our author is eloquent
and full informed. He bids us taste its flavour—
makes us smack our lips at his dessriptions.
Speaking of Hermitage, he tells us—
" Tradition says, that an inhabitant of the town of
Condrieu determined to turn hermit, and established his
cell on au uncultivated hill near Tain. He amused his
leisure hours by breaking the stones and rocks to pieces
which surrounded his dwelling, and planting among them
some vine slips from Condrieu, they succeeded to admi-
ration. His example was copied by others, and the
sterile hill was soon converted into a vineyard. The
good taste of the monks in wine has hen al re idy rem irked
in other places. Thus to the hypocrisy of the mortifiers
of the flesh do we owe some of the choicest delicacies of the
taste."

This discovery does credit to the priesthood.
It is the most valuable they ever made. But
monks and parsons have always been orthodox
authority on such matters. We accept their
discovery of Champaign as an amende honora-
ble for their discovery of gun-powder. The
Rhenish wines give rise to some of Mr. Red-
ding's best descriptions. Though on the whole
he considers them inferior to those of France,
yet he has not the heart to speak disparagingly of
them. No. He assures us they are light,
wholesome, and mirth-moving. Of the Hunga •
riaa wines he speaks " more in sorrow than in

anger," as one who would fain praise, but
cannot, to the extent fashion may demand'
The Imperial To kay he considers over•
rated—as most Imperial things are apt t°
be. Yet it sells in Vienna at twelve guineas
per dozen, possibly in consequence of its name.
See, what it is to be " Imperial 1" Talking If
the Cape wines, our author expresses himself
in no very measured terms of contempt. He doe;
justice, however, to Constantia, for which 'le
are grateful, for it. might redeem a worse wine
colony than even the Cape of Good Hope. 1,11
its luscious sweetness, this fine beverage rerninus
us of a lady's lips. We never taste it, but 'cc
think we are drinking a kiss! Glorious ass°.
ciation T. Sure a bottle of Constantia was Ill;
" holy bottle" which Panurge made such a Very
ous voyage to purchase ! For the rest of the
Cape wines, a single sentence will suffice. Tlic":1
are dry, thin, and acid, fit only for sour °'i
maids, crabbed critics, and splenetic bachelor!'
No good Christian can possibly say a word io
their behalf. As well might lie be enthusiastic
on small beer.

We have little need to recommend Mr. Rej
ding's book. It will soon find its way ant'
general circulation. It is light, graceful, piritolit'
conveying information in a pointed, good
humoured style. The embellishments are for
pily appropriate. In one we have the j°lll
vintage feast; in another, the dance, or rather
reel, of a frolicsome lad and lass, with a bottle
(no doubt empty) at their feet ; in a third,
little tipsy Bacchus, the very emblem of
and good fellowship ; in a fourth, Don Quixoteg
adventure with the wine-bags, with a gloric)°;
Sancho grinning behind the door; in a fifth,
picturesque sketch of some Atlantic islands, see
ti
through the arch of a vineyard ; and in a sixth, ti
sour, grim Indian Bacchus, who looks just likeo
vinegar-cruet, and as if he never drank anythil
better—God help him !—than stale cider. A
together, the book is the best of the sort we I'3°'
yet seen, and cannot but succeed, for it apPOl5
to the universal sympathies of humanity.

MARLBOROUGH-STREET.-(THIS DAY')

Six young men, Polish refugees, were charged before )lit
CONANT, with assaulting several females, and creating a r'o
between one and two o'clock this morning. e
It appeared from the evidence of several policemen of
C division, that at half-past one o'clock this morning, tw°64,
the defendants were seen assaulting a female, in Bear-Str
Leicester-square, without any provocation, and in the ;3
wanton manner; they then passed on, and being wateo
by a policeman were seen to commit similar assaults Urej
other females. The policeman interposed, and being 0131i!t0
to spring his rattle for assistance, a number of persons came
the rescue of the two assailants; it was stated that t"_eo
were above 20 foreigners engaged in the affray; several policewilej
came up, and it was not until a severe struggle had en h,
that the police succeeded in capturing the six defendants, f die
were immediately conveyed to the station-house. Tvi° °hero
defendants were sworn to have assaulted the police ; tw°°oot
were actively engaged in the riot, and the other two wer-
so active, but were drunk.
The defendants, through the medium of the only OPe atiJ
could speak English, denied the assault upon the females'
so,
said that they only touched one woman, and that was by
cident. bPI

Mr. CONANT strongly reprobated the misconduct which
been described, the more particularly as it was committecl:i',
those who were receiving the charity of the people a t'
country. 4e,
A female stepped forward, and said that three of the
eri
fendants lodged with her, and that they were persons of a C
quiet and peaceable demeanour. They each received 198'
week from the alien office.
been
drunkC o N srtoT
boer c
dl rs ecdh
otrhgeodt
aos wh
oh os
uwpeproes
eod n yit swornwou t
would
tie
fi9.
less to inflict the usual fine of ss. upon them, and the other
four to find bail.