The Sun.
London, England, 1833-12-02 00:00:00

THE BRITISH MAGAZINE.

This is what it announces itself to be, a
monthly register of religious anti ecclesiastical
information, parochial history, and documents
respecting the state of the poor, progress of edu-
cation, &c. Somewhat intolerant Church of
England doctrines appear to prevail in it, which
is one reason, among others, why we do not
take it up with great pleasure. It is, however,
as we said before, what it professes to be.

FRASER' S MAGAZINE.

The gallery of Literary Characters in Fraser

this month, contains a queer portrait of a
queerer genius, Grant Thorburn to wit, who, we
have been given to understand, is the original of
Galt's Laurie Todd, and is now in England,
busily engaged in drawing up an authentic memoir
of his own life. A more singular figure than
this gentleman presents in the portrait before us,
we never yet set eyes on. Hood should have
borrowed him for his Comic Annual. His face
is that of a methodist parson ; the cut of his
great coat is the ate plus ultra of the " wild
and the wonderful ;" and his legs, particularly
the lower portions of them, look just like a
couple of parentheses placed back to back. We
have great expectations from the autobiography
of this original, who (if his portrait speak truth)
must be as great a curiosity as the hitherto unri-
valled Simpson. " Household Servants" is a
useful treatise, which should be read with at-
tention by all family folks. We extract an
anecdote for their edification :
"The following anecdote, which was told me a few
days since by my own tailor, shows the animus of these
men. A gentleman, in Regent's Park, taking a fancy to
some pieces in a tailor's shop-window, went in and
ordered a suit of clothes, although he had not dealt there
before. When the garments were brought home, they
were approved and paid for. As the tailor was making
his exit through the hall, the butler accosted him and
demanded the usual per centage, which the tradesman
refused, stating that the articles were made for ready
money on the lowest terms, and that his profits would not
admit of any deductions. " Very well," said the butler,
" I'll take care that you bring no more of your rubbishing
cloth to this house." A few days subsequently to this
threat, the gentleman called on the tailor to complain that
the cloth was damaged, as it had given way in several
places, as if the fabric of it were rotten. The tailor, on
examination, found that it had all the appearance of
having been pulled with great violence in several places
to effect slight rents in it ; and lie succeeded in convincing
the gentleman of the soundness of the cloth, and that
unfair play had been resorted to—informing him, at the
same time, of the butler's threat, because he would not
submit to extortion."

" Sartor Resartus" is an extraordinary com-
pound of metaphysical shrewdness and absurdity.
Speaking of the cutting out of cloth, the author
says—" every snip of the scissors has been re-
gulated and prescribed by ever-active Influences,
which doubtless to Intelligences of a superior
order are neither invisible nor illegible." How
comforted must Nugee feel himself by this
magniloquent assertion ! How delighted to
think that when he next cuts out a pair of
Inexplicables for Lord Ellenborough, he will not
be fulfilling a mere vulgar mechanical task, but
o
" re-
gulatedn e of a
and superiorpresemysteriousprescribed"
b Intelligence,ysuperu atur a l
Influ-
ence ! We could have had no conception that
there was so much high philosophy y necess.ar • to
make a good tailor. Henceforth we shall look
upon the craft with the same mysterious awe
a have alwaysng bills. been
4 Mephistophelest h habi t of
Politicus" is a lively political satire."
lwoiotkh i nwgh nwe theirl

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF GARDENING.
A very agreeable publication, embellished with
many delightful sylvan sketches, which the eye
rests on with pleasure at this unaracious season
of the year. Mr. Loudon, the editor, is a
gentleman who not only understands but feels

his subject, and invests it with all the freshnes
of novelty. His details of Roman, Italian, and
Dutch gardening are full of curious matters of
intelligence, lightly and gracefully touched, with-
out an atom of learned pomp or prolixity.
Hence he is as attractive a writer as Gilbert
White, of Selborne.