The Sun.
London, England, 1834-12-10 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

SIR
W. SCOTT'S PROSE WORKS. VOL. VII.
eioteMr Odell, Edinburgh. 1834.
• rC,adell has done good service to the cause of
literature
by the republication, in their present cheap,
airnodious, and elegant form, of Sir Walter Scott's
r
ose Works. Those who know this illustrious author, only
8 a poet and a novelist, know not one half of the various
P°lvers of his intellect. His learning was scarcely sur-
Phassed by his imagination, and in the wonderful facility
!lad of applying it, we know not where to look for his
equal. The edition now lying before us of his prose
nr°lls) will, when completed, include all the iniscella-
lie°lls criticisms, and memoirs, and fragments of his-
tand essays on Scottish and other antiquities, that
are scattered through upwards of a hundred different
publications. Sir Walter, it is well known, was for a
Quarterly
of years an almost constant contributor to the
rarterly Review. In its most palmy days his proli-
the Pen lent it its chief lustre. We shall never forget
delight with which we devoured at one sitting that
`lllroirable article on the " Culloden Papers," in which
the author poured forth with a prodigality that seemed
absolutely inexhaustible, and with a freshness and vi-
v°
eity of spirit that acted on his readers like a spell,
u his stores of anecdote—research—character—and
sentiment, that bore upon the wild, eventful period of
v Forty-Five. His account too of the manners of
the primitive Highlanders, with which he opened this
•1. ended essay, was to the full as fascinating, if not as
1111 posing in its style, as Gibbon's con amore, but frag-
mentary details of the nomadic habits of the Asiatic
Tartars. In the same publication appeared that gene-
'Us and discriminating criticism on Byron, which
;X•oited so much attention at the time, and can never
to be looked on as a master-piece. But not only
e Quarterly, the Edinburgh Review was also, in
1,
earlier days, assisted by Scott's indefatigable pen.
eit was, if we mistake not, who contributed the
ablest notice we have ever met with, of Maturin's
woman, or Pour et Contre." Now, all these valu-
able essays are, it seems, to be incorporated in the pre-
aent edition, which, as it contains, in addition, Sir
waiter's biographical and critical accounts of Swift
and Dryden ; his notices of the British novelists ; his
f at.famed essays on chivalry and the drama ; on Sir
'alph Sadler's State Papers, and on the early min-
strelsy of the Scottish Border ; to say nothing of his
glowing and chivalrous Life of Napoleon, which has
4'l the advantage of his latest and most careful re-
Ilsi°ns, will form the completest edition of his prose
W°'ks that has yet been projected. That the work is
Meeting with a prodigious circulation, we are not at all
"Qrprised at; for out of the twenty-four volumes, of
Which it is to consist, there is not one in which the
leader will not find something to amuse and instruct
hi
4. Scott's prose style—whatever Mr. Bulwer may
allege to the contrary—is as full of grace, ease, and
fi
exibility as it is possible to be. Even his abstrusest
'natters of information are conveyed in that free, trans-
parent manner, which at once enforces attention.
el'e is nothing stiff, dogmatical, or perplexing
uabout him. With the lore of the scholar he combines
the
polished ease of the gentleman. In fact, he is
It Can
the only voluminous author on record of whom
Can with truth be said, that he never wrote an un-
t teadable book. His very worst attempts are superior
1° the best of most other writers. The reason is this.
1
6 mixed himself up with no literary coterie ; adopted
eccentricities of thought or style ; was no pedantic,
th°istered scholar ; but took a warm, active interest in
e world about him. His prose works are a hive of
Wisdom,tit which will carry down his name to the re-
:test generation. It is something to have the works
such a man in a collected and revised form, embel-
?d also with the landscapes of Turner and other
4-rate artists, at the comparatively insignificant price
ofl
five shillings per volume !
17

OYAGE OF THE CHANTICLEER. 2 VoLs.
R. Bentley. 1834.
This work is not only interesting from the extensive
and novel nature of its scientific researches, but also
front its constant succession of incidents, which, in
some respects,
. are as romantic as any contained in
Captain
Cook's memorable fourth "and last voyage of
discovery
The expedition of the Chanticleer to the
Southern Atlantic Ocean, under the command of Capt.
lenry Foster, was undertaken by order of the Admi-
ralty, and was in every respect successful, except as
regarded the gallant officer in command, who was
accidentally drowned when proceeding to his ship in
4 canoe, near Panama. The particulars of this fnelan-
• oly event are thus given by Mr. Webster, from whose
private journals the present volumes are drawn up :
01:` The observations for the difference of longitude by the
ronometers had been made ; but the rockets fired by Lieu-
lienant Williams from Mount Algoroba, although the weather
iiati been in every way favourable, had not been seen. It was,
3,l9ever, most important that they should be observed, and
Ptain Foster determined on crossing the isthmus again, an ,
e order to make sure of seeing them, to station a party at
%Nees. Things being thus arranged, Captain Forster left
e Chanticleer on Friday the 28th a second time, and took a
tattoe on the, 28th of January, and proceded, as before, direct
°l' Panama.
" Captain Forster, on leaving the Chanticleer, was cheer-
doebaad gay; but gave me his keys, ordered me to pay his
t ts, and bequeathed various articles, which he most valued,
to friends. " It is quite right to make preparations like
t se," he said. Then, half recanting, his conversation be-
-aloe jocose.
tqs" In the morning the officers breakfasted with him, and all
ti, enthusiasm and glee. He had made particular prepara-
tio-as for going up the river in his gig, entertaining a strong aver-
T 1 to the rr rascally " can ; but on his arrival at Cha-
Vs altered his determination, and took a canoe. Lieutenant
vilidianis was again despatched with rockets to Gorgona, a
ti age on the river Charges, and as his notes contain informa-
and are connected with the melancholy event which en-
', I have again availed myself of them.
* '5 '5 * *
About five in the afternoon, the canoe having just passed
aPid, Capt. Forster suddenly rose up from the party saying
We would go and see what the man abaft was about. They
ti re reclining beneath the awning of the canoe in conversa-
-411,4s Captain Foster crept out at the after part of it. Being
ti „,ie of it, with his feet resting on the gunwale, be incau-
e:c3tY seated himself on the awning, which had no sooner re-
illtfoted his weight than it gave way, and he was precipitated
the river. The noise of his fall was heard, and Mr. Fox
111; his coxswain, Peter Veitch, instantly plunged after him.
the' their noble efforts were of no avail. The current' swept
before
rapidly from the spot where the accident occurred
,
F doefore she could be turned round to regain it, Captain
't :ter ws seen sinking, with uplifted hands, to rise no more !
al Peraished our unfortunate commander.
* * •
We were obliged to stop during the night, as the canoe-
likc;, Were unwilling to go down the river by dark. At day-
the ‘,"e proceeded down the river till I met Mr. Collinson in
aw- gig, t;-ho was then sweeping for the body. After we had
rapide for about two hours, we observed two canoes paddling
~ along . one passed without taking any particular no-
ea ttl °'r but' another man, in the canoe that was following,
me 11P, shouting t • us in English.
414)1,4', she approached- u.!''nearcr, he said in Spanish something
%el; Captain Foster ; immediately caught at it, andhaskheddhfim
lea e (supposing that as it was now days since e a l al-
Fanovered board) that the body had floated; he replied, ata p ace
Palamatio Nueva. We immediately g-,Ot down the awn-
Hhow-
everand the men stretched out with all their
144' We had not proceeded above half a mile, when „he bow-
-1111 called e9led out, Good God, Sir, there is the Captain 1' We
-the eLdiately laid in our oars, and proceeded to the spot wherb
livet7dY lay. There was an old tree that had fallen in the
uraecia:d the body of Captain Forster was lying between the
,41,,5, surrounded by Turkey buzzards.
oft "oen we examined it, we found that one of the shoes was
and that a fillet of wicker-work was made fast to the left
its't and there appeared no doubt but that some canoe had had
111.0 tew. I immediately desired the coxswain to feel for the
wiiti?tneters ; we found, however, that the right hand pocket,
off ,I,eh Captain Foster carried his own watch, had been cut
four',(lll,_e.other was left. We then felt his other pockets, and
his observation-book and purse gone. He had, how-
-1141 but
in it that could in the least benefit them, as he
vernut two or three dollars when he left Cruces, and a Go-
, aible—,ejlt hill. It was the wish of Lieutenant Austin, if pos..
.-oat the body should be towed to the ship ; but, on con-
'that Vogether, we consicitzed it in such a decayed state,
ship, _lttOlt possibly be the means
'wed particularly as the men had lately
bringing a fever into the
„:rn so much here
e„and.exposed. We therefore towed the bo,-4,‘, across to
rPosite bank, and having left the ship in a hurry, we

were obliged to dig the grave with the loose thwart and an
axe. When every thing was prepared, we placed it in the
grave, and covered it over with the union-jack.
" Having no prayer-book, we were unable to read the burial-
service ; but we reflected on the event, and considered it as a
warning to us all that, but a few days before, he was among u 3
in health and spirits, laying out plans and arrangements for his
future guidance. Alas ! how futile become all our anticipa-
tions ; for, how truly may we say, " in the midst of life we are
in death." His grave was quickly filled up, and wattled over
so as effectually to prevent any beast of prey from being able
to get at the body. The spot lies nearly half-way between
Palamatio Viejo and Palamatio Nueva. There is one lone
tree, close to the spot, on which is nailed a board with this in-
scription cut out with a knife :—' Commander H. Foster, his
Majesty's ship Chanticleer, drowned in Chagres river, Feb-
ruary sth, 1831.' We left the spot as soon as possible, and
started for the ship, which we succeeded in reaching at two
that morning."
From the period of the Chanticleer's arrival at Rio
Janeiro on its way to Cape Horn, down to its return
home, these volumes are full of incident and adventure.
The accounts, in particular, of the Hottentots, of the
storms at the Cape of Good Hope, and, above all, of
St. Helena, its rocks, and its once celebrated Long-
wood, cannot be read but with feelings of deep interest.
The residence of the Imperial Exile is now, it seems,
inhabited b) cow-herds, and his state-apartments have
been converted into barns and stables T. Mr. Webster's
reflections on this humiliating change are penned in a
worthy spirit, without the slightest parade of sensibility
or false enthusiasm. The accounts of Terra del
Fuego, often as this desolate region, the home of the
tempest, has been described, contain much that will
be novel to many of our readers. We subjoin a descrip-
tion of the Fuegian women :
" The Fuegian men are an indolent race of beings ; they
cultivate no ground, and, like the women, take little or no
exercise. The riches of a Fuegian family consist of a canoe,
a dog, and their fishing tackle. They are of a chubby appear-
ance, generally well conditioned, of moderate stature, but ra-
ther inclining to be short than otherwise. They have no
beards, and only a few short hairs on their upper lip ; they
have dark glistening eyes, with long, fine, and soft black hair ;
their teeth are white and regular, and the calves of their legs
are very small.
" The Fuegian women are rather less in stature than the
man ; they are also stouter, and have slender wrists, with ra-
ther small hands and tapering fingers. which they use with a
gracefulness not to be found elsewhere among their class in
the scale of the creation. Their habits are simple and inof-
fensive ; their general demeanour modest and becoming. They
are remarkably quick in speech, and imitated our words fre-
quently with considerable success, repeating what was said
with great rapidity. They have a filthy habit of daubing soot
and grease mixed together on their faces; they disfigure their
legs with streaks of a white pigment, the principal ingredient
of which is grease ; they also anoint their hair with a mixture
of grease and red ochre ; all of which tends not a little to ren-
der the vicinity of their persons by no means desirable. They
wear necklaces made of shells, the principal of which is
a little red snail-shell ; and their persons are also decorated
with various bone ornaments strung together. The onl) em-
blem of cleanliness which we could discover was the jaw of a
porpoise, for it appears that the minuteness and regularity of
the teeth enable them to use it as a comb, a contrivance which
cannot be considered but as highly creditable to these people.
The children are in general pot-bellied, but good looking.
" The women, as is the case with most other Indians, are
the obsequious servants of the men, their idle lords and mas-
ters. They paddle the canoe and fish, while the men in-
dolently look on ; in fact, the women perform all the laborious
duties which belong properly to their male companions. The
first canoe that came to us after our arrival was paddled by
two women, while the men in her were idly looking at us "

In taking leave of these volumes, of which, had we
had space, we would willingly have given a more ex-
tended notice, we must not omit to mention that they
are profusely embellished with engravings from designs
furnished by Lieut. Kendal, and by a map tracking
the course of the Chanticleer from England to Cape
Horn and South Shetland. The book is written
throughout in a concise and unaffected style, and is
full of valuable matter, especially to scientific readers.

THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1834/