The Sun.
London, England, 1859-07-04 00:00:00

TILE MAGAZINES,

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Blackwood's Magazine.
It will be remembered by the readers of
Maga that in the last number some severe cen-
sures were passed upon Lord Macaulay for
stereotyping in his brilliant pages some unjust
attacks upon the conqueror of Blenheim. The
same writer now proceeds to censure the eminent
historian on very opposite grounds, though the
error he charges him with arises probably from the
same cause—a strong personal bias, and a tendency
towards the rhetorical
.pleadings of an advocate
rather than the calm impartiality of a judge. He
who weighs the actions and criticises the motives
of the dead, should bring to his task something of
the sense of responsibility, the careful deliberation
and the patient investigation of both sides, that we
look for in him who adjudicates upon the destinies
of the living. It is no light thing to disparage or
degrade an eminent name, though its owner has
mingled with the dust ; neither is it a matter of
indifference that the State
_crimes of kings and

governors should be disguised or plausibly excused
to gratify a personal admiration. The charge
which the critic brings against Lord Macaulay is
that in his partisanship of William the Third, he has
endeavoured to explain away his sanction of the
Glencoe massacre. The gifted essayist does not indeed
degrade his eloquence or insult his readers by at-
tempting to palliate the treachery and massacre it-
self. On the contrary, he speaks of it in terms of the
strongest indignation ; but he turns his wrath upon
secondary actors in the tragedy, and resolutely
tries to defend the King's signature of the order
which says " If Man of Glencoe and that trybe
can be well separated from the rest, it will be a
proper vindication of the public justice to extir-
pate that sect of thieves." Leaving this paper,
we come to a mystical story, entitled " The
Lifted Veil." The idea is somewhat original,
and, if clothed in a simpler and more practical
form, might have carried an effective moral with
it. The hero of the story is afflicted with the
mysterious power to foresee certain scenes and
crises in his own life, and also to know what is
passing in the minds of others. These faculties,
so often wished far, bring to, him nothing but deso-
lation and despair. He sees the littleness and
selfishness of all about him—he sees his wife's
evil nature and hatred of himself, and life be-
comes a misery to him. He knows the coming
events, but cannot alter them, and he has at length
the bitter consolation of foreseeing his lonely
death. Had the story been less dreamy and
rhapsodical, had the poisoning and resuscitation
been omitted, and the wife made a mere ordinary
selfish, heartless woman, the story would have been
more life-like, and we think more effective. How-
ever, it will doubtless please readers who admire
the abstruse and the horrible, and it carries a warn-
ing with it to those who would add the weight of
to-morrow to the burden of to-day. " The Luck
of Ladysmede" continues, and the story advances.
" Sentimental Physiology" is the title given to a
criticism on Michelet's work, " L'Amour," which
truly deserves the name. Physiology and Psycho-
logy appear likely to add to the list of those sub-
jects which are analysed with such absurd minute •
ness, and discussed with such elaborate exaggera-
tion, that the real truths which underlie the extra-
vagant superstructure are lost sight of, and few un-
initiated people have quite as clear ideas on the topic
as they had when thetorrent of discussionbegan. The
novels of Jane Austen are reviewed at some length,
the critic affording her a high place in her art,
though he does not rank her among the first
novelists. The perfection of the art with which
she pour rayed ordinary and commonplace indivi-
duals is, he thinks, her great claim to admiration ;
and though all may not agree with his estimate of
her powers, few will deny flat in this respect her
delineations are wonderful. A political article on
the change of Ministry need not he expected to
show much mercy to the Coalition Cabinet. When
their own partisans and followers cannot conceal
the dissensions in the camp, it is not to be ex-
pected that their opponents will be more generous.
But, in truth, this article in Blackwood is not re-
markable for its advocacy of the late Government.
It expresses the opinion very generally felt among
impartial and clear-sighted observers—an opinion
which we ourselves, though of opposite politics to
Maga, have not hesitated to declare—that the pre-
sent Government, without a connected party or a
declared code of principles, displaced the late Ad-
ministration on untenable grounds. After recalling
with succinctness and correctness the events of the
late crisis, the author concludes with a prophecy
which is just now somewhat general:—
" This new Coalition cannot last, It contains within
itself the seeds of its own speady dissolution. The two
years which, to its own great detriment and humiliation, the
nation accorded to the Coalition of 1852, will with this new
Coalition be considerably shortened. The Russian war was
the natural consequence of the former Coalition : who can
fully tell what will be the ultimate consequence of the pre-
sent one? When Lord Derby was expelled by the Liberal
factions in December, 1852, the Czar Nicholas rejoiced, sent
his congratulations to his ancien asi the. t'remier, and be-
gan to get his troops in hand for tue invasion of Turkey.
When the factions again triumphed, three weeks age, the
French and Russian ambassadors openly rejoiced as they
descended from the gallery of the house; and Louis Napo-
leon has already, doubtless, sent his congratulations to the
author of the Conspiracy Bill on his restoration to power.
But the British public regard the new regime with coldness
and suspicion. The new Ministry, it is true, are Liberals,
and their predecessors were Conservatives; but it is some-
thing deeper than party-politics that now occupies the mind
of the nation. On the memorable night of the 10th ultimo,
when the Ministry had been defeated and the house was
breaking up—even at that late hour crowds thronged every
avenue'to the house; and for whom did those crowds re-
serve their special marks of favour ? Disraeli, the fallen
Minister, the representative of the defeated Government,
was loudly and warmly cheered : while Lord John Russell
was hissed I The time has gone by when the public will be
blindly led by party-names ; and a critical period has com-
menced in the history of this country, when the nation will
refuse to tolerate the triumph of heterogeneous factions at
the expense of the public good. Lord Derby retires from
office honoured by an extraordinary mark of his Sovereign's
favour, and two others of the Cabinet have been justly dis-
tinguished by unusual proofs of the Royal esteem. The
country ratifies that verdict of approval. The Factions
triumphed by a stolen success. The Ministry was expelled
without being heard. But :the truth is already , becoming
better known ; and we are confident that ere a year elapse
the Coalition will have ended in disgrace."

Dublin University Magazine.
A new story, under the title of " Artist and
Craftsman," is commenced in this number. Its
author appears to possess a sincere love of nu,
and a full appreciation of its high aim and
purpose. The heroine is a young girl, the
child of an English father and an Italian mother,
who, possessing unusual musical abilities and force
of character, resolves to devote herself to an artistic
career. The Rev. Dr. Hincks criticises the merit
and demerits of " Bunsen's Egypt" with some
severity, contradicting his assei Lions, disproving
his statements, and refuting his logic. The fifth
of the series f University Essays is by the Vela.
Archdeacon Rowan, and selects the curious subject
of " Luther's Devil-Talk." The writer takes some
pains in answering the ridiculous charges brought
against the memory of the great Reformer by Bos-
suet, Ulenberg, and others. He gives copious ex-
tracts from the work referred to both in the original
German and in English. In discussing the sub-
ject, he observes that the form into which Luther
threw his arguments was scarcely judicious. " The
keenness and severity of his irony was probably
lost on the coarser apprehensions of the age in
which it appeared, while the calumniators of every
age since have grasped at the pretext for repre-
senting the writer as having been literally the
devil's scholar." He remarks, however, that
allegory and veiled satire was the style of the time
in which he wrote. Archdeacon Rowan enters
upon the question " as a point of literary inquiry
rather than of theologic controversy," and argues
without the acerbity too often found in discussing
such subjects. A new volume of poems, by Mr.
James Orton, author of the " Enthusiast," receives
an encouraging, but at the same time a discrimina-
tive, criticism. " Volunteering—New and Old"___
is the title of an entertaining paper on the rifle
corps movement of the present day, and similar pro-
ceedings fifty or sixty years ago, . "An address to
the people of the British Isles,' which is given, is
cited as "strangely applicable to the circumstances'
of the present moment. With the alteration of a
couple of lines it might have appeared in the Times
a week ago ; and as a historical parallel, a com-
modity just now so much in vogue, it is highly in-
teresting." Among the numerous letters and rhymes
and reasons, some of which show more patriotism
than literary ability, we find one which appeared
in The Sun newspaper on the 29th of September,
1798. It was signed "A Loyal Volunteer," and
cast invidious reflections on "The First_ Batta-
lion of Liverpool Independent Vo.lunteers." Great
was the wrath which this epistle excited in
the colonel, major, and other officers of the_ corps,
and we commend the reader
ffto learnt_
efirrom indig-
nation article in question the direful
Junius.e ectsA of h
private
personalt i the offending
career
firstsketch
Duok_fe
oe
he
_ of t
Buckingham is worth perusal. It leaves the con-
sideration of his career as a statesman, for details of
his private life. The writer, admitting his errors,
submits that he is not to be entirely judged from
the verdict of the contemporaries who were full of
envy at the success of the court favourite, and con-
siders that he had seine noble qualities, while the
circumstances of his education and subsequent
career may plead some excuse for his errors. The
thirty-sixth exhibition of the Society of British
Artists is noticed at some length ; but the general
opinion of the critic is not very favourable.
Charles Lever's story of " Gerald Fitzgerald, the
Chevalier," is brought to an abrupt termination.
The concluding instalment consists of two pages,
which relate an interNiew between Marietta
Fitzgerald and the Fra, who is proved to be O'Kelly,
the associate of the Chevalier's unfortunate father,