The Sun.
London, England, 1835-11-18 00:00:00

work now before u;; but, be he who he may, his

book will undoubtedly become popular. It contains
sketches of no fewer than one hundred Members who
figured in the House of Commons since 1830 ; and
we are sincerely of opinion that more impartial sketches,
or political portraitures in better taste, have seldom been
given to the public. The author makes no pretensions
to philosophical discernment, so that his work bears
not the slightest resemblance to Hazlitt's " Spirits of
the Age." And yet notwithstanding such an authority
to the contrary, we consider the absence of metaphy-
sical disquisitions in the sketches of contemporaries
negatively—if the expression may be allowed us—a
beauty, rather than a positive defect. It is quite im-
possible to dive into the hearts, and discover the mo-
tives which actuate the conduct of public men,
from a hearsay account of their studies, habits,
and amusements ; and therefore a contemporary
writer acts most prudently in leaving the disco-
very of causes to his readers, unless they happen to be
be so obvious as not to be mistaken.
To give our readers a correct impression of the
merits of this volume, it is necessary to quote from it ;
and that very largely. We by no means allow that
the author is correct in" his estimate of the abilities of
all the members of whom he gives sketches ; but we
are quite satisfied that his impressions are such as
would occur to any impartial and judicious observer
on witnessing their Parliamentary career, night after
night, from the gallery of the House of Commons.
Lest our well-known opinions on all political questions
should be supposed to influence us in any respect, we
we shall begin with an Ultra-Tory. After paying a
high compliment to the political consistency and un-
impeachable integrity of Sir Charles Wetherell, and
mentioning how much his exclusion from the House
of Commons was regretted by men of all parties, the
author says :
" He never opened his mouth, but the House was sure
to be convulsed with laughter. When he rose, all eyes
were invariably turned towards him : Hon. Members ex-
pected a profusion of jokes, and they were never disap-
pointed. Sir Charles's personal appearance strikingly
contrasted with his matter. Lavater would have pro-
nounced him one of the dullest and most morose of human
beings : a person meeting him in the streets would at once
infer, if any faith is to be put in physiognomy, that he was
some friar just escaped from a twenty or thirty years seclu-
sion in a convent. He usually looks sulky ; his appearance ;
is, to a stranger's mind, the beau ideal of a cynical philo-
sopher. When lashing the Liberals, and denouncing what
he terms revolutionary doctrines, his countenance darkens
with an expression of supreme scorn. His face is deeply
furrowed with wrinkles, though apparently not more than
fifty-five to sixty years of age. In person he is tall and
athletic. His complexion is dark, and his features, are
large. Nothing can daunt him, or put him out of counte-
nance. He is impervious alike to the coarsest and most
refined sarcasms which may be levelled at him—and few
men within the walls of Parliament have been the butts
of so much ridicule ; certainly none on account of their per-
sonal appearance. He was a target for every Liberal to
shoot at. His clothes are always thread-bare. I never yet
saw a suit on him for which a Jew old clothes-man would
give ten shillings. How or where he gets his wardrobe
nobody knows ; but every one has remarked that a new
suit, or even a new hat, coat, waistcoat, or trowsers singly,
was never yet seen to grace his person. I cannot think
he has a tailor ; or if he have, it is impossible Snip can ever
take his measure. His clothes always look as if made by
accident ; they never fit him. They literally hang loosely
about him. As for braces, he has an unconquerable aver-
sion to them. Whether, like the elder Hannibal towards
the Romans, he has sworn eternal hostility to what he calls
" suspenders," is not known ; but no one can doubt lie
would as soon that his neck were encircled in a halter, as
that his breeches should be adjusted by means of braces.
" Though the cause of so much laughter in others, I
scarcely ever yet knew a smile play on Sir Charles's own
countenance. I doubt much if he himself sees the wit and
humour with which his speeches sparkle ; certainly there is
not the least appearance of an effort to be witty or humo-
rous.
"He is capable of undergoing great fatigue. His
physical as well as mental exertions during the time the Re-
form Bill was in Committee, were extraordinary. Night
after night—and this, too, after being busily and laboriously
engaged all day in the discharge of his professional duties—
did he oppose every successive clause of that measure. It
was in a great degree owing to his pertinacious opposition
and much speaking,' that the debate immediately before
the memorable division at seven o'clock in the morning, was
prolonged to that unseasonable and unprecedentedly late

_,_----•

hour. That division was only one of several Whichla
taken place in the course of the previous night. Sir Charles;
on leaving the house at a quarter past seven, finding that
it rained heavily, raised his eyes towards the clouds, as a
wild duck, to use the phraseology of an Irish peasant,
would do in a thunder storm, and exclaimed, By G— if 11
had known this, we should have had a few more divisions.,
" Sir Charles is an excellent lawyer, but an indifferent
politician. His mind is incapable of grappling with anY
great national question. He has no comprehensive views
improvement in the institutions of the country is, with
him, synonymous With revolution. Established usages are
everything in his eye. To question the wisdom of oar
ancestors is in his estimation treason, both against the Con-
stitution and society, and could not be visited with too
heavy a punishment. Hence all his speeches in Parlia-
ment consisted of denunciations of Liberalism, and eulo-
' giums of things as they are !" Had Sir Charles been in
the House during the late discussions on the Church
Ireland, he would have made some rich exhibitions. After
shedding an ocean of tears over the assumed destruction
of the Irish Heirarchy, and seen in that destruction the'
extinction of ChristiLnity all over the world,—he would
have branded the Liberals with the epithets of Athe-
ists !"' " Infidels !" ' &c., and then sent one and all of
them, en masse, to a locality which shall be nameless'
amidst jokes and witticisms, which, notwithstanding the
seriousness of the charges, and the awfulness of the
threatened doom, would have made the House ring with
laughter ; for he cannot open his mouth without giving
utterance to something humorous. It is a ruling pass°
with him, which will, there can be no question, be strong
in death."

If there be anything wanted to render the above
outline perfect, we know of no man in England save
the eccentric original who could supply it. We have'
the highest personal regard for Sir Charles Wetherell,
and though we abhor his principles, we do not believe
that there is an honester man living. Of course we
speak of him as a private individual, and not ae
member of the Conservative Club, or as a candidate
for a seat in St. Stephen's.
Notwithstanding the great length to which this eV
tract has necessarily extended our notice of this work,
we have not yet half done with it. Several of the,
Author's " Sketches," are so admirably well taken, 'that
our readers will be delighted with them, and we shall
take early opportunities of giving them a place in our
columns. What we most admire is not the skill or
the taste of the author, but his sterling integrity and
general good sense. He neither sees, nor feigns to see
a necessary connexion between a man's principles, be
they what they may, and his worth as a private indi-
vidual. The Conservative and the Radical are treated,
with the same impartiality. He places the opinions '2'
both fairly before the public, and while pointing out
the way in which their professors in the House 13`
Commons assert them, carefully avoids casting ridicule:
upon either. His work will be more extensively cir
culated, and carefully conned over, than any single,
volume published within the last three years.

MUSICAL HISTORY.
London : Parker. 1835.
This is one of the most entertaining books—if 110
the most entertaining—that have appeared this season'
It is a history of Music from the earliest period to the
present time, and is the production of a writer illo.
does not merely coldly understand his subject, but enter;
into, and expatiates on it, with all the freshness to
vivacity of an ardent connoisseur. Attached to the
history, for which, of course, Dr. Burney's elaborate
work has furnished ample materials, are biographies:
of all the eminent musical composers who have &tin' •
guished themselves within the last century. Ain°ll'
these, the most interesting perhaps, certainly the 10.5/
affecting, are the Memoirs of Weber, who died 4'l:
the very spring-time of his reputation. Those Nal°.
love music, and are desirous to read of its progress
in modern times, will do well to possess themselves
of this delightful book.

MILTON'S POEMS Vol. VL
London : Macrone. 1835.
This splendid edition of the Poems of our loftiest
English bard is now complete, and has met with tl'e
success it deserves. The present volume contains V°,
engravings from designs supplied by Turner, both 0
which are executed in the best style of the art.