The Sun.
London, England, 1832-11-02 00:00:00

FRASER' S MAGAZINE

Contains a double part, both of which are of
more than average merit. " Fragments by
Goethe" is a wild dreamy allegory, of which
we can make neither head nor tail. As a spe-
cimen of German fancy it is curious, but we
fear will find little favour in the eyes of maga-
zine readers. " Vincenzo Monti" is an intelli-
gent notice of some of the best productions of this
sterling Italian poet. "On National Economy"
is saturated with laudanum. The very title is pro-
vocative of a nap. We suppose the "seven sleepers"
had been reading some such article when their
eyes so miraculously closed in the " holy" cave,
" Love's Idolatry" is a pleasing snatch of verse,
" My Contemporaries," recalls some lively remi-
niscences of the first Lord Kenyon, Mr. Justice
Heath, and other renowned lawyers. The fol-
lowing may serve to amuse :
" He had no favourite at the Bar, but dealt offence
around him with the most indiscriminate impartiality,
with the exception of the late Lord Ellenborough, then
Sir Edward Law. He seemed to have selected him for
the purpose of indignity, and to raise in his person an
object en which to vent his spleen, which was frequently
redundant. At the period to which I allude, Sir Edward
Law was Attorney General of England, and a man of no
common attainments. He possessed a compass of mind fat
beyond Lord Kenyon ; talents to which his bore no pro-
portion, and learning to which he had no pretensions.
These, as well as the office which he filled, gave him a
claim to the highest respect, and entitled hies to the highest
attention. To him Lord Kenyon was uniformly assuming,
arrogant, and overbearing. The Bar saw with astonish.
ment the indignities which were daily heaped on him by
the Chief Justice. He was accustomed to affect a total
indifference to any thing addressed to the Court by the
Attorney-General, or if he noticed it, it was to bestow on
it a more explicit mark of contempt. The language in I
which he addressed him was not that of a Judge to a
member of the Bar, but delivered in the chiding or man-
datory tone of a pedagogue to his pupil. He wished by
a sneer to convey the impression that he considered him as
unworthy of attention, and by that means to lower him
in general estimation and in public opinion.
" The motives which actuated Lord Kenyon to adopt
this steady course of persevering offence, I never heard ac-
counted for : the object wholly failed. It produced no
other effect than to show the importance of rank and situa
tion to crush the energies of talent, or impede the legiti•
mate progress of abilities to the attainment of high sta-
tion. The profession did that justice to the Attorney•
General's merits which Lord Kenyon had denied to him.
They looked with anxiety to they due appreciation of them
from that quarter with whom alone it rests to confer re-
ward, and to raise merit to distinction. The appointment
of Sir Edward Law, with the title of Lord Ellenborough,
to be successor to Lord Kenyon, was hailed with proud
satisfaction by the Bar ; and the taking of his seat on the
bench of that Court, from whence he had so often re-
ceived indignity, was greeted by every member who be-
longed to it."
" Ewan M‘Gabhar," is told in the Ettrick
Shepherd's best manner. It abounds in de-
lightful incidents. " The Schoolmaster's Expe-
rience in Newgate," is a valuable document,
drawn up by an experienced man, who sees and
feels the abuses which he deprecates. A Home
Secretary might read these papers with conside

rable advantage. " A Dishoiwholesome Pro

verbs" contains some light, miscellaneous read.
ing. In the second part we find Captain Med-
win's translation of 'Echylus's noble drama, the
Clioiphori. We hope this effort will be popu-
lar, for the translator has adhered with far more
than the ordinary fidelity to the spirit of his un-
equalled original. One or two of the sternest
tragic touches, particularly where Clytemnestra
is concerned, are rendered with amazing vigour.
The address of Orestes to his guilty mother—

" 'Tis thou lost kill thyself, not i,"
Almost equals the original in its solemn ear.

nestness and pointed brevity. " Miss Edg

worth's Tales and Novels" is a just and do

quent analysis of the works of one of the first of
English novelists. We have lately (after a long
interval) re-perused the productions of this
gifted lady, and are glad to find, even with
the recollections of Scott in our minds, that

we relish her works as much, and even more than

ever. We respect her for her truth and sincerity,
and because her eloquence is the eloquence o:

nature. " Wordsworth's Poetical Works" is a

discriminating notice of a true poet (if ever t►ue
poet there were) who is now fast finding his
level, and whose sonnets are the finest things of
the sort in this or any language. We wish we
could say as much for his " Excursion," but it

is simply a sonorous sermon, whose style, like

honest Dogberry's dignity, is " most tolerable

and not to be endured."

THE METROPOLITAN.

There are some good scraps of criticism,
thrown out, as if accidentally, in the article
which stands at the head of this number, " On
Novels and Novel Reading." The estimate of
Gil Bias and Cervantes, though brief and
sketchy, is finely felt. " Scraps from the Diary
of a Traveller," are in Moore's most marked
style, full of studied prettinesses. The humour-
ous portions are the best, for here the author of
Little's Poems is always at home. His wit is
full of fire and feeling—the brilliant emanation
of a frank and cordial spirit. As a serious
writer he looks too much to effect ; thinks
too much of what " the world will say;"
languishes in dreams of sophisticated vo-
luptuousness, and dies away in elaborate
extacies. One Twopenny Post Bag is worthy
whole libraries of Lalla Rookhs. " Naval

Architecture" is a dry practical treatise, with
divers awful, arithmetical calculations thrust into
the middle of it. " The Union Repealed" is a
clever jeux d'esprit. The idea is ingenious,
'though it is too much of animitation of a clever
peep into futurity, entitled " Epitaphs in the
Primrose-hill Cemetery," which appeared some
years since in (we believe) the British Maga-
zine. We subjoin an extract :
" Methought, then, that the Repeal Act had been
passed, in virtue of agitation, and the distracted state of
the country ; or rather, to mention its more immediate
cause, in virtue of sundry speeches of a certain Irish
Member, which were such insufferable bores, that they
nightly emptied the house, put the Speaker to sleep, and
so brought the public business to a dead stand-still. I do
not exactly remember what length of time bad elapsed
since this bad happened ; but at the epoch of my dream,
the Commons were assembled in College-green, (the
bank having failed) the Lords from the first being voted a
nuisance (not, by-the-bye, without some show of reason)
the Lower House had of its own authority, cut the
painter," and declared war with England, on some dis-
agreement concerning Irish tot:amerce. They were at th
moment engaged in mooting the point, whether an em-
bassy should be sent to Aineric., or to the liberal Em-
peror of Russia, to beg an alliance offensive and defensive
with the infant republic. On some emergency, when the
Dublin garrison had been weakened by numerous detach-
mental, the Viceroy had been driven from the castle, the
Secretary had been voted a slave-beggar and a traitor, and
the city was in the hands of the separatists. The hero
of repeal, however, was unfortunately no more. From
the passing of that measure, his popularity had declined,
owing to inveterate habits of ingratitude, in which the
populace of Dublin had long been taught to indulge
towards their beat friends: and rejoicing conservatives
declared, neque cam lezjustier calla quam neeis artifices
arte petite sus. This and other circumstances had in-
due. d him to accept of the office of Chancellor of the
Irish Exchequer (as Sir Francis 'Wronghead says), " if it
be only to begin with." He was thus compelled to op-
pose the further spread of the revolution, and had conse-
quently been one day hanged by " de boys" opposite the
place where the statue of King William formerly stood.
Mr. Sh—.. had emigrated early in the revolt, as yet no
one exactly knew where. Mr. B—t..--n hail thrown off
his cassock, and represented a conservative borough in
the north, advocating the most ultra republican measures,
for the purpose (as hie friends averred) of establishing a
Protestant theocracy, of which he was to be himself the
Samuel, or (as his enemies asserted) for pushing the Papists
into excesses which would bring on a counter revolution.
Honest Jack was engaged in conducting a Parliament jour-
nal, and had a seat in the House, where he headed a small
knot of determined patriots, who stood out for the legisla-
tive independence of the four provinces, and a revival of
the throne of Brien Boru. This project was a universal
favourite. A meeting of Munster delegates had already
assembled at Cork to carry it into partial execution, in
spite of the Dublin Parliament. Lords L. and R., de-
prived, with the rest of the Peerage, of their privilege, and
stripped of their fortunes, had turned fifth monarchy
men, and were wandering about the country preaching the
nillenniutn, while their friend, L------t G. had become a
Catholic, and had entered the monastery of the Trappists.
Mr. W. bad returned to Waterford, after a vain attempt
to give a better direction to affairs, and was preparing to
anticipate the sentence of banishment, which, in reward
for former services, was maturing against him, in the tri-
bunal of public safety. N. P. L., Esq., was Chairman
of the Committee of Finance and Commerce, assembled to
recommend prohibitive duties, on foreign tea, Coffee,
sugar, and nutmegs, and to encourage the home growth ;
Ind also to carry on absolute exclusion of all foreign ma-
nufactures, except gunpowder. Mr. S r, though a
swadler and an Englishman, had been invited over and
naturalized for his pamphlet, recommending an universal
psor law for supporting every citizen of Ireland at the
public expense, and for his treatise called " Labour inde-

pendent of Capital." Doctor D. had undergone many
cissitudes. On the agitator's taking office, the Doctor
had inherited his forfeited popularity, and had been prose.
cuted for a seditious libel, narrowly escaping a conviction,
through the obstinacy of a mad Protestant tailor, who had
been smuggled into the Jury-box by the ultra-Liberals,
And was pre-determined to acquit the defendant in order
to annoy the Government. In consequence of this prose-
cution, it was proposed to elect him Vice-Pope of Ireland;
but through the jealousy of the parochial clergy, this
scheme was delayed till his popularity faded before his ♦ote
against provincial Parliaments; when he was stripped of
his pallium by an order of the House, and was then living
in great obscurity, the editor of a penny magazine."
" Chit-chat" is smart and desultory." " Letter
from Paris" is full of useful information, by a
man whose wits are hourly on the look out. The
Doctrinnaire system" is analyzed in a fine
searching spirit. " Peter Simple" is passable ;
its great defect is, that it lacks character. " News-

laper Reporting" contains some good sugges.,
ions, but they are neutralized by the splenetic,

intemperate spirit, that hangs, like a foul cloud,

on the writer's mind. " Speechifying" is sadly
puerile ; if, however, the writer be young, there
is hope for him. We take for granted he has

not yet swung clear of his teens.

THE BRITISH FARMER'S MAGAZINE.
The twenty-fifth number of this quarterly
publication has just made its appearance. It
is professedly conducted on the principle of
allowing both sides to be heard on the great
disputed questions in agricultural policy, but
there is evidently a leaning in the mind of the
conductor to the side of the corn monopolists,—
to the side of those who contend that the people
should eat no more corn than this country can
grow. Perhaps it is hardly time to expect
otherwise at present ; and it is certainly an ac-
knowledgment that the good cause has found
advocates even among farmers, to give, or even
profess to give, both sides of the question.
With respect to the articles in this par-
ticular they arc all such as must be of
the highest interest to the class of readers
to whom they are addressed. Mr. 'Webb Hall
contributes a paper, or rather the commence%
went of a paper, in the shape of a letter to Lord
Milton, on the subject of that Noble Lord's
pamphlet on the Corn Laws. We have read it
with regret ; for there does not appear in it any
trace of a willingness to yield to the community
the same liberty of disposing of its labour and
money as it pleases, which the farmers claim on
their own account. 'We say we regret it ; for
we are satisfied that the time is approaching, when
if an alteration be not made with the concur-
rence of the landed interest, it will be made in
spite of it. This subject is one of such im-
portance, that we shall notice Mr. Webb's
article on a future day. The following is the
best article, in the way of extract, which we can
find to present to our readers. It will be found
interesting to all having even the slightest ac-
quaintance with rural matters :

" GAMA GRASS.

" The following coinMunrca-tion, extracted from the
Southern Agriculturist, published at Charleston, in the
Unitedit to attention ; more particularly as the conductor, by the
kilidnes,S,
otaftesth,epAossmesersiecsansuEffidciiteonrt interest
,expects tosoorencotorairnieenidn
possession of some seed of this highly commended grass.
Of course, a careful trial will be given it, and an account
of its produce, in the soil and climate of Great Britain
laid before the public at the earliest possible period :
" ''
read in the Washington City, and some other public
Gazettelr.
li,aEn Editor,
—Some
yearn
say four or five, I
valuable properties
of a grass, found in the south-west, and principally
through the provinces of South America, called by the
Spaniards the ' gama•gra!s.' I think, wime time ago, a
mini your R gieter iin the subject
communication
grass,
,orapapneareexdtrin act
from
the e
ommunication of
some Spanish gentlemen. On readin,s in the Washing-
ten Cat/ tiverl, however. a erim,n,..,;.,,,t;,.n frarn a di._

tinguished citizen of Maryland to the Agricultural So-
ciety, I determined to.pmrure,; if, postiblea thesseed- of it,.
and to ascertain whether or not it would be found to ex-
hibit in Alabama, and its,climate and soil, the same valu-
able qualities.
" From the communication before-mentiond, a Dr.
Hardeman, of Missouri, was stated as the gentleman to
whom the country was indebted for bringing into notice
and usefulness this valuable vegetable acquisition. The
Doctor was not unknown to me as one of those few minds
who can blend together a fair and manly pursuit after this
good things of this life, with that happy degree of philan-
thropy which cannot be satisfied without adding some-
thing to the general stock of human comfort and happi-
ness—and the antipode of those who can wrap themselves
up in the sleazy web of self, and contemplate everything
through that (to them) delightful medium. I learned that
his patriotism was equalled by his liberality, and I wrote
him my desire to give to this section of the Union the
advantages, if possible, attributed to this valuable plant.
On the receipt of my letter, he immediately forwarded me,
by mail, the remaining few seeds he had left, and which,
on receiving:, I quickly planted, and I now view it as a
remaining duty to the public, to put them in posses-ion of
the result, which fixes, in my opinion, the character of
this plant, to this section of the Union, as almost invalu-
able. To the citizens of your town and vicinity, lam
assured its value can hardly be calculated.
" On receiving the seeds, say in March, early, I
planted them in a small hed, by drilling, placing the seeds
about six inches apart. They came up in a few days, and
appeared in the form of young oats. On getting about six
inches high, I took them up, after a rain, and set them,
agreeably to the Doctor's directions, in rows, two feet
apart, and eighteen inches from plant to plant, in sandy
pine land, slightly manured. The rapidity of their growth
astonished me, and I found by September—each plant a
bunch of fine blades, and the ground completely covered,
and the spaces filled up—the grass three and a half to four
feet high ! I kept the ground loose and clean between the
plants. Early in September it was cut, and in taste re-
sembled young corn blades—a taste. of all others, the most
agreeable to animals. I found every thing was prodigi-
ously fond of it, especially horses and cattle, and that it was
a dry grass, with little succulence in it.
" The following spring, early, the ground was stirred
between the plants, the roots of which were now about
four inches in diameter, resembling the root of a sugar
cane. A small quantity of manure (cow) was sprinkled
over the ground in December following, and by the first
day of May it was four feet in height : a mass of blades,
rising from the roots, and standing almost perpendiculv.,
exhibiting a most beautiful appearance of vegetable luxu-
riance. It was cut on the first day of the month, and re-
gularly on the first day of every month till November,
ranging from three and a half to four and a half feet in
height. Single roots produced from twelve to thirteen
and a half pounds of grass at a cutting, and which, when
fully cured, produced from five to five and a half pounds of
the most highly-flavoured hay I have ever found, and rea
dily cured. The last year gave a most decisive proof that
it is hardly affected by drought, its production being equal
to the previous year ; and the last winter, that our severest
cold does not affect the roots, now about six inches dia-
meter, penetrating the earth perpendicularly to a great
depth.
" ' A most accurate cutting and weighing has deter.
mined, that an acre will yield (of pine land manured) from
two hundred to two hundred and fifty thousand pounds of
green grass during the summer, or from seventy-five to
ninety tons of hay, and of the most nutritious kirolsknown
upon the earth. By a reference to the Washington City
papers two or three years back, it will be seen that a dis-
tinguished farmer and iron-master states, in a public com-
munication on the subject of this grass, that he found, on
trial, such was its nutritive qualities, that his mules per-
formed their work well, with plenty of this grass and salt,
rendering the addition of corn unnecessary. I discover
that it comes to maturity one year sooner in this section
of the Union than in Maryland or Missouri. The second
year I found a few seed stalks, and the third, say last year,
I gathered the seed, a part of which I send you for distri-
bution amongst some of your enterprising citizens, who
will riot forget to ' go and do likewise.' In the commu-
nication before referred to, it will be found the estimation
was, that ' one acre was fully competent to the support
of twenty bead of cattle during the summer.' That it
would be admirable for the production of milk and butter,
there cannot remain a doubt, and that a little attention to
its cultivation would preclude the necessity of purchasing
northern bay, is as plain, as that it would add to the com-
fort and general properiy of the whole community.
Amongst the citizens of many of the South American
States, it is held in estimation equal to the Guinea grass
of the West Indies, but is certainly far superior in value.
The duration of the roots I have not learned ; mine are
putting out most vigorously this fourth year. A singu-
larly valuable property, different from most other grasses,
is, that when the seed is ripening on the end of the seeds
stalks, six to eight feet high, the mass of leaves appears
not to undergo any change, and it may be cut immedi-
ately after the seed is all gatherel, say by the middle of
June. The seed is formed, making a jointed appearance
at the end of the seed stalk, ripening and falling off one
seed at a rime. They must be watched and gathered
daily, as different birds appear to watch for them.
" Should the cultivation and possession of this plant
prove a source of additional wealth, and add to the welfare
of the citizens of your vicinity, I shall congratulate my-
self for my own good fortune in being instrumental in pro-
ducing so desirable a circumstance. I shall forward an
additional parcel of seed this summer.
" Respectfully your obedient servant,
" AGRICOLA.' "