The Sun.
London, England, 1850-03-04 00:00:00

THE MAGAZINES, &c.

tta BLACKWOOD.
itlon gilt; March number, for the delectation of its
aeotnerable readers, is more than usually misce a-
ils
the circumstance not at all to be regretted by
Aetiorers
of magazine literature. Politics, trave,
Varlet' Poetry, and criticism alternate in agreeable
of thy' and while the article at the commencement
colt; number is dedicated to the great colonial d
iffi
experienced in regard to the Canadas, the
ope,ier) g
at its conclusion is commemorative of the
°f these of the present Parliamentary session. Neither
ter "e will be found to be of a superficial charac-
"4 both may be read with advantage,
Cum grano salis, on account of the
atnhhbias of the opinions entertained by our dear,
,tiob Lltni old 110 my. To our exceeding gratitica-
-4,6"e observe that the reviewer of Washington
hiatuBl " Life of Oliver Goldsmith" has filled up the
els„;8 which we remarked in his last month's criti-
Paper 11 giving us in a second and supplementary
bui totes on the writings of that delightful genius. It
earee;jast that, having commented upon the personal
tEtt• of Goldsmith, he should follow up that nar-
Ive by
.., an estimate of Goldsmith's abilities as an
histo'rliB4 a traveller, a poet, a novelist, an
terie:ni and a dramatist. All this the
the ,-„er in Blackwood has accomplished with
eith„-"eePtion of any allusions to Oliver's capacity,
trer -11:ts a Playwright or as an annalist. Here, how-
ae e "'Pie materials for comment—leaving on
the aide the school histories of " England," &c., and
4/44'W° felicitous comedies of the Good-natured
etl'lll ldeattl;" She Stoops to Conquer—in the sweetest
ge e tale in the language, the " Vicar of Wak e-
ojathe garrulous pages of " The Citizen of the
tAore the Poem of the " Traveller," and the yet
at,.
achn irable poem of the " Deserted Village."
the "(8.,'1t(1 to the former of Goldsmith's masterpieces,
the e,(raleller," we are reminded by our critic of
beet,'Lonishrnent felt, on its appearance, " that a
Ntve4P„aPer essayist and a bookseller's drudge should
teeo4,,vrit,ten such a poem"—a surprise not at
.a
litie,Prenensible. The anecdote about the opening
is 441 Remote, unfriended, melancholy, slow,"
this ni/sing ; but our chief obligation to the writer of
Petiles-n, sing'
is for his having revived for our
of A4t Oliver's charming though defective allegory
IZ:en.° Two or three little casual interjectionshe
rtiere—entheses) are the best things
th.„ sagacious critic has likewise rinvie,at,ed
:vat „s" March number of Blackwood Mr.
rcm'4 Powerful and very excellent " Let;
"'he Is the Queen on a late Court-Martial. "
to4vi„-:"owever, Blackwood asserts plainly enough its
44(1 u'''pn that Captain Douglas has been most cruelly
tetile:JustlY treated, we cannot but disagree alto-
%Ilk; with our contemporary in its opinion that the
veri ,°f this deeply-injured officer was marked by
418.1„"s'Ight culpability, arising from an obliquity of
trie-"t• Considering the treatment already ex-
-ted at Alderney by Captain Douglas, we think
alvi,s fully justified in the reservation
Par
"ittvir);Y,_ acknowledgment whatever of his
be acknowledgment
firing on the Frying Pan Battery.
htcltlceiurt°lll this portion of the subject, however, we
I' ,that the strictures of Blackwood are emi-
pq, Judicious. Both the serials—" The Green
7,11 d, ht":(1" My Peninsular Medal"—are continued.
"re-esides, an agreeable and discursive notice of
urgilheent travels of Alexardre Dumas and of David
heat
in Northern Africa, under the title of
;''ttlttbh—'4o Rambles,"—the number is embellished
13,,„r'e poetical contributions, the verses addressed
.."113) " Highland Mary" being the most meri-

h We 1, BENTLEY.
h* - have three delightful chapters of Mr.
.Robert
rt'ent new novel, " The Ladder of Gold," the
Zit lit: "Inber of Bentley. The hero progressesin in
ii4:tett;Za.r:l career until he, Richard_ Rawlings, the
!t l'' r Pauper becomes Member of Parliament
ttl, :•tili-en) and w'e are informed that the next chap-
' °ea: p. t4ite Rawlings and his family to London,
it e‘orth
tto t. the scene of whatever joys or sorrows
!ittitef." Unfolded in this story." In the present in-
11, 41-gti„t we have some delightful pictures of English
4114tat,-,enerY and English country society, such, for
it Mißil't:' the picture of " Wren's Nest," and the
-4ill' farnil gr u of the Winsters who inhabiti
),-41v-ie PnvverY, the-o
irresistibleP power of wealth is
nityy,lustrated by the calm manner in whichh
41fisi)r(1 4ftwlings compels the self-willed, hadug
ttye,
N., ' tYrannical Earl of Dragonfelt, to surren
der
theh
NllolBentation of Ye lton into his hands ; indeed,
-4, ill ..1.--
t 4 ~ebitlt" .y
.0 f thisr Yarlton election is one of the
I.%sti. strations of the absurdity of suffering small
'444'tlentie?, under the present system, to return
$-Ntinlerl t°Parliament, that ever was penned, and we.
7,.,4144111t, to the perusal of all advocates for an ex
thutke, the suffrageand for vote by ballot. Mr.
k P ri e apothecary who attends the household of
11„411144t- . i°,l bragonfelt, and therefore dares not vote
A 1 free T 8 Lordshi 's nominee, is the type of
bthe
ptith 4-'llclependeptit electors" of all such small o-
Ifdese Pi erbaps the most important paper in the
ehtle„-11°Inber is the able, masterly, and conclusi e
61; st'lnf the policy of Sir James Brooke, by Mr. Js
ot-' t o "I'n, against the calumnies of the " spouterf
k,a;''''th):: 'who, under pretence of being friends o
h'met)yhf-ve in fact constituted themselves into a
itetirq the protection of pirates and the encosut-.
51.14 -tit uf the slave-trade. In this paper Mr.,
Of Cony
t° 4041 h lets these orators of ~ crass ignorance,' or
Pqiegt!ng infinitely worse. They have asserted that
pi4Rlist, .hah vessels have been plundered, and no
il,r,,ttEs, 'll,,,°jects have been murdered by the Bornean
1i.41' the " some of them go further, and. absolutely
f",l'aa ,,.existence of piracy in the Indian
.Archi-
-,t.,ehon. 3 "1r- St John proves that these assertions are
4'''.l sb •,:) "pure and simple," as the French would say,
itistiktg 4the existence of iracy, and the fact of the
8,'44 11) of English vessels by the Sarebas and S
.4:lttlibate3l,l,lllchsi'stfro.ln the testimony of Cornet de Groot,
lsit„ Ihmion orian of the Archipelago, and from the
h `ll p • of various Sarebas Malays
.who were
enderstittttit,o4,l.l2on by the crews of the Nemesis and. A.l-
vi-
IL% Npa conveyed to Singapore, where their e
t s f4et that taken. . _ We may observe, en passant, that
..
114111. Y tOilt -at any prisoners were taken is always care
Ph'ell4rieealed by the very candid gentlemen who, at
i-,iltle .Biieb°:l*_neer meetings, eeings, ventilate their vocabulary
l'il;IN. rr, .t of Si:i James Brooke and the Sarebas
hi ° la 4 , 4. rhs paper, from the pen of Mr. St. John,
iviititst eli7innwledged on all hands to be one of the
tki, the B' authorities on all matters connected
%It if it East,
oe Will, we hope, set the question. at rest,
ill ilnWlea s not draw from the patrons of
.piracy an
'lti • "gment of their error, at least shame
,4e ,Atiphittn silence. Maxwell concludes his story of
ha ard
Vitit.ll 4no'thßliffe!tY," and Paul
. Pinder furnishes us
104 er delightful Angling Eclogue. There are
f ktilll t:r°ther Papers of interest, besides the review ?
6.-t t4e,pht literature of the month in this, which is
'11047/4 number of Bentley. There are two illus-
't/ ii The Ladder of (,fold."