The Sun.
London, England, 1850-01-17 00:00:00

THE QUA RTERLIES.
'THE- EDINBURGH REVIEW.
No. CLXXXIII.
Foremost, though list among the contributions
comprised in the present number of this distinguished
periodical is the admirable criticism on Lamartine's
latest hitorieal composition. We have failed to read
the observation,, made by the Edinburgh Review
without emotion, for the circumstance of its publics-
!ion has vividly called to our remembrance the ap-
pearance of the last strictures of the same quarterly
upon the preceding annals penned by that illustrious
Frenehinan—the last contribution to the pages of the
Edinburgh from the hand ,of poor Charles Buller.
Within that interval one of the wittiest, most genial,
end rising statesmen -of the Liberal party has passed
away--edying prematurely in the ripeness of his man-
hood, in the vigour of his intellect, and at
the moment when his political ambit ion
seemed culminating to its highest realisation.
His memory, duly preserved among those
dour public charanust consequently remain as
nothing better than a syrilitetrical fragment, indi-
cating, and only indicating, what might have been
expected if the lamp of his genius had not been so
iuddeply extinguished. Divesting our minds, how-
ever, of these serrovvfal-recollectioes, the contribution
vaiieli has causetitheir revival will prove, on exami-
eatiOri, to be eminently entitled to reference. A
dere judicious and impartial criticism we have seldom
'had the eatisfaction of perusing—yielding as it does
due recognition to the merits and deficiencies of the
work, awarding proportionate 'praise and condemna-
-ion to the virtues and blemishes of the writer. After
laboriously weighing the value. of the effusion sub-
jected to criticism, namely, ,the " Histoire de la • Re-
volution de 1848," the reviewer arrives at the follow-
ing conclusion :
Oathe whole, we do not believe tl'at the
de la Revolution do 1848' will raise M. de Lemart.ne's
reputation. It shows his conduct to have been weaker,
And his principles of action to be more absurd, than we
tad thought possible. But this circumstance adds to its
interest, by aiding to its credibility. Neither the a-..;-
,ions nor the motives which be avows are such as a man
would aeerihe to himself fa7sely. And we must add,
that when we have had an opportunity of testing the
:nth of his narrative, by comparing it with that of
other witnesses' we have geeerally foUnd it correct.
We have seen, for. imtaece, an account drawn up by
Marshal Bugeaud, in his own handwritink, of the mitts
of the 24th of February, so far as he took Fart in them.
the story, as told by Lamartine, agrees with this paper
;n its minutest details; and probably was taken from the
Marshal's own lips."
The panegyric pronounced in' the above paragraph
upon the truthfulness of the work as a record of oc-
.currences is only consistent with the annalist's pure
and unimpeachable reputation. As the critic happily
expresSesit, the two volumes are in their character
less hiitorical than autobiographical—and this cir-
cumstance we conceive constitutes, instead of the
chief error, the principal excellence of the production.
Referring to the memorable apostrophe to the Tri-
coloured Flag, the reviewer F ays,—
"The mob to whiCh it had been addressed aas pour-
ing back with shouts of Viie Lamartine!" Vivo le
drapeau tricolor!' when it was met, repulsed, and passed
through by a body of revolutionists more fierce and
more implacable than any of the previous columns. 'A
bas Lamartine!' Mort a Lamartine!' they screamed!
paint de paroles, le decret,, le decret! ou le gouverne-
me it des traitres ala lanterner Lamartine had placed
himself before the great gate, raised, on a chair above
the small knot of devoted adherents who stood between
him and a band of ruffians whose bayonets and swords
almost reached his body, and, indeed, slightly wounded
one of his hands. • His voice could not now be heard in
the tumult: He would nut retreat; yet, if he remained,
the only result seemed to 1)7, his being thrown down and
trampled to death by tho mob.
"He was saved, as in no other place in Europe he
could have been saved, by a beggar, who rushed between
him and his assailants, invoked him as the brother, the
father, the god of the people; embraced hire, kissed
him, and at length obtained for him, all that was neces-
sary to his triumph-e-a hearing. For whenever a
Parisian mob hears Lamartine it is subjugated. He
subdued this last detachment of the Red party as he had
subdued its predecessors: The tricolor was raised again
over the great gates; the mob dispersed, and after eight
hours of struggle the Place de Greve was again empty."
This in truth was one of the most sublime deeds of
heroism ever recorded by either ancient or modern
historian.- Supposing the fame of Lamartine as a poet,
an annalist, a philosopher, or a statesman to perish, it
would be secured to a perennial immortality by the
recollection of that one act and that one speech. Yet
that the celebrity of Lamartine, apart from this
glorious incident, is neither narrow nor evanescent,
listen to the following remarks of the Edinburgh
Reviewer :
"hf. de Lamartine bas many claims to public atten-
tion; more in number, perhaps, than any one of his
cotemporaries. He is a poet, an ora'or, a philosopher,
an historian, and a statesman. His statesmanlike
qUalities may be collected from the story which we
ate about to relate. His merits as an historian we con

~idered two years ago, and we see no reason to alter our
verdict. His claims as a poet and an orator cannot be
disputed. They are matters not of inference but of'fact.
The object of a pott is to please—that of an orator to
persuade; a►nd the man who obtains eminent success in
his art is a great artist. A critic may think that be sees
objections to the means adopted: he may wonder it the
taste of the nation which could be pleased with such
poetry, or at the reasoning Liculties of the auditors who
could be moved with such arguments; but he must bow
tcesuccess. The poet or the orator may have been him-
self aware of these objections; but if he could so best
obtain his. object, .he wits right in disregarding them.
M. de Lamartise'a pottiy is not fitt-41 for English popu-
larity: scarcely any French poetry is. But in France
its success has been rapid and universal, and he stands
at the head of her living poets. From this judgment
the only appeal is to that of posterity; and it would be
presumptuous---for foreigners especially—to anticipate
its reversal.

" M. de Lamartice's success as an orator has been still
more brilliant. The words of •no other living speaker
have so much affected the destinies of mankind. His
influence heel resembled that of Mirabeau and O'Con-
nell united. Both Mirabesu and O'Connell, indeed,
preserved their influence much longer; Mirabesu, in
fact, kept his till death. O'Connell until extreme ago
and bodily w( akness. M. de Lamartine's iF, for the
present, suspended. But, while it lasted, it was more
decisive, more instantaneous in its effects, and exercised
under legs advantageous circumstances, than eith, r of
theirs??

Upon the clever politico-historic contribution relating
to "Turkey and Christendom" we have already
'commented in our leading• columns, so that further
allusions to it would be superfluous. Not so with
the ingenious criticism penned by a reader and, to a
certain extent, by an admirer of Currer Bell, in
which the consideration of the merits and demerits of
" Shirley" gives rise to an interesting dissertation
upon female- literature. Although coinciding
in as great measure with those who recognise
the individual superiority of celebrated men over
celebrated women, the critic expresses considerable
doubt as to whether the fair sex en masse is suffering
under an inherent disadvantage. The argument of
his opponents in this matter he does not regard as in
any remarkable degree strengthened by the mere
consideration that the gentler half of the human
family has never had its annals adorned with names

such as those of Shakspere, Bacon, Newton, Milton,
Raphael, Mozart, Watt, or Burke. Upon the ex-
traordinary deficiency of the female intellect in regard
to musical composition and to the exhibition of the
humorous, whether on the stage or in literature, the
writer cannot help remarking. Speaking of the want
of a single great musical composer among females,
he observes:—

" Bu►, as composers, they have never attained any dis-
tinction. They hale often been grea►, indeed, as per-
formers—whether with the impassioned grandeur of a
Pasta and a Viardot, or with the perfectt vocalisation of
a Lind and an Alboni—whether pianists, such as Camille
Playel—violinists, such as Madame Flipowicsz or the
little Milanolo—whether as organist=, or even as trom-
bone (!) players—yet in musical composition they ate
absolutely without rank. We can understand their not

creating the stormy grandeur and tumultuary harmo-
nies, the gloom and the enchanting loveliness of a
Beethoven, since to that height woman never have at-
tained in any art; but why no one among them should
yet have rivalled the moonlight tenderness and plaintive
delicacy of a Bellini, is a mystery to us."
Again, commenting upon the want of a great comic
actress and of a great comic authoress, the Edinburgh

says :
" Compare Miss AuiOn, Miss Ferriar, and Miss
Edgeworth, with the lugty mirth and riotous humour of
Shakspere, Rabelais,: Butler, Swift, Fielding, Smollett,
or Dickens and Thaekeray. . It is like comparing a quiet
smile with the • inextinguishable laughter' of the Ho-
meric gods! So also on the stage—there have been
comic actresses of incomparable merit, lively, pleasant,
humorous women, gladdening the scene with their airy
brightness and gladsome presence; but they have no
comic energy. There has been no female Mundee,
Liston, Matthews, or Keeley. To be sure, our drama
has no female raw, the representation of which af.er
such a fashion would not have been a caricature."

Besides the critical notices already mentioned we
must particularize an able and learned review on the
" History of Greece, by George Grote." Irish
Toryism receives a castigation, to
.which we must
elsewhere direct attention, in the paper entitled
" Orange Processions." Three other contributions,
of remarkable ability and of permanent value, remain
still unnoticed ; but our remarks have already pro•
ceeded to a length which obliges us to content our-
selves with their bare enumeration,'namely, articles on
" Sanitary Reforms," on "British Mines," and on
" Colonization."

BURKE'S LANDED GENTRY TOR 1850.—We are
requested to stat that Mr. Colburn has this day pub-
lishes Mr. Burke's " Hist rry of the Landed Gentry f.r
1850.1' a cheaper edition, cortecte I to the present time,
comp'ol in two volumes royal octavo, comprising more
tinter then this ty ordinary volumes, price only 2/. 25.,
bound, which may now be had of all booksellers. This
important national work comprises a genealogical and
heraldic dictionary of the whole of the landed gentry of
Gieit Brit lin and Ireland, wish particulars of upwards
of 100,000 persons connected with them, forming a ne.
cesaory CollaPaalan la all PCONage9.